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As the month comes to a close the list of fall festivals continues to grow. Saturday is the last day for Dollywoods Great Pumpkin LumiNights and the Harvest Festival and the Harvest of Art taking place in Dayton Tennessee. North Georgia Agricultural Fair organizers in Dalton have made the decision to add one day to the fair which ends on Sunday now. This weekend also sees Halloween celebrations with community celebrations taking place in Jasper and Cleveland Tennessee. Around the area several trunk-or-treat candy giveaways will also be happening. On Saturday the Jasper Jack-o-Lantern Jamboree is taking place in the town square. At 4 p.m. a drive-thru Trunk or Treat Trail which is open to golf carts vehicles and hayrides will be opening. Participants will be entering on Warrior Drive and then circling the Jasper Sports Complex and then exit on Turner Street. The evening will end with a small fireworks display to honor Joshua K Jennings the late founder of the event. The Halloween block party in Cleveland has been expanded and is now a Trick-or-Treat over two days to accommodate increased social distancing than what could be achieved over the normal one-night even around the square of the Bradley County Courthouse according to Sharon Marr MainStreet Clevelands executive director. Marr says they have 33 years of experience in being a large Halloween event. For us it is a really fun night. Changing it was a very tough decision to make. However with a crowd of 15000 to 18000 individuals many vendors and lines of people waiting for food ad candy we needed to find some way to make things safe due to the COVID situation. Instead of a busy Treat Street well-stocked with Mars Wrigley candy which has a Cleveland manufacturing plant children will be trick-or-treating on the sidewalks in front of restaurants retailers and businesses in four different neighborhood zones the Old Woolen Mill the Museum Center First Street square and the courthouse square. There will also be street musicians adding to the festivity. Expanding the event to two nights provides families to choose which one they want to attend. It is open on Friday from 5-8 pm and on Saturday from 3-6 pm. At http://www.mainstreetcleveland.com there is a map of all of the candy stops available. Similar events which include LaFayette Georgias Scare on the Square Chickamauga Georgias Pumpkin Fest and Dayton Tennessees PumpkinFest have all been canceled for this year due to concerns over coronavirus. Candice Graham MainStreet Daytons executive director said that officials had been hoping to hold some PUmpkinFest version before they ultimately decided to cancel the event. Usually the event runs over two days with its multiple activities including trick-or-treating pie-eating contests and karaoke. Graham said that for a while things hung in the balance. Although fall is a draw still in the Great Smoky Mountains it will be the final weekend for enjoying the Great Pumpkin LumiNights and the Harvest Festival at Dollywood. The park will be transitioning into Smoky Mountain Christmas in a week and opens on November 7. Original Article Read Article here Related Pigeon Forge Video: via Pigeon Forge Tennessee https://pigeonforgeblog.wordpress.com/2020/11/12/trunk-or-treat-celebrations-are-among-the-fall-festivals-taking-place-in-the-chattanooga-area-this-weekend/

Officials in Sevier County are discussing whether they should keep the mask mandate going for a while longer. The one currently set in place is due to expire October 20, 2020, at midnight Friday.

Governor Bill Lee empowered mayors, such as Mayor Larry Waters of Sevier County, to issue local mask mandates through executive orders which apply throughout the rest of the year. Governor Lee, thus far, has resisted the idea of a mandate being implemented statewide.

WVLT News spoke to Mayor Water’s office, who said they were absolutely concerned about COVID cases rising. Having said that, they had not made a final decision on an extension of the previous mask mandate, even though state officials pointed out that general cases of COVID-19 were rising. Hospitalizations had also been rising, having recently hit an all-time high.

David Wear is the mayor of Pigeon Forge. He says that even though numbers are rising, he thinks that numbers would have gone even higher had there not originally been a mandate. Mayor Wear also points out that tourism went up a lot in the last eight weeks, likely due to guests feeling much safer.

He knows that guests know there is a mask mandate in place, and focus groups seem to indicate tourism is up because tourists feel safer in a space with a mask mandate. He also notes many grocery stores and restaurants are mandating masks whether there is a government mandate or not.

The original mask mandate took effect in the month of July, but Mayor Waters extended that specific order for another 30 days each following month.

Before making the decision each month, Mayor Waters has been in consultation with leadership from all three cities regarding what they collectively want to see going forward.

Mayor Waters believes that Sevier County has handled the pandemic rather well starting back in the month of March through present day. He is particularly proud of the ‘fantastic job’ done by the hospital.

Given how the pandemic is likely to linger for many more months, such decisions are going to be faced by local governments for some time to come.

via Pigeon Forge Tennessee https://pigeonforgeblog.wordpress.com/2020/11/12/sevier-county-is-considering-choice-about-keeping-mask-mandate/

A male minor in Pigeon Forge has been taken to court and brought up on charges of starting a blaze that led to the destruction of a business housed in the Z Buda Mall. The minor is accused of starting the inferno which completely razed down the Just Stop Smokies joint and damaged several surrounding enterprises on October 5. Investigators from the Pigeon Forge Police Department said that there were strong links between the October 5 fire and another blaze that had occurred at a Kroger located on Wears Valley Road just two days earlier. An employee within the Z Budda Mall gave evidence to investigators that on the day in question they were alerted to the fire by a smoking display and this is when they spotted the minor at the scene. It is while the employee was putting out the blaze using water that the minor ran away from the location. Investigators were able to trace the minor and his guardians to their Tennessee home after going through multiple statements from both arson scenes and surveillance footage from the crime scenes. In court the minor was brought up on two charges of causing deliberate aggravated arson. Previous News Story On Monday afternoon an inferno completely destroyed a business located within the Red Roof Mall in Pigeon Forge Tennessee and caused severe damages to other businesses which were in close proximity. Tony Watson The Chief of Pigeon Forge Fire Department said that the blaze at Factory Outlet Mall on 2828 Parkway was first reported at about 2:05 p.m. According to a press release that was shared on Monday multiple first responders from different agencies across the county showed up to help curb the spread of the blaze. At the time of the release the fire had been contained. However investigators had not yet determined the cause of the inferno. No individual was hurt by the inferno. According to Watson by the time the first firefighters arrived at the scene Just Stop Toys amp; Gifts one of the businesses at the mall had already been totally been completely gutted by the fire. Chief Watson said that the fire crews at the scene of the fire worked valiantly to contain the blaze at the site of origin so that it did not spread to nearby buildings. However by the time the fire got contained one of the nearby buildings had already sustained heavy smoke damage while another sustained minor smoke damage. Fire crews from Sevierville and Gatlinburg came to assist their colleagues from Pigeon Forge to contain the blaze. Though the fire had already been put under control Watson side that the crews on site were likely to work through the night identifying and putting out potential hot spots with a view of ensuring that the inferno did not start again. The Pigeon Forge Fire Department chief said that he expects that further investigations as to the cause of the blaze are expected to resume on Tuesday. Watson attributed the quick spread of the fire to the fact that the original site of the blaze had no sprinklers. Several enterprises close to the scene of the blaze lost their electricity supply during the efforts to curb the spread of the blaze. However Chief Watson provided business owners with an assurance that they will get power restored since safety had already been restored in the area. Original Article: https://www.wbir.com/article/news/local/fire-breaks-out-at-pigeon-forge-outlet-mall/51-6fde38cb-64c1-462d-aca2-a93a0e846ef9 Related Pigeon Forge Video: via Pigeon Forge Tennessee https://pigeonforgeblog.wordpress.com/2020/11/12/minor-charged-with-arson-at-a-mall-in-pigeon-forge/

At one point in time 2020 seemed as though it was going to be a stellar year. Then March arrives and it has been going downhill since. During this time much of the business world has come to a screeching halt. Pigeon Forge was just one location that was hitting its stride to the best year ever before COVID-19 hit us. Most years the city will earn upwards of 1.5 billion dollars in revenue. Over the past six years that has been the general amount the city has come to expect. However all of that changed once the pandemic hit the nation. Starting around March 15th the area began to slow down and then the stay at home order was issued and the town basically closed down until further notice. With the town in lockdown mode a number of businesses were hurt financially. A number of area restaurants including Smokys Pancake Cabin Smoky Mountain Pancake House Quaker Steak and Lube Flapjacks Pancake Cabin Golden Corral T.G.I. Fridays and Corkeys BBQ were all hurt. Many businesses in the area shut down for 3 weeks but lost much business over the course of two months. One must understand that a number of business that were affected in the area are mom and pop shops. This is their livelihood and income and in a matter of weeks it was gone. when shops that rely on visitors can not come to the area or there is a shutdown in progress that keeps people from other states away it is going to hurt everyone in the area. Pigeon Forge is an area that relies on tourism we excel at hospitality and people love coming to an area where they feel safe and comfortable. With the threat of COVID lurking around every corner it is impossible to make anyone feel safe and comfortable. Typically during the spring season there are families all over the town having fun and making memories. This year the area was a ghost town with many locals not too sure about their next move. It was a rather daunting experience for many residents and shopkeepers. Area revenue was down by almost 80% compared to the year before. Thankfully this number has been decreasing with each passing month allowing for more income to trickle in. The first couple of weeks was slow to start for many businesses but this was good as it allowed them to get their feet on the ground and put proper preparations in place. Many new guidelines and precautions that were mandated by the state and county were implemented. This was a little more difficult at some area restaurants due to space limitations and layout. Golden Corral is one area restaurant that is still struggling with changes. The restaurant has not been able to get back to its once normal operation however they are working hard to make sure everyone is safe. For instance customers must use gloves before they use a set of tongs to grab food from the buffet. They must be changed every time they come back up with a new place. Many of the area businesses saw an upward trend during the summer. As people began to see posts on social media and came to visit they felt self in the area. They saw the changes that had been implemented or heard things from family and friends and new we were back open. Changes such as street closures mandatory masks or even 505 operational capacity made everyone feel safe again. With these changes revenue was down by only 35% compared to the previous year. During the month of June it was down by 12% and in July by 9%. This is mostly due to the fact that Pigeon Forge is a driving destination. For two-thirds of the population living east of the Mississippi it is a days drive by the interstate with a number of exciting outdoor activities. One must consider the fact that just about everything in the Pigeon Forge area including the shopping is located outside. People love the open environment and feel safe. They like being outside and having the ability to move around and have a sense of normalcy. While revenue began to increase over the summer months a number of events still had to be cancelled due to safety precautions. Many of these events such as the Spring Rod Run are responsible for bringing in a number of tourists. Even for the events that continued they were much smaller and brought a lot less business to the area. For example the area holds a huge Halloween event at The Island but this year it is not going to be advertised as much in hopes of keeping it smaller. Other events that tend to attract large events such as the annual tree lighting with Paula Deen have already been cancelled. Halloween will continue but just in smaller fashion. There will be trick or treating throughout the area for a limited number of hours. Sadly so many area events have had to be cancelled for the year or cut to a smaller size. Such in case is the National Quartet Convention. What is a typically large event for the city was cut in size o keep it safer. Typically that event will bring in as many as 10000 visitors to the city. At the time of this writing events such as New Years Eve is still up in the air. This is usually a big celebration and big revenue earner but it may be too big for COVID standards. There are a number of events that will still go on throughout the Fall and Winter to keep visitors and residents entertained. If things stay about the same the city should be able to have some good events. The Smoky Mountain Winter Fest is a huge crowd draw during the fall and winter. Three cities will place up to 15 million lights up. Dollywood features an astounding 6 million lights that can be toured and enjoyed from your car allowing for a safe and fun holiday experience. As revenue continues to grow to what it was last year the city is optimistic for the upcoming season. Everyone in the area is looking to return to a normal lifestyle. Considering how things are going the city is about to where it needs to be. Life will continue to change and people will adapt and move one and learn to live with COVID. Life in our area will see a surge in popularity and revenue as the seasons continue. People come to this area to get away from the problems of the world and make good memories that will last a lifetime. Original article: Go Here Related Video: via Pigeon Forge Tennessee https://pigeonforgeblog.wordpress.com/2020/11/12/how-covid-will-change-tourism-in-pigeon-forge/