Just In: Pigeon Forge Rod Run have agreed to a deal with…..Read more

This year’s 2024 autumn Rod Run isn’t quite like the ones that started in Pigeon Forge on Thursday.

Many rod runners are worried that the Pigeon Forge car show could suffer as a result of a new ordinance that bans advertising for sale cars on the sides of state roadways within the municipal limits.

This was not something that the city of Pigeon Forge “hi-lighted” one day and decided to pass an ordinance prohibiting parking on the right-of-way, according to Chief Richard Catlett of the Pigeon Forge Police Department.

Parkway parking before Rod Run is subject to new regulations in Pigeon Forge.

According to Catlett, the vehicles for sale next to 441 Parkway will now be towed due to their leasing arrangement with the state. He made it clear that the State must uphold its regulations, which include a ban on advertisements, as it owns sixty feet of ground on either side of the road.

The area where Joe Swift, a rod runner, sold three vehicles in 22 years is what pains or concerns him the most. Typically, he sells them on the first day. Accordingly, the new rules catch you off guard. As a matter of fact, you’re going to force this out of town, which is hurting not only the local economy but also a lot of people.

At a Mexican restaurant in Knoxville, flies were discovered among the rice.

The whole auto show and local businesses could be affected by this, according to attendees of the bi-annual Rod Run.

The adjustments are not to my liking. I get it regarding the dealers, but halting everything isn’t the only solution. The local companies have been decimated, in my view,” stated rod runner Larry Cook.

Nevertheless, according to Catlett, the rule addresses previous concerns over parking for businesses.

When asked about the attempts to contact them, Catlett explained that they were powerless before the new ordinance went into place.

Even if the rule does help with parking, out-of-town rod runners have expressed concern that the show might no longer be worthwhile.

People will just choose not to attend as it continues to shrink in size. A resident of Alabama named Doug Minton expressed his dismay at what he saw as the seeming exclusion of the average person from what appeared to be a successful endeavor.