Author Archives: Keith

Schedule of Events – Fest 2024

I have had several questions about when to arrive, etc and thought it would be a good idea to send this out to everyone.  This is the rough schedule of events for the meet which have been planned so far.

  • Monday – drive – leave hotel at 1:30 – Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art – back roads
    dinner at local restaurant or on your own

    • Evening – welcome and tech at meeting room
  • Tuesday – tech, drive to Rogers for lunch, tech demonstrations, dinner, tech talks
  • Wednesday – tech, car show, group pics, tech quiz, dinner, raffle, awards

Bo

Hotels in Eureka Springs

Our Fest Hotel will fill up fast each year. People have been coming long enough that they reserve their rooms a year in advance to be close to the event.

https://www.eurekasprings.org/best-western-eureka-inn/

Given that, there are quite a few hotels nearby as Eureka Springs is a tourist destination for many people and events. The link below can be used to easily find many of them.

Lodging

 

What Goes On at the Fest?

For the 2020 year, we put a small video together that talks about what goes on at a Fest.

Each year is different, but the cadence of how things are sequenced, prior to the event, are as follows:

Getting to MidAmerica’02 Fest

The actual street address for the Fest is the hotel, the Best Western Eureka Inn.

To get there, add this address to your GPS and start “calculating route”…

Primary Hotel

Best Western Inn of the Ozarks – (479) 253-9768
207 W Van Buren
Eureka Springs, AR  72632

Secondary Hotel

Wyndham Super 8 – (479) 253-5040
3010 East Van Buren
Eureka Springs , AR, 72632

My Favorite Paths To The Fest

Coming from North and West of Eureka Springs area?  For the last several years, a group of us meet just south of Harrisonville Missouri and caravan down to the Fest on Missouri 71 / I-49. Our route heading South from Harrisonville takes us the most expedient path towards Arkansas but it’s not what your GPS says is the fastest route.

Click for Enlarged Map View

We continue to just across the border into Arkansas towards the town of Bella Vista.  Continue South on I-49/71  until you see the exit for Arkansas 340/E. Lancashire Blvd Exit as shown on the map below.  About 1 mile or so east of I-49, you will see one of these signs as shown above about Steep Grades. In Arkansas terms, this means “Welcome to the amusement park ride” !!!

The drive continues  (see map below with inset) towards a Civil War historic town, Pea Ridge, Arkansas 62, which features a major open meadow where battles were fought. The town of Gateway isn’t to far from there, if you blink you might miss it but it has a small bridge you drive right through which is the “gateway” to the last 40 minutes or so of your trip to Eureka, which shows up at that point on just about every mile marker sign all the way to Eureka Springs.

There will be some more awesome roads near Beaver Lake, and before you know it you will be in the switch backs.  Back in 2007, we did some videos and posted it on YouTube, have a look.

I know if you love the curves,  you will find the roads truly designed for a BMW 2002 to take and enjoy as the cool down from a boring interstate highway drive to get you ready for the Fest!