Pigeon Forge Announces 2011 Dates for Wilderness Wildlife Week – Annual salute to Great Smoky Mountains National Park scheduled Jan. 8-15, 2011

PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. (July 2010) — Pigeon Forge, Tenn., has pegged Jan. 8-15, 2011, for Wilderness Wildlife Week, the resort community’s annual salute to Great Smoky Mountains National Park and many outdoor-oriented topics. New for 2011 is an all-day concentration on outdoor photography called “The Smokies Through the Lens” on Jan. 15. Several seminars aimed at all skill levels are planned, and topics will include equipment, shooting techniques and editing. Other photography instruction classes and numerous photo showcases will occur throughout the week.

Other special programming includes

• AppalachiaFest – A musical celebration of mountain music and dancing (audience participation encouraged) featuring several bands on Jan. 11

• Cade Cove Memories – Five special programs on Jan. 15 organized by the Cades Cove Preservation Association that will focus on this popular portion of Great Smoky Mountains National Park

This will be the 21st year for Wilderness Wildlife Week, an eight-day extravaganza of seminars, workshops, photography classes, hikes and excursions. It is a project of the City of Pigeon Forge, the largest of the national park’s gateway communities, and is a major part of the four-month-long Pigeon Forge Winterfest season.

More than 150 experts—nature photographers, biologists, raptor rehabilitators, social historians and just plain folks who grew up in the Smokies—donate their time to present daily programs and a range of outdoor activities. There are more than 250 programs and activities.

Program topics vary daily, and admission is free to all activities. Topics include bears in the Smokies, the elk reintroduction project, the Smokies’ logging history, fire towers in the Smokies, photography, trout fishing, fly-casting and birding by ear. Several programs are designed especially for children.

Almost 50 hikes and excursions – including a llama trek – into the national park complement the indoor programs. In 2010, hikers from 17 states participated in Wilderness Wildlife Week hikes. Hiking records have been kept for eight years, and the accumulated total mileage is 14,289.

“The week is extremely flexible. You can come just for one program, for one day only or for the whole week,” said Leon Downey of the Pigeon Forge Department of Tourism. “It’s a great way to introduce people to the outdoors.”

Wilderness Wildlife Week began 20 years ago as a half-day program on a January Saturday and immediately grew into a weeklong activity. It has been a Southeast Tourism Society “Top 20 Event in the Southeast” 10 times.

Wilderness Wildlife Week details are updated frequently at www.MyPigeonForge.com/wildlife. Information about all aspects of visiting Pigeon Forge is at www.MyPigeonForge.com or by calling toll-free to 1-800-251-9100.

July 29, 2010   Posted in: United States South