the documentary
Smoky Mountain Strong The week of Thanksgiving 2016 was full of news reports on a wildfire in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. As we all feasted on delicious food and gave thanks it was unknown that in just a few days all would change. The sun would set on November 28, 2016 in Gatlinburg with news reports of the park wildfire breaching the city limits, as the hours past reality of this historical moment came to life. Lisa Bingham, at her home in Farragut was frantically attempting to reach her cousin that lived directly in the reported fire area. She was not alone as most of the areas neighboring Gatlinburg were left to watch and wait the fate of this beloved mountain town.
The sun would rise the following day with 14 lives lost and over 2700 structures destroyed. Lisa's joy in the survival of her family turned into determination to share the incredible story of the Gatlinburg Wildfires. Over the next months, SMOKY MOUNTAIN STRONG came to life telling the stories of survival, faith, hope and recovery. The Bingham Group premiered a 30-minute excerpt of the documentary at the Knoxville Film Festival in 2017, winning multiple awards. The greatest of these awards was the overwhelming positive reviews and appreciation from actual survivors.
"Please tell more of the story, tell them to come back to Gatlinburg, tell more" were repeated by many wildfire survivors at the premiere. It appeared healing for some residents to tell their stories. “Smoky Mountain Strong” was chosen to open the Governor's Conference on Tourism held in Gatlinburg this year with rave reviews from all attendees. While the wildfire is an historical event of great sadness, the days following are equally significant as the strength of East Tennessee has shown to be stronger than any force of nature. We feature Gatlinburg and encourage all to visit Gatlinburg. It is still the place you always loved!
LINK TO DOCUMENTARY: WWW.BINGHAMGROUP.COM 18
FARRAGUT LIFE HOLIDAY 2018