Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

Since 1980 the Gatlinburg trolley has ferried visitors and locals alike all throughout the city streets. With a fleet of 20 trolleys, six routes and high gas prices, the cost to ride will increase beginning January 4, 2006.

Only four of the six routes will be affected by the price increase. They are:

Uptown Loop or Red Route: Increasing 25 cents,the Red Route now costs 50 cents each way.

Dollywood and Pigeon Forge or Pink Route: Increasing 75 cents, it now costs $1 each way on the Pink Route.

East Parkway and City Hall or Blue Route: Increasing 25 cents, the Blue Route costs 50 cents each way.

North Gatlinburg Parkway and Welcome Center or Purple Route: Increasing 25 cents, the Purple Route is 50 cents each way.

The Yellow Route serving the Arts & Crafts Community and the Tan Route serving the National Park will not increase. The Yellow Route costs $1 for unlimited daily rides, and the Tan Route is currently closed for the winter. It will resume service in June. For more information on Gatlinburg trolley rides, call 865-436-3897.

Don't forget to take the Trolley Tour of Lights this season before Winterfest ends!

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This weekend, Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg will host the 10th annual Xtreme Winter youth conferences, which include more than 1,200 church youth groups from all over the South. Xtreme Winter is a high energy camp for teenagers, where they can come together, hear powerful messages and rock out at live concerts performed by top Christian bands.

The Grand Convention Center in Pigeon Forge will host a conference December 29th through the 31st; from December 30th to January 1st another conference will be held in the Gatlinburg Convention Center.

Xtreme Winter seeks to reach the hearts of youth with the gospel of Jesus Christ in a fun environment for teenagers. Live music and engaging speakers play a major role in ministry. Musical guests this year will include Casting Crowns, TobyMac, Newsong, Audio Adrenaline, Building 429, Thousand Foot Krutch, Barlow Girl, Hawk Nelson, Lincoln Brewster and Will Goodwin. Messages will be delivered by:

- Johnny Hunt, pastor of First Baptist Church of Woodstock, Georgia
- Tony Nolan, founder of TNT Ministries
- Ergun Caner, professor at Liberty University
- David Nasser, nationally renown youth speaker
- Ryan Dobson, appearing on national radio and television
- Dave Edwards, perhaps the most popular youth speaker in America

Posted by Jessisa Bookstaff at 01:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Pigeon Forge, Sevierville and Gatlinburg have spectacular New Year's celebrations going on this year. Don't miss the fun as the ball drops on 2006 in the Smokies!

In Pigeon Forge, herald the New Year with a bunch of bears at the Countdown to New Year Kids Party with the Bears in Boyds Bear Country! For more information call 1-888-654-6215.

The Country Tonite Theater in Pigeon Forge is throwing a lively New Year's celebration from 10 p.m. to midnight. The show is sure to dazzle all who come! Call 800-792-4308 or 865-453-2003 for more details.

But that is not all...

In Sevierville, you can benefit the American Cancer Society and enjoy a fun, alcohol-free atmosphere as the New Year rolls around. The Sevierville Police Department Relay for Life Team is hosting Sevierville's first ever "Ringing in the New Year" at the Sevierville Civic Center on New Year's Eve from 8 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. New Year's Day. Tickets are $20 for adults, $5 for children and can be purchased at any Mountain National Bank trough December 27th. The evening will include heavy hors d'oeuvres; exciting games; a silent auction; musical guests including Boyds Creek Church of God Choir, the Christian rock band "Released", Christian Walker, and Brandon Donohoo. The motivational speaker Jason Roe will deliver some great words to help you kick off your New Year's Resolution list with success!

Celebrate the New Year in style and glitz in Gatlinburg at the New Year's Eve Ball Drop and Fireworks Show from 9 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. at the foot of Gatlinburg's Space Needle. This street party will draw a crowd of 40,000; be a part of the excitement! Live entertainment and fireworks will keep things rocking, and free party favors will add an extra festive note to the occasion. Heavy hors d'oeuvres and a carving station will be on hand as well as a well stocked cash bar to keep the party going strong. There will be a champagne toast at midnight as the ball drops. Additionally, if you need childcare, a children's educational program is provided for kids ages 3 to 12 that will entertain the youngins with games, lectures, movies and a pizza party. The children's program costs $24.95 per child and adult tickets cost $99.95 per couple, $59.95 for singles. Reservations are required, as space is limited; call 888-240-1358.

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This Christmas, with so much going on and such a strong presence of benevolence and Christmas spirit around the town, Pigeon Forge is the perfect place to spend your holidays in style and comfort!

Visit the Pigeon Forge Accommodations page to plan your Christmas or New Years getaway today. Local resorts, hotels, condominiums, cabins, inns, motels and bed and breakfast establishments have doors wide open, ready to entertain and pamper you and your family this holiday season.

And, for extra savings during the holidays, be sure to browse the coupons offered on the Pigeon Forge Coupon Page. Local businesses have posted wonderful money-saving offers to help you celebrate the holidays with fun, without denting the checkbook terribly!

Posted by Jessisa Bookstaff at 05:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Smoky Mountain Car Museum is selling six signature attraction cars at a January 2006 auction at the Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa in Pheonix, Arizona. Among the six to be auctioned are the famous 1964 Aston Martin DB5 driven by James Bond in "Thunderball" and the 1928 Cadillac built for Al Capone.

The museum expects to bring in at least six figures on the James Bond DB5, which will be used to revamp the museum. With Pigeon Forge tourism on the rise, the Smoky Mountain Car Museum plans to attract a younger crowd with new cars that capture the interests of a new generation of car enthusiasts.

The 2006 Arizona auction marks the first time in 35 years that one of the iconic spy cars will be up for sale. This is a big deal for many car collectors. The auction in January is sure to draw classic car enthusiasts from across the globe.

The sale of such a classic piece is getting mixed review in Sevier County; some foresee regrets of unloading the old cars. James Bond's car is a rare item, and once it is gone it will be nearly impossible to retrieve.

What kind of cars would you like to see the Smoky Mountain Car Museum bring in?

Posted by Jessisa Bookstaff at 02:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This Christmas, with so much going on and such a strong presence of benevolence and Christmas spirit around the town, Pigeon Forge is the perfect place to spend your holidays in style and comfort!

Visit the Pigeon Forge Accommodations page to plan your Christmas or New Years getaway today. Local resorts, hotels, condominiums, cabins, inns, motels and bed and breakfast establishments have
doors wide open, ready to entertain and pamper you and your family this holiday season.

Christmas in the Smokies can take many different tones, depending on your taste. From charming, quaint mountain shops, intimate church services, grand dinner feasts, moving choral performances, intricate seasonal décor and lights, sprawling outlet malls to serene mountain trails and historic chapels, anyone can find their Christmas niche in the Pigeon Forge area this year!

Here are some great upcoming Smoky Mountain Christmas festivities:

~~~On Sunday, December 18 Seymour Heights Christian Church will host its annual Christmas services at 9 and 10:30 a.m. The services are dedicated to celebrating the birth of Jesus, with special performances by the Adult and Children’s choirs; the congregation can sing along as well! The morning will include dramatic interpretations, Christmas carols and hymns, and delicious refreshments served between services in the Family Life Center.

~~~On the evening of December 18 be sure to laugh your fanny off at the Grace Baptist Church presentation of “Dirty Laundry,” a Christmas comedy with dinner following. The show begins at 6 p.m., held at the church located at 2539 Old Newport Highway. Call 865-453-4647 for more details.

~~~Visit the Pigeon Forge First Baptist Church Sunday, December 18 at 6 p.m. for an evening of Christmas music! Call 865-453-4647 for more information.

~~~Monday, December 19 come hungry and ready for a Christmas feast between 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. at the Gatlinburg First Baptist Church on Highway 321 next to Alamo Steakhouse. Dinner is free to all, and Santa will visit, bearing gifts for children! Christmas carolers will project lovely Christmas harmonies as you eat and socialize on this merry evening. Call 865-436-4685 for details.

~~~A Christmas celebration featuring Don Richmond will be held at the First Baptist Church (between lights 6 and 7 on the Parkway) in Pigeon Forge at 6 p.m. on December 21. Call 865-453-4647 for more information.

December 24~

~~~Visit Seymour Heights Christian Church at 5 and 11:30 p.m. for a "Dressed Down at Christmas" service on Christmas Eve. The evening services will include special music, Christmas carols and hymns, and candlelight communion. At the 11:30 service, there will be a special time of music, prayer and communion.

~~~St. Paul Church at 1028 Boyds Creek Highway will hold a Christmas Eve service at 10:30 and a special ecumenical midnight service at 11 p.m.

~~~The non-denominational Christ Covenant Church of Sevierville will hold a Christmas Eve candlelight and Holy Communion service at 7 p.m. The church is located on 1625 Newport Highway.

~~~St. Paul Lutheran Church on 1610 Pullen Road will hold a Christmas Eve service at 7 p.m. Call 865-453-2274 for more information.

~~~Middle Creek United Methodist Church will have a 6 p.m. candlelight service. Inquire at 865-428-6332.

~~~The First United Methodist Church of Pigeon Forge will host a Christmas Eve worship service at 11 p.m. with ensemble septet music, Midnight Holy Communion, and singing of hymns and carols. The church is located next to Food City in Pigeon Forge.

~~~Christmas Eve Mass will be held at 7 and 10 p.m. at St. Mary's Catholic Church on the Historic Nature Trail in Gatlinburg.

~~~At 7:30 and 11 p.m. Our Savior Lutheran Church will hold a Christmas Eve candlelight Holy Communion service.

December 25~

~~~St. Paul Lutheran Church on 1610 Pullen Road will hold a Christmas Day service with Holy Communion at 10:30 a.m. Call 865-453-2274 for more information.

~~~At 10:30 a.m. Pigeon Forge First Baptist Church (on the Parkway between lights 6 and 7) will have a Holy Communion service. Call 865-453-4647 for more details.

~~~Our Savior Lutheran Church will hold Christmas Day Holy Communion at 10:30 a.m.

~~~Covenant Baptist Church will have Christmas Day services at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m.

Posted by Jessisa Bookstaff at 10:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"Thanks for the memories!"

Louise Mandrell moved to Sevier County to raise her daughter Nicole. Now, after eight years performing at the Louise Mandrell Theater in Pigeon Forge; after endless leadership and giving to the community, after years of memories, laugher and tears; after finding that Pigeon Forge truly feels like "HOME", Louise must bid Sevier County farewell.

She is returning to middle Tennessee to care for her husband, John, who suffers from the rare reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD) disease. Mandrell prayed for a long time before deciding to leave; she did not want to leave an empty theater. God answered her prayers when Fee Headrick Entertainment asked general manager Sande Weiss if Mandrell would be interested in selling the theater. Fee Headrick agreed to employ as many current staff as possible, keep most of the existing contracts and allow Louise one final New Year's Eve performance. Louise remarked that she is "most proud of our theater's success over the past eight years."

Louise regrets that she "will miss so many things about this area. The people mostly, God's natural beauty, my friends and employees...".

Since her arrival in Sevier County, Louise has enriched the community with gracious charity. Some of her contributions include:

-Donating time and money to Sevier County High School

-Teaching Sunday School at First Baptist Sevierville and on occasion cooking dessert for everyone in the class

-Organizing the Boy Scout 5K Run fundraiser annually

-Raising funds for the local police to purchase a drug dog

-Volunteering with the Boys and Girls Club

-Raising funds for the Humane Society, Relay for Life, the American Red Cross, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, the American Diabetes Association, the American Cancer Society, Toys for Tots, the Smoky Mountain Children's Home, and United Way

She has given all this and more to the community in her 8 years at the theater. She will be dearly missed and forever remembered!

Posted by Jessisa Bookstaff at 02:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Do you miss the experience of rambling through the forest with your family, looking for the perfect Christmas tree to place in your home? Yes, the tree that is just right- it smells heavily of fresh pine, the branches are nice and full, the size would grace your living room beautifully, and when you see it, you just know it is the "one".

Well, you are in luck because Hicks Christmas Tree Farm near Cosby, Tennessee offers that experience to all who visit. The farm has been in operation since 1980, growing fresh, healthy Concolor firs, blue spruce and Canaan firs.

Be sure to call to make an appointment or check the hours of operation before making the trip to Cosby. You can contact Hicks at 423-487-2056 or 423-487-4001.

You may want to make a day of it and bring a camera, snacks, a picnic lunch, and nice warm drinks for a wonderful family outing! Be sure to layer up and wear hiking boots or old tennis shoes and thick gloves to protect your hands. Also, don't forget to bring equipment to secure the tree to your car after you choose the perfect one for your home this Christmas.

Christmas Tree Tips:

-Get the tree into water as soon as possible after cutting!

-If limbs are pliable when bent, the tree is good; if limbs are beginning to wilt, don't buy it.

-Acclimate the tree to the warm indoors slowly; do not bring the tree inside immediately.

-Bring a plastic sheet to protect the paint job on your vehicle as well as bungee cords to secure the tree.

Posted by Jessisa Bookstaff at 09:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Dollywood's Intermational Sounds of Christmas concert series is free with Dollywood admission. This weekend, don't miss the extraordinary Vinok Worldance, December 15-18. The production features Canada's foremost professional dance company, performing intricate footwork with world dance and folk music and adorable, colorful costumes. The concert celebrates Christmas traditions around the world and is very entertaining.

Dollywood's Smoky Mountain Chrismas also includes a display of America's tallest German Christmas pyramid, the Olde World Christmas Market, a wide array of festive menu items at eateries within the park, over 3 million Christmas lights on display, many holiday concerts, and much more. Children can visit Santa's Workshop to participate in craft projects, frolic in play areas, and write letters to Santa at the post office. The event continues through December 30; call 1-800-DOLLYWOOD for more information.

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Visitors and locals alike can now enjoy hitting the slopes of Ober Gatlinburg! The Smoky Mountain ski resort opened last weekend with about 15 to 20 inches of fresh powder for skiers and snowboarders to fly down. Last weekend Castle Run, Cub Way and Ski School slopes were open, and the advanced slopes should be ready for this weekend.

With improved snow-making equipment, Ober expects to enhance the skiing experience this year with greater amounts of high-quality snow. Ober offers ski lessons for children and adults of all levels and the slopes are open to snowboarders as well. Adult lift tickets cost $28 during the week and $43 on weekends. From 6-10 p.m. during the week you can get a special $15 ski pass.

Ober offers some advise to beginning skiers who want to improve their craft this season:
-Get started now!
-Ski often!
-Skiing for 2 hours 3 times a week is better than skiing all day one day!

Upcoming Event at Ober:
On February 3, 2006, don’t miss the 5th Annual Southern Exposure Cardboard Sled Race! Compete for best race time and best sleigh design; there is even an award for the most sluggish contestant. Sleds must be made entirely of cardboard, gravity-propelled. Additional rules are listed on the entry form which is due by January 27, 2006. Entry fee is $500 for a corporate sled and $200 for a non-corporate. All proceeds benefit the Helen Ross McNabb Center in Knoxville, providing mental health services to the area. Call Kelly Hodges at 865-329-9119 for more details.

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The 4th Annual Music in the Trees gala affair will be held in the Gatlinburg Convention Center on Tuesday, December 13. Be ready for a night full of dancing among beautifully decorated, lit up Christmas trees, a lovely reception and cocktail party, delightful hors d'ouvres including a beef carving station, a sinful dessert bar along with a cash bar to carry you well into the evening.

Other events at the holiday winter gala include live music from bluegrass to blues, door prizes and a silent auction. Hosted by the Gatlinburg Gateway Foundation, the Phi Beta Phi Elementary school will be honored this year for their downtown landscape beautification project efforts. All proceeds from the evening will benefit completion of the beautification project.

The night will be filled with music, dancing, food, drinks and merriment to be had by all! Tickets for this spectacular evening event cost $70 per person and can be purchased in any Gatlinburg bank. For more details, contact Ira or Jan Lapides at 865-604-4412.

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On November 29, Sevier County's Winterfest was honored with the Tourism Excellence award at the annual Tourism Recognition Awards Ceremony for the Middle East Tennessee Region at the Museum of Appalachia in Noris, Tennessee. Entries were judged in terms of design, innovation and thoroughness of entry presentation and application; creativity in project design, development, implementation, message delivery and originality; efficient use of materials, manpower, resources and budget. Pigeon Forge's very own Winterfest wowed the tourism board in all categories and has been named excellent!

Winterfest is a family friendly celebration where anyone can find something fun to do or see! Here are some "don't miss" events going on this week:

Winterfest Trolley Tour of Lights

Gatlinburg Winterfest Trolley Ride

Dollywood's Smoky Mountain Christmas

4th Annual Music in the Trees Gala

All of Sevier County is a bustle with Christmas cheer! Come and experience the wonder of Winterfest for yourself and celebrate the holidays with award-winning parties and events.

Posted by Jessisa Bookstaff at 09:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This weekend Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg, Seveirville and the Smoky Mountain foothills area is a bustle with amazing events! From a live Nativity scene, a journey back in time to before the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was established, an art gallery open house and guitar concert to a Smoky Mountain Christmas Celebration, your weekend in the Smokies will be full of adventure, entertainment and enrichment.

Read on for the schedule of exciting Smoky Mountain events:

December 8-11th:

Evergreen Presbyterian Church in Sevierville presents the 15th Annual Live Nativity. This outdoor walk-through production takes you throughout Evergreen's church grounds and transforms you to the little town of Bethlehem where Jesus was born in a manger. The live characters really make you feel like you have traveled in time to Bethlehem over two thousand years ago! Evergreen's church grounds are located beside the Belk department store in River Place Shopping center. Admission is free and the Nativity is open from 7-9 p.m. daily, weather permitting. After walking through the live Nativity scene, you can head to the Evergreen sanctuary for an autobiographical film on Jesus Christ. Parking is available in the River Place Shopping center. Call 865- 428-3001 for more information.

Primitive Quartet Performing Live December 9th and 10th:

Native to Candler, North Carolina, the Primitive Quartet, a southern gospel and bluegrass group will perform at the Pigeon Forge National Parks Resort Lodge at 7 p.m. tonight, December 9, and on Satuday the 10th. Be ready for some great old-time mountain singing from the band of brothers, Mike, Reagan and Larry Riddle, Norman Wilson, Randy Fox and Jeff Tolbert.

The group is very well established, touring regularly in 25 states and Canada, with television appearances, numerous award nominations, 25 songs placing in the Singing News Top 40 charts and a new CD just released titled, "Who Rolled the Stone Away". Band members say that Pigeon Forge is one of their favorite places to perform and they have been visiting regularly for the past 25 years.

Special guest Tony McGee & New Covenant as well as a Christmas program will be included in Friday nights performance. On Saturday evening New Road will accompany Primitive Quartet. Admission is $10 at the door; for more details call 865-453-4106.

December 10, 2005:

Stop by the Sugarlands Visitor Center for a grand "Festival of Christmas Past" this Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. You can participate in activities themed in culture, history and Smoky Mountain tradition while celebrating the yuletide season! This event is known as a holiday classic in the area, with handmade gifts, music, storytelling and traditional Smokies holiday delicacies the Festival of Christmas Past gives a glimpse into Smoky Mountain Christmas celebrations from over a century ago.

At noon, Santa-Claus donned in his charming late 1800's style suit will be escorted into a large heated tent for visits with children. Fourteen artisans and crafters will be on hand demonstrating quilting, mountain basket weaving, old-time toy crafting, needle point, split hickory and corn shuck chair making and water color painting. Food connoisseurs will be whipping up batches of molasses, apple cider and fresh applebutter for all to taste. Music provided by the Lost Mill String Band, the Sevier County Old Harp Singers, the South of the River Boys, and the Locust Ridge Boys will add an extra special mountain tone to the event.

You can greatly improve your historic knowledge at the Smoky Mountain Historical Society's booth offering books and plenty of information. Stories told by local residents recalling life in the Smokies before the opening of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will also teach you a fact or two! Moreover, to really feel like you have traveled back in time, walk the Memories Along the Trail route with costumed interpreters including a teacher from Fighting Creek Elementary, a midwife, a storekeeper, a hunter/mountain man, a logger's wife, a girl from the Sugarlands community, and a farmer's wife. All the characters will teach you how Smoky Mountain residents lived in the olden days and how they prepared for and celebrated Christmas.

The Festival of Christmas Past is a fun, enlightening, family friendly event! For more details, call 865-436- 1291.

December 9-11th:

Sevierville's New Hope Church will be throwing the 3rd Annual Smoky Mountain Christmas Celebration at the new location of New Hope Church on Highway 66 in Sevierville. Look forward to live animals, handmade costumes, dancing, singing, and special effects with multiple scene changes. The large cast will keep you entertained as there is never a dull moment in this show! Organizers have gotten rave reviews the past two years and expect and even better show this year with enhanced lighting and sound effects.

This energetic performance begins at 7 p.m. and runs Friday, December 9 through Sunday, December 11. Doors open at 6:30 and seating is first come first serve; admission is free but tickets must be reserved in advance by calling the church at 865-932-4673.

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The origin of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park can be traced back to 1923 when Mrs. Willis P. Davis of Knoxville, Tennessee traveled to the American West and was taken by the beauty of the national parks out there. Living near the Smoky Mountain foothills, Davis knew that the Great Smoky Mountains needed to be preserved as well, thus she began the Park Movement.

The movement was slow going at first. Local and national politics served to delay progress. Disputes over whether the land should become a National Forest or a National Park, exactly what land to use, as well as lack of federal funding stood in the way of creating the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. With the construction of a better road between Knoxville, Tennessee and Asheville, North Carolina, the Park Movement gained more support.

Colonel David Chapman became the spearhead National Park supporter, and in 1926 the three-year struggle ended with Congress finally authorizing the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Park Commissions quickly raised money to purchase 6,600 land tracts through beneficiary donations and the Tennessee and North Carolina states.

The devalued currency and skyrocketing land prices of the Great Depression posed a problem for the Park Commission; they appealed to Congress for extra funding, but actually got needed support from a $5 million donation from the Rockefeller family. In 1933 the U.S. Government contributed $1.55 million to complete land acquisition.

Despite the struggles with money and politics, Congress established the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on June 15, 1934, and President Franklin Delano Roosevelt officially dedicated the park six years later on September 2, 1940. The hard road from conception to realization was complete. Now a part of the rolling Smoky foothills and mountains will be forever preserved thanks to one woman’s vision and much hard work and philanthropic efforts of many Americans.

Today the National Park is home to unique to the area animals and over 4,000 plant species. Nearly 12 million visitors frequent the park annually.

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