Robbinsville – A longtime regional event has continued its support of the Graham County Rescue Squad.
In a brief presentation Saturday at the Graham County Travel and Tourism office in Robbinsville, Miatas at the Gap organizer Josh Hankins donated three checks totaling $12,000 to the rescue squad. The event alternates its donation between the Graham County Rescue squad and the Blount County, Tenn. Rescue squad.
Both agencies serve portions of the Tail of the Dragon, an infamous stretch of U.S. Highway 129 in Tennessee, where Miatas at the Gap traffic is concentrated.
“Every year, we collect items from all the vendors and we raffle them off,” Hankins said. “People that are attending the event buy tickets and all the money from the ticket sales 100 percent, we alternate (between) Graham County Rescue and Blount County Rescue.”
He also said some of the larger items were auctioned off, with the proceeds going to the rescue squad.
This year’s donation also includes $1,000 from a Miatas at the Gap participant whose father was saved by the Graham County Rescue Squad after a motorcycle crash on the Dragon.
Graham County Rescue Squad Commander Jeff Millsaps said the rescue squad would make a decision on how to use the donation at its next meeting.
“The Graham County Rescue Squad and the fire department – it’s two separate organizations on paper, but it’s the same ones of us that do it all,” Millsaps said. “There aren’t enough people in the county to divide it up. On the street, we’re all one bunch. It’s just which call it is.”
Hankins stressed the importance of the rescue squad to Miatas at the Gap.
“They’re sports cars, and the roads in the area are known to be a haven for sports cars and sport bikes, so kind of just having that safety net when things go wrong, having them here in Robbinsville close by as opposed to in Bryson City makes a big difference,” Hankins noted.
For the past 25 years, Miatas at the Gap has drawn Mazda Miata enthusiasts from across the country to the region. The 2021 event ran from Aug. 5-7, and drew more than 1,000 cars and 1,700 participants.
“It’s like a little go-kart, small, lightweight, front engine, rear drive, two-seater convertible,” Hankins said. “It’s the modern version of the classic British roadster with the modern Japanese reliability.”
After 20 years as organizer, Hankins – who lives in Knoxville, Tenn. – has decided to step aside.
“There’s some guys now that are working on it,” Hankins said. “I wish them the best. I hope it goes well, and I hope it keeps growing like it has been.”