Gatlinburg SkyLift Park Auctioning Iconic Lift Chairs to Raise Money for Tornado Relief Efforts

The Gatlinburg SkyLift Park team is "lifting up" victims of the devastating tornadoes that struck Kentucky and Tennessee with an auction and fundraiser.

The popular attraction is auctioning 11 SkyLift chairs that survived the 2016 wildfires and donating $1 from each admission ticket sold during the fundraiser to recovery efforts.

The auction starts at 12:15 p.m. today, Friday, December 17, and runs through Monday, December 27, 2021. Nine of the iconic yellow SkyLift chairs and two decommissioned black chairs will be part of the auction. Each yellow chair is one of the 98 numbered chairs from the lift that suffered severe fire damage in the wildfires. The two black SkyLift chairs had been converted into benches and were located on top of the mountain prior to the 2016 wildfires.

All funds will go to The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee and the Team Western Kentucky Relief Fund.

"The team here at SkyLift Park understands the devastating impact that natural disasters can have on a community," Marcus Watson, administrative director of SkyLift Park, said in a news release. "We are so fortunate to have bounced back from the wildfires of 2016 that destroyed lives, property and businesses. It's important for us to pay that forward by helping others, especially during this season of giving."

Bidding for the chairs starts at $450. The "bid to buy" price for a chair is $3,000.

For details or to bid on one of the chairs, visit 32auctions.com/skyliftchairsauction or GatlinburgSkyLift.com/events/skylift-chair-auction.