Lake City/Rocky Top?

[Blink101]

I have some mixed feelings on this...

1) I'm worried about outside investors from Knoxville compromising Lake City by paving over it or buying up the area while giving comparatively little back. Lake City might not have much going for it, but I'm suspicious that these businessmen are looking to exploit the town's poverty with false concern for how much it actually helps or hurts the townspeople. This isn't like Dolly Parton returning to invest in the development of her Tennessee mountain home. These guys are opportunists who were first rejected by Townsend before turning their attention to Lake City's interstate access. They're not looking out for the people of Lake City. Giving them the ultimatum of "either abandon your community identity or we'll take our business elsewhere" is highly manipulative and sends up a MAJOR red flag.

2) While I think the judge was correct that renaming the town in and of itself doesn't compromise the brand of the House of Bryant's song, "Rocky Top," it's obviously a ploy for amusement park owners to undermine their ability to preserve the integrity of Rocky Top. What the developers are trying to do may be legally defensible, but is morally deplorable considering it amounts to stealing from and blatantly disregarding the wishes of a family which has contributed so much to Tennessee's culture. I don't see how anyone can claim to love Rocky Top while spitting in the face of the family who INVENTED Rocky Top! Should the park be built, it will be built upon a foundation of hypocrisy.

3) Lake City is a dying town, but it is also a historic town where the Coal Creek War occurred. If the developers essentially bribing an impoverished town into surrendering its identity for the sake of desecrating the Bryant family's legacy is any indication of their "love" for East Tennessee heritage, I doubt they will be cautious about preserving valuable historic sites. Hopefully I am wrong about this. However, their record thus far smacks of exploitation for profit. Like I said before, these guys are NOT Dolly Parton, and obviously don't share her enthusiasm for promoting the unique, quirky qualities or culture of the area she grew up in. They want to invent a new town with a new identity and a new culture, and I worry their mythical Rocky Top's heritage won't include any more respect for Coal Creek than they had for anything else.

4) And yet.......... I can't think of any better alternatives for Lake City. I am just as much an outsider as the men I accuse of devaluing the people and history of Lake City/Coal Creek. I do not understand their situation better than they do and certainly have no place to chastise the residents for their decision. They have every right in the world to pursue whatever opportunities they believe will be in their community's best interest. Recognizing this doesn't make me any less resentful of the developers' behavior nor any less wary of their intentions, but I have to trust that the people of Lake City will be their own best advocates. No matter how much I huff or puff at the circumstances, I don't have a better alternative for them and am not so arrogant to say they should turn down potential economic salvation just because I think the developers are being butt-headed meanie faces.

5) It might actually be really cool! Assuming the infrastructure development works out to compensate for traffic volume, the amusement park helps the town blossom into a quaint yet touristy location, and it doesn't inadvertently displace the locals... this could be amazing! I don't know if the attractions suggested thus far interest me since they seem kind of silly, but turning Lake City into a 24/7 fun zone would be exciting. Especially if they manage to make it simultaneously college-kid and family friendly, it could become the sort of place UT students would want to hang out at all the time. Perhaps it would even encourage greater academic interest in events like the CoaL Creek War if more students have access to the town.

I have all these conflicting feelings of fear, resentment, curiosity and hope regarding the name change. The only feeling that remains constant is the discomfort with abusing the popularity of "Rocky Top" without the consent of the Bryant family. They have graciously shared Rocky Top with fellow Tennesseans and given us a song to rally around, but now we are taking it from them to some degree. Also, something about there being a physical "Rocky Top" saddens me considering I used to be able to imagine ALL SMALL TOWNS in East TN could be Rocky Top. Anyone could come from Rocky Top since the imaginary, idealistic place that was vague enough to even be my family's hometown way up on the mountains! We were all from Rocky Top to some degree in that context and it was everyone's home sweet home!

Now... I don't know, but I wouldn't want to be forced to eulogize Nashville or call it my home sweet home when it isn't. Nor Memphis. Heck, even having a state song specifically about Knoxville would be embarrassing. Somehow, Rocky Top being an actual place makes me feel as though the song has lost its all-inclusive nature. Rocky Top is home sweet home to only 1,800 now.

[TN Tin Man]

From what I have ready and what has been on the news.. this project been in the works for many years and individuals seeing opportunity knocking years down the road started acquiring land... This will be another Pigeon Forge tourist attraction being on Interstate 75
They have plans or is being built a Distillery seeing laws in Tennessee have changed along with other tourist related business. Some one mentioned a very large water park.. Ole time theme.. being the former Lake City

[nashvols]

Originally Posted by Blink101

I don't see how anyone can claim to love Rocky Top while spitting in the face of the family who INVENTED Rocky Top! Should the park be built, it will be built upon a foundation of hypocrisy.

"Rocky Top" itself wasn't "invented" by the Bryants. It is inspired by an actual place....therefore, while they popularized the term, they don't actually own it.

However, to your point, since Lake City isn't actually in the Smokies -- as it is closer to the Cumberland Mountains, I can see the gripe about renaming a city/town as "Rocky Top" when it is not actually in the same neighborhood as the said place (Townsend would be...). It is concerning that the town seems desperate enough to change its name...but it is what it is. If you live in a so-called 'dying' town, then you would want to do anything you can to keep it alive, no? A foundation of hypocrisy might seem better to the residents than the alternative.

[jchometeam]

Personally I think its a dumb idea. However, it really isn't any of my business. Generally speaking, I think that local officials should be able to make these decisions without outsiders second-guessing them.

[Blink101]

Originally Posted by nashvols

"Rocky Top" itself wasn't "invented" by the Bryants. It is inspired by an actual place....therefore, while they popularized the term, they don't actually own it.

However, to your point, since Lake City isn't actually in the Smokies -- as it is closer to the Cumberland Mountains, I can see the gripe about renaming a city/town as "Rocky Top" when it is not actually in the same neighborhood as the said place (Townsend would be...). It is concerning that the town seems desperate enough to change its name...but it is what it is. If you live in a so-called 'dying' town, then you would want to do anything you can to keep it alive, no? A foundation of hypocrisy might seem better to the residents than the alternative.

I stand by my perspective that there would be no Rocky Top song (thus, no reason to name anything Rocky Top with the expectation it will bring in revenue) without the Bryant family irregardless of what inspired the lyrics. But to your second point, indeed.

Originally Posted by Blink101

4) And yet.......... I can't think of any better alternatives for Lake City. I am just as much an outsider as the men I accuse of devaluing the people and history of Lake City/Coal Creek. I do not understand their situation better than they do and certainly have no place to chastise the residents for their decision. They have every right in the world to pursue whatever opportunities they believe will be in their community's best interest. Recognizing this doesn't make me any less resentful of the developers' behavior nor any less wary of their intentions, but I have to trust that the people of Lake City will be their own best advocates. No matter how much I huff or puff at the circumstances, I don't have a better alternative for them and am not so arrogant to say they should turn down potential economic salvation just because I think the developers are being butt-headed meanie faces.

[hiknapster]

I find it interesting that the president of Rocky Top Tennessee Marketing and Manufacturing Co. is Tim Isbell. He's also an Anderson County commissioner representing Lake City, chairman of the Anderson County Beer Board, Executive Board Member of the Tourism Council, and a director on the boards of the Anderson County and Lake City Chambers of Commerce. Another member and shareholder is Mike Lovely, vice mayor of Lake City. Mark Smith is also a member of the same capacity, owns a pharmacy in Lake City and is on the city's election commission. The only member of the group that's been publicly named that doesn't seem to have any political ties to the area is Brad Coriell of Franklin.

[TN Tin Man]

Originally Posted by hiknapster

I find it interesting that the president of Rocky Top Tennessee Marketing and Manufacturing Co. is Tim Isbell. He's also an Anderson County commissioner representing Lake City, chairman of the Anderson County Beer Board, Executive Board Member of the Tourism Council, and a director on the boards of the Anderson County and Lake City Chambers of Commerce. Another member and shareholder is Mike Lovely, vice mayor of Lake City. Mark Smith is also a member of the same capacity, owns a pharmacy in Lake City and is on the city's election commission. The only member of the group that's been publicly named that doesn't seem to have any political ties to the area is Brad Coriell of Franklin.

Tim Isbell << If memory serves me he also is part of the new Brewery / Distillery in Rocky Top.. backer or owner ? In process of being built or is built

http://www.smartbrief.com/09/30/13/a...e#.U7H2R0ko6M8 << 9/2013

[hiknapster]

Originally Posted by TN Tin Man

Tim Isbell << If memory serves me he also is part of the new Brewery / Distillery in Rocky Top.. backer or owner ? In process of being built or is built

Amusement park part of $20 billion project proposed in Lake City, Tennessee | SmartBrief << 9/2013

Yes, Rocky Top Tennessee Marketing and Manufacturing Co. IS the company that is behind the name change and all of the big plans for Lake City, including a theme park, amphitheater, laser tag, brewery, etc. All of those people, including the vice mayor, own RTTMMC. In other words, it's an inside job.

[nashvols]

Well, it is Anderson County, so we shouldn't act surprised.

[NJDevil]

I drove down thru Rocky Top yesterday (Hwy 25) and it was like a ghost town. Abandoned buildings on the main road thru town. I went to the city website and I guess the town has a museum and a veterans memorial. When it changed its name I thought maybe that would motivate the town to grow... it's the most pathetic downtown I've ever seen. Wondering where the "life" is for the eastern and northern parts of Anderson county. Clinton is a wonderful little town.