awww..that is tooo sweet
.. yeah going good..i work everyday from nov 5th thru 19...should have 20th off... 21 will be a long day of working alone since we are shut the next day for turkey day.. but the outlet stores will open that evening and not close till fri night..!!so we will be verrryyy busy that weekend...but that all is good news for me.. need that dough!!by nov 26th should quiet down here a bit.. Winterfest kickoffs
are the next 3 nights in Sevierville, Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge.. then they turn on the gazillion lights/..
You know it's Winterfest time when lights go on
By Amy McRary (Contact)
Friday, November 2, 2007
Put tinsel on that pumpkin and twinkling lights on the scarecrow. Each early November brings Sevier County’s annual, four-month celebration called Winterfest.
The municipalities of Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg and Sevierville next week kick off a celebration of winter and its holidays with everything from millions of twinkling lights to parades to special events.
And if the ho-ho-ho fun starts before Thanksgiving, it’s just a way to jump-start the Christmas season.
Lasting from the first of November until the last day of February, “Winterfest” covers a variety of Sevier County events. Festivities start with holiday-themed events in November and expand with a new year to include Valentine-themed lights, outdoor activities, and cowboy and storytelling festivals in Pigeon Forge
Sevierville begins Winterfest 2008 with Tuesday, Nov. 6, fireworks and games at the Sevierville Community Center’s parking lot. The kickoff starts at 3 p.m.; the city’s 225,000 holiday lights and lighted displays get switched on for the season around 7:30 or 8 p.m.
While the Sevierville city limits aren’t decked out with quite as many lights as the millions in nearby Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge, they have a certain sparkle. Visitors to Winterfest are encouraged to drop by the Sevierville Visitor Center on Highway 66 about a mile and a half from Interstate 40’s Exit 407 to pick up free pairs of 3D glasses. Donning the glasses helps wearers see the holiday season in a new light; the glasses transform each point of light in a string of lights into a sparkling snowflake.
New this year is a light show choreographed to music at the Sevierville municipal complex at 110 Gary Wade Blvd. The show features lighted trees and snowmen; visitors can turn their car radios on to a selected station to hear the music that matches the display’s movements.
A day after the lights are turned on in Sevierville, the city of Gatlinburg flips the switch on more than 3 million lights and lighted displays. New this year among the snowflakes and trees are lighted figures of the area’s native deer and rabbits.
The festivities begin in Gatlinburg with a 5-8 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 7, “Winter Magic Kickoff and Chili Cookoff.” For a donation, attendees can taste chili from local restaurants and businesses and vote for their favorites. There’ll be music and fireworks as well.
As the season continues, Gatlinburg’s Winterfest includes its 32nd annual Christmas parade at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 7, and New Year’s Eve show and ball drop around the Space Needle.
Pigeon Forge launches its Winterfest celebration at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 8, at Patriot Park. More than 5 million lights on streetlights, displays and trees will be turned on around 6:30 p.m. that day. For this Sevier County municipality, Winterfest keeps going strong through February, when Pigeon Forge hosts the 17th annual Smoky Mountains Storytelling Festival Feb. 7-9 and the Western-themed celebration Saddle Up Feb. 21-24.
Pigeon Forge is also home to the Christmas-light-filled, show-stuffed Dollywood. The theme park kicks off its 2007 Smoky Mountain Christmas Festival Saturday, Nov. 10.
Dollywood is covered with another 3.5 million lights for the festival that also includes holiday shows and a daily parade and continues on select days through December. Dollywood isn’t open every day during the winter; check
www.dollywood.com for hours and dates and times of stage shows.
© 2007, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
For all intents and purposes... Autumn ends Oct. 31st and winter/christmas starts nov.1st..takes some getting used to seeing Thanksgiving and Christmas side by side here..
this is a moving one..wonderful..