30th Annual New Years Day Trail-of-the-Hare CHEDDARHEAD Hike & Party

SPECIAL NOTES (Updated Dec 31st at 5:30 PM):  The 2019 Cheddarhead "Start Location" will be the free "BOWLERO" bowling center Parking Lot in SE Marietta.  I've inserted easy-to-follow DIRECTIONS & GPS Info below.  We suggest that everyone arrive and check in no later than 1:15 PM (esp. since the 1st 150 registrants will be given an "awesome Cheddarhead commemorative patch."
  Each of us who wishes to join our AH4 hosts for optional group BOWLING at Bowlero (just after the big party, ~5:30 - 7:30) is asked to chip in an extra $10 flat fee at 1:15 at the Cheddarhead check-in, which will cover up to 2 hours of unlimited bowling + rental of bowling shoes.

WEATHER' FORECAST is still looking GOOD!  (Updated Jan 1st at 11:00 AM):  This big annual bash is always a GO, rain or shine.  Luckily for us the latest "spot forecast" for the Marietta vicinity on New Year's Day afternoon predicts clearing skies and only a few remaining isolated light showers - also ideal temperatures in the low 60s!  But in case our feet, etc. get wet during the hare chase it's still a good idea to pack in our "party duffel bags" some spare dry footwear and extra dry clothing, which we can change into at the party. - See my notes below in "Items to Bring."  - Charlie

IN A NUTSHELL:  This will be the 10th New Years Day in a row that a fun-loving group from the Atlanta Outdoor Club will take part in this amazing outdoor event - now in its 30th year.  We're excited about doing it again, so please join me (a.k.a. "Dirty Limerick") and more than 100 of our friends in the Atlanta Hash House Harriers & Harriettes (AH4) for their 30th annual "Cheddarhead."  It's a blast helping one another follow the "trail of the hare" which leads us to a big outdoor all-you-can-eat-&-drink dinner party - as in the photo above.  The Cheddarhead should fill the bill If you're looking for something festive and different to ring in 2019 and perhaps ease you out of a hangover from the night before.  It always gives us enough aerobic exercise to compensate for all the delicious food & refreshments we consume at the party and to keep “resolution guilt” from kicking in!
  No funds are collected by the AOC for this event.  Just register below to add your name to our AOC subgroup - then on New Years Day if you decide you'd still like to participate, simply please bring $10 in cash to chip in to the AH4's "hash cash" volunteer. This will cover your fair share of the bountiful Wisconsin-style food, wide variety of liquid refreshments and nice door prizes.  (Our AH4 hosts expect no advance guarantee of anyone's participation, but if you find that you can't join us after all, please cancel your AOC registration so we'll know not to expect you.)
  After a brief welcoming ceremony at the Start, we "harriers" (a.k.a. "hare chasers" or "hashers") will help one another find and follow the trail of the AH4 volunteer hare.  The lead harrier runners at the front will yell "On-On!" back to us as they spot the hare's successive baking-flour splotches and chalk marks, confirming that we're indeed on the tricky trail - typically 3 to 5 miles long.  After a couple of hours via a fascinating variety of terrain we can all expect to arrive safely at the "On-In" party area - usually the spacious back yard of one of the veteran AH4 hashers.

SPECIAL NOTES about THIS EVENT and the SPORT of "HASHING":  Think of the "Cheddarhead" as a New Year's Day "counter-resolution celebration"!  To enjoy the wild & crazy outing it helps to be adventurous, thick-skinned, irreverent about social norms, and willing to delay any 2019 dietary resolutions for at least one more day.  As we help one another follow the trail of the hare we'll occasionally find ourselves in unusual situations such as tricky creek-crossings, dark tunnels under highways, etc.  Also we can count on the Cheddarhead to always be a GO rain or shine - another good reason to assign it a "D3" difficulty level (even though its walking/jogging portions may be shorter in total mileage than most AOC D3 hikes).  You newcomers to Hashing should be forewarned that you may be taken aback by the racy nicknames, song lyrics and general rowdiness of this so-called "drinking club with a running problem."  For more on the history, culture and worldwide popularity of the good-natured sport click here:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hash_House_Harriers

WHAT TO BRING, EVENT TIMETABLE, etc:  The custom is for each participant to bring to the Start location a small Duffel Bag of dry Extra Garments & Shoes, and if you like, a light foldup Chair - See Recommended Items to bring below. These will be transported for everyone to the unannounced party location.   Between 1:00 and 1:45 please look for me at the Start (Charlie, wearing my Atlanta Outdoor Club T-Shirt and "Dirty Limerick" beaded hash necklace) .  I'll mark you present on our AOC subgroup roster, help you register with our AH4 hosts, introduce you to some of my longtime hashing friends, and help you load your duffel, etc. onto their provided truck or van.
  At about 1:30 PM the Cheddarhead's founder, "Public Enema," will call our motley crew to "Hash attention!" for a mock-formal welcoming ceremony which may feature reciting with him the hilarious "Wedge of Allegiance" Cheddarhead Creed.  A few minutes later we'll set off together following the hare's trail.  We'll take a combination of fast walking and slow jogging along a fascinating sequence of forested urban trails, powerline easements, residential streets, highway underpasses, etc.  Don't be surprised if there's a creek crossing or two - so please heed my advice above about spare dry clothing.  Feel free to walk or jog with me and other experienced hashers during this "follow-the-hare" part of the festivities in case you're worried about staying on trail.  A  truck full of complimentary beverages will meet us near the midpoint of the hare's route where we harriers can enjoy a tailgating-style refreshment break.  We can expect to arrive on foot at the big Cheddarhead dinner party by about 3:30 PM and it normally concludes at about 5:30 PM.

"CHEDDARHEAD"  PARTY STYLE & HISTORY:  The annual Cheddarhead New Years Day event gets its name from the fact that its founder, a veteran Atlanta-H4 hasher known as “Public Enema” and his "partners in crime" are Green Bay Packers fans, mostly from Wisconsin. (See their comments about its history in the NOTES section below.)  At the big party and outdoor cookout they provide delicious all-you-can-eat Wisconsin-style food and refreshments - usually including charbroiled brats, blackeyed peas & rice, "poutine" (Canadian-style french fries & gravy), salad, beer & soft drinks, and a wide assortment of munchies & desserts.  If you like fried mozzarella sticks you’ll also love their breaded deep-fried cheese curds - flown down fresh each year from Wisconsin and prepared on-site at the party.  One of the "Cheddarheads" - a good friend of mine named "Oops" - usually also drives a truckload of premium bottled beers down from Wisconsin specially for the event.  Also several kegs of various high-quality beers are tapped. There’s lots of friendly socializing plus commemorative door prizes, bawdy drinking songs, and obligatory “down-downs” of small cups of beer for the volunteer hares and rules violators - also sometimes for newcomers to the sport.  ("Down-downers" may request a non-alcoholic drink in lieu of beer.)  Please plan to imbibe only in moderation, esp. if you’re driving.

POST-PARTY FREE SHUTTLE: Beginning at about 5:30 PM some of our Cheddarhead hosts will offer complimentary shuttle rides back to the Start parking lot for hashers and their gear.  After we reach our own vehicles it will be appreciated if some of us can take the time to provide the same short shuttle for other partiers who may still need a ride (typically only a 5- or 10-minute drive betweem the Party and the Start).

OPTIONAL EARLY-EVENING BOWLING PARTY!  After the afternoon excitement many of the Hashers will re-gather at the Bowlero bowling center for a few friendly games and everyone is invited.  It's inexpensive if you decide to take part and usually begins each year at about 6:00 PM.

FOR the LATEST OFFICIAL AH4 “CHEDDARHEAD" ANNOUNCEMENT ARTICLE click this link:  http://atlantahash.com/?page=events&n=1982

WANT to TRY OTHER HASHES?  AH4 and the other ten or so Metro Atlanta hash groups jointly offer several local events per week.  The Start location (and adjoining free parking area) for each one is normally posted online just a couple of days prior to the event.  If you decide to do a particular hash, just show up at the Start and chip in for your fair share of the refreshments & food that await everyone at the end of the trail.  Click here for a concise summary table of the various Georgia hash groups' websites:  http://www.OnIn.com/hhh/#georgia_hashes

"START LOCATION":  The free parking lot of the "Bowlero" bowling center at 2749 Delk Road, Marietta, GA 30067 (just 3/4 mile east of the I-75 Delk Rd exit).

DIRECTIONS from the I-75/ I-285 INTERCHANGE in NW ATLANTA:
1. Take I-75 North only about 2 miles and exit toward your right at the "Delk Road" exit. (Exit 261).
2.  Turn Right (eastward) onto Delk Road, go just 3/4 mile and look for the "Bowlero" bowling center and its large parking lot on your left.  Park in the front left corner of the lot closest to Delk Rd.
     We'll gather there with the dozens of returning regular Hash House Harriers, and other guests.
     It should be safe to leave our vehicles there until we return after the "On-In Party" via the free shuttle rides discussed above.

LAT/LON COORDINATES of our GATHERING SPOT in the Parking Lot: May also be useful as your entered destination for GPS or Google Maps in conjunction with above directions (being sure to include the comma and minus sign):
   33.9233, -84.4737

BELOW ARE ANSWERS to a few "CHEDDARHEAD FAQs" from the following 2009 online article: http://www.blueridgeoutdoors.com/running/on-on-hashers-are-drinkers-with-a-running-problem/

The Cheddarhead
There’s hashing, and then there’s the Cheddarhead, which could be the most creative hash in the Southeast. Take your standard "run-drink-run-drink" afternoon and throw in nearly 200 participants, 60 pounds of fried cheese curds, polka music, bowling, bratwurst, and more beer. Blue Ridge Outdoors talked with the Cheddarhead’s original founders, Dave Paul (a.k.a. Public Enema) and Derald Loomis, about the art of cooking cheese curds, light public nudity, and their obsession with running and drinking.

How was the Cheddarhead conceived?
Hashers as a group are very irreverent. It’s such a peculiar sport or lifestyle. You’ll only find a certain number of people who want to run through the woods, hollering, drinking, and getting bloody. Irreverence is a key aspect of hashing, so we wanted to play on the New Year’s resolution. Everyone wants to be healthy in the New Year, so we went in the opposite direction. We eat as much high fat food as possible and drink as much beer as possible. I mean, how ridiculous is it to eat cheese curds and run? I love it.

What is a cheese curd? 
It’s made during a process that involves separating milk into whey and blobs of curd cheese. They’re little blocks of cholesterol. People who worked in the Wisconsin cheese factories used to bag these little blocks up and take them to their local pub and eat them as a snack. We have 50 or 60 pounds of them shipped down for the run. They come right off the line, so they’re really fresh. If they’re not fresh, they’re not good. Of course, we fry them in a deep fat fryer.

Has the Cheddarhead grown over the years? 
The Cheddarhead started with 40 or 50 people. It was a very manageable group. Now, we get about 200 people, and Johnsonville Brats came on as a sponsor this year. They heard about the run, liked the idea, and gave us a whole bunch of brats. It’s definitely a big deal now, with all the cooking, and the logistics. Last year, we had 176 runners even in the cold weather. That’s the power of cheese.

Lots of great Food, Refreshments & Door Prizes! Simply pay $10 in cash to the AH4 "Hash Cash" registrar in the "START" parking lot and give him or her your name.  This year a special commemorative "Cheddarhead patch" will be awarded to the first 150 participants who register.