Dollywood received the 2010 Applause Award at the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions Expo in Orlando, Fla., on Nov. 16. The award honors a park whose management, operations and creative accomplishments have inspired the industry with its foresight, originality and sound business development. The award is presented every other year by Liseberg amusement park located in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Dolly Parton accepted the award for the park. “We are so honored to win this award. Our success over the last 25 years is because of the great team at Dollywood that I lovingly call my other family,” Parton said.

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Moraine Music Group’s writer/artist Sierra Noble was named International Winner in New York’s “SongCircle 5th Annual Songwriter’s Contest” with her breakthrough single, “Possibility.” The song was also featured this fall in CW hit series Life Unexpected and One Tree Hill. Noble will perform “Possibility” on Nov. 19 at City Winery in New York City at SongCircle’s Live Finals where the American Grand Prize Winner will be chosen. Chris Burke-Gaffney and Keith Macpherson are co-writers on “Possibility” which appears on Noble’s debut EP available on Itunes.

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The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s Fourth Annual Louise Scruggs Memorial Forum Presented by the Gibson Foundation honored long-time record company A&R executive Bonnie Garner Tuesday night (11/16) during a special interview in the Ford Theater.

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Australian Singer/Songwriter Amanda Baker won top honors at the 2010 Show Me The Music songwriting contest for her song “The Fool.” As part of her prize Amanda is being flown to Nashville in the first week of December to record the winning song at Omni Studios with Steve Tveit and some of Nashville’s A-list musicians. Baker will be playing acoustic shows in Nashville and L.A.

Rascal Flatts appeared in New York City’s JCPenny store yesterday (11/17) to announce the JCPenney Online Angel Giving Tree Program, to host a toy drive, and to present a check $100,000 to the Salvation Army on behalf of JCPenney. The band also adopted their own online angels and encouraged everyone this holiday season to do the same at www.jcp.com/angel. The Angel Giving Tree Program provides clothing, gifts and other wish list items to kids and seniors throughout the U.S.

The first 100 fans who donated a new, unwrapped toy received an autographed copy of Rascal Flatts new CD Nothing Like This. For every CD sold at JCPenney stores throughout the country, $1 will be donated to the Salvation Army through March 15. The $100,000 donation from JCPenney to the Salvation Army will provide gifts for 1,000 children this holiday season.

ACM Lifting Lives has announced its new board of directors. The board is made up of ACM board members, called representative directors, as well as leaders in non-profit and corporate affairs, called public directors. Four new public directors will serve until their term ends in 2013. They include Mark Bloom, Ellen Lehmen, Tree Paine and Jonathan Reinsdorf. Five new representative directors will serve until their term ends in 2012, including Mike Dungan, Rod Essig, Scott Francis, Greg Hill and Ken Robold.

The ACM Lifting Lives Executive Committee has added an Advisory Committee to the organization. “The purpose of the Advisory Committee is to create a team of liaisons between ACM Lifting Lives and the community, and to enhance our philanthropic activity,” said Erin Spahn, Executive Director of ACM Lifting Lives. “With our goals of continued national expansion and capital growth this year, this committee will be a great addition.”

The four inaugural members of the Advisory Committee are Walt Brown, Jr., Ricky Kelly, Kimberly Schlapman and Troy Vollhoffer.

The full lists of board of directors and the advisory committee are below. Also, visit www.acmcountry.com/liftinglives/ for more details.

ACM LIFTING LIVES BOARD OF DIRECTORS

OFFICERS

Chairman of the Board—Gayle Holcomb, WME

President—Mark Hartley, Fitzgerald Hartley

Vice President— Gary Gilbert, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips

Treasurer—Tiffany Moon, Academy of Country Music

Secretary—Erin Spahn, ACM Lifting Lives

PUBLIC DIRECTORS

Lori Badgett, Sun Trust Bank

Mark Bloom, UBS Financial Services, Inc

Bruce Bowman, KaBOOM!

Debbie Carroll, MusiCares

Ann Edelblute, 19 Entertainment

Ellen Lehmen, Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee

Jack Lameier

Beth Moore

Tree Paine, Warner Bros. Records

Jonathan Reinsdorf, Michigan Avenue Real Estate Group

REPRESENTATIVE DIRECTORS

Mike Dungan, Capitol Records Nashville

Rod Essig, CAA

Scott Francis, Warner Chappell

Gary Gilbert, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips

Gary Haber, Haber Corporation

Mark Hartley, Fitzgerald Hartley

Greg Hill, Red Light Management

Gayle Holcomb, WME

Ken Robold, Universal Music Group

Dwight Wiles, Smith, Wiles & Co., PC

ACM LIFTING LIVES ADVISORY COMMITTEE

2010-2011

Walt Brown, Jr., Diversified Partners, LLC

Ricky Kelly, Cool Springs Harley Davidson

Kimberly Schlapman, Little Big Town

Troy Vollhoffer, Premier Global Productions

Producer Jimmy Nichols has left his post as Black River Music Group President/Director of A&R to return to full-time work as a producer. Nichols joined the company in 2007. He is also an active session player and has been Faith Hill’s Musical Director for five years.

Gordon Kerr, COO of Black River Entertainment, the parent company of BRMG, will handle the day-to-day operations.

Kerr was named COO in early October to oversee Black River Entertainment and its subsidiaries which include the label, publishing company, Ronnie’s Place Studio and the newly acquired Sound Stage Studios. He divides his time between Nashville and Orchard Park, NY, and reports to Terry and Kim Pegula, owners of Black River’s parent company East Resources, Inc.

Black River is home to Sarah Darling, Due West and others.