One of the greatest draws for tourists in Williamson is its proximity to the Hatfield-McCoy Trails. From April 26-28, 2019, Williamson took advantage of this and hosted the Dirt Days Festival. Dirt Days was an ATV festival that made full use of the trails and offered a variety of activities and events for those who love off road riding.
Trail 10 House and ATV Tours, a local business, offered short tours to show visitors around Williamson and the venue, and a ticket to dirt days included immediate access to 300+ miles of trails in the area. A mud pit for riders was opened behind a local restaurant for riders to enjoy. It wasn’t all riding-- Dirt Days also featured live music and poker night on Friday. Then, on Saturday, they finished the festival off with fireworks.
1200 Visitors Ride Into Williamson
“Dirt Days was a huge success,” says Justin Marcum, the co-organizer of the Dirt Days Festival. The festival had a great turnout--more than 1,200 tourists came from as far away as Georgia and Iowa to visit Williamson and ride the trails. Williamson welcomed 77 riders from Mountain State Harley Davidson, and the Mingo/Pike Car Club hosted a car show on Saturday.
Putting Williamson on the Map
Max Mounts, who helped to organize Dirt Days, is enthusiastic about the potential of such events for Williamson. “We just wanted to do something that would put Williamson on the map… the thing I love about this event is bringing people in and enjoying our area!” says Martin. Plans are already in motion for Dirt Days 2020, and the founders, especially Marcum, are excited. “We plan on building on the success for next year’s event,” he says.