UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE ATHLETICS 2009 FACTS OVERVIEW OF UTAD Background: Member of NCAA Division 1A and Southeastern Conference Support 20 varsity intercollegiate sports Provide 260.2 scholarships to over 500 male and female student-athletes Goals: Athletics seeks to: Graduate all student-athletes; Compete for and win SEC and NCAA titles; and Produce young men and women to be ambassadors for our University and our state. Athletics must be fiscally responsible: Self-supporting Receive   Read More ...

On January 22, 2009, two North Carolina men were convicted and sentenced in Federal Court in Bryson City, NC, one for illegally digging American ginseng and both for a failure to obey a lawful order given by a U.S. Park Ranger in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Jeremy Farmer, 24, of Canton, NC and Larry Johnson, 46, of Clyde, NC were both found guilty, fined and sentenced to jail terms.   Read More ...

Entertainment superstar and East Tennessee native Dolly Parton will serve as the celebrity ambassador for the 75th anniversary of Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) in 2009. “Having grown up and lived in the heart of these beautiful mountains, my love for this area is deep and genuine,” Parton said. “The mountains have inspired so much of my music, and through my songs, I’ve always been sort of an unofficial ambassador   Read More ...

Imagine that you’re rocketing down a 400-foot snow-covered slope, lying flat on your back in a canvas-covered tube. As you knife through the falling snow, the only thing louder than your squeals of delight are the screams of pure joy coming from your kids in the next lane. Or was that shriek from your best friend? It’s called snow tubing, Smoky Mountains style, and it’s the newest reason to make   Read More ...

The lights are on every evening during the wintertime in Gatlinburg, and now every display is environmentally friendly. Whatever could Gatlinburg do to improve upon its annual four-month long citywide winter lights promotion, an endeavor which has grown in popularity every year since its inception in 1989? Why, start over, of course, with more than a million dollars worth of imagination and an eye on protecting our environment with the   Read More ...

GATLINBURG, Tenn. (Jan.26, 2009) – TripAdvisor’s Senior Vice President, Robin Ingle, visited  Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies on Monday, January 26 to officially present the aquarium with a trophy that declares it the Number One Aquarium in the United States.  Ingle was joined at the media luncheon by Susan Whitaker, commissioner of tourism for the state of Tennessee. The award was presented by Ingle to Jim Pattison, Jr., president of   Read More ...

ORLANDO, Fla. – After winning two national titles there is a thought that maybe one would be complacent or that time would catch up with them. Tennessee’s dance team left no doubt and put to rest any thought of complacency in the semi-finals on Saturday night and then proceeded to nail its third straight national crown, in the Jazz Division, in resounding fashion on Sunday night at Walt Disney World’s   Read More ...

Two all-new shows—Le Grande Cirque’s Imaginé, showcasing international performers from around the world, and Sha-Kon-O-Hey! Land of Blue Smoke, celebrating the music and people of the Great Smoky Mountains—headline Dollywood’s 2009 season. “I’m proud that Dollywood offers families a great place to spend time together, and this year, they get to enjoy two incredible new shows that I’m especially excited about,” Dolly Parton said. “There’s special effects and things I’ve only   Read More ...