Pigeon Forge in 2010 is Packed Full of Excitement

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 Receives “Friend of the Forge” Award During Wilderness Wildlife Week

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 .

Tennessee’s Sales Tax Holiday is a Great Reason to Visit the Smoky Mountains

There aren’t many opportunities that allow you to take a weekend getaway AND save money, but on the weekend of August 7^th through 9^th you will have your chance. That’s when Tennessee will have it’s fourth annual Sales Tax Holiday.

The holiday begins Friday, August 7 at 12:01 a.m. and ends Sunday, August 9 at 11:59 p.m. During the designated three-day weekend, consumers will not pay state or local sales tax on select clothing with a price of $100 or less per item, school and art supplies with a price of $100 or less per item, and computers with a price of $1,500 or less, a savings of nearly 10 percent on exempt items. Visit www.tntaxholiday.com for more information on the holiday. The Tennessee Department of Revenue also assists consumers via e-mail, Salestax.Holiday@TN.gov, and through its toll-free statewide telephone hot line, (800) 342-1003.

For years people have flocked to the outlet malls and shops in the Smoky Mountain area for their vast selection of name brands at famously low prices. Thousands every year make the trip to the area for the bargain shopping alone. Most of the merchants will running special Sales Tax Holiday and Back to School sales during the weekend to make the savings even greater.

“During tough economic times, this tax-saving initiative provides savings for Tennessee shoppers and a much needed boost for Tennessee retailers,” said Tennessee Revenue Commissioner Reagan Farr. “We are hopeful that all Tennessee shoppers will enjoy the immediate relief of the 2009 Sales Tax Holiday.”

Travel cost to the Smokies will be lower than last year. Gas prices are much lower than the Summer of 2008 prices. The hotels, cabin rentals, campgrounds and condo rentals will also have plenty of affordable lodging options for all the bargain shoppers coming into the Smoky Mountains for the Sales Tax Holiday. You can stay in Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, Sevierville and other parts of the area and still be close to the best shopping options.

All things considered, the average family that is outfitting the kids for school could save enough to cover the cost of the trip and still have money left over to take in area attractions. In a down economy the Sales Tax Holiday, the bargain outlets and affordable lodging can make the summer go out on positive note.

Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge Has Plenty Events for the Fourth of July and Last Minute Deals on Lodging

The Fourth of July weekend is here and the Smoky Mountain area is ready to celebrate. Gatlinburg will start things off with their annual Midnight Parade and Pigeon Forge will be holding the town’s Patriot Festival all evening on the 4th. Both events are free and family friendly.

If you want to relax and stay a night or the weekend there are plenty of rooms, condos and cabins in Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge that you can find last minute deals available.

Once you get in the Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg area there is plenty of things to do and see, so come on up and enjoy the 4th of July in a safe, family oriented setting.

Patriot Festival in Pigeon Forge Set to Rock the Smokies

Pigeon Forge’s 19^th annual Patriot Festival celebrating the Fourth of July has an entertainment lineup designed to please the “Greatest Generation,” nostalgic Motown devotees, rock ‘n’ rollers and fans of country music. Fireworks booming over the adjacent Great Smoky Mountains will cap off a day of entertainment. The cast of “Swing Time,” a Pigeon Forge show that highlights the Big Band music of the 1940s, will set a patriotic tone for the day with a tribute to America’s military and a stirring rendition of the national anthem.

More mellow music will come from the Temptations Revue, Pigeon Forge’s newest show, which celebrates the Motown Records success of an act that recorded more than 50 albums. Three performance spots are reserved for country music. John Berry (“Your Love Amazes Me,” “Standing on the Edge of Goodbye” and dozens more) will fill Patriot Park with his rich voice, and festivalgoers will get to know two new artists—Sarah Darling, who just released her first album on Black River Music, and Knoxville native Homer Hart.

The pre-fireworks act is the Classic Rock All-Stars, a superstar group that includes Pete Rivera from Rare Earth, Dennis Noda from Cannibal and the Headhunters, Jerry Corbetta from Sugarloaf and Mike Pinera of Blues Image, Iron Butterfly and Alice Cooper. Members of the Classic Rock All-Stars have been part of songs such as “I Just Want To Celebrate,” “Land of a Thousand Dances,” “Get Ready” and “Green-Eyed Lady.”

Other Patriot Festival entertainers include the Pigeon Forge Community Chorus (more than 40 members) and the Twirling Medallion Majorette and Drum Corps from Elkton, Va. This performing group is widely traveled and even has opened a show for Billy Ray Cyrus. Entertainment begins at 1 p.m., and the fireworks will start about 9:45 p.m. WIVK-FM will broadcast the patriotic soundtrack to the fireworks show for observers throughout the city.

Pigeon Forge’s 19^th Annual Patriot Festival Entertainment Lineup

Schedules and artists subject to change without notice
*tentative performance times

TWIRLING MEDALLION MAJORETTE AND DRUM CORP (1:00pm)*

Visiting from Virginia, Tina Hughes’s Baby Doll, Tiny Tot, Junior, & Senior Majorette Groups, and Drum Corp will be performing in Patriot Park at Patriot Festival.

PIGEON FORGE COMMUNITY CHORUS (3:45pm)*

Pigeon Forge Community Chorus consists of over 40 members from Pigeon Forge and the surrounding areas. The chorus is under the direction of Dr. Deborah Hicks, Associate Professor of Music and Director of Professional Entertainment Program from Walter State Community College. The chorus will be performing a medley of patriotic and gospel music.

HOMER HART (4:30pm)*

Homer Hart is an aspiring country artist from Knoxville, TN. A trip to the 2005 CMT Awards show provided Hart with the opportunity to meet some of the biggest names in country music, a jam session with Jason Aldean’s band “The Three Kings”, and an offer to help record his first album at Big Records in Nashville.

GRAND MAJESTIC THEATER’S “SWING TIME” CAST (5:15pm)*

The “Swing Time” cast will be performing their Military Tribute to our Armed Forces and the National Anthem at this year’s Patriot Festival. “Swing Time” is the Musical Dance Production at The Grand Majestic Theater in Pigeon Forge, TN. Their heart warming and fun filled story takes you through the Swingin’ Big Band sounds of the 40′s with hits of Glenn Miller, Judy Garland and the Andrew Sisters all the way to the Rock and Rollin’ years of the 50′s with the classics by none other than Elvis and Buddy Holly.

THE TEMPTATIONS REVUE (5:30pm)*

The Temptations recorded over 50 albums…with 50 pop and 51 R&B singles in the top ten! They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in1989 and in 1990, four of the original lead singers joined with Nate Evans, fellow Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee with “Curtis Mayfield and The Impressions”, to form the Temptations Revue…traveling throughout the world receiving the same recognition as they did in the group’s heyday.

Today, Nate Evans is joined with Ritchie Stanley, Greg Lee, Curtis Taylor and Reggie Reed to bring the music of the ages straight to Pigeon Forge! Enjoy Nate…The Temptations’ timeless tunes, some special guests and a few wonderful stories from the history of Motown at the all new Smoky Mountain Theater.

SARAH DARLING (6:15pm)*

Sara is an up and coming country music artist, originally from Iowa. She’s a farm girl in florals, a riverbank girl with a poet’s soul, a deeply introspective writer with a childlike curiosity, not to mention a sophistication and maturity in her songs far beyond her 25 years.

In 2003, Sarah auditioned for an E Network reality show called “The Entertainer,” hosted by veteran Vegas showman Wayne Newton. She finished in the top three. Sarah also did modeling and appeared in a number of country music videos, with Kellie Pickler, Joe Nichols, David Ball, and Big & Rich.

Sarah was discovered by Black River Records through her MySpace page with her song “Stop the Bleeding.”

JOHN BERRY (7:00pm)*

John Berry has one of the most powerful and distinctive voices in country music. He has a stunningly rich, majestic tenor that he uses to its full effect. With multiple gold and platinum albums and nominations from the Country Music Association, the Academy of Country Music, and the Grammy’s, Berry has clearly forged an appreciation from the music industry and fans alike.

Berry has charted nineteen songs on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, including the Number One single “Your Love Amazes Me” from 1994 and six additional Top Ten hits: “What’s In It for Me”, “You and Only You”, “Standing on the Edge of Goodbye”, “I Think About It All the Time”, “Change My Mind, and “She’s Taken a Shine”.

CLASSIC ROCK ALL STARS (8:15pm)*

The Classic Rock All-Stars is a supergroup composed of hitmaking artists in the 1960s and 1970s. Its lineup:

Pete Rivera: Original drummer and lead singer for Rare Earth

Dennis Noda: Bass guitarist for Cannibal and the Headhunters

Jerry Corbetta: Keyboardist for Sugarloaf

Mike Pinera: Lead singer of Blues Image and guitarist for Iron Butterfly and Alice Cooper

Collectively, these musicians have been a part of hits such as “Green-Eyed Lady”, “School’s Out”, “Poison” “The Garden” (w/ Guns N’ Roses), “I Just Want to Celebrate”, “Get Ready”, and “Land of a Thousand Dances”. The Classic Rock All Stars will have an outstanding lineup of high-energy classic rock hits everyone is sure to remember.

FIREWORKS! (9:45pm)*

For more information on this FREE event, visiting the Pigeon Forge website or call the Pigeon Forge Office of Special Events at (865) 429-7350.

Schedule and artists subject to change or cancellation without notice.

Map to Patriot Festival at Patriot Park in Pigeon Forge, TN.

Co-sponsored by:
AT&T The Real Yellow Pages • Old Mill Square • WonderWorks
Accommodations by Sunset Cottage • Smoky Mountain Jubilee Theater
Papa John’s Pizza • Food City of Pigeon Forge

Dollywood Parade Brings 18 Television Stars to Parade

The ever-expanding Duggar family, stars of TLC’s “18 Kids and Counting,” is coming to Pigeon Forge May 5 –9 to explore what entertainment legend Dolly Parton and more than 10 million annual visitors already know—this Smoky Mountains town is ideal for families of all kinds.

“Just when you thought Pigeon Forge had everything, along come the Duggars,” said Mayor Keith Whaley.

At the invitation of Mayor Whaley, the Duggars will travel 750 miles from their hometown of Springdale, Ark., to participate in the upcoming Dolly Parton Homecoming Parade on May 8 and take in the many sights of this major tourist town.

The Duggar family trip to Pigeon Forge will be featured in a summer episode of “18 Kids and Counting,” which airs on TLC Tuesdays at 9 p.m. (ET/PT). Each episode chronicles the lives of an Arkansas couple, Jim Bob and Michele Duggar, and their 18 natural-born children, who range in age from four months to 21 years. The family includes two sets of twins. For more information, visit TLC.com.

Every year for the past 24 parades, thousands of Dolly Parton fans have lined a two-mile stretch of the Pigeon Forge Parkway to wave at and to be acknowledged by the entertainment superstar. Parton, of course, is the grand marshal. She is tied to the local tourism economy because of Dollywood, the theme park that is Tennessee’s most popular ticketed attraction.

This year’s Dolly Parton Homecoming Parade has special meaning because Parton is the official ambassador of the 75th anniversary of neighboring Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and the parade is expected to carry an appropriate theme.

Details of Parton’s float are a tightly held secret, a tradition throughout the parade’s history. The Duggars will ride on a float the City of Pigeon Forge has crafted for them.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, whose nine million visitors make it the most visited of all national parks, has adopted six Pigeon Forge special events, including the parade, into its official anniversary celebration.

In days leading up to and following the parade, the family will enjoy numerous Parkway attractions during a five-day stay, including several live comedy and musical theaters, spiraling three-story go-cart tracks and North America’s only Zorb, the mountain-side free-fall inside a gigantic ball. All told, Pigeon Forge boasts more than 40 family-friendly attractions along its five-mile Parkway, making it one of the most popular tourist destinations in America.

“I guess the Duggars will make it 10 million and eighteen visitors this year,” Whaley said, “and counting.”

If You Go:

The Dolly Parton Homecoming Parade starts at 6 p.m. on May 8 near Traffic Light #6 and travels north nearly two miles to Traffic Light #3 in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. Organizers encourage visitors to arrive in Pigeon Forge early in order to acclimate to the city and find Parkway space from which to view the parade.

Map of Dolly Parton Homecoming Parade