NOTICE
Service animals & pets are prohibited in the party areas of all MESS events.
Scroll past Fall Bash to spring, summer, & Christmas parties.
Click here to print the Fall Bash 2025 tickets form
FALL BASH 2025
Hey everyone,
This is an update regarding the food for Fall Bash. Our members are getting older, and it has become harder and harder to get members to supply enough home-cooked food to support the party on Friday night. We wish we could continue the long- standing tradition of providing home-cooked food to attendees, but we are pretty much at the end of that road. The Saturday lunch will still feature our famous home-cooked soups and subs from one of our local vendors.
Because most people do not care for hotel-prepared food, none of our food events will involve hotel food. The Holiday Inn has graciously given us permission to use our 2024 caterer to provide dinners for our Friday night hospitality and our Saturday evening dinner.
We hope that this information will help you understand why the changes have been made.
PLEASE READ THIS ENTIRE DOCUMENT BECAUSE THE QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT ASK ARE PROBABLY IN THIS DOCUMENT, AND THERE ARE SEVERAL CHANGES THIS YEAR.
Tickets are now on sale to the general public, and tickets are offered in postmark order on a first come, first serve basis. You can purchase a 2025 Fall Bash ticket for yourself, spouse, and two additional tickets. All ticket requests are processed based on the postmark or the date you actually purchased in person.
After the party sells out, we can add you to the "tickets needed" list if you prefer, and you'll be notified when we have tickets available. The "tickets needed" list is also on a first come, first serve basis.
The flyer is attached in PDF format to view and print.
If for some reason we have to cancel the Fall Bash party, you will get a full refund just like in the past.
VENUE: We are now back home at the Holiday Inn in Johnson City where we were for many years, and it is a true "park & party". You can arrive on Friday, stay thru Saturday, go home on Sunday, and not have to get in your car or shuttle to attend all the events at Fall Bash.
The hotel has a beautiful 6500 sq ft ballroom with a professional 32 X 32 1024 sq ft dance floor.
DJs are Buck Crumpton from Fountain Inn, SC and John Smith from Andrews, SC.
Our dance instructors are again Ashley and Tobitha Stewart from China Grove, NC.
Dance shoes vendor is our long-time vendor Carolina Shag Shoes (Nanci Donald) from Pinehurst, NC.
Of course, there will be dancing both days including reserved "singles tables". Dancers asking someone to dance who is sitting at the singles table will pull a two-piece ticket from the roll, put one half in their pocket, and the other half in the ticket bucket. A $100 winner will be drawn from the bucket each night during the raffle ticket giveaways.
Party registration will be in the conference center hallway.
All events and vendor's sales will take place at the hotel.
Friday afternoon FREE hospitality features an outside-catered meal, wine, beer, water, and MESS punch during the session until it runs out.
Saturday lunch FREE hospitality features our famous MESS home-made soups and subs, wine, beer, water, and MESS punch during the session until it runs out.
Saturday afternoon FREE hospitality features an outside-catered buffet dinner.
Cash Bar in Ballroom - No outside drinks or shooters allowed in the ballroom at any time.
After many years and increasing costs, we again had to regretfully bump the ticket price. It is now $85 per person.
HOTEL: Holiday Inn Johnson City just off I-26 at Exit 20
Address: 101 West Springbrook Drive, Johnson City, TN 37604
Phone: 423-282-4611
ROOM RATES: $119 per night + 17.5% taxes & fees
Reservation cut-off date: 9/18/2025
Room amenities - All rooms at the hotel include:
high-speed wi-fi
HDTV
mini-fridge
coffee/tea maker
iron & ironing board
hair dryer
desk with electrical outlet
alarm clock
microwave available upon request
Hotel reservations process: You must use the "ticket code" and the telephone info in your confirmation email to make your room reservations.
DO NOT call the hotel for reservations until you have received your ticket confirmation email, and you have your "ticket code" because the staff cannot fulfill your reservation without this information.
Hotel check-in process: The hotel check-in time is 3:00 pm, and they will have streamlined check-in processes that will have your room info ready when you arrive. Do not attempt to change your room at check-in time because reservations will already be locked-in.
Pet news: The hotel does have "pet friendly" floors, and unless you request a "pet friendly" room, you WILL NOT be assigned a room on a floor where pets are allowed. NO SERVICE ANIMALS OR PETS ALLOWED IN ANY PARTY AREAS INCLUDING THE CONFERENCE CENTER HALLWAY.
50/50 will occur both nights with the winner announced about 10:00 pm each night. 2024 winners took home over $1,700.
Friday afternoon hospitality will feature a really nice dinner by our 2024 caterer and PLENTY of FREE MESS punch, wine, beer, sodas, and water.
On Saturday morning, there will be a FREE shag workshop by instructors Ashley and Tobitha and "bloody Marys" will be available prior to the lesson to get you loosened up for the session so that you'll be hungry enough for lunch.
Saturday hospitality will be our famous soup and sub lunch with PLENTY of FREE MESS punch, wine, beer, sodas, and water.
Saturday evening features a super buffet dinner by our 2024 caterer in the ballroom prior to the dance.
The Fall Bash schedule of events will be emailed to you a week in advance of the party.
Drinks and food handling will follow all COVID-19 rules in place at the time of the party in October.
Here's what you need to do to get your tickets:
Print the attached flyer and complete ALL the info on the flyer. If you can't print the flyer, type or write all the necessary info on a plain sheet of paper, and mail it along with your check.
Write a check to MESS for $85 per person and note on the check that it is for Fall Bash.
Mail the completed flyer and check to MESS Fall Bash Tickets, 2943 Southbridge Road, Kingsport, TN 37664.
Except for the days of March 16 - 22, you will receive your confirmation email the same day we receive and process your tickets request. For those days in March, you'll receive your confirmation email when the tickets coordinator returns to the office on March 23rd. The email will include instructions for room reservations.
We do process your tickets request by postmark.
NOTE: Your tickets confirmation email will contain the instructions to make your room reservations.
DO NOT attempt to make a room reservation until you get your ticket confirmation email. Our room block is not expandable this year, and MESS will be working with the hotel to remove reservations that do not qualify.
If you want a printed ticket confirmation, you must include a self-addressed stamped envelope; otherwise, you will need to rely on your confirmation email.
NOTE - We do not issue party tickets. Party bracelets are issued at the party registration desk. The ticket confirmation email or U.S. mail from MESS is your confirmation and please bring it with you just to make sure everything is in order. It would also help to bring your hotel confirmation information as well.
MESS hopes to see you this year at our 2025 Fall Bash. If you need additional information, contact Larry "Bigfish" Calhoun at bigfishdj@outlook.com or give him a call at 423-398-5129.
Sincerely,
Board of Directors
Mountain Empire Shag Society
2025 One-day parties
at
Jericho Shrine Temple
Spring Party - Sunday April 6th
Summer Party - Sunday August 10th
Christmas Party - Sunday December 7th
