Top Musicians Entertain to Benefit Gatlinburg and the Smoky Mountains Wildfire Relief Efforts
The country’s top musicians come together to entertain for the benefit of Gatlinburg and the Great Smoky Mountains wildfire relief efforts. Dolly Parton and Zac Brown have come to rescue by calling on friends to harness their musical talents for some very good causes. Be sure to check out these two great events this month!
Dolly Parton’s SMOKY MOUNTAINS RISE Telethon for the MY PEOPLE FUND
Tuesday, December 13, 2016
8:00 pm – 11:00 pm EST
Sevier County’s own Dolly Parton has called on her famous friends to come together for a three-hour telethon to raise money for the My People Fund that Parton and her business partners recently created to assist the folks in Sevier County who’ve lost their homes to the wildfires. The My People Fund will provide $1,000 each month for up to six months to families who’ve lost their primary residence whether they be renters or homeowners.
Smoky Mountains Rise telethon performers include: Chris Stapleton, Chris Jansen, Chris Young, Alison Krauss, Michael W. Smith, Amy Grant, Cyndi Lauper, Don McLean, Big & Rich, Hank Williams Jr., LOCASH, Alabama, Montgomery Gentry, Lauren Alaina, Reba McEntyre, Jamey Johnson, Ronnie Dunn and of course, Kenny Rogers.
You may recognize a few folks answering the phones during the telethon: Comedian Henry Cho, Paula Deen and her sons Bobby and Jamie, T.G. Sheppard, Moonshiners’ Mark & Digger, Tim Rushlow, RaeLynn, Larry Gatlin, and Jason Crabb.
The telethon will be nationally-broadcast on Great American County (GAC) network. Smoky Mountain Rise will also be simulcast across muliple radio chains including iHeart Media’s digital and select on-air platforms, Cumulus Media’s NASH Nights LIVE, TuneIn’s Country Roads channel, AXS-TV, RFD and The Heartland Network. Additionally, USAToday.com and USA Today National Networks will live stream the telethon on their affiliate newspaper websites. The telethon can be seen in the Knoxville viewing area on FOX-43 WTNZ, 10News2, and WBIR.com.
Contributions are tax-deductible and can also be made online at dollywoodfoundation.org or mail to My People Fund c/o Dollywood Foundation, 111 Dollywood Lane, Pigeon Forge, TN 37863. The fund will begin its first distributions to families on December 15, 2016.
“I’ve got so many great friends in the industry, and I’m so proud that they were so ready to step up and help me help my people in the Smoky Mountains through this telethon and the My People Fund, says Dolly Parton. Fellow Tennessean Taylor Swift recently donated $100,000 to the fund for her friend Dolly Parton. #MyPeopleFund, #someplacespecial
Gatlinburg’s MOUNTAIN TOUGH Music Festival featuring ZAC BROWN BAND
Saturday, December 17, 2016
705 Parkway, Gatlinburg TN
This day-long outdoor music festival features the Zac Brown Band and friends Sam Bush, Rodney Crowell, Moe Pitney, Jim Lauderdale, Rob Ickes, Sarah Potenza, Derek St. Holmes, Chelle Rose, Jason D. Williams, Randy Kohrs, and Trey Hensley among others. This mini-music festival is free to the public and will be broadcast live via WMOT Roots Radio at Middle Tennessee State University and on a network of statewide and regional radio stations. Music City Roots will webcast the live event worldwide. Although the event in Gatlinburg is free, donations are being accepted on behalf of the East Tennessee Foundation’s Sevier County Community Fund set-up specifically for wildfire relief.
A big thank you to Zac Brown and his lifestyle company Southern Ground for bringing “Cookie” to the Red Cross Shelter at Rocky Top Sports World in Gatlnburg to feed folks in need. “Cookie” is their custom-built commercial kitchen on 18-wheels run by Executive Chef Rusty Hamlin and his culinary team.
Other sponsors of the Gatlinburg Mountain Tough Music Festival are Ole Smoky Moonshine, Yee Haw Brewing Company, Music City Roots, and the Gatlinburg Convention & Visitor Bureau.
To learn how you can help with Sevier County wildfire relief efforts, visit MountainTough.org for volunteer information and more!
