Dollywood enjoyed a bountiful harvest during the theme park’s 2006 National Southern Gospel & Harvest Celebration. The park welcomed a host of Southern gospel legends along with 49 visiting crafters. Dollywood’s Southern gospel roots run deep, as does the talented roster for this year’s festival. Award-winning artists Dottie Rambo, the McKameys, the Crabb Family, the Isaacs, the Florida Boys, Karen Peck & New River, the Kingdom Heirs and many more graced the stage. And don’t forget the food! The Apple Market offered a variety of Southern heirloom apples, apple fritters and fresh-baked biscuits.
At the Appalachian Cooking Booth, guests enjoyed Southern cuisine at its finest with Smoky Mountain Spoon Bread and Granny Ogle’s Specialty Cornbread, both served with fried okra and skillet-fried corn, while The Grill offered chicken and steak kabobs. Finally, Dollywood’s National Southern Gospel & Harvest Celebration offered guests one of the country’s most prestigious gatherings of artisans.
Guests felt the thunder and they like it! For the second year in a row, Dollywood’s Thunderhead roller coaster was named the number one wooden coaster in the world by the voters of the 2006 Golden Tickets Awards. It edged out The Voyage at Holiday World, Boulder Dash at Lake Compounce, and Hades at Mount Olympus Theme Park for the prize.
Voters described the smooth ride, unpredictability and re-rideability of the coaster, as reasons for its success. In 2004, Thunderhead was the highest debuting wooden coaster in the history of the awards. While Thunderhead received rave reviews, that’s not the only thing people are talking about at Dollywood. The theme park placed in six additional categories at the Golden Tickets Awards.
Marking the largest capital investment in the company’s history, Dollywood’s new ride for the 2007 season is the $17.5 million Mystery Mine steel roller coaster. Mystery Mine brings a one-acre expansion of Dollywood’s Timber Canyon area, also home to Thunderhead™, the world’s number one wooden coaster.
In a continuation of the area’s lumber camp theme, the Mystery Mine ride is set in an abandoned coal mine where eight-passenger mine carts immediately plunge riders into darkness before continuing along a 1,811-foot track through the ruins of an early 1900’s mine. Dolly said,
“I’ve had to keep my big mouth shut about the Mystery Mine, but I can tell you now, it’s the most exciting thing to come out of these hills in a long, long time. And I’ve got a few more tricks up my sleeve that I’m still not telling you about until it opens at Dollywood next year, but I can guarantee you it’s well worth the wait!”
During the ride, passengers encounter several high-speed twists as the mine cars maneuver their way through a series of uncertain encounters including a fall from a collapsed trestle and a plunge into an abandoned tunnel. Mystery Mine, the first ride of its kind in the U.S., also incorporates state-of-the-art special effects.
With another summer on the horizon, Dolly found just the thing for families visiting her theme park: Merlin Award-winning magicians The Fercos Brothers! The talented illusionists headlined Dollywood’s KidsFest with a show featuring exotic cats and a variety of extravagant magic acts. Dolly said,
"'Big Cats & Magic' is the purr-fect show to entertain families at Dollywood’s KidsFest. When the Fercos Brothers make those big cats start disappearing, the fur’s sure to fly as folks think their eyes are playing tricks on them!"
KidsFest is a fun summer tradition at Dollywood.
Dollywood enjoyed a marquee year for entertainment in 2006. Excitement surrounded the debut of two new Dollywood shows, "Dollywood's Babes in Toyland" and "Dreamland Drive-In." "Dollywood’s Babes in Toyland" was the most elaborate stage production in Dollywood’s 20-year history. It was a never-before-seen adaptation of the family classic with a Dolly twist, of course. And the ‘50s and ‘60s musical revue, "Dreamland Drive-In," delighted audiences as it showcased the much-loved music of the ‘50s and ‘60s. Dolly said,
"Dollywood’s entertainment holds a special place in my heart, and I’m as excited as I’ve ever been about inviting folks to enjoy 'Dreamland Drive-In' and 'Dollywood’s Babes in Toyland.' It’s a chance for everyone to get lost in the great music and share some special times."
