Tennessee: Pigeon Forge, Dollywood – Checkout Two New Stage Shows, Pure Family Fun. 
The 24th season gets under way March 28 with the park’s annual Festival of Nations with flair only Dolly Parton can pull off. The 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 dreamed about, and some great music, some I even wrote myself, that’s absolutely going to leave folks speechless. Maybe even me, too!”
Dollywood’s 24th season gets under way March 28 with the park’s annual Festival of Nations presented by Humana. In a show produced and performed for the first time at Dollywood, Imaginé is described as “an amazing visual feast” of “mesmerizing acrobatic theatre.” A premier cast of world-champion acrobats and performers from 15 countries presents acts including pole climbing, contortionists, hoop diving, unicyclists, silk ropes, the diablo, and much more. Imaginé showcases athletic ability, lavish costumes, dynamic lighting and vibrant music. Other performing groups featured during this year’s festival are Royal Stiltwalkers of Merchtem, Dainava, Keona, Calpulli Danza Mexicana, Atahualpa, the Jennifer Roland Band, Czech Pilsen Brass Band, and Zambia Vocal Group. Headlined by Imaginé, Festival of Nations continues through April 27 (Closed Tuesdays. Performance dates vary; please visit dollywood.com for specific group’s show times.)
Sha-Kon-O-Hey! premieres May 9 and incorporates scenic elements and stage effects never before seen at Dollywood. Parton wrote the eight songs featured in the new show which captures the spirit of the mountains and the rich heritage of the people who call them home as it takes audiences back to a time of great change in the Smoky Mountains in 1930s. “Sha-Kon-O-Hey” is the phonetic spelling of “Shaconage,” the Cherokee word which means “land of the blue smoke.”
In this elaborate musical journey, a wizened storyteller guides a reluctant family as they bid farewell to the area that eventually becomes Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Along the way, audiences meet the folks who inhabited this great land—the settlers, the rail and lumbermen, the Native Americans and the shiners. The show, performed in DP’s Celebrity, is included with park admission and continues with multiple performances daily through Oct. 31, 2009.
Parton recorded all eight songs on a new commemorative CD entitled Sha-Kon-O-Hey! Available at Dollywood, Dollywood’s Splash Country water park, Dolly Parton’s Dixie Stampede and Dinner Attraction, and GSMNP Visitor Center, the CD is $10 plus tax. Parton is donating $8 from each sale to Friends of the Smokies, a non-profit organization devoted to preserving and protecting the Great Smoky Mountains National Park by raising funds and public awareness. Anyone interested in supporting Friends of the Smokies through the sale of CDs should contact Steve Williams at (865) 428-8735.
Dollywood hosts four of the South’s largest festivals, including the summertime KidsFestsm (June 12-Aug. 2). The park’s three remaining festivals—Festival of Nations (March 28-April 27), National Gospel & Harvest Celebration (Oct. 2-31), and Smoky Mountain Christmas (Nov. 7, 2009-Jan. 2, 2010) all presented by Humana, round out the 2009 season.
Dollywood, a 150-acre family adventure park in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., won the Golden Tickets’ 2007 Publisher’s Pick for best theme park. Open nine months a year (March 27, 2009-Jan. 2, 2010), Dollywood offers more than 40 rides and attractions, including Thunderhead, twice named the world’s No. 1 wooden coaster, and Mystery Mine coaster, Theme Park Insider’s 2007 Best New Attraction. The winner of 11 Big E Entertainment Awards, more than any other park in the world, Dollywood’s live entertainment features country, bluegrass, gospel and mountain music. Plus, a dozen crafters authentic to the East Tennessee region demonstrate daily. Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Christmas won the Golden Tickets best Christmas event in 2008. Operating days and hours vary. For more information, call 1-800-DOLLYWOOD or visit
www.dollywood.com
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