Dollywood announced plans to expand its Country Fair area inside the park to include 10 new rides and a new look for the 2005 season. The emphasis of the expansion focused on family rides.
The Country Fair area already is one of the most popular areas within Dollywood. The expansion increased the area’s capacity by more than 2,000 passengers an hour. The rides include a mix of traditional favorites and unique experiences new to the industry. A 70-foot-tall airplane-style ride allowed passengers to create their own flight experience. Other themed rides offered twists, turns, spins and dips. Most allowed parents and children to experience the ride together.
Dolly believed in providing a park the whole family can enjoy. The new Dollywood family rides featured several attractions specifically designed for small children.
Dollywood’s resident gospel quartet the Kingdom Heirs took home the 2004 Band of the Year Award at this year’s Singing News Fan Awards on Sept. 16. The fan-voted awards ceremony was part of the National Quartet Convention.
This is the second time the Kingdom Heirs received this award. The Kingdom Heirs recorded a new Christmas album, "The Spirit of Christmas," which they featured during the Smoky Mountain Christmas festival.
Dollywood theme park hosted a spectacular Harvest Celebration. It featured an array of talented artisans, special entertainment and fantastic foods amid a backdrop of lavish fall décor. The event included a five-week competition between some of the country’s premier caricature carvers and their finest handiwork. Meanwhile, visiting chefs revealed kitchen secrets during cooking demonstrations. More than 30 Southern gospel artists performed on various park stages.
The Great Smoky Mountains, provided the amazing fall color. To further enhance the beauty of the season, visitors saw 4,000 pumpkins, gourds and squash. There were 5,500 stalks of corn and 3,000 potted mums in a variety of colors. Hundreds of yards of honeysuckle vine completed the scene.
When Dolly is involved, putting on a bluegrass concert series is more like a Bluegrass Blast. For three days, Dollywood visitors enjoyed music by award-winning artists across the theme park. Dolly said,
“I love listening to bluegrass music just about as much as I love singing it. That makes me especially proud to present bluegrass music’s finest at Dollywood during my Bluegrass Blast.”
Nine-time GRAMMY Award winner Ricky Skaggs, Ralph Stanley & the Clinch Mountain Boys and the Del McCoury Band headlined the event. All concerts were free with admission to Dollywood.
Dollywood’s Splash Country guests can climb to new heights of fun and adventure with the addition of Bear Mountain Fire Tower, a new $2 million interactive, multi-level water-filled attraction scheduled to open in 2005. Themed in the spirit of the many fire towers that dot the East Tennessee landscape, Bear Mountain Fire Tower will be located adjacent to Big Bear Plunge which opened in July of 2004.
Each level of Bear Mountain Fire Tower will feature various water-based activities including a 1,000-gallon bucket situated atop the highest level. After warning bells sound indicating that a fire has been spotted, the large bucket spills, setting off a chain reaction of subsequent, smaller buckets. Bear Mountain Fire Tower’s firefighting theme is complete with hand cannons, hoses and buckets which allow every member of the family to engage in some friendly, water-based exchanges. Sliding poles, escape chutes and ladders are just a few of the tower’s many other fun-filled attractions.
