This year we chose Cherokee, NC as the base for our 3 day driving adventure. It's located at the south entrance of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and at the beginning of the Blue Ridge Parkway. As with all of our CMU events, we like to drive, and that's what we'll be doing. We will have drives each of the three days with plenty of stops and things to see. Oh, and to experience the power of nature, we're offering optional whitewater rafting! 

If you haven't been to a CMU event before, we do it differently; we like to drive/cruise a lot and see all around the area we're visiting. With this being a CMU event, you must be a member to enter a Mini. Membership is free, go to the join page and become a member! As with all of our events, this is for everybody, but all of the drives/cruises/anything is only for classic Minis and its variants produced from 1959-2000, no exceptions. There's always room to ride in someone’s Mini if you come in something else. We don't leave anybody behind!

MiniWorld Magazine - The Mini 51 - Here's the full printable story.
"As a follow-up to the landmark Mini 50, CMU surpassed themselves with the Mini 51 "
"Everyone witnessed the truly unforgettable sight of the endless line of Classic Minis twisting through the mountain curves."

MiniWorld Magazine comments on our Mini 50 event.
"Many people who went said it was the best Mini event they'd ever attended."
"The event set a new standard for USA Mini meetings..."

Mini Magazine also comments on our Mini 50 event.
"... it raised the bar of what should be expected of a show in North America."
"... can't wait for the next CMU event!!"

If that's not enough, see our Mini 50 and Mini 51 stories!

Club Forum
If you would like to join in with others and make your trip to/from the Mini 53 more enjoyable and safer (parts and service help) go to our club forum and connect with other members. Share your plans, where you're coming from, things you're bringing to the swap meet, local beers you're bringing, you favorite story from the Mini 50/51, suggestions for the Mini 53 (we listen!)......  Forum  We're also on Facebook, join in and stay in touch!

Host Campground Cherokee/ Great Smokies KOA website Camping Lodge (Moke not included.) River front Lodges/Kabbins Imagine almost everybody being able to stay at the campground, this is the year! From hotel type rooms along the river that you can share with your friends/family to tent spots, RV spaces and basic cabins, this will be Mini Town USA for a few days. Go HERE for the pricing/contact and additional information. Do this ASAP before the tourists take your spot!

Alternate Hotel website This is the most affordable, nicest, and closest hotel to the KOA. We are calling this the alternate hotel because so many will be able to stay at the KOA. They are giving us a good rate of $63.80, that includes the 10% tax. Call 828-497-2020 to make your reservations. (NOTE: Between January and April 1st you might get a recording saying they are not taking reservations until April 1st. They WILL take your reservation, just leave your name and number at the end of the recording and they will call you back ASAP.)  Mention Classic Minis United to get the discounted rate. Don't wait for the tourists to fill the rooms up and do it before April 1st before the prices go up. Note that the event is over Saturday night, so, you'll probably want to check out on Sunday the 22nd. Also note, all of the drives will be leaving from the KOA.

Registration
Please register ASAP. It helps us immensely with planning! A quick email with a people/Mini count would be appreciated as well to mike@classicminis.org.The cost is once again North America's biggest bang for the buck at $25pp and $15 per Mini! The deadline to be received is March 16, 2012. After that the price goes up and you won't be able to get a cool T-shirt or sweatshirt! Thank our sponsors and creative event staff for keeping the cost soooooooo low! Here's the registration form.

T-shirts!
This year we are proud to have artist and club member Bob Cox design the full color art and member Ron Jernigan of Sussex Screen Printing will be printing them. Bob came to the Mini 51 and surprised everybody with some beautiful prints he drew to represent the event. Oh wait... We weren't surprised how great they were, we were surprised that he did it. Oh wait... We weren't surprised that he could do it, we were surprised because he didn't tell anybody he was doing it! Here's the Mini 51 print that Bob did, and here the Mini 53 T-shirt!

Indian Headdress Contest
Yes, you read that correctly! At our Mini 50 we had a hat competition and it was a huge success! So, we're doing it again. But this time, since we'll be based on an Indian reservation, it will be a Indian headdress contest. Make your hat out of classic Mini parts and anything else (feathers) you can think of. Friday night before the Blazing Saddles movie the crowd will decide on an adult and youth winner. The "adult" will win a headdress for their Mini consisting of a polished aluminum valve cover with a chrome cap and Paddy Hopkirk T bars, a $100 value! A good source has told me that a couple from the UK are coming over to win this. Don't let them take the prize home and don't miss the fun of making one!!!

Finalists from the Mini 50 hat contest!

Schedule
The following is an overview description...
Everything is at or starts at the KOA. Look for signs.
Wednesday: Registration at night, please try to register then!
Thursday: Early registration. Imagine a long line of classic Minis cruising through the beautiful Great Smoky Mountain park AND the twisty road through Deals Gap (The Dragon) all in the same day. No need to imagine it since we'll be doing it! Of course there will be scenic stops and a lunch break along the way. Following dinner on your own, we'll have our traditional ice cream night cruise.
Friday: Early registration. Seasoned Cruise Master Chuck Gaines will lead a full day cruise that will be a good mix of driving, stopping, sightseeing, and eating. Then for the evening, we'll have a swap meet, beer tasting, and a silent auction, before the catered dinner. Following dinner will be the headdress competition and the special CMU version of Blazing Saddles! Of course popcorn will be served...
Saturday: Early registration. Cruise Master Mike Ehinger will start the morning cruise with a line-up and cruise to possibly exceed 105 classics in a single file, priceless. We'll drive some great roads to the lunch stop and then you'll have a choice for your afternoon activity. You can continue on with the afternoon cruise or you can go whitewater rafting for just $30pp! See the above information on the whitewater rafting! Then we'll all meet back at the campground for some story telling, relaxing, and goodbyes around the campfire. 
Sunday: Head home and think about how much fun you had while dreaming about the Mini 54, that is if the world is still here!

Supporters and Sponsors
If you would like to help make this event the biggest and best event before the world ends, we could use your support. Remember, your money/parts will be worthless if mankind is wiped off the face of the earth. Simply put, the more money we raise, the more money we can spend on the event. We kept the entry costs down so everybody can afford it, we got a title sponsor (Mini Sport USA) to help make the event happen to our standards, now we would like embellish and add to it. If you would like to support the Mini 53 with either cash or merchandise (for an auction or giveaways) please click HERE for more information.

Thank you sponsors!
Their logos are links, visit them and see some great Mini stuff!.

850-244-6608 Fort Walton Beach Florida

Christie's Collections Quality custom Mini shirts, handbags and more! LOOK!