Pigeon Forge, Tenn., is nowhere near an ocean, but a group of Navy veterans will gather in this Great Smoky Mountains resort town Aug. 17-21 to talk about a ship they love – the USS Enterprise.

The Enterprise went into service in 1961 as the world’s first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. It’s still on active duty. The sailors gathering in the ship’s honor are members of the USS Enterprise Association, and all served on the Enterprise.

“We expect more than 100 members to attend,” said Bill Newby, a reunion organizer from Kingston, Tenn. Newby served on the Enterprise in 1968 and 1969.

Newby said early registrations have arrived from across the nation – Washington, California and Idaho in the West; Connecticut and Rhode Island in the East; Michigan and Pennsylvania in the Midwest; and Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia in the South.

“Some of those coming are ‘plank owners,’ meaning that they were on board when the Enterprise went into service. It’s a term that goes back to the days of wooden ships. If you’re part of the first crew, you have a special sense of ownership,” Newby said.

The heritage of the Enterprise actually does go back to the era of wooden ships. The modern-day aircraft carrier is the eighth commissioned ship with that name. The first was a 70-ton sloop captured from the British on Lake Champlain in the Revolutionary War. The leader of the raid that captured the sloop was a soldier everyone has heard of, Benedict Arnold.

The seventh Enterprise was the first “Big E,” a World War II aircraft carrier that became the most decorated ship in history, according to the Navy’s website for the current ship. The seventh Enterprise participated in some of the largest battles in World War II, including the Battle of Midway.

Newby said the ship always tries to send a representative to the association’s reunion. He is hopeful that the Enterprise’s new commanding officer, Capt. O.P. Honors Jr., will attend the Pigeon Forge event.

The Holiday Inn Hotel and Conference Center on the Parkway in Pigeon Forge is the reunion headquarters. Newby said attendees have various activities in Pigeon Forge and in the region, “but the main activity is talking about the ship.”

Truth may be in short supply, but humor and great entertainment will be in abundance in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., for a three-day talkfest in June.

June 10-12 are the dates for the 19th annual Smoky Mountains Storytelling Festival, one of many stops on Pigeon Forge’s year-round calendar of special events.

The festival, one of the Southeast Tourism Society’s “Top 20 Events” for June, features performers including a Harvard-educated storyteller whose alter ego is a moose, a Kentuckian who got in trouble even as a third-grader for stretching the truth and an East Tennessean who invented a musical instrument made from a toilet seat.

“Storytelling, especially Appalachian storytelling, has a great heritage, and our festival celebrates that tradition to the hilt,” said Leon Downey, executive director of the Pigeon Forge Department of Tourism.

In addition to hearing professional storytellers, you’ll also hear from area storytellers who are members of the Smoky Mountain Storytelling Association and from young storytellers who have been invited from across the U.S.

You’ll also be able to attend storytelling workshops. In the workshops, you can simply observe how master storytellers pass on their skills, or you can dive right in and start developing your own talents.

This year’s featured storytellers:

Willie Claflin – Willy’s from California now, but he grew up in New Hampshire, which might explain why he travels with Maynard Moose. Maynard, you see, is the last known teller of Mother Moose Tales. Claflin, who has been a headliner at the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tenn., says his off-stage fame comes for “helping save endangered squeaking rubber animals.” His latest recording is “The Goat Whisperer.” Claflin’s the one with Harvard on his resume.

Mary Hamilton – Mary is a daughter of the Bluegrass State who tells Kentucky tales, world folk and fairy tales, legends “and even some true stories.” She’s widely known for teaching the storytelling art to teachers, librarians and speakers, and she’s appeared at festivals from Florida to Oregon. She obviously didn’t take to heart her third-grade teacher’s admonitions to always tell the truth.

Mountain Man Bob – Mountain Man Bob is Bob Phillips from Jonesborough, Tenn. He invented a musical instrument, the modie-harp, which you’ll quickly see is an unusual second use for a toilet seat and lid. Mountain Man Bob tells tales of his own invention, plus some rooted in Appalachian lore. He said he takes pride in the fact that all of his stories are true, “based on the remote possibility that there exists a slim chance of possible fact.”

The young storytellers at the Pigeon Forge festival are participants in the National Youth Storytelling Showcase. At least 15 students from various states are invited to perform. There are categories for grammar school, middle school and high school storytellers, plus a category for duos or groups.

All programs of the Smoky Mountains Storytelling Festival will be at the Grand Majestic Theater. Tickets are $10 per day, or $25 for the weekend. The schedule offers morning workshops and afternoon and evening performances all three days. Late-night sessions with a $5 donation benefit the Smoky Mountain Storytellers Association.

Information about all aspects of visiting Pigeon Forge’s website or by calling toll-free to 1-800-251-9100.

Dolly Partin's Dixie Stampede in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee is just one of family friendly attractions ready to help take back the family vacation. Photo Courtesy: Pigeon Forge Tourism

Do you have a friend you’d like to help with $100 in gas money? How about utilities for a year? Or 12 car payments? Or perhaps a year of mortgage payments?

The vacation destination of Pigeon Forge, Tenn., can help you accomplish exactly that.

The method is Pigeon Forge’s “Taking Back Vacation” campaign, which continues through July, when one family will win $15,000 for mortgage or rent payments.

Pigeon Forge, a major family vacation destination and a gateway to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, is conducting the campaign in reaction to the nation’s economic troubles of the past two years.

“We believe in the family vacation, and we feel family vacationers are our guests. Our whole community feels this way, and ‘Taking Back Vacation’ is our way to demonstrate that. It’s unusual for a whole destination to do this, but its our way to support a lot of families,” said Leon Downey, executive director of the Pigeon Forge Department of Tourism.

All winners – and the people who nominate them – also will receive three-day vacations in Pigeon Forge.

The nomination process requires two clicks at Pigeon Forge’s Web site, www.MyPigeonForge.com, and composition of a 100-word essay. Visitors to the Web site will choose the winners from the posted essays.

“Too many people have had to curtail family time recently, and we want to draw attention to how important family vacations are. Those times together are vital, and places such as Pigeon Forge can be the glue that binds families,” Downey said.

The “Taking Back Vacation” campaign grows from April through July.

* In April, 20 families will win $100 for gasoline.
* In May, 10 families will win $2,100 for utility payments.
* In June, five families will win $6,600 for car payments.
* In July, one family will win $15,000 for mortgage or rent payments.

Pigeon Forge made a similar outreach in 2006, a year of unexpected jumps in gasoline prices, by giving away a tanker truckload of gas.

“Our ‘Great Gas Giveaway’ was loads of fun,” Downey recalled, “and we want the ‘Taking Back Vacation’ idea to be the same. Our goal in Pigeon Forge is making people happy and creating good memories.”

Pigeon Forge has a resident population of about 5,800, but it attracts more than 10 million visitors a year. It is home to Tennessee’s most visited tourist attraction, Dollywood, as well as more than a dozen theaters, scores of family attractions and more than 250 outlet, craft and specialty stores.

Its next-door neighbor, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, is the most visited national park in the U.S.

“We’re in a great location and have tons of fun to offer. We hope parents will see us as a destination for family fun – before their kids outgrow childhood,” Downey said.

For more information visit Pigeon Forge’s website.

A promotional photo of James Drury from the NBC television series The Virginian.

Cowboy poets, western singers and chuckwagon cooks are just over the horizon from Pigeon Forge, Tenn., preparing for the 10th celebration of Saddle Up!, a perhaps unexpected celebration of cowboy ways east of the Mississippi River.

Saddle Up!, Feb. 25-28, 2010, is the last major component of Pigeon Forge Winterfest, a four-month season of activities that started in November. The entire Winterfest celebration is on the American Bus Association’s list of the Top 100 Events in North America.

Like stars over a clear prairie sky, the entertainment lineup sparkles with Don Edwards, Waddie Mitchell, R.W. Hampton, Dave Stamey, Ray Doyle and Jeff Gore. Two western swing dances will get guests showing off their best two-stepping techniques.

The pop culture side of the cowboy life will be featured through appearances by James Drury and other stars of “The Virginian,” the 1962-1971 hit TV Western. “The Virginian,” the first 90-minute Western, told the story of the fictional Shiloh Ranch near Medicine Bow, Wyo.

Autograph sessions and question-and-answer opportunities are planned with Drury, Roberta Shore, Gary Clarke and Randy Boone. Drury appeared throughout the series.

A competitive chuckwagon cookoff is another Saddle Up! highlight. Teams of chuckwagon cooks will prepare an authentic trail hand lunch for guests’ enjoyment—and the critical evaluation of judges.

The closing event is Cowboy Church, a non-denominational service preceded by strong coffee and a chuckwagon breakfast.

Admission information: Concert day passes are $20 per day and $50 for the weekend (free through age 17). The chuckwagon cookoff lunch, chuckwagon breakfast and western swing dance are $5. Admission to “The Virginian” event is free.

A silver anniversary for a top-rated theme park and the grand opening of an ocean liner – something you might not expect in the Great Smoky Mountains – top the list of what’s new in Pigeon Forge, TN., for 2010.

Dollywood, of course, is the theme park with the big anniversary, and Titanic Pigeon Forge, a $25 million museum/attraction, is the ocean liner. Dollywood jumps into its 25th season of mountain fun on March 27, and Titanic Pigeon Forge sets sail in early April.

Titanic Pigeon Forge

In a tourist town full of attractions, the Titanic Museum Attraction in Pigeon Forge may take the prize for the most unexpected. Against the backdrop of the Great Smoky Mountains is a half-scale, permanent, three-deck reproduction of the ill-fated ship known the world over.

Titanic Pigeon Forge, a $25 million project, opens in early April to share the story of the ship, its one voyage and its 2,208 passengers and crew. The museum attraction will display hundreds of priceless Titanic artifacts in more than 20 galleries that also will contain exact replicas of the “Grand Staircase,” a first-class suite, a third-class cabin and the bridge. Interactive experiences include touching an iceberg, getting into a lifeboat and feeling the chill of 28-degree water. There’s a special area called Tot-Titanic for children 8 and younger.

Guests will receive a boarding pass bearing the name of a real Titanic passenger or crewmember. At tour’s end, each guest will learn the fate of the passenger or crewmember named on the boarding pass.

Adventure Mountain at Dollywood

Part of Dollywood’s celebration of its 25th season is Adventure Mountain, a two-acre expanse of 140 interactive elements laid out in four courses. Adventure Mountain will challenge visitors to navigate rope trails, net ladders, swinging bridges, flying islands, pulleys, moving beams and a tire traverse. Those who take on the biggest challenges will find themselves 90 feet above the park’s Wilderness Pass pathway.

Adventure Mountain, designed exclusively for Dollywood, includes Camp Teachittoomee, an area specifically for guests 42 inches and under. Camp Teachittoomee is ADA accessible. The Dollywood season beings March 27.

The Partridge & Pear at Christmas Place

The Incredible Christmas Place, the year-round Christmas emporium that expanded its scope with the 145-room Inn at Christmas Place in 2007, is adding a restaurant, the Partridge & Pear at Christmas Place. The restaurant, which promises a gourmet flair in the evening, also will serve lunch.

The chef is Aaron Ward, and one of his special touches is retaining his mother as the dessert baker. The restaurant also will feature a small bakeshop. It will include three dining rooms that can be reserved for meetings and private events. Opening is planned for June.

Slick Rock Racer at Dollywood’s Splash Country

Dollywood’s Splash Country water park is adding Slick Rock Racer, a multi-lane mat slide, for the 2010 season. Slick Rock Racer spans 300 feet and features four water-drenched lanes. Positioned belly down on mats, each rider travels head first on channels that include an initial dip to build speed. Multiple bumps along the length of the slide allow riders to gain additional momentum that propels them to the finish. The new attraction can accommodate approximately 600 guests an hour.

Slick Rock Racer joins Dollywood’s Splash Country’s more than 30 water adventure slides including The Butterfly, Mountain Scream, Mountain Twist and the 70-foot-tall Fire Tower Falls, Tennessee’s tallest twin speed slides. The 35-acre water park operates from Memorial Day through Labor Day. The Travel Channel has recognized it twice as one of America’s top ten water parks.

“Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” at the Miracle Theater

The Miracle Theater has added a lavish production of the Broadway hit “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” for the entire 2010 season. “American Idol” finalist Melinda Doolittle will be a special guest performer for five weeks this spring (March 1-April 9). The theater’s original production, “The Miracle,” joins the repertoire on March 12 for matinee performances.

Joseph,” of course, is a comical telling of the story of Joseph, his jealous brothers and one extremely loud garment. It’s a tale that spans musical styles from calypso to rock to disco to country. This Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice hit has been an audience favorite for more than 35 years.

WonderWorks

Popular magician Terry Evanswood, the youngest illusionist to perform at Hollywood’s famed Magic Castle, brings his skills in sleight-of-hand tricks, comedy and audience interaction to the 300-seat Imagination Theater at WonderWorks. The first of his more than 400 “Wonder of Magic” shows in 2010 is March 1.

Most of Evanswood’s performances will be matinees, and the “Hoot ‘n’ Holler” dinner show remains the featured evening production. Evanswood’s personal collection memorabilia from the world of magic entertainment will be showcased in the WonderWorks lobby.

Smith Family Dinner Theater

The Smith Family Dinner Theater is expanding its seating to 500 with the addition of a balcony. The primary show features country, bluegrass, rock ‘n’ roll and gospel songs delivered through the family harmonies and comedy of Charlie, Jim and Charlie Bob Smith.

Country artist T.G. Sheppard performs on selected dates, and “Blast from the Past” is set for numerous matinee and evening performances. “Blast from the Past” features songs from the 50s and tributes to “Grease” and Elvis Presley.

New Magician — and a Monkey — at Magic Beyond Belief Theater

Sean-Paul the Magic Man, his telepathic wife Juliane and Frankie the Monkey are the stars of a new production at the Magic Beyond Belief Theater on the Parkway. Sean-Paul’s act includes his magic, quick-witted comedy, Frankie’s mind reading skills and “guest appearances” from birds, tigers and serval cats. The show combines sleight-of-hand tricks and large-scale illusions. Sean-Paul was captivated by magic at age 8, and he performed his first show at age 11 at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival.

New Lodging: Clarion Inn and SpringHill Suites Hotel

The 94-room Clarion Inn will open in March next to the Walden’s Landing shopping and restaurant development. It will offer complimentary breakfast, a hospitality room, indoor and outdoor pools and a lazy river attraction.

The 112-room SpringHill Suites Pigeon Forge is scheduled to open this spring. The property, just off the Parkway at 120 Christmas Tree Lane, will offer complimentary breakfast, a fitness room, meeting space and indoor and outdoor pools.

Ken Jenkins

Natural history photographer Ken Jenkins, the man who conceived the idea of Pigeon Forge’s annual Wilderness Wildlife Week, has received the city’s first “Friend of the Forge” award.

Pigeon Forge created the award to acknowledge individuals who have contributed to the city’s success as a tourism destination.

“Not only did Ken Jenkins bring us the idea for Wilderness Wildlife Week, but he also has been a driving force in its growth and development as an event to attract visitors in January. With the 2010 Wilderness Wildlife week, we have marked 20 years of a great idea,” said City Manager Earlene Teaster.

After the first year, which offered four programs on one day, Jenkins advocated expanding to an entire week, according to Leon Downey, executive director of the Pigeon Forge Department of Tourism.

“We made the jump immediately, and visitors really latched onto the idea. This year, we had more than 230 sessions, almost 60 hikes, dozens of volunteers and more than 150 expert presenters,” Downey said.

Wilderness Wildlife Week has become a major component of the city’s four-month-long Winterfest celebration, drawing visitors from many states for programs about Great Smoky Mountains National Park and scores of topics related to the outdoors.

Jenkins received an engraved “Friend of the Forge” award as the 2010 Wilderness Wildlife Week began. Later this year, a tulip poplar, the Tennessee state tree, will be planted in his honor along the Pigeon Forge Greenway.

“I was surprised and honored, and I must say that the tulip poplar is a very touching and appropriate gesture. Wilderness Wildlife Week thrives because of Pigeon Forge’s backing and the support of so many volunteers. It is a joy to see how it has evolved,” Jenkins said.

Jenkins, who photographs nature’s beauty around the world, says he is firmly rooted in the Great Smoky Mountains and that the mountains were his inspiration for Wilderness Wildlife Week.

He has two galleries – Beneath the Smoke and Heaven’s Eye – in Gatlinburg. You can see and purchase Ken’s work at his website, KenJenkins.com and at Ken Jenkin’s author page at Amazon .

There is a program for every type of outdoorman at the 2010 Wilderness Wildlife Week with subjects ranging from hiking tips to black bears. Photo Pigeon Forge Public Relations

So what’s an outdoorsman supposed to do? He wants to be on the lake or in the woods, but his wife and kids just don’t understand.

The answer is to get his family excited about the outdoors, too, and one solution is letting Wilderness Wildlife Week in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., generate that excitement.

Wilderness Wildlife Week is a January event with more than 230 programs spread over eight days. There are sessions about bears, elk, trout and other species, plus nature photography workshops, map and compass classes and even opportunities to meet a bald eagle or learn how to hoot like an owl.

Almost 60 hikes and excursions into the national park complement the indoor programs. In 2009, more than 1,000 hikers from 18 states logged a cumulative 4,656 miles.

“The range of topics is huge. I think virtually everybody can learn something, be entertained and get turned on to outdoor activities,” said Leon Downey, executive director of the Pigeon Forge Department of Tourism, which organizes the week.

Dates for Wilderness Wildlife Week’s 20th year are Jan. 9-16, 2010. More than 150 experts—outfitters, nature photographers, biologists, raptor rehabilitators, social historians and just plain folks who grew up in the Smokies—donate their time to the project.

“The week is extremely flexible. You can attend one lecture or take one hike, or you can participate day after day,” Downey said. “It’s a great way to introduce people to the outdoors.”

Here’s a sampling of program titles:

• Bears 101—Their Lives and Interactions with Humans
• Update on Elk in the Smokies
• Identifying Local Birds of Prey
• How To Use a Map and Compass
• Whose Scat Is That?
• Steam-Stocked Trout Fishing
• If You Were a Bear
• Fly Casting
• Bears We’ve Met—Stories of Encounters
• Returning the Osprey to Nest in Tennessee
• Six Months of Hummingbirds in Your Yard
• Tales from “Lost” (finding lost hikers)
• Hypothermia—I’m Not Cold
• Black Bear Management in Tennessee
• The Wolves of Bays Mountain
• Unusual Camping Tricks and Gizmos
• Hiking Tips for the Whole Family
• Wild Hog Biology

Wilderness Wildlife Week began 19 years ago as a half-day program on a January Saturday. January hasn’t been the same since then in Pigeon Forge. The Southeast Tourism Society has chosen it 10 times as a Top 20 Event in the Southeast.