The month of May is right around the corner! You know what that means…it’s almost time for the annual Dolly’s Homecoming Parade! This once yearly event salutes Pigeon Forge’s very own superstar, Mrs. Dolly Parton. In an extravaganza of fun floats, participants and displays, this event is free and perfect for an evening of fun!
This year’s parade will be held on Friday, May 11th 2012 beginning at 6:00PM. The parade will take place on the northbound side of the Pigeon Forge parkway. The parade will begin at Traffic Light #3 and end at Traffic Light #6…that’s three miles of front-row seats!
The best part about this event is that it’s free for everyone! Spectators begin lining up their chairs as early as 4:00PM along the parade route to get the best seats in the house. All attendees will get to see and wave at Mrs. Dolly! This year, her float will be equipped with a speaker system so she can chat with fans all through the parade route.
As this is the 27th annual parade, the organizers decided that they needed to mix it up a bit and have added more exciting floats and features to the parade. This year’s parade will feature the Smoky Mountain Submarine, a 65 foot-long replica that veterans of submarine service will ride atop!
In addition, a real NASCAR racecar belonging to a Knoxville native will cruise through the parade. The Rogersville Playhouse of Rogersville, Tennessee have entered an impressive float based off of Dolly’s famous “9 to 5” movie!
Also in the parade are marching bands from local high schools, and a special high school marching band from Lexington, Alabama. These talented students will provide the wonderful parade music and offer a splash of color and fun to the parade route!
In addition, antique cars and trucks, floats from other Pigeon Forge attractions, equestrian teams and beauty queens will all complete the parade route, waving to all of the happy spectators from their perches.
So what float will Dolly ride on? We will not know until the day of the parade! Dolly likes to keep her float a secret until parade day for an exciting unveiling.
Attend this year’s parade and join 50,000 other Dolly Parton lovers as you wave on one of Pigeon Forge’s best!
