'Woodstock of 2024': McKay's road trippers reminisce and cash in after a hot day in lines
The day after McKay's fans waited for hours in sweltering lines to get prizes during the store's 50th anniversary "Ultimate Road Trip," a smaller crowd returned to the Knoxville store to chat with fellow travelers and cash in.
A line of between 500 and 600 people had waited to get their "McKay's passports" stamped July 9 and secure prizes like mugs, tote bags, T-shirts and posters. But the most coveted prize of all was a yellow slip of paper signifying store credit up to $800.
The grand prize was offered to anyone who reached all five McKay's locations across Tennessee and North Carolina in a single day, but the ensuing chaos meant many travelers received the full amount without completing the route. Some even got more than $800 because the stores credited them when they ran out of other prizes.
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Standing in a long checkout line and pushing full carts one day later, the triumphant travelers compared how many of the locations they had reached in the mad dash.
"It was the best experience of my life. It was the Woodstock of 2024," Holly Moran, a local resident who traveled in a caravan of 24 people, told Knox News. "Everyone was so happy, though. I feel like the people on Facebook are angry, but we had a great time."
At the Knoxville store on Papermill Drive, 23 people were evaluated for heat-related illness, three were taken to the hospital, and store managers shut down the event early. The heat index reached as high as 105 degrees.
Travelers shared notes of people walking down narrow streets and interstate ramps. They agreed McKay's did not seem prepared for the number of people who participated and the traffic jams they created.
They also shared which purchases they were most excited about. One couple planned to build a library after receiving more than $1,600 of store credit.
If McKay's gave the full $800 to just 1,250 people, it gave away $1 million in store credit. By some travelers' estimates, there easily could have been double that many participants.
McKay's corporate office was not immediately available to comment on the road trip, including how much store credit the company gave away.
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Katelin Smith traveled from Roanoke, Virginia, with friends after seeing the road trip listed on the McKay's website. She took paid time off from her job as a data coordinator to participate.
At the Chattanooga location, Smith said McKay's employees were handing out the full store credit to people who had not finished the full trip, including her group. She was most excited about purchasing a Wii U after giving her old one away.
"The air conditioning helps," Smith said with a laugh. "We're very burned from Mebane (North Carolina)."
Caston Campbell, a truck driver from Chattanooga, said he drove his wife and her friend along the route because they wanted to buy books. He planned to buy PlayStation games in the Knoxville store.
"I was just doing it for her to give her the money, but now I'm spending money," Campbell said. "That was insane."
Daniel Dassow is a growth and development reporter focused on technology and energy. Phone 423-637-0878. Email [email protected].
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: McKay's road trip for 50th anniversary compared to 'Woodstock of 2024'
