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During the Civil War there was a battle between Confederate and Union soldiers in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.  June 19^th through 21^st re-enactors will take the field again to fight the “Battle of Burg Hill.”  Hosted at Mills Park just outside of Gatlinburg, this historical reenactment tries to retell the events that happened during the Battle of Burg Hill.  The soldiers from both sides will be represented and it promises to be a great educational experience.

Here is a brief history of the battle:  With gunpowder ingredients being mined at Alum Cave the Union forces from Knoxville and Sevierville came to take the fort at Burg Hill.  The two sides clashed and over 200 men were involved in the battle that ranged all over the mountainside and through the town of Gatlinburg.  Luckily no one was killed in the battle and though some were wounded only one Union soldier was taken captive.  Colonel Thomas the Confederate leader was forced to withdraw back over the mountains as the fighting ended near Kodak, TN.

The reenactment is expecting to have more than 150 soldiers at the event to reenact the battle.  These soldiers will be in replica uniforms of the time and visitors will get to see what camp life and battle conditions may have been like during that turbulent time period in history.  You will hear the call of battle, the famous/infamous Rebel yell and of course the rifle fire.  Make plans to come out and root for the North or the South.

Gatlinburg, Tennessee has a reputation for a being a quaint mountain town.  People walking the sidewalks and window shopping; everything lit up like the Fourth of July; the activity and the friendliness make it easy to just spend time with your family and friends as you stroll down the sidewalks.  This aspect of Gatlinburg gets a boost starting June 12^th, with the 4^th annual Smoky Mountain Tunes & Tales event.  Tunes & Tales brings characters, performers and crafts people to the streets of downtown Gatlinburg to tell stories, sing, dance and make hand crafts.  The performers arrive by wagon and the excitement builds from there.  This is one time where you don’t have to go to the show, the show comes to you.

The cast of Tunes & Tales arrives downtown at 5pm Friday and Saturday nights from June 12^th through June 26^th.  On June 26^th through August 8^th the show will run nightly starting at 5pm.  For this 2009 season the performers are going to focus on the 75^th Anniversary of the Great Smokey Mountain National Park.  The cast portrays characters dating back to the early 1800s and their collection wit, charm and knowledge is sure to captivate you.   You will be able to take in cloggers, musicians, crafters, Whittlin’ Joe, Miss Nan – the school marm, Annie the Quilter, Animal Mac and even some bluegrass bands from the region. 

Of course, the best part, is that these performers come to you.  They will be speaking, singing and performing on the streets of Gatlinburg TN.  They will be walking in the shoes of the people they are there to represent.  This is educational entertainment at its best.  With the tie-in to the National Park’s 75^th Anniversary, this is sure to be a huge year for Tunes & Tales.  Make sure to plan your trip to Gatlinburg with enough time to take in these great performers as they walk the streets with you.

People sometimes forget that there was a time before the Great Smoky Mountain National Park existed.  In that time in this mountainous area there were small communities and towns that thrived as farmers, trappers and those that helped support the logging communities went about their daily work.   The towns and communities are now gone and very little of their existence is still seen in the park itself, but some of the people are still here.  At the Gatlinburg Old Timer’s Day those people that remember the time some 75 years ago before the Park was founded will turn out to tell stories and share pictures about the communities in which they once lived. 

The Gatlinburg Inn, one of the historic lodging venues in Gatlinburg, is playing host to this event.  The Gatlinburg Inn has its own unique place in the area’s history, so there is not a better place in town for this event to occur.  It was built between 1937 and 1940 and was the site of the first large newspaper, the city’s first dentist, and has played host to many famous people.  Most notably it was the site where the song Rocky Top was written–in room 338.  Rocky Top, of course, became the state song.

On June 6^th, when these old timers show up to swap yarns, they are going to tell about the times before the national park.  They are going to talk about growing up and being part of the communities that made up this corner of east Tennessee.  They lived in places like Sugarlands, Cades Cove and Greenbrier.  Today these areas are a campground, visitor’s center and picnic area, but 75 years ago they were homes and towns.  It will be nice to be able to look back through the eyes of locals as they tell stories and explain what it was like to watch the National Park become a reality; what it was like to move from the park to a new community.  Come listen to the oral tradition being handed down from one generation to the next .

One of the best things about Gatlinburg is the scenery.  Part of that scenery is the mountain streams and rivers that converge and form the Little Pigeon River.  With these bodies of water running through the city, it is no wonder that visitors and locals alike come to Gatlinburg to fish.  The accessibility of the streams and the fact that Gatlinburg stocks the river along River Road make for good fishing for the expert or novice.  Being able to walk from your hotel to the water, wade into the river, start casting and land that big trout, makes fishing in Gatlinburg something to be remembered for a lifetime.

Due to the fact that Gatlinburg has one of the best stocking programs in the area, you do need a special permit to fish inside the city limits.  You can pick up one of those permits at the Welcome Center on 441 South, the ‘Spur,’ before you get to town or City Hall on East Parkway.  Gatlinburg has their own trout farm that they use for stocking.  The streams are stocked on Thursday so there is no fishing on Thursdays, but any other day of the week is fine.  The Gatlinburg Trout License has different rules and regulations depending on whether you are a Tennessee resident or not and there are a few exempt classes that do not need the Gatlinburg permit.  You should ask those questions when you get your permit at the Welcome Center or City Hall.

There are some rules and regulations when fishing in Gatlinburg.  Fishing in Gatlinburg is allowed from thirty minutes before sunrise to thirty minutes after sunset.  There are several children-only fishing areas in Gatlinburg: no one over twelve is allowed to fish in those areas.  When fishing in Gatlinburg, you can only use one hand-held rod and you can only use a single hook.  No multiple hook rigs are allowed. There are, of course, creel limits to the number of fish you can catch, so make sure that you ask about creel limits, type of bait and lures that can be used when you purchase your fishing permit. 

With all of the fishing opportunities it offers, Gatlinburg is a sportsman’s paradise.  If you are a fly fisherman from way back, this is a great place to spend some time looking for that big trout in a stocked stream.  If you have never fly fished before than you have the chance to fish where the water is easy to get to and you know that there are trout in the water.  Good times are to be had fishing in Gatlinburg.

The Second Annual, 26.2 mile, Mountain Man March is a tribute to the men and women that serve in our country’s armed forces.  This event honors First Lieutenant Frank Walkup, a UT Alumnus who was killed in Iraq in 2007 while serving our country.  This event is inspired by the Bataan Memorial Death March that is staged in White Sands, NM each year.  The University of Tennessee Army ROTC started the event to show its admiration and appreciation of our armed services while walking a mile, 26.2 of them in this case, in their boots.  Thus the motto of the event, “Honor through actions.”

 The march will begin at 9am Saturday, April 4^th in downtown Gatlinburg and proceed up Highway 321 toward Pittman Center.  The course ranges from highway to rural roads from rugged terrain to mountain slopes.  There are three entry categories:  military heavy, military light and civilian.  The entry fee is $50 per person or $200 per five-person team.  The entry fee covers a light breakfast, snack food and water along the route at any of the 12 water points, T-shirt, BBQ meal at the finish line and custom-made awards from the Gatlinburg area.  Proceeds from the event go to the Ranger Company, devised in 1962, to provide better training for Cadets who may be deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq.  A portion of the events will go toward the Children of Fallen Soldiers Relief Fund in the name of First Lieutenant Walkup. 

 Frank B. Walkup IV followed in his father’s footsteps and chose the army for service to his country.   First Lieutenant Walkup was raised in Woodbury, TN and attended the University of Tennessee.  Upon graduation he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the infantry.  Frank graduated from Airborne, Air Assault & Ranger School and was assigned to the 25^th Infantry Division in Hawaii.  Summer of 2006 saw Frank deployed to Iraq as a platoon leader.  On June 16^th, 2007 he was killed in Rashaad, Iraq by an IED.  Frank was survived by his family and his college sweetheart Sabita Walkup. 

 Come out, support the troops and give to a good cause.  It is very rare that you get to see a marathon in the Smokies.  It is even rarer to see it done military style with 35 pound packs.  

Music is the glue that holds a community together.  On March 28^th, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park presents its fifth annual Music of the Mountains celebration and it promises to be quiet an event.  Live music all day at the Sugarlands Visitor Center, culminating in the “Jimbo Whaley and Friends Reunion Show” at the WL Mills Conference Center.  This celebration focuses on and is a celebration of the music traditions of the southern Appalachian Mountains.  This is one of several special events that the Park has developed to tell the story of the hearty people that called these mountains home.

Music of the Mountains kicks off Saturday, March 28^th at 10 am and runs until 5pm at the Sugarlands Visitor Center.  The performances will be held in the Sugarlands Visitor Center Theater which seats 160 people.  Seating is on a ‘first-come, first-served’ basis.  Here is the list of the amazing acts that you will see at Sugarlands this year: 

10-11 a.m. – Lost Mill String Band (perennial mountain favorites)
11 a.m.-noon – Tony Thomas (Old time fiddle and banjo tunes)
12-1 p.m. – Dr. Ted Olson (presentation on the origins of Appalachian mountain music)
1-2 p.m. – Boogertown Gap (perennial mountain favorites)
2-4 p.m. – Matt Morelock and Brian Volmer (claw hammer banjo and old-time fiddle)
4-5 p.m. – Roger Howell and Friends (string ensemble from Mars Hill, NC) 

Park Superintendent Dale Ditmanson had this to say about the event:  “We’re pleased to again partner with the City of Gatlinburg and Great Smoky Mountains Association to offer the public a variety of musical styles for this year’s ‘Music of the Mountains’ festival.  Our staff has lined up a wide spectrum of old-time, traditional, and bluegrass music performers.  With the change to an all day festival we hope to allow more of our visitors to experience the rich traditions of mountain music.”  

At 7pm, in the WL Mills Conference Center in Gatlinburg, the Jimbo Whaley and Friends Reunion Show keeps Music of the Mountains rolling.  Whaley is a popular bluegrass and gospel musician from Sevier County.  He traces his roots back to the residents of what became the Great Smoky Mountain National Park and has played events around the nation and with groups such as Greenbrier.  The concert will feature founding members of bluegrass sensation, Pine Mountain Railroad (Jimbo Whaley, Kipper Stitt and Mike Gwinn) plus other current and previous PMR members.  Tickets for for Jimbo Whaley and Friends Reunion Show can be purchased online.  (http://www.jimbowhaley.com/products.htm)

So come out, listen to and learn about the music of the mountains.  You are sure to go away with a song in your heart, whistling a tune. 

With the “triathlon beginner” in mind the 3^rd annual Gatlinburg Gateway Triathlon will kick into high gear Saturday March 28^th.  The Gatlinburg Community Center is hosting this annual event and it promises to be fun for both participants and spectators.  The American Heritage Dictionary defines a triathlon as:  “An athletic contest in which participants compete without stopping in three successive events, usually long-distance swimming, bicycling, and running.”  Contestants are going to challenge that definition with a .5 mile swim, 20k bike race and a 5k run. 

The event will start at 8:30am but seeing as they have almost doubled the number of participants from last year, I would plan to arrive early.  Due to the nature of the event you have to register in advance; check-in begins at 7:30am the day of the race and continues through the morning.  The first start time is at 8:30 and they will be sending groups of twelve every fifteen to twenty minutes after that until everyone has gotten started. 

The .5 mile swim will take place in the indoor pool at the community center.  Immediately following the swim triathletes will step outside for the 20km bike race.  From the bikes they will start the 5k foot race along Ogle Road and finish back at the community center.  This style of triathlon is called a “Sprint” triathlon. 

Participants will be broken down into age brackets and then each age bracket will have a men’s and women’s division.  There will also be a Team Relay for teams of two or three people.  The entry fee is $25 for individuals and $60 per Relay Team.  There will be prizes for the winners of each division in each age group and for the first two teams.  For more information about the rules for the race please contact the Gatlinburg Recreation Department at 865-436-4990. 

Driving Tip - You and your family are sitting in the minivan headed to Gatlinburg from Pigeon Forge.  Of course you take the “Spur” past traffic light #10 in Pigeon Forge.  As soon as you pass the Gatlinburg Welcome Center you come to a complete stop.  Two lanes heading into Gatlinburg, full of cars and families anticipating the fun they are about to have.  You can expect a wait just to get to the city limits.  Little do you know that a half-mile from the Welcome Center is your escape route:  The Gatlinburg Bypass.  This Bypass allows you to go directly to the National Park or the other end of Gatlinburg, while providing some of the best views of Gatlinburg that you can find in the area.

 Obviously, if you are in the Smokies you are going to visit the Great Smoky Mountain National Park at some point.  If you are looking to go straight to the National Park then the Bypass allows you to get there without the stop and go traffic of Gatlinburg.  The other end of the bypass drops you off a mere two miles from Sugarlands Visitor Center.  At Sugarlands Visitor Center you can reserve campsites, get trail information, buy souvenirs and visit their exhibits giving you great information about the Park.  Besides all that, it is also a good place to stop before you head into the mountains for day hike or just a drive to Cherokee.  Let’s go back to the minivan…

 You are stopped in traffic waiting for the guy in front of you to move five inches so that you can move four.  If you take the bypass and follow the signs to Gatlinburg, you will find yourself at traffic light #10, near the Park Grill and Ober Gatlinburg, you are also going against the traffic now.  You have saved yourself some time and your family can get to enjoying Gatlinburg much quicker.  You will still have to find a place to park but you will be on the same side of the road as some of the larger Parking lots up Historic Nature Trail Road.  Also if your destination in Gatlinburg is closer to traffic light #10 then you are almost there. 

 Last but not least, when you are leaving Gatlinburg, especially if it is dark, take the bypass.  There is a scenic overlook that gives you an incredible view of Gatlinburg.  At night, with the lights on and the Space Needle shining like a beacon you get a glimpse of what brings people back to Gatlinburg year after year.  So, the next time you are headed to Gatlinburg or when you are headed to the National Park remember the Gatlinburg Bypass and you will be the hero of your vacation.

If you love St. Patrick and St. Nicholas, or you just miss Christmas, you shouldn’t miss out on the Santa’s Showcase and the Holly & Shamrock Parade happening March 16-18, 2009. The Holly and Shamrock Parade will be taking place on Tuesday, March 17 in the middle of Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The parade starts at four pm, and can be watched along the town’s main Parkway between lights six and eight. There’s no charge to view or attend, and it’s the perfect combination of Christmas and St. Patrick’s day.

Also occurring during this period is Santa’s Showcase (also known as the Celebrate Santa Convention), a unique Christmas in March convention and shopping experience. You can enter for just three dollars and purchase anything from hand made sculptures by local artists to pumpkin butter, salsa, and fresh roasted nuts. Plus, you can find absolutely everything Santa here. From the perfect Santa suit for next Christmas to decorations and items that can’t be described, the Santa Showcase has it all.

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The 2009 calendar of events for Gatlinburg, TN features activities throughout the entire year for the whole family. Each season in the Smoky Mountains brings something new and the Gatlinburg events flow right along with the changes in seasons. Whether you want to winter winter lights, springtime flowers, summer music, or the changing of leaves in the fall, Gatlinburg, Tennessee has an event for you. The list below contains all of the events in Gatlinburg, TN that are scheduled for 2009 to help you plan the perfect vacation to Gatlinburg, Tennessee!

For a complete <a href=”http://www.smokymtnmall.com”>Smoky Mountain guide</a> info, visit the Smoky Mountain Mall website and <a href=”http://www.smokymtnmall.com”><img src=”http://www.insidegatlinburg.com/images/articles/great-smoky-mountains-520.jpg” alt=”smoky mountain lodging, cabin rentals, hotels” class=”center”/> get recommendations for Smokies itineraries, <a href=”http://www.smokymtnmall.com”>Pigeon Forge TN and Gatlinburg cabin rentals</a>, with lots of photos, a calendar of events, great dining recommendations and much more.

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