Thursday, June 18, 2009

Lots of Smoky Mountain - 4th of July Celebrations!


Come to the Smokies and enjoy lots of 4th of July celebrations from Gatlinburg to Pigeon Forge!


July 1st -August 8
Smoky Mountain Tunes & Tales tm – All summer long visitors can meet characters, hear mountain music and learn about life in the Smoky Mountains on the streets of Gatlinburg. Storytellers, musicians and cloggers perform at different locations along the Parkway every evening during this fourth annual event!

July 3rd- 4th of July Midnight Parade – Saluting our valiant military services, this 34th annual showcase is the "First July Fourth Parade in the Nation!" Parade starts at the stroke of midnight to begin July 4th. Floats, balloons, and marching bands pay tribute to our country.

July 4th - River Raft Regatta – Visitors can enjoy a fun, unmanned, floatable object race for the whole family. Free registration begins at 10 a.m. at Christus Gardens bridge in Gatlinburg. Race begins at noon and ends at Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies bridge where prizes will be awarded in several different categories.


4th of July Fireworks Show – Join the celebration in downtown Gatlinburg to mark our nation's "Independence Day" with a magnificent fireworks show. The City of Gatlinburg lights up the mountain skyline downtown at 10:00 p.m. Sat July 4th with this grand display.


July 4th - The 19th Annual Patriot Festival - Patriot Park, Pigeon Forge

Pigeon Forge, TN –


Pigeon Forge’s 19th annual Patriot Festival celebrating the Fourth of July has an entertainment lineup designed to please the “Greatest Generation,” nostalgic Motown devotees, rock ‘n’ rollers and fans of country music. Fireworks booming over the adjacent Great Smoky Mountains will cap off a day of entertainment.


The cast of “Swing Time,” a Pigeon Forge show that highlights the Big Band music of the 1940s, will set a patriotic tone for the day with a tribute to America’s military and a stirring rendition of the national anthem.

More mellow music will come from the Temptations Revue, Pigeon Forge’s newest show, which celebrates the Motown Records success of an act that recorded more than 50 albums.

Three performance spots are reserved for country music. John Berry (“Your Love Amazes Me,” “Standing on the Edge of Goodbye” and dozens more) will fill Patriot Park with his rich voice, and festivalgoers will get to know two new artists—Sarah Darling, who just released her first album on Black River Music, and Knoxville native Homer Hart.

The pre-fireworks act is the Classic Rock All-Stars, a superstar group that includes Pete Rivera from Rare Earth, Dennis Noda from Cannibal and the Headhunters, Jerry Corbetta from Sugarloaf and Mike Pinera of Blues Image, Iron Butterfly and Alice Cooper.

Members of the Classic Rock All-Stars have been part of songs such as “I Just Want To Celebrate,” “Land of a Thousand Dances,” “Get Ready” and “Green-Eyed Lady.”

Other Patriot Festival entertainers include the Pigeon Forge Community Chorus (more than 40 members) and the Twirling Medallion Majorette and Drum Corps from Elkton, Va. This performing group is widely traveled and even has opened a show for Billy Ray Cyrus.


Entertainment begins at 1 p.m., and the fireworks will start about 9:45 p.m. WIVK-FM will broadcast the patriotic soundtrack to the fireworks show for observers throughout the city.


There is no admission charge for the Pigeon Forge Patriot Festival, a community celebration presented by the City of Pigeon Forge. Guests are invited to bring their own lawn chairs and blankets for festival seating.


The festival schedule is online at www.MyPigeonForge.com/patriot. The toll-free phone number of Pigeon Forge information is 1-800-251-9100.


Contact: Tom Adkinson tadkinson@bohanideas.com 615-341-3640