#OptOutside in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on Black Friday with 3 Ranger-led Hikes!

#OptOutside in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on Black Friday with 3 Ranger-led Hikes! Explore some of the Smokies 800 miles of trails over the Thanksgiving Weekend with special guided hikes allowing you to learn more about the park’s cultural and natural resources in a fun way in the fresh air!

Friday, November 27 @ 9:00 am
Cucumber Gap Trail in Elkmont – 4.8 miles roundtrip
Meet your Park Ranger guide at the Little River Trailhead in Elkmont at 9:00 a.m. for this easy hike through a magnificent cove hardwood forest along the river. Learn the interesting history of the Little River Logging Company during this 3-4 hour guided hike. For more information, call Suguarlands Visitor Center at 865-436-1291.

Friday, November 27 @ 10:00 am
Abrams Fall Trail in Cades Cove – 5 miles roundtrip
Meet your Park Ranger guide at the Abrams Falls Trailhead, halfway around the Cades Cove Loop Road at 10:00 a.m. This moderate-rated hike takes you to one of the National Park’s largest waterfalls. Join Park Rangers to learn about the 2,900 miles of streams in the park and their importance of making the National Park one of most biologically diverse places in the world. Program will last about 4 hours. For more information, call Cades Cove Visitor Center at 865-448-4104.

Friday, November 27 @ 10:00 am
Little Cataloochee Trail near Cataloochee – 5 miles roundtrip
This trail is rated moderate because of a few steep sections but mostly it follows an old roadbed to several old, historic homesites and the Little Cataloochee Church. Participants will meet at the parking area on the left just after entering Cataloochee Valley and follow your Park Ranger in your vehicle for five miles to the Little Cataloochee Trailhead. For more information, call the Oconaluftee Visitor Center at 828-497-1904.

Rangers, volunteers and Friends of the Smokies staff will be available the Park’s Visitor Centers throughout the Thanksgiving Holiday Weekend to provide information on how you and your family can enjoy all the Great Smoky Mountains National Park has to offer!

Don’t Miss Taste of the Holidays in Pigeon Forge Tuesday, December 8th

Not only does this fun event feature great food from Pigeon Forge’s best restaurants, it features some of the town’s most notable males in the Men’s Fashion Show where you get to vote on your favorite! Also enjoy the Annual Dignitary Auction with Mayor David Wear and friends at the Holiday Inn Convention Center from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 8, 2015.

Tickets are only $15 per person at can be purchased at Pigeon Forge City Hall, Library, and Special Events Office. Proceeds to benefit United  Way of Sevier County. The event is hosted by FORging Ahead in Pigeon FORge/Pigeon Forge Hospitality Association.

Wears Valley’s Give Thanks Dinner & Community Tree Lighting on November 24th!

Join the Wears Valley Area Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday, November 24, 2015 from 4:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Cove Creek RV Resort for the very special Wears Valley’s Give Thanks Dinner. It’s only $10 for a traditional Thanksgiving Meal or to provide for a needy family in the community served by Mountain Hope Good Shepherd Clinic.

  • There will be great music provided by DJ Jeff with Side-by-Side Entertainment and a Silent Auction with great items for the holidays.
  • And then at 7:15 gather around for the Community Tree Lighting which is the official kick-off for Christmas in beautiful Wears Valley.

For more information, visit online  at Wears Valley Chamber of Commerce or call 865-296-4779.

Thanksgiving Fireworks, Fantasy Princess & More at Titanic Museum in Pigeon Forge!

Celebrate the holiday with Thanksgiving Fireworks, A Fantasy Princess & More at Titanic Museum in Pigeon Forge on Thursday, November 26, 2015!

It’s a fun-filled day of all kinds of excitement at the Titanic Museum Attraction in Pigeon Forge on Thanksgiving! The 4th Annual Fireworks Spectacular begins at 7:00 p.m. but come early because this year you’ll get to meet Titanic’s Fantasy Princess, the ethereal guardian of Titanic memories. She’ll be joined by Titanic’s Fabled Captain for rare photo opportunities on the ship’s bridge and in the Princess Room.

But that’s not all, kids of all ages will love the Action Heroes of Today parade event featuring some of our favorite super heroes from past and present.

Titanic’s Fantasy Princess will also be making special appearances throughout the Thanksgiving Holiday Weekend! Friday, November 27 and Saturday, November 28 from 11:00 am – 5:00 pm and 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm.

For more information and tickets, visit Titanic Museum Attraction or call 800-381-7670.

Yama-Con 2015 Anime-Comic Convention at LeConte Center in Pigeon Forge December 4-6

Yama-Con 2015 Anime-Comic Convention will be held at LeConte Center in Pigeon Forge December 4-6, 2015! This year’s convention theme is “A Pirate’s Life 4 Me!”

With an emphasis on Anime and Japanese pop culture (Yama is Japanese for mountain), the convention will also have events themed around video games, card and board games, comics, and much more. All nerds, gamers, geeks, and otaku are welcome! ~ Elle and Nick Carr, Yama-Con founders.

Along with guest speakers and musical acts, Yama-Con offers attendees a slew of costume contests so get your best one ready and join all the fun! There’s also an animated music video contest, Disney Karaoke, and Club Yama on Saturday night. Get out glow sticks for this dance party with DJ Perehelion and others. And this year at Yama-Con, in their video game and analog game area, they are going to have a special area devoted entirely to Pokemon! Additionally, there will be a silent auction with lots of fabulous items and proceeds benefiting Pets Without Parents, a local animal shelter.

Here are just a few of the popular voice actor and celebrity guest speakers at Yama-Con 2015:

Chris Sabat is the Voice Director for Dragonball Z along with being the actor behind characters Piccolo, Yamcha, Vegeta, Mr. Popo and many others. Sabat has also lent his acting talents to voices of Alex Luis Armstrong in Fullmetal Alchemist, Garland in Dissidia: Final Fantasy, and both Captain Smiley and Star in Comic Jumper.

Eric Vale has scripted over fifty anime programs as head writer with FUNimation Productions as well as provide the voices for Trunks in Dragonball Z, Yuki in Fruits Baskets, and Sanji in One Piece. In his free time, this writer, actor, and director travels to repair churches in Europe and builds playgrounds for children.

Ian Sinclair popular anime roles include Toriko in Toriko, Brook in One Piece, Lute in Legend of the Legendary Heroes, along with many others. Sinclair is also the voice of Baron Flynt in the video game Borderlands and has worked on both seasons of Black Butler and The Shana movie.

Yama-Con 2015 Musical Guests

Eyeshine In 2012 this underground rock band won Ford Motor Company’s worldwide band battle and recorded with Grammy-award winning producer Don Was. Since then they’ve produced over 11 albums and tour to a worldwide audience of fans. Most recently the band’s music was chosen for promotional use in the Call of Duty Endowment project.

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