Labor Day Weekend 2012

Labor Day Weekend is coming up this next weekend and we will be expecting a flood of activity coming into the Smokies - so if you're one of the visitors we should be expecting, here's what you can look forward to here in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge.


In Gatlinburg, we have the Fine Arts Festival on Labor Day Weekend, going from August 31st to September 2nd, at the Arrowmont complex in downtown Gatlinburg across from Ripley's Aquarium and The Mountain Mall. Similar to the Craftsmen's Fair, The Fine Arts Festival is a collection of some of the best artists and crafters locally and abroad showing off their wares and competing for $10,000 worth of prizes. If you enjoy the finer things in life, this is where you'll find them during Labor Day Weekend!

In Pigeon Forge, there are several sidewalk sales at some of the shopping centers in town - Pigeon Forge Crossing, the Christmas Village and Tanger Outlets will have some great deals on some fantastic and unique items. Labor Day Weekend is a good time for sidewalk entertainment in Pigeon Forge, and if the mall scene isn't your thing, check out the many arcades and fun centers along downtown Pigeon Forge - Fast Tracks, Rockin' Raceway, Star Tracks and the 3 Bears General Store are all in 10 minutes of walking distance along the sidewalk and can make for a great afternoon out with the kids!


Put these items on your itinerary if you're coming to the Smokies this Labor Day. If you need some additional information on the city and some of the attractions around, please visit www.allthesmokies.com for all your needs. Happy Labor Day!

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Wears Valley Oktoberfest

3rd Annual Wears Valley Area Chamber of Commerce Oktoberfest October 19th, 20th and 21st of October, 2012

Come join the vendors in the valley for the 3rd Annual Oktoberfest in the true heart of the Tennessee Smokies - Wears Valley just 12 minutes outside of Pigeon Forge.

This is the first "Stars of the Smokies" Vocal talent competition and who knows we may have the next big star right here in the valley! The competition will have several local celebrities judiciating. This singing talent competition called "Stars of the Smokies" will award the winner $4,000 in prizes! There's nothing like an old fashioned talent contest with some new twists! This proves to be an exciting new addition to the festival this year.

The Oktoberfest has been a remarkable mid-Autumn success for the area, which saw thousands of locals and visitors flock to Wears Valley, an unincorporated community 15 minutes outside the main traffic route of Pigeon Forge, for a mixture of Appalachian atmosphere, Harvest Festival fun and German culture in 2010 and 2011. While many areas of the Tennessee Smokies traditionally celebrate the Harvest Festival, very few incorporate the full Oktoberfest experience with it and this, along with the abundance of mountain views during the peak season of the color change, has made the event a major highlight in the season.

Parking will be a suggested $5 donation, which will go to the Wears Valley fire department and schools, and entry will be a suggested donation of canned goods which will go to the Sevier County Food Ministry. There is no alcohol at this event. Emergency personnel will be onsite to provide security and emergency response.


Sponsors for this event include UPS Store Sevierville, Imagine it Embroidery, Brainstorm Cafe, SoundTrax Recording Studios, Wright Stuff Catering, Bush Builders, CNB, Tennessee State Bank, The Mountain Press, Green Valley Motel and Yesterday's Antiques. Sponsorship opportunites are welcomed and still available. If you are a vendor interested in participating with Oktoberfest, please contact the Wears Valley Chamber of Commerce at (865)-296-4779 or write to wearsvalleychamberofcommerce@gmail.com. Sponsorship forms, Vendor Forms, and more information about the event is available at www.wearsvalleyareachamber.com.

Lisa Lawhead-Mack
Brainstorm Cafe
865-908-0650
www.brainstormcafe.com
ealawhead@aol.com

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Summer Craftsmen's Fair

For those who may have been to the Craftsmen's Fair for a while, the one in July, and likely more to come, would have surprised you. You would've arrived to find so many booths (more than 160 aslisted by the Craftsmen's information sheet) that many of them had to spread out into the hallways and even outside the W.L. Mills Convention Center in downtown Gatlinburg.

With 160+ booths and artists both local and from Virginia, Ohio, Georgia and way beyond, there was, of course, a wide berth of arts and crafts from candles, baskets, wood works, rock works, paintings, clothes and music to Christmas trees, sports-based fan pulls, old fashioned rifles, shields, interesting lights, and much more than any human being could hope to absorb in a few hours.

If you're coming to the Autumn Craftsmen's Fair and you just can't get enough of hand-made arts the likes of which you've seen and haven't seen before, the $6.00 admission fee is well worth it. Unfortunately, we were not able to get pictures, but we can guarantee you you've probably never seen a convention center this packed with amazing arts and crafts from nearly the entire Eastern half of the country.

Dates are July 20th to the 29th for 2012. www.craftsmenfair.com.

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Independence Day in the Smokies 2012

There is a lot to love about Summer - backyard BBQ, city park picnics (also BBQ), municipal swimming pools, frisbee, baseball, fireflies and so much more - but the moment everyone looks forward to is a single 20 minute segment in early July, and you already know what it is.

But in the Smokies of East Tennessee, the magic of the 4th of July isn't just 20 minutes after sundown, it lasts the whole day starting 5 minutes after 11:55PM on July 3rd with the Midnight Parade in downtown Gatlinburg. This parade has been a tradition in Gatlinburg for years and years and for more than an hour, you and the whole family can watch an amazing patriotic parade - and that just BEGINS the 4th of July celebration!


Then after that, starting at 10 a.m. is the River Raft Regatta at Christ in the Smokies in downtown Gatlinburg where you can race any unmanned, floatable objects toward the goal at Ripley's Aquarium. This event is sponsored by the City of Gatlinburg Special Events Office, the Gatlinburg Recreation Department and the Boys and Girls Club.

In Pigeon Forge, Patriot Park is having Patriot Fest at 1:00 PM. The whole park becomes a center of activity with a huge sound stage, lots of activity, food tents, cooling off station, music by country music star John Anderson, and much more until the fireworks start between 9:30 to 9:45 p.m. The fireworks in Gatlinburg start at 10:00 p.m. and if you're already downtown, you won't have to go far. The fireworks in Gatlinburg are designed to be seen from anywhere on the downtown sidewalk.

Come spend your 4th of July here with us in the Smokies! There's lots to do that's awesome for the whole family and we would be glad to have you. www.allthesmokies.com.

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Memorial Day 2012

This weekend, we raise our glasses and toast and celebrate the many armed services members, both past and present, who have given their time and their lives to keeping the United States safe and free.

As Memorial Day Weekend is a huge event for visitors coming in to Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. Several shopping outlets will be having Memorial Day sales and Dollywood is showcasing its Barbecue and Bluegrass Festival starting May 26th and continuing until June 10th. It's a perfect preview to what Summer will be offering us here in the Smokies and the extended vacation time in the mountains will do you good.

Stay with us as Summer is just around the corner, and you'll want to know the events coming up in June and July. www.allthesmokies.com

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Springfest 2012

April is coming up and it's the best part of Springfest in the Smokies. We have more special events coming up in April than any other month before summer and all of them are worth checking out if you're coming to the Smokies for a getaway!

The biggest news to share is Festival of the Nations at Dollywood is now open and running until April 30th. This year sees "Spirit of the Dance", an award-winning show that's played in Las Vegas, New York City, London and more venues around the globe. Russia, India, Germany, South America, Canada, China, Africa and many other nations will be performing or vending or cooking as well!

Another reason to come is the huge new Wild Eagle Rollercoaster at Dollywood, the only one of its kind in the world that lets you come as close to flying as physically possible over the Smokies. In fact, it's hard to find anything in Tennessee that gives you as many thrills as Dollywood does on top of a 25-year-strong consistent level of quality WITH a multi-national cultural festival going on at the same time.

And that's just one event! Take a look at what else the Smokies in Tennessee are offering for April.

Great Smoky Easter Arts and Crafts Show
4/4/12-4/7/12

Unique handcrafted gifts made by members of Great Smoky Arts & Crafts Community are offered as they host their annual holiday show at the Gatlinburg Convention Center/W.L. Mills Auditorium. Perfect Easter Time outing with the family. www.eventsgatlinburg.com/event_detail.aspx?id=30

Easter Sunrise Service at Ober Gatlinburg
4/8/12

Ober Gatlinburg continues its tradition of offering a free breakfast buffet and a sunrise Easter service at their facilities at the top of the mountain. Tram service starts at 5:15AM and the breakfast buffet at 6:00AM. www.obergatlinburg.com

62nd Annual Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage
4/25/2012-4/29/2012

Celebrate and enjoy the beauty of Great Smoky Mountains National Park with over 150 different programs, including hiking tours, motorcades, demonstrations and classroom lectures centered on the flowers, plants and wildlife in the great outdoors. For more information, call (865) 436-7318 ext. 22 or visit www.springwildflowerpilgrimage.org. ($)

Ribsfest, Wings and BBQ
4/26/2012

The mountain of ribs and wings blend nicely against the Smoky Mountains as Ribsfest, Wings and BBQ starts again at Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies. The price of admission buys you all the ribs and wings you can eat plus entertainment, vendors and an Ice Cream Eating contest just to name a few. www.eventsgatlinburg.com/event_detail.aspx?id=27


As always, stay tuned with us as we deliver you more special events in the Smokies. See you in May!

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Early Spring Preview

As of late February, many local are already calling it Spring here in the Smokies, and with 70 degree temperatures and flowers already blooming, it's not hard to see why. We almost never get Spring previews like this in the mountains, so if you want to get in a near-Springtime Smoky Mountain getaway without much of the major traffic, now is the time to come!

And soon the special events will be starting up again. Here's a quick look at what's coming up soon:

The 18th Annual "A Mountain Quiltfest"
3/14/12-3/17/12

The city of Pigeon Forge hosts a very popular festival in which over 20,000 visitors participate in many classes and seminars, and view some of the most gorgeous quilts in the country. www.mountainquiltfest.com

ClausFest Parade
3/17/12

Gatlinburg's Spring Parade is back on for 2012. The Clausfest parade features, get ready for this, all your favorite Christmas and St. Patrick's Day icons marching together in a grand fashion down the main street of downtown Gatlinburg. It's a sight worth coming to see. www.clausfest.org

Dollywood "Festival Of the Nations"
3/24/12-4/30/12

Dollywood opens it's gates once again to the tune of world music as Festival of the Nations returns to captivate visitors to the Smokies. Groups from Ireland, South America, Africa, Germany and more will be coming and coming back to entertain us here in the Smokies. www.dollywood.com

Great Smoky Easter Arts and Crafts Show
4/5/12-4/7/12

Imagine if the Arts and Crafts Community of Gatlinburg, with dozens of other independent artists and artisans from whole states away gathered in one huge building in downtown Gatlinburg and you have the setting for the Great Smoky Easter Arts and Crafts Show at the Gatlinburg Convention Center. www.gatlinburgcrafts.com

Keep checking back as always for new special events going on in town. www.allthesmokies.com

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