Together for nearly half a century, couple works with each other at Dollywood for 30 years
PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. (WZTV) — Smells of southern food, sounds of bluegrass, a light Smoky Mountain breeze and love in the air - If you’ve walked through the gates of Dollywood, chances are you’ve taken in at least one of those elements. And it’s possible you’ve caught a glimpse of two infectious smiles from Buddy and Edye Gale.
The couple, together for nearly half a century, has happily spent 30 of those years working alongside each other at the Tennessee theme park.
“Seems like forever,” Edye Gale cheerfully chimes in.
Buddy and Edye Gale’s playful relationship kicked off when they were in high school. Edye Gale fondly remembers how it all started.
“We started dating in high school. I chased him until I caught him,” she laughs.
Years later, they both ended up serving the Seymour community as teachers before joining the Dollywood team. Edye Gale works in support services and sells tickets, while Buddy checks them. So many people enjoy a friendly greeting from Buddy to start their day off at the park, we had to temporarily close his ticket lane for this interview.
Buddy and Edye Gale work in the same area and their hours are typically the same too, sometimes varying by an hour or two.
“A lot of times companies won’t let you work in the same department, but they’ve allowed us to do that and that’s been real special,” Edye Gale said. “They try to put us as close together in hours as possible because we only drive one car and that saves us a lot of gas and stuff.”
“We get up at about 5:30, and we get here at around 8:30 or 9, and we work a lot of long days,” Buddy added.
Both Buddy and Edye Gale agree that the family atmosphere makes the long work days worth it and more enjoyable.
“We have a lot of friends here,” Buddy said. “Our kids grew up here. We have two boys, and they grew up here with us.”
“It’s more like family than it is a job, so that’s one of the reasons we’ve stayed so long,” Edye Gale said.
After 31 seasons at Dollywood, their favorite attractions are classics like Granny Ogle’s Ham ‘n’ Beans and the Back Porch Theater.
December 19th will mark the beaming couple’s 50th anniversary. Edye Gale says they usually celebrate by simply going to dinner and a movie together.
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