Early bird registration for the 5th Annual Smoky Mountains Songwriters Festival is going on now through Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016. Those who register during the early bird period will have their name entered into a drawing for a chance to win three nights lodging during the festival held August 24-28, 2016. The event, now in its fifth year, not only ...

The Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission heard a report on preliminary harvest figures during recently completed hunting seasons at its abbreviated January 2016 meeting held in the Big Cypress Lodge at the Bass Pro Shops. A portion of the meeting was canceled due to the impending inclement weather. Agenda items not covered this month will be continued into the TFWC’s ...

The votes are in! ConventionSouth readers and destination Facebook fans have selected Gatlinburg as their top pick for “The South’s Cool Spots For Summer Meetings.” In December 2015, ConventionSouth editors compiled a Facebook ballot with a list of 60 meetings destinations that are well fit for summer meetings as they offer escape from the summer heat. From those 60 “Cool ...

Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials have closed all park facilities today, Jan. 20, 2016, due to impending inclement weather moving through our area today. Sugarlands Visitor Center, Oconaluftee Visitor Center, and all administrative offices including Park Headquarters are closed. All Facility Management and Emergency Services staff who are responsible for snow removal and visitor safety remain on duty. Several ...

Researchers from Vanderbilt University are looking for veterans exposed to combat-related trauma during operations in Afghanistan or Iraq to participate in a paid research study entitled “Neuroimaging Study of post-traumatic stress disorder.” The study’s purpose is to investigate the effects of combat-related trauma on brain structure and function. The study requires two trips to Vanderbilt. The first visit will be ...

In celebration of the National Park Service Centennial, Superintendent Cassius Cash has committed to hike 100 miles in Great Smoky Mountains National Park during 2016 and is challenging the public to do the same. The 100-mile goal is part of the “Smokies Centennial Challenge – Hike 100” program. This program aims to inspire all potential hikers—young and old, new and ...

Recently installed lighting and new playground equipment is providing Gatlinburg residents and visitors more opportunity for outdoor recreation at Mills Park in Gatlinburg. A Local Parks and Recreation Fund Grant by the Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation made the completed projects in Mills Park possible. Designated as a 50/50 split, the grant for $98,000 offset the cost to replace ...

Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts is exhibiting interactive art in Touch, Arrowmont’s biannual National Juried Exhibition, on view in the Sandra J. Blain Gallery from Jan. 16 to March 11, 2016. An opening reception will be held Jan. 22 from 6 to 8 p.m., awards ceremony at 7 p.m. Admission is free, and the community is encouraged to attend ...

The City of Gatlinburg Recreation Department recently completed construction of a greenway around the Rocky Top Sports World Complex and Mills Park, achieving the long-term goal of tying all the fields together with one unified walking trail. “Since the planning phase of the sports complex, the City and Rocky Top staff have envisioned a walking trail to tie all the ...

The Southeast Region of the National Park Service (NPS) has issued a prospectus seeking proposals for the award of a concession contract to operate Smokemont Riding Stables within Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The new concession contract is expected to begin on Jan. 1, 2017 and will be awarded for a 10-year term. The services that will be required under ...