Take our Firefly Quiz
SYNCHRONOUS FIREFLIES IN THE SMOKIES, a poster by Jim Embry, is on sale now HERE and in our visit center locations. Lithographed on top quality heavy weight paper, it is suitable for framing. 20" x 7" All purchases benefit the park.

The Smoky Mountains' synchronous fireflies may be some of the most famous bugs in the world. See how much you know about fireflies... those fabulous insects we remember lighting up the night sky as a child. 

 

Take our quiz HERE and be the first person to answer all 10 of the following questions, and yoll win a copy of The Fireflies Book.

Go High in July!
Go High in July to Gregory Bald
One of the high places: Gregory Bald,
video by Valerie Polk

It's no secret that the southern highlands have been attracting summer visitors for over a century because of elevation. As a rule of thumb, temperatures decrease about 3 degrees F for every 1,000 feet of elevation gain, so going from Gatlinburg to Clingmans Dome shaves 15-20 degrees off the thermometer.

 

If you want something a bit more off-the-beaten-path than Clingmans Dome for your natural air conditioning, consider Mt. Sterling (5,820'). It is accessible via the very steep 2.7-mile Mt. Sterling Trail, which starts from Old NC 287, the winding gravel road between Big Creek and Cataloochee. Once you reach the mountaintop, not only will you have shed a pound or two from the 2,000-foot climb, but you will have arrived at a grassy meadow with a historic fire tower for views.

 

An alternate scenic route is to take the 6.1-mile Baxter Creek Trail from Big Creek Picnic Area to the summit. This is one of the prettiest trails in the park, but no pushover with over 4,000' of elevation gain. Backcountry Campsite #38 sits atop the mountain for any willing to carry a backpack there.

Fairies in flight
Smoky Mountain Balloon Flies by Gary Wilson
Smoky Mountain Balloon Flies by Gary Wilson

Some that walk the mountains swear they have encountered fairies dancing in the forest. While it's easy to be fooled, what they are actually witnessing is the very complex mating dance of the balloon fly.

In this species, a female will only mate with a male that comes bearing gifts. The male balloon fly creates a complex silken balloon on the ends of his abdomen, giving him a better chance of winning a female mate. Because the creation of the silken balloons takes a lot of energy to create and fly around during their mating dance, males will often lose a lot of their mass in producing these gifts.

As the male dances through the air with his balloons, the female will look for her mate, selecting one with the showiest balloon, at which point the pair will land on the branches and leaves of a tree and the male will present his silk balloon as a gift to the female. She will accept the gift and consume the balloon during the act of copulation. Thus, the balloon acts as the reproductive equivalent of the "max out your credit card on her" approach.

So, while it may look like fairies dancing in the forest, there is actually a scientific explanation. 

Mid-Summer Blooms Abound

turks cap lily valerie polk

July is the month that vegetation in the Great Smoky Mountains covers absolutely every nook and cranny and the concept of  "temperate rainforest" doesn't seem far-fetched at all.

 

Bountiful blooms on sourwood trees right now bode well for a bumper crop of sourwood honey a month or so down road. Other July bloomers include coneflower, bee-balm, jewelweed, cardinal flower, Turk's cap lily, monk's hood, and yellow-fringed orchid. With tall and bright wildflowers like that, who needs April? Try a drive on Clingmans Dome Road or an easy walk on Thomas Divide Trail to enjoy many of them.

Official Park Store

Shop here and support GSMNP!

NEW - "Born to be Wild" glow-in-the-dark children's Tee. Learn to identify Smoky Mountain animal tracks by day and night with our new kids' t-shirt.
Also, check out our new "I Went to the Great Smoky Mountains..." t-shirt to discover full-color images of these same animals.

It's Christmas in July for all our treasured GSMA members. Introducing our very first "Members' Only" Christmas ornament, produced exclusively for us by Tim Weberding, a craftsman located next to the national park in Gatlinburg, TN. The first in an annual series of "Members Only" Christmas ornaments, this wooden snowflake features this year's date on its hook, as well as our GSMA bear paw logo at its center. In all, the ornament is three layers thick, giving it a hearty, three-dimensional look and feel. The snowflake's dimensions are 3 inches across and a full half an inch thick. You must be a GSMA member to order.
 
 
NEW - Wear this new wicking shirt while hiking the trails of Great Smoky Mountains. Made of 100% spun polyester, it features a pocket logo of two hikers on the front.  On the back it has a list of all of the trails in the Smokies listed by state and area.

Business Member of the Month 

Crystelle Creek Restaurant & Grill

1654 East Parkway, Gatlinburg TN
tel: 865.430.1551 

Crystelle Creek Grill is a unique full service Gatlinburg restaurant, bar and caterer located by the creek on Highway 321 just outside of Gatlinburg. We have 2 separate dining areas, 2 separate bar areas, as well as a large covered porch with TVs for watching sporting events. Our covered porch is dog friendly, so bring your favorite pooch with you. Surrounding this Smoky Mountains area restaurant is a creek with large, well landscaped grounds and water cascading from the roof right over our large picturesque windows. At night look for our unique cascading lighted 150 foot tree. We have plenty of free parking on two levels with easy covered access to the restaurant. The upper parking area provides handicap accessibility. We can offer you, your friends or your whole family a great place to sit down, relax, unwind, and enjoy Gatlinburg's best food and drinks. GSMA Members receive a 10% discount on food.

 

New Business Members

Little River Trading Company

2408 E. Lamar Alexander Parkway, Maryville TN
telephone: 865.681.4141

www.littlerivertradingco.com

 

Butterfly Baskets

855 Fairgarden Circle, Sevierville TN 

telephone: 865.366.5562  

 

GSMA Members Benefit...  

GSMA members earn discounts at more than 50 North Carolina and Tennessee businesses. Think about it - 20% off here, $5 off there, and before you know it, your membership dues have paid for themselves. It's our way of saying "Thank You" for your membership! See our complete list of supporting business on our website.

Join our Fans on Facebook! 
 
We're up to nearly 320K FANS on Facebook! We get more "Likes" when you help. Share our posts and invite your FB friends to "Like" us on 
 
We have a new Twitter
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HERE and give us some suggestions for pins

Filmmaker to discuss

 'Seasons in the Smokies'

Smoky Mountain Explorer Series: Part 02 - Seasons of the Smokies Trailer
Smoky Mountain Explorer Series, Part II:
"Seasons of the Smokies"
 

Gary Wilson, GSMA's award-winning filmmaker, will discuss his latest project, "Seasons in the Smokies," during an hour-long exclusive premiere event Thursday, July 17, at Sugarlands Visitor Center near Gatlinburg, TN.

 

Gary spent countless hours hiking, filming, editing and writing to produce this gorgeous film that takes viewers effortlessly through the calendar from a frigid winter high atop Mt. Le Conte to a balmy summer day in Cades Cove to the stunning fall landscape seen everywhere in the Smokies each October. Get your copy today HERE.

 

GSMA's Gary Wilson

Gary's first full-length film project for GSMA's Explorer Series, "An Island in the Sky," took first-place honors at the most recent APPL media competition. Since its release last summer, the DVD/BluRay has raised thousands of dollars to support park projects.

Annual Membership Weekend

registration is underway

 
Membership Weekend classes are filling up fast, so don't wait to register for this year's event at North Carolina's Lake Junaluska Conference Center.
 
Step 1 - Click HERE to visit the Weekend Registration page on our website. Steps 2 through 4 are located on our website.
 
We're excited to announce that this year's Membership Weekend will include an official launch party for our new CD, "Carroll Best and the White Oak String Band: Old-Time Bluegrass from the Great Smoky Mountains, 1956 & 1959." Actual release date for the new CD is expected to be by early July, so watch for more details soon.
 
As many of you know, our first "Old-Time Smoky Mountain Music" CD was recognized with a prestigious Grammy Award nomination. Click HERE for details about our followup album of music from the 1950s featuring mostly Haywood County, NC, musicians. The launch party is open to the public and is planned for 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 19, in Stuart Auditorium at the Lake Junaluska Conference Center.
 
In addition to the many activities being planned for this year's Membership Weekend - hiking, bird watching, movie watching, crafts and a couple of history lessons - the full package will include three meals, with a Saturday morning breakfast buffet being added to the schedule for the first time.
 
Accommodations are being offered at both the historic Lambuth Inn and in the campground just across U.S. 19 from the entrance to Lake Junaluska. We also recommend you bring your bicycle, fishing pole, lawn chair, walking shoes and kayak/canoe.
 
As always, you can register for the annual event by calling us at 865.436-7318, Ext. 222, 254 and 325.

Hike to 3 falls, visit a museum, or carve a bear with GSMA Saturday, July 12

 

Geography may be the deciding factor when choosing between July member events this time, since both take place on the same day.

For those on the North Carolina side of the park, join us at 1 p.m. for "Three Waterfalls and a Museum" with Ila Hatter. Participants will stop first at the new Swain County Museum (located in the historic county courthouse), where we'll take a quick tour of the new facility. The courthouse later this summer will also be home to GSMA's newest visitor center bookstore. Then it's on to Deep Creek for a walking tour of that area's three waterfalls - Juney Whank Falls, Deep Creek Falls and Indian Creek Falls. 

 

Ila Hatter, a GSMA sales associate, has a deep love of the national park. She learned the art of wildcrafting in the most traditional way - from family, friends and neighbors - and is recognized as an expert and tradition-bearer of the lore of the Great Smokies. With hands-on familiarity and a storehouse of knowledge, Ila offers folklore, medicinal facts, native wisdom, and fun anecdotes that will entertain and inform all backyard botanists, and history buffs, whatever their age or background. After walking with Ila, participants are invited to join with GSMA Marketing and Membership Director Lisa Duff at Nantahala Brewing Company for an afternoon brew.

 

If you're on the Tennessee side of the park that same day, join us for an unprecedented opportunity to carve your own wooden bear pin or magnet with Southern Highland Craft Guild woodcarver Don Taylor. Don is most noted for his bird carvings, but two years ago he started teaching classes at Wilderness Wildlife Week in Pigeon Forge. He now enjoys teaching as much as he does carving.

 

Participants are asked to bring a sharp knife, some gloves for protection, and plan to have fun learning a new skill. There will be some extra tools to share. The time is from 10 am until 2 pm, so you may want to bring a snack & a drink. The class is limited to 12 members, so do not hesitate to sign up. The carving class will be held at GSMA Headquarters, behind Park Headquarters, and will be out side if the weather cooperates, and inside if the weather is inclement. The cost for members is $15.

 

GSMA's monthly member activities are designed to enhance knowledge and appreciation of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Registration is required and can be done via email HERE or by calling us at 865.436.7318, Ext. 222, 254 or 325.

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all GSMA monthly membership program are $10 to participate for members and $35 for non-member, which includes a complimentary personal or gift membership opportunity.

 

To learn more about GSMA membership opportunities, click HERE.

Smoky Mountain Recipe:

Southern Summer Fish Fry

 

We've heard that the best fish fry gatherings take place outside with lots of family and friends sharing a delicious meal. Share your fish fry photos with us HERE and be sure to include our new cornmeal label in the shot. Your family photo might just be featured on our Facebook page this summer.

 

Ingredients

- 1 1/2 C buttermilk

- 1/4 tsp hot sauce

 - 6 (4- to 6-oz.) catfish fillets (Here in the South, we like catfish, but you can also use tilapia, trout, or Alaskan polluck)

 - 2/3 C Foods of the Smokies cornmeal

 - 1/3 C all-purpose flour

 - 2 tsp salt

- 1 tsp ground black pepper

- 1 tsp ground red pepper

- 1/4 tsp garlic powder

- Peanut oil

 

Whisk together buttermilk and hot sauce. Place catfish in a single layer in a 13- x 9-inch baking dish; pour buttermilk mixture over fish. Cover and chill 8 hours, turning once. Combine cornmeal and next 6 ingredients in a shallow dish. Let fish stand at room temperature 10 minutes. Remove from buttermilk mixture, allowing excess to drip off. Dredge fish in cornmeal mixture, shaking off excess. Pour oil to depth of 2 inches into a large, deep cast-iron or heavy-duty skillet; heat to 360.� Fry fish, in batches, 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack on a paper towel-lined pan. Keep warm in a 225� oven until ready to serve.

 

Recipe from Southern Living Magazine, July 2012

 

Learn more about fishing in the Smokies HERE. Then check out GSMA's helpful fishing guides HERE.  

GSMA Staff Spotlight: Nancy Argenziano

Nancy Argenziano,
Florida Public Service Commission photo

Many GSMA staffers bring an interesting array of skills and experiences to their work here. Nancy Argenziano, who works as a sales assistant at Oconaluftee Visitor Center, is no exception!

 

Q: Where do you hail from, Nancy?

A: Born in Brooklyn, NY.  Lived in Florida since graduating high school in 1971 and have been coming to the Great Smokies for well over 38 years.

 

Q: Didn't you serve in the Florida state legislature for a time?

A: Yes. I was elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 1996, serving three terms, then elected to the Florida Senate in 2002, where I served for six years. I was then appointed to the Florida Public Service Commission (regulating the state's utilities), which I chaired. I spent whatever time off I had back up in Western North Carolina enjoying the Great Smokies as much as time would allow. 

 

Q: What inspired you to run for the state senate?    

A: Water. I had moved to North Central Florida and immediately was embattled in a fight with the much overgrown Tampa Bay region, as they wanted to raid the water resources of our area. We had numerous pristine, first magnitude springs, and they wanted to pipe that water where they had already exhausted all their own potable water due to over pumping, over growth and salt water intrusion. 

I was a community activists regarding natural resource protection and earned the name "The Water Lady." The people sent me to run for the state legislature. When elected, I passed several pieces of legislation, "Local Sources First," mandating the use of all local resources, including desalination and re-use, before raiding other areas. Especially environmentally sensitive areas. I also passed many natural resource protection bills. I went to make a difference, and hopefully I did, with the help of the many constituents that supported me. 

 

Q: What do you like best about living and working in the Great Smoky Mountains? 

A: The majestic and untouched beauty of the Great Smokies. My heart has been in these mountains from the first time I saw them. I truly feel a soulful connection with nature and history here. I tell people that working here is not like work, it's a privilege that I get to spend my days in this great park. The waterfalls, the trails, the elk, bears, wildflowers, the historical homesteads, ahh, what's not to love! I find I have a perpetual smile. This is my de-stresser from all the time in the very dirty, difficult political world where they made it so hard just to do the right thing. Here the right thing comes easy.

 

Q: If a visitor had only one day to spend in the Great Smokies, how would you suggest they spend it? 

A: With your eyes wide open as there is so much to see and do. Take your time and enjoy! Once you come to the Great Smokies, you will be back!

Answers
to Last
Month's
Planting by the Signs
Quiz

  1. Before planting corn some farmers waited for oak leaves to grow as big as: A squirrel's ear 

  2. When deciding on the ideal time for any activity, i.e. planting, cutting wood, plowing, harvesting or even job hunting and fishing, farmers would consult: A variety of almanacs  

  3. Root crops should be planted at this time: During the waning moon   

  4. Seeds will grow better if planted on this day: St. Patrick's Day 

  5. Never plant at this time: When the moon is full 

  6. Red-headed persons have the best luck with: Peppers 

  7. When planting by the signs, this sign was said to be good for planting all crops, preserving jellies and jams, and pickling. Gemini 

  8. When farmers had finished weeding and mulching their corn, and it was still short of silking and tassling, and tall enough to mature without further assistance, it was said to be: Laid by 

  9. The slaughter of livestock was usually done at this time: 4th quarter before the new moon 

  10. Tomatoes should be planted on: Memorial Day 

    The winner is Robin Jackson, Parrish, FLCongratulations!

Have 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.
- Want to volunteer with GSMA? Click HERE and Lisa will help you.
EXTRA!
Read all about it!
The following are all instantly available, digital, GREEN publications...
+ The all-new Summer 2014 Smokies Guide (the official GSMNP newspaper) is available for viewing, reading and printing. Click HERE.
+ The all-new Spring 2014 Bear Paw, the GSMA membership bi-annual newsletter, is ready to read, share and print by clicking HERE. This edition includes the 2013 Annual Report.
+ Be sure to check our Calendar of Events page often for upcoming park activities.
+ Read back issues. Archive editions of the Cub Report can be found HERE.