4th of July Fireworks Fun in the Great Smoky Mountains | 8 Great Activities Where You’ll Have a Blast!

4th of July Fireworks Fun in the Great Smoky Mountains! Celebrate Independence Day 2015 with us! Here are eight great activities so you and your family will have a blast in the Smokies!

Head out to the ball park (and what’s more American that that?) because the Tennessee Smokies get the fireworks fun started early with RED, WHITE & BOOM at Smokies Stadium beginning Wednesday, July 1, 2015. The Tennessee Smokies play against the Montgomery Biscuits July 1-3 at 7:00 p.m. For the three nights, after each game there will be a special 4th of July fireworks show! Each night’s game offers some cool promotions below.

July 1: All-You-Can-Eat Wednesday at Smokies Stadium
For one low price eat all the hot dogs, corn dogs, nachos, french fries and Pepsi products you want. Adults $19.99 and kids (12 and under) $17.99.

July 2: Thirsty Thursday at Smokies Stadium
Get domestic draft beer and sodas for just $1! Here’s to the Tennessee Smokies!

July 3: 80’s Hair Band Night at Smokies Stadium
Rock your wildest 80’s do and enjoy the special Independence Day Eve Fireworks extravaganza!

Then get ready at Midnight on July 3rd for the First Independence Day Parade in the Nation in Gatlinburg! At the stroke of midnight, you can be one of thousands that gather along the Parkway in Gatlinburg to be the first to wish America a happy birthday. With marching bands and patriotic floats, the City of Gatlinburg goes all out to honor our military heroes.

More Fireworks and Fun for Saturday, July 4th!

Gatlinburg River Raft Regatta @ 12 noon
Registration begins at 10 a.m. at the bridge at Christ in the Smokies on River Road. Any unmanned, floatable craft can be entered in the race on the Little Pigeon River that ends at Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies. With Trash and Treasure categories, rafters of all ages compete for trophies and prizes. For more information on entering the race, call 800-588-1817.

American Patriot Festival and Fireworks in Pigeon Forge @ 12:00 noon
This free event is held at Patriot Park is an afternoon and evening of live music, great street food, and kid’s activities. Kids’ Carnival and food vendors open at 12:00 noon with live entertainment beginnning at 1:30 p.m. Festival music features Diamond Rio (performing at 8 pm) and a Journey tribute band along with our talented community chorus and local musicians. Bring your lawn chairs and blankets (no umbrellas or pop-up tents allowed) and enjoy a wonderful afternoon of patriotic family fun Pigeon Forge style. Then as the sky darkens, get ready for the grand finale of spectacular fireworks at 9:30 pm to cap off the celebration. Free parking is available at the Municipal Parking Lot on Teaster Lane with free trolley shuttle service to Patriot Park for the festival. For more information, contact Pigeon Forge Office of Special Events at 800-251-9100.

Gatlinburg Fireworks Finale @ 10:00 p.m.
Anywhere along the downtown Parkway in Gatlinburg is a great vantage point to view grand fireworks finale! Word is the Plaza at Ripley’s Aquarium is a favorite spot.

And if all this isn’t enough firepower for you, well Dolly has come to save the day! Dollywood now has a nightly fireworks show called Dolly’s Nights of Many Colors! From June 13 through August 2, 2015 at 9:30 p.m. Dollywood guests will enjoy an inspiring show of synchronized music featuring “Paint Your Dreams Across the Sky,” written by Dolly specifically for this special event. And for those who are interested in a Premium Fireworks Experience, for an extra $15 per person, you can enjoy refreshments and exclusive seating at the theme park’s Skyzip.

Top 20 Ways to Celebrate Father’s Day in the Smokies

Father’s Day is Sunday, June 21, 2015 and we’ve got the Top 20 Ways to Celebrate Father’s Day in the Smokies this year!

The #1 Way to Celebrate Father’s Day is to “Treat Dad to Dinner!” on Saturday, June 20 at the Pets Without Parents event at River Terrace Resort in Gatlinburg from 5:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Treat Dad to a special spaghetti dinner on June 20. All proceeds to benefit Pets Without Parents!

Tickets are $10 per person and Dad’s dine FREE! You’ll enjoy a great dinner of spaghetti and meatballs, garlic breadsticks, salad, and fruit cobbler. But that’s not all! Entertainer Jamie Simpson will be on hand to tickle funny bones as dad-approved “Jeff Foxworthy.” Door Prizes and a Silent Auction round out the evening of fun for a good cause. For tickets and more information, visit Pets Without Parents, or call Dani at 865-851-6676.

The #2 Way to Celebrate Father’s Day is at Tennessee Smokies Baseball Stadium in Kodak on Sunday, June 21 at 2:00 p.m. when the Smokies take on the Mississippi Braves.

It’s a game winning recipe of family fun with a special Father’s Day Pre-Game Catch and lots of other raffles and fun for you and Dad! It’s all at America’s Friendliest Ballpark! For tickets, visit SmokiesBaseball.com.

The #3 Way to Celebrate Father’s Day in the Smoky Mountains is at Lumberjack Feud in Pigeon Forge. Dads get FREE admission on Sunday, June 21 in honor of Father’s Day!

You and Dad will fall in love with their high flying Timber Dogs and enjoy the thrill of the competition of real ESPN lumberjack athletes. Showtimes are at 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. Call Lumberjack Feud Box Office at 865-428-8688 for tickets.

A Father’s Day Celebration would not be complete without a visit to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. OMG! There are a lot of FREE programs going on in the Park during Father’s Day Weekend, so be sure to spend some time outside with Dad!

#4 Way to Celebrate Father’s Day –

Back Porch Old Time Music @ Oconaluftee Visitor Center
Saturday, June 20, 2015 1:00 -3:00 p.m.
It’s a free, old-time jam session of traditional Appalachian music. You and Dad can bring your own instrument and play along!

#5 Way to Celebrate Father’s Day –

On Top of Old Smoky @ Clingmans Dome Visitor Center
Saturday, June 20, 2015 10:00 – 11:30 a.m.
Take in the 360-degree views with Dad at the highest peak in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. A Ranger will lead you on a moderate 1-mile hike through this Canadian Zone environment of endangered spruce and fir trees.

#6 Way to Celebrate Father’s Day –

Women’s Work Festival @ Oconaluftee Visitor Center’s Mountain Farm Museum
Saturday, June 20, 2015 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Ironic this festival is held on Father’s Day Weekend; but as they say, a woman’s work is never done! Head over to the farm and see how it really was done in the days of old with demonstrations of open hearth cooking, weaving, spinning, sewing, and other mountain crafts. Mom would probably love to drag Dad to this festival on his special day!

#7 Way to Celebrate Father’s Day –

Get Your Kids Hiking! @ Sugarlands Visitor Center
Saturday, June 20, 2015 10:30 – 11:30 a.m.
Park Rangers team up with the award-winning author and family hiking expert, Jeff Alt, for a fun outdoor adventure for the whole family! Children of all ages will enjoy this “hike” of less than a mile and learn some simple techniques to turn any walk into a family adventure!

#8 Way to Celebrate Father’s Day –

Cataract Falls Walk @ Sugarlands Visitor Center
Saturday, June 20, 2015 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Sunday, June 21, 2015 11:30 a.m. -12:30 p.m.
Join a National Park Ranger for this short walk along Fighting Creek to the beautiful 12-foot waterfall known as Cataract Falls. You’ll have an opportunity to ask questions and learn all about the Park’s flora and fauna.

#9 Way to Celebrate Father’s Day –

Gristmill Demonstration @ Mingus Mill
Saturday, June 20, 2015 11:30 a.m – 12:00 p.m and 12:30 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Sunday, June 21, 2015 11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. and 12:30 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
You and Dad can talk with a real miller and learn all about how this historic gristmill played an important role in early mountain life. Mingus Mill is located just 1/2 mile north of the Oconaluftee Visitor Center.

#10 Way to Celebrate Father’s Day –

Junior Ranger Program: Animal Olympics @ Cades Cove Visitor Center/Cable Mill Historic Area*
Saturday, June 20, 2015 1:00-1:45 p.m.
You and Dad will have a blast comparing your senses and abilities to those of the animals in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park!

*Here’s an Insider Travel Tip for you. Due to the popularity of Cades Cove, traffic moves slowly. Travel time for the 6-mile trip from the beginning of the Cades Cove Loop Road to the Visitor Center may take over an hour to drive, so please plan accordingly.

Firefly Viewing in Elkmont | Tickets go on sale Thursday, April 30

April 29, 2015
Events
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elkmont, synchronous fireflies great smoky mountains national park

Peak time to view the phenomenon this year is June 2 through June 9. The event has become so popular that the Park Service now limits car access to the campground to registered campers, but others may visit the site via shuttles from the Sugarlands Visitor Center.

As the purple shade of night draws across the darkening forest in late May and early June at Elkmont in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, it brings forth an amazing light display as slowly, then steadily, thousands of fireflies emerge from the lush undergrowth. Looking like tiny, twinkling earthbound stars, the fireflies blink in an age-old mating ritual. These unique fireflies (Photinus carolinus) are one of 19 species in the park and are the only ones that can synchronize their flashing lights, and by mid-evening around 9:45 p.m. visitors find themselves surrounded by a remarkable display uniquely arranged by Mother Nature. Male fireflies soar and flash while females remain stationary and respond with a different flash.

Synchronous Fireflies in Elkmont. Photo by Bernie Kasper of Indiana.

GET YOUR TICKETS!

You must obtain a parking pass for Sugarlands Visitor Center as shuttle service is available only to the occupants of cars with a parking pass. Passes are free, but a $1.50 reservation fee is required. Passes are non-transferable (person named on pass must be present), non-refundable and are good ONLY for the date issued. The first trolley leaves Sugarlands at 7 p.m. and returns (once filled to capacity) about 9:30 p.m. Trolley fees are $1 per person. NOTE: Tours are cancelled only when weather is threatening. Come prepared for inclement (and sometime unseasonably cool) weather. Alcohol is prohibited in the National Park. Portable toilets are available on-site.

There are three categories for parking passes which are available at www.recreation.gov.

Advance: Tickets go on sale April 30, 2015 at 10 a.m. There are 888 passes available for vehicles up to 19’ in length with no more than 6 occupants.
Day Before: (85 passes available) each day at 10 a.m. of the 8 day event for cars up to 19’ in length with no more than 6 occupants.
Day of: Large vehicles (36 passes only available) for vehicles up to 30’ with up to 24 occupants.

Visitors waiting for the big show which begins at dark around 9:45 p.m. Photo by Shawn Poyntner/The New York Times.

Firefly Etiquette

Take a flashlight (it will be dark) and cover the lens with blue or red cellophane tape. Shine directly on the ground and use only until you reach your viewing site.
Stay on trails to protect firefly habitats.
Pack out all garbage (your mother does not work here!)
Do not catch the fireflies!

Ole Smoky Moonshine Barn Presents Ashton Shepherd in Concert on June 13

Country music’s Ashton Shepherd performs FREE Concert at Ole Smoky Moonshine Barn at The Island in Pigeon Forge on Saturday, June 13 at 7:00 pm.

Get there early and check out Ole Smoky’s newest 7,218 sq. ft. distillery and retail store, The Barn at The Island in Pigeon Forge and sample some fine shine in a variety of summer flavors like Sweet Tea. It’s located just across from the amazing dancing fountains at The Island…you can’t miss it!

Ashton Shepherd made her debut at the Grand Ole Opry in 2007 with her first single, “Takin’ Off This Pain” from her album Sounds so Good. Shepherd was nominated by the Academy of Country Music as Top New Female Vocalist of the Year in 2009. Her third hit single “Look It Up” from her album Where Country Grows hit the Top 20 Charts in 2011. That same year, she also performed backup vocals on Luke Bryan’s hit “Tailgate Blues.”

Ashton’s latest CD This is America is available exclusively on her website www.ashtonshepherd.com.

Originally from Clarke County, Alabama, Ashton began writing and singing songs at the tender age of 5. By the time she was 15, Ashton had released her first CD on her own. She won a talent contest in 2006 with the prize being the opening act for Laurie Morgan. At that concert, Ashton was spotted by MCA Nashville Records and set her on her path to country music fame. She’s since left MCA to form her own production company Pickin’ Shed Records.

For more info, visit Ole Smoky. Concert sponsored by Q100 Country radio.

Support Pets Without Parents’ New Donation Boxes at Local Businesses

HeySmokies.com and Pets Without Parents announce their “HeySmokies Sticker Donation Box” partnership to raise needed funds for the local non-profit organization.

Jerry Maltese, owner of Nino’s Pizzeria & Eatery in Sevierville, proudly supports Pets Without Parents.

Although HeySmokies.com gives away its colorful round decals for free in local businesses, donation boxes are being set up to encourage contributions to Sevier County’s “no-kill” shelter which provides compassionate and loving care to dogs and cats in need while striving to place them with a forever family and home.

“The community has been so supportive,” says Lori Popps, Pets Without Parents board member and founder, “Every little bit helps meet the needs of the animals, so we really appreciate HeySmokies’ cooperation.”

Pets Without Parents has helped find homes for 2,000 homeless canines and felines to-date, with over 550 adoptions in 2014. It’s home to as many as 60 animals at any given time and costs between $10,000 – $12,000 each month to run the shelter, which is entirely dependent upon private donations.

Two furry friends with shelter director, Kylee Davis

“Our no-kill shelter and adoption center is entirely dependent on donations, and every dollar generated through the donation box program will help us save the lives of homeless, neglected, and abused animals,” says Karolina Ogorek, Pets Without Parents volunteer board member.

“We are so excited about our partnership with Pets Without Parents,” says HeySmokies’ Kelly Mott, “It’s a great partnership because visitors and fans get a free memento of their time here in the Great Smoky Mountains and Pets Without Parents receives the donations allowing hundreds of animals a chance at a healthy and happy life.”

Local businesses that would like a Pets Without Parents / HeySmokies Donation Box, email info@heysmokies.com.

If you are interested in adopting a pet, volunteering or donating directly to Pets Without Parents, call 865-286-9411 or email petswithoutparents@gmail.com.