Great Smoky Mountains National Park Presents the 8th Annual Cosby in the Park Festival May 17th

Thanks to a partnership between the Great Smoky Mountains Association, the National Park Service and the Cocke County government this year the 8th annual Cosby in the Park festival held on Saturday, May 17, 2008 in the Cosby section of the Great Smoky Mountains national park should be fun and informative for visitors of all ages.

The Cosby in the Park festival is free to everyone and will include old time music, guided hikes, historical tales, storytelling and games for the kids and all sorts of activities and demonstrations for young and old alike.

Visitors can come to the national park from sunrise to sunset but the Cosby in the Park activities will take place from 10 am to 4 pm near the Cosby Campgrounds. You can bring your appetite too as a there will be a trailer from Angels Food Service selling traditional foods such as corn bread, pinto beans and tea. And for the kids there will be picnic style food such as hot dogs.

Beside the fun, games and food the 8th annual Cosby in the Park is meant to celebrate the cultural heritage of the Cosby area of the Great Smoky Mountains national park in Cocke County as well as demonstrating to visitors the recreational opportunities in the Cosby area.

If you are like me you will have a hard time choosing between the activities that will take place between the Cosby Picnic area and the outdoor amphitheater so I have a feeling I will be running back and forth between the 2 the whole day!

At the Cosby picnic pavilion there will be children's activates all day long which will include: Children's crafts and games, sack races and Crafter's Demonstrations: Bill Alexander, mountain berry baskets; Maria Holloway, quilting; Len Landrum, knife making and blacksmithing; Clayton Sharp, blacksmithing and mountain tools; Ellen Ogle, quilting; Connie Clabo, basket making; John and Sherry Holt, introduction to beekeeping; and Sherry Jennette and Sydney Fry, pine cone bird feeders.

Here is the schedule of events for the 8th annual Cosby in the Park festival broken down by location:

At the Cosby Amphitheater

• 10 am - 11 am Old time music performed by the Lost Mill String Band
• 11 am - 11:15 am Dedication of Cosby in the Park festival >
• 11:15 am - 12 Noon Old time music performed by the Boogertown Gap Band
• 12 Noon - 12:30 pm Hear Civil War Tales from Cosby by historian Duay O'Neil
• 12:30 pm - 1 pm Storytelling by Faye Wooden
• 1 pm - 1:45 pm Traditional bluegrass music performed by The Green Family Band
• 1:45 pm - 2 pm Fiddle music by Robby Land
• 2 pm - 3 pm Traditional old-time music performed by David McClary and Friends
• 3 pm - 4 pm Old time music performed by the Curtis and Lynn Osteen

At the Cosby Picnic Pavilion

• 1 pm Learn about the life of an extraordinary Cocke County mountain woman Ella V. Costner known as the Poet Laureate of the Smokies from Sheila Evans, Jordan Costner, and Claudia Konker
• 1 pm Hug a Tree and Survive with Joey Holt
• 2:30 pm Children's Storytelling with Faye Wooden

The guided hikes are:

• At 11 am a 1 mile hike at the Cosby Nature Trail led by Morgan Briggs. The nature trail is by the amphitheater and that where the moderate hike will begin.
• At 1:30 pm a 2 mile roundtrip hike starting at the Cosby picnic area pavilion to the Ella V Costner grave led by Judy McGaha, Shane McGaha and Pam Rodgers. There will be reading of poems during the moderate hike.

While I love hiking and generally hike 10 -15 miles day 7 days a week in the national park, I will sit this one out as I prefer the more challenging hikes Cosby offers. The guided hikes during the Cosby in the Park festival are great for beginners and those of you new to the Cosby area of the GSMNP.