© Paul Zarzyski. All rights reserved. These words may not be reprinted or reposted without the author's written permission.

4. Pigeon Forge, TN—February 18th to 22nd: Their Saddle Up! Festival. One wash day after Ellensburg, caught a flight to Knoxville.  Pretty country—Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Little Pigeon River, Dollywood, and very sweet people.  Played several stages, shared mostly with Wylie & The Wild West, but also with Andy Hedges and Andy Wilkinson, and other fine poets and musicians—paramount of which, Dr. Russell Ramsey and The Pigeon Forge Symphony, Wylie’s debut performance with an orchestra, and my second-go’round, after working several years ago with Conductor Barry Jekowski and The Reno Philharmonic Orchestra at the Reno Hilton for their annual Rhythm & Rawhide event.  Wylie’s first 8-pack of charted songs included To Her, Manolito, Cattle Call, Whoop Up Trail, Bucking Horse Moon, I Get High, Lasca, and a Don’t Fence Me In/Red River Valley medley.  Remarkably successful first jump outta the ol’ orchestra chute, and rumor

has it that there exists some un-retouched video footage to prove it.  (I’ll keep you posted on its posting.)  Oh, almost forgot—I recited 6-8 poems on that same stage—preambles, so to speak, to the songs.  I kicked off the evening with my tribute piece to musicians across the genres and ages—a poem about Charles “Bird” Parker, titled For The Stories (from WOLF TRACKS ON THE WELCOME MAT).  We’re looking forward to future symphony collaborations.  And we’re extremely grateful to the generous, gracious, incredibly professional Saddle Up! staff and volunteers for the opportunity to bring our music and poetry to Pigeon Forge.  Both an honor and a delight.