College and Highschool Football Schedule

By request, here are the remaining dates for college and high school football in East Tennessee.

University of Tennessee
September 23rd - Massachusetts (Home)
September 30th - Georgia (Home)
October 14th - South Carolina (Home)
October 21st - Alabama (Away)
October 28th - Kentucky (Away)
November 4th - Southern Miss (Home)
November 11th - Missouri (Away)
November 18th - LSU (Home)
November 25th - Vanderbilt (Home)

Gatlinburg Pittman High School
September 22nd - Trinity Academy (Home)
September 29th - Pigeon Forge (Away)
October 6th - Austin East (Home)
October 20th - Alcoa (Away)
October 27th - Kingston (Home)

Northview Academy Cougars
September 22nd - Loudon (Home)
September 29th - Alcoa (Home)
October 6th - Pigeon Forge (Home)
October 13th - Scott(Away)
October 20th - Austin-East (Home)

Sevier County High School
September 22nd - Oak Ridge (Away)
September 29th - Gibbs (Home)
October 12th - Seymour (Home)
October 20th - Knoxville Halls (Away)
October 27th - Carter (Away)

Pigeon Forge High School
September 22nd - Cocke County (Home)
September 29th - Gatlinburg Pittman (Home)
October 6th - Northview Academy (Away)
October 13th - Austin-East (Away)
October 20th - Kingston (Away)
October 27th - Scott (Home)

Seymour High School
September 29th - South-Doyle (Home)
October 6th - Gibbs (Home)
October 12th - Sevier County (Away)
October 20th - Karns (Home)
October 27th - Knox Halls (Away)

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Fall Festival and Old Timer's Day

You thought Townsend was always the "quiet side" of the Smokies? Not on Old Timer's Day and the Fall Heritage Festival in September! This is a treasured traditional event that the city of Townsend holds at the Townsend Visitors Center on the end of September.

From https://www.fairsandfestivals.net: "[This] event will be held on September 29-30, 2017 at the Townsend Visitors Center. It celebrates the traditional music, Appalachian skills, crafts, and heritage of Townsend, East Tennessee, and the Great Smoky Mountains. There will be fun-filled activities such as clogging, bluegrass music concerts, jam sessions on the porch, demonstrations of cornmeal making, sorghum molasses making, blacksmithing, apple butter, basketry, spinning, weaving, and quilting. There is an antique tractor show. Enjoy tales of the mountains from guest storytellers. Arts and crafts booths will include woodworking, jewelry, pottery, hand-sewing, and painting."

It's like going back in time to when it was the Old Timers' "day", as it were, with all the arts and music being revitalized for modern audiences during this time. A great way to honor our past and celebrate our heritage! See more on Townsend Tourism at https://www.smokymountains.org/.

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Attraction Spotlight: Alcatraz East

One of the newer attractions we've had this year is quite a different type of affair than Pigeon Forge typically has - an interactive museum detailing the subject of crime and justice that makes it kinda fun and appropriate. This would almost fit more in Gatlinburg alongside the Ripley's Believe It or Not! museum and the Guinness World of Records, but even then there is nothing quite like it in the Smokies - and those of you who have not been to it yet should consider doing so on your next visit to the Smokies.

From the Alcatraz East website:

"Alcatraz East is a crime museum featuring an in-depth look at American crime history, which includes artifacts from lots of different eras and topics, not just the penitentiary on Alcatraz Island.

The museum has five galleries: History of Crime, Crime Scene Investigation, The Consequence of Crime, Crime Fighting and Pop Culture.

From white-collar crimes, to Old West gunslingers, the museum features original artifacts from Jesse James to Whitey Bulger. Things to watch for include the famous O.J. Simpson chase Bronco, John Dillinger’s death mask, Al Capone’s rosary, a submachine gun from the movie Scarface, and Ted Bundy’s VW Beetle. Within those galleries are 28 topic areas with interactive exhibits and over 500 authentic artifacts that the entire family can enjoy."

There are permanent exhibits as well as temporary ones that show up from time to time. There are also special events as guest speakers and other activities appear to further add excitement to an already exciting place and much more. This attraction is open 365 days a year and you can find more information on it as well as seasonal hours at https://www.alcatrazeast.com.

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The 2017 Eclipse Is Right Around The Corner!

This coming Monday, August 21st, is going to be the famed total solar eclipse that you've likely been hearing about since the end of Spring. This is going to be a VERY rare and VERY big event - the last time we had something like this happen was in 1918 - and we are very fortunate to have the Smoky Mountains be part of this awesome event!

We posted on the solar eclipse some time ago and in this article, we'll reference that previous article to make the relevant information convenient to grab.

Previously Posted:

Here's some news we found out today. It seems the Knoxville area of East Tennessee (and presumably those of us in Sevier County) will get to experience a Solar Eclipse on August 21st, 2017. Although this will be a partial solar eclipse instead of a total solar eclipse, you should definitely save the date and get ready for a visual treat!

Here's all the current information we have on that:

Viewing Time: 1:04PM - 3:58PM
Max Viewing Time: 2:34PM

The Great Smoky Mountain National Park Service will also be holding a viewing event at three places within the Western side of the National Park:

* Clingman's Dome
* Cades Cove
* Oconaluftee

See more information on the viewing and tickets for it at https://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/2017-solar-eclipse.htm.

You can also build a simple card projector using these instructions from timeanddate.com:

"DIY: Simple Card Projector
The simplest and quickest way to safely project the Sun is with a projector made from only 2 pieces of card or paper.

You Need:
* 2 pieces of stiff white cardboard, e.g. 2 paper plates
alternatively, 2 sheets of plain white paper
* a thumbtack, a sharp pin or a needle.

What to Do:
Diagram of a DIY pinhole projector.
The concept of a pinhole projector ©timeanddate.com

To make a quick version of the pinhole projector, take a sheet of paper and make a tiny hole in the middle of it using a pin or a thumbtack. Make sure that the hole is round and smooth.

With your back towards the Sun, hold 1 piece of paper above your shoulder allowing the Sun to shine on the paper.

The 2nd sheet of paper will act as a screen. Hold it at a distance, and you will see an inverted image of the Sun projected on the paper screen through the pinhole.

To make the image of the Sun larger, hold the screen paper further away from the paper with the pinhole.

A box projector works on the same principles, it requires a little more time and a few extra items to construct, but it is more sturdy.

Keep Safe! Never look at the Sun directly without protective eye gear. Even sunglasses cannot protect your eyes from the damage the Sun's rays can do to them."

See more information on this at https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/solar/2017-august-21.

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Tax-Free Weekend 2017

Next weekend, from July 28th to the 30th, is the coveting Tax-Free Weekend in the state of Tennessee. Although this event isn't exclusive only to the Smokies, it becomes a special event as many families use this as an opportunity to get school supplies from our outlet malls and have one last family vacation in the Smokies before the school season begins anew.

Between the two dates, shoppers can expect to take off any sales tax on school supplies adding up to less than $100.00, school clothes adding up to less than $100.00 and computer purchases of up to $1,500. Some of the best places for shopping for these items include:

* Tanger Five Oaks Outlet in Sevierville
* Red Roof Mall in Pigeon Forge
* WalMart Supercenter in Sevierville
* Governor's Crossing Complex (Across from WalMart) in Sevierville
* The Shops of Pigeon Forge
* Burke's Outlet in Pigeon Forge

See more information on the Tax-Free weekend at https://www.tn.gov/revenue/article/sales-tax-holiday.

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4th of July In The Smokies 2017

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 10:00AM 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 and the Gatlinburg Recreation Department.

In Pigeon Forge, Patriot Park is having Patriot Fest at 12:00PM. The whole park becomes a center of activity with a huge sound stage, lots of activity, food tents, cooling off station, music by half a dozen acts on the stage that is specifically built for the occasion (headlined this year by Stock Creek Bluegrass Band, Vinyl Tap, Sammy Arriaga, Thompson Square) and much more that go on until the fireworks start between 9:30PM and 9:45PM. The fireworks in Gatlinburg start at 10:00PM 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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Get To Know Honeysuckle Hills

Honeysuckle Hills is a private, rustic and yet luxury wedding and honeymoon provider in Pigeon Forge, TN. The venue is located deep in the woods on family property that is made open to wedding couples who would like the Smoky Mountains to be more than just background for their wedding, but the entire atmosphere and experience.

From their website:
"Honeysuckle Hills is a venue that works to retain exclusivity for it’s wedding couples. In order to retain the utmost highest level of attention and service to our couples, only a certain number of weddings will be scheduled each week. From dressing to completion of our unique photo sessions to the saying of the vows, our desire is to keep it special for each and to that we must keep our bookings so that this level of service may be attained."

They provide the following wedding packages:
* Country Style
* My Sweet Garden Wedding
* Country Charm
* The Perfect Wedding
* Couples Only Elopement Packages
* Wild Horses
* The Outdoor Adventure
* An Hour of Beauty
* The Enchanted Forest
* Wildflower Preserve
* Wed Beneath a Willow Tree
* Beeler Mountain

And many more.

Honeysuckle Hills also offers onsite wedding photography, in fact, it's one of the main reasons couples are drawn to the venue.

Visit Honeysuckle Hills at http://honeysucklehills.com/.

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