GATLINBURG, Tenn. – Great Smoky Mountains National Park invites the public to the annual Signs of Spring event on April 18 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Cades Cove. The event celebrates National American Sign Language Day. Visitors will have the opportunity to learn about the Smokies from park rangers and members of the Deaf community.
This year’s theme, “Communities: Together and Apart,” highlights how the relative remoteness of places like Cades Cove helped shape strong community bonds and distinctive local cultures. Event stations throughout the cove will explore how these communities changed as they became more connected to nearby towns and cities and more influenced by outside events.
Maryville High School students and Smokies Life staff will present a special Junior Ranger station in the Cable Mill area. Visitors can participate in historic activities that shaped the communities’ strong social ties while working towards earning their Junior Ranger badges.
Park rangers and members of the Deaf community will jointly present educational programs throughout the day. Certified American Sign Language interpreters and students will provide interpretation at all stations. They are coming from University of Tennessee; Maryville College; Knoxville Center of the Deaf; and Partnership for Families, Children and Adults.
Program locations and time:
Cades Cove Orientation Shelter: 9 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., 10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., 11 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Methodist Church: 10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., 11 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., 12 p.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Cable Mill Area: Drop in at the Junior Ranger station anytime between 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
Dan Lawson Place: 12:30 p.m. to 1 p.m., 1:30 p.m. to 2 p.m., 2:30 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Lequire Cemetery: 1:30 p.m. to 2 p.m., 2:30 p.m. to 3 p.m., 3:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.
While visitors are welcome to attend any of the programs individually, stations are designed to build on one another, and participants are encouraged to attend in the order listed.
- National Park Service release
