Saddle Up! Event in Pigeon Forge Begins Feb. 19

The Great Smoky Mountains might seem an odd place for a festival devoted to cowboy poetry, western music and chuckwagon cooking, but Saddle Up! in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., is a certified hit.

The ninth annual Saddle Up!, Feb. 19-22, is on American Cowboy Magazine’s list of the “Top 101 Western Events.”

This celebration of the American West is one of the featured events during Pigeon Forge Winterfest, which enlivens this gateway to Great Smoky Mountains National Park from November through February.

Saddle Up! entertainers include musicians Wylie & the Wild West (the 2008 Cowboy/Western Swing Group of the Year), The Quebe Sisters Band, Juni Fisher, Andy Wilkinson and Andy Hedges, along with cowboy poets Paul Zarzyski, Kent Rollins and Jim Hawkins.

A highlight of the four-day weekend is the Cowboy Symphony featuring Wylie & the Wild West and the Smoky Mountain Symphonic Orchestra under the direction of Dr. Russell Ramsay. The Cowboy Symphony is Feb. 19 at the Country Tonite Theatre.

Other activities include concerts (both free and ticketed), the Pigeon Forge Chuckwagon Cookoff with more than a half-dozen authentic chuckwagons and competitive cooks, the non-denominational Cowboy Church and a western swing dance .

Concert venues are the Country Tonite Theatre (1,500 seats), the Grand Majestic Theater (1,000 seats) and the Tennessee Shindig Theater (1,150 seats). The dance will be at Music Road Convention Center, the Chuckwagon Cook-off will be at Clabough’s Campground and Cowboy Church will be at Stages West.

Feb. 19 (Thursday):

- Slice of Pure Country Celebrity Breakfast (free chuckwagon sausage, biscuits and gravy and a chance to meet Saddle Up! artists from 8-11 a.m. and a free Cowboy Caffeine Concert from 10 a.m.-noon). Location: Tennessee Shindig Theater.

- Afternoon concert from 1-5 p.m. Location: Grand Majestic Theater.

- Cowboy Symphony from 7-9:30 p.m. Location: Country Tonite Theatre.

Feb. 20. (Friday):

- Dutch oven cooking demonstration from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. A chuckwagon lunch will be available for $5. Location: Tennessee Shindig Theater.

- Afternoon concert from 1-5 p.m. Location: Grand Majestic Theater.

- Evening concert from 7-9 p.m. Location: Grand Majestic Theater.

Feb. 21 (Saturday):

- Pigeon Forge Chuckwagon Cookoff from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. No fee to observe. Ticket sales for a $5 lunch start at 11 a.m. Location: Clabough’s Campground on Wears Valley Road.

- Afternoon concert from 1-5 p.m. Location: Grand Majestic Theater.

- Evening concert from 7-9 p.m. Location: Grand Majestic Theater.

- Western swing dance starting at 9:30 p.m. and featuring Wylie & the Wild West. Location: Music Road Convention Center.

Feb. 22 (Sunday):

- Cowboy Church, a non-denominational service featuring many of the SaddleUp! entertainers. Location: Stages West.

- Chuckwagon lunch ($5). Location: Stages West.

Admission information: The Thursday afternoon concert is $15. A Friday/Saturday pass, excluding the Cowboy Symphony, is $50. Day passes for either Friday or Saturday are $30.Tickets for Cowboy Symphony are $20. All prices are plus tax. Ages 17 and younger are admitted free.

Advance ticket sales are through the Country Tonite Theater at 1-800-792-4308; in-person purchases begin Feb. 19 at the Grand Majestic Theater. Admission to the dance is $5 per person; ages 17 and younger are admitted free. Cowboy Church is free. Proceeds from the various chuckwagon lunches and the dance benefit Cal Farley’s Boys Ranch in Amarillo, Texas.

On Feb. 19-21, Tennessee Shindig Theater will host a Chuckwagon Jamboree. Information and tickets are available at 888-908-3327.

Information courtesy of Pigeon Forge Department of Tourism