March 2006 Archives

The country music legend Merle Haggard, known for his unique voice and for bringing the electric guitar into the country music scene, will perform this Friday at 8 p.m. at the Country Tonite Theatre in Pigeon Forge.

Credited with such classic hits as, "My Friends Are Gonna Be Strangers", "I'm Gonna Break Every Heart I Can", "Someday We'll Look Back", "Carolyn", "If We Make It Through December", "That's The Way Love Goes", and many more, Haggard's show is bound to be a blissful reunion of old favorites and recent creations. Look forward to new renditions from The Hag's recent album "Chicago Wind".

Tickets cost $42 plus tax. Reserve your seat to experience "The Hag" live in concert by calling 865-453-2003 or by logging on to www.countrytonitepf.com.

For the second season, the "Music of the Mountains" concert series will be hosted at Sugarlands Visitor Center at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Various scheduled performers will give a concert the next two Fridays, March 31st and April 7th beginning at 7 p.m. and lasting approximately two hours.

Read more about the performing artists below:

Coming May 19th to Pigeon Forge is the Adam Knight Music Group Showcase! One of our readers asked for more details on the showcase.

More details will be announced as they are finalized. The showcase was originally scheduled for April 1st and 2nd in Nashville, Tennessee, to coincide with the annual Dove Awards during Gospel Music Week. However, now the show will be coming to none other than Pigeon Forge in May. The Adam Knight Music Group plans to rent out an entire resort to showcase various radio personalities, A&R Directors, concert promoters and the like. Some artists the group has featured include:

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park has posted the 2006 Spring Schedule; many facilities are now open to enjoy! The Sugarlands Visitor Center near Gatlinburg is now open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the Cades Cove Visitor Center near Townsend is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Oconaluftee Visitor Center near Cherokee, NC is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. LeConte Lodge, which is accessible only by trail, is now open as well. Lodge reservations can be made by calling 865-429-5704, faxing 865-774-0045, or emailing reservations@lecontelodge.com.

For all music enthusiasts, or citizens searching for live entertainment in the Pigeon Forge and Smoky Mountain area, this information is golden! Each week various Smoky Mountain venues offer stellar live musical performances for your listening pleasure.

Here's the weekly music beat:

The city of Gatlinburg will sparkle after the scheduled clean up March 20th-31st. "Sparkle Days '06" will be the 27th annual spring cleaning time when Gatlinburg residents and business owners tidy up the town!

The sanitation department will pick up items that they usually would not collect, including scrap metal, old appliances, brush, junk vehicles, and almost any other discarded materials placed next to a city street. This only happens once a year during Sparkle Days. Commercial collection occurs the first week, March 20-24 and residential collection happens the following week, March 27-31. A few items that will not be collected are remodeling and demolition debris, old paint, and tires.

Interested volunteers may join the Recreation Department in group pick-up efforts. Volunteers will be supplied with large garbage bags and a smile! For more information on how to volunteer, call 865-436-4990. More Sparkle Day details are available at 865-436-5959.

This past Tuesday, March 7th, the Sevierville trolley service resumed. The Sevierville trolley serves as an extension of the Pigeon Forge trolley system, with two routes operating from 8:30 a.m. to midnight, every day of the week. Trolley fare is $0.50 cents per person, and trolleys are scheduled at 30-minute intervals. Trolley stops are marked with a sign. Routes are as follows:

With spring in the air, Sevier County is a buzz with fun events to attend! Read on to discover some "must visit" activities going on this weekend in Pigeon Forge and the Smoky Mountain area.

Beginning at noon today and extending into late Saturday afternoon, you can attend the Third Annual Sevier County Genealogy Conference at Pigeon Forge Community Center and Library. Featured speakers include Sheila Steele Hunt of Hunt Genealogy and Associates; Carol Roberts of the Tennessee State Library & Archives; and Mark J. Lowe, an expert genealogist.

Springfest marks the beginning of springtime in the beautiful city of Pigeon Forge,Tennessee. It is a three-month celebration packed full of home-spun fun! Some of the events included are A Mountain Quiltfest, the 3rd Annual Stringtime in the Smokies, The Dolly Parade, The Spring Grand Rod Run, and Dollywood's Festival of Nations.

Stringtime in the Smokies, which features some of the finest Appalachian crafters in the area, allows artisans to demonstrate their skills and share their knowledge with Pigeon Forge visitors. Mountain music courtesy of performers and interactive jam sessions fill the air with delightful melodies. A variety of old-fashioned games can be enjoyed by all ages, while antique farm equipment brings another taste of nostalgia to the event. Don’t forget the sick-to-your- ribs great food that can be enjoyed at outdoor picnic tables, making Stringtime in the Smokies the perfect way to spend a spring day in East Tennessee.

Pigeon Forge will host the 12th Annual “A Mountain Quiltfest” March 8 – 12, 2006. This festival attracts over 20,000 visitors from around the country to the Pigeon Forge area annually. Hosted by the Piecemakers and Sevier Valley Quilters Guilds, the spring event brings quilting enthusiasts to compete in a world-renown, multi-category quilt show. The Southeast Tourism Society awarded “Festival of the Year” to Mountain Quiltfest in 2004 for events with attendance of less than 100,000. Quiltfest was recognized by the STS as a “Top 20 Event” on numerous occasions; 2004 marked the first time the event was named “Festival of the Year.”

Coming to Pigeon Forge this week, March 6th-12th, to the Country Tonite Theatre is the Ninth Annual Country Music Week and Hall of Fame award show! It will be a week of country, gospel and bluegrass performances by professionally established groups as well as aspiring artists.

Showcase and competition for aspiring artists will be held daily from 8:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Don't miss the nostalgic Hall of Fame event at 7:30 p.m. on March 9th. Performances by inductees Gene Watson and Rhonda Vincent and the Rage will follow for a night of musical mayhem hosted by Jeanne Pruett.

At 11:45 today, March 3rd, The Sevierville Trees/Trails and Beautification Board will host a celebration at the Civic Center. This year the event will include a recognition of names of those who have had trees planted in memory and in honor of. Sevierville will once again receive the Tree City USA Award from the Arbor Day Foundation, and winners of the Arbor Day National Poster Contest will be announced. Fifth-graders from Sevierville Intermediate participated in the contest; you can find their posters on display in the Civic Center lobby.

Do you know what Arbor Day is? It is an annual celebration of various communities in Tennessee that have been designated a "Tree City USA". Sevierville was honored with Tree City USA status in 1984; each year the city celebrates urban forestry and beautification efforts on Arbor Day.

Dress up, search for hidden treasure, perhaps even walk the plank....you can do all of this tonight at the 3rd Annual Pirate's Ball to benefit the Mountain Hope Good Shepherd Clinic.

At 7 p.m. you can enter Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies to find it transformed into a delightful Caribbean scene. Jimmy Bice of the Veranda Restaurant will provide delicious food and Soul Source will keep the night lively with groovy dance tunes. Complimentary beverages will be free flowing all night as well.

Tickets cost $75 per person with all proceeds going to the Mountain Hope clinic. Call Elaine at 774-7684 to reserve your tickets.