October 15, 2018
Harvest Festival Comes to Gatlinburg
The City of Gatlinburg is celebrating autumn and the harvest September 7 through November 25, 2018 with the Smoky Mountain Harvest Festival. This is a fabulous time of year to visit Eastern Tennessee. You can enjoy the beautiful fall colors, visit talented artists and craftsmen, enjoy the whimsical decorations, or take in one of the area’s special events. Many of our guests have marked their calendars for the November 8 Chili Cookoff. More information on this and other events is available at https://www.gatlinburg.com/event.
Gatlinburg is embracing the season with brand-new autumn-themed displays, life-size scarecrow people, and scarecrows created by individual business establishments.
Scarecrows Have Long History as Harvest Helpers
Scarecrows are used by farmers to protect their crops from birds. Historians tell use that people the world over have used scarecrows for more than 3,000 years. The first record of scarecrows is by the Egyptians who used them to protect their wheat fields along the Nile. Each culture designed their scarecrows differently. Greek scarecrows looked like one of their gods, while German scarecrows are distinctly witch-like.
Gatlinburg is celebrating the season with whimsical scarecrows.
Most scarecrows in the U.S. are human in form and dressed in old clothes. Some farmers use aluminum strips tied to the scarecrow to catch the light and scare away birds. Inflateable tube men have also been used in this fashion.
The scarecrow has been a powerful symbol in literature. Nathanial Hawthorne’s short story “Feathertop” features a scarecrow brought to life by a witch in Salem, Massachusetts. Whether you prefer Ray Bolger’s scarecrow in “The Wizard of Oz” or Michael Jackson’s in “The Wiz”, we all root for the scarecrow who bemoans “If I only had a brain . . .”. And Indiana-born John Mellencamp featured the agricultural anthem “Rain on the Scarecrow” in his 1985 album “Scarecrow”.
Some of the most colorful names for scarecrows come from the United Kingdom. There the figure may be called hay-man, murmet, hodmedod, tattie bogle, mommet or mawkin.
By whatever name, we find scarecrows to be the iconic decoration of the harvest season!
October 1, 2018
Autumn Activities in the Great Smoky Mountains
The Great Smoky Mountain Association (GSMA) has announced autumn hiking and learning opportunities in our area this October.
Autumn Birding
Both novice and expert birders will find a rich variety of late-season habitats at the Seven Islands State Birding Park in Kodak, Tennessee. The park is on a peninsula nestled in a bend of the French Broad River and features a diverse landscape of aquatic and grassland habitats, hiking trails, and spectacular mountain views. In a single day, birders may see or hear as many as 80 different species! The hike will be conducted on Sunday, October 7 at 8:00 am. Birders can expect to hike no more than 5 miles on trails rated as moderately difficult. To learn more about all the activities in this blog post, please visit http://www.gsmassoc.org.
Autumn is the perfect season for birding.
Another birding opportunity, this one on Monday, October 8 at 8:00 am starts at the Newfound Gap Rockefeller Memorial to seek out high-elevation bird species such as vireos, nesting wood warblers, and flycatchers. After several hours at Newfound Gap, the birders will drive to Clingman’s Dome to follow a nature trail in search of red crossbills, common ravens, and more. This hike is rated moderate and will be about 5 miles in length.
Hiking
If you are in the mood for an easy to moderate hike of about 6 miles, then be sure to go to Mingus Mill in North Carolina on Monday, October 8. The hikers will follow a portion of Mingus Creek. Local hiking enthusiasts will lead the way to Floyd Cemetery and perhaps also to Queen W.H. Cemetery. The hike includes passing the still-operating Mingus Mill which was built in 1886.
As the group goes to the Enloe Slaves Cemetery they will enjoy spotting wildlife activity, late-season wildflowers, and early fall foliage colors.
On Tuesday October 30 you can meet at 8:30 at the Little Brier School in Tennessee. Park volunteer Robin Goddard, dressed in character, will take you back in time to 1881 in the one-room Little Greenbrier schoolhouse. As the hike continues, a professional naturalist will share the cultural history of the Walker family. She will explain the natural resources they needed so the family of 13 could be self-sustaining. They worked in their livestock pastures, fruit orchards, and vegetable fields until the 1960’s. Be prepared to walk about 5 miles on easy to moderate trails.
Autumn is a wonderful time to visit the Great Smoky Mountains. The weather will be perfect for hiking and exploring, and then for enjoying a delightful dinner and cozy accommodation at the Buckhorn Inn.
Gatlinburg Weather
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