Job fair set Friday at Fall Creek Falls' new $40.4 million lodge

More than 30 job openings to be filled

This rendering designed by Earl Swensson Associates shows the future Fall Creek Falls State Park Inn. The facility will feature lodging, a restaurant and conference center in Tennessee's largest and most visited state park (Contributed rendering/TDEC).
This rendering designed by Earl Swensson Associates shows the future Fall Creek Falls State Park Inn. The facility will feature lodging, a restaurant and conference center in Tennessee's largest and most visited state park (Contributed rendering/TDEC).

Tennessee State Parks will host two job fairs starting Friday and continuing Nov. 5 for a variety of positions at the new $40.4 million Lodge Fall Creek Falls, now nearing completion.

The project to replace the old Fall Creek Falls Inn - which dated back to the 1970s - broke ground in January 2019 and is closing in on the finish line at the 29,800-acre state park on the Cumberland Plateau, according to state officials.

"We are excited about the opening soon of this beautiful lodge at Fall Creek Falls, and we will welcome those who want to be a part of it," Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation Deputy Commissioner Jim Bryson said in a press release on the fair. "Tennesseans are accustomed to having a top-notch staff at our facilities, and we expect the same at this one. We invite everyone who is interested to apply."

The new lodge will have 85 rooms, conference space and a full-service restaurant and lounge, and is expected to support more than 30 full-time and part-time jobs, officials said.

Job openings include restaurant manager, lead server, servers, bartenders, kitchen manager, line cooks, lead cooks, director of rooms, room operations supervisor, lead front desk associate, front desk associates, sales and event coordinator, building maintenance supervisor and building maintenance technicians. Some of the jobs will include multiple positions, and some will be part-time and others full-time, officials said. All lead, supervisor and manager positions will be full-time.

(READ MORE: Fall Creek Falls State Park's new $2.7 million visitor center opens)

The fairs will be held Oct. 29 and Nov. 5 at the lodge beginning at 9 a.m. CDT both days. Interviews take place each day 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Jobs will not be posted online until after the job fairs. Unfilled openings will be listed online. Interested candidates are encouraged to attend one of the two job fairs, officials said. Those who are unable to attend either event may still submit an application before Nov. 5 and will be offered a virtual interview that must take place between Oct. 29 and Nov. 6. An application may be submitted at this link.

The project got the green light in November 2017 and demolition began in January 2018 under a separate contract.

Fall Creek Falls State Park is one of Tennessee's largest and most visited state parks, featuring 30 cabins and 222 campsites and backcountry camping. The park has more than 56 miles of trails and the Nature Center at Fall Creek Falls offers hands-on environmental education through a variety of naturalist-led programs, according to state officials. The park also features the Fall Creek Falls Golf Course and pro shop, the adventurous Canopy Challenge Course including wobbly bridges, rope swings and zip lines. The park also has four playgrounds and five covered picnic pavilions.

A grand opening date for the new lodge will be announced later, officials said.

Contact Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6569. Follow him on Twitter @BenBenton.

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