Available Presentations
See our "Scheduled Appearances" page for our current calendar of upcoming presentation.
(Photo courtesy Carolina Lebar)
Remembrance - Backcountry Cemeteries in Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Cemetery historians and GoSmokies contributors Renée Michot and Jim Rigsby share the history and current conditions of the old cemeteries.
(Developed for Wilderness Wildlife Week 2015, Pigeon Forge, TN)
Death and Burial Practices of the Smoky Mountain Settlers
Sit down with storyteller and cemetery historian Jim Rigsby as he recreates a mountain old-timer to share how the mountain people dealt with a death among their own.
(Developed for Wilderness Wildlife Week 2016, Pigeon Forge, TN)
The Remembrance Project
A discussion of the Remembrance Project, how it works and how we do it.
(Developed for Wilderness Wildlife Week 2019, Pigeon Forge, TN)
Gone But Not Forgotten - the remote cemeteries up Hazel Creek
Tour the old cemeteries hidden in one of the most remote regions of Great Smoky Mountains National Park
(Developed for Wilderness Wildlife Week 2019, Pigeon Forge, TN)
Little Things Learned the Hard Way - Refining your backpacking gear and skills
A skills class with illustrative photography.
(Developed for Wilderness Wildlife Week 2017, Pigeon Forge, TN)
Live to Hike Another Day - Hiker Safety Class
A hiking safety overview focusing on specific skills and gear with illustrative photography.
(Developed for Wilderness Wildlife Week 2018, Pigeon Forge, TN)
Basics of Staying Found - How not to get lost
Practical, non-technical and easily-implemented orienteering techniques, taught in the field.
(Developed for the Senior Hiking Club, Sevierville, TN)
Seven Nights Up Hazel Creek
An overview of the history of Hazel Creek in Great Smoky Mountains National Park and a week-long backpacking trip we took there to document the ten cemeteries found there.
(Developed for the Senior Hiking Club, Sevierville, TN)
The Civil War in the Smokies - Cemeteries: a link to the past
The old cemeteries tucked away in Great Smoky Mountains National Park each have a story - if we will listen. To the casual visitor, a grave indicates a death, but to the family and survivors it marked a life. Travel back in time as the old gravesites tell their stories.
(Developed for Civil War Day, Sevierville, TN)