Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

The Christmas Place in Pigeon Forge will hold a garden “garden party” June 16 and 17. There will be face painting for children, entertainment provided by local character performers “Team Kirkwood” and demonstrations. All activities are free. The schedule for these events will be as follows:
-Face painting for children, 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
- “Team Kirkwood” noon to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
- Toy demonstrations, throughout the event
- Wreath-making demonstration, Saturday at 10 a.m., 2 and 4 p.m.
- Bow-tying class, 11 a.m. Saturday.
- Cookie decorating class, 10 a.m., 2:30 and 3:30 p.m. Saturday.
All Fathers visiting on Sunday will receive a free gift and special entertainment by “Team Kirkwood”
The Christmas Place is located at 2470 Parkway. Call 865-453-0415 for more information.

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The streets of Gatlinburg will be filled with unique characters sharing stories about the Great Smoky Mountains, its inhabitants, and the music of Appalachia. Smoky Mountain Tunes and Tales now begins nine weeks of free entertainment for residents and visitors alike.
One of the new characters introduced this year includes Miss Nan, a vivacious who was a schoolteacher in Gatlinburg in the early 1900’s to the 1930s. Ginger Brown will be portraying Miss Nan during Tunes and Tales.

“Some sources say she taught first grade and some said she taught all grades, ‘ said Brown, who is in the process of moving to Gatlinburg from Georgia. There is no mention of her last name, but she is connected to a Mr. Wayne, who presumably was her husband.
Brown said one of the most interesting aspects of the character she created is that Miss Nan taught her students how to dance in an era in which dancing was frowned upon.
Entertaining and education are two of the goals of Tunes and Tales organizers.” It has an educational quality, not just entertaining,” said David Perella, Gatlinburg’s tourism director.
To enhance that, the event has been expanded by three weeks and offers a 50 percent increase in performers.
Rob Anderson, creative director for The Imagination House, the company charged with producing Tunes and Tales, said the performers will encompass a larger area than in the previous year. Actors and musicians will be seen in four zones stretching from Calhoun’s to River Bend Mall.
Tunes and Tales performances start at 6.p.m. daily with a horse-drawn wagon carrying the actors to their locations. The performances will conclude at 10:30 p.m. Though there are 20 acts in all, only 14 will perform nightly in simultaneous 15- minute performances along the Parkway.

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Gatlinburg's Smoky Mountain Tunes & Tales, featuring costumed musical performers, storytellers and artisans portraying time periods as far back as 1800, will begin in downtown Gatlinburg on June 8. It will run through Sept. 3.
A collection of personalities and performers arrive nightly at 5:30 via horse-drawn wagon in the center of town. Characters disperse along the downtown Parkway for entertainment and storytelling until 10 p.m. Fifteen to twenty nightly acts involve the audience as they each perform in 15-minute productions.

“We have used one of Gatlinburg's greatest assets-the walk ability of the community-to create an interactive special event that everyone in the family can enjoy,” said David Perella, Gatlinburg tourism director.
As part of Smoky Mountain Tunes & Tales, visitors can stroll the Parkway for a story by “Big Hog,” a mountain dweller from the 1800’s with stories of life in the mountains and the rugged days before the Great Smoky Mountains National Park." Horse Jaw Johnny is a gossip and songster who can create songs on the spot using tidbits collected from visitors. “The Back Porch Cloggers” showcase the original dance of the Appalachians.
For more information, visit www.gatlinburg.com

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The landscape of entertainment in Pigeon Forge may be about to change. Now that Dick Clark’s American Bandstand Theater has been officially confirmed for the former Boyds Bear Country site, some top performers are scheduled to be part of a summer concert series, according to a marketing consultant working with the company.
Steve Ellis, who is working with Dick Clark Productions on the project, said the following performers are tentatively confirmed for the concert series:
Charlie Daniels, Clint Black, Wynonna, Kenny Rogers, Kenny Loggins, Jo Dee Messina, Neal McCoy, The Temptations, Glen Campbell, Diamond Rio, Tony Orlando, Beach Boys, Sandi Patty, Blood, Sweat, and Tears, Weirs Al Yankovic, Casting Crowns, Pam Tillis, and Air Supply.

The performance dates are scheduled to be released next week, Ellis said. Appearances are subject to change and more artists will be announced in the coming weeks, he said.
There will be seating for approximately 4,000 people, Ellis said. The goal is to have a large resort as part of Dick Clark’s American Bandstand music complex, opening in time for the first concert series performance next summer.
Ellis said tickets will range from $19 to $49 for all concerts, with children 11 and under admitted for $10.
“We are keeping in the theme with the City of Pigeon Forge and being family-oriented,” Ellis said. “ People will be able to say that they can take their family to see the Beach Boys and can afford to do it because it is only $19. We are trying to be very reasonable.
Ellis said the new theater and concert series will have a big impact on the area.“ Most of these performers have never even been to Knoxville. It is a different type of entertainment- it’s not all old, all new, all Christian or all Country, It’s a good variety for everybody.”

Posted by Trista at 11:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)