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Date: June 9, 2009
Contact: Nancy Gray, (865) 436-1208

Great Smoky Mountains National Park managers have extended the opportunity to purchase vehicle passes for the 75th Anniversary outdoor concert performance by the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra on June 13 at 3 p.m. in Cades Cove.  Persons interested in attending the concert will now need to purchase a pass in person between 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday-Friday, at the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra box office located at 100 South Gay Street, Knoxville, Tenn.  The cost of the event is $25 for vehicles with up to a 15-passenger capacity and $50 for vehicles with a capacity greater than 15 passengers.   

Park managers also want to remind concert attendees that the concert may be canceled in the event of inclement weather and that no rain date is scheduled.  There will be no refunds granted to pass holders.  The funds generated through the sales will be donated to the Friends of the Smokies and used to pay for expenses associated with sponsoring the event.

"With no shelter for the orchestra or the public in this outdoor venue, inclement weather could force cancellation of the concert," said Park Superintendent Dale Ditmanson.  "Even an extended period of rain preceding the concert could saturate the fields, groomed for this occasion, to the point where they become unsuitable for parking the 1,500 expected vehicles," he continued. 

In an effort to keep the public informed and relay appropriate information on the concert status, the Park has begun to post notices on the Park's 75th anniversary website.  The website to obtain up-to-date information with regard to potential cancellation related to weather is www.GreatSmokies75th.org. Also, a telephone hotline (865/436-1316) will be activated only if and when a cancellation is imminent. 

"However," said Park Superintendent Dale Ditmanson, "weather can be unpredictable in the Smokies and can change rapidly, so in the interest of avoiding a premature and unnecessary cancellation of the concert, the final decision may be delayed until the very last possible moment. We will make every effort to make the best judgment call as soon as we can with the best weather information provided while keeping safety of visitors our priority."

Visitors with concert passes can access the concert site at the Cades Cove Visitor Center area beginning at 10 a.m.

For all other traffic and general use, the 7-mile Laurel Creek Road near the Townsend, Tenn., entrance at the Townsend Wye and the 11-mile Cades Cove Loop Road will be closed at 12 noon to all but concert-bound traffic. The closure includes bicycles and pedestrians. Park Rangers will be on location at the Townsend Wye to check concert/vehicle passes and to wave concert attendees through the check point. Rangers will also allow registered campers staying at the Cades Cove campground to pass through to the campground. The temporary closure will also cut off access to several trailheads located on Laurel Creek Road. However, access to the Tremont area will be allowed.

Park Rangers expect to reopen the Laurel Creek Road at around 8 p.m. on June 13 and the Cades Cove Loop Road will reopen June 14 at sunrise. 

Information about the concert, visitor use and restrictions and advisories are posted on the Park's  75th anniversary website, www.GreatSmokies75th.org.