18th North American Solstice and Sky Annual Meet 2023 (June 19-24, 2023) (NASSAM)

Passing along the latest...

Just seven weeks to go!

175 cars are currently registered. There have been a few cancellations, mostly due to medical reasons, over the last month, but there has been a net gain in registrants.

If you have been waiting, wait no longer. We need to place the T-shirt orders, car sticker orders, turn in banquet numbers, etc. Don’t miss out on the third largest NASSAM in history. Sign up today!

4-6 Road Captain openings remain. Two on Monday, one Wednesday, one Saturday. (Thursday and Friday’s slots are all filled). Those four runs are filled with participants waiting for their leader. Two more Hawks Nest 2 runs can be opened (on Tuesday and Wednesday) as soon as those initial four RC spots are filled and when we pick up RC’s number 5 and 6.

Due to cancellations, there are a dozen participant slots currently available, in case you had trouble finding spots initially and were looking to add.

We will be returning to Beckley in 3 weeks – Car Show details, group photo location, banquet details to be finalized. It will be determined if there would be a dress rehearsal of “The Hatfield’s and McCoy’s” at Theatre West Virginia that our group could attend on our open night on Tuesday. That performance would also be an option on Saturday night to those staying until Sunday, as the theatre's regular season will be running by then. Plan B will be to have showings of “October Sky” and “Dirty Dancing” at the hotel, movies pertinent to venues that you will visit during the week.

We are working with Rob Coach (Rob the Elder) and Tom Bell to create a video recording of Rob’s “Kappa Inspection and Maintenance” Class, so more Kappa owners can access this information and learn about their cars. (And Rob is working on a surprise for previous participants!)

We have a volunteer photographer for the group photo.

There will be a Road Captain Meeting Sunday, June 18th, 2023 at suppertime with food. A PowerPoint presentation has been made to help familiarize you with the details of all the stops on all the runs.

Scott Harvey, the new manager at Country Inn, has been running a wait list for those wishing to stay at the Country Inn, but may have booked elsewhere due to previous unavailability. Contact the hotel if you would like to try to get on the list for a room there.

A couple of Kappa owners have sent us items for the Silent Auction. We have room for more if you, your friends, your employer, etc. would like to donate anything to the cause.

Thanks for your attention!

The latest from the organizers...

Please note that there are no GPX files attached to this update on the forum, and that this will appear to the the third highest attended level.

NASSAM Update #4

FIVE weeks to go. 184 cars registered to date. (178 cars paid)
The SECOND largest Kappa event (Poconos 2014) recorded 185 cars…………………..
We have updated our email list to reflect recent registrants and believe that we now have everyone included. As such, this update #4 will reiterate pertinent information from the earlier updates that some may have missed.
As we did at NASSAM 2021, there will be daily email updates to all attendees to convey any updates, changes, additions or deletions to our schedules.
There are still a handful of people that have “registered” for the event, but have not paid. If you are still coming, and have not paid, please complete your registration. If registered and not coming, if you could please let us know. If you are unsure if you paid, check your old emails for a PayPal receipt, or inquire and we can let you know. You must be a PAID registrant to participate in any of the Meet & Greet, Ice Cream Social, Car Show, Banquet, Runs & Group Photo activities, etc.

FINAL T-shirt orders are due by Friday, May 26th, 2023 to meet our printing deadline. There is no plan for additional printings.

Registration Deadline / Refund Request Deadline June 9th, 2023. This is the day we turn in the dining numbers for the Friday banquet, and the number of dinners the Event will be charged for. If you were to cancel after, we would still incur the expense for your meal which would not be eaten.

Email your Photos throughout the NASSAM week to Tom Bell: [email protected] to have them included in the slideshow preceding the banquet meal on Friday night at Tamarack.
Our next trip to Beckley will be in a week when all details of the NASSAM week will be finalized.

4-5 Road Captain openings remain, slots created by the cancellation of two intended Road Captains:
Monday – Head of the Dragon – many cars await a captain.
Wednesday – Devils Den – many cars await a captain.
Wednesday – Not Yet Posted is Hawks Nest 2. If we can get a Road Captain, this run can be posted, but let’s fill the other RC needs first.
Friday - Devils Den – many cars await a captain.
Saturday – By Popular Demand 3 – many cars await a captain.
Participants slots are available Tuesday and Wednesday as of this writing.

There will be a Road Captain Meeting Sunday evening, June 18th, at suppertime.

There have been a few recent event/hotel cancellations. Contact Scott Harvey, Country Inn manager if you would prefer to be at the Country Inn. If something isn’t immediately available, he is running a wait list for rooms. If we don’t fill all the rooms, we’ll have random non-Kappa folks staying with us on a nightly basis.
We are accepting donated items for the Silent Auction: NASSAM related, Kappa related, automotive related. I’ve had a sneak preview of some beautiful handmade items coming in. It’s all for our charity.
Attached are 11 of the 12 Garmin GPX files. (Mondays Claw of the Dragon participants, Do Not Download this version of Claw of the Dragon. A separate Monday COD version will be released due to a differing restaurant). The Back of the Dragon GPX will be released upon our return from Beckley. We can load these files onto your Garmin at the event if not completed before arrival.

Event Sponsors are materializing: Hagerty Insurance, Hagerty Drivers Club, Performance Autowerks, Black Cat Customs, Solo, Wind Restrictor, SaddlX, City of Beckley and more anticipated.
Tuesday, June 20th is West Virginia Day – the state will be 160 years old. I don’t know what that means for local businesses, but reconfirm any individual plans for that date to be sure where you are going will be open.

Registration/Check-in will open at Noon on Sunday, June 18th in the Mountaineer Conference Center at the Country Inn.
Those on the Summersville Run will need to place their lunch order with the Event Office by the evening of the day before the run. We’ll have menus available to review.

Rob Coach (Rocky Mountain Solstice & Sky Club) will be offering Kappa Inspection and Maintenance Classes throughout the week.

Thank you!

May 25th, 2023

Our final planning week in West Virginia is coming to a close, and I think we have gotten all of our ducks in a row. Three concepts have presented themselves this week that I wasn’t sure would fly, but they all have. I think you’ll enjoy.

Now, a couple of DEADLINES to be aware of:

T-SHIRT orders will be extended from tomorrow, Friday, May 26, but will CLOSE at the end of the day on Monday, May 29th (Memorial Day) to allow the orders to be fulfilled. Please place any orders by that time. If not ordering through the website, send us your order by email at [email protected] and we can work out the payment process.

EVENT REGISTRATION will CLOSE on June 9th, when we need to turn in our banquet numbers. That will be the number of meals that the event will have to pay for, even if one were to cancel after that, so that will also be the day that any cancellation refunds will be reduced to 50% of your initial payment so we can cover the banquet costs.

Our one “Open Night” in the schedule, Tuesday, has now been filled with the offering of a private NASSAM function at the Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine. Tour the Coal Camp, take the underground Mine Tour, enjoy live singers performing Motown Music, and purchase a Pepperoni Roll for dinner. Event cost $20 per person.

I am happy to report that we now have 63 Road Captains for the 63 offered Runs! Thanks to all that have volunteered for those positions, (some after a little begging and groveling on my part).

A security guard will be present in the Country Inn parking lot overnight beginning Sunday and running through at least Friday night.

Offsite oversized trailer parking has been secured for those trailering their Kappa.

Those participating in the Summersville Run will need to place their lunch orders in the Event Office by the night before the run.

Room Raffle tickets can be used toward ANY Beckley hotel bill (exclusive of any ancillary charges) and are not limited to reservations at the Country Inn. Room Raffle tickets will be available for purchase throughout the NASSAM week.

Kappa Cookies will be available to go with your Ice Cream at Wednesday’s Social.

Happy Memorial Day weekend! See you in three weeks!

NASSAM 2023