PIGEON FORGE -- June 7, 2002 - The lonesome sounds of traditional Smoky Mountain bluegrass music will resonate throughout the Dollywood entertainment park this summer as a host of visiting bluegrass singers and pickers share their talents with Dollywood visitors.

As part of the park's in-season entertainment package, more than a dozen outstanding bluegrass groups will be featured in two Dollywood theaters on selected dates, adding yet another unique element to the entertainment options for Dollywood guests, and an all-new three-day event in June will feature additional bluegrass groups in several outdoor venues along with two special ticketed performances by The Del McCoury Band and The Gibson Brothers at Dollywood's Celebrity Theatre.

Russ & Becky Jeffers, The Chapmans, The Larkin Family, The Stevens Family, The Sitze Family, and Wildfire will perform through September on a varied schedule. Others performing throughout the next several months include Carolina Road, Suzzanne and Jim Hale, The Birdsong Family, One Riot One Ranger, The Duffin Family, 1st Impression, Fragment, New Ground, Valerie Smith and Liberty Pike, Russ & Becky Jeffers, 2nd Edition, and The Jeanette Williams Band.

The Red, White & Bluegrass Blast event June 14-16 features performances by Mountain Heart, The Seldom Scene, Lonesome River Band, and Blue Highway. This special weekend is the first of three in Dollywood's new Summer Fun Series and also includes America's Mountain Rhythms Clogging Competition with all ages of the region's top cloggers.

Tickets to the June 15 performances by Del McCoury/Gibson Brothers are $18.99 plus tax and are available by calling (865) 428-9620.