Well, this past week I was looking down into the holler toward Webb’s Creek thinking about the last time I used a hot knife to scrape off a rumpledump that was securely attached to my skull. “Rumpledump” is a home-made word I created to avoid using the distasteful official name of a dreaded and nasty critter known by a name that rhymes with “ick.” Rumpledumps come in various sizes and styles, but all of them share a common interest in feeding on my blood. I hate that when that happens. I generally love all creatures large and small, but consider rumpledumps and its relatives as key members of my own unofficial Axis of Evil. Any critter that desires my blood as the major part of its diet is not on my gift list. Rumpledumps have a nasty group of relatives. The family tree includes other spiders and scorpions. I don’t care how tasty their potato salad is…I’ll take a pass on that family reunion. Rumpledumps cannot jump or fly and are slow creepy crawlers.... (more...)

Gatlinburg and Sevierville Chambers host Feb. 16 Luncheon GATLINBURG, Tenn.  January 27, 2010:  The Gatlinburg Chamber of Commerce and the Sevierville Chamber of Commerce will be hosting the first in their “Two Chambers, One Voice: 2010 Legislative Series.” United States Senator Bob Corker will be the keynote speaker at the first event on Tuesday, February 16, 2010 at Calhoun’s Banquet Hall in Gatlinburg. Senator Corker will address the Gatlinburg and Sevierville Chamber memberships and guests, give an update on the latest developments in Washington, and answer questions from the audience. Registration begins at 11:00am, and programming... (more...)

Businesses Will Receive Tips on How to Get Employees ‘Up and Running’ Encouraging your workers to work out actually works. Area employers who want to learn how to promote fitness in the workplace are invited to attend a first-ever Employer Wellness Night sponsored by the Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon. The marathon’s Wellness Night is a free event that will be held Tuesday, Feb. 9, from 6-7:30 p.m. at Radio Systems Corporation, located at 10424 Electric Avenue in West Knoxville. Local employers who have been successful in motivating their employees to run, jog and walk the Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon will offer tips and share best practices for motivating employees to get exercise and become physically active. Speakers will include Andy Baksa, former University of Tennessee track and field athlete and Clayton Homes fitness specialist;... (more...)

Pigeon Forge – In an attempt to help the people of Haiti, Mama’s Farmhouse in Pigeon Forge is offering a major incentive to their already popular wintertime “Buy One, Get One Free” special next week. All next week, during the Buy One Get One dinner specials, Mama’s will donate ALL dinner proceeds to the American Red Cross for relief efforts in Haiti. So it’s Buy One, Get One Free and we’ll Give ALL the proceeds to the Red Cross. Just imagine, for the price of one adult dinner ($16.99), you get TWO dinners AND you can know every penny of that $16.99 will be donated. This special event will start with dinner on Monday (2/1/10) and will continue through Friday (2/5/10). Please bring family and friends in this week to eat down home southern cooking, served up family style at an amazing price and, at the same time, help the people of Haiti recover from the devastating earthquake... (more...)

The Twin Creeks Science and Education Center at Great Smoky Mountains National Park has just received certification at the Gold Level under the US Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Rating System. Great Smoky Mountains National Park Superintendent Dale Ditmanson said, “As stewards of America’s most prominent and pristine natural and cultural resources, the National Park Service strives to set the best possible example of developing its facilities in such a manner as to make them as energy efficient and sustainable as we possibly can.  In addition, we design structures that minimally disrupt and are visually harmonious with the settings in which they are placed.” The LEED certification process evaluates structures based upon five environmental categories: Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources, and Indoor Environmental Quality. Additional credit is given for Design Innovations. In... (more...)

In 2009 during the Park’s 75th Anniversary celebration, Great Smoky Mountains National Park saw the largest number of visitors in almost a decade and recorded a 5 percent gain over 2008 visitation.  Despite unrelenting rains and an economic slump, the Park received 9,491,436 visitors through its three main entrances and outlying areas in Calendar Year 2009. “The anniversary proved to be an excellent opportunity to showcase the beauty, the history, and the diverse resources of the Smokies,” said Park Superintendent Dale Ditmanson.  “Several major events in and around the Park and the extensive publicity generated by the anniversary helped to bolster travel to this area.”  He continued, “We were extremely pleased with this year’s success and the occasion it presented to partner with our tourism neighbors to offer visitors exceptional educational, recreational, and memorable experiences at the Park and communities during this historic year.” At year’s end,... (more...)

The Diner Feb. 12-14 5-10pm daily Choice of bottomless Broccoli Cheese Soup or New England Clam Chowder, Fresh Garden or Caesar salad, Fresh Ground Pepper & choice of dressings including extra virgin olive oil & balsamic vinegar, Large Shrimp Cocktail, Char-grilled to order: Two of THE Diner’s custom cut meats: Choose our Ribeye Steak or large Portion of Beef Tips Smother your steak w/Grilled Peppers & Onions or Burgundy Mushrooms, Baked Potato or Fresh Home Fries w/Diced Onions, Fresh Steamed Broccoli or Cauliflower & Hollandaise or any DINER Vegetable your heart desires! Plus Dinner Rolls, Cornbread or Garlic Bread; Special Shared Valentines Dessert Choices, Chocolate & Strawberries A-Plenty; Includes all coffee, tea, juices & fountain beverages $37.50/couple PS: For those who don’t want steak & shrimp, THE DINER’s regular menu is always available – Flowers for all the ladies www.thediner.biz (865) 908-1904 Corky’s Ribs &... (more...)

Great Smoky Mountains National Park managers and officials from the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) met Tuesday to develop plans to improve the traffic flow and safety of the mile-long detour that carries southbound US 441 traffic around Monday night’s rockslide. Currently the south-bound traffic is being diverted onto one of the two lanes that normally carry north-bound traffic, creating two-way traffic flow. The slide occurred on the portion of the Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge Spur which is owned by the State of Tennessee, so TDOT has sole responsibility for repairs of the slide itself. The rest of the 5 mile-long Spur, including the detour area, is part of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, so the two agencies are working jointly to manage traffic during the closure of the south-bound Spur which TDOT believes may last a month or more. Great Smoky Mountains National Park Facility... (more...)

January 26, 2010 – The City of Knoxville issued its first permit this week for a restaurant seeking to let customers bring their pet dogs into its outdoor seating area. The French Market, a restaurant on Gay Street, received the initial permit under the new ordinance passed by City Council in December. Its owners, Allen and Susan Tate, applied for and received the permit on Monday, January 25. The Dogs on Patios permit is the result of legislation passed last year authorizing the state’s larger cities, including Knoxville, to allow restaurants to let pet dogs in their outdoor dining areas if the city established a permitting process. Restaurants that choose to participate are required to abide by certain conditions including that pets can’t be present within the interior of a restaurant or where food is prepared and must be on a leash and under the owner’s control at... (more...)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. –The Tennessee Titans hired Kennedy Pola as running back coach today. Pola joins the Titans after spending the last five seasons as the running back coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars. In his time with the Jaguars both Fred Taylor (2007) and Maurice Jones-Drew (2009) earned Pro Bowl honors and the Jaguars offense totaled the third most rushing yards in the NFL over that time, including four top 10 rushing finishes. This past season, Jones-Drew finished fourth in the NFL in rushing (1,391 yards), fourth in scrimmage yards (1,765) and second in total touchdowns scored (16). “Kennedy is fine coach and I am very much looking forward to working with him to see the contributions that he can add to our staff,” said Titans head coach Jeff Fisher. “He did a great job with the running backs down in Jacksonville and he had an instrumental role in their run game.” Pola has 18 years of coaching experience, including 12 seasons as a college coach and one year with the Cleveland... (more...)