In this captivating episode of "For the Love of Gatlinburg," host Tom Goodwin welcomes Johnny Baker of Ole Smoky Moonshine to explore the charm and history of Gatlinburg. Johnny shares his deep-rooted connection to the town, from his family's post-World War II arrival to the creation of the world's largest moonshine company. He paints a vivid picture of growing up in Gatlinburg, describing it as his playground and highlighting the strong sense of community that has shaped his life and business. Ole Smoky Moonshine, established 14 years ago, has become a cornerstone of Gatlinburg's tourism industry. The Ole Smoky Moonshine Holler entertains approximately 2.5 million visitors annually with immersive experiences including bluegrass music, moonshine samples, and storytelling. Johnny emphasizes the importance of authentic narratives and historical context in their tours, which range from exclusive behind-the-scenes experiences to group tours for motorcoaches and family reunions. Gatlinburg's unique appeal is rooted in its rich artisan legacy and natural beauty. Johnny highlights the town's early recognition of local craftspeople, including his aunt Myrtle Connor, who showcased her weaving skills at the Smithsonian in 1963. The Arts and Crafts Community on East Parkway continues this tradition, offering visitors a diverse range of handcrafted items. The town's proximity to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and attractions like Anakeesta, Ripley's Aquarium, and the Sky Bridge further enhance its allure. For the perfect Gatlinburg experience, Johnny recommends starting with breakfast at local favorites like Crockett's Breakfast Camp or Pancake Pantry, exploring the Arts and Crafts Community, and enjoying outdoor activities in the national park. He also emphasizes the town's resilient spirit, particularly evident during the 2016 wildfires, which demonstrated the community's "mountain tough" attitude. Johnny's stories, from hosting renowned musicians to interacting with international visitors, showcase Gatlinburg's unique blend of local charm and global appeal.

[0:08] Speaker B (Tom): Welcome to for the Love of Gatlinburg, the podcast where we celebrate the charm, the history and the vibrant community of Gatlinburg, Tennessee. I'm your host, Tom Goodwin, and I hope you'll join me each week as I bring you stories that connect the past with the present as we explore the people that make Gatlinburg a beloved destiny nation and where every story is a piece of our mountain heritage. On today's episode, I'm excited to introduce you to Johnny Baker of Old Smoky Moonshine. And I think you're going to love his unique perspective on Gatlinburg stories and the difference they've made in his life. Let's dive into the heart of Gatlinburg together. Well, I'm so excited to welcome Johnny Baker of Old Smoky Moonshine to the heart the podcast today. And you have got an incredible story of legacy and history here in Gatlinburg. But I want to hear a little bit more about what you're doing currently in Gatlinburg. [1:06] Speaker A (Johnny): Well, what we're doing currently, we're in our 14th year with the Old Smokey Moonshine, and we built the company up to where we are the world's largest and the world's leading moonshine, which is crazy. We were in 55 countries prior to Covid. We're back up into the 40s now. It's been a slow rollback for some countries and we entertain through our Gatlinburg location holler. We call it Old Smoky Moonshine Holler. We entertain about two and a half million people through the doors every year. So it's literally the world's leading most of Fizzda Distillery. [1:48] Speaker B: And when you say entertained, you really mean entertain, you know, come into an experience. [1:53] Speaker A: You do, you do. And of course, we have the stage and we provide bluegrass music, so entertainment, you know, on each level. But. But yeah, we allow people to sample our different moonshines. [2:05] Speaker B: But they don't just get to sample. They hear some stories, some spun tales. [2:09] Speaker A: Well, they do if they do one of our tours, you know, we have a Behind the Steel tour, which is a paid tour they can, they can actually access offline and pay for. And then we do group tours, motorcoach bus tours, family reunions and everything. So, yeah, we, you know, we come from an illicit moonshine pass. So used to, you couldn't get in the word edgewise. Now they can't get me to shut up about the story, so. [2:32] Speaker B: Well, we'll stay away from the illicit. We'll stick to more of the. The Gatlinburg traditional story. You have a lot of in your family. When. When did your love for Gatlinburg begin? [2:44] Speaker A: My dad. I gotta. I gotta drop back and kind of preface. My dad moved here after World War II from Indiana with a gentleman. Helped him cheat his birth certificate, get in after they bombed Pearl Harbor. And the same gentleman, after dad had gotten back and was working for Indiana Power and Light, he said, ed, have you ever heard of Gatlinburg, Tennessee? And he said, no. And he said, well, I'm thinking about going up there and starting a candy shop. Would you like to come and help me make candy? Learn to make candy. My dad was only child. His mom was still alive. And he said, well, yeah, that sounds fun. He'd been all over the world, you know, so. So he came to Gatlinburg. [3:21] Speaker B: And what year was that? [3:23] Speaker A: Oh, my God, it's 40s. Don't get me on years, man. Covid. Covid. Blank. Two years out of my life. I'd have to take my boots off to count. But anyway, so he. He comes to Gatlinburg with this guy, and they opened a candy store. Fireside Candies on the main drag, we call it. That's a slang term. When you first come into Gatlinburg. It would be probably just above Chesapeakes on that side. They actually did both sides of the road during that time. But anyway, met mom, opened his own business as soon as I was. And of course, we technically lived in a home in Pigeon Forge. We called it a bed and breakfast when I got older, because we'd get home at bedtime and get up at breakfast and be in Gatlinburg. So I literally did grow up in Gatlinburg. And so, you know, when it was a time, then, of course, I'm young and I couldn't help a whole lot of store. I could get in the way. So they'd give me a couple of dollars and I could spend all day in town with a couple of dollars. And so it was a little bit. [4:27] Speaker B: Different than it is today. [4:28] Speaker A: A lot different than it was. Is today. But no, made a lot of friends there in Gatlinburg because people would bring their kids to work with them. You didn't have daycare stuff back then. And so developed a friendship with a lot of kids my age. And of course, we developed a little Rat Pack. It might have got in trouble. Every once in a while, you know, in town, we'd get bored and we'd go get water balloons and we'd hide behind a hedge Bush and rock the cars on 321 and then get our butts spanked. But. But no, it's just a. It was just a fun experience growing up. You know, we'd trout, fish. We were, we didn't. We weren't old enough for trout stamps. I don't know if they made you have a trowel stamp back then, but we fish all up from Roaring Fork all the way downtown. So we, we had a good. We had a good time. [5:14] Speaker B: So Gatlinburg was your playground? [5:16] Speaker A: Gatlinburg was my playground. [5:17] Speaker B: Your backyard. [5:18] Speaker A: That's. That's exactly right. [5:20] Speaker B: That's great. Do you ever head out into the national park with your family and enjoy the benefits of being so close to the national park? [5:27] Speaker A: Sunday was our play day. You know, after church, we always went to church, Roaring Fort Baptist here in Gatlinburg. We would go to Metcalf Bottoms sometimes with other families and friends, but we'd go to Metcalf Bottoms in the park and have picnics and not as much. We really didn't do as much hiking per se, just because, you know, dad made all of his candy by hand. He had no automation seeing my mom. And so he worked. It was a very short season, like a three month season. And so he worked all the time. But on Sundays when he could take off, we'd go to church and then we'd go into that portion of the park. Now my mother, she could take you into the park and pick up leaves and tell you every species of tree in the park. So no, I always had that appreciation of the national park and always. I mean, even today, you know, you get lost with business and everything and on the drive to Gatlinburg, God just slaps you inside the head and said, look where you live, you know, and all the splendor of the mountains hitting you in the face. So now we learned an appreciation of the park, but didn't get there until later in life to really get out on the trails and everything, which are amazing. [6:46] Speaker B: That is amazing. And it's fun to think of you as a child growing up in Gatlinburg as your backyard. And you said it was a three month season. [6:56] Speaker A: Yeah. [6:56] Speaker B: So explain that a little bit more because guests that come, they're coming 12 months out of the year. There's no off season here. [7:02] Speaker A: At that time you had a three month season and the people that could afford, they would go to Florida and we would go to Florida sometimes. But it was so my dad could work. We had family lived down there and he'd go work construction, and then later on, family up here started companies and. And he would make candy when he could, you know, during a short season. And then he worked construction. I mean, you know, bills still had to be paid. Another funny story. And the gentleman's dead and gone. His son's still around, but Ross Summit was over. Surreal County Bank. And my. He and my dad and dad, during construction time, he had. He had built some stuff for Ross with my cousins. And he would go see Ross after the season was up, and he'd borrow. I think at the time it was like five or six thousand dollars. And that would get us through until the next season kicked off. And he would work and pay that back. And it was just a perpetual loan. It wasn't even a line of credit. Just going to sign his name and that. So, yeah, you know, that you don't appreciate that until you get older and look back and see, see, you know, you're getting drug here and there for work. And then, of course, started doing. They started having craft fairs. And my dad, he would take Candy. He'd make candy 247 and get enough to put in a van and travel these craft fairs. And we had a broom maker there at the place and different ones, leather crafter. And they would all travel in a group, and that would extend the money a little bit, you know, do a weekend show anywhere from Mobile, Alabama to Chattanooga, all points in between. So, yeah, kind of a. Kind of a. I guess a redneck gypsy life there as far as Jason chasing it all. [8:48] Speaker B: But you always found your way back together? [8:49] Speaker A: Oh, absolutely, yeah. [8:51] Speaker B: And so would you consider yourself a lifelong resident of Sevier County? Absolutely committed. So you. You've never moved away? [8:57] Speaker A: Well, no, I had the opportunity. I went to work for a bank, and it got taken over by the feds and went to work for the feds, and they tried to get me to come to Chicago. And I was there for about a week getting wined and dined, and I said, you know what? I'd rather go home and dig a ditch. And I was making more money than all my college buddies were at the time. But anyway, no, it just. I can't. It would be hard to pull me out of the mountains here. [9:25] Speaker B: That's good. And I think when our guests come here, they experience the heart of what you're experiencing and what you're sharing. The mountain. Mountain spirit, in a sense. And I don't know how there's a lot of different words we can use to equate that the character of Gatlinburg. But what is it that you think draws people to Gatlinburg and causes them to keep coming back? [9:48] Speaker A: Okay, actually let me go back and tell an early story. My oldest aunt, my mom was a baby of 11. So my oldest aunt, she wove on a big loom. And the PI Fi sorority had came to town and set up a little area. And they would bring artisans in here, artists and craftsmen from this area. And it put Gatlinburg on the map early. I mean people, it was world known. And people would come here to the mountains to experience that. And of course it's Aramont now, it's right behind Anakeesta. It's still there. And they bring people in from other countries and all this stuff. But anyway, my aunt, she's weaving at pi5 that day, and she dipped root and snuff. So she had a little soup can, she'd always take the label off. So she's got this little silver can, it's sitting in the floor, threads on top, and she's weaving and spitting between the threads, never touching the thread. And these two guys from Smithsonian were there and they couldn't, they couldn't stop watching her. And they asked the lady behind the counter, they said, who is that? And she said, well, that's Myrtle Connor. And I said, she's like a machine. Said, what is she doing? Bobbing her head. Said, well, she dips snuff, you know, and she's spinning between three. She's like a machine, she's not touching. I said, is she approachable? And the lady said, well, yeah, you know, she's really nice lady. And so they walk over and they engage my aunt and they're talking to her and they said, you know, we've been standing here watching and said, oh my God, now we see your patterns. What they didn't realize, all my aunts and uncles went to a one room school outside of Gatlinburg, so they had that much of an education. But she was a big numbers person. And so she would do equations in her head and that's how she would weave her patterns. And so she'd come up with some very unique patterns. And I think she was the only one at that time that they would actually let work with, with like lace and fancy stuff, you know, to do that. But anyway, so these guys, they're. They're standing there and they said, tell her where they're from. Smithsonian, Washington D.C. she didn't drive, never been out of Gatlinburg. And they said, we would like to bring you and set your. You and your loom on a riser in the Smithsonian and be an Appalachian living exhibit. And they said, we'll put. We'll buy your plane tickets and we'll fly you out there. And she's like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. I don't know who you are, but now the only time I'm going to fly is when God gives me ways wings. And so they said, well, would you ride a bus? Well, get your loom out there. So that was 1963. I actually have. We still have it in the family. A black and white picture from Washington paper at the time. And she is on that riser at the Smithsonian with her little spit can under her thread. And she got to weave there for several days. So that was kind of cool. But that was early bringing people to the area. She was actually at newfound gap when Roosevelt came and commissioned the national park. She was young then, but she was there for that occasion. But. [13:10] Speaker B: Well, that's an incredible story in light of world renowned artists and historians recognizing the value of your aunt. [13:20] Speaker A: Well, not just her, but a lot of people in the area. But she was chosen. Yeah. So it's kind of cool. [13:25] Speaker B: It represents kind of the spirit of the homespun, you know, artisans and the rich, deep heritage that gatlinburg represents. And I love that we still have that experience for our guests to come. [13:42] Speaker A: And then fast forward and I mean, we're at the foothills of the most visited national park in the United states. We have some of the most beautiful vistas. We have great hiking trails. And you know, it's just. And it's no secret, our success is based off the nine to 13 million people that visit the park every year. [14:06] Speaker B: Yeah, 13 million people. And two and a half a million, two and a half million of those people are actually coming to your experience at the holler. [14:14] Speaker A: Thank God. [14:16] Speaker B: I wonder what draws them in. I think there must be something. [14:19] Speaker A: Well, we have music out front, you know, know, we have bluegrass music daily. And we have rocking chairs. Funny story about the chairs. I've got stories for stories. We first built the stage. We had a relationship with cracker barrel, so we got cracker barrel rockers and put out there. And of course, when I do my groups, and I'd note that we had cracker barrel rockers. And I said, you know, actually cracker barrel corporate sent us an email and wanted to know why people were coming in their stores and saying, your. Your rockers don't rock as well on your porch as they do at old Smokey. And I said, it has to be the bluegrass. Of course, I get a big kick. But now we had the cracker barrel rockers for the longest time, and so, no, we. We what we wanted to create. My family made moonshine of music. I papa all my uncles and everything, and we wanted to recreate that part of our past heritage and pay homage to that. So that's why we have bluegrass music every day. And. And it's just. It's. It's been. It's been a dream, the things that we've been able to do. And like I say, we started the business back in 2010 without a business plan to ever leave the first 2600 square feet with seven employees. Now we're over 740 employees. And it's just. And, you know, it's kind of about the irony. And the full circle is our family and a lot of other families, not just in Tennessee, but other southern states, they didn't have government assistance, so they did whatever they could do to make extra money and to get their families raised. And now we feel like we're helping raise 740 more. So that's as rewarding, really, as a success. [16:02] Speaker B: That's a great contribution to the community as well, which is. Which is awesome. I love the music, the live music. I do think that draws people in. How do you find these musicians, or do they find you? [16:12] Speaker A: Well, a little. Both. We have an entertainment director here, and he's. He's well into the bluegrass genre and everything, and so he. He brings a lot of groups in. Probably our. Our defining moment in 14 years is my nephew. He thinks we're all MacGyvers. He called and he said, I want the Soggy Bottom Boys to play gatlinburg. This was 2013. Well, those five guys were in different bands. They had like, 42 Grammys between the five of them. It was kind of like the equivalent of having the Eagles, you know, in the bluegrass version. And they'd never played together other than that soundtrack. They'd never played live show. So through the help of another friend in the business, we were able to put that together. And Ralph Stanley showed up, and Allison Krause showed up. Now she was hoarse. She was saving her voice. She was fixing. Going through with Willie Nelson. Everybody but Clooney almost showed up that night, and it was epic. And it's never been, it can never be and never was equaled. We had them that. That kind of got them started, and they did several other shows, and they finished up at our island distillery two or Three years later and that was their final show together. But it just the magic and like I say, it's. I've got a really appreciation and love and respect for music and I've met a lot of entertainers and artists over the years and I was a little tongue tied standing with those guys. I didn't know where to start. [17:52] Speaker B: And if you're tongue tied, then you know, it's something that's for sure. Johnny, you've been great to share all these stories. We want to hear more about what you would recommend for guests that are coming to Gatlinburg to do in a perfect day. What. How would you describe your perfect day in Gatlinburg? What would that involve? [18:10] Speaker A: Well, you can't start a good day without a good breakfast. And we are pancake house central up here. And you know, we've got lots of options. We've got the iconic to a lot of new places and everything. So breakfast is important. And I would encourage everyone. I know you got continental breakfast and everything. A lot of hotels and nothing against them, but I would encourage people to hit rockets or pancake pantry or log cabin or some of them. And you know, another hidden gem that kind of loses, doesn't get a lot of fanfare is the arts and crafts community. And it's out East Parkway. And again it goes back to anywhere from potters to painters, to all different, all different types of, of seven mile loop. Yes, yes. [19:03] Speaker B: And, and creating environments like your aunt created in the Smithsonian. Guests can come and enjoy so many different artisans that are making their products right there in their stores. [19:13] Speaker A: And, and of course, you know, we have, we have the Ripley's aquarium, we have the sky bridge, we have Anakeesta. We have Ober Mountain. Now that's going under a big renovation. They just built a new sky deck on top of Mount Harrison. It's now the tallest observatory deck. [19:34] Speaker B: And they've got a bluegrass band on top of Mount Harrison too. [19:36] Speaker A: Well, yeah, we're gonna have music everywhere up there. That's awesome. But anyway, there's just so many things to do. But, but, and if it's a perfect day, I always try to encourage people because a lot of people don't necessarily go to the national park. And I encourage people, you know, I kind of talk to them and kind of gauge their driving ability so they don't burn brakes. You know, everybody wants to go to the top of the mountain, but Cates Cove is a safe and you know, so we try to, we try to direct folks either early morning, late afternoon so you might see some deer and bear and different things. So. But. But yeah, there's just. There's just so many things. I mean, that's. I think that's another thing that brings people back. Certain people come back because they have their niche. And I've been talking to people over the years that rent cabins where whatever cabin they rent and rebook every year, it becomes their second home. And a lot of times they call back and it's not available. They're not staying anywhere else. So it gives them a little bit of ownership. And so you've got some that come back and do a lot of the same things. Of course, there's always changes up here. But I think another thing that brings people back is they may see something they haven't been able to do, and they say, okay, when we go back, we're going to do this. And there's just so many different things that can bring people back. And we're very fortunate. We have a big repeat customer base that comes here with that many more new people. So. [21:05] Speaker B: And you can come all year long, not just three months out of the year. [21:09] Speaker A: Yeah, absolutely. [21:10] Speaker B: What is your favorite month of the year in Gatlinburg, and why? [21:13] Speaker A: Well, probably October. You know, it's probably the busiest month of the year. You know, you got the lead changes. You have. They bring a lot of craftsmen to downtown Gatlinburg, the convention center. So you got a craft show going on once the colors start changing. And it's kind of crazy, but I think they start changing on the North Carolina side. I don't know if God's got a switch, you know, and they kind of melt over from North Carolina to Tennessee side. But sometimes before we have it here, you can catch some color on that side of the mountain, but just. I mean, the mountains are on fire. God's paintbrush just goes crazy in the fall. And it's cool outside, you know. And of course, up until this year, everybody decorates with pumpkins and straw. Of course, we've got. We've got a. Some overly aggressive bears and a lot of bears now and like to eat pumpkins. They like pumpkins. So that's kind of ruined the pumpkin thing, you know, downtown. But it's. I don't know, it's just. It's just a neat time of the year. You know, we have all four seasons here. We're very blessed. Our weather's gotten crazy. Sometimes you can be here three days and get three seasons in three days, you know, at the right time. But no, the fall is just, it's, it's a good time. You know, you have a fire and. I don't know, it's, it's just probably one of my favorites. [22:32] Speaker B: That is, that's great. And I think October is definitely one of the most popular months here for tourism and for visiting. And it does linger over into September or into November. And I think one thing I appreciate about Gatlinburg is every day you can experience something different. [22:51] Speaker A: Yep. [22:52] Speaker B: And the mountains look different even from hour to hour. [22:54] Speaker A: Oh, yeah. [22:55] Speaker B: And throughout the year, there's just beautiful things that you talked about it being God's paintbrush. And I do think there's a spiritual element to our community as well. What do you, what do you sense? I sense that you might be in agreement with that, too. [23:08] Speaker A: I'm fixing to take you there. [23:10] Speaker B: Okay. [23:11] Speaker A: But, you know, sometimes just getting back in the mountains and I've got some favorite trails that I like, and it's sometimes when you're kind of, you're kind of foggy and you just go out and. I don't know, it's, it's, it's hard to explain, but, but it just, it's soothing and it's almost, it's almost like a drug. I don't know. You know, it's just like. It's just like you get, you get back in nature and nothing else matters. You know, for that moment, you're not thinking about any timelines or anything. You're just back there enjoying God's beauty. And, and sometimes I time myself to see how in shape I am, but a lot of times I'm taking my sweet time and just soaking up as much time there because obviously in our business, we don't get a lot of time like that. But no, I, I, I value time. Anytime I can get off the beaten path and just clear my, clear my mind and refuel my soul. So there is that element to our mountains. [24:18] Speaker B: And I think you just summarize what everyone wants to experience when they come to Gatlinburg. You come to a vacation to unplug and to connect and to be re. Energized. Now, there's a lot of distractions. There's a lot of activities, but we hope, I think we're both in agreement, that people don't miss out on the opportunity to really have a deeper connection, soulish connection while they're here, and also to have that rest and to be recharged. [24:43] Speaker A: And the park does a really good. You know, they have hiking guides and everything, and they do a really Good job of, you know, people with family, small kids, they, they have recommended. Recommended hikes that they can do, you know, all the way up to however far you want to go. [25:01] Speaker B: This episode of for the Love of Gatlinburg is sponsored by Mountain Laurel Chalets, the family owned company of choice for your cabin rentals in the smoky Mountains. Since 1972, Mountain Laurel Chalets has served thousands of visitors to the Smokies with excellent accommodations. They love treating you like family and they look forward to hosting your next trip to Gatlinburg. Well, Johnny, you mentioned hikes helping you center. What are your favorite hikes? Where do you like to hike when you have the opportunity? [25:33] Speaker A: One of mine is Abrams Falls out of Cates Cove. It's, you know, you get up there to the falls to the top and you feel like you're accomplished. I think it's about a two mile round trip and it's not terribly strenuous. God, there's so many. Greenbrier is a great section park. You know, you're right there against the. [25:53] Speaker B: River and there's several right out 321. [25:57] Speaker A: Yeah. And. And had a lot of family memory memories back in there too with past family members and everything. There's some graves back there. So. So yeah, it's. And it's easy to get to access. And Max Patch is another great one. Man, I tell you, that's just. That's crazy when you get up there and then you're just on this big mountain ball. It's. [26:21] Speaker B: The view never ends. [26:22] Speaker A: No, no. So there's, there's a lot more. I mean the Chimneys, when I was in better shape. The Chimneys is a great hike. Of course, a lot of people do portions. The Appalachian Trail and then Mount Leconte is it now. It's. It's a little bit more. [26:39] Speaker B: That's a big commitment. [26:40] Speaker A: You got to be ready for that one. But, but they still have the lodging up there. [26:43] Speaker B: You can spend the night. Well, yeah, if you plan in advance. [26:46] Speaker A: If you can get on that long list or somebody drops off that list and. And yeah, so there's just so many. And like I say, I just, I just don't have the time or I guess take the time to do more. But there's enough to re. Energize. [27:03] Speaker B: I think it's interesting people that come here are surprised that people live here. People ask my wife, where my wife is from. She says Gatlinburg. Oh, I didn't know anyone grew up in Gatlinburg. But people do live here and we are part of the tourism industry and the hospitality. So there's a lot of work. But when we do have time off, we have a great place to experience those deeper. Those deeper connections. And as you think of new guests that are coming that have never been to Gatlinburg, they don't know this destination from anywhere else. They've never been whatsoever. What would you be most excited for them to experience about the heart of Gatlinburg when they visit? [27:43] Speaker A: Obviously, Gatlinburg is a walkable city, you know, and so. And. And so once they're parked at a hotel, there is some paid lots in town, but. But everything's walkable. And it's very diverse, anywhere from candy shops to caramel corn shops to, you know, you name it, it's in town. And. And so it. It in itself is. Is. Is unique in that respect. Some great restaurants, of course, we got a Old Reds and a Jason Aldean's now. So, you know, there's a little bit of. There's a little bit of pop in the country there. But. But anyway, yeah, you know, there's. It's. It's just such a unique place where our sister city, Pigeon Forge, you know, is more spread out and. And you can walk, there's sidewalks, but it's just not as quaint as Gatlinburg. No offense to Fishing Forge, but like I say, it's. Gatlinburg is just a really, really neat destination. And like I say, I think once people get here, and I think they're excited to explore and see what all they can find. [28:52] Speaker B: Of course, you meet a lot of guests that come just by doing the Backstage Tour. Quite a few guests. Do you have any interesting guest stories or experiences at the Backstage Tour? [29:04] Speaker A: You know, it's. You meet a very diverse group of people, and everybody's got a story. And I don't know, after doing this from 2012 through or. Yeah, 12 through 24, nothing really stands out. I guess my funniest guest story is our French distributors came in. They'd never been to this area. They flew in and went and did Miami and then flew to Charlotte and then rented a car and drove here. And husband and wife and I picked them up at their hotel, Pigeon Forge, and I was showing them the island and our Gatlinburg location. And so when I always. That's one of my first questions, especially people not from this area or have never been here. I said, how was your culture shock? And so I asked. I asked the lady, I said, how was your culture shock when you came in. And she's like, oh, my God, dear. She said, we're driving through. And I said, sevierville? And she said, yes. She said, we encounter an upside down building, half of a ship, and a GD gorilla hanging off the side of a building. She said, I looked at my husband and said, my God, dear, if I didn't know we were on holiday, I'd think we'd left the pub and shouldn't be driving. So that was probably one of the most fun. [30:30] Speaker B: And then they come to Gatlinburg. [30:31] Speaker A: Oh, and they loved it. They loved Gatlinburg. And. And I took him back through Pittman center, going back to Pigeon Porridge and. And it kind of struck me funny. I'm just kind of let them take it in and everything. And we're passing homes and mobile homes and everything. They're like, oh, my God, everything is so manicured in the series. And everybody takes pride in their. Their property. And she said, even these box homes said they keep the place really nice. And I told her, I said, you're gonna have to calm down. I've always wanted to come to France, but I said, if it's a bigger crap hole and some of this stuff we're looking at, no offense. I said, you know, maybe I don't want to come. [31:11] Speaker B: Maybe we have something to teach France. [31:12] Speaker A: Yeah. And then we had our Poland distributors in a year ago April. And we're driving from Gatlinburg over to our Newport production production plants, he and his son. And we're driving out 321 toward Cosby. And he's. And of course, thank God for being. We have an employee at our national location that's fluent, and she's from Poland. Her family is. And so we had her with us to kind of bridge that gap. And he got quiet and he looked around. He said, I've traveled a lot of our side of the world. He said, this reminds me of Austria. And I said, well, that sucks, because that's been on my bucket list. Sound of Music. And if that's what this looks like, I'm gonna save my trip and not go to Austria. But no, I'm just kidding. But still, you know, it's just amazing. It's amazing to get people's first reactions and everything. And then I have some people and they're. They've probably had a bad day. And I said, well, look, I want to try to change it here while you're with us. But I said, if all else fails on this vacation, you can at Least go home and tell people say, well, the Redneck Riviera really exists from Pigeon Forge all the way through to Gatlinburg. [32:30] Speaker B: All the way through to Gatlinburg. That is awesome. Now tell me a little bit more. I think maybe our listeners would be thinking, okay, what is the backstory of moonshine for our community? You explained it as a, you know, illicit profession that's now is legalized, but there is a rich history that comes with them with moonshine, the back stills and so forth. [32:53] Speaker A: Absolutely. [32:54] Speaker B: And so what do you, what do you, what's some of the story that you share with those that come on the backstage tour? Give us a little, well, you know. [33:00] Speaker A: Into that we, we tell a lot of our, our recent history, a little bit of our past history. But you know, there were, there were guys my family quit about 1950 and there were other families that made right on up until 2007. And then I've got friends in other states. My hypocrisy only goes so far being legal now, but I have friends in other states. Unfortunately not as many now. They're getting old and can't do it anymore. But, but you know, in that era of time, moonshine shaped a lot of things that we still enjoy in the Syria, NASCAR being the biggest one. You know, all these moonshine runners, they started competing for pink slips and of course like during the Depression and when they had to actually travel further with it to get to people so they could sell it, they had money and they, they would, they, of course they were tinkering with their engines and everything. That's just here, that's North Carolina and the whole southern belt there. But they started competing to who could get to this drop off because they didn't know how big a truck or trucks and if they were going to make a sale or not. So it was a race to get there to make a sale and they started betting pink slips and everything. And finally the older, I think it was elder France and the France family at nascar, of course North Carolina will kind of, you know, there's several different stories, but he met with some of the moonshine runners and I can't remember the year now, but in Daytona beach in a hotel and they, they kind of wrote down the first kind of rules of nascar. And I think one of the early races was actually on the beach. Beach. Another true story. My best friend from grade school through high school, his dad owned the Smoky Mountain Car Museum in Pigeon Forge. And from as young as I can remember, he wore a full leg brace and all he would tell any of us was he'd had a bad car wreck when he was younger. And our senior year of high school, I was down there waiting on my friend who's working and waiting for him to get off. So we get out and run around and this gentleman walked in from. And he said, I'm so and so from Charlotte motor speedway, this Mr. Asley here. And so Jim called his dad out of the office and he came out and he introduced himself and he said, do you still have the wreckage of your old nascar? Of course. Me and Jim, you know, we're eyes wide open. Because he'd never said a word about it. He said, yeah, I've got it in one of my places in Loudoun County. And he was in one of those first early open window Hudson races there, Daytona and wrecked his car. And they took the wreckage and the guy did, he let them have the wreckage and restored the car. And that night race, that fall race, my buddy and I got to go to Charlotte and he got to ride in the parade lap. They do a parade lap with the old cars. He got to ride his dad's opening the car. They stuck me in a Charlotte Motor Speedway van with Bud Moore's son, Little Bud, and he's a wild man. I think I had a wilder ride than they did in their old Hudson, you know, that van. But, you know, you just, you can't, you don't imagine, you don't dream of that stuff, you know, So I would. [36:24] Speaker B: Have never connected moonshine with nascar. Yeah, it makes sense, but you don't want to do both of them. [36:28] Speaker A: And that story, that brought the story even more to life, you know, by being that, that local and everything. But, but no, it's, you know, it, it got a lot of people elected and a lot of. Kept a lot of people out of trouble too, you know, if I, if the judges wanted around election time and different ones, you know, so it, it was just a part. And you know, the, the thing was, and the stories I've been told around here, I mean, there wasn't income, very little income. And, and it was, it was a way to survive. Survive. And they talked about preachers that made it. I don't know if they drank it or not, but you know, it was, it was a means of. And it might show up guys, you know, the women go in church and guys stand outside and have their jars and be bragging who's had the best moonshine. But, you know, it was more of a gentleman thing too. There was respect there. And people didn't really. They respected everybody's boundaries, and the kids weren't. They weren't. I mean, good equipping if you got in it. And the story that my mom always told. They lived up just behind the crafts community in John's Branch. They had a creek when Roosevelt commissioned the park, and they had to move things out of the park back home. And they had two sides of the creek, and Papaw had his still up on one side. And they'd tell the kids, say, y'all can't play on that side of the creek. There's a bear or a panther over there. Except when the revenueers were out and word got to them, they'd say, well, you know, that bear and panther's gone. Y'all go play over there. And the revenuers knew that they didn't let the younger kids around it, you know, and they'd get over there and play on that side, and the revenuers just. They'd check the other side side and roll on, you know, so that was a. That was a family story there. So. [38:20] Speaker B: So I. You're a master storyteller, and thousands of people have heard you telling the stories in the back. The backside view of the moonshine. Old smoky moonshine. What is exciting is that these stories really do shape who we are, and they have a ability, a magnetic draw for our guests that they pick up these stories, they pick up the heart behind them. And as you think of your experience in Gatlinburg, are there any stories that stand out that surprise you or that make you feel like, I'm proud to be a part of this community? And these are the legacy characteristics of this community that stand out in these stories. [39:01] Speaker A: Yeah. And what comes to mind, first and foremost, there is. You know, we went through the terrible fires of 2016, and we'd never experienced anything like that ever in this area. It was more like what you see on TV in California. And I just. We got evacuated out of our home in Pigeon Forge, and of course, we had a lot of employees lived up here, but once we kind of got a handle on things, and they set up the Rock top sports world, and that's where they put displaced people and right there trying to account for our. Our employees. And. And then I've got family and really good friends up there in the same shape. But. But what really. What really kind of just solidified the fact that I'm. I'm where I need to be and I'm home was everybody locally that stepped up and people I've Lived here all my life, and people I've known that I didn't think they had it in them stepped up in a big way. And everybody went to a servant's heart, and it was just. It made you want to work that harder and that more, and, you know, that's one thing. And of course, our mayor kind of coined the phrase mountain tough, and that pretty much summed it up. You know, a lot of people could have just thrown their hands up and just said, uncle, we can't. Where do we go? And we didn't. And we had a lot of outside help come in and just fortify things. And during that bad time, good people stepped up and people that. I'm proud to say that we live in this area, and good friends. And of course, I called a lot of markers. I've got a lot of friends, and I called a lot of markers in during that time, and so many that I was afraid if I was at a place eating, I was afraid to ask anybody to pass the salt or pepper because I'd ask them for so many things and they delivered. But, you know, that and itself. That in itself just solidified the fact that I'm where I need to be. And I know when the chips are down, we got good people here. They're gonna step up. And like I say, people that come here, they'll encounter. They'll encounter them around town and never know the links that they went to bring people. [41:37] Speaker B: I think it's in our DNA in this community. [41:39] Speaker A: Absolutely. [41:40] Speaker B: Mike Warner coined that phrase mountain tough. But it's started with people like your aunt and your grandparents and your ancestors who ventured here, your grandfather who moved here to settle a new business, to have an incredibly hard work ethic, to live off the land, in a sense, and to give back to the community. And I do think tragedy does reveal the true heart of a community. And in that case, it revealed some really beautiful things about Gatlinburg that I think people have latched onto, and that what's. What makes us such an incredible destination for people to come to. [42:16] Speaker A: It really did. And so, like I say, yeah, anybody that hadn't been here, I encourage them to come. And like I say, they're. They're walking amongst heroes, depending on what businesses they go in or if they go in the right restaurant at the right time. And like I say, they won't have their capes or their s on their church because there's nothing going on. But very proud to be a part of this community and play a small part during that time. [42:43] Speaker B: Well, we're blessed to have you today, Johnny, to share your stories, to be a part of this inaugural season of the podcast where we're capturing these stories to hopefully share the essence and just a small part of the heart of Gatlinburg. So we're grateful to have you and we look forward to having you on maybe another time to share some more of those childhood stories. [43:05] Speaker A: Thanks a lot. I'd love to do it. [43:07] Speaker B: Well, thanks for being with us. [43:09] Speaker A: Thank you so much. [43:10] Speaker B: Thank you for joining me on this episode of for the Love of Gatlinburg. I hope you enjoyed exploring the stories that weave together the rich tapestry of our mountain town. Whether you're reminiscing about past visits or dreaming of your next adventure, remember that every corner of Gatlinburg has a story waiting to be discovered. If you loved what you heard today, please take a moment to subscribe, rate and review our podcast. Your support helps us share the charm and history of Gatlinburg with even more listeners. And don't forget to connect with us on social media. Until next time, keep the spirit of Gatlinburg alive in your hearts. Safe travels and see you soon.