Dollywood Discussion Thread

[ScreaminNewEngland]

Light rain isn't going to stop 70mph winds. Hopefully it dies down once the rain comes.

[bluestreak]

Just read on NBC that a witness claimed goats on the roof was on fire... I'm sure that means Smokey Mountain Alpine Coaster is also getting hit.

[mark549]

Astonishing that this area is having major forest fires - when most of the Western forests are done with fire season this late in the year. The Appalachian forest has occasional fires but very infrequent compared to California, the Rockies, the Cascades, etc.

 

The "Smoky" mountains have more types of trees and flowering plants than most of Europe. For temperate forests it is a hotspot of biodiversity.

 

I hope the DW drop tower will pause for a bit at the top, since the view of the Smokies (without smoke) should be spectacular. Will it be a design where the seats rotate on the way up so passengers get to look in all directions? (similar to the drop tower at Kings Island)

 

Glad the region is getting some rain!

[ZeroGravity55]

This photo is from the far parking lots nearest to Splash Country at Dollywood around 2:00 a.m.

 

[Dollywoodlover20]

This makes me scared and sick. For everyone in that area and for Dollywood. I was just there and it was nothing like this. It's shocking. Also makes me worried for Dolly's childhood home back on locust ridge which isn't very far from Dollywood and is in the line this thing is traveling.

[The Great Zo]

Rain overnight in Sevier County produced another few tenths of an inch of accumulation, and there's one last batch of rain yet to go through. Rainfall totals are probably going to end up around 0.40"-0.60" in the Gatlinburg area. Wind speeds have diminished significantly as was forecast, and the smoke plume isn't as obvious on weather radar anymore. Hopefully this adds up to some good news, but the morning light is not going to be forgiving.

 

Not seeing a ton of detail about the current status of things, but some info in an early-morning recap from the Knoxville News Sentinel:

Hillbilly Golf, Arrowmont Arts and Crafts School, major hotels, a good portion of Regan Drive and countless other businesses and homes have been destroyed in a blaze that has firefighters continuing their efforts overnight.

 

"The center of Gatlinburg looks good for now," said Newmansville Volunteer Fire Department Lt. Bobby Balding. "It's the apocalypse on both sides (of downtown)."

 

Hillbilly Golf is right next to the Gatlinburg Mountain Coaster, just north of downtown Gatlinburg.

 

Reports are that the Ripley's Aquarium has so far made it through OK. Not seeing anything new on Dollywood, which is probably good news.

 

Regardless of the details with respect to the tourist attractions, tons of people have lost their homes and livelihoods, especially on the various hillside communities around Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge.

[ZambeziZinger]

Any news on Ober Gatlinburg or the Sky Lift in the middle of town?

[dstephe9]

Not sure.. I know the area around the space needle is one of the areas unhurt on the strip (close to where you get on the sky lift) last news I heard about the aquarium was that the fire was 25 yards from it and everything was on internal life support but running fine and that the animals can live on their own for a while as long as the building doesn't catch fire.. it is built like a bunker.. if the generators go out, they have 24 hours.. I frequent the aquarium a lot.. I'd be willing to bet the sky lift is majorly hurt..

 

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[bluestreak]

^ Just heard that Ripleys has been evacuated.

[dstephe9]

Here are confirmed burnings so far

 

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1j7dJNKio1QPbslWy4PDNMsQkUes&ll=35.718888758976625%2C-83.56831231547852&z=11

 

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[coasterbill]

The update as of this morning...

 

Dean Flener, a spokesperson with the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, told ABC News that the wildfires reached “right on the doorstep” of the Dollywood theme park but that firefighting crews managed to stop the blazes from progressing into the park overnight.

[dstephe9]

^ Just heard that Ripleys has been evacuated.

Yes several hours ago it was evacuated but for smoke.. I know the aquarium is getting a lot of bad press for not trying to save animals but they are much safer inside.. the aquarium is built to run by itself as long as it's generators work..

 

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[bluestreak]

^ Just heard that Ripleys has been evacuated.

Yes several hours ago it was evacuated but for smoke.. I know the aquarium is getting a lot of bad press for not trying to save animals but they are much safer inside.. the aquarium is built to run by itself as long as it's generators work..

 

 

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Ah ok. My local news presented it as if it just happened.

[KICoasterkev]

This is terrible for people down there, I am praying and hoping for rain and everyone's safety and they stop the fire!

[STDog]

From WATE 6

" 11/29/16: View from the Sky Lift/Gatlinburg Inn. Photo is courtesy of Tracy Oaks"

 

[DirkFunk]

This is extremely bad. The initial eyewitness reports for Gatlinburg are not good.

 

as I typed this:

EDIT AGAIN: Ober Gatlinburg at least is standing on the mountain from their facebook page.

Edited November 29, 2016 by DirkFunk

[dstephe9]

Gatlinburg isn't going to be the same for a long time.. even if it didn't burn, smoke damage will leave what's not burnt, very damaged.

 

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[BeansproutMidget]

When I first heard about the fires, it was about two weeks ago, in South Carolina. I almost immediately thought about Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg. It scares me and makes me pray for the people in town and for their safety, since it is a tourist-y area. Hearing about the lost hotels and buildings....and now Dollywood's being threatened...

 

Prayers for everyone out there to stay safe.

[Djwadeknox]

Her a link to live coverage and it is devastating.

 

http://www.wbir.com/news/local/fire-forces-evacuations-in-gatlinburg-pigeon-forge/357795960

[Shavethewhales]

God this ####ing sucks. Could this year please stop ####ing dumping on us?

 

Ober Gatlinburg is a huge loss, and even smaller things like Hillbilly Golf are a huge deal to lose. Hillbilly Golf actually looked amazing, and was very unique. That is something that can't be rebuilt. As always with a lot of this stuff, it can be "rebuilt" but it will never be quite the same. They were already dealing with conflicting visions for the town and architectural clashes. Losing Arrowmont is a huge blow to the "old" Gatlinburg.

[KBrylczyk]

The Jurassic Jungle Boat Ride is still fine, right? RIGHT?!

[coasterfreaky]

Any news on Ober Gatlinburg or the Sky Lift in the middle of town?

 

Just saw Ober reported on facebook that everything there is ok.

 

DWFansite, on facebook reported Mystery Mansion in Gatlinburg is gone. The Wedding Chapel also gone. This is so devastating. Never would have predicted something like this.

Edited November 29, 2016 by coasterfreaky

[chadster]

Because I hate misinformation...

[coasterbill]

While a lot of people (major news sources actually) are reporting Ober Gatlinburg as "totally destroyed", they posted 20 minutes ago on Facebook that the property is "okay". It sounds like they're a mess of conflicting information being reported, even by legitimate news sources. It may take awhile to sort things out. It does appear that Ober Gatlinburg is okay though, at least for now.

 

Because I hate misinformation...

 

Agreed, but tons of major news networks reported on it, so I don't blame anyone for sharing it. It sounds like there's understandably a lot of confusion in Gatlinburg right now.

Edited November 29, 2016 by coasterbill

[I Like Theme Parks.]

^^By "okay" they probably mean that they're not burning right at this moment. Lots of people said it was burned completely down.