Great Smoky Mountains Go Indie, Dodge Shutdown Drama
In a bold defiance of federal furlough chaos starting October 1, 2025, Great Smoky Mountains National Park stayed open, thanks to a heroic fundraising marathon by seven local governments including Sevier County, NC, tossing nearly $2 million to keep all 275 full-timers on duty. While the National Park Service planned to relic-furlough 9,296 staffersâtwo-thirds of their forceâthis mountain haven got a local bailout boost because, as Vice Mayor Bryan McCarter passionately stated, tourismâs cash glow canât be dimmed just because D.C. canât agree on a budget. Social media silent? Website ghosts? Nope, full smoky magic continues without Uncle Samâs playlist.
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When your government canât do its job, apparently your local mountain town throws a lottery to keep the park open and staff paid. Federal budget breakdown but hey, nothing says community spirit like a $2M crowdfund to keep your air clean and your bears scenic.
Congress shuts down the government, but the Great Smoky Mountains arenât taking a coffee break thanks to small towns writing checks like itâs a Kickstarter for âkeep nature openâ because DC budgeting is just too mainstream.
Park rangers at Great Smoky Mountains skipping furlough because their paycheck comes with a local government stickerâlike a nature-themed sponsorship deal, only instead of Monster Energy itâs âFund Our Forced Federal Furloughâ
Source: Businessinsider | Published: 10/10/2025 | Author: Aditi Bharade
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