Are registrations or RSVP's required?

No, just meet at the Visitor Center with family and friends.

How much does it cost?

There is no fee to enter the Park or attend the event. Visitors can see a portion of the Cave, including the Rotunda room’s historic saltpeter vats for free!

Will the cave portion be the same as a full tour?

Participants will see a portion of the cave including the Historic Entrance and Rotunda, both normally seen on the Historic Tour route, however, it will not include a verbally guided tour nor will guests be allowed to explore beyond the event location. This is for safety of guests and protection of natural and cultural resources.

Are children allowed?

Yes! This event is family-friendly and great for all ages. The sound may be loud for some children sensitive to concert level aucoustics.

What skill level is this trail and how many steps?

The Cave trail itself is wide and most of it is concrete, with the area the choir will be at hard packed dirt. There are a few mild inclines/declines, but none that require handrails or steps. There are handrails if needed. The most difficult incline/decline is the hill from the Visitor Center. There are 125 stairs at the Historic Entrance. You’ll be entering and exiting the same way, but the event allows visitors to come and go as they please, so everyone can take their time and enjoy the view.

Are cameras allowed?

Yes, but no flash allowed. The sudden light is painful to the eyes and can cause a temporary reduction in vision which is unsafe in a cave.

Who provided the past event photos used on this page?

Photos are by Amber Flowers and used with permission.

Performer Bio: Janet Bass Smith

Janet Bass Smith holds the Doctor of Musical Arts in piano performance from the University of Missouri, Kansas City, Conservatory of Music, and has studied at Juilliard and Eastman School of Music. She has served on several college and university faculties, currently maintains an independent piano studio in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and continues to perform throughout the United States. She has performed throughout Europe, in 2003 performed a piano concerto with an orchestra in St. Petersburg, Russia, and has performed several times at Mammoth Cave, both inside the cave and on the surface. A founding member of the Bowling Green Chamber Orchestra (now Orchestra Kentucky), she served as principal keyboardist from 2000 to 2006, and from 2002 to 2007 served as marketing chair. Articles she has written have been published in the American Music Teacher, Clavier Companion, and NSSA Journal. In 2013 she was named a Fellow of the Music Teachers National Association, and in 2012 was presented the Ed Bishop award for research from Mammoth Cave. A church organist, amateur cellist, avid caver, a prize-winning oil painter and poet, she was a seasonal park ranger at Mammoth Cave National Park from 1993 through 2014. She was married to flutist/composer Charles W. Smith from 1957 until his passing in June, 2019. She has four sons (one deceased), seven grandchildren, and one great grandchild.

Performer Bio: Joy Fan

Joy Fan, violinist, is a senior at MIT where she is majoring in biological engineering. She is a graduate of Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Bowling Green, Kentucky. While in high school, she studied violin at the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University. She was concertmaster of the Curb Youth Symphony, and has soloed with multiple orchestras including the Curb Youth Symphony. She now performs as part of a piano trio with a group of students at MIT.

Performer Bio: The Caveman Chorus

The Caveman Chorus is the performing arm of Mammoth Chapter, Barbershop Harmony Society, which has been around since 1971. They perform an annual show, usually in Bowling Green, and participate in the KY- IN district-level contests once a year (and have won five times in approximately 15 tries!). The chorus is available for hire, but they usually perform without charge, as they recently did at the SKYPAC Center in Bowling Green. Their members are men from throughout the Bowling Green area, including Franklin and Glasgow. The Caveman Chorus usually has at least one registered, competing quartet in their ranks, and a foursome calling themselves "Three- Below" is currently part of the group. Their contact man is Dick Timmerman of Franklin, with music directors Joel Guyer of Bowling Green, David White of Tompkinsville, and Wade Baker of Russellville. They rehearse weekly in Bowling Green (Greenwood Park Church of Christ) on Thursday at 7 p.m., and graciously invite anyone who enjoys singing to attend their meetings. They hope you can sing, but will teach you the best they can if you can't.