The summer season at Dollywood is under way, with extended hours, nightly fireworks, and a new show by Dolly Parton herself.
Come winter, the Christmas show also will feature new music and special effects, including a hologram visit by Dolly as the Ghost of Christmas Past.
My People, the first new show at Dollywood since 2009, features Dolly’s brother Randy, sister Cassie, and several other family members sharing songs about their family’s strong faith and deep love for the Smoky Mountains.
Parton also has provided all-new music for Dollywood’s A Christmas Carol, the park’s original adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic that plays in December. And new holographic technology will bring Parton to the stage as the Ghost of Christmas past.
"Set amid lavish Victorian scenery, the classic story of redemption and hope is underscored by seven powerful new songs written by Parton especially for this 45-minute musical," a press release says.
Dollywood’s A Christmas Carol headlines the park’s annual Smoky Mountain Christmas show.
Dollywood also made news last week when its $20 million Wild Eagle was named the Best New Attraction of the year by the National Amusement Park Historical Association (NAPHA), the latest in a series of awards the ride has received.
America’s first "wing coaster," Wild Eagle has seats perched on either side of the track, so riders see nothing but sky above and earth below.
Not yet winning awards but certainly a big hit with the crowds is the new River Rush—a "water coaster" that opened in May at Dollywood’s Splash Country.
River Rush takes four-person toboggan-style rafts up 1,176 feet and then drops them four stories, through dark tunnels and at one point through a 25-foot drop at a 45-degree angle.
By Cheryl Rosen
