Smoky Mountains Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, Sevierville News
Tennessee Smoky Mountains - The rain has stopped for the moment and the temperatures are brisk. The town is busy getting ready for the fall season. Last night I had to fire up the wood stove, love the smell of wood permeating the early morning air.
Visitors to the Smoky Mountains should be very happy, the fall colors are starting in at higher elevations. Looks as though the colors will be very vibrant this autumn.
Pigeon Forge Tennessee -
Got their grant to build a new fire station. The fire station will be located off Veteran’s Boulevard.
Pigeon Forge city leaders are looking to the possibility of adding some needed features to their new fire truck for better service to the community. They will also be discussing adding 3 in-car cameras to their police cars.
Unaware Pigeon Forge High School had a greenhouse, they were selling mums from there, called and they are sold out. Maybe next year folks.
PANCAKES After High Noon - The Kiwanis Club of Sevierville will host its annual fall pancake day from 4pm-7:30pm at Flapjacks Pancake Cabin on the Parkway. Tickets are available at the door for $5.00. For more information call Leslie at (865) 453-7545.
Gatlinburg Tennessee -
General Lee Comes To Gatlinburg - Ben “Cooter” Jones, who starred in “The Dukes of Hazzard” tv series, will lead the charge of the first “Hazzard County Run.” Owners and drivers of General Lee replica cars will gather in Nashville starting noon Friday. They will leave Nashville Saturday morning to arrive in Gatlinburg late afternoon to early evening Saturday. Get those cameras ready folks and start your engines for Gatlinburg Tennessee!
Christ In The Smokies Museum and Gardens has opened in Gatlinburg. Appears several area locals pulled their resources, talents, and dedication so see this attraction to completion. The Gatlinburg museum replaces the former Christus Gardens. Located at 510 River Rd Gatlinburg. Hours are 9am - 9pm. Admission $11 Adults $5 Children 6-12. Additional info, call (865) 436-5155.
Hard Rock Cafe celebrated their 10th year in Gatlinburg.
Gatlinburg has made large efforts to “Go Green” and encouraging local businesses to get on board. Would be very interested in hearing from Gatlinburg businesses and Gatlinburg officials as to what efforts have been made utilizing solar and wind as sources for power? Ever see the small windmill generators mounted atop higher end sailboats, these little lightweight but sturdy wind generators pack a lot of power and are virtually invisible due their very compact size. Mount a few of these on the Gatlinburg Space Needle, the Ober Gatlinburg Tram line, and dozens of other suitable structures, see some power savings then. By the way, does any of the GatlinburgCity staff have information as to if the city is looking into replacing some of the Christmas light displays with longer lasting LED lights that consume far less power?
Military Widows Meet In Gatlinburg Tennessee
Members of the non-profit American Widow Project, dedicated to military widows from this generation, will meet in Gatlinburg Tennessee this Friday. The organization holds events across the country to bring military widows together.
This weekend they will enjoy horseback riding, relaxing at a cabin in the Smoky Mountains area, and a day at one of the local spas.
For more information on the American Widow Project and tour events visit http://www.americanwidowproject.org .
Golf Ball Contest Sevierville Tennessee
Sevierville Tennessee Golf Ball Drop to benifit Smoky Mountains area Boys and Girls Clubs
Up to 5,000 golf balls are to be sold and dropped from a helicopter at Eagle’s Landing Golf Course October 7th at approximately 7pm. All the golf balls will have numbers, the closest golf ball to the hole is the money winner. With 25% of the money raised being contributed to the money prize, the winning ball may be worth up to $25,000!
Sevier County Pilot Food Marts and branches of the Boys & Girls Club are selling the $20 tickets. For more information call 428-6550 or visit www.bgcsmoky.com .
Wyatt Nathaniel Finchum, Tennessee’s Baby Boy
Beauty is a mother bringing life into the world, Valiant a family’s fight to overcome a state’s decleration the life did not exist, disheartning is if no one stands in the corner for such a noble cause.
Read this true story of a family’s journey with a child ever so briefly and the fight they are staging to recoginze the life of their son and others like him.
On June 1, 2009 my son, Wyatt Nathaniel Finchum was born at 10:03 a.m. He had a faint heartbeat and was breathing, which was a miracle, as doctors advised us we would probably never see him alive. He died two minutes later. However, due to Tennessee’s definition of “live birth”, my doctor was not able to medically acknowledge his life. He was listed as stillborn.
I won’t deny the fact that my son was dying as soon as he was born, but he lived… he fought to breathe for those two minutes and his life deserves to be acknowledged. I would like to get Tennessee’s definition of live birth amended to a more acceptable definition that recognizes life no matter how short it may be
For pictures and detailed story, please visit http://wyattnathaniel.blogspot.com/2009/09/on-june-1-2009-my-son-wyatt-nathaniel.html
The law currently states
…the complete expulsion or extraction from its mother of a product of human conception, irrespective of the duration of the pregnancy, that, after such expulsion or extraction, breathes or shows any other evidence of life, such as beating of the heart, pulsation of the umbilical cord, or definite movement of voluntary muscles, whether or not the umbilical cord has been cut or the placenta is attached. Heartbeats shall be distinguished from transient cardiac contraction, and respirations shall be distinguished from fleeting respiratory efforts or gasps…
I propose the definition to be changed to the State of Maine’s definition which states
…the complete expulsion or extraction from its mother of a product of human conception, irrespective of the duration of the pregnancy, that, after such expulsion or extraction, breathes or shows any other evidence of life, such as beating of the heart, pulsation of the umbilical cord, or definite movement of voluntary muscles, whether or not the umbilical cord has been cut or the placenta is attached. Each product of such a birth is considered live born and fully recognized as a human person under Maine (change to Tennessee) Law.
If you are a Tennessee resident, and support life to be recognized, please sign this petition. Also, listed below is a link to our elected officials contact information. E-mails, letters of support, and phone calls to these officials are greatly appreciated. I appreciate your help in getting my son’s life recognized, and preventing other families from being told their child’s life was “not worth recognizing.
If you are NOT a Tennessee resident, but have family or friends in Tennessee, please direct them to my petition or have them contact their local representative, congressmen, senator, and governor. All local contact information for Tennessee can be found at:
http://www.tennesseeanytime.org/government/elected.html rep.richard.montgomery@capitol.tn.gov
(You can link up with Mcklinky at the bottom of this post even if you are NOT a Tennessee resident
My personal points of contact are as follows.
Representative Richard Montgomery
301 6th Avenue North
Suite 201 War Memorial Building
Nashville, TN 37243
Phone (615) 741-5981
Fax (615) 253-0303
Senator Doug Overbey
301 6th Avenue North
Suite 4 Legislative Plaza
Nashville, TN 37243
Phone: (615) 741-0981
sen.doug.overbey@capitol.tn.gov
Governor Phil Bredesen
Governor’s Office
Tennessee State Capitol
Nashville, TN 37243-0001
Phone: 615.741.2001
Fax: 615.532.9711
Please go to http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/recognize-life-in-tennessee to sign the petition I created. Once you have done so, or you just want to show your support and don’t live in Tennessee, link up on McKlinky.
Thank you for your support and prayers
Broadband Internet For Sevier County Tennessee
The Recovery Act set aside close to $7.2 billion dollars in Federal Grants. Now a Virginia based, DigitalBridge Communications, is seeking about $100 million of those dollars to assist 69 counties with rural Internet services, Sevier County is one of these.
The Mountain Press seems to highlight how the massive amounts of money can be used to expand AT&T and DigitalBridge Communications abilities with upgraded towers and other equipment. The article in no way sheds light if all the aide to these companies would decrease costs for rural families to get broadband services or when the services may become available.
Despite the ever increasing demand of schools requiring computers and broadband for homework research and computer generated school work, most rural families can not afford not only the broadband fees, they cannot afford the computers themselves.
The cost of a sub-standard computer, about $500. Add student edition of spreadsheet and word processor software for another $187. If your child needs database or graphical editing software you can easily add some big dollars to the mix.
Would be interesting to hear from Sevier County schools, students, and their parents as to how the Sevier County schools are making a positive effort to alleviate rural and some less privileged children from being alinated by their peirs, especially those hard hit by the economic impact of the last 2 years. Please send your comments.
Smoky Mountains National Park Closes Foothills Parkway
Great Smoky Mountains National Park plans to close the Foothills Parkway East in Cocke County, TN from I-40 to Cosby, overnight on Tuesday Sept. 22 and Wednesday Sept. 23. Closures will begin at 8:00 p.m. both nights with the road re-opened by 7:00 a.m. the folowing day. The closure is being imposed to allow an engineering consultant to drill a series of core samples through the pavement to be used to develop plans to re-pave the Road. The road will be closed with Variable Message Signs stating ROAD CLOSED AHEAD at each end of the parkway (Intersection with Interstate 40 and Intersection with 321 in Cosby).
For details contact Bob Miller, Park Spokesman, Great Smoky Mountains National Park(865) 436-1207.
Cherokee Lake 52 Pound Catfish Caught
Charlie Jackson, 74 year old from Sevier County, caught a 52 pound 47 inch long Blue Catfish. Mr Jackson fought for nearly 30 minutes this past Saturday to reel in this wonderful catfish from nearby Cherokee Lake. Mr Jackson was reported as being being so sore the following day that he could hardly walk. Wow, what fun.
Local or visiting the Smokies Mountain area and looking for a fishing guide on Cherokee Lake ? Be sure to check with Captain Dave and his crew. They also guide for Douglas Lake, Norris Lake, and Smoky Mountain area rivers and streams (trout fishing).
Heritage Day At The Old Mill Pigeon Forge Tennessee
Public invited to come celebrate Heritage Day on the 19th of September 10:00 A.M. - 7:00 P.M. at the historic Old Mill Village Square, downtown Pigeon Forge TN.
Enjoy strolling through the 170 year old operating grist mill during Heritage Day. The Pigeon Forge Old Mill, built in the 1800’s, served as protector and gathering place for many early settlers to the Smoky Mountains area. The Old mill is nestled along side the Little Pigeon River and surrounded on three other sides by over 26 specialty gift shops and eateries.
Admission is free !! Enjoy homemade fudge, peanut brittle, crafts and other great gift items at The Old Mill Village Square shops. There are a variety of pottery and craft shops, little ones can observe local artisans at work and learn new things while having FREE fun.
The Old Mill Village Square is popular during the day but just as visited in the evenings as families freely walk about enjoying all there is to see and do under the warm evenings breeze.
For more information call (865) 428-0771 or visit them on the web at www.oldmillsquare.com
Gatlinburg Old Fashioned Hay Rides
Gatlinburg will be offering old fashioned hay rides from September 1st - October 29th.
Enjoy a nostalgic and fun hay wagon ride downtown Gatlinburg, proceeds benefit United Way. Includes views of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and a slow relaxing pace past all the sites of downtown Gatlinburg.
Hay Rides depart from Traffic Light 6, Smoky Mountain Mall, leaving approximately every 45 minutes. Hay Rides operate from 5 p.m. - 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday.
Cost: $4.00 Questions, please call (865) 436-0535.
Dolly Parton Smoky Mountains Tribute
Dolly Parton has done a lot for her Tennessee Smoky Mountains hometown. Dollywood seemed to be a big boost for Pigeon Forge and the Smoky Mountains area . It was nice to see a park focused on beauty, keeping the area seemingly mountain natural while still providing endless fun. Not handicap myself, it was great seeing handicap citizens aptly hired and allowed to become a part of the productive work force.
Dolly Parton is more than Dollywood. Making numerous appearances annually, each seems to be another feather in this fine performer’s life. Only a handful of the things she has done in the community have I seen. Dolly donated to the construction of a physical therapy wing in the old Fort Sanders hospital, put on a benefit concert at Smokies Stadium to raise money for the new Sevier County hospital, raised the largest single donation for the “Dr. Robert F. Thomas Foundation” by opening her home to 12 guests and having 2 spend the night where she prepared breakfast the following morning.
Dolly, with a very busy personal schedule, acted as the Smoky Mountains National Park Spokesperson. She not only travelled nationally speaking for the park, she filmed several commercials and attended the re-dedication ceremony as singer and speaker. My understanding is this was all done at no charge.
Every family has skeletons in their closet and with 13 children surely there’s many in Dolly’s. However, Dolly and her family members have every right to feel proud of what she and they have done for their mountain home community and their nation. They have worked tirelessly to pick themselves up from poverty only to enrich the lives they touch. What great upbringing Dolly’s family instilled in their children, they all seem to share their abilities in bettering the lives of those unknown. Their gifts come with love and devotion that will touch people and the community after they are gone.
Thank you Dolly Parton and family members, well done and carry on!
