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Dollywood auditions will be held throughout the Southeast to help discover new talent ready to perform in the park’s world-class shows and productions. With Dolly Parton dreaming up the entertainment offerings, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Dollywood has earned the award for Best Theme Park Shows for eight consecutive years. Auditions take place in Birmingham, Ala. (Jan. 14); ...

The celebration of New Year’s Eve in Gatlinburg will carry on as usual this year to ring in 2017. After receiving notification that the burn ban was being lifted in the area, Gatlinburg officials announced the traditional fireworks display and ball drop would take place as usual from the top of the Space Needle. The New Year’s Eve Ball Drop ...

Checks from the Gatlinburg Relief Fund will soon go out to employees of businesses destroyed, and estates of the people whose lives were lost, due to the wildfires in November. The Gatlinburg Chamber of Commerce Foundation announced today that it will begin distribution of Gatlinburg Relief Fund checks during the first week of January 2017. About $1.4 million has reportedly ...

The wildfires destroyed homes, personal belongings and businesses. But they also burned people’s vehicles, making it difficult for them to get to their jobs. A local man saw a need and spearheaded an effort to give donated vehicles to wildfire victims. Michael Reifsnider is an electrician by trade, but a compassionate person at all times. He saw the loss of ...

Local governments requested federal funding for demolition of damaged structures and debris removal from both residential and commercial properties affected by the wildfires. Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, Pittman Center and Sevier County are currently coordinating with state and federal agencies to establish a debris-removal operations plan in response to the recent wildfires. As part of this plan, county and city officials ...

A reconnaissance flight by the Tennessee Army National Guard was able to locate the missing single engine airplane within Great Smoky Mountains National Park at approximately 4:43 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2016. The plane was found on an unnamed ridge between Cole Creek and Bearpen Hollow Branch. Paramedics on board were hoisted down to the crash site and confirmed ...

A search is underway for a plane that left Jacksonville on Monday bound for the Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge Airport and disappeared over the Smoky Mountains. The Federal Aviation Administration issued an alert to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park at about 7:35 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 26, 2016 after a family member reported the plane did not arrive as expected. The ...

Mt. Ton of Fun Playground at City Park is closing in January as work begins on a new inclusive playground. The City of Sevierville Department of Parks and Recreation announced that Mt. Ton of Fun Playground would close Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2017 and remain closed until until the inclusive playground is completed. The city partnered with Project Sevier to build ...

Planting drought tolerant trees in your landscape may prevent tree loss after periods of low rainfall in the years to come. A tree strives to be in equilibrium with its environment. Any time the tree is not in equilibrium, the tree is stressed and must spend extra energy to survive. Drought leads to decreased rates of diameter and height growth, ...

The giving spirit is visible on the roads across Tennessee and North Carolina this holiday season with Friends of the Smokies license plates. Sales of specialty plates in Tennessee and North Carolina play an essential role in raising funds for Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This year, the specialty plates generated nearly $815,000. Since its launch in 1999, the program ...