About the Valley

Welcome to the October 2008 issue of About the Valley. This issue highlights the 75th Anniversary of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which will be celebrated in 2009 (1934-2009).

CELEBRATE 75 YEARS

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park will be 75 next year!!! I hope you will plan to visit the area often during the celebration—there is a wide array of activities and events planned in the Park and officially recognized events in many of the surrounding communities. This is a great time to celebrate the beauty of the area and the history of this great national treasure.

An official Great Smoky Mountains National Park 75th Anniversary website is available at www.greatsmokies75th.org. You will find a schedule of events both in the Park and in neighboring communities.

Events scheduled for June 2009 will correspond with the formal congressional action on June 15, 1934, establishing the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. A rededication of the Park will be held in September, the month in 1940 that President Franklin Delano Roosevelt gave the rededication speech at the recently completed Rockefeller Memorial at Newfound Gap. Plans are to invite the newly elected President of the United States to the rededication ceremony in 2009.

Also on the website, a Great Smokies 75th Interactive Timeline allows you to explore the rich history of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park by discovering the people, places, and events that have made the Smokies America’s most visited national park. The timeline begins in the pre 1900s to 1920s and moves by decade to the current time.

Another popular feature is the Family Album, which invites Park visitors to upload a photo of themselves in the Park along with a short story about their visit.

Enjoy the features of this website and begin making plans to visit these great events next year. Future issues of the About the Valley will give details of upcoming anniversary events.

CARAMEL CORN
A GREAT FALL TREAT!

1 cup margarine

2 cups firmly packed brown sugar

½ cup light corn syrup

1 tsp. Salt

½ tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. vanilla

6 quarts of popped corn (3 to 4 Butter Lovers popcorn packs)

Warm the popped corn in a large roasting pan at 200 degrees while preparing the caramel.

Melt the margarine, sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil at medium boil WITHOUT stirring for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in baking soda and vanilla. Pour over popped corn in roasting pan and mix thoroughly to coat popcorn.

Bake for 1 hour at 250 degrees, stirring every 15 minutes. Pour out on waxed paper to cool and store in an airtight container.

A GREAT INVESTMENT!!

IF YOU ARE PLANNING A TRIP TO THE SMOKY MOUNTAINS, PLEASE CONSIDER STAYING AT PINE CONE LODGE. THE COMFORT AND CONVENIENCE OF A CHESTNUT RIDGE CABIN MAKE YOUR VACATION MORE FUN! CHECK AVAILABILITY AND RESERVE YOUR DATES EARLY -- MANY RESERVATIONS ARE MADE WEEKS AHEAD.

If you are interested in owning a vacation home or rental home in the beautiful Smoky Mountains, we are offering Pine Cone Lodge for sale.

Thanks for subscribing to About the Valley. We look forward to bringing you more news next month. As always, if you have any questions or comments or want to share your favorite place to visit in the Smoky Mountains, e-mail us at .

Chestnut Ridge Cabins