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New Visitor Center
Oconaluftee 
Photo by Terry Maddox
Construction of the beautiful new visitor center on the North Carolina side of the park is moving right along.
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Mountain Rebels Book 
This year is the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. Mountain Rebels tells the story of the Confederates in East Tennessee.
Park Cards
Holographic Children's Book | 
Clingmans Dome Magnet 
Clingmans Dome Keychain 
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Appalachian Club
Elkmont 
Photo by Valerie Polk
The Park's historical carpentry crew has completed rehabilitation of the Appalachian Clubhouse at Elkmont.
Construction of the separate restroom building and the adjacent parking lot has not yet been completed.
The current plan is to allow visits to the exterior of the building and make the interior available for use by groups with a reservation
for a rental fee.
The target date for implementing the reservation system is
mid to late April.
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New Business Members
Best Western
Zoder's Inn
402 Parkway
P.O. Box 708
Gatlinburg TN 37738
tel: 865.436.5681
email:
info@zoders.com
www.zoders.com
Experience life's little luxuries. and get ready to be spoiled! Considered by many to be one of the finest Gatlinburg resorts in the Smoky Mountains, Best Western Zoder's Inn offers you the convenience of being located right on Main Street in downtown Gatlinburg and the luxury of being secluded on six peaceful acres beside a beautiful mountain stream.
You can see all of GSMA's Business Members by clicking here.
To see the discounts offered to GSMA members, go to our website and click here.
If you own a business and would like to be included in this newsletter and our website, contact Westy Fletcher at 423.487.3131 or Westy@GSMAssoc.org
Hike America P.O. Box 5684 Redwood City CA 94063 tel: 800.880.4453 Roy Klebe email: roy@hikeamerica.com
www.hikeamerica.com
Over Your Head Productions 201 Little Switzerland Road Knoxville TN 37920 tel: 865.579.5181 email: overyourhead@comcast.net
www.overyourhead.com
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Snowmen, Snowbears, Snowalopes, Snowfamily built during the recent snowstorm in the park.
See more photos on our Facebook page. You don't have to have an account with Facebook or give out your email or any info to view these photos.
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| Video of Hike to Baskins Creek
 | Baskins Creek Waterfall
Join Elizabeth and Jill for a winter hike along Baskins Creek.
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| Horace Kephart Days Celebration
April 29-May 1 | 
Get ready for the Horace Kephart Days Celebration!
Friday, April 29
Meet at Fontana Marina, travel via pontoon across Fontana, then hike to Hazel Creek, where we will visit the site of Horace Kephart's cabin. Guide: Lance Holland
Time and cost to be determined.
Friday evening
Meet and greet at the Historic Calhoun Inn, Everett Street
Saturday, April 30
Breakfast at the Historic Calhoon
Ceremony at Hillside Cemetery where Horace Kephart is buried
Riverfront Park, Mitchell Street, Bryson City
Schiele Museum Camping Interpretation Team
Music by Daniel Gore and Friends
Lee Knight
Speakers: Bob Plott, George Ellison, Janet McCue, George Frizzell, Steve Kemp, Terry Maddox, Libby Kephart Hargrave, and others.
Sunday, May 1
Breakfast at the Historic Calhoon Inn
Guest Speaker to be announced
For more information, visit www.horacekephart.com
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| New Bat Video
 | Little Brown Bat Hibernating in a Park Cave by Dan Nolfi
Learn about bats and the problems faced by the park bat population in this new video about bats by Valerie Polk.
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| Winter Heritage Festival
February 3-6
| Your family will love the Winter Heritage Festival. It's a celebration of the human history, natural beauty, and cultural traditions of Townsend, Cades Cove, and Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Festival events will be hosted at: Townsend Visitors Center/GSM Heritage Center, Tremont, inside the Park, Little River Railroad Museum, and several other locations.
There will be lots of fascinating speakers, musicians, and experts on the Smokies.
See the full schedule at http://www.smokymountains.org/winter-heritage.html
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| SmartBank Account Helps the Park!
$11,311.60 Donated to Park | 
The SmartGreen account is a green-friendly, paperless account designed so that an equal donation is made to both GSMA & Friends of the Smokies every time a SmartBank account holder uses their SmartGreen debit card for signature-based transactions.
In addition to the donations accumulated through debit card usage, SmartBank clients have the option to make additional contributions to GSMA and/or Friends of the Smokies through automatic deduction from their SmartGreen account.
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| Mark Your Calendar
Annual Membership Weekend September 9-11 | 
Greenbrier photo by Bruce Davis
It may seem a bit early, but time flies, and we want our members to have a heads-up on our Annual Membership Weekend scheduled for September 9, 10, & 11.
This year it will be held for the first time in the Greenbrier section of the park. This area affords the advantage of many hiking trails and has a convenient pavilion to accommodate our Friday night Bar-B-Que and music.
Indoor programs, the annual meeting itself, and our Saturday night buffet and entertainment will be held in a nearby location.
Be sure to check your mailbox 4-6 weeks prior to the event for your personal invitation. It will include more specifics on programs, fees, and registration information. Guests of members are always welcome to join in. Feel free to bring a friend or family member.
When in town we urge you to visit our business members for lodging, restaurants, etc. You can see them at Our Business Members.
So mark your calendars and set some time aside to join us in this much anticipated yearly event! It's always great to see old friends, and new ones, too!
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Logging Quiz
Winner! | Answers to Last Month's Logging Quiz:
- Some historians use the term "agro forestry" to describe the following practice:
a. Cutting dead wood for fires b. Cutting trees for building c. Collecting nuts and other mast d. Burning to clear land for agriculture and to promote growth of grass and shoots favored by some animals e. All of the above - The peak of the "timber boom" took place during: World War I
- What combination of trees was used for tanning?: Chestnut, hemlock, and oak
- What is a "spud" (and don't think "potato")? : A tool used to strip tannin rich bark from trees to turn cowhide into leather
- "Skidding" was considered the most complex part of logging. It meant : Bringing felled logs from inaccessible areas to waiting flatcars
- The geared locomotive, such as the Shay, was the most important innovation for logging because :It could negotiate steep grades and switchbacks
- During the peak of the "timber boom" how many miles of logging railroad were in the Smokies?: 200 miles
- During the "timber boom" other companies moved into the area to make use of timber by-products. Among them were:
a. Furniture factories b. Telephone pole makers c. Pulp and paper companies d. Tanneries e. All of the above - The most profitable of all lumber, because of its buoyancy, was: Tulip poplar
- The amount of lumber produced by mills in the Smokies during the "timber boom" was an estimated: 2 billion board feet
- The most valuable wood because of its rich color and grain was: Cherry
- The last tree logged in the Smokies was cut at the Townsend Mill of Little River Lumber Company in: 1939
And the Winner is: Peter Wimberg from Ohio! |
| Any Questions? | For questions about online purchases, click here and the Mail Order department will help you.
For questions about membership, click here and Judy or Marti will help you.
For questions about business membership, click here and Westy will help you. |
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