Christmas
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Great Smoky Mountains to host Christmas Events

Friday, December 13, 2013

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Great Smoky Mountains National Park will host the 38th annual Festival of Christmas Past celebration tomorrow, December 14th, 10:-0 am to 4:00 pm, at the Sugarlands Visitor Center. The event, sponsored in cooperation with Great Smoky Mountains Association, is free to the public.

Festival of Christmas Past is an annual celebration of the culture of the Smoky Mountains, with an emphasis on the Christmas season. "Around Christmas time, people gathered in churches, homes, and schools and many of them celebrated the holiday through music, storytelling, and crafts. Festival of Christmas Past allows us to pause and remember some of these traditions," said Kent Cave, North District Resource Education Supervisor.

On Saturday, December 21, Great Smoky Mountains National Park will host a Holiday Homecoming at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center where children and adults will have an opportunity to learn about and experience some of the traditions surrounding an Appalachian Christmas. Park staff and volunteers will provide hands-on traditional crafts and activities from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. the park will host the monthly acoustic old time jam session.

“Musical expression was and still is often a part of daily life in the southern mountains, and mountain music is strongly tied to the Smokies history and culture,” said Lynda Doucette, Supervisory Park Ranger. “This month our music jam will focus on traditional holiday tunes. We would like to invite musicians to play and our visitors to join us in singing traditional Christmas carols and holiday songs as was done in the old days.”

The visitor center will be decorated for the holiday season and will include an exhibit on Christmas in the mountains. Hot apple cider and cookies will be served on the porch and a fire will be in the fireplace. All activities are free and open to the public. Support of this event is provided by the Great Smoky Mountains Association.

The Oconaluftee Visitor Center is located on Newfound Gap Road (U.S. Highway 441), two miles north of Cherokee, N.C. For more information call the visitor center at (828) 497-1904.



Jeff
Hiking in the Smokies
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Celebrating Christmas in the Smokies

Sunday, November 27, 2011

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Over the next couple of weeks the Great Smoky Mountains will be celebrating Christmas with two events on two separate weekends. Both events are free to the public:

Festival of Christmas Past:

Dates: 12/10/2011
Times: 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM
Location: Sugarlands Visitor Center
Phone: (865) 436-1291

Celebrate Christmas in the mountains with old-time music, harp singing, storytelling and reminiscing, craft demonstrations such as weaving, spinning, quilting, bark berry basket making, historic toys and games, and children's activites.

Event Schedule:

9:30 am - 11:00 am Old Time Harp Singing
11:00am - 12:00 pm Storytelling with Charles Maynard
11:00am - 12:30 pm Memories Walk
12:00pm - 1:00 pm Lost Mill String Band
1:00 pm - 1:30 pm Decorating the Sugarlands Christmas Tree
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm Bill Proffitt and the South of the River Boys
2:00 pm - 3:30 pm Memories Walk
2:00 pm - 3:00 pm Stories from the Past with Charlotte Liebrock as moderator
3:00 pm - 4:00 pm Boogertown Gap



Holiday Homecoming:

Dates: 12/17/2011
Times: 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Location: Oconaluftee Visitor Center
Phone: (828) 497-1904

Enjoy an old-fashioned Christmas celebration in the Smokies with traditional music.






Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com
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Time running out for Christmas FREE Shipping

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

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There are just 2 days left to order to receive FREE Super Saver Shipping in time for Christmas at Amazon.com.

* Tomorrow is the last day to receive Free Shipping, and Standard & USPS Priority Shipping, guaranteed for Christmas, from Backcountry.com. Order as late as 5 p.m. EST.

* The 12 Days of Deals continues: Altrec.com is offering 25% off on all Icebreaker and Acorn outdoor apparel - today only. This sale ends tonight at midnight PST. (Altrec is also offering 2 Day Free shipping through 12/20/10. The coupon code for this offer is Holidayair.)

>> The Omni-Heat Elite Jacket: Amazon.com is offering up to 21% off on some men's Elite Jacket colors and sizes, and up to 15% on select women's colors and sizes. (click here to read my recent review)



Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com
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Christmas in the Smokies

Sunday, November 28, 2010

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The Great Smoky Mountains will be celebrating Christmas twice next month.

On December 11, from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, join the national park at the Sugarlands Visitor Center for the Celebration of Christmas Past. There will be demonstrations of old-time holiday activities such as old-time music, harp singing, storytelling and reminiscing, craft demonstrations such as weaving, spinning, quilting, oak splint and bark berry basket making, and corn shuck doll making, historic toys and games, and children's activites. For more information contact the Sugarlands Visitor Center at 865-436-1291.

The following week, on December 18, from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM, there will be a Holiday Homecoming at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center. The park will have hot cider, cookies and demonstrations of old-time holiday activities.





Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com
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No Lines, No Crowds, No Sitting in Traffic

Monday, November 22, 2010

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Starting now, and throughout the Christmas season, be sure to check in with our Day Hikers Store for the hottest “Deals of the Day” on hiking and outdoor gear from Patagonia, Nantahala Outdoor Center, Backcountry.com and Ultralight Adventure Equipment.

Also, our Amazon affiliate store still offers a wide variety of maps and books related to hiking, history and travel in the Great Smoky Mountains, Southern Appalachians, Appalachian Trail, Shenandoah and the Blue Ridge Parkway - many of them offered at discounts.

Shopping from the convenience of your own computer from one of our affiliate links helps to support the HikingintheSmokys.com website. Please click here to visit our store.

>>By the way, Amazon just launched their Black Friday deals today.

Thank you very much!


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com
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Christmas in the National Parks

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

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The National Park Service has recently launched a new Holiday Events Page on its website.

The new page lists many of the Christmas and Holiday events going on around the country within our National Park System this season.

For example, Fort Pulaski National Monument in Savannah, Georgia will be conducting its annual Candlelantern tours, which re-creates the Confederate Nog party of 1861.

This Saturday, the Booker T. Washington National Monument in Virginia will celebrate “An Old Virginia Christmas of 1859: The Plantation Residents React to John Brown’s Raid.” Visitors can discover how Christmas was celebrated on the eve of the American Civil War while enjoying sights, smells, and tastes of an antebellum Christmas with candlelit costumed tours, children's activities, storytelling and hot apple cider and gingerbread.

The Natchez Trace Parkway’s annual Holiday Open House will include “TomFoolery”, an acoustic trio that will perform traditional and seasonal music. The public is welcome to bring their instruments to join in.

For whatever reason, the site does not include two scheduled events happening in the Great Smoky Mountains this month. Those two events are:

Festival of Christmas Past - 12/12/09
The Festival of Christmas Past at Sugarlands Visitor Center will feature a blend of mountain music, storytelling, crafts, and skills demonstrations ongoing throughout the day. The event schedule includes the following activities:

At the Sugarlands Visitor Center Theater
* 9:30 am - 11:00 am - Harp Singing and Old Time Hymns
* 11:15 am - 12:00 pm - Lost Mill String Band
* 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm - Storytelling with Cuz and Jan Headrick
* 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm - Stories of the Past From Local Residents
* 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm - Bill Proffitt and South of the River Boys
* 3:00 - 4:00 pm - Boogertown Gap Band

Craft Demonstrations In and Around the Visitor Center
* Berry Bark Baskets with Bill Alexander
* Spinning with Dale Lyles
* Blacksmithing with master blacksmith Clayton Sharp
* Mountain Basketweaving with Connie and Bertha Clabo
* Lye Soap Making with Sallie Swor
* Historic Toys and Games with Roy Henson
* Christmas Craft Table with Vicki Law
* Apple Butter Making with Vonda and Carrol Ogle


Holiday Homecoming at Oconaluftee - 12/19/09
On Saturday, December 19, Great Smoky Mountains National Park will host a holiday homecoming at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center and the Mountain Farm Museum from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Cozy up to the fireplace and enjoy traditional and holiday music while sipping hot apple cider next to the Christmas tree! Enjoy demonstrations of traditional Appalachian folkways, including broom making, corn shuck doll making, and old-fashioned toys and games.

The visitor center will be decorated for the holiday season and the Mountain Farm Museum will be open for visitors to walk through.

For more information, call the visitor center at (828) 497-1904. All activities are free and open to the public.





Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com Detailed information on trails in the Smoky Mountains; includes trail descriptions, key features, pictures, video, maps, elevation profiles, news, and more.
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Cyber Monday bargains guaranteed to save money

Sunday, November 29, 2009

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Although Black Friday has already ended, Amazon has extended the best deals of the season through Monday to help you get your holiday shopping done for much less. Amazon is offering deep discounts on outdoor gear, electronics, books, video games, toys and more.

Please help support HikingintheSmokys.com and keep the most comprehensive source of trail information in the Smoky Mountains free by shopping from this link:

http://www.amazon.com/b/?node=384082011&tag=hikinginthcom-20

Thank you!

Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com Detailed information on trails in the Smoky Mountains; includes trail descriptions, key features, pictures, video, maps, elevation profiles, news, hiking gear store, and more.
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Support HikingintheSmokys.com this Holiday Season

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

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Black Friday is just days away…..so if by chance you’re looking for hiking gear or Smoky Mountains related books this Christmas and holiday season, I would really appreciate your support by shopping from our Amazon store at HikingintheSmokys.com.

Even if you don’t find anything in our store, you can still help support our website by using the search function on the store page, which will take you to Amazon’s entire catalog of books, electronics, toys, clothing, etc.

This helps keep the most comprehensive source of hiking information in the Great Smoky Mountains a free resource to everyone!

You can visit our store by clicking here.

Also, Amazon is offering Black Fridays Deals everyday this week. You can find more information on all the specials they’re running this week by clicking here.

Thank you very much and Happy Thanksgiving!


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com
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