The Jacks are back in Pigeon Forge at Paula Deen’s Lumberjack Feud! Opened in 2018, the show and adventure is the first permanent outdoor venue lumberjack show in Tennessee.
Audience members will be treated to an unforgettable experience as they journey back in time to the days before the establishment of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park when the logging industry ruled the area. The show features an “end-of-season” feud between two families whose names were synonymous with the timber business – the Dawsons and the McGraws. World-class lumberjacks represent both families in a variety of thrilling, fast-paced tests of skill and prowess ranging from chopping and axe throwing to tree climbing and log rolling.
Guests become part of the experience as they join in the competitive spirit, cheering for their Dawson or McGraw lumberjack family. And children are invited to try their hand at cross-cutting with a lumberjack during the show’s intermission.
“Pigeon Forge has become a second home for my family and me. The community has been warm and welcoming from the moment I opened Paula Deen’s Family Kitchen and I’m thrilled to bring this action-packed show full of family fun back to the area for both residents and visitors to enjoy,” said Deen.
Local fixture Uncle Bud Beasley will host the show rain or shine in its new, incredible 1.2-acre outdoor venue where renowned lumberjacks, including Mark Bouquin and Derek Knutson, will wow fans with their sheer strength and speed.
Bouquin, co-winner of FOX’s “American Grit” reality show, competed as a lumberjack on the collegiate logging team at Paul Smith’s College in the Adirondacks. Following graduation, Bouquin competed in timbersports professionally in New York, Alaska and British Columbia.
A second-generation lumberjack, Knutson, at age 4, was taught to log roll by his mother, a professional log roller. Knutson boasts the titles of three-time Iron Jack Champion (featuring log rolling, chopping, sawing and speed climbing) and two-time World Champion Speed Climber. He recently competed on Discovery Channel’s “American Tarzan” show filmed on the remote Caribbean island of Dominica, where seven contestants were challenged with not only surviving the wild but also mastering it while living off the land and traversing brutal obstacles.
“I’m fired up to be part of Paula Deen’s Lumberjack Feud. We have some of the most talented athletes from around the country who are ready to get Pigeon Forge back into the action and family-friendly competition of timbersports,” said Knutson, Lumberjack Feud Show Manager. “Our new show is going to bring back some events that have been long-standing crowd favorites while introducing new events that are really going to get the audience jacked up!”
Located at Lumberjack Square, the 350-person outdoor venue home to Paula Deen’s Lumberjack Feud features padded seating under a covered, climate-controlled grandstand designed for the guests’ comfort. The show operates rain or shine with the season running Spring through December.
Sign up for specials at LumberjackFeud.com.
