Whether it’s performing for the nation on "America’s Got Talent," sharing the stories of their day-to-day life on their own TLC reality show, or treating Dollywood guests to a toe-tapping concert, the Willis family shows no signs of slowing down.
Among the many talented performers during Dollywood’s Barbeque & Bluegrass (May 13-22), The Willis Clan is slated to take the stage on May 15 for what promises to be a fun show for guests. The extremely talented family band is comprised of Toby and Brenda Willis’ 12 children. While the band has performed at Dollywood in the past, it was a recent appearance on NBC’s "America’s Got Talent" which saw their fortunes rise.
As one may expect, playing on national television was a game-changer for the family. The family’s third-oldest child, Jennifer, serves as the road manager for the band. She is also a multi-talented musician, counting the accordion, fiddle, piano, mandolin, electric and acoustic guitar, banjo and ukulele among her instruments of choice. Jennifer said,
"'America’s Got Talent' changed our normal life. Our fan base really grew because of it. We didn’t get as far as we would have liked, but it was enjoyable and everything happens for a reason. TLC saw us on the show and that is how the ball started rolling."
While their time on season nine of "America’s Got Talent" ended in the quarterfinals, TLC saw great potential in the family, creating a show named "The Willis Family" to document their daily experiences. The Willis Clan sees the show as an opportunity to inspire their viewers through both good and bad times they may be facing. Jennifer commented,
"There are pros and cons to a reality show. The pros are that it is great exposure for the band, and we love sharing our talents, our music and our core family values. The downsides are that people see when you struggle through things. They see when you have bad days, but we think it is important for people to see what is authentic. If everything was always good, people couldn’t relate. We all struggle; we want to be good role models by the ways in which we handle our issues."
Watching the show, viewers quickly understand two things; The Willis Clan likes to have fun, and they enjoy doing what they love as a family. Jennifer said,
"We feel so blessed and fortunate to do what we love as our business, and on top of that, we feel honored to do it with our family. So many people have to leave their family to do their job, we feel blessed to have the opportunity to do what we do with family."
When it comes to having fun, there is no better place for The Willis Clan to perform than Dollywood. Having visited the park as both guests and performers, Willis says her family knows they are in for a treat every time they visit the award-winning park. She said,
"We absolutely love it. I was born in Chicago, so I was a city kid. When I was young, coming to Dollywood was a blast. It was a highlight of the year to go to Dollywood. The rides and the theme park are great, but being from a musical family, and an artistic family in general, we loved the music, the crafts and the shops, too.
"Dollywood was the whole package for us. Mom and Dad, all the way down to the younger kids, could enjoy it. Coming to play now is such an honor for us because it was such a magical place to us growing up, and we love being integrated in to it now."
For guests ready to see the family in action, Willis said there may be a few surprises in store during the Dollywood appearance. Jennifer explained,
"The band is going through some good changes. People are growing up and starting to take on new roles. The show will have a great variety, lots of music, definitely some dancing, but you may see new members of the band getting up and performing. You also may see other members doing things they wouldn’t normally do. People are starting to branch out, and we are really excited about it."
Discover more about Dollywood’s Barbeque & Bluegrass
Photo Credit: © Curtis Hilbun Dollywood
Dollywood guests know every season at the award-winning park presents a totally different and exciting atmosphere. Much like the changing scenery in the nearby Great Smoky Mountains creates beautiful sights for visitors, Dollywood’s fabulous festivals provide a distinct and always-changing ambiance for those who come through the gates. As Dollywood enters its third decade of providing memory-making moments for families, its fantastic festivals offer guests a multitude of opportunities they’ll find nowhere else. Free international stage productions and concerts by bluegrass and Southern gospel favorites, the eight-time winner for Best Christmas Event, as well as extended operating hours and a nightly fireworks show in the summer, combine with the park’s more than 40 rides and attractions to provide something for everyone.
Dollywood’s Festival of Nations—March 19-April 18, 2016
Dollywood welcomes the world during Festival of Nations, a fascinating multi-cultural celebration! Featuring the traditional music, dance, food and art of nations from around the globe, Festival of Nations reminds guests of shared similarities while embracing unique, time-honored traditions. The headline show for 2016, Mother Africa, returns after its Dollywood debut in 2014. This renowned show combines skillful acrobatics, live music and traditional dance to delight audiences through a world-class demonstration celebrating Africa’s diverse traditions. Major touring stage shows, internationally-known performance groups, various roaming musicians and more make Festival of Nations a fun, educational and exciting experience. Authentic international cuisine and the daily celebrations by visiting nations throughout the park provide guests with an escape around the world without leaving the heart of the Smokies.
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Dollywood’s Barbeque & Bluegrass—May 13-22, 2016
Dollywood’s Barbeque & Bluegrass launches the unofficial start of summer and combines the tastiest barbeque in the South with the biggest names in bluegrass. This year’s festival features an impressive bluegrass lineup with a multitude of free daily concerts from an amazing collection of International Bluegrass Music Association award winners. This annual tradition wouldn’t be complete without pounds of saucy pulled pork, barbequed chicken and ribs by the slab. This family-favorite event is music to the ears… and a treat for the taste buds.
Dollywood’s Great American Summer—June 11-Aug. 7, 2016
Great American Summer provides families even more of what they already love—time together at Dollywood. This summertime celebration features extended park hours, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, giving families a unique chance to ride Dollywood’s world-class attractions, including Lightning Rod and Wild Eagle all day and well into the night! Families will love Chris Perondi’s Stunt Dog Show, which returns to Dollywood in 2016. The high-flying antics of these powerful pooches will leave audiences begging for more. Perondi’s amazing animals have been featured on "The Tonight Show," "Ellen" and "The Oprah Winfrey Show." Great American Summer also features award-winning illusionist Brad Ross who takes audiences on an inspirational journey into a world of fun and magic. Each show features unbelievable magic, world-class illusions, hysterical comedy and audience interaction. To complete the day, the park’s festive nightly fireworks show features uplifting music and interactive elements to celebrate the fun of Dollywood after dark! Each evening a high-spirited dance party entertains guests in Wilderness Pass with a 15-minute party designed to get every member of the family on their feet prior to Dolly’s Nights of Many Colors!
Dollywood’s National Southern Gospel & Harvest Celebration presented by Humana—Sept. 30-Oct. 29, 2016
With a colorful swatch of orange, red, yellow and gold painted across the landscape, fall in the Great Smoky Mountains provides the perfect festive backdrop for Dollywood’s National Southern Gospel & Harvest Celebration. Featuring a lineup, which includes some of the biggest names in Southern gospel music, the soul-stirring sounds of beautiful harmonies ring through the crisp autumn air as free daily concerts take place on the park’s various stages. Visiting artisans from across the country share their talents through an array of handmade wares, spanning from functional to decorative. Each day is a picture-perfect opportunity to enjoy the traditional experiences of a Smoky Mountain harvest!
Smoky Mountain Christmas presented by Humana—Nov. 5, 2016-Jan. 4, 2017
An eight-time winner of America’s Best Christmas Event, Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Christmas presented by Humana features four million holiday lights and spectacular holiday performances, including traditional favorites like "It’s a Wonderful Life" and "Christmas in the Smokies." Guests also can experience the fun and excitement of Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer and friends. Many of Dollywood’s signature rides and attractions operate in a festive environment designed to get everyone into the spirit of the season. From the award-winning shows and elaborate holiday decorations to the twinkling lights and Christmas-themed menus, Dollywood captures the essence of a Smoky Mountain Christmas.
As anticipation mounts for the opening of Dollywood’s Lightning Rod, fans now have one more way to satisfy their appetite for the world’s fastest wood coaster—a new Lightning Rod-themed ice cream flavor, thanks to Mayfield Dairy.
The packaging for Mayfield’s newest flavor, Smoky Mountain Fudge, features the colorful artwork of Lightning Rod launching riders to a world-record 73 mph top speed. The special ice cream flavor features chocolate ice cream swirled with fudge and chocolate sandwich cookie pieces. Dollywood fans can purchase Lightning Rod Smoky Mountain Fudge at Food City, Ingles, Weigel’s, Kroger, Publix, Walmart and Food Depot stores in Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. Scottie Mayfield, Mayfield President Emeritus said,
“Smoky Mountain Fudge is the perfect flavor to tell the story of Lightning Rod. Guests are taken for a wild ride through the foothills of the Smoky Mountains every time they board! Now, they can taste some of that excitement at home.”
While the ride has yet to open, it already has received much attention. USA Today called it "The most anticipated ride of 2016."
Lightning Rod rolls to the starting line as part of an adrenaline-packed 2016 season. Both the world’s fastest wood coaster and the world’s first launching wood coaster, it provides guests nearly 20 seconds of airtime, a number of innovative ride features and an unforgettable journey through the hills surrounding Dollywood.
Lightning Rod is not the first Dollywood coaster to receive special Mayfield ice cream packaging. In 2014, Mayfield helped celebrate the opening of FireChaser Express with Crunchy Caramel Pretzel.
For more information about Dollywood, please call 1-800-DOLLYWOOD or visit Dollywood.com.
Construction progress on the most anticipated new theme park attraction of 2016 is moving ahead at "lightning" pace. Dollywood recently showcased Lightning Rod, the park’s new record-breaking coaster, during a construction tour.
Upon arrival at the ride site, onlookers can’t help but notice the coaster’s massive lift hill, which now sits high above Dollywood—more than 20 stories to be exact. The first 165-feet drop propels riders to 73 mph. The ride’s innovative twin summit airtime hills were also on display. Thanks to the undulating topography, which the coaster races along during its 3,800-feet journey through the hills and valleys, surrounding Dollywood, much of the track is hidden from view inside the park. Its position serves to heighten anticipation for those waiting to step aboard the thrilling ride.
The tour featured a glimpse at Lightning Rod’s hot rod-themed ride vehicles, which closely resemble tricked-out speed machines from the 1950s. With the ride’s blisteringly quick top speed, Dollywood guests will soon feel the same adrenaline-packed rush hot rod mechanics have after stepping behind the wheel of one of their newest creations for the first time.
The ride, located in Dollywood’s Jukebox Junction, provides guests with nearly 20 seconds of airtime. The coaster train has 12 cars, carrying two passengers each, for a total of 24 thrill-seekers per train.
Dollywood’s development team has tapped Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC) as the ride manufacturer. RMC is no stranger to out-of-the-box coaster projects, having designed many first-of-their-kind attractions around the world. Lightning Rod employs several unique features including the lift hill launch, twin summit airtime hills, a 90+ degree banked breaking wave turn, a 90+ degree outside banked turn, and a non-inverting half loop.
Lightning Rod has already earned quite a following from roller coaster enthusiasts, thanks to its unique attributes. Lightning Rod not only is the world’s fastest wood coaster but also the world’s first launching wood coaster.
For more information about Dollywood’s Lightning Rod visit Dollywood.com or call 1-800-DOLLYWOOD.
Rounding out the park's award-winning Smoky Mountain Christmas event is a fantastic, family-friendly New Year's Eve celebration, complete with Fireworks. Dollywood is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on December 31, with Fireworks starting at 8:30 p.m.
Dollywood's Smoky Mountain Christmas presented by Humana is the only winner of Amusement Today’s Best Christmas Event award. Ask a season passholder why they return year after year, and words like tradition, magic and memories are a common refrain.
Regardless of the number of visits, a trip to Dollywood to experience its four million Christmas lights, spectacular holiday entertainment and delicious treats and goodies warms every soul with the spirit of the Season. Even Scrooge himself visits the park every day during the festival—thanks to his leading role in Dollywood’s A Christmas Carol, which celebrates its final year in 2015. This ground-breaking production features Dolly Parton as a hologram of the Ghost of Christmas Past.
Discover more about season passes, annual festivals and more Dollywood fun.
