Day 1 of 2013 Wilderness Wildlife Week today in the Pigeon Forge Smoky Mountains

Every year people gather for a week in the Great Smoky Mountains called Wilderness Wildlife Week to hike, sing, tell stories, show off their crafts and teach others about the beauty, history and passion evoked by the Smokies of East Tennessee and Western North Carolina.

This gathering takes place in downtown Pigeon Forge where old friends meet and new ones are made while everyone participates in one of the best kept secrets of the Great Smoky Mountains.

Since the free classes fill so quickly as well as the roster on the guided hikes that take place in the Great Smoky Mountains national park, the city of Pigeon Forge as well as others do not really promote the event heavily as it is always at or over capacity to begin with so expect far more locals than people from out of town at Wilderness Wildlife Week in Pigeon Forge Tennessee.

This year as always the Wilderness Wildlife Week programs take place at:
Music Road Hotel and Convention Center
303 Henderson Chapel Road
Pigeon Forge, Tennessee 37863

• 8:00am - 11:00am: Learn to Use Map and Compass. Presented by: Terry and LaValla Edgington in the Harp Room. Since there is a limit of 50 participants you must pre-register at Information Desk.
• 8:30am - 9:30am: Photo Editing for Free. Presented by: Jim Eastin in the Ukulele Room.
• 8:30am - 10:30am: Fly Fishing the Smokies. Presented by: Greg Ward in the Violin Room.
• 9:00am - 10:00am: The Serpent Handlers. Presented by: Fred Brown in the Dobro Room.
• 9:00am - 1:00pm: Nature Photography Workshop. Presented by: Kendall Chiles, Daniel Dempster, Tom and Pat Cory and Harold Stinnette in the Guitar Room.
• 9:00am - 1:00pm: Photo Exhibit Entry Submission in the Cello Room. You must use an entry form for each photo entry submitted.
• 10:00am - 12:00pm: Beginning Mountain Dulcimer. Presented by the TNT Dulcimers (Deby Libby, Ginny Cliett and Linda Smith) in the Ukulele Room. Since there is a limit of 25 participants and a Limited number of dulcimers available, you must pre-register at Information Desk. Observers are welcome.
• 10:30am - 11:30am: Rock Formations in the Smokies. Presented by: Harry Moore in the Dobro Room.
• 11:00am - Noon: Introduction to the Mandolin. Presented by: Tony Thomas in the Violin Room.
• 11:30am - 12:30pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program: Peter’s Escape from Communist East Germany. presented by: Peter Seifert in the Harp Room.
• 11:30am: Sunday Hike Signups at Holiday Inn Express.
• 12:30pm - 1:30pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program. Smoky Mountain Ballads, Part One performed by the Boogertown Gap in the Violin Room.
• 1:00pm - 2:00pm: Discovering October Roads Video Presentation. Presented by: Fred Brown and Harry Moore in the Dobro Room.
• 1:00pm - 2:00pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program. Pilgrimage: A Pathway to Discovery presented by: J. Greg Johnson in the Ukulele Room.
• 1:00pm - 2:30pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program. Take A Hike Safely with the Right Gear While Practicing Leave No Trace Guidelines. Presented by: Bill Deitzer, Mike Braun and Pamela Rodgers in the Harp Room.
• 1:00pm - 3:00pm: Stream Stocked Trout Fishing. Presented by: Greg Ward in the Breakfast Room.
• 1:30pm - 2:30pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program. A Smokies Murder Mystery: "Murder at the Jumpoff". Presented by: Jenny Bennett in the Guitar Room. Jenny will discuss how her interest in off-trail hiking led her to write her novel of which excerpts will also be read.
• 2:00pm - 3:00pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program. Kids Program! Bear’s First Year Video Presentation. Presented by: Kate Marshall in the Violin Room.
• 2:30pm - 3:30pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program. Learning to See Photographically. Presented by: Bill Fortney in the Dobro Room.
• 2:30pm - 3:30pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program. Horace Kephart’s Wild Camp Cookery. Presented by: Ila Hatter in the Ukulele Room. Join Ila as she covers Kephart’s personal experiences and his curiosity about the wilderness leaves a legacy of wild foods and cooking techniques.
• 3:00pm - 4:00pm: Avent Cabin. The inhabitants, heritage and folklore of this historic Smoky Mountain cabin near Elkmont. Presented by: Carroll McMahan in the Harp Room.
• 3:00pm - 4:00pm: Searching for Panthers in the Smokies. Presented by: Dr. Don Linzey in the Guitar Room.
• 3:30pm - 4:30pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program. Kids Program that you must pre-register at Information Desk! Garbage Pizza: Keep Sevier Beautiful in the Breakfast Room.
• 3:30pm - 5:00pm: The White Caps and Blue Bills: stories of some of Sevier County’s most heinous shootouts, whippings, night-rides, trials, hangings and the unheralded heroism of men and women who fought to bring an end to this era of vigilantism, violence and intrigue that approached fever pitch in the 1890s. . Presented by: Don Williams in the Violin Room.
• 4:00pm - 5:00pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program. The "3D" Tour is songs and stories of Miss Dolly Parton as she grew up in these mountains. Presented by: Dolly, Duke and Davy: Hills-N-Hollows in the Dobro Room.
• 4:00pm - 5:00pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program. The Beauty and History of Switzerland Video presentation. Presented by: Shannon Harris in the Ukulele Room.
• 4:30pm - 5:30pm: Tennessee in 1863: A Sesquicentennial Commemoration of the Civil War. Presented by: Chris Tipton in the Harp Room.
• 4:30pm - 5:30pm: The Bone Hunters: The Discovery of beautifully preserved Miocene Age terrestrial animals in Gray, TN. Presented by: Harry Moore in the Guitar Room.
• 5:00pm - 7:00pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program. Basic Watercolor. Since there is a limit of 12, you must pre-register at Information Desk. Presented by: Louise Bales in the Breakfast Room.
• 5:30pm - 6:30pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program. Chattanooga Scenic International Photo Exhibition (SCIPE). Presented by: Pat Gordy in the Ukulele Room.
• 5:30pm - 6:30pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program. Forks of the Pigeon Cemetery Walk. Presented by: Theresa Williams in the Violin Room.
• 5:45pm - 6:45pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program. Confessions of Snake Boy: Snake Tales, Songs and Lore. Presented by: Doug Elliott in the Dobro and Harp Rooms.
• 6:00pm: Monday Hike Signups at the Holiday Inn Express.
• 7:00pm: Bagpipe Performance. performed by: Piper Charles A. Smith, Retired Commander of TVA Police in the Dobro and Harp Rooms.
• 7:00pm - 7:30pm: Wilderness Wildlife Week Opening Ceremony and Welcome. Presented by Butch Helton, Pigeon Forge Office of Special Events Manager and special guests in the Dobro and Harp Rooms.
• 7:30pm: Opening Remarks presented by Ken Jenkins in the Dobro and Harp Rooms.
• 7:45pm: New Wilderness Wildlife Week Program. Keynote Program: How to Tawlk and Rite Good: An Introduction to the Native Tongue of Southern Appalachia. Presented by Sam Venable in the Dobro and Harp Rooms.

What is so great about coming to the Pigeon Forge Wilderness Wildlife week in the Smokies is that is takes place just when off season kicks is so that is you were looking to rent a cabin in Pigeon Forge just a few weeks ago, the best ones were booked weeks or months in advance.

In season prices are also much higher for cabin rentals than being in off season. There are also huge discounts on cabin rentals with extended stays starting at $99 a night as well as Last Minute Cabin Rental Specials which can mean huge savings.

You will also find that the traffic in and around town and even in the Great Smoky Mountains national park is very light and that waits for a table in the best restaurants in the Smokies is almost nonexistent!

So don't miss out on the best kept secret in the Smokies: Wilderness Wildlife Week. Not only will you have a blast all day with free classes, demonstrations and guided hikes, when you get home to your cabin in the Smoky Mountains, kick back after a nice dinner, light a fire in the fireplace or take a dip first in the hot tub or the Jacuzzi, the choice is yours!

Cheap cabin rentals for Wilderness Wildlife Week