It’s time for the 13th Annual Master Gardener Flower & Garden Show

It’s time for the 13th Annual Master Gardener Flower & Garden Show and Sale on Saturday, April 22, 2017 at the Sevier County Fairgrounds from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. The Sevier County Fairgrounds are located at 754 Old Knoxville Hwy., Sevierville, TN 37862.

The Sevier County Area Master Gardeners Association and the University of Tennessee Extension Service invite you to attend The Master Gardener Flower & Garden Show and Sale on Saturday, April 22. The event, scheduled from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. at the Sevier County Fairgrounds, will include a vendor marketplace for lawn and garden equipment and supplies, flowers, shrubs, trees, yard art, and more. Ornamental plants, herbs, and fruit and veggies will be available for purchase and Master Gardeners will offer tips on attracting butterflies and bees to your garden, the advantages of beneficial insects, recycling, and local food sources. A tour of the Master Gardner’s Demonstration Garden “The Learning Patch” is sure to bring out a “green thumb” in everyone.

A children’s area will offer delicious and healthy snacks along with interesting crafts designed to spark their interest in gardening.

Admission to the the Master Gardena Flower and Garden Show is $2 for adults with a non-perishable food item to be donated to the Sevier County Food Ministry or $3 without a food item. Kids under 12 are admitted free. Proceeds from the indoor event, held rain or shine, benefit the SCAMGA’s community service programs which include 4-H scholarships.

For more information, visit the Sevier County Master Gardeners Association or call the Sevier County Extension Office at 865-453-3695.

Park celebrates Junior Ranger Day Saturday, April 22, 2017.

 

Park celebrates Junior Ranger Day Saturday, April 22, 2017. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is gearing up to make some new friends when it celebrates Junior Ranger Day on Saturday, April 22 at Sugarlands Visitor Center, Cades Cove Visitor Center and Oconaluftee Visitor Center. Participants will include “kids” of all ages who want to learn more about exploring and protecting these national treasures.

According to Park Superintendent Cassius Cash, a variety of ranger-led activities will be enjoyed by all members of the family as the community comes together to celebrate the National Parks. Events include ranger-guided walks, historic toy making, talks with a wildland firefighter, creating a personalized bandanna, and an opportunity to learn more about local wildlife through “touch tables” featuring animal skins, skulls and scat.

Special park partners, the University of Tennessee’s Astronomy Department, Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont, Smoky Mountain Field School, and the National Parks Conservation Association, will be on site to celebrate Earth Day and this year’s upcoming total solar eclipse. The organizations will offer special celestial presentations and activities.
Children can earn a free Junior Ranger badge by completing three specifically planned activities. Older visitors may also participate in a “Not-So-Junior Ranger” program and earn their own patch.

Visitors are reminded to bring water, sunscreen and appropriate footwear. Inclement weather is always a possibility, so include lightweight raincoats or ponchos.
For more info or questions about this event, contact Ranger Joshua Contois at Joshua-Contois@nps.gov. or at 865-436-1252. To find out how you can join parks, programs and partners in celebrating National Park Week go to NPS.gov.

Great Smoky Mountains Spur Clean-Up Day

Lend a hand and help clean-up the Great Smoky Mountains Spur. Photo credit – John Lang

Great Smoky Mountains Spur Clean Up Day Tuesday, April 18, 2017. The Spur is approximately five miles of the foothills parkway connecting Pigeon Forge, Tennessee to Gatlinburg, Tennessee, a scenic stretch often “loved to death” by thoughtless motorists and anglers; and your participation is needed to help remove trash and debris. Last year’s clean-up collected about 19 bags of trash per mile.

The spur clean-up coincides with area Earth Week activities culminating with Earth Day April 22, 2017. Sevier County is proud to join communities around the world in an effort to clean-up the mess left by others. The three-hour event is a joint effort by the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Keep Sevier Beautiful Foundation.

“The strong volunteer response is evidence of the commitment by our local residents and businesses to the preservation of Great Smoky Mountains National Park for future generations,” said Jim Downs of the Gatlinburg Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Keep Sevier Beautiful provides everything you need to participate with the exception of gloves. Each clean-up team will consist of ten enthusiastic members. Fourteen teams comprised of 85 people collected 97 large bags of garbage during last year’s event. The team that collects the most trash will enjoy a pizza party at Big Daddy’s Pizzeria. All participants will enjoy free ice cream provided by Ben & Jerry’s.

Join the fun and help clean-up the Great Smoky Mountains National Park by registering at the Gatlinburg Welcome Center Tuesday, April 18, 2017 at 8:30 a.m. Crews begin work at 9 a.m. and finish at noon. Volunteers are advised to wear sturdy footwear and gloves. The Gatlinburg Welcome Center is located at 1011 Banner Road, Gatlinburg, Tennessee 37738. To register in advance visit www.gatlinburg.com or call 865-436-0505. Unregistered eco-minded friends and strangers will also be heartily welcomed on the day of the event!

A 200 foot geyser erupted yesterday in the very heart of Cades Cove

 

cades-cove-geyser-erupts-heysmokies

Park officials warn onlookers to remain a safe distance from the geyser.

A 200 foot geyser erupted yesterday in the very heart of Cades Cove located in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park from a sinkhole that officials say has increased in size during recent weeks. Both geyser and sinkhole are possibly related to seismic activity along the New Madrid Fault, said park geologist I. Dig Rocks, adding “the fault produces frequent earth tremors that are usually of no consequence.”

A Representative from the United States Geological Survey said this is not always the case citing early 1800 earthquakes along the fault which caused the mighty Mississippi River to flow backwards creating Reelfoot Lake, a 15,000 acre body of water located in the Northwest corner of Tennessee.
Hundreds of visitors flocked to the area to view the phenomenon first hand; ignoring barricades and venturing dangerously close to the geyser. Concerned park officials are trying to keep them at a safe distance. “We are worried that someone may be injured,” says one official. “We don’t know if this is as big as the geyser will get or if it could blow up and take half the valley with it.”

Local resident Ima Mazed was one of the curious. “I have seen Old Faithful in Yellowstone, but it is nothing compared to this,” she said.

Continue reading…

Hike into spring in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Firepink-heysmokies

The amazing fire pink (Silene virginica) wildflower can often be found in sunny, rocky outcrops alongside trails and roads.

Hike into spring in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Spring in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina is magical. A time of renewal and rebirth and it has never been more welcome than this year following on the heels of the recent devastating fires.

Spring is a season best experienced first hand. Poplar and Sourwood trees are showing their buds. Delicate pink and white Dogwoods can be found blooming throughout the landscape and soon will usher in a blazing display of color as wild azaleas strut their stuff, punctuating the mountains against the dense evergreen of Mountain Laurel, Rhododendron, and Hemlock. A warm, gentle breeze carries the hint of blossoms, moist earth, and that indefinable smell of spring. A favorite activity for us is to hike with spring over the coming months as warm temperatures climb the mountains heralding the seasons change at each elevation.

One of our favorite places to enjoy spring and view amazing wildflowers is the Porters Creek Trail in Greenbrier. This trail is easy to find and fairly easy to walk. In addition to an amazing wildflower display you can enjoy the impressive John Whaley cantilevered barn built in 1875 and the historic Smoky Mountain Hiking Club cabin.

Beyond the the historic structures, a profusion of wildflowers carpet the forest floor. Keep an eye out for bloodroot, hepaticas, white fringed phacelia, trilliums of every color, bluets, and jack in the pulpit.

Approximately two miles above the trailhead is the spectacular Fern Falls which plunges sixty feet down to the trail and beyond to it’s confluence with Porters Creek. These falls are dramatic during times of high water, and the cool breeze flowing down from its rocky heights is always refreshing during warm summer months!

The trail continues another 1.7 miles past Fern Falls ending at Backcountry Campsite 31, a spacious site located conveniently next to Porters Creek and in the shadow of Mount LeConte and adjacent to the Appalachian Trail.