“To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!”

Judged the overall best float in this year’s Bryson City Christmas Parade, the Marianna Black Library’s entry featured Youth Services Librarian Ellen Whitehead reading Clement Moore’s classic “The Night Before Christmas” to a group of children. It’s a role that Ellen performs regularly at the library’s “Story Time”, a reading program for pre-school children.

Known as “the biggest, little Christmas Parade in the Smokies”, the 35th annual Bryson City parade featured clowns, rock and country bands, floats, homecoming queens, marching bands, and of course, Santa.

Photo contributed by the Marianna Black Library

Each day at dusk, the streets of Cherokee, NC come alive with holiday lights. The Tribe’s annual “Festival of the Lights” features lighted, animated scenes and holiday characters throughout town. And the centerpiece of the display is Island Park, where the foot bridges are festooned with lighted garlands and the lights are reflected off the Oconaluftee River. The Festival of the Lights can be seen nightly through January 11.

Christmas music is a big part of the Polar Express Train Ride experience with everyone joining in. And while one might assume that the conductor would direct the singing, it’s actually the singing chefs that lead the passengers in singing familiar Christmas carols.

Departing from the Bryson City train depot, the Polar Express train ride continues through Wednesday, December 23. A great holiday tradition with caroling, hot cocoa, a treat and chance to talk to Santa.  More info and schedules.

Nothing says “October” quite like the pumpkin. And yes, it is technically a fruit because it has seeds. And even if you carve your pumpkin into a jack-o-lantern, you can still enjoy those seeds as a tasty and nutritious snack. The shells are edible and a good source of fiber. Recipe below.

Locally-grown pumpkins are available at markets and fruit stands throughout the Smokies. But for children, there’s an exciting way to get a pumpkin in the Smokies. They can ride a train, visit a pumpkin patch, meet Charlie Brown, Lucy and Snoopy and bring home their own pumpkin on the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad’s annual Halloween-themed excursion. “Peanuts — The Great Pumpkin Patch Express” continues weekends through October 25. Trains depart the Bryson City depot.

Oven-Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

INGREDIENTS
Pumpkin seeds
Cooking spray, olive oil, or butter
Optional: Salt, garlic powder, onion powder, seasoned salt, or other seasoning of choice

PREPARATION
Rinse pumpkin seeds. Use your fingers to remove all the pulp. Drain pumpkin seeds and discard pulp. Spread out on a cookie sheet to dry overnight.

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with non-stick foil.

Toss pumpkin seeds in olive oil, butter, or spray with cooking spray. Sprinkle with salt, garlic powder, onion powder, seasoned salt, cayenne pepper, or your choice of seasonings. Toss to coat.

Bake about 1 hour, tossing every 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown.

Cool pumpkin seeds before eating. Store in an airtight container at room temperature up to three months or refrigerate up to a year.

If you like your toasted pumpkin seeds extra-salty, soak overnight in a solution of 1/4 cup salt to 2 cups of water. Dry an additional day, then proceed as above.

It’s a long-standing tradition — children ride the Polar Express train in their pajamas. But not Nate Hundley. When he rode the train last year, he was the only child dressed as a conductor. According to his mom, Nate had so much fun that he now begs his parents to quit their jobs and move to Bryson City.

The Polar Express train ride returns to the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad for the fifth year on November 6 and continues through December 23. Schedules and information (PDF).

Photo by Kelly Hundley

There was no running to the corner market for a bottle of Mrs. Butterworth. You had to grow and harvest the sugar cane, grind the stalks in a horse-powered cane mill, and boil the pulp in a wood-fired cooker …all before pouring the syrup over your pancakes.

This 19th century sorghum syrup-making process will be the centerpiece of the Mountain Life Festival on September 19 at the Mountain Farm Museum, on the banks of the Oconaluftee river near Cherokee. For more than 35 years, the Great Smoky Mountain National Park’s Fall Festival has provided visitors with a glimpse into the past as they make soap, apple cider, sorghum molasses, hominy, traditional toys, music and more. The syrup making demonstration is provided by students, staff, and volunteers from Swain County High School through a cooperative agreement with Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Great Smoky Mountains Association.

As part of the GSMNP’s 75th Anniversary, this year’s festival will include a special showcase of Appalachian folkways. Tools, farm implements and historic photographs from the Park’s archives and artifact collection will be on display to help pay tribute to the former residents who lived where the Park now stands.  Music will be provided by Marshall Crowe and the Bluegrass Singers.

The purpose of the Mountain Life Festival is to share with park visitors some of the traditional fall activities that were an important part of rural life in the southern mountains. The spirit of cooperation that existed among families and neighbors is reflected in this event. You can view a preview in this video from the sponsoring Great Smoky Mountains Association.

Mountain Life Festival (free)
Saturday, September 19
10 am – 4 pm
Mountain Farm Museum
Great Smoky Mountains National Park Oconaluftee Visitors Center
Cherokee, NC

Fifty years ago, Carlton and Gloria Parker began taking their young family camping at Deep Creek. It was the beginning of a family tradition that continues today. Granddaughter Erika Anchors, who contributed this Postcard, says the annual camping trip is “an unofficial family reunion of sorts”.

“This year we had over 20 people attend,” she explained. “We spend one glorious week every year immersed in the beauty of what is Deep Creek. We tube, hike, play in the creek, throw rocks, eat s’mores, and sing old Beatles songs around the campfire.  Afterward, there’s nothing in the world like going to sleep listening to the sound of a roaring creek. The Smoky Mountains have a special place in each of our hearts. It truly feels like a second home to us.”

So what about the photo? Erika explained, “We are definitely unique, and all have unusual senses of humor. A few years ago, we inadvertently began a ‘tradition’ of sorts. We always go to Miss Sue’s store to get ice cream, and then someone had a brilliant idea to take a picture outside the store.” Erika’s caption explains the silliness of this year’s family photo: “Reflects our collective happiness and joy at being in the Smokies.”

Photo by Sue Miller, Smoky Mountain Campground

The Lone Ranger and Silver were recently photographed ordering take-out from Helene Tetrault of The Filling Station Deli and Sub Shop in downtown Bryson City. The masked man is currently enjoying his second visit to the Great Smokies this year as a guest of the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad. After his last appearance this weekend — August 29 and 30 — he’ll most likely ride off into the sunset, with a cloud of dust and a hearty “Hi-Yo Silver, away.”

Photo by Paul Crawley of Soda Pops Ice Cream Parlor

Looking for a memorable family outing when you visit the Great Smoky Mountains? How about packing a picnic and exploring beautiful Fontana Lake in a rented pontoon boat? Several marinas rent the covered boats for full-day or half-day outings which can include fishing, swimming and sightseeing. With the entire north shore of the 35-mile-long lake protected by the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, wildlife sightings are common, including black bears and bald eagles. You even may catch a glimpse of the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad’s scenic excursion crossing the trestle (above).

Photo by J.R. vanLienden

An easy way to trek miles of backwoods trails in the Smokies is on the back of a horse. It’s definitely easier on the feet, although possibly not as easy on the seat. Three riding stables offer guided horse rides in the North Carolina Smokies — one is near Fontana Dam, one in the Nantahala Gorge and one in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Cherokee.

Photo by J.R. vanLienden

Not all of Deep Creek’s mile-long tubing course is fast-moving water. At the end of the upper “whitewater” section, Deep Creek widens at a deep swimming hole that provides a refreshing pause from tubing.

The Deep Creek Recreation area is just inside the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, two miles north of Bryson City. There’s camping, picnicking, hiking trails, trout fishing and three beautiful waterfalls. Tubes can be rented from several vendors near the park entrance. Where else can you have a day of great fun for less than five bucks?

What’s more ‘heritage’ than an old-fashioned sack race? No wonder it’s a highlight of  Swain County’s annual Heritage Festival held Memorial Day weekend.

If you enjoy the nostalgia of small town street festivals, come to the North Carolina Smokies July 4 weekend for Bryson City’s annual Freedom Fest. The day includes a 5K footrace, pet show, kids area, “tater” cook-off, arts and crafts, and live entertainment. The festival concludes with the largest fireworks display in the Smokies at 10 pm.

Smoky Mountain Jetboat Rides are a popular attraction on the 400 foot-deep Fontana Lake. Riders are thrilled to experience the boat’s trademark Hamilton spins – a flat spin within the boat’s own length. Yet the biggest surprise may come when the 11-passenger craft ventures up the relatively shallow Nantahala River to the base of Wesser Falls. How is this possible? Drawing just four inches of draft, the New Zealand-style jet boat rides like a ski on the surface of the water, enabling it to go where no other speed boat would dare go.

In addition to providing safe and thrilling rides, Smoky Mountain Jetboats also manufactures the boats in their Bryson City plant.

Photo by J.R. vanLienden

For years, the father-son team of Philip and Ronnie Lindsay have won the Swain County log-sawing championship, hands down. No one else has even come close.

Will this be the year that someone comes forward to challenge them? To find out, be at the Swain County Heritage Festival, Memorial Day weekend May 23, at the Riverfront Park in Bryson City.

The tension mounts!

April signals the beginning of whitewater rafting on the Nantahala River. From now through October, more than 200,000 paddlers will ride the eight mile course that snakes through the scenic Nantahala Gorge just west of Bryson City. With its Class II and III rapids, the “Nanty” is a family river, suitable for just about every generation (children must be at least seven years old or at least 60 pounds). Yet it’s challenging enough for the US Olympic Kayaking Team, which often trains there.

National Geographic Adventure and ABC’s Good Morning America’s “Vacationland” series named the Nantahala River the number one place to spend a wet and wild vacation in the US. Watch GMA video.

Trips can be scheduled with a number of Nantahala outfitters. A variety of trips are offered and each company seems to add its own personal touch. All outfitters provide approved life jackets and most provide a wet suit and/or paddling jackets during the cooler months. And like the family pictured above, all rafters are required to have safety instruction before they are allowed on the river.

Photo by J.R. vanLienden

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians opens its hatchery-supported tribal waters for fishing on March 28, one week ahead of the North Carolina state trout season. Cherokee’s “Enterprise Waters” include more than thirty miles of clear, stocked streams and three easily accessed ponds. The Fisheries & Wildlife Management program, which manages the tribal trout hatchery, will have stocked 20,000 pounds of rainbow, brook, brown and some golden trout for opening day.

The cost of a tribal fishing license, which is all you need to fish tribal waters, is $7 per day, $14 for two days, $20 for three days and $28 for five days. A $200 annual permit is good March 28, 2009 through February 28, 2010. The daily creel limit is 10 for adult anglers and a parent/guardian with a child or children.

The tribe offers three handicapped fishing piers which can accommodate wheelchairs. One is located at the fishing ponds in Big Cove and two are along the Oconaluftee River in downtown Cherokee.

Cherokee also features a catch & release fly fishing only section — more than two miles long — which begins at the Blue Ridge Parkway bridge on Big Cove Road and ends at the River Valley Campround. This section of stream requires a catch & release special use permit for $20 which is good for a 365 days from the date of purchase and at least a daily tribal fishing permit.

Photo by J.R. vanLienden

Former World Champion Hoop Dancer Eddie Swimmer performs at the annual Swain County Heritage Festival in Bryson City, NC. Held each year on the Memorial Day weekend, the festival celebrates the rich Appalachian heritage of the Great Smoky Mountains, including the area’s original inhabitants, the Cherokee Nation.

Eddie uses between 36 and 42 hoops in his dance (see video), creating different arrangements of the hoops to make symbols including the eagle, turtle and butterfly. “Past generations felt it was necessary to drop the culture and heritage in order to move forward and make a living,” says Swimmer. “Now, generations want it all back. We are proud and want to bring the tradition back. Teaching people outside the culture is one way I can do that.” Read more about Eddie Swimmer on his website.

All of Bryson City is up in lights for the holidays, including the old railroad depot (above) where the Polar Express departs for the North Pole.

There are no giant Macy’s balloons. And the biggest celebrities are this year’s homecoming queens. Yet it’s earned the title of “The Biggest Little Christmas Parade in the Smokies”, a Bryson City holiday tradition that will be repeated for the 34th time this Saturday, December 6th.

The 2 o’clock parade is just part of a day-long celebration. In the morning, children can have Breakfast with Santa at the Bryson City Fire Department. At 10 a.m., runners will compete in the Holiday 5K street race. And after the parade, there’ll be singing and storytelling at the Calhoun House Country Inn on Everett Street.

At 6 p.m. the town’s annual Spirit of Christmas celebration will begin. Santa and Mrs. Claus will be available for photos and Christmas wishes. Shops and galleries will be open, luminaries will line historic Everett Street, carolers and musical artists will perform, and a flat-bed truck with a living nativity scene will lead a candle-light stroll through town at the end of the evening.

As the destination of the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad’s Polar Express train ride, the town of Whittier doubles as Santa’s North Pole throughout November and December. The lights not only delight the train’s passengers, they’re a must-see for residents and visitors alike.