MINIs on the Dragon is an annual gathering of MINI Coopers in

Robbinsville, North Carolina Robbinsville is a town in Graham County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 620 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Graham County, county population 8,861. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the town h ...

. Started in 2003, the event takes place over the first weekend of May each year. The event is in part named after the legendary section of

US 129 U.S. Route 129 (US 129) is an auxiliary route of US 29, which it intersects in Athens, Georgia. US 129 currently runs for from an intersection with US 19/ US 27 ALT/ US 98 in Chiefland, Florida, to an interchange ...

known as "The Dragon" which runs from

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

and has 318 curves in 11 miles. The event attracts over 900 attendees and over 600 MINI Coopers. The record was over 800 cars. The event primarily is attended by the newer BMW MINI Coopers but also attracts several classic

Mini Cooper Mini Cooper may refer to: *Cars of the original Mini series called the "Mini Cooper", made by the British Motor Corporation and its successors 1961–1971, and 1990–2000 *Cars of the Mini (marque), including a number of different models produced ...

s each year. This is the largest grassroots MINI Cooper event in the US each year. The event "headquarters" is in Fontana Village, a quaint vacation resort that was originally built to house the workers as they built the

Fontana Dam Fontana Dam is a hydroelectric dam on the Little Tennessee River in Swain and Graham counties, North Carolina, United States. The dam is operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority, which built the dam in the early 1940s to satisfy the skyrocketin ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Each year MINI owners from over 30 different States and Canada make the pilgrimage to Fontana Village to participate in this event. Starting off as a three-day event, it has currently grown into its newer format of four days and includes a vendor alley, group dinners, a Brewswap,

Bingo Bingo or B-I-N-G-O may refer to: Arts and entertainment Gaming * Bingo, a game using a printed card of numbers ** Bingo (British version), a game using a printed card of 15 numbers on three lines; most commonly played in the UK and Ireland ** Bi ...

Night and a host of various drives and other activities, there is the Friday morning Dragon Parade, the Saturday night Midnight on the Dragon. Brave MINIs gather at Deals Gap and at 00:00 depart and drive the Dragon.

References

motoringfile.comroadandtrack.com
http://minisonthedragon.com

External links

*
Fontana Village

Deals Gap
{{DEFAULTSORT:Minis On The Dragon Automotive events