By DEREK HODGES

Staff Writer

PIGEON FORGE — Celebrities, fireworks and millions of twinkling lights will be the order of business as Pigeon Forge kicks off its Winterfest celebration from 4 to 6 p.m. today in Patriot Park.

The Duggar family, stars of the popular TLC television reality series “18 Kids and Counting,” will return to the city for the second time this year to entertain the crowd and help flip the ceremonial switch to turn on the city’s decorations. They’ll be aided in that work by Bob Fowler, the city’s Special Events Volunteer of the Year.

For the first time, Pigeon Forge’s party will include fireworks and a visit from Santa Claus, who will bring reindeer and offer opportunities for pictures to attendees. There will also be live entertainment during the two-hour event, including the Pigeon Forge Community Chorus, several school groups including the Pigeon Forge High School marching band, the Elizabeth Williams School of Dance, and Jimbo Whaley and Greenbrier.

The schedule represents a dramatic increase in the amount of activity around Pigeon Forge’s kickoff, which in recent years has dwindled to little more than the switch flipping itself, a larger symbolic activity since the lights are already on before the switch is flipped except for those in the park itself. City officials say the beefing up is part of the 20th anniversary of Winterfest, with each of the cities celebrating the 1989 start of the annual November to February event this year.

“The 20th anniversary year for Pigeon Forge Winterfest is very special, so it’s great to have nationally known celebrities such as the Duggar family help us kick it off,” Pigeon Forge Director of Tourism Leon Downey says.

The amping up seems appropriate considering the scale of Winterfest itself, which in Pigeon Forge alone includes millions of lights and decorations that line the Parkway and other city streets.

“This is the start of a great time of year for Pigeon Forge that is acknowledged far and wide,” Downey says. “In fact, the 2009-2010 Pigeon Forge Winterfest is a Top 100 Event in North America according to the American Bus Association.”

The event will include complimentary rides on the Fun Time Trolley System’s Tour of Lights, which showcases the Winterfest displays throughout the community. Five food venders will be on hand raising money for the American Legion, Pigeon Forge High School, Relay for Life and the Salvation Army.

The Duggars, an Arkansas family of 18 children with one on the way headed by father Jim Bob and mother Michelle, visited the city in May, taking part in the annual Dolly Parton Homecoming Parade. During that trip to the area, the clan filmed a pair of episodes for their television show and, apparently, found some affection for the area.

“Jim Bob and Michell had lots of fun when they visited in May, and they genuinely had a great time here,” Downey says. “They really like Pigeon Forge. More than once they told us how impressed they were by how much there for families to do here.”

dhodges@themountainpress.com