Zeno, “The Gatlinburg Bear™” Is BACK!

Zeno, “The Gatlinburg Bear™” is back…...and so is Mills Auditorium!

Welcome back Zeno, “The Gatlinburg Bear™”, the official Gatlinburg Department of Tourism’s television and print personality.

Zeno awoke from his winter slumber to make his first appearance back at the Grand Opening of W.L. Mills Conference Center March 23.

Zeno, dressed in tie and cuffs shook hands and watched as the ribbon was cut to the W.L. Mills Conference Center. Keep your eyes peeled for spring television commercials starring Zeno and watch for Zeno sightings throughout the year in Gatlinburg!

Zeno “The Gatlinburg Bear”® is the official name of the Gatlinburg Department of Tourism’s new television and print personality, as was recently announced. Zeno “The Gatlinburg Bear”® first debuted to the traveling public in 2004, during the spring television campaign with his whimsical demeanor and catchy quip, “If you’re going to the mountains, it only makes sense to stay in the mountains.” Since that time, he has made appearances at numerous local events and often walks the streets of Gatlinburg to the delight of young and old alike.

Zeno Wall, Jr., an icon of the Gatlinburg tourism industry until his death in 2001, is the namesake of this cuddly character. Throughout his colorful career as Executive Director of the Gatlinburg Chamber of Commerce in the sixties, Zeno traveled throughout feeder markets to attend various travel shows and other settings to promote Gatlinburg tourism. In many cases, Zeno would don a bear costume to garner people’s attention, thus, tourism officials found it befitting that this new character should “bear” his name.

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