Providing home and business customers with a truly buzz-worthy experience.
34 Undercover Systems
The winter gift everyone will enjoy all year long.
YOU WON’T want to miss the 47th Annual Dogwood Arts House & Garden Show at the Convention Center February 7-9! As their largest annual fundraiser, this is a fantastic opportunity to find expert solutions, support local businesses, and get inspired for the season ahead. We preview more than 10 participating area businesses marked with a special Dogwood Arts House & Garden emblem. Can you find them all?
From the Publisher
is known for having a “heart for small businesses.” By telling the stories and highlighting the products and services of our area small businesses, our goal is to bring the community together in support of these local entrepreneurs.We are so fortunate to have such a broad-based mix of local retailers that are invested in personalized customer service, being experts in their field, and contributing to our regional economy.
In this issue, we highlight the upcoming Dogwood Arts House & Garden Show - a Knoxville staple that brings together hundreds of top area vendors to showcase their products and services along with an eclectic Maker Market featuring handmade goods. The show is a great way to meet and interact with area businesses face-toface and conveniently all under one roof.
Small businesses are truly the backbone of any region with first-hand knowledge of what their neighbors
want and need. Actually caring about their customers, supporting each other’s endeavors, and often contributing to area causes and charities means locally owned retailers are an integral part of this communitytheir kids play soccer with yours, they attend the same church, they want improved parks and schools, too.
We encourage you to browse all the pages of this magazine to expand your knowledge of what is available right “outside your back door” and be sure to attend the Dogwood House & Garden Show in February. By supporting local businesses, you are not only showing pride in your community but encouraging others to step out in establishing their own new businesses knowing they will be supported. This leads to more local jobs and even more local revenue ensuring that each local purchase gets reinvested where it belongs - right here in our hometown. Together, we can create a thriving, vibrant community that benefits everyone.
Susan Cafferty
Hours of Business
Monday - Friday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Everything Knoxville is distributed from Downtown Knoxville to hundreds of neighborhoods in Bearden, West Knoxville, Farragut, Hardin Valley and beyond.
Where Ideas Bloom
February 7-9 at the Knoxville
MARK YOUR CALENDAR and get ready to step into spring at the 2025 House & Garden Show - the largest annual fundraiser for Dogwood Arts. “We hope you’ll join us at the Convention Center from February 7-9th,” said Sherry Jenkins, Executive Director of Dogwood Arts. “This perennial preview of spring helps us produce our extensive annual calendar of free events that celebrate the art, culture, and natural beauty of East Tennessee. We’re incredibly grateful for the support of our community, and we hope you’ll join us as we kick off our 2025 season!”
This year’s show promises to be bigger and better than ever. Whether you’re a seasoned gardener, a DIY enthusiast, or simply looking for help on your next home project - the House & Garden Show has something for everyone. Attendees can look forward to an exciting lineup of expert speakers on
Grand Gardens
the How-To Stage, hundreds of top vendors showcasing products and services for your home and garden, and a curated collection of handmade goods in the Maker Market. Plus, with more than 10,000 square feet of beautifully designed Grand Gardens, the event is a must-see for anyone ready to escape winter and start planning for another blooming East Tennessee spring!
The best part? Everything you need is under one roof at the Knoxville Convention Center. Skip the hassle of driving all over town to gather quotes for your next home or garden project - here, you can access exclusive show discounts and connect face-to-face with industry experts, all in one convenient location. Don’t miss out on this fantastic opportunity to find expert solutions, support local businesses, and get inspired for the season ahead.
Get ready for exciting daily giveaways from ORNL Federal Credit Union, proud
Step into more than 10,000 square feet of stunning garden displays created by local landscape designers and nurseries. These lush, inspiring spaces will showcase the latest trends in plant selection, design, hardscaping, outdoor furniture, and more. Our 2025 Grand Gardens are created by Garden Guru, TriStar Landscaping, Petey’s Landscaping & Lawn Care, Pond Country, and Landscape Outfitters.
How-To Stage
Get expert advice on all things lifestyle, design, DIY, home improvement, gardening, and beyond! Dive into a world of inspiration as industry professionals share tips and tricks that will help you take your home and garden to the next level. With engaging presentations, live music, and plenty of surprises, there’s truly something for everyone.
Leave winter at the door and join us February 7-9 at the Knoxville Convention Center!
Show Dates & Hours:
Friday, February 7 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday, February 8 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday, February 9 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Tickets can be purchased in advance online or at the event. Pick up discounted tickets at any ORNL Federal Credit Union branch before the show! Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for seniors/veterans, and FREE for kids 12 & under.
Maker Market
Explore a vibrant collection of handmade goods from local artists. You can watch artisans demonstrate their craft, purchase unique pieces for your home, and support local talent.
presenting sponsor of Dogwood Arts for more than a decade! This is your chance to snag incredible prizes, including:
• Season passes to the Knoxville Smokies at the stunning new Covenant Health Park in the Old City - just in time for the season opener on April 15th!
• Season passes to cheer on One Knoxville Soccer Club during their 2025 season, also in the brand new Covenant Health Park.
• Daily winners chosen for tickets to high-energy U niversity of Tennessee Men’s Basketball games against rivals Vanderbilt, Alabama, and South Carolina!
Don’t miss out on these amazing opportunities - enter on the mezzanine level before you enter the show, or visit the ORNL Federal Credit Union booth on the show floor!
The House & Garden Show is more than just a consumer show - it’s also the largest annual fundraiser for Dogwood Arts. This spectacular show wouldn’t be possible without the generous support of sponsors: Tim’s Fencing, ORNL Federal Credit Union, David’s Abbey Carpet, Knoxville Utilities Board, HIS Security, Acme Block & Brick, Aqua Clear Water Systems, Service Plus Garage Doors, Closets by McKenry, Patterson’s Appliances, Madisonville Marine, AgPro, and A.G. Heins Company. A heartfelt thank you to these partners for helping us bring this event to life and supporting Dogwood Arts’ mission to celebrate and promote art, culture, and natural beauty in our community!
From the ground to the gutters, the 2025 House & Garden Show truly has something for everyone. Celebrating its 47th year as the largest annual fundraiser for Dogwood Arts, the show promises to be an unforgettable experience for homeowners, garden enthusiasts, and design lovers alike. It’s the perfect way to say goodbye to winter and get a head start on your spring projects. With so much to see, do, and learn, this perennial preview of spring is not to be missed!
Flower & Plant Sales
Ready to freshen up your garden for spring? Take home beautiful plants and flowers from our plant vendors to get your home and garden blooming.
Mark your calendar for these season highlights:
Chalk Walk on April 5th - watch artists of all ages transform sidewalks in downtown Knoxville into colorful masterpieces!
Immerse yourself in breathtaking natural beauty on more than 90 miles of blooming Dogwood Trails & Open Gardens from April 1-30th.
The Dogwood Arts Festival returns from April 25-27th - a wonderful celebration of fine art, live music, and fun for the whole family!
Southern Skies Music & Whiskey Festival May 10th - It’s more than just music - it’s a celebration of culture, tasty spirits, and the kind of fun the entire family can enjoy. Don’t miss Charley Crockett, The Dirty Guv’nahs, and many more!
Join us as we continue to grow, connect, and celebrate what makes our community and its arts scene extraordinary. You won’t want to miss a moment of the fun!
Dogwood Arts
123 W. Jackson Avenue Knoxville, TN 37902
865.637.4561 DogwoodArts.com
Community Organization Fair
Located on the mezzanine level of the Convention Center, this area highlights nonprofit organizations and the valuable services they offer to the community, sponsored by David’s Abbey Carpets.
Join more than 200,000 homeowners in trusting America’s
Everywhere Gear and So Much More!
RIVER SPORTS OUTFITTERS has been serving Knoxville and surrounding area outdoor enthusiasts for more than 40 years. A passionate outdoorsman himself, owner Ed McAlister has been providing the very best gear, apparel, and footwear for all outdoor activities including biking, camping, climbing, and paddle sports since opening the store on Sutherland Avenue. By offering the very best brands, having a very knowledgeable staff, and a friendly shopping atmosphere, River Sports Outfitters wants to be your first stop when searching for the perfect gear for whatever you are in to.
The store also offers a great mix of stylish apparel for both men and women along with the outdoor essentials - coats, hats, gloves, boots - River Sports has it all. By focusing on core brands such as Patagonia, Mountain Hardwear, RAB, Outdoor Research, Marmot, Kuhl, Osprey, Chaco, Keen and Asolo, they have carved a niche as the destination of choice for every outdoor enthusiast - and those who want to get them the just-right gift! With an indoor climbing wall and floor to ceiling gear of every sort and sport, be sure to stop by Knoxville’s oldest locally owned, independent outdoor gear retailer. You’ll be more than pleasantly surprised at all they have to offer AND they price match. Join the adventure!
“You are doing yourself a disservice if you go anywhere else for your outdoor sporting needs. I originally shied away from the store because I was thinking: small boutique = insanely high pricing. Not the case at all! This store has a fantastic selection, knowledgeable staff, and the pricing was lower than what I was seeing online or at the large chain stores. If you have an outdoor adventure you are preparing for, spend some time in River Sports. You won’t regret it!” - Holly, Maynardville
New Year -2025 Design Trends
As 2025 begins, the world of interior design is transforming Knoxville homes into showcases of texture, function, and innovation. From earthy palettes to cutting-edge tech, these trends redefine how we live and experience our spaces:
1. Layers of Texture and Natural Materials
The buzzword is multi-textural. Knoxville homeowners are embracing the beauty of reclaimed wood, bamboo, and natural stone, creating spaces that exude warmth and individuality. These organic elements elevate the aesthetic while fostering sustainable, timeless designs.
2. Earthy and Warm Color Palettes
Say goodbye to cool tones! 2025 welcomes hues like warm taupe, soft terracotta, and rich green, cultivating cozy, nature-inspired interiors. These palettes invite relaxation and an emotional connection to our spaces.
3. Mixed Metal Magic
Designers are mixing metals like pros—pairing brushed gold with matte black or polished nickel. This curated approach in lighting, decor, and accents infuses rooms with depth and a collected, timeless feel.
4. Textured Walls and Ceilings
Flat surfaces are so last year. Wallpapered ceilings, wood paneling, and decorative plaster finishes are adding drama and dimension, turning walls and ceilings into artful focal points.
5. Soft Curves and Organic Furniture
Rounded furniture is redefining comfort and style. Circular dining tables, curved sofas, and oblong mirrors create a welcoming softness that beckons you to stay awhile.
6. Functional Luxury for Real Life
Gone are the days of purely decorative furniture. Custom pieces now embrace performance fabrics, reclining features, and bold patterns. These furnishings are as family- and pet-friendly as they are stylish, proving comfort and practicality can coexist.
7. Seamlessly Smart Homes
Tech integration is becoming invisible yet indispensable. Think furniture with wireless charging, hidden speakers, and automated window treatments that elevate both function and design.
8. Performance Fabrics That Perform
From sleek linen sectionals to moody velvet chairs, performance fabrics are must-haves. Stain-resistant and easy to clean, they bring high design to everyday life—perfect for spills, pets, and family chaos.
9. The Indoor-Outdoor Blur
Expansive glass doors, natural ventilation, and durable materials are bridging the gap between indoors and outdoors. These seamless spaces bring the beauty of nature into your everyday life.
10. The Kitchen Redefined
Painted cabinets in green, blue, or taupe steal the show in 2025, paired with lime-washed hoods, stained white oak islands, and natural stone countertops. Champagne gold lighting and glazed tiles round out kitchens that are both trendy and timeless.
These trends embody a collective desire for spaces that reflect sustainability, individuality, and innovation. Whether you're revamping a single room or planning a whole-house makeover, 2025 promises to make your home both stylish and deeply personal.
JANUARY 31 AT 7:30 PM & FEBRUARY 2 AT 2:30 PM
STEP INTO THE romantic streets of 19th-century Paris with Puccini’s “La Bohème.” With its soaring melodies and poignant storytelling, this beloved opera weaves tales of love, passion, and heartbreak amidst the bohemian lifestyle of struggling artists.
Transform Your Bathroom
Beautiful Solutions for Bathroom Updates
BY DAVE MICHAEL, FRANCHISE OWNER
HAVING GRADUATED from University of Tennessee, returning to East Tennessee feels like a homecoming and I am thrilled to be able to offer a local Bath Tune-Up to this amazing community.
Bath Tune-Up is the best of both worlds - locally owned and operated with national support and buying power. You can choose from our large selection of vanities, fixtures, flooring, and wall surrounds with options at multiple price points.
Like the name suggests, Bath Tune-Up is the expert in any size bathroom remodel. We can replace and update tile, fixtures, lighting, vanities, tub to shower conversions, all the way up to full bathroom remodels. Bath Tune-Up understands that the bathroom has many elements, potentially making bath renovation decisions overwhelming, so our Collections have been carefully curated to make your dream bathroom selection process effortless and stress-free.
Our Bath Tune-Up Collections are grouped by common base palettes: white, blue, gray, black, and neutral. They also feature a variety of shower surrounds and floor tile options, including materials like tile, solid surface, and quartz. Our team works with you to figure out your preferences - no more running from store to store trying to find all the puzzle pieces. Sit back and relax as our team of experts brings your vision to life!
Our goal is to help homeowners create spaces they love while making a lasting impact on their daily lives.
A high-quality bath remodel - from simple shower conversion to full-scale renovation - can provide comfort and safety for years to come. It’s an honor to be part of the Bath Tune-Up “family” and to share a long-time, successful company with such a vibrant community.
Visit our Facebook page at Bath Tune-Up Knoxville, and I hope to meet you soon! Bath Tune-Up Knoxville 865.450.8322 BathTune-Up.com
Simplifying Your Financial Life
MANAGING
FINANCES can be overwhelming, whether you’re an individual or a small business owner. Your Back Office Accounting, led by Joe Bedford, an Enrolled Agent with more than 18 years of experience, provides expert, personalized financial services to help you succeed.
What We Offer
At Your Back Office Accounting, we offer services tailored to your unique needs:
• Tax Preparation & Planning: We handle everything from simple individual returns to complex tax situations, ensuring compliance and minimizing your tax burden.
• Bookkeeping: Stay organized and make informed decisions with accurate, real-time financial reporting.
• Payroll Services: Let us manage payroll complexities so you can focus on what matters most.
• Advisory Services: From budgeting to major life transitions, we provide expert guidance every step of the way.
Why Choose Us?
We stand out for our:
1. Individualized Attention: Every client’s goals and challenges are unique, and we take the time to understand them.
2. Proven Expertise: Joe Bedford’s nearly two decades of experience ensure accurate, efficient service.
3. Community Focus: Based in Knoxville, we proudly serve individuals, families, and small businesses locally and beyond.
Serving Individuals & Families
Many of our clients are individuals and families seeking help with taxes, budgeting, and tax planning. Whether you’re preparing for retirement, managing investments, or dealing with life changes, we simplify the process and provide peace of mind.
Ready to Take Control?
Visit YourBackOfficeAccounting.com or call us to schedule a free consultation. Let Your Back Office Accounting simplify your finances so you can focus on achieving your goals.
Your Back Office Accounting
1221 Lovell View Drive Knoxville, TN 37932
865.272.9106
YourBackOfficeAccounting.com
Mighty Musical Mondays at the Tennessee Theatre
Monthly on the First Monday at Noon
MIGHTY MUSICAL MONDAY features House Organist Freddie Brabson on the historic Mighty Wurlitzer Organ. Some months also include a special guest!
Doors open at 11:30 am and the show is from noon to 1 pm. Bring your own lunch or grab a something from concessions.
TennesseeTheatre.com
71 South Urban Wilderness at Baker Creek Preserve
BY KELLY JO GROSSER LARSEN
INSOUTH KNOXVILLE off Baker
Creek Preserve there is a century-old church that has been restored and transformed into a stunning restaurant and bar. Open seven days a week, 71 South is a great place to gather with friends and family for a delicious meal and cocktail made with lovefrom scratch. You aren’t just supporting a local restaurant, but you can also participate in their tab round-up program or one of the many fundraisers they host to give back to the local community. What a great feeling to have a full belly and support a good cause!
weekend during brunch for several reasons. The mimosas are $3, the brunch menu is very tasty, and the natural lighting is beautiful during the daytime. There’s nothing better than enjoying your meal in an uplift-
For entrees, the steak frites is such a good deal - and you won’t be disappointed in the flavor! They have a monthly burger and many sandwiches and pastas to choose from. I always have a hard time deciding because everything truly is so good.
71 South comes out with new monthly menu items for the adventurous who enjoy trying new things, and their menu is large with something for everyone. They also have weekly specials like $10 Wing Night on Mondays and Half-Priced Wine Bottles on Tuesdays. My favorite time to go is the
ing, peaceful environment with friendly staff. That’s the experience you will get when you visit 71 South.
The drink menu includes several craft cocktails with house made infusions, mocktails, local beer options, and wine. When it comes to the food menu, I highly recommend sharing the Crispy Brussels with bacon and goat cheese for an appetizer.
For brunch entrees, the 71 Hash & Avocado Toast are fan favorites! The sourdough bread is out of this world, and I can’t get enough of it. You will understand once you try it. You won’t find a better atmosphere with better prices in Knoxville. 71 South is a local restaurant worth supporting. Let them know Kelly’s Belly sent you!
Whether Cooking for Joy or Necessity, Your Pantry Can Be Your Best Friend
BY CARRIE MCCONKEY, CARRIEMCCONKEY.COM
HOW DO YOU feel about making meals? Do you relish in concocting a new gastronomic creation or groan about the time needed to make a sandwich?
No matter which way you view preparing food, one area in your home can be your handy helpmate: your pantry. Read on for a cupboardful of ways your pantry can be customized to perfection whether you love cooking or loathe it.
Preparation Plus
To make drinks and snacks even quicker to fix, try installing a convenient countertop. Not only is a countertop great for on-the-go food prep and the storage of frequently used appliances, it can double as a handy self-serve area for hors d’oeuvres, hot beverages, and breakfast à la carte when entertaining partygoers or hosting houseguests.
Draw Necessities Near
Gain instant access to often-needed items with pull-out drawers and accessories. Let the kids grab their after-school snacks from pull-out baskets or bins. Add a sliding wine rack or spice drawer to select that perfect accompaniment. Or, give your back a break using a bottom shelf pull-out drawer for heavy or hard-to-maneuver cookware or appliances.
Amp Up Your Storage
From top to bottom, use every inch of space in your pantry with custom-measured drawers, shelves, and cabinets. From bulk purchases and heirloom place settings to cookbooks and crock pots, all your storage needs are covered. And for a brightness boost, add LED lights to power through your meal prep.
Partner with Your Pantry
Whether you despise cooking or delight in it, designing your pantry for convenience, organization, and easy access will make any culinary endeavor faster, more efficient, and more pleasurable. Make your pantry more productive by visiting the storage professionals at Closets by McKenry. We’re locally owned and operated and can easily work with pantries of any size and any budget. Explore dozens of finishes, accessories, and fixtures in our 2,000-square-foot West Knoxville showroom, and speak with our designers about your own pantry possibilities today!
Closets by McKenry
201 Center Park Drive, #1070
Knoxville, TN 37922
865.249.6382
ClosetsByMcKenry.com
Appalachian Bear Rescue PROVIDING CUBS WITH RESCUE AND RELEASE
BY KAREN COPPOCK
ACCORDING TO NATIONAL Park Service records, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park had more than 13 million visitors in 2023, and one of the Park’s biggest draws is the possibility of seeing black bears! However, park and area tourism increases the possibility that bears and humans come into accidental contact, which can unfortunately lead to orphaned bear cubs. Based in Townsend near the Park, Appalachian Bear Rescue (ABR) is a local 501(c)(3) nonprofit that helps rescue and rehabilitate orphaned and injured black bear cubs with the goal of returning healthy cubs to the wild.
Founded in 1996, ABR has since taken in more than 400 black bear cubs from 9 different states across the Southeast. “Poaching was a big problem back in the day,” said ABR Operations Director Greg Grieco. Unfortunately, the program’s abilities and resources were limited then, and “they had to put down cubs in the early days... It was a barebones effort.”
With generous help from donors and dedicated staff and volunteers over the years, ABR now has better resources for helping orphaned bear cubs, including a new incubator. They also work closely with the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency (TWRA) and The University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine to help injured, sick, or tiny newborn cubs.
However, as of mid-November, ABR has taken in 36 cubs this year, with 29 cubs currently in residence, which ties the record for most in a year with the bear famine years of 2011 and 2015. The nonprofit needs continued help with veterinary medical bills and other expenses, so they have launched a “Bear Necessities” fundraiser, which can be found on their website, AppalachianBearRescue.org.
The black bear population in the area has increased, but with area visitors and a growing population, black bears face new challenges. For example, bears can become used to getting food from humans, such as food left on the trail or in cars, unsecured trash cans, and even bird/hummingbird feeders near homes. The bears are just trying to survive, and if human food is available, they will break into garbage cans and dumpsters, cars, and even houses. When caught in these kinds of contact/conflict situations, the adult bears have to be euthanized because they have lost their fear of human interaction. Sadly, this sometimes leads to orphaned cubs.
In other cases, some bears, including momma bears (sows), are accidentally injured or killed when hit by cars. If the sow has cubs, ABR is often called upon to help rescue and rehabilitate the cubs. Of course, living in the forest has risks for animals, too, and sometimes their injuries are just a product of living in the wild. “This has been a unique year because we do know how many of the
bears were orphaned,” said Victoria Reibel, ABR’s Director of Communications, Engagement & Outreach. Instead of being found orphaned or injured under unknown circumstances, ABR staff knows that “about half of the cubs are from conflict and three to four sets [of cubs] are from road injuries,” she reported.
Grieco highly recommends checking out the information site bearwise.org. “We’ve partnered with TWRA [and other groups to provide] nationwide messaging on how to live responsibly with bears,” he said. Bearwise.org has information targeted to different groups of stakeholders, including restaurants, businesses, and renters and landlords.
While ABR’s mission is serious, ABR’s social media and blog provide entertaining and informative glimpses into cub life at the rescue facility, showing the often cute and playful sides of the cubs. Although the rescue facility is closed to the public, these Facebook
APPALACHIAN BEAR RESCUE MISSION
Greg Grieco, Director of Operations, shared that ABR has a threefold mission:
* Rescue and rehabilitate orphaned/injured bear cubs with minimal human contact so they can be returned to the wild
* Educate visitors and local residents about living near bears and best practices for keeping human/bear interaction at a minimum
* Conduct and facilitate research that will help rehabilitate and inform ABR’s abilities to help with bears
HOW TO HELP
* Adopt a cub - receive updates on your bear cub.
* Join the ABR Membership Program.
* Shop ABR merchandise online or at their Visitor and Education Center at Trillium Cove.
* Volunteer - ABR policies do not allow direct contact with the cubs, but they need volunteers to help with educational outreach, such as staffing booths at fairs/shows and at the Visitor Center, and for general facility maintenance. To request an ABR volunteer application, email volunteer@ appalachianbearrescue.org.
* Donate funds or items from ABR’s Amazon and Walmart gift lists (AppalachianBearRescue. org/giving/otherways)
and blog pictures and videos are a great way to view daily bear cub life and their antics.
The ABR facility is carefully designed to minimize contact with humans. Any type of bonding with human caregivers would make it nearly impossible for the bears to return to the wilderness. The cubs can see each other if they share an enclosure, but they cannot see the human caregivers. Because bears have a great sense of smell, they can certainly smell the caregivers, but they can’t see them. Plastic sheeting covers the fences, so the curators are out of sight when providing food.
East Tennessee is beautiful area with abundant wildlife, but being mindful of the effects of tourism and growth on bears and other wild animals is important so they can survive and thrive. Check out the ABR website (AppalachianBearRescue.org) and Facebook page to get involved and for helpful information on black bears.
SUCCESS
We receive more comments from Everything Knoxville readers than any other form of advertising. Homeowners pull out the articles and keep them! I just had a customer tell me she had 14 years-worth, so she could take them with her if she moved!
Fewer people are reading newspapers, radio and TV advertising are very expensive, and as small business owners it’s hard to target specific demographics. Even when times were lean, our participation in Everything Knoxville was the one thing I refused to cut in our budget because we knew how much it helped our business grow.
We have been advertising in Everything Knoxville since 2007, and it continues to be the best way to get our information in the hands of the people we want to reach.
Lisa Grugin
Meadow View Greenhouses & Garden Center 9885 Highway 11 E Lenoir City, TN 37772 (865) 986-7229
A TRULY BUZZ-WORTHY EXPERIENCE
BUMBLE BEE BLINDS
of Knoxville is a fullservice window treatment company that offers customized solutions to complement your home’s distinct style and preferences perfectly. Whether you’re looking for privacy and light control in your living room or need some extra shade for your outdoor patio, Bumble Bee Blinds has a vast selection to meet your needs.
BY KELSEY HARTSOOK, OWNER
We offer free design consultations and bring our mobile show room to you! Our Bumble Bee van that we call Beeatrice is loaded with a large selection of window treatment styles from several of our hand-picked, quality vendors. Is your design style minimalist, industrial, contemporary, mid-century modern style? Scandinavian, coastal, traditional, rustic? We carry window treatments of every variety, from vinyl interior blinds to wood plantation shutters, roman and cellular shades to patio sunscreens, and everything in between. Whether you already know exactly the look you want or would like to get recommendations and see samples, we will assist you every step of the way. We then take exact measurements of each window to ensure the perfect fit. With your selections and measurements, Bumble Bee Blinds can provide a quote to you onsite.
Bumble Bee Blinds understands the significance of clear and
prompt client communication. After your window treatment order has been placed, you will be updated with delivery timelines, and our professional installation will be scheduled at your convenience. We always show up on time to convey how extremely important customer service is to us. When you choose Bumble Bee Blinds, you are making a beautiful investment and we want to ensure it’s an easy and satisfying experience.
Bumble Bee Blinds’ commitment doesn’t end once your treatments are installed. We are always on hand to provide advice, answer questions, and address any concerns you may have. With high-quality products you can count on - plus the guidance and support needed to make sure your final window treatments look their best - Bumble Bee Blinds of Knoxville provides the best solutions for your home or business. Our competitive financing options make getting your custom treatments a breeze - and don’t forget to ask about discounts for veterans, active duty military, and first responders.
Bumble Bee Blinds of Knoxville 865.625.0672
BumbleBeeBlinds.com/Knoxville-TN
How Organization Brings You More Joy
EVERYONE LOVES organization. An organized space looks great, but it’s also incredibly useful because it can help free up your time so you can get more joy in your life.
Whether it’s a daily morning walk or quality time with family, everyone could use more time in their day - and getting organized can help. When all your pantry items, countertop appliances, and dishware are easy to spot and easy to reach, you can save tons of time in your day. A few minutes saved when emptying your dishwasher or making a sandwich might not feel like much, but that time really adds up. What would you do with an extra 20-30 minutes each day?
ShelfGenie ® can help you get organized. Glide-Out™ shelves can increase your storage space by 50% and pull out the full depth of your cabinets and pantry. That means you can reduce the clutter in your home and make locating and retrieving items much easier. This will also make your space feel more open, so you’ll feel as if you’re cooking in a whole new kitchen. Plus, having more space just might encourage you to be more adventurous with your meals, throw dinner parties with friends, and dine out less often.
Along with getting more space and time, being organized can help you feel happier each day. In fact, HuffPost has reported that clutter can increase stress levels and can even lead to lower productivity. That means that being organized and decluttering your space can help you work better, enjoy your space more, and feel more relaxed at home.
To see how ShelfGenie can give you more time, space, and joy, give us a call at 865-409-1197 or learn more at ShelfGenie.com/East-Tennessee.
ShelfGenie® 865.409.1197
ShelfGenie.com/East-Tennessee
Restyle Your Fur Event
January 24th and 25th
10 am to 5:30 pm
DO YOU HAVE a sentimental fur stole, jacket, or coat hanging in your closet not being worn? Let Restyle Your Fur perform an unforgettable “trans-furmation” by having expert furriers:
• Convert it into a fabulous vest or 2-in-1 jacket with removable sleeves.
• Make a cuddly teddy bear, pillow, or throw.
• Enlarge, downsize, or repair your garment.
• Shear it to update the look.
Fur is one of the few materials that can be stripped apart and entirely restyled. Beyond alterations, it can be sheared to a short plush, updated to a different style, or, most commonly, added as fur collars, cuffs, or lining for raincoats and everyday coats to add luxury and style. At our Restyle Your Fur event, we will first assess the condition of the fur of your coat and then discuss updating and restyling options for you. Restyle Your Fur is proud to make perfect fur alterations with always on time delivery.
If you were lucky enough to receive a fur coat from past generations, it may require a restyle to keep up with today’s fashion trends. Updating your furs will give you a new piece you can comfortably wear and even pass down to younger generations.
Restyle Your Fur is an independent business that continues to fuel the ever-evolving restyling market. All furs are restyled in the United States by their highly qualified professionals. To learn more about Restyle Your Fur, visit RestyleYourFur.com. The Lily Pad is thrilled to partner with them for this event!
Ivy
& Brenda
Lily Pad Boutique
EXPERIENCE THE TOUCHING story of The Remember Balloons , a beautiful adaptation of Jessie Oliveros’ award-winning picture book. Brought to life by a national touring theatre company, this production delves into themes of memory, aging, and the special bonds between generations. With stunning visuals and a heartfelt narrative, this performance gently introduces young audiences to the concept of memories and the love shared between a young boy and his aging grandfather.
Created by Director/Choreographer Dominic Moore-Dunson
Benefitting
J9th Annual ChocolateFest
January 25 • 9 am - 5 pm
OIN US FOR a totally delicious event! ChocolateFest offers a day full of sweets and gifts from area chocolatiers, bakeries, restaurants, caterers, and various other non-food type vendors.
Purchase a VIP tasting pass for access into the exclusive 45-minute Tasting Experience, where you'll be served dozens of unique and delicious chocolates and candies. Available at 10:00 am, 11:30 am, 1:00 pm, 2:30 pm, and 4:00 pm. In addition to the Tasting Experience, you also get access onto the vendor floor, where you'll get to see all kinds of incredible chocolate, candy, and gift vendors, as well as on-stage shows and entertainment.
Just want to enjoy the vendor floor? General admission is just the ticket for you! Kids 4 and under get onto the main vendor floor free, while kids 5-12 are only $5! (VIP Pass required for tasting.) Here you can browse all of our chocolate, candy, and gift vendors for as long as you want, as well as on-stage shows
Chocolate Fest After Dark January 24 • 6 pm - 9 pm
and entertainment. 20% of all general admission proceeds go directly to the Ronald McDonald House of Knoxville.
We’re excited to introduce a new addition to our 2025 lineup - ChocolateFest: After Dark! - an ultra-exclusive VIP chocolate experience. The After Dark Pass offers an adults-only evening on Friday, January 24, from 6 to 9 pm. Enjoy premium chocolates, live music, and enchanting performances in an intimate, romantic setting. This pass includes a complimentary printed photo from our elegant photo op, a free digital copy, and access to a cash bar.
Experience some of the best goodies Knoxville has to offer and indulge in the sweetness that is ChocolateFest! For more information, visit MyChocolateFest.com.
A perfect early Valentine’s Day treat!
INSIGHTS HIGHLIGHTS &
RIVER SPORTS OUTFITTERS
Nomadix - The Original Go-Anywhere, Multi-Purpose Towel is a high performance, recycled towel perfect for travel, beach, yoga, & more. Designed to be versatile without sacrificing performance, so you can own less & do more. Available at River Sports Outfitters, 2918 Sutherland Avenue in Knoxville, 865.523.0066, RiverSportsOutfitters.com.
APPALACHIAN BEAR RESCUE
Show your support of the Appalachian Bear Rescue with an adjustable, stylish weathered cotton baseball cap with their patch emblem. Available in back mesh and solid back options in a variety of colors. Check the ABR website for these and many other gifts that benefit this worthy nonprofit. See more at AppalachianBearRescueMission.com and look for the ABR Store tab.
SHAE DESIGN STUDIO
The Ezekiel Cabinet not only offers generous storage space, it combines traditional charm with a modern twistcrafted from mindi wood, finished in a cerused brown, and complemented by antique bronze hardware. Its geometric, faceted front design and classic round bun feet add a timeless finish, making this piece a versatile addition to any décor. The Ezekiel Cabinet also comes in a cerused white finish for a more coastal feel. Available at Shae Design Studio, 9700 Kingston Pike in Knoxville, 865.313.2656, ShaeDesigns.com.
MAKER EXCHANGE
Visit the Curio at Maker Exchange and shop locally made artwork from 150+ makers. These leather belts are a collaboration between Fado Made & Beth Meadows. Stop by at 710 Clinch Avenue in downtown Knoxville between the Marriott and Tennessean Hotels, 865.637.4561, or shop online at MakerExchangeKnox.com.
INTERNATIONAL FLAIR JEWELERS
At over 2 inches in height, this charming Art Nouveau fairy necklace is crafted in sterling silver with a blue and green plique-à-jour (French for “letting in daylight”) enamel technique that creates a miniature version of stained glass. Surrounded by blue and white sapphires, the fairy’s gold-plated body ends in a lovely blue topaz teardrop. Available at International Flair Jewelers, 11124 Kingston Pike #113 in Farragut, 865.777.1181, InternationalFlairJewelers.net.
FROG JUICE ARTISANAL KOMBUCHA
Fermented and effervescent, Frog Juice Artisanal Kombucha is lovingly made in East Tennessee using only organic, fair trade ingredients that are sourced locally whenever possible. High quality ingredients mean maximum nutrition and a variety of yummy flavors! Find Frog Juice Artisanal Kombucha at small business retailers listed on their website or visit the Frog Juice Boocherie, Knoxville’s first sober bar, at 2920 Sutherland Avenue (next to River Sports Outfitters) in Knoxville, 865.214.7404, FrogJuiceKombucha.com.
UP N' ADAM ADVENTURES
Made up of three photographer friends all named Adam who “chase sunrises,” Up N’ Adam Adventures offers amazing photographs of our beautiful Great Smoky Mountains. You can enjoy this beauty throughout the year with their 2025 Great Smoky Mountains calendar and quality prints. Available at UpNAdamAdventures.com.
Escape to the Mexican Caribbean
COURTESY OF BPT
ESCAPE THE CHILL this winter and discover the signature paradise of the Mexican Caribbean. This stunning region boasts endless experiences to suit every type of traveler in 12 distinct destinations, from popular spots like Cancun, Tulum, and the Riviera Maya to hidden gems like Holbox, Bacalar, and Playa Mujeres.
With powder-soft beaches, turquoise seas, verdant jungles, and world-class resorts, the Mexican Caribbean is the perfect destination for a wide range of travel experiences, from solo wellness retreats to couples’ getaways, family vacations, and more.
Here are the top five reasons to book a getaway in the Mexican Caribbean:
Easily accessible tropical
weather year-round
Get ready to shake off the cold in the Mexican Caribbean’s balmy tropical climate, where average daily winter temperatures hover in the mid-80s and nights rarely dip below 60°. Sunshine is just a short trip away, with direct flights available from more than 40 U.S. cities to international airports in Cancun, Tulum, and Cozumel, most of which are five hours or less.
Rich Heritage and
Cultural Experiences
The foundation of the Mexican Caribbean’s culture centers around the ancient Mayan civilization and the magnificent archaeological sites that draw visitors from around the world. For an authentic experience off the beaten path, explore Maya Ka’an, located two and a half hours south of Cancun. This enchanting
region showcases the enduring legacy of the Mayan people, with the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve - a UNESCO World Heritage Site - as its centerpiece. Here, visitors can engage with local artisans and discover lesser-known archaeological sites like Muyil, which is situated on the Sian Ka’an lagoon, a name meaning “Where the Sky is Born.” Once a key stop on a Mayan trade route, Muyil’s canals now offer visitors the opportunity to swim and float in natural lazy rivers.
Endless activities
Nature enthusiasts will love the variety of outdoor activities available in the Mexican Caribbean. With its diverse geography, visitors can explore jungles, nature reserves, and protected marine environments, all while unplugging from daily stress. Swimming, snorkeling, and diving in cenotes is one of the most unique experiences in the Mexican Caribbean. These limestone sinkholes dotting the landscape have crystal clear waters, regional fauna, and more to explore. Ancient Mayans considered them to be the entrance to the underworld. In Puerto Morelos, the Cenotes Route boasts 60 cenotes over a span of 21 miles, accompanied by other adventure activities including mountain biking, ATVing, ziplining, rappelling, horseback riding, bird watching, and more.
Unparalleled wellness experiences
The Mexican Caribbean is one of the world’s top wellness destinations, offering luxury spas, holistic mind-body practices, and traditional healing rituals. For a truly
restorative winter getaway, Tulum and Holbox offer distinctive experiences. Tulum is celebrated for its spiritual ambiance and laid-back atmosphere, offering a range of personalized wellness activities. Visitors can enjoy beachfront yoga, rejuvenating treatments at seaside spas, and temazcal ceremonies guided by traditional Mayan practices.
Holbox, a charming car-free island, is ideal for those seeking a more untouched experience. This free-spirited destination boasts beachside massages, ample yoga, and boutique hotels offering a variety of holistic experiences including sound baths, Ayurvedic rituals, spiritual retreats, and more. Holbox’s tranquil environment and natural beauty make it an ideal escape for those looking to connect with nature.
Culinary experiences to please the palate
Culinary enthusiasts will be delighted by the variety of options available in the Mexican Caribbean, many featuring traditional Mexican and Mayan ingredients and techniques. For an unforgettable culinary journey, visit Riviera Maya, home to a wide array of dining experiences, from taco stands to fine dining establishments. Notably, Cocina de Autor at Grand Velas Riviera Maya and HA’ at Hotel Xcaret stand out, as each were awarded One Star designation by MICHELIN Guide Mexico in 2024. More casual options abound on the Fifth Avenue pedestrian thoroughfare and surrounding streets.
Are you ready for an unforgettable tropical vacation this winter? To learn more and plan your trip to The Signature Paradise, visit MexicanCaribbean.Travel.
*This area of Mexico continues to have a Level 2 Travel Advisory (along with the UK, Denmark, Greenland, and Italy) from the US State Department. Check Travel.State.gov for updated information.
IN-HOME SAUNA ADVANTAGES
BY RICHARD DOWDY, OWNER
SAUNAS HAVE LONG been cherished for their health and relaxation benefits, dating back to ancient cultures. Recent studies have highlighted their positive effects on cardiovascular health, including reduced blood pressure and a lower resting heart rate. Saunas also help with pain relief, reduce inflammation, and boost the immune system. They’re great for improving skin health and mental wellness, too.
Incorporating an in-home sauna into your post-workout routine can enhance your overall fitness progress. Saunas help promote muscle recovery by increasing blood flow, delivering additional oxygen and nutrients to fatigued muscles. This reduces soreness and speeds up the recovery process. Saunas also support detoxification by encouraging sweating that helps to remove impurities from the body. This cleansing process leaves you feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. Additionally, sauna heat improves flexibility by relaxing muscles and joints, potentially reducing your risk of injury during a workout.
By combining sauna sessions with your fitness routine, you can boost muscle recovery, detoxify your body, and improve overall well-being, making it an excellent addition to any workout regimen.
At Fitness Solutions, we offer a variety of saunas, including low EMF infrared models and traditional styles. Whether you’re looking for a personal retreat or a family-sized unit, we have options to fit your needs. Stop by our showroom to check out our popular 2-person infrared sauna from Helo and explore the many benefits saunas can bring to your well-being.
Fitness Solutions
8891 Town & Country Circle Knoxville, TN 37923
865.470.2667
FitnessSolutionsInc.net
5 Reasons to Consider Home Video Surveillance
WEBELIEVE your home is where you should feel the most safe. Keeping an eye on your property can be a full-time job. Having a monitored home security system is an excellent way of protecting what matters most. To enhance your home security, the addition of a home surveillance system is an excellent start. There are many benefits of adding video surveillance to your property, and here are a few of the most important ones.
1. Crime Deterrent
Contrary to popular belief, most burglars are quite skilled and will spend time scouting a property to develop a plan. A burglar intends to break in with as little effort and risk as possible. One of the most effective ways to prevent a potential break-in is to have visible cameras placed around the home in addition to a sign indicating you have monitored security.
2. Checking in on Your Family
You can’t be everywhere at once, but a wireless video surveillance system allows
you to check-in from your smartphone, tablet, or computer. Whether you want to see if your children have made it home from school safely via a motion-activated camera or check in on a sitter during your night out, a surveillance system can help bring you much-needed peace of mind.
3. Evidence for Apprehension
In the event that a burglary does occur, your monitored home security system will ensure the correct local authorities are notified quickly. A professionally installed video surveillance system will provide valuable evidence for the authorities. Whether it is a still-frame photo of the package thief or high-resolution video from an indoor camera, the authorities can use the evidence to apprehend the culprit, preventing future crime and increasing the odds of returning your stolen items.
4. Keeping Tabs on Your Pets
Ever wonder what your pets do while you’re away? A video surveillance system can help you see what you’ve been missing!
Whether you’re at work or away on vacation, you can check in on your fur family through your smartphone to stream video, store recordings, or even take snapshots.
5. Insurance Benefits
During the aftermath of a home burglary, you will have to file an insurance claim. Having high-definition footage of the event will help you validate your insurance claim. Not to mention, you can receive up to 20% off your home insurance by having a monitored security system in place!
Keep an eye on what matters most. A video surveillance system installed by the professionals at Fleenor Security can help give you a much-needed extra set of eyes. Contact us today for a free system evaluation.
Fleenor Security Systems
6700 Baum Drive, Ste. 22 Knoxville, TN 37919
865.544.9964
FleenorSecurity.com TN C-0239 VA 11-1901 NC 1721-CSA
Top 2025 Outdoor Design Trends
Amore time in their outdoor spaces - and want to maximize those spaces. Studies show that nearly 90% of homeowners consider their outdoor areas to be important to their health and wellbeing. Design trends reflect that people are showing more interest in connecting with nature in their own backyard and enjoying the comforts of indoor living while gathering outdoors. This means creating environments that are comfortable, multifunctional, and cost-effective.
The outdoor design experts at Belgard®, the trusted leader in hardscape solutions from pavers to retaining walls, share exclusive insights into 2025 outdoor design trends to help homeowners plan their dream outdoor spaces.
Privacy and spaces of solitude
As property footprints continue to shrink year over year, homeowners are looking for aesthetically pleasing ways to incorporate more privacy from neighbors or their surroundings. Decorative screen panels, pergolas, built-in planters, and other structures can add elements of both beauty and functionality that provide a sense of solitude, even in urban environments.
Sound gardens and water features can further enhance a feeling of solitude by adding audible privacy from neighbors or street traffic. For example, even a simple fountain or water bowl can enhance the ambiance and help muffle sound.
Shifting back to classic style
While minimalism remains a popular trend, there’s also been a shift back to a more classic style in indoor and outdoor home design. Mixed materials and warm colors such as beige and sepia are re-emerging, which lend themselves to a more traditional aesthetic.
With modular options from Belgard, a mix of different materials with multiple textures and sizes can create limitless possibilities while keeping with a classic design aesthetic. Because they’re available in many styles, shapes, and sizes designed to work together, a variety of paver patterns can be combined
seamlessly to achieve any desired overall look.
Convenience in design
As outdoor spaces are now a must-have for homeowners, they must be convenient to access and offer the same amenities as the home’s indoor spaces. Homeowners are looking for their outdoor space to transition easily from the house to the built environment while offering the same modern conveniences of lighting, eating, Wi-Fi, quality furnishing, and accessories.
Health and wellness
Using outdoor spaces to improve your well-being is a top focus for many people today. Americans are looking to be more balanced and in harmony with their environment, favoring the use of native plants and sustainable materials like permeable pavers, which promote better water drainage and reduce environmental impact.
Gardening is also a popular hobby that helps improve people’s feeling of well-being, so enthusiasts can opt for raised garden beds or planters to pursue their growing goals in their outdoor spaces. For example, Belgard offers options to create built-in planters as part of your overall hardscape design with its Belgard Artforms modular outdoor panel system. You can use the panels, which are sized in modular shapes, to quickly and efficiently construct planters, seating, outdoor kitchens, fire features, and more.
By designing outdoor environments that support their health and wellness,
individuals can cultivate spaces that provide a retreat in their own backyard to improve their quality of life.
Value-added features
In every metro area, property sizes are smaller than ever. With this shift plus budget considerations, homeowners want to maximize small spaces through modular components that serve multiple purposes, like built-in seat walls, fire features, water features, and planters that seamlessly blend into a living space - offering both functionality and visual appeal.
Homeowners can get creative with outdoor spaces with the right hardscape materials. For example, a small space can be transformed into a lush oasis by adding a vertical garden, or underutilized spaces like side or front yards can become cozy sitting areas. Even a small patio can serve as an al fresco dining space, and it doesn’t take a lot to add an outdoor workstation with the right tools and tech. Patio pavers and wall units help define spaces, making them serve more than one purpose for any household.
These strategic investments not only increase the functionality and enjoyment of outdoor areas but also significantly boost curb appeal and the home’s property value, making them a smart choice for homeowners looking to maximize their limited spaces.
To find inspiration for any outdoor space, visit Belgard.com.
COURTESY OF BPT
The Winter Gift Everyone Will Enjoy All Year Long
WHILE MOST events have now moved indoors for the winter, why not surprise your family this season with a special gift that guarantees unlimited, fun-filled, out-of-door events for spring 2025 and beyond? Winter is the optimal time to have the totally unique underdeck ceiling installed under your home’s existing raised deck, ensuring that next season’s events with family and friends will be protected from unexpected, unwanted rain and the searing summertime sun.
“This is the perfect time to weatherproof all of your future out-of-door events,” said Jim Conn, owner of Undercover Systems. “Throughout the entire process, our skilled craftsmen work with you each step of the way, from planning to completion. Because your project will be finished this winter, you can begin enjoying your new outdoor living space every temperate day here in East Tennessee.”
Their patented system helps extend your year-round outdoor season of enjoyment by protecting you from early spring showers, July and August’s relentless sun, and autumn rains. Undercover Systems works with you to decide which patented
products will perfectly complement your existing architecture and landscaping plan. Their attention to detail and customer service comes from years of experience. Homeowners appreciate that Undercover Systems does not use those generic, offthe-shelf components used by the competition but instead installs their own patented system. Every ceiling system they install is customized to perfectly fit your home - crafted to create a seamless transition from your home’s interior to your new covered out-of-door living space.
A complaint-free member of the Better Business Bureau, Undercover Systems offers homeowners the peace of mind that they deserve in a home improvement building contractor.
Why not surprise your family this winter with the gift of unlimited and memorable out-of-door activities for the New Year and from now on? Call Jim Conn at 423-267-0091 today so you can start looking forward to more covered, comfortable outdoor parties!
Undercover Systems
423.267.0091
UndercoverSystems.com
Indoor Winter Farmers’ Market
WHEN JEFF and Virginia Cannon
started Dixie Lee Farmers’ Market in Farragut back in 2008, their main focus was to create a family friendly forum with a healthy environment - physically and economically. The couple wanted to provide a place to buy local, top quality, fresh produce directly from the people who grew it. In doing this, they also hoped to give local farmers, gardeners, and crafts persons an opportunity to promote their products.
“We are excited and thankful for the opportunity to have a warm, cozy, and beautiful indoor space for markets this winter.”
- The Cannons
Downtown Knoxville and Oak Ridge had thriving farmers’ markets, but there weren’t any in the Farragut area, so they established the Dixie Lee Farmers’ Market to be held on Saturday mornings at Renaissance, a retail/ business center on Kingston Pike between Campbell Station and Watt Road. Their aim was to strengthen local commerce, as well as offer families a healthier lifestyle. What started with 10 vendors has now grown to more than 30 local farmers, food producers, and artisans. With the chillier weather, the Dixie Lee Farmers’ Market will be moving indoors to the Farragut Community Center for the season. These markets will be Saturdays from 10 am to 1 pm through mid-April. As always, there will be a variety of vendors offering a wide range of products, including fresh fruits and vegetables, artisanal breads, homemade jams and jellies, and more. All their vendors are carefully selected for the quality of their products and their commitment to sustainable agriculture.
Stop by the Farragut Community Center at 239 Jamestowne Blvd., where you can still buy local, top quality, fresh produce from the people who grew it, along with an eclectic array of locally handmade artistic products and crafts. Dixie Lee Farmers’ Market is also a big supporter of the Appalachian Relief Corps helping families affected by the hurricane storm damage. Check their website: DixieLeeFarmersMarket.com or Facebook page: Dixie Lee Farmers’ Market Farragut for market updates and ways that you can help keep “Appalachia Strong.”
Farragut Community Center 239 Jamestowne Blvd, 37934 Saturdays 10 am - 1 pm
Standard Knitting Mill and Knoxville’s Textile Industry
KNOXVILLE’S TEXTILE industry had a rich history that shaped the city’s economy and character for well over a century. It all began with the cotton spinning factory established by William Oldham in 1833, marking the first known textile-related industry in the area. This initial foray into manufacturing, located along First Creek, faced an early setback with the destruction of its dams in 1838. However, the foundations were laid for Knoxville to grow into a major center of textile production in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The Rise of Knoxville’s Textile Mills
As the city entered the late 1800s, textile manufacturing took off. The Knoxville Woolen Mills, founded in 1884, quickly became the city’s largest employer, producing vast quantities of fabric. In 1885, Brookside Mills opened in North Knoxville, which eventually overtook Knoxville Woolen Mills as the largest employer by 1902. Brookside’s rapid growth - thanks to machinery equipped with 6,000 spindles and an expanding workforce - spurred the establishment of several other mills in the area, including Cumberland Knitting Mills, Knoxville Knitting Mills, and Riverside Woolen Mills.
The Dominance of Standard Knitting Mill
Among all the textile factories, Standard Knitting Mill stood out for its longevity and success. Founded in 1900 on Washington Avenue, Standard began as a small operation with just 50 employees producing cotton ribbed underwear. Over time, Standard grew into the largest employer in Knoxville, reaching nearly 4,000 employees and producing over a million garments a week at its peak. Its products became so synonymous with quality that the city earned the nickname “Underwear Capital of the World.”
Employee-Centered Practices
couldn’t afford it.
Standard also emphasized a sense of community and tradition, beginning each shift with a minute of silent prayer, a practice started during World War I and lasting until the mill’s closure in 1989. The “25-Year Club” was another hallmark of Standard, recognizing employees who had dedicated a quarter-century or more to the company.
Standard Knitting Mill was notable not just for its size but for its progressive employee benefits and practices, especially during the 1920s. The mill provided a variety of services to its workforce, including low-cost milk, a public library extension, and various recreational activities such as music concerts, sidewalk bowling contests, and carnivals. In addition, Standard offered in-house medical and dental services, including required physical examinations for new employees, and if needed, dental work or even tonsillectomies were handled at the mill’s expense. Nurses made home visits to employees who were ill, and the mill provided doctor visits when necessary, sometimes covering the cost if the employee
The Decline of Knoxville’s Textile Industry
By the mid-1940s, the textile industry was so embedded in Knoxville that about a quarter of the population had some direct connection to it. However, by the 1950s, the industry began to face significant challenges. Increased competition from overseas manufacturers, rising labor costs, outdated equipment, and the growing popularity of synthetic fabrics all contributed to the decline. Brookside Mills, once a giant in the industry, closed in 1956, and many other mills struggled as the decades wore on. Standard Knitting Mill, which had become the city’s largest employer by the 1950s and was the second-largest knitting mill in the U.S., also faced these pressures. In the 1980s, foreign competition and the inefficiencies of Standard’s aging facility led to layoffs and, eventually, its closure in 1989. This marked the end of Knoxville’s dominance in large-scale textile manufacturing.
Legacy of the Textile Industry
The textile industry’s rise and fall in Knoxville left a deep imprint on the city’s social fabric. At its peak, the mills provided stable jobs, community services, and a sense of shared identity for thousands of people. Though the industry is long gone, its legacy remains part of Knoxville’s history, a reminder of a time when the city was at the heart of the American textile manufacturing boom.
The Knox Heritage mission is to protect Knoxville’s unique character for future generations by preserving, restoring, and transforming historically significant structures and places. Established in 1974 as a nonprofit historic preservation organization, Knox Heritage is chartered by the state of Tennessee and governed by a board of directors.
MAKER EXCHANGE A Local Experience
FROM THE ART on display and mugs in the coffee shop to the furniture and light fixtures, everything at Maker Exchange is sourced from local makers to immerse visitors in a truly authentic celebration of the Maker City. Dogwood Arts curates the space with a diverse selection of artwork from local makers including maker events, live music, and “artists in action.”
C u rate d by D o g wo o d A r t s
The Curio: A gallery, retail shop, and event space all in one. Shop handmade work from local makers in the surrounding cabinetry and on the gallery walls. Dogwood Arts curates the ever-changing, shoppable display of work within Maker Exchange and activates the space with maker events. Sign up for a workshop, experience art-in-action, or enjoy weekly live music during Tavern Notes. Find unique gifts for everyone on your list! 150 local makers and artists have artwork for sale at Maker Exchange. From jewelry and ceramics to painting and sculpture, there’s something for every taste (and price point). Shop in person or online 24/7 at ShopMakerExchangeKnox.com.
Local pick-up and shipping options are available.
The Tavern: With a wall of windows overlooking World’s Fair Park and the Knoxville Museum of Art, the view is every bit as good as the food. The restaurant and bar at Maker Exchange serve up creative pub fare and is open for breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner. Enjoy a drink at the bar or take it to the Hearth Room and relax next to the open fire.
LOCALLY-MADE GIFTS FOR EVERYONE ON YOUR LIST
Coffee Shop: Perk up with fresh, local coffee made fast so you can enjoy it at your leisure. Sip your brew at the shop or in one of the many comfy couches or chairs throughout Maker Exchange. A walk-up window is just steps away from Clinch Avenue - pick up a treat on your way to events at World’s Fair Park or the Knoxville Convention Center! Purchase handmade mugs by local makers from the Mug Wall to enjoy your coffee in.
SCAN QR CODE TO SHOP
LOCAL PICK-UP OR SHIPPING AVAILABLE
Hangout + Event Spaces: Relax in the Hearth Room - the perfect setting to meet up with friends or clients or take a quiet moment with a book and a beverage. Check out the Den for billiards, foosball, and a custom maker-made shuffleboard table. Looking for somewhere to host your next event or special occasion? From intimate wedding receptions to business retreats, events at Maker Exchange are a little more inspired. With views of World’s Fair Park and indoor + outdoor options, our seasoned catering and culinary team will partner with you to turn the simplest of meetings into a memorable event.
Dealing with Discontent
BY DR. JIM BAILEY
AFUN
FACT about me - the mute symbol on my TV remote is worn off. The television is only six months old, and the mute button is worn because I have a habit of muting the sound during commercials. I’ve never had patience for TV ads that attempt to sell me laundry detergent under the premise that life will be better if my underwear smells like lilacs, skin and hair products that will make me look unusually young when I’m lying in my coffin, or diabetes medications that will turn my neighborhood into a Broadway musical. I guess it’s only fitting that my patience was worn thin and the arthritis in my thumb inflamed by the many political ads that accumulated ahead of the recent election. Ironically, most of these used similar tactics as the other ads, aimed at making me believe that voting for their candidate would make me a better person, give me smoother skin, and generally make life better. The fact of the matter is that in a few short weeks, days, and maybe even hours after the election, there were new reasons to be discontented.
Discontent seems to be an intractable and unique aspect of human life. You never see it in animals - when was the last time you heard a cat complaining that she felt fat or your dog asking for better looking or smelling food? Rather than self-awareness and contemplative thought, discontent may be the thing that truly separates us from animals. Discontent is so common among humans that we have derogatory terms for contented people like “blissfully ignorant,” “happy idiot,” or the old fashioned “Pollyanna.”
Attainment doesn’t seem to impact our contentment level. John D. Rockefeller, the world’s first billionaire, famously answered the question, “How much money is enough?” by quipping, “Just a little bit more!” We might think a lottery win, shorter work week, or more vacation days would give us a feeling of “enough,” but how many people do you know who consistently feel content? Even those of us who have eschewed materialism and sought simpler lives still find ourselves wanting that one thing or experience we haven’t yet attained. At some point we all find ourselves, yet again, looking for
another thing or experience to fill a longing in our relationships, lifestyle, or jobs. Some folks go to war against their discontent in a self-help effort to become better humans. They may attempt to detach themselves from the material world by practicing eastern philosophies, or embrace gratitude, thankfulness, and remembrance practices from the Judeo-Christian traditions, with the aim of displacing their longings and attaining more contentment. Certainly, these have some value and may help us experience more serenity, but they too often fail to recognize the base conditions that lead to discontent.
In my work, I must constantly remind myself that people don’t need relief from their symptoms, they need a cure from what truly ails them. To truly address our discontent, we must understand it as a symptom of a much deeper problem. Author C.S. Lewis, who is most famous for The Chronicles of Narnia, had insight and understanding into this human condition. He surmised that our work and life experiences can’t ever give us deep and lasting satisfaction because we were created for a different kind of world.
Lewis put it this way: “If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. Probably earthly pleasures were never meant to satisfy it… so, I must take care, on the one hand, never to despise, or be unthankful for, these earthly blessings, and on the other, never to mistake them for the something else of which they are only a kind of copy, or echo, or mirage.” In other words, we should be grateful for those things and experiences that provide us with a sense of joy, satisfaction, and contentment, but we should never look to them to give us something more permanent.
That doesn’t mean we should settle for less. It’s a good idea to think carefully about what makes a job fit who you are and the life you want. I like to tell my career coaching clients, “There are things your work can give you and there are things it cannot. The wise person understands the limits of our work to satisfy the longings of our hearts.” The same is true about our relationships and the other things we pursue in this life - we are well served to think carefully about what and why we are trying to attain these things, but none of them can deliver a true, deep, and lasting sense of satisfaction. Expecting them to satisfy our longings sets you up for a life of endless pursuit, followed by disappointment, disillusionment, and frustration.
NEED SOME EXTRA STORAGE SPACE IN YOUR GARAGE?
The E-Z Lift Storage Rack is an innovative overhead garage storage system designed to revolutionize the way you organize your space.
Our retractable design brings your items down to you, then back up to the ceiling and out of your way! Engineered to support an impressive 700 lbs. of distributed weight, our unique design provides a stable and secure solution for your garage storage needs. No power supply needed, just use a power drill to raise and lower the 4' x 8' platform.
Reclaim your garage space with our safe, economical solution to store all types of items either above the garage door, or overhead on the ceiling.
or hand crank to raise and lower
Bringing Smiles with Every Petal Random Acts of Flowers Continues to Blossom
AS WE WELCOME the New Year, Random Acts of Flowers is proud to reflect on a season of joy and renewal while looking ahead to exciting opportunities in 2025. For more than a decade, our mission has been simple yet impactful: to improve the emotional health and well-being of individuals in healthcare facilities through the power of flowers.
In 2024, our Knoxville team celebrated a major achievementmore than 19,000 local flower deliveries! This success would not have been possible without our dedicated volunteers, generous donors, and supportive community. Each handcrafted bouquet represents a moment of connection, a reminder to patients and caregivers alike that they are valued and supported.
One highlight from the past year was our Nourish the Soul initiative in partnership with Knox County Mobile Meals. Together, we paired the comfort of flowers with nourishing meals to brighten the days of our community’s seniors. During Veterans Week, we honored the men and women who have served our country with special floral deliveries to local VA facilities. These moments underscore our belief that flowers have the power to touch lives in profound ways.
Looking forward, we’re eager to expand our outreach and deepen relationships with mission partners. This includes fostering more meaningful connections with local healthcare providers and identifying new ways to bring joy to those who need it most. At the same time, we’re growing our volunteer and donor base to ensure our mission thrives for years to come.
We’d like to invite the Knoxville and surrounding community to join us in making 2025 even more impactful. Whether you’re donating gently used vases, volunteering your time, or sponsoring a delivery, there’s a place for everyone at Random Acts of Flowers.
As the blooms of spring approach, we’re reminded that beauty and kindness are best shared. Let’s continue to work together to brighten our city, one flower delivery at a time.
For more information about Random Acts of Flowers, to volunteer, or to donate, call 865-633-9082 or visit RandomActsofFlowers.org.
RUTH POINTER
BY RANDY PATTERSON, BOOMEROCITY.COM
IF ONE were to name a female singer whose voice has mesmerized audiences for more than 50 years, the name Ruth Pointer of the legendary The Pointer Sisters just might come to mind. That is understandable with hits like “Automatic,” “I’m So Excited,” and “Jump (For My Love)” that are still immediately recognizable whenever they hit baby boomers’ ears.
Ruth and her sisters grew up in an Oakland, California, home where the atmosphere was permeated with the sounds of gospel music. Ruth, Anita, Bonnie, and June were seemingly born with harmonies that were extensively used in their father’s church and created the basis of the signature sound of The Pointer Sisters. That signature sound blends those heavy gospel influences with pop, R&B, jazz, and - believe it or not - country. This allowed the talented women to destroy genre boundaries, to record a unique and diverse catalog of work, and to grab the ears of listeners of all musical palettes. This created die-hard fans around the world - fans who still lovingly and enthusiastically support the ladies today. Recently, I had the incredible opportunity to chat with Ruth about an upcoming short tour, her long career, the lessons she’s learned in life, and what she hopes is the impact The Pointer Sisters have had. Ruth also talked about her “Wow, this is special!” moment after the American Music Awards in 1985 when she and her sisters participated in the historic recording of “We are the World,” a song co-written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie.
The short tour that Ruth and The Pointer Sisters (consisting of her daughter and granddaughter) were embarking on included the Commodores and The Spinners. When asked about what that tour would entail, Ruth said, “We just sing the songs that have made us known and made people happy over the years, especially the ‘70s and ‘80s, and maybe a little bit of the ‘90s. We’re just going to sing a song because, quite frankly, our audiences are diverse and a mixture of maybe a few young people, a few generations of people... some seniors in there we have to appeal to. We sure have some memories, and that’s what we’re bringing.”
If anyone is synonymous with The Pointer Sisters, it would be the legendary Lionel Richie. Ruth shared some stories about her relationship with him.
“Lionel pulled me, Anita, and June in to open for him on his first solo tour, and we got to be pretty good friends. At the time, the Beverly Hills Cop film had been released, and I wasn’t that crazy
about that song written by Allee Willis - ‘Neutron Dance.’ I didn’t know what that word really meant. It sounded violent to me - neutron - like a bomb or something. She said she had written it with my voice in mind, you know, because it had this gospel kind of undertone to it. We were on tour with Lionel, and I think it was the last show that we were doing with him.
“We were on tour with him for about two or three months all over the country. And the last show he came to our dressing room, and he said, ‘Look, I know that ‘Neutron Dance’ is not in your lineup right now, but you’re going to have to sing it because the movie has come out, the song is in the film and part of the soundtrack and people want to really hear it. They really are liking the song.’ So, we’re like, ‘Okay, Lionel.’
“So, we’re doing our show, and all of a sudden, the band starts playing the intro to ‘Neutron Dance,’ the audience jumped up out of their seats and started rushing the stage and it really threw me. I almost forgot the words to the song! And at that moment it occurred to me - I was like, ‘Okay, uh, this is what a hit feels like. Okay.’ I never will forget that moment... and ‘Neutron Dance’ has been in our show ever since that day. We’re singing it now!”
There is more to this interview, where Ruth talks about her relief that music artists are “smarter” now so they don’t get taken advantage of like past generations did, just how exhausting travel can be, and her willingness to still be “teachable.” It can be watched in its entirety at Boomerocity.com or listened to on the Boomerocity podcast. Keep up on the latest with The Pointer Sisters on their website, ThePointerSisters.com.
Launched in 2009, Randy’s Boomerocity The Fan Experience has more than 500 positive, sincere, one-on-one interview conversations that show fans the true heart of the Baby Boomer generation of musicians, entertainers, and their associates, as well as today’s icons, influencers, and up-and-comers in music.
HAILING FROM
GREENVILLE, South Carolina,
Shot Thru the Heart (STTH) is a professional tribute band that pays homage to the music and showmanship of Bon Jovi, one of the greatest rock bands to ever take the stage. STTH provides a high-energy concert experience, playing only the greatest hits and staying true to the original recordings. STTH
The Bon Jovi Experience is the real-deal! The music and vocals are live with meticulous attention to detail that clearly sets STTH apart from the competition.
Each member of Shot Thru the Heart is a seasoned, professional musician and entertainer. The energy emitted from the stage is contagious and reminiscent of the great arena rock concerts of the '80s.
The band consists of Brian Stuart (a.k.a. Jon B), lead vocals who is also an accomplished guitarist and drummer, Jay Burns (a.k.a. Hugh McD. w/a side of Alec), an accomplished guitarist whose main instrument has been bass since his 20s, Orion Irby (a.k.a. Tico T), drums/percussion since his middle school years, Evan "Van" St. James (a.k.a. David B), a formally trained pianist on keyboards/vocals, and Chris Clary (a.k.a. Richie S), lead guitar who started touring with USO as a teenager.
The STTH band grew up on the rock music of the '80s greatest bands including Van Halen, Ratt, Poison, Mötley Crüe, Def Leppard and the Scorpions. However, all the members of Shot Thru the Heart have a very special love and great respect for the music of Bon Jovi. Admiration for the music and showmanship of Bon Jovi bleeds through every note played and sung. The nostalgia effect is real!
JANUARY
THROUGHOUT THE MONTH
19th Annual East TN Regional Student Art Exhibition at the Knoxville Museum of Art through the 12th.
Tennessee Stage Company: New Play Festival at the Clarence Brown Theatre through the 12th. Celebrate the new year with an exciting series of groundbreaking new plays, along with the opportunity to engage with the playwrights about their creative process, share insights with the creative team, and contribute to building the new works from the script up. Visit TennesseeStage.com/NewPlayFest for the complete lineup.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Commission: 10th Gallery of Arts Tribute at the Emporium Center through the 31st. Works by local artists reflecting the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with themes of unity, community, love, reconciliation, social justice and civil rights. Closed on the 20th for the holiday.
A Penny in Your Pocket: National Juried Exhibition, Part I at the Arrowmont Gallery & Marketplace (110 S Gay Street) through February 1st.
The Art of War by RESTORE UKRAINE at the Knoxville Museum of Art through February 20th.
JANUARY 6
Knox County Students back to school Mighty Musical Monday featuring house organist Freddie Brabson on the Mighty Wurlitzer Organ, joined by Matthew Fisher, at the Tennessee Theatre from noon to 1 pm. Free!
JANUARY 8
Knoxville Symphony Orchestra: Q Series featuring KSO’s String Quartets and Woodwind Quintet at the Elks Lodge (5600 Lonas Drive) at noon.
JANUARY 10
Soundscapes at the KMA featuring saxtress Jazmin Ghent at the Knoxville Museum of Art from 7:30 to 9:15 pm.
JANUARY 11
5th Annual Health & Wellness Expo at the Farragut Community Center from 10 am to 3 pm. Free!
Wheels Monster Trucks Live: Glow-N-Fire at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center at 12:30 & 7:30 pm. Also the 12th at 2:30 pm. Locals Only Live presents Milk Man & the Big Band at the Bijou Theatre at 7 pm.
Knoxville Symphony Orchestra: Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back at the Civic Auditorium at 8 pm.
JANUARY 12
Second Sunday Art Activity at the Knoxville Museum of Art from 1 to 4 pm. Hands-on art for K-6th grade.
Second Sunday Docent Tour at the Knoxville Museum of Art from 2 to 3 pm.
Ice Bears vs Birmingham Bulls Chilly’s Kids Day at the Civic Coliseum at 5 pm.
Dancing the Lughnasa at Theatre Knoxville Downtown Thursdays through Sundays through the 26th. Visit TheatreKnoxville.com for show times and tickets.
JANUARY 13
The History Parlor: A Book Club for HistoryMinded Individuals at the East Tennessee History Center at 9:30 am.
JANUARY 15
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Commission: Knoxville King Week through the 20th. Visit MLKKnox.org for event information.
JANUARY 16
Knoxville Symphony Orchestra: Mahler Symphony No. 5 at the Tennessee Theatre at 7:30 pm. Also the 17th.
JANUARY 18
29th Annual Diversity Day: Race Against Racism at YWCA Phyllis Wheatley Center Knoxville from 9 am to noon. Visit YWCAKnox.com for schedule of events.
BrickUniverse 2025 Imagine Tour: A LEGO® Lover’s Dream at World’s Fair Exhibition Hall at 10 am. Also the 19th. Ijams Junior Naturalist (for middle and high schoolers) at Ijams Nature Center from 10 am to 1 pm. Keep Knoxville Beautiful Community Tree Planting & Litter Cleanup at Edgewood Park (3109 Ocoee Trail) from 10 am to noon.
JANUARY 19
Knoxville Symphony Orchestra: MLK Celebration Concert at the Bijou Theatre at 3 pm.
JANUARY 20
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
JANUARY 23
78th Annual Student Art Competition by University of Tennessee students at the Ewing Gallery of Art + Architecture through March 9th.
For Knoxville’s andMarketFarmers’dates locations,seepage35.
JANUARY 24
ChocolateFest: After Dark! at the Chilhowee Park & Expo Center from 6 to 9 pm. Adultsonly event featuring premium chocolates, enchanting performances, live music, and romantic atmosphere - perfect for date night! For info visit MyChocolateFest.com.
Ice Bears vs Huntsville Havoc Pickleball On Ice at the Civic Coliseum at 7 pm.
Scott Miller at the Bijou Theatre at 8 pm.
JANUARY 25
9th Annual ChocolateFest at the Chilhowee Park & Expo Center (Jacob Building) from 9 am to 6 pm. A benefit for the Ronald McDonald House of Knoxville.
Marble City Opera’s Pop-Up Opera Party at the Knoxville Botanical Garden and Arboretum from 6 to 9 pm. This annual fundraising gala features delicious food, auction, and surprise operatic performances popping up during the course of the evening. For info or tickets visit MarbleCityOpera.com.
Ice Bears vs Huntsville Havoc Wrestling Night at the Civic Coliseum at 7 pm.
Trampled by Turtles at the Tennessee Theatre at 7:30 pm.
JANUARY 26
Knoxville Symphony Orchestra Chamber Classic Series: Mozart & More at the Bijou Theatre at 2:30 pm.
JANUARY 28
Monty’s Craft Circle a the McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture from 1 to 2 pm. Bring any fiber art or craftrelated project, or learn to crochet, knit, or embroider. All skill levels welcome.
JANUARY 30
Harlem Globetrotters 2025 World Tour at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center at 7 pm.
Chanticleer at the Clayton Center for the Arts in Maryville from 7:30 to 10:30 pm.
JANUARY 31
Ice Bears vs Peoria Rivermen Peanuts Night at the Civic Coliseum at 7 pm.
Al Stewart and Livingston Taylor at the Bijou Theatre at 7:30 pm.
Knoxville Opera: La Bohème at the Tennessee Theatre at 7:30 pm. Also February 2nd at 2:30 pm.
The Marshall Tucker Band: On Cloud 9 at the Civic Auditorium at 7:30 pm.
THINGS TO DO • PLACES TO GO • PEOPLE TO SEE
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
FEBRUARY 1
Adaptive Rock Climbing at River Sports Outfitters (2918 Sutherland Avenue) from 10 am to noon.
Ice Bears vs Peoria Rivermen Wiener Dog Races at the Civic Coliseum at 7 pm.
Back N Black: The Ultimate AC/DC Experience at the Bijou Theatre at 8 pm.
The Black Jacket Symphony: The Beatles’ Abbey Road at the Civic Auditorium at 8 pm.
FEBRUARY 2
Bijou Imagination Series: The Remember Balloons at the Bijou Theatre at 2:30 pm.
Joe Gatto: Let’s Get Into It at the Civic Auditorium at 5 pm.
FEBRUARY 3
Ladies Night at the Climbing Center at River Sports Outfitters (2918 Sutherland Avenue) from 7 to 10 pm.
Knoxville Museum of Art Through January 12
Don’t miss this exhibit showcasing the strength and diversity of art education programs in East Tennessee by talented middle and high school students.
KNOXART.ORG
Mighty Musical Monday featuring house organist Freddie Brabson on the Mighty Wurlitzer Organ, joined by Sage Bohacek, at the Tennessee Theatre from noon to 1 pm. Free!
FEBRUARY 4
INSIDIOUS: The Further You Fear at the Tennessee Theatre at 7:30 pm.
FEBRUARY 5
Knoxville Symphony Orchestra: Merchant & Gould Concertmaster Series - Winter Dreams in Vienna at the Knoxville Museum of Art at 7 pm. Also the 6th.
WDVX presents Tennessee Shines Live featuring American Aquarium, Lilly Hiatt, and Zach Russell at the Bijou Theatre at 7 pm.
FEBRUARY 6
Robert Jon & the Wreck at the Bijou Theatre at 8 pm.
FEBRUARY 7
Dogwood Arts House & Garden Show at the Convention Center from 10 am to 6 pm. Also the 8th from 10 am to 6 pm and 9th from 10 am to 4 pm.
First Friday on Market Square, Gay Street, The Old City, and Downtown North beginning at 5 pm.
Drew & Ellie Holcomb: Memory Bank Tour at the Tennessee Theatre at 8 pm.
Knoxville Symphony Orchestra Blue Suede Tunes: Music of Elvis & More with Frankie Moreno at the Civic Auditorium at 8 pm.
Warren Haynes Band: Million Voices Whisper Tour at the Bijou Theatre at 8 pm.
FEBRUARY 8
Andrea Bocelli in concert with the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center at 8 pm. All event dates and times subject to change.
78TH ANNUAL STUDENT ART COMPETITION
January 23 - March 9
Ewing Gallery of Art + Architecture
BEGUN IN 1947 by C. Kermit “Buck” Ewing, founder of The University of Tennessee School of Art, the annual student exhibition is one of the oldest in the country and a seasonal highlight. An outlet for UT’s talented students for 78 years, works of every form and medium have been displayed and applauded by The University and Knoxville community.
The Ewing Gallery is free and open to public Monday - Friday 10 am to 5 pm and Sunday 1 pm to 4 pm.
Ewing-Gallery.UTK.edu
Homemade Meals to Tackle Takeout Cravings
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
Marinated Teriyaki Steak with Teriyaki Noodle Salad
Prep time: 1 hour (including marinating)
Cook time: 24 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
• 1/2 cup dark soy sauce
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon Sriracha sauce
• 1/2 cup unsalted chicken stock
• 1 pound flank steak
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 bag (16.9 ounces) Fresh Express Hot or Cold Teriyaki Salad and Noodle Meal Kit
1 bag (16.9 ounces) Fresh Express Teriyaki Hot or Cold Salad and Noodle Meal Kit
Directions:
In bowl, whisk vinegar, dark soy sauce, honey, ginger, garlic, white pepper, and Chinese five-spice until combined. Slowly pour oil into mixture while whisking vigorously. Place cut tofu in mixture and allow to sit 15 minutes.
Bring large sauté pan to medium-high heat and place tofu in, turning when crust forms. When tofu is finished, set aside and prepare hot or cold salad and noodle meal kit. Serve with tofu on top of hot or cold salad and noodle meal kit.
In saucepan, add soy sauce, brown sugar, Sriracha sauce, and chicken stock; bring to simmer while whisking. Simmer 4 minutes. Cool mixture down until cool to touch, about 20 minutes. Slice steak into thin strips and place in a bowl. Pour marinade over steak and marinate for 1 hour. In large pan over medium-high heat, stir-fry steak 2 minutes. Remove steak from pan and allow to rest.
In same pan used for steak, add oil and cook hot or cold kit according to instructions on bag. Add steak back to pan and stir to incorporate. Garnish with toppings from hot or cold kit and serve.
ANY BUSY WEEKNIGHTS come down to one decision for frazzled families: cook at home or give in to takeout cravings. Instead of stressing over a decision, enjoy the best of both worlds and make Asian-inspired dishes from the comfort of
Featuring a blend of chilled, freshly chopped vegetables; ready-to-eat, pre-cooked noodles; gourmet dressing sauce; and crispy toppings, Fresh Express Hot or Cold Salad and Noodle Meal Kits offer two meal options in every bag - hot or cold - so you can make your salad, your way. Available in Teriyaki, Asian Sweet Ginger, and Korean Sesame flavors, they’re the perfect inspiration for making takeout-style dishes at home.
Consider this Marinated Teriyaki Steak with Teriyaki Noodle Salad recipe, which combines juicy steak with crisp vegetables and pre-cooked Udon noodles for the ultimate at-home comfort food in an effortless meal. For a quick and delicious solution that may just become a family go-to, these Teriyaki Tofu Bowls are jam-packed with flavor, noodles, and fresh veggies.
These homemade favorites feature a delicious blend of broccoli, red and green cabbage, kale, shredded carrots, radish, and green onions in Fresh Express’s Hot or Cold Teriyaki Salad and Noodle Meal Kit. The vegetable blend is tossed with pre-cooked Udon noodles, white sesame seeds, and crunchy wontons, then finished with a gourmet teriyaki dressing sauce for familiar Asian flavor.
Visit FreshExpress.com/hot-or-cold to discover more than 300 fresh recipes and find a store near you.
Photo Designed by
Freepik
Just in Time for the New Year, Think About Your Season of Life
BY CARRIE MCCONKEY, CARRIEMCCONKEY.COM
THE NEW YEAR offers a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the past year and look toward the next. We remember blessings received, milestones achieved, and give thanks for the significant people in our lives. It’s also the perfect time of year to look at your existing kitchen and household storage. Are they a good fit for your current season of life?
Over time, your lifestyle, needs, and daily routines change. Job responsibilities shift, families grow and shrink, and habits emerge and fade. Starting with your kitchen, reassess what works for you today rather than 20 years ago. Evaluate your storage with fresh eyes - there are no rules, only possibilities!
Different Lifestyle
If your household is once again “just the two of us,” you may be enjoying a much different way of life. Share time exploring new recipes, the latest appliances, and exciting culinary experiences with the benefit of attractive and sturdy soft-close roll-out shelving and organizers. There’s a roll-out for nearly every need, including a utensil bin for your spatulas, whisks, and serving spoons, a magnetic knife organizer complete with cutting board, and even an appliance cabinet that comes with its own handy, retractable platform.
Different Needs
As the years go by, it is important that we take extra care of our bodies. Do you find yourself straining to see, reach, and retrieve items in the far corners of your upper and lower cabinets? Stop struggling and add safety and convenience to your kitchen with custom storage solutions. Upper wall cabinet pull-outs offer easyto-view storage racks that glide open and closed. Heavy pots, pans, and skillets can be managed with a soft-close pot organizer pull-out - with lids at the ready on their own convenient shelf. And a variety of corner cabinet styles gently rotate with the slightest touch, giving you access to every inch of space with ease.
Different Routines
Match the luxury of more free time with features that fit relaxing lifestyles. Leisurely mornings will go even smoother with a sectioned drawer to hold every flavor of K-Cup ®. A drawer that separates sports bottles, thermoses, lids, and straws keeps everything organized for those visits from your grandkids. Custom wine racks with stemware slots provide access to your favorite varietal in time to catch that beautiful sunset. And plates can be taken off those high shelves and stored in a practical pegged drawer, close at hand for a midnight snack.
Updating is Easy with Shelf Help
or to update your built-in cabinets in the den with convenient gilding drawers to make albums, DVDs, and CDs easy to see and reach. Maybe all of the above?
Timely Installation with a Trustworthy Team
The Shelf Help team is ready to walk you through every step of your home storage updates. Starting with an in-home visit from Brett to talk through your exact needs, we then custom design your systems and take all measurements. Within a month, your installation will take place. You’ll know exactly when one of our popular installers, Bill or Robert, are set to arrive and approximately how long they’ll be there. And, if something isn’t quite right after you’ve tested out your new updates, we’ll schedule a follow up visit to make any necessary adjustments. Most importantly, we offer a lifetime guarantee.
What are Your Storage Needs Now?
As you evaluate your storage needs, are there areas of your home beyond the kitchen that could use a refresh? It may be time to install gliding roll-out shelves and organizers for instant access to laundry or pantry supplies, or to outfit your primary bath with rollout organizers for brushes, blow dryers, and other hairstyling tools,
As we begin the new year, think about whether your kitchen and other areas of your home are working for you. Have you outgrown your current storage?
At Shelf Help, we partner with our customers to re-think, re-tool, and revitalize their lives using creative and affordable storage solutions. We’re not a franchise, but a locally owned and run small business based in Knoxville. This makes us nimble enough to work with projects large, small, and in-between. It also allows us to keep our prices up to 50% or more lower than that of national franchises.
Just in time for the new year, let your kitchen and household storage catch up to your lifestyle, needs, and daily routines. With Shelf Help’s made-to-order roll-out shelving, cabinet organizers, and storage systems, every inch of storage space is maximized - and everyday tasks become safer and simpler. We’ll help you come up with creative storage solutions that are uniquely different and uniquely you. This holiday season, give yourself a gift that will keep on giving, and give us a call at Shelf Help today!
Shelf Help
865.675.5098
ShelfHelpTN.com
UT GARDENS’ PLANT OF THE MONTH
No, Sumac Is the Antidote for Hot Parched Sites POISON?
Red-berried Sumac Includes Three Species: Winged, Smooth, and Staghorn
SUBMITTED BY CAROL REESE, RETIRED UT EXTENSION HORTICULTURE SPECIALIST
SUMAC! THEIR EYES are wide that I would recommend it for any landscape! This reaction is not uncommon because of the black sheep in the family. Poison sumac is indeed a devil you don’t want to encounter, but I can almost guarantee you that you won’t. Poison sumac is rare in the wild and would require you to don some serious waders and seek the few locations it has been recorded in our swamps.
Spears of red berries are your sign. Poison sumac, also known as swamp sumac, has white berries and will never be seen in the places you find the drought tolerant red-berried species of sumac that cheerfully thrive on our state’s sunblasted unirrigated roadsides.
The red berried spears salute the female colonies of sumac, and their deliciously lemony tartness is relished by birds and recorded to be a primary source of winter food for our beloved Eastern bluebird, according to research by West Tennessee ornithologist David Pitts, a retired UT Martin professor. I frequently suck on the tart berries myself as I wander my property and was surprised when I noticed that some clumps of sumac had better flavor than others, just as you will frequently find that better blackberry patch in the wild. I’ve also experimented with using them in recipes found online, both sweet and savory.
Winged sumac has glossy leaves with a stiffer habitat than smooth and staghorn. All three sumacs, not to be confused with poison sumac or swamp sumac, thrive in hot, dry sites.
At first, I had to pay close attention to tell apart the three most dominant species in this region. Eventually the differences become evident even at a distance, at least to differentiate winged sumac ( Rhus copallinum) from smooth ( Rhus glabra) and staghorn ( Rhus typhina) sumacs. Staghorn and smooth look much alike until you get close enough to see or stroke the velvet (like a buck’s emerging antlers “staghorns”) as opposed to smooth’s stems. Winged is also called shining sumac, so if you are not close enough to look for the winged midrib on the compound leaves, you will learn to notice its glossy leaf surfaces flashing their identity messages. It’s also a more sprightly upright leaf with a stiffer habit that throw
themselves against the sky, while smooth’s matte textures and softly drooping leaves are more relaxed. These soft leaves have an underside very nearly white that sway and flutter more as you whoosh past in a vehicle, sometimes throwing themselves up to toss their “white petticoats.”
Sumac is gaining acceptance in the landscape realms, especially the irresistible form ‘Tiger Eyes.’ Dissected forms have been around for decades, but ‘Tiger Eyes’ foliage was both dissected and the color of a ripe lemon. It’s been reported to be a bit difficult to get established, but I suspect that’s because most gardeners overestimate how much to water it. Remember, it’s a sumac. They thrive in hot and dry sites, which may become the major criteria for selecting low maintenance plants if our summers become more torturous.
The UT Gardens includes plant collections located in Knoxville, Crossville, and Jackson, Tennessee. Designated as the official botanical garden for the State of Tennessee, the UT Gardens are part of the UT Institute of Agriculture. The Gardens’ mission is to foster appreciation, education, and stewardship of plants through garden displays, educational programs, and research trials. The Gardens are open during all seasons and free to the public. For more information, visit utia.tennessee.edu/ state-botanical-garden.
Winged sumac berries
Tiger Eyes sumac
Photo
HJanuary in the Garden
OW MANY of you will be glad to see 2024 in the rearview mirror?
I know I will! It wasn’t all bad of course, but it was hard. Now it’s time to regroup and begin again.
The best way I have found to plan for next year’s landscape is to start with a good walk around your yard. How did everything do? What performed well and what didn’t? What did you love and what was disappointing? What do you want to see next year?
Next, think about what has changed in your yard. Did trees grow enough to shade a formerly sunny area? Did a tree come down and leave a formerly shady area in blistering sun? Did the lot next door get cleared so you now see things you never wanted to see?
Take into consideration the changes in weather as well. We have moved into a warmer growing zone, and our weather is getting more erratic. We have seen record highs, record lows, record rainfall, record drought, and other natural dramas occurring during the past few years, and I don’t expect nature to calm down any in the future. The plants and landscaping you choose will have to tolerate those extremes.
Finally, what has changed in your life? Will you have more or less time to work in your yard? Do you want to grow more vegetables for your health? Do you have the physical capability to garden as you have in the past? Many of us are getting older and may need to change the way we have been doing things to make it easier on our backs and joints!
Once you’ve taken all these things into consideration, sit down and write up a plan for what you would like to do. There are many places to get ideas, but please consult a designer or stop by a reputable garden center (like Meadow View) to ask for input. It is critical for you to pick the right plant for the right place, and we can help you do that. No one wants to spend thousands of dollars on their landscape only to discover that the plants they chose were not suitable for the area!
Now let’s talk about things you can do in your yard now.
• You can still plant. Trees and shrubs planted now will be able to get roots down during the winter so they have a head start on spring. A few plants don’t like to be installed in the winter, so call us if you have questions.
• Unless you have a yard with heavy tree coverage, just run over fallen leaves with the lawn mower and leave them where they fell. Chopped leaves make great fertilizer. They also provide a home for all the beneficial insects to overwinter!
• Get garden beds ready for next year by
BY LISA GRUGIN
planting cover crops or simply adding compost. It will break down during the winter, and the nutrients will be ready and waiting for spring.
• You can prune once plants are dormant, but please educate yourself! Heading out with pruners without knowing what you’re doing is sort of like giving a toddler scissors and asking them to cut your hair. It isn’t likely to be pretty, and bloodshed may be involved. Here are a few things to consider before you start:
1. Why are you pruning? Is it because your plants need it or because your neighbor is pruning and you think you should, too? Keep in mind that your neighbor may be committing “Crepe Murder” and his/her hydrangeas may not have bloomed for years. Every plant has a specific time period and method for pruning, and going against that can result in reduced/no blooms, deformed structure, or dead plants.
2. Pruning should be used to remove dead, diseased, or damaged branches, to open up canopies to light and air flow, and to control and direct new growth. You can prune to reduce size, but don’t take off
more than one-third of the plant. If you have to remove more than that, you should consider relocating the plant.
3. Please use sharp pruners. Dull tools rip the wood and leave it open to insects and diseases. It’s not necessary to use a sealant, as they have been shown to provide no benefit.
My last winter suggestion is to take care of the birds. Keep feeders clean and full, and provide a water source if possible. Metal birdbaths can stay out all winter but may need a heater. I have two feeders and an in-ground fountain that runs all year, and it’s not unusual to see 25-30 birds hanging out. They are beautiful to watch.
We reduce our hours in January and February, but we are still here five days per week. You can call or stop by with any questions that you have. Have a great 2025!
Meadow View Greenhouses & Garden Center
9885 Highway 11E Lenoir City, TN 37772 865.986.7229
MeadowViewGreenhouse.com
New Exhibitions Opening
Emporium Center January 3
THE ARTS & Culture Alliance is pleased to present five new exhibitions at the Emporium Center in downtown Knoxville from January 3-31. Most of the works on exhibition will be for sale and may be purchased by visiting in person or the online shop at KnoxAlliance.store.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Commission: 10th Gallery of Arts Tribute in the Lower Gallery
of his 3D constructions in the Virtual World and then manipulated in Photoshop or initiated with a photograph he has taken and then also altered in Photoshop.
Adam Rowe artist statement excerpts: Making a new artwork begins with a question I don’t immediately know the answer to. It ends with the artwork as proof that the answer I came up with is true. The middle part, figuring it out, is often more time consuming than shaping the actual piece, although it is the part I enjoy the most. My work is “math art,” although I am hesitant to claim I know much math.
The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Commission is partnering with the Arts & Culture Alliance to provide the 10th annual juried exhibition developed to recognize local artists and, most importantly, honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The new exhibition will feature works by local artists reflecting the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and have pertinence to the themes of Unity, Community, Love, Reconciliation, Social Justice, and Civil Rights. The MLK Gallery of Arts Tribute exhibition will kick off the 2025 celebrations (January 15-20). For more information, visit MLKKnoxville.com.
David Denton and Adam Rowe: Hidden Worlds in the Upper Gallery
Ceramic Works by Stephen Phillips in the Display Case
Stephen Phillips a rtist statement excerpts: In my recent work, I have explored the juxtaposition of textures and colors. I use underglazes as the base color and gloss glazes to give a differentiation between the textures and appearances provided by both. Electrical tape creates patterns and geometrical shapes that when removed reveals the underglaze surface. Other pieces are raku fired. The unglazed surface will turn a matte black allowing the differentiation between the unglazed surface and the glazed area. Every piece created is considered as an individual that belongs to a large family or collection.
My World, My Friends by Diana Ferguson on the North Wall Diana “DiFergi” Ferguson artist statement: My work is full of color, forms, and layering. There is a plethora of characters to be found inside a world that is basically happy yet sometimes concerned about social and moral issues. My goal is to create a space for the viewer to connect in a way that is entertaining but also creates questions. Sometimes things make perfect sense and sometimes they do not. There is a strong sense of narrative in my work. My imaginary characters develop as I paint, and I love exploring their oddities and proclivities. I hope that you are perplexed and smiling as you view my work.
Recent Works by Anthony Donaldson in the Atrium
Hidden Worlds is a new exhibition based on the paper presented at Bridges 2023 and the Knoxville American Marketing Association conference “Surface-tiling Curves.” The subject is the application of a space-filling curve segment to the faces of regular polyhedra. The work represents real-world examples of time slices in the iterative process of these curves as sculpture and print. Each piece exists as snapshot along the way from one to two dimensions. Glimpsing into these hidden worlds is a way of looking deeper without looking closer. In seeking a way to continue to participate in the design world after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, David Denton discovered the Virtual Reality platform Second Life. He has produced Virtual Reality designs in the areas of set design, trade show exhibits, experimental teaching tools, exhibition spaces, urban design, architectural design, videos, album covers, and business spaces. Much of his work on display is photographs
Anthony Donaldson is a Knoxville Area Transit bus driver. He expresses himself through art as a writer would express oneself in a book. He asks himself whether art imitates life or life imitates art, and he feels the answer is both. Anthony aims to tell a story with his art, and the recent work he will display features many subjects such as climate change, human trafficking, Harlem Renaissance culture, political and social issues, racism & classism, and more.
The exhibitions will be on display January 3-31 at the Emporium Center, located at 100 S. Gay Street in Knoxville. The Emporium is open to the public Monday through Friday from 9 am to 5 pm. Please note, the Emporium will be closed Monday, January 20, for the holiday. For more information, call 865-523-7543 or visit KnoxAlliance.com.
Together Jody Lynn
David Denton
Adam Rowe
Soundscapes Concert Series at the KMA
SOUNDSCAPES
AT THE KMA
combines the magic of art and live music at the Knoxville Museum of Art. A unique fusion of music and visual art, this monthly series continues to enchant audiences with intimate performances by renowned musicians and emerging talents amidst the museum’s art and architecture. Attendees enjoy world-class performances in an acoustically enhanced setting surrounded by the museum’s celebrated exhibitions. Enjoy the performance and a cocktail in beautiful Bailey Hall or explore the art on view as music weaves through the galleries.
Soundscapes is an experience designed to elevate your senses and lift your spirit. Kick-off your weekend in an extraordinary atmosphere that allows you to see, hear, and feel art in a whole new way. Doors open at 6:30 pm, music begins at 7:30 pm and lasts until 9:15 pm. Concertgoers can enjoy access to KMA’s exhibitions until 8:00 pm. A cash bar and food from local vendors will also be available, adding to the vibrant atmosphere. Proceeds directly support the museum, its educational programs, and exhibitions. For tickets or more information, visit knoxart.org/events.
Business Note
BY BRETT CAFFERTY
Photo by Mirtography
Ducks and Geese
BACK IN 2009, my daughter and I took a road trip together to attend a family wedding in Western New York. We first drove to Northern Virginia where my brother lived to join up with him and his daughter, then the four of us (two dads and our teenage daughters) “shuffled off to Buffalo” via a zigzagged route through Pennsylvania.
The weekend adventure in a quaint, off-season ski village was an absolute blast with a traditional “northern” wedding - dinner, drinks, music, and dancing until the wee hours - a great time with our extended family.
The next morning, a group of us walked a few blocks to a Sunday brunch diner. My daughter and niece, who had been lagging behind, came alongside to state, “Dad! There is this older guy following us… when we turn, he turns. When we cross the street, he does too… and we are getting a little freaked out!” I turned around, saw who it was, and while laughing at the situation told them, “That’s your Uncle Jeff!” Jeff, who lives in Michigan so we don’t see him as much, is a steady and thoughtful guy and was simply “bringing up the rear” while watching out for the
flock. It’s an important role!
Ducks often lead from the front, and it’s the duckling’s job to keep up. An article I read stated that out of 10-12 ducklings, only 1-2 may survive to adulthood as they are easy prey. In certain environments, a mother duck may change and lead from the rear to keep an eye on the flock, often with a much higher survival rate. Interesting.
Geese, on the other hand, raise and care for their young together. When the mother goose is with the goslings, the father goose is nearby as a sentry to watch for threats. When on the ground or in flight, one leads and one brings up the rear. Both roles are vital.
Perhaps a little reminder from nature… there are times to lead from the front - establish the direction, be the first to step or go forward, and to set an example for those you wish to have follow. And, there are times to lead from the rear - encouraging and “nudging” others along, making sure no one gets forgotten or left behind and to be on watch for the good of the group. It’s not as obvious or recognized, but a vital role to fill, nevertheless.
