My Pigeon Forge
By Henry Piarrot
Located
in the picturesque foothills of the Great Smoky
Mountains in East Tennessee, the formerly sleepy little town of Pigeon Forge is less than 500 miles of half of the nation's population. The popular tourist destination is just over 30 miles southeast of Knoxville, less than 5 miles south of Sevierville and barely more than 5 miles north of Gatlinburg. A stones throw from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, America’s most visited park, Pigeon Forge’s 5000 residents enjoy a position in the world well suited for remarkable commerce.
Marketed as a family destination, the town also features a variety of live theater and musical attractions. In addition, more than 200 factory outlets and specialty stores cause some to also consider Pigeon Forge a shopper‘s paradise. The climate in is extremely tolerable and annually offers our residents and guests the ability to enjoy the beauty of each of Mother Nature’s four natural seasons.
Gross business receipts generated within the city of Pigeon Forge increase every year and should reach 1 billion dollars in the near future.
Winterfest will celebrate its 17th anniversary this year and continues to account for significant increases in revenue during the months many of our workers are accustomed to losing their jobs.Nevertheless, I would not be credible among my peers if I did not recognize “
Dollywood,” the engine that drives the commerce train in Pigeon Forge.
The development we know today as
Dollywood actually began in 1961 as a small Civil War themed attraction called "
Rebel Railroad.” The main element of this endeavor was a steam train, but there was also an old time saloon and general store. By the end of the decade, it was renamed "
Goldrush Junction", and the Wild West experience replaced the Civil War presentation. Then, in 1970 a mostly unknown piece of local history took place when The Cleveland Browns football team purchased the property and enhanced the tiny park with a log flume and a number of other smaller rides.
Eventually, in 1976, Jack and Pete Herschend of Branson, Missouri bought the park from the football team and changed the name to "
Silver Dollar City Tennessee", sister park to the Herschends' original operation in Branson. I still recall the television ads for the old “
Silver Dollar City” from when I was a boy living in New Orleans.However, the earth shook and the mountains ignited in celebration when Dolly Parton returned home and joined the Herschend brothers in 1986. After the local girl achieved success as a world class singer, songwriter and actress, she bought into the theme park and redeveloped it as “
Dollywood.” Since then, it has grown to achieve the status of Tennessee's number one tourist attraction. The rest, as they say, is Smoky Mountain History.
Henry Piarrot is a hotel manager in Sevier Ciunty, TN. Please send all story recommendations to henry@lifeisvoluntary.ws