Dollywood, with Dolly’s help, expanded its entertainment lineup to welcome "Sha-Kon-A-Hey! Land of Blue Smoke," the most elaborate musical production in the park’s 24-year history. Dolly said,
“Having grown up and lived in the heart of these beautiful mountains, my love for this area is deep, genuine and heartfelt. Sha-Kon-O-Hey! celebrates the wonderful people, music and proud heritage of this spectacular place,”
With Dolly’s help, Dollywood also added "Le Grande Cirque’s Imaginé," showcasing international performers from around the world.
“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. There’s special effects and things I’ve only dreamed about, and some great music, some I even wrote myself, that’s absolutely going to leave folks speechless. Maybe even me, too!”
In May 2009, Dollywood guests were able to fly like an eagle over Dolly’s 150 acre theme park and experience the majesty of the Great Smoky Mountains with the opening of SkyZip. SkyZip became the first multiple station zip-line experience to open in a U.S. theme park. The hour-long, premium SkyZip Dollywood adventure included five zip-line treks, ranging in length from 100 to nearly 1,000 feet, and a 100-foot long swinging bridge perched above the trees. Each zip-line is an elevated and inclined wire from which a pulley and seating apparatus are suspended, allowing the guest to move between two points via gravity.
The zip-line adventure provided an environmental and historical tour of undeveloped and unspoiled property surrounding Dollywood. It was hosted by specially-trained adventure guides as part of Dollywood’s celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Dolly is proud of her Tennessee Mountain Home, so when officials from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) asked her to serve as the park’s celebrity ambassador during its 75th anniversary, she answered with a resounding YES! Dolly said,
"Having grown up and lived in the heart of these beautiful mountains, my love for this area is deep and genuine. The mountains have inspired so much of my music, and through my songs, I’ve always been sort of an unofficial ambassador for Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I’m truly honored to join this yearlong celebration."
To commemorate the Great Smoky Mountains National Park 75th anniversary, Dollywood unveiled a new show, "Sha-Kon-O-Hey!." The 45-minute musical production incorporated scenic elements and stage effects never before seen at Dollywood. "Sha-Kon-O-Hey!" captured the spirit of the mountains and the rich heritage of the people who call them home. The title, Sha-Kon-O-Hey is the phonetic spelling of "Shaconage," the Cherokee word which means "land of the blue smoke."
River Battle is a themed water raft ride equipped with powerful soaker guns. As the rafts navigate the waters, the battle begins as passengers, each armed with a soaker gun, take aim at each other and more than 100 targets along the way. Among those targets are large-scale "talking animals"—beavers, skunks, otters, bears and more. Beware, while rafters are soaking each other in raft-to-raft sparring, they also can "shoot" observers along the way. Even family members looking on can enjoy the River Battle fun! Dolly said,
"When I was a kid, me and my brothers and sisters used to sneak away and start up a river battle of our own, but I never dreamed that kind of childhood fun would end up creating a great ride like my new River Battle."
Dollywood took home top honors in several categories at the 2007 International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) Expo. "The Great American Country Show" won the prestigious Heartbeat Award during the Big E Awards ceremony. This was the second consecutive year Dollywood claimed the Heartbeat Award; "Dreamland Drive-In" won the honor the previous year.
The Heartbeat Award recognizes the show that demonstrates superior overall ability in reaching the hearts of its audience. Candidates are judged on the commitment of the cast, the quality and content of the production and the effectiveness on the part of the producing organization in seeking to create a special connection with its audience.
