Holy Smoky Mountainous Santas! Come the 16th of March, Gatlinburg will be invaded by an army of Santas of all shapes and sizes, along with a bucketload of roly-poly Mrs. Santa Claus types, assorted elves and the stray reindeer or two.

That’s the first annual Celebrate Santa 2009 Convention and Expo (www.celebratesanta.com), to be held in Gatlinburg, Tenneessee, from March 16-18, 2009, at the W. L. Mills Auditorium and convention center. This is the 70th anniversary of the very first official gathering of Santas in New York in 1939.  

There’s going to be parades, and over 30 workshops for imparting wisdom regarding how to be a better Santa. Includes hair and beard care, stage presence, 20th century Santa history, a special for mall Santas, and even workshops on sign language, magic and ventriloquism. 

There’s going to be a trade show and exhibition open to the public, with around 200 vendors displaying their best crafts, paintings and home décor items to belts, suits and other Santa items.

Country music legend Louise Mandrell will put in an appearance on March 16. There’s also the Holly & Shamrock Parade on March 17, St. Patrick’s Day, which will feature Santas with cybersleighs. You’ll be able to attend the Holly & Shamrock gala in the evening with dinner and dance.

Oh, and there’s some special event and workshops lined up the aforementioned roly-poly Mrs. Santa Claus types. “Over the past decade, the presence of Mrs. Claus has increased and has been in more demand”, said Mary Moore, co-coordinator of Celebrate Santa. “We are very excited about all the Mrs. Claus workshops and all the activities the convention has to offer. It has become a true Santa family affair.”

Here’s the full schedule for Celebrate Santa, a list of attractions in Gatlinburg, and here’s a neat list of cheap Gatlinburg motels where they won’t bat an eyelid even if you fly in and park your sleigh outside your room.

Posted on March 3rd, 2009 by Thomas
Filed under: Festivals