City and county officials released a statement today asking businesses in the tourism sector to stop marketing vacations to the area in an effort to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. A Message From the Mayors of Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, Pittman Center, Sevier County and Sevierville read: “We are requesting that businesses in the leisure travel/tourism sector please stop soliciting ...
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Order Girl Scout Cookies Online to Aid Program Disrupted by COVID-19
Calling all Girl Scout Cookie lovers and supporters of the Girl Scouts! Did you know you can order Girl Scout Cookies Online? The Girl Scout Council of the Southern Appalachians needs your help! The COVID-19 (coronavirus) has disrupted the Girl Scout Cookie Program. Public cookie booths were suspended halfway through the booth sales. This disruption means that troops across our ...
Read More »Beware Scam Calls, Emails for Coronavirus Testing Kits and Vaccinations
BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee warns members that scammers are taking advantage of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and to be alert of potential scam activity. Reported scams include unsolicited phone calls that could be an attempt to fraudulently gain personal information. BlueCross is urging members and customers not to give personal information to these callers. “We want to advise all ...
Read More »Sevier County Mayor to Tourists: For the Safety of Your Family and Ours, Please Stay Home
In a statement on Friday, Sevier County Mayor Larry Waters asked tourists to put their vacations to the area on hold and stay home due to the COVID-19 pandemic closures, including most businesses, attractions and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. “Normally at this time of year, we are enjoying the beautiful weather and all the visitors in Sevier County,” ...
Read More »State Sees 20-Fold Increase in Unemployment Claims in One Week
The state of Tennessee experienced an unprecedented spike in new initial unemployment claims according to data released this morning by the United States Department of Labor. For the week ending March 21, 2020, Tennesseans filed 39,096 initial claims for unemployment insurance benefits. The week prior, the state received 2,702 new unemployment claims. The latest figure represents a nearly 20-fold increase ...
Read More »Sevier County Officials Declare State of Local Emergency due to COVID-19
The mayors of Sevier County and Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, Pittman Center, and Sevierville on Thursday declared a State of Local Emergency for Sevier County, Tennessee. This declaration is executed by political subdivisions of government, both City and County, to comply with Tennessee Emergency Management Agency’s request to open the Sevier County Emergency Operations Center, to allow cities and the county ...
Read More »Sevierville Cancels 2020 Bloomin’ Barbeque & Bluegrass Festival
Fans of the annual Bloomin’ Barbeque & Bluegrass festival in Sevierville will have to wait until 2021 for the next event, as the 2020 festival is cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Bloomin’ Barbeque & Bluegrass, with its barbeque contest, Mountain Soul vocal competition and free bluegrass concerts, was scheduled for May 15-16, 2020 in downtown Sevierville. However, the Sevierville ...
Read More »Sevier County Libraries Open for Filing Unemployment Applications
Citizens who need to file an unemployment application, but lack a computer or internet service, may visit certain Sevier County Library branches to file their application. Sevier County citizens who have been laid off due to the coronavirus, COVID-19, can file for unemployment. The easiest way to file is to access www.jobs4TN.gov, from home by using a computer, tablet or ...
Read More »Sevier County School Closure Extended at Gov. Lee Recommendation
The Sevier County School System announced that the current school closure will be extended for another month to slow the spread of COVID-19 cases. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee on Tuesday, March 24, 2020, recommended all public schools remain closed until April 24. The Sevier County School System confirmed on Wednesday that it would comply with the request, instead of resuming ...
Read More »Great Smoky Mountains Closed to All Visitors Due to COVID-19
Great Smoky National Park is closing all public access to slow spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, after experiencing a surge of visitors that defied previous park efforts to reduce congestion and crowds within the park to comply with health official’s guidance for social distancing. Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials announced that all park areas, except the Foothills Parkway and ...
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