Cal Ripken, Jr. returns as grand marshal of the annual tourism season kick-off event.
PIGEON FORGE, Tennessee (March 26, 2024)—The new 2024 tourism season in Pigeon Forge brings a new day for the city’s annual Music in the Mountains Spring Parade, which is scheduled for Saturday, April 13, at 11 a.m. (EST). Major League Baseball legend Cal Ripken, Jr. (pictured above) serves as grand marshal.
Attendees can expect to see high school marching bands as well as twirlers from Ohio. The Music in the Mountains Spring Parade begins at traffic light 6 and travels north to traffic light 3.
“We’re looking forward to a great Saturday morning event which will give even more folks a chance to enjoy the Music in the Mountains Spring Parade,” said Pigeon Forge City Manager Earlene Teaster. “Once again, our friend and baseball legend Cal Ripken, Jr. will lead the way as grand marshal, helping our city usher in a new tourism season here in the Great Smoky Mountains.”
“I am looking forward to taking part in the Pigeon Forge Music in the Mountains Spring Parade yet again. It is a sign of spring, and another wonderful season is underway in Pigeon Forge and at The Ripken Experience Pigeon Forge,” Ripken said. “I love this event and always enjoy visiting the city and having the chance to reconnect with my friends at Pigeon Forge. It will be a fun day!”
Ripken, a familiar face in Pigeon Forge, is co-founder of Ripken Baseball® which operates The Ripken Experience® Pigeon Forge. The facility is a state-of-the-art baseball and softball complex which hosts more than 1,000 teams annually from over 30 states. Since its opening in 2016, The Ripken Experience® Pigeon Forge has treated more than 150,000 players and coaches to a major league experience on its turf fields with unobstructed views of the Great Smoky Mountains.
Ripken, who played for the Baltimore Orioles, was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007.
Joining this year’s lineup are high school marching bands from Minford, Ohio, and Pigeon Forge along with the Star Strutters from Cincinnati, Ohio, and the Kathy McCarrell’s Majorettes from Seymour, Tennessee. Pigeon Forge businesses including the Old Mill, The Island in Pigeon Forge, Hatfield & McCoy Dinner Feud, and more also will participate in the parade.
For more information on Pigeon Forge’s Music in the Mountains Spring Parade please visit MyPigeonForge.com/parade.
–MyPigeonForge2024—
About Cal Ripken, Jr.—Known as baseball’s “Iron Man” for playing in a world-record 2,632 consecutive games, Ripken spent 21 seasons in the major leagues and was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007. Since his retirement, Ripken uses the platform that baseball has provided him to help grow the game through Ripken Baseball® and its youth complexes located in Maryland, South Carolina, Tennessee, New York, and Kentucky while placing a strong focus on giving back to underserved communities through the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation.
Cal Ripken, Jr. image available here.
Media contact for Pigeon Forge Dept. of Tourism:
Trish McGee