Smokies Stomp raises $84K for national park needs
The barn dance gets underway at the second annual Smokies Stomp Barn Party. David Huff photo
The second annual Smokies Stomp Barn Party raised more than $84,000 for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park this year, a significant increase over the $60,000 the event raised the first time around.
The event, held at Hickory Nut Gap Farm, featured a gourmet farm-to-table dinner, silent auction, square dance called by Rep. Joe Sam Queen, music from Buncombe Turnpike and a performance from the Bailey Mountain Cloggers.
The funds will go toward a $2.5 million upgrade to the park’s communications system, a project begun last year to celebrate Friends of the Smokies’ 25th anniversary. More than $1 million raised by the nonprofit thus far has been leveraged to match money from federal funding sources.
“We are thrilled to be so close to the finish line to help our park with this life-saving upgrade,” said Friends of the Smokies CEO and Executive Director Tim Chandler. “This campaign has been a huge undertaking but the difference this will make in the park’s ability to protect first responders and 11.4 million annual visitors is worth every penny.”
