Pigeon Forge Readies Five Million Lights for Busy Winterfest Season

60 new displays on tap for four-month special event in Smoky Mountains resort town

   

PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. (Nov. 1, 2012) – Now that there have been a few chilly nights, the mood is right for the Nov. 6 (Tuesday) launch of Pigeon Forge Winterfest.

This is the 23^rd celebration of a tourism season that once didn’t exist for Pigeon Forge and the Great Smoky Mountains region. The last Winterfest season generated spending of $213.4 million.

The Pigeon Forge Winterfest Kickoff is in Patriot Park. The lead-up to that evening’s activities will be the city’s second annual Salute to Veterans Parade starting at 4:30 p.m. on the Parkway.

Festivities will conclude with the illumination of five million Winterfest lights throughout the city and a fireworks display at approximately 8 p.m. Pigeon Forge’s Fun Time Trolleys will offer free access to the Trolley Tour of Lights after the fireworks.

The city has added approximately 60 new Winterfest light displays that are scattered through town. One group is wildlife – bears, deer, foxes, elk, squirrels and eagles – that people see for real in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Patriot Park will bustle in between the parade and the illumination with a play area for kids, food vendors benefitting local charities and entertainment from Pigeon Forge High School and Middle School Dance Teams, the Pigeon Forge Community Chorus and singer James Rogers.

Rogers and Navy veteran Bob Kolb will share the role of grand marshal for the Salute to Veterans Parade. Kolb is a loyal volunteer at most Pigeon Forge special events and was a submariner during WWII.

Among the organizations expected to participate in the parade are the Pigeon Forge High School Marching Band, the Tennessee Army National Guard, the Disabled American Veterans and the Marine Corps League.

After the Winterfest Kickoff, businesses throughout the city offer special activities, theaters add a Christmas flair to their shows for two months and the city itself presents two major special events in January and February – Wilderness Wildlife Week and Saddle Up.

Pigeon Forge Winterfest continues through Feb. 28, 2013, offering winter activity throughout this gateway to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Among the events on the calendar:

• Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Christmas (Nov. 10-Dec. 30), with seasonal shows that include Dollywood’s Christmas on Ice and another four million holiday lights;
• A gigantic fireworks display on Nov. 22 marking the end of the Titanic Museum Attraction’s centennial celebration, plus snowfall from the ship’s bow every Saturday from Thanksgiving weekend through Dec. 29;
• Wilderness Wildlife Week (Jan. 12-19, 2013), a city-sponsored week of special programs about Great Smoky Mountains National Park and numerous other outdoor topics;
• The second annual Pigeon Forge Ice Carving Competition at the Titanic Museum Attraction (Jan. 19, 2013), featuring celebrated ice sculptors working with 250-pound blocks of ice;
• Saddle Up (Feb. 21-24), a city-sponsored celebration of cowboy poetry, western music and the American West, including entertainers Waddie Mitchell, the Quebe Sisters Band and Wylie & the Wild West.

Complete visitor information about Pigeon Forge is available online at www.MyPigeonForge.com or by calling 1-800-251-9100.

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Contact:

Tom Adkinson, APR

tadkinson@bohanideas.com

615-341-8796

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TripAdvisor Rates Pigeon Forge High on List of ‘Destinations on the Rise’

Great Smoky Mountains resort ranks #4, while Nashville tops list

PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. (January 2012) – TripAdvisor named Pigeon Forge, Tenn., No. 4 on its list of the top 15 U.S. destinations “on the rise for 2012.” Pigeon Forge is a gateway to Great Smoky Mountains National Park and host to more than 10 million visitors every year.

Tennessee music mecca, Nashville, topped the TripAdvisor list, followed by Austin, Texas, and Fort Myers, Fla. Pensacola, Fla., was in the fifth spot behind Pigeon Forge.

“These U.S. destinations have really piqued TripAdvisor travelers’ interest over the last year, making them great options to consider as thoughts turn to vacation planning for 2012,” said Karen Drake, senior director of communications for TripAdvisor.

Administrators at TripAdvisor, which says it is the world’s largest travel review website, compiled the list. Rankings were based on reviews and searches done by the site’s users.

In slots six through 10 were Louisville, Ky., Branson, Mo., Scottsdale, Ariz., Saint Augustine, Fla., and Charleston, S.C.

In slots 11 through 15 were Albuquerque, N.M., Wildwood, N.J., Asheville, N.C., Park City, Utah, and Santa Cruz, Calif.

“This kind of recognition is very exciting because it shows how interesting Pigeon Forge is to many types of travelers,” said Leon Downey, executive director of the city’s tourism department.

“One reason consumer interest remains high is how much change happens in Pigeon Forge. New attractions such as the Titanic Museum Attraction, the Great Smoky Mountains Lumberjack Feud and the Smoky Mountain Opry Show open frequently, while other businesses constantly expand. A big expansion in 2012 is Dollywood’s $20 million Wild Eagle roller coaster,” he continued.

Other recent praise for Pigeon Forge:

·     A TIME.com feature cited Pigeon Forge as one of its “9 Most Christmassy Towns in America.”

·     Positive consumer reviews in 2011 led to a Travelers’ Choice Award for the Inn at Christmas Place from TripAdvisor when the hotel was named one of the Top 25 Hotels in the U.S. It polled sixth on that list.

·      Pigeon Forge itself was named to the TripAdvisor list of the Top 10 Best Family Destinations, and the Inn at Christmas Place was named the top-reviewed family-friendly hotel in the city.


Information about all aspects of visiting Pigeon Forge is available online at MyPigeonForge.com or by calling toll-free to 1-800-251-9100.