Issue 32 - October 15, 2015

EXACTLY ONE YEAR LATER… KAPOW!

OCT. 15, 2015 KNOXMERCURY.COM

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2015 READERS’ POLL the ultimate guide to everything that Knoxvillians love most about Knoxville FOOD • DRINK • ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT HEALTH & BEAUTY • SHOPPING • SERVICES • HOME & GARDEN EDUCATION & MEDIA • KNOX ONLINE• KNOX LIFE

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KNOXVILLE MERCURY October 15, 2015

Oct. 15, 2015 Volume 01 / Issue 32 knoxmercury.com

CONTENTS

“Many a small thing has been made large by the right kind of advertising.”

—Mark Twain, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court

A Key to the Writers:

Here it is: the ultimate guide to everything that Knoxvillians love most about Knoxville.

Inside this special issue, you’ll find the top vote-getters in all the categories we could think of that help define Knoxville’s quality of life. Among them there are upset winners, beloved icons, and longtime favorites finally getting their due— plus names that you might not even recognize. This is your handy index to all things Knoxvillian, one that you helped create with your savvy knowledge of our town.

Jordan Achs (J.A.) Hillari Dowdle Clay Duda (C.D.) S. Heather Duncan (H.D.) Matthew Everett (M.E.) Rose Kennedy (R.K.) Jack Neely (J.N.) Dennis Perkins (D.P.) Coury Turczyn (C.T.) Marina Waters (M.W.)

13 FOOD 23 DRINK 29 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 36 HEALTH & BEAUTY 44 SHOPPING

52 SERVICES 57 HOME & GARDEN 59 EDUCATION & MEDIA 63 KNOXVILLE ONLINE 64 KNOXVILLE LIFE

Meet Us at the Top Knox Party!

Celebrate the winners on Thursday, Oct. 15, 8 p.m. at Scruffy City Hall (32 Market Square).

DEPARTMENTS

DEPARTMENTS

OPINION

CALENDAR

4 Letters 6 Howdy

78 ’Bye

8 The Scruffy Citizen

69 Spotlight: Emmylou Harris

Start Here: Roadside Sketches

by Andrew Gresham, Believe It or Knox!, Public Affairs, Quote Factory PLUS: Words With … Shelly Taylor Page

Finish There: At This Point by Stephanie Piper, Crooked Street Crossword by Ian Blackburn and Jack Neely, Spirit of the Staircase by Matthew Foltz-Gray

Jack Neely marks his one-year anniversary of getting canned and notes the ever-changing ownership of the Knoxville News Sentinel.

October 15, 2015

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 3

LETTERS Delivering Fine Journalism Since 2015

WEEKLY FOOD FOR THOUGHT

It is not every week that I get a chance to sit down and read an issue straight through, but I am doing so right now with the Sept. 24 paper. I must have been skimming earlier issues somewhat less than carefully, because I noticed opinion and A&E columns that I have never read before. Architecture Matters [by George Dodds] made me wonder about the current spate of tear-downs and rebuilds of various buildings on campus. I hadn’t realized that there was a particular architectural style associated with Ayres Hall or any other UT building, so thank you for that new bit of knowledge.

I was also struck by Jack Neely’s Scruffy Citizen article and the tale of the disappearing archives. I am reminded of the large number of family pictures I have saved on mediums that are no longer easily accessible—zip drives and floppy drives—and the potential loss of these digital memories if my old PC dies before I muster the motivation to upload them to the cloud. Which, as Mr. Neely pointed out, is hardly a permanent solution. But I was cheered by his reference to the library and its practice of clipping articles for posterity.

Which leads me to my next serendipitous discovery in this issue: Shelf Life [by Chris Barrett, every other week]. I drag my kids to Lawson McGhee more often than they appreciate, but I never realized that the Mercury highlighted noteworthy additions to its collection. I have discovered several new favorite artists thanks to its CD collection. I look forward to checking out the Kinks’ Singles Collection (an old favorite) when I get a chance. I love our downtown library, and I’m excited to see its collection covered in the Mercury.

Thanks for being a great Knoxville resource and a passionate, edifying force in our city.

Caroline Mann Knoxville

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KNOXVILLE MERCURY October 15, 2015

DARING TO NUDGE

The Senate and House Education Committees are scheduled to discuss UT’s recent gender-neutral pronouns post later this month. That post, written by the Office for Diversity and Inclusion, suggested ways to support non-gender-conforming people (those who live outside of the binary of “he” and “she”) at the university. It was not binding for anyone.

Whatever you believe about gender, we must not forget that these are people whose lives and education would benefit from others taking the suggestion to use their preferred pronoun, whatever it might be. Such people, as a group, are harassed, beaten, killed, and driven to homelessness far too often, because our society refuses to see that they are fellow human beings, fellow Americans, and fellow children of God with their own freedom and dignity. I’ve heard many people who disagree with the LGBTQIA movement, especially Christians, say they want to love queer people even if they disagree with how they live. If that’s true, the least part of love is addressing these folks the way they prefer, knowing that we don’t have to change our own pronouns or identity—simply recognize theirs.

Our Legislature seems ready to punish UT for daring to nudge the university community toward that basic level of respect for LGBTQIA folks. Why else would they add the gender-neutral pronoun matter to their hearing, after UT has already pulled the post and suggestions? The Senate Education Committee and the House Education Administration and Planning Committee should remove UT’s gender-neutral pronoun matter from all future hearings. To do otherwise would chill academic freedom, show contempt for our LGBTQIA neighbors, and reflect poorly on our leaders, our university, and our state.

Jackson Culpepper UTK class of 2008 Santa Fe, N.M.

MISSING MUSE

We were surprised that our show, A Muse In, was not mentioned in the Knoxville Mercury article about Community Television since we produced regularly two shows a month and for two years we were even in the News Sentinel television program guide. Yet other shows not as consistent or long-lasting as ours were mentioned. [“Hey, Watch This!”, Inside the Vault by Eric Dawson, Oct. 1, 2015] We had a ensemble cast of local artists and musicians and writers. It would be nice to be recognized for our contribution to CTV. Neranza Noel Blount Knoxville

CORRECTIONS

In last week’s issue, in a story about the upcoming Knoxville Stomp Festival of Lost Music, we incorrectly named the organization in Washington, D.C., that Bradley Reeves of the Tennessee Archive of Moving Image and Sound was working for when he met record collector Joe Bussard. It was the Library of Congress, not the Smithsonian Institution.

Also, in George Dodds’ Architecture Matters column, we ran a photo from the 1939 New York World’s Fair rather than the intended 1964 New York World’s Fair.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR GUIDELINES

• Letter submissions should include a verifiable name, address, and phone number.

We do not print anonymous letters.

• We much prefer letters that address issues that pertain specifically to Knoxville or to stories we’ve published.

• We don’t publish letters about personal disputes or how you didn’t like your waiter at that restaurant.

• Letters are usually published in the order that we receive them.

Send your letters to: Our Dear Editor Knoxville Mercury 706 Walnut St., Suite 404 Knoxville, TN 37920 Send an email to: editor@knoxmercury.com Or message us at: facebook.com/knoxmercury

EDITORIAL EDITOR Coury Turczyn coury@knoxmercury.com SENIOR EDITOR Matthew Everett matthew@knoxmercury.com CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Jack Neely jack@knoxhistoryproject.org STAFF WRITERS S. Heather Duncan heather@knoxmercury.com Clay Duda clay@knoxmercury.com CONTRIBUTORS

Chris Barrett Ian Blackburn Patrice Cole Eric Dawson George Dodds Lee Gardner Mike Gibson Carey Hodges Nick Huinker Donna Johnson

Rose Kennedy Dennis Perkins Stephanie Piper Ryan Reed Eleanor Scott Alan Sherrod April Snellings Joe Sullivan Kim Trevathan Chris Wohlwend

INTERNS

Jordan Achs Marina Waters

DESIGN ART DIRECTOR Tricia Bateman tricia@knoxmercury.com GRAPHIC DESIGNERS

Charlie Finch Corey McPherson CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

David Luttrell Shawn Poynter Justin Fee Tyler Oxendine CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATORS

Ben Adams Matthew Foltz-Gray

ADVERTISING PUBLISHER & DIRECTOR OF SALES Charlie Vogel charlie@knoxmercury.com SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Scott Hamstead scott@knoxmercury.com Stacey Pastor stacey@knoxmercury.com

BUSINESS BUSINESS MANAGER Scott Dickey scott.dickey@knoxmercury.com

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 706 Walnut St., Suite 404, Knoxville, Tenn. 37902 knoxmercury.com • 865-313-2059 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR & PRESS RELEASES editor@knoxmercury.com CALENDAR SUBMISSIONS calendar@knoxmercury.com SALES QUERIES sales@knoxmercury.com DISTRIBUTION distribution@knoxmercury.com

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Terry Hummel Joe Sullivan Jack Neely Coury Turczyn Charlie Vogel The Knoxville Mercury is an independent weekly news magazine devoted to informing and connecting Knoxville’s many different communities. It is a taxable, not-for-profit company governed by the Knoxville History Project, a non-profit organization devoted to exploring, disseminating, and celebrating Knoxville’s unique cultural heritage. It publishes 25,000 copies per week, available free of charge, limited to one copy per reader. © 2015 The Knoxville Mercury

Joe Mabry’s Legacy The Mabry-Hazen House offers a rare glimpse into another time, and the stories of a particularly passionate family.

Although the house and tree-shaded grounds at 1711 Dandridge Ave. makes it seem a different place and time, it’s less than a mile east of the Old City. It’s one of a very small number of Knoxville’s antebellum homes that have survived intact.

surprised Mabry with a shotgun blast on Gay Street on Oct. 19,1882. Mabry’s son, an attorney whose name was also Joseph, returned fire as O’Conner shot back. All three men died within moments of each other, in front of the Mechanics Bank & Trust building. The extraordinary gunfight made national headlines, and was highlighted by Mark Twain in his book, Life on the Mississippi.

Its last resident, “Miss Evelyn” Hazen, was the granddaughter of the builder, whose name was Joseph Mabry. A wellknown businessman involved in railroads and real estate before and after the Civil War, Mabry (1826-1882) had a reputation as a dealmaker.

Mabry’s daughter, Evelyn (1856-1953), married businessman Rush Strong Hazen (1854-1932), and raised a daughter named Evelyn, like her mother. In the 1920s, the elderly Mr. Hazen served two terms on Knoxville City Council.

Mabry was born on a farm in West Knox County, where his family was prominent for Completed in 1858, just before the Civil War, the Mabry-Hazen House many years. Mabry-Hood Road, near Webb at 1711 Dandridge Ave. was home to one colorful family for 130 years.

School, is named for them. However, Joe Daughter Evelyn Hazen (1899-1987) never Photo courtesy of Mabry-Hazen House was interested in the city, and industry, and married, but was involved in a scandal settled in Knoxville, where he entered into a involving her former lover, a breach-ofpartnership with his brother-in-law William Swan, a businessman and promise lawsuit that made national headlines in 1934. aspiring politician. In 1854, the two of them established Market Square, and made it a gift to the city, with the agreement that it be maintained After her mother’s death, the younger Miss Evelyn worked for UT’s forever as a farmers’ market. Mabry and Swan had business motives. They English department, but became more and more eccentric. When she died had bought most of the land around Market Square, a previously neglected in 1987, she left the house to be preserved as a historic site. Most of the part of town that suddenly became much more valuable. house is a museum, appearing just as it would have in the 1800s, with much of its original furniture, and unusual marble mantels, intact.

Soon afterward, when he was about 32, Mabry built this handsome mid-Victorian home, on a hilltop in what was then considered a The staff relates the whole colorful story of the three generations separate town called East Knoxville. of a dramatically interesting family who lived there, from gunfights to love affairs to their enduring contributions to the city they made He was a Confederate partisan in 1861. He didn’t enlist, but offered to so interesting. equip Confederate soldiers with uniforms, a gesture that may be the reason he was known afterward as “General” Mabry. However, when the Union army occupied Knoxville in September, 1863, Mabry didn’t resist, and offered his cooperation.

One of his sons, Will Mabry, who grew up in the house, was killed in a saloon gunfight on the 100 block of Gay Street in 1881. Historians suspect that killing was a motive for Mabry’s threatening to kill wealthy banker Thomas O’Conner. However, it was O’Conner who

This Sunday, Oct. 18, at 2:00, the Mabry Hazen House is hosting a free “Lineage and Legacy” event, with booksignings, light refreshments, music, tours, and a short play by historian Doug McDaniel about Mabry’s part in the creation of Market Square. Descendants of the Mabry family are expected. The event will serve as the annual membership meeting for the association that oversees the house, but it’s open to the public.

For more, see mabryhazen.com.

The Knoxville History Project, a new nonprofit organization devoted to the promotion of and education about the history of Knoxville, presents this page each week to raise awareness of the themes, personalities, and stories of our unique city.

Learn more on www.facebook.com/knoxvillehistoryproject • email jack@knoxhistoryproject.org October 15, 2015

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 5

Illustration by Ben Adams

HOWDY

Believe It or Knox!

BY Z. HERACLITUS KNOX Knoxville’s first golf course was at the western end of Fort Sanders, covering much of the area later known as Tyson Park, in 1898. Third Creek formed a bit of a water hazard for the nine-hole course, and was nicknamed the River Styx!

Roadside Sketches by Andrew Gresham (agreshamphoto.com)

QUOTE FACTORY “ Plaintiff … understands and believes that general-interest events at ‘gun-free’ zones are uniquely susceptible to violent crime.”

—From a lawsuit filed Oct. 7 by Pandora Vreeland against Mayor Madeline Rogero and the city of Knoxville after learning she was not allowed to bring her gun to the Tennessee Valley Fair. It also states that Vreeland “will not be going to any future events other than gun shows” because “given her age, [she] is a target for would-be assailants at Chilhowee Park.” Vreeland says state law allows for guns at public parks; the city says Chilhowee is not a public park. Strangely, no one was shot at the Tennessee Valley Fair despite the ban.

PUBLIC AFFAIRS

10/15 MEETING: BOARD OF ZONING APPEALS

10/16 8TH ANNUAL BREASTSTROKES AUCTION

4 p.m., City County Building, Small Assembly Room. Free.

So: Are adorable anthropomorphic figures art or advertising? That is the question the city’s Board of Zoning Appeals must face as Peggy Hambright, owner of Magpies Bakery, challenges Knoxville’s new sign ordinance, which now forbids advertising on building rooftops. Will Ms. Egg and Mr. Butter get their rightful place atop Magpies? Drop in to find out!

6-9 p.m., Striped Light (107 Bearden Place, of N. Central St.). Free.

Last May, BreastStrokes held its Painting Days event in which women had their naked torsos painted by artists and photographed, Now those framed works will be sold in a silent auction to raise money for two local women who are fighting cancer. All of the funds raised from auction will be donated directly to the recipients.

THURSDAY

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KNOXVILLE MERCURY October 15, 2015

FRIDAY

10/17KNOXVILLE ASIAN FESTIVAL SATURDAY

10 a.m.-5 p.m., Krutch Park. Free.

Knoxville’s second annual Asian Festival kicks off with a multinational parade then continues throughout the day with cultural demonstrations, from Thai dancing to martial arts to a (family friendly) cosplay costume contest. Plus lots of Asian street food!

Info: knoxasianfestival.com.

In the 1940s, Ida Cox, one of the most successful singers of jazz and blues, and author of iconic songs like “Wild Women Don’t Have the Blues,” disappeared from her usual venues in New York.

She was rumored to have died. However, SHE HAD JUST MOVED TO KNOXVILLE! Reportedly after a stroke, she spent the last 20 years of her life living quietly on Louise Avenue in East Knoxville with her daughter, who taught at Knoxville College. In 1961, she returned to New York to record one more album, Blues For Rampart Street!

The East Tennessee History Center has a new bust of David Chapman, who is remembered as the Father of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Chapman Highway is named for him, as is Mount Chapman in the Smokies. He loved hiking and worked many years to develop the Smokies as a publicly accessible amenity. However, he made his living AS A PHARMACEUTICAL EXECUTIVE! Chapman’s wholesale drug operation was on the 400 block of Gay Street.

10/21 LECTURE: THE BIBLE AND THE CIVIL WAR WEDNESDAY

5 p.m., UT Alumni Memorial Building, Room 210. Free.

So, the Bible’s acceptance of slavery means it’s a-okay to continue practicing it, right? That’s the (familiar) theological crises America found itself in as ministers on both sides of the Civil War used the Bible to justify their stance. University of Notre Dame professor Mark Noll explores whether the Bible contributed to sectional controversies that eventually led to the Civil War.

HOWDY WORDS WITH ...

Shelly Taylor Page

BY ROSE KENNEDY Shelly Taylor Page, a law professor at Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law, teaches a class on domestic violence law. She will facilitate a conversation following the free showing of the 2004 Argentinian/French film El cielito (Little Sky) at Scruffy City Hall (32 Market Square) at 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 26. A collaboration between Cine HoLa and the YWCA, the film viewing is part of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and shows a juvenile drifter who bonds with and protects a baby whose parents’ marriage becomes increasingly violent. Donations are accepted.

Why is it difficult to get the general public’s attention with the topic of domestic abuse?

I think because it is so prevalent and because it happens to so many people in silence behind closed doors. It happens to whites, it happens to African Americans, to rich and poor, educated and uneducated. Because it happens to so many people, there is like a veil of shame surrounding domestic abuse. It’s like if we don’t talk about it, it doesn’t exist.

What are some warning signs that someone might be an abuser?

They’re possessive, demanding of your time, alienating you from your other friends. For instance, if I’m a young girl—let’s say I’m in the 10th grade, new to relationships. Some signs to look for that this person might be abusive would be a guy who is always asking, “Who are you texting?” Saying, “Let me see your phone, let me see your Facebook friends. You have to sit with me at lunch time.” And then critiquing what you wear, “Why are you wearing those tight jeans, who are you trying to impress?” Perhaps he’s physically aggressive— pinching, yanking, pulling. Those are all little things that turn into bigger things.

Do the same signs occur in adult relationships?

Pretty much. If you’re in your 20s and in college, for example, and meet a guy who wants to spend all his time with you, a sign might be if you say you can’t and he gets angry or even sad or depressed.

Maybe he even tries to put a guilt trip on the lady, “You don’t love me like you say you love me,” making her feel that the relationship’s success

depends on her actions. If he can get her to believe that, he is really in control. And it escalates: “The reason I had to hit you, you didn’t do what I said. If you had just fixed dinner like I told you, I wouldn’t have to throw it at you. Next time you do what I tell you to do and you won’t get hurt.” The problem is, next time it will be a different demand, even an unspoken demand.

Does this also apply to men who are abused, or same-sex couples?

Abusers can definitely be women, and part of the problem is men who are abused have that stigma attached to them and are much less likely to report the abuse to the authorities. And my class just studied this, how same-sex couples are much less likely to report abuse—because people don’t know they are together, and they don’t want to lose their employment, or custody, or friends if people find out.

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BROUGHT TO YOU BY:

Will it help just to have people come to the film?

Yes! By seeing this film, we let victims know we care—that we know what’s going on, and we care.

We want victims to know, “It’s not your fault. You’re not too fat, you’re not too dumb.” Abusers make you believe, “You’re stupid, you’re ugly, and that’s why I’m doing this to you.” That’s not true. You deserve better.

VICTIM ADVOCACY PROGRAM

If you are a victim of domestic violence or you need help for a loved one in a violent situation, please call YWCA advocates immediately: • 24-hour Crisis Line 865-521-6336 • Services in English 865-523-6126 • IF YOU ARE IN IMMEDIATE DANGER, CALL 911.

ProjectBrandAid.com | #ProjectBrandAid October 15, 2015

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 7

SCRUFFY CITIZEN

The Shapeshifter E.W. Scripps, and its 94 years in town

BY JACK NEELY

O

ne of the charms of declining to sign a certain severance offer, a year ago, is that among its many demands was that I never say anything bad about E.W. Scripps. There were several reasons not to sign that weird document, but I was much looking forward to badmouthing E.W. Scripps for the rest of my life. It’s not as satisfying as I thought it would be.

E.W. Scripps is a slippery villain.

It’s just one year later, and E.W. Scripps has left the building. And the same year they gave up their interest in Knoxville, they gave up their interest in newspapers.

It was a year ago this week that E.W. Scripps shut down a weekly paper called Metro Pulse. If you’re just joining us, for 16 years, beginning with its founding in 1991, Metro Pulse had been a locally owned, independent weekly. However, in summer 2007, developer/publisher Brian Conley sold it to E.W. Scripps, by way of the News Sentinel. Back then we were all surprised, and several were unsettled that our locally owned, notably independent paper was suddenly owned by a big national corporation. Friends in the business warned me of dire consequences. One particular longtime friend of Metro Pulse, an experienced business journalist in Nashville, warned me that Scripps did not mean us well. He

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KNOXVILLE MERCURY October 15, 2015

told me more than once that they were buying us to shut us down, and that when they did, it would be ugly.

I thought he was seeing spooks. I had warm feelings for this particular national corporation. How can the people who sponsor the National Spelling Bee be so bad? I’d worked for Scripps-Howard before. Taking a break from college for half a year, I was a night-shift copy clerk for the News Sentinel. Later I was a regular freelance feature writer for the same paper. I made lots of friends there.

My relationship with Scripps goes even farther back than that, more than 40 years. Was I one of the last of the bicycle paperboys? My Bearden route wasn’t big, but it included millionaires on Lyons View, people too rich to ever come to the door in person—and, down by the train tracks, people with dirty fingernails, working people who paid me in nickels and pennies, and sometimes not the whole amount. I was the paperboy for Ashe’s Package Store and Cherokee Country Club and a couple of barber shops. I got to know the people in all those places. I delivered papers to everybody, the first news about the break-in at the Watergate Hotel in Washington, D.C., the terrorist attack on the Munich Olympics, the U.S. withdrawal from Saigon. For a couple hundred Knoxvillians, I was the face of

Scripps-Howard, its only daily representative.

In my closet I have an old blue canvas newspaper bag, with holes worn where the rear wheel of my one-speed Schwinn rubbed against it.

Although flaked away like numbers on an old football jersey, the Scripps-Howard logo is still legible. It was a dramatic lighthouse that, shining its yellow beams over the blue of the canvas bag, looks like an illustration on the cover of a Hardy Boys mystery. I’ve never been able to throw it away.

Most of my newspaper-columnist heroes were Scripps-Howard guys, from Ernie Pyle in the ’30s and ’40s to locals like Bert Vincent and Don Whitehead and Carson Brewer. If not for those guys, it probably never would have occurred to me that this might be an appealing way to make a living.

In 1988, just months after my last freelance article, E.W. Scripps became a publicly traded corporation, and something other than the family company I’d grown up with. Its new lighthouse looked like it had been redesigned by witches from Mars.

Nineteen years later, E.W. Scripps was divorcing itself from Scripps Networks Interactive, the interesting cable-television company headquartered in Knoxville. For the record—and several friends at Scripps Networks Interactive want to be sure people know this—they’re no longer associated with E.W. Scripps in any way.

It didn’t take long to realize that E.W. Scripps wasn’t the same thing Scripps-Howard had been. Being owned by a corporation comes with some annoyances. We had to fill out online time sheets, signed by a supervisor, to prove we’d worked 40 hours. I’d never counted hours before.

The first time I did that for Scripps, I think it was 56. Often it was closer to 70. I was at the office most of every weekday, and almost always worked Saturdays (typically my library research day) and Sundays (crossword-puzzle-clue day) for Metro Pulse. I also worked many, many nights, reviewing plays or concerts, giving a talk to a dinner group, interviewing a dying newspaperman for a cover profile.

I had a great job, and it consumed most of my life, and I liked it. We worked as hard on Metro Pulse as people do when they’re starting their

own business, long hours for little pay, with some vague notion that it’ll all seem worth it in the future.

But with corporate ownership, suddenly I had to prove, with managerial supervision, that I was working 40 hours a week. That just seemed funny. The only time I ever worked that few hours for Metro Pulse, I was on vacation.

Also, thanks to corporate ownership, we had formal multi-step performance reviews, which we’d never seemed to need before. Every year demanded a different set of personal goals to improve our performance each year. We were obliged to log into a corny and frequently troublesome website called “My Lighthouse,” and occasionally take little electronic mini-seminars about ethics or workplace harassment or “core values,” and then take little fifth-grade-level quizzes to prove we’d been paying attention.

And of course there was more fine print in the Scripps employee agreements. Alcoholic beverages were strictly forbidden in the office, under any circumstances. That signaled a startling shift in Metro Pulse culture.

In the ’90s, we sometimes had keg parties in the office. One former Metro Pulse editor kept a bottle of Scotch on his desk, just because it seemed a classic, hard-boiled, newspaper-editor thing to do. About a decade ago, on every production day, when we all had to work long hours, a Metro Pulse manager would bring in a couple of six-packs of beer. When you have to work after 6 or 7, a beer or two can help. But that was a minor thing. We adapted to prohibition.

Also, reading the fine print of the corporate manual, I found I was never to work on anything but Scripps projects on the equipment Scripps had bought and on the premises Scripps was renting. Our previous owners had been indulgent of my book-writing habit. I wrote my first five or six books in the Metro Pulse office, using the Metro Pulse computers and the battery of reference books I kept in my office. It was convenient for me, not just because I had accumulated all my stuff there to help with Metro Pulse projects, but because our office was so near the downtown libraries, just across the street from the McClung Collection. I could be in the middle of a paragraph in Chapter Continued on page 10

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www.LMUnet.edu October 15, 2015

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 9

THANK YOU for voting Readers like you make Top Knox the one readers’ poll that celebrates and supports local businesses.

These creative, hard-working entrepreneurs make Knoxville the unique city we proudly call home.

Make top knox your go-to guide for all things local. bookmark the list at knoxmercury.com/ topknox2015

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KNOXVILLE MERCURY October 15, 2015

Seven, wonder about some odd detail like what the weather was like on a Tuesday morning in 1893, and just run across the street to check it and be back before my tea had cooled.

I never felt sneaky about it. A couple of my books were sponsored by previous Metro Pulse publishers— and I figured the books all might play a role in promoting my newspaper, especially considering that each new book came with a few dozen publicity talks, and I was always introduced as the writer from Metro Pulse.

But I read, and reread, the wording in the Scripps manual. It appeared clear that writing books in my office would be forbidden. Maybe I could have gotten away with it.

Scripps officials were rarely in the office. But despite the inconvenience, just to be on the safe side, I began writing my books at home, in the dining room, on the old computer the kids used to use for homework.

Last fall, I had reason to be grateful I made that choice.

They treated us poorly, even by the low standards of folks who lose their jobs without warning, and I’d hate to have to lie about that fact.

It was News Sentinel representatives who told us they would be erasing our documents, and disconnecting our e-mail, and changing the locks, and that we had three days to get our stuff out of the office, under the supervision of a uniformed guard who kept his own schedule and sometimes told us about it. I could go on and on, and I’m happy that I’m legally free to tell friends how dramatically crappy it all was.

But we were told it was all in accord with E.W. Scripps’ strict policy on dumping employees. The News Sentinel’s representatives said they could do nothing about it.

I’ve been laid off before Metro Pulse, once from a construction job, once from a law firm, twice from failing magazines. It’s easy to say that I’ve never been treated worse by anybody, personally or professionally, than I was treated by E.W. Scripps. But who the hell is that? It was a corporation based in Cincinnati that was the offspring of Scripps-Howard, a famous newspaper corporation. However, as of this year they’re not a newspaper entity at all. This year marks the end of 94 years of Knoxville newspapers associated with the word Scripps.

It was in 1921 that Edward J.

Shareholders aren’t evil, corporations aren’t evil.

They’ll keep Knoxville’s best interests in mind as long as there’s money to be made in it.

Meeman (1889-1966), a young progressive and outspoken journalist from Indiana, came to town carrying the Scripps-Howard banner and started a new daily called the Knoxville News. Knoxville had three daily papers until 1926, when Meeman combined the News with the stodgy old Knoxville Sentinel, creating the newspaper that has been the dominant daily here since then. Meeman did great things in Knoxville, supported the new Smoky Mountains park movement, condemned the state’s anti-evolution laws, and opposed Prohibition. Like a lot of company men, though, he moved on, after just 10 years, and is today better remembered as the longtime editor of the Memphis Press-Scimitar.

The News and the Sentinel combined the same year that founding newspaperman E.W. Scripps, the person, died. By the time his name was associated with journalism in Knoxville, he was reportedly a recluse.

Beginning in 2007, by a deal I didn’t hear about until it was already done, I worked for E.W. Scripps for seven years. They did try to seem nice.

I’d occasionally get “Best of Scripps” awards—I have a stack of them, each with a little picture of E.W. Scripps himself—but they’re all signed by Scripps officers in Cincinnati that I’ve never met nor even heard of. That’s the corporate way, and I suspect part of the problem. E.W. Scripps is still in Cincinnati, but is now interested only in television stations.

In the one year since we were laid off, the ownership of the News Sentinel has shifted to the Journal Media Group, which is based in Milwau-

kee, Wisc. JMG has owned the News Sentinel since early this year. But last week, we heard that Gannett, which is based in Tysons Corner, Va., an “edge-city” suburb outside of Washington, D.C., will purchase the Journal Media Group, including the News Sentinel.

So in the space of little over a year, the News Sentinel will have been owned by three different national corporations based in three different states.

It’s Gannett’s second time in town. They were the primary owners of the old daily Knoxville Journal, the News Sentinel’s rival, from 1981 to 1986, but gave it up, according to their honchos du jour, because they didn’t like the Journal’s submissive relationship to the News Sentinel. Now they own the News Sentinel. Will they keep it longer than they kept the Journal? Who knows.

Today Knoxville’s only daily paper, and all its commercial television and radio stations, the folks most of us depend on for local news, are owned by out-of-state corporations.

Corporations exist just for their shareholders, and their shareholders aren’t necessarily interested in promoting quality journalism in some middle-market place like Knoxville.

They’re interested in making money to take that cruise or send junior to college. Shareholders aren’t evil, corporations aren’t evil. They’ll keep Knoxville’s best interests in mind as long as there’s money to be made in it.

But it’s good to have a locally owned and independent alternative, and after a year of long hours, I’m proud to be part of this one. ◆

October 15, 2015

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 11

2015 READERS’ POLL the ultimate guide to everything that Knoxvillians love most about Knoxville

I

nside this special issue, you’ll find the top vote-getters in all the categories we could think of that help define Knoxville’s quality of life. Among them there are upset winners, beloved icons, and longtime favorites finally getting their due—plus names that you might not even recognize.

In this first edition of Top Knox, we hope that you’ll learn something new about our city and its surrounding area, no matter how familiar you are with what it has to offer. This

12

KNOXVILLE MERCURY October 15, 2015

is your handy index to all things Knoxvillian, one that you helped create with your savvy knowledge of our town.

Consider this the One True Poll. The Top Knox awards celebrate the places and people that truly make Knoxville unique. Our Prime Directive: National chains are not allowed.

Top Knox celebrates only local and regional institutions—all the things that we think of when we think of home.

—Coury Turczyn, ed.

FOOD TOP APPETIZERS

Knox Mason Chef Matt Gallaher has many achievements under his belt, but few are as astonishing as the number of people that he’s converted to the cult of the pork rind.

These paprika-laced and hot-sauce-dotted strips of pig skin lead Knox Mason’s alluring Snacks menu, which also includes duck wings, country ham croquettes, and a winning pimento cheese presentation.

The whole lot consistently wins the trifecta of appetizer bliss—they read well on the menu, look great on the plate, and deliver mouthwatering taste that makes you crave more. (Dennis Perkins) Runners Up

Cru Bistro and Wine Bar, Downtown Grill & Brewery, Holly’s 135

that era. Times have changed. Now we get to choose from a wide variety of cuisines that go far beyond the old blanket description of “Chinese.”

Vietnamese, Thai, Korean, Malaysian, and Japanese dishes are now standards on the Knoxville menu, sometimes at the same restaurant. West Knoxville’s Taste of Thai has earned its title of Local Institution with consistently great cooking that’s accessible (kids love Mama Egg Noodles) yet still nuanced and hot enough for the hardcore foodies (take the green curry to 5, or beyond). With its long menu, cheerful service, and a comfily chi-chi dining room, Taste of Thai is the Knoxville Asian restaurant we all hoped for way back when. (Coury Turczyn)

Knoxville

Runners Up

Asia Cafe, Bida Saigon, Nama Sushi Bar

TOP ASIAN

Taste Of Thai If you dare recall the Knoxville culinary scene of the 1980s and early ’90s, you might struggle to name more than a couple noteworthy Asian restaurants of

TOP BAKERY

Magpie’s Bakery The confections that come out of Magpies Bakery every morning are not likely foreign to the tongue of any

MAGPIE’S October 15, 2015

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 13

Knoxvillian with the hankering of a sweet tooth. Since opening back in 1992, its growing army of batter-beaters has been committed to the shop’s motto of “all butter, all the time.” Now, owner Peggy Hambright is taking that fight before the Metropolitan Planning Commission this week as she battles for the right to construct two cartoonish sculptures of a girl egg and a boy butter stick on top of her building off North Central Street.

Rooftop advertisements have been banned under the new sign ordinance passed by the City Council in July, but Hambright is arguing the construct will be art, kind of like the finely decorated cupcakes, cakes, and other morsels the shop is known for. (Clay Duda) Runners Up

Bu ermilk Sky Pie Shop, Rita’s Bakery, VG’s Bakery

opening his own restaurant. Now he’s a barbecue kingpin, one of the main figures who’ve suddenly transformed Knoxville into a genuine BBQ destination. With his family-style juke joint (the Soul House) at the marina off Maryville Pike, and now with his still-new Jackson Avenue location (the Downtown Dive), Ford has created truly distinctive temples for the cult of smoked meats to worship at. Dedicated BBQ fanatics won’t be disappointed—Sweet P’s daily menu is simple (pork, chicken, brisket, ribs) yet immensely satisfying, with a distinctive sauce that suggests an appreciation for Carolina traditions and side dishes that are Southern yet not old-fashioned (get some Sauteed Greens n’ Things). Add a musical vibe that reflect Ford’s years as lead singer for Gran Torino and we have another Knoxville original that other cities can envy. (C.T.) Runners Up

TOP BBQ

Sweet P’s Barbeque and Soul House It was only a few years ago that Chris Ford was hefting his homemade barbecue around town, personally serving up corporate lunches, and considering

Archers BBQ, Buddy’s BBQ, Dead End BBQ

Six days a week, you can start your day with a distinctively Southern flaky biscuit (with gravy), country ham, pancakes (sometimes strawberry), home fries, or an omelet full of fresh vegetables. Pete and Rita Natour have stood behind the counter for almost 30 years, with newspaper clippings and autographs from famous visitors on the wall to prove it. Their downtown diner is spotlessly clean, the service personal and friendly, and as our readers noted, you can’t beat the prices. Get a terrific burger for less than $5, or a daily special with a meat and two veggies for just $6.79. Among the local favorites are the meatloaf, fried chicken, and mettwurst and beans. Don’t miss the chili or the tuna-fish sandwich, either! (Heather Duncan)

Holly Hambright There are many things you can say about Holly, but they’ve probably already been said. That’s because there are few chefs in our town who get around as much and with such a distinctive personal panache as she does. As a caterer, Holly brings a unique vision and style to events both large and

Good Golly Tamale, Senor Taco, Soccer Taco

Bistro at the Bijou Allen Tate 865-300-2537 a.tate@comcast.net 2010 1 (One) -

The French Market

The French Market

$ 1291.25

$500

36”x36” 1 full digital 1 Of 1 10

-

RESTAURANT Runner Up TOP Ribs

TOP CHEF

Top Meal That’s a Steal Runners Up

Pete’s Coffee Shop

TOP Comfort Food

Copper Cellar, Sunspot, The Tomato Head

Holly’s Gourmet’s Market, OliBea, The Plaid Apron

TOP BRUNCH

Thanks Knoxville! Come see us soon.

Runners Up

Top Breakfast Runners Up

TOP BREAKFAST TOP MEAL THAT’S A STEAL

BONE SUCKING B.B.Q.

One of the coziest dining spots in town, with comfort food that always manages to surprise—the vegetarian- and vegan-friendly menu changes seasonally, and the daily specials range from mets and beans to salmon croquette and a grilled portabella quesadilla.

Brunch is a specialty, served from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday; the most recent iteration includes the usuals, like eggs, biscuits and gravy, and grits, but adds some imaginative new offerings, like pastrami eggs Benedict, a vegan waffle, and a portabella omelet. (M.E.)

There Are No Special Instructions Concerning Your Order At This Time

--

10/F/French market, the/circle.eps Annie BNT

Authentic French Sweet & Savory Crêpes Lavazza Coffee & Espresso French Pastries & Macarons Zach Wooliver

Open Daily 9am for Breakfast & Brunch Sun-Mon til 3pm, Tue-Wed-Thu til 9pm, Fri & Sat til 10pm

East Tennessee's BEST Italian Restaurant!

Homemade Italian Cuisine Comfort food at comfortable prices Family owned and operated for over 30 years

LUNCH TUES-FRI 11-2 DINNER NIGHTLY 5-9:30 OR LATER

TOP FRENCH

Mon 11-3 • Tues-Thurs 11-7:30 • Fri 11-8:30 Sat 12-8:30 • Sun 12-6 3101 Magnolia Ave. Knoxville, TN 37914 865-595-0212 • chandlersstore.com 14

KNOXVILLE MERCURY October 15, 2015

Downtown 526 South Gay Street 865-540-4372 Farragut 161 Brooklawn Street 865-288-7912

Holiday banquets and office catering available

5500 Kingston Pike in the District of Bearden 865-584-5033 www.naplesitalianrestaurant.net JOIN US ON FACEBOOK!

FOOD WITH A

KICK!

OPEN DAILY

11AM www.soccertaco.com BEARDEN 6701 KINGSTON PIKE KNOXVILLE, TN 37919

865-588-2020

• Authentic Mexican Cuisine • Made-from-Scratch Recipes • Outdoor Patios ALL Locations

Thanks Knoxville for voting for us!

TOP: Mexican/South

American Restaurant TOP: Taco TOP: Cheap Meal TOP: Sports Bar

COMING SOON TO

NORTHSHORE TOWNCENTER

DOWNTOWN 9 MARKET SQUARE KNOXVILLE, TN 37902

865-544-4471

THANK YOU FOR VOTING US TOP PIZZA!

COME TRY OUR PIE

In Dine- t u o y Carr g in r e t Ca

HAND FORGED, WOOD FIRED, ARTISAN CRAFTED, NEO-NEAPOLITAN PIZZA, SALADS & MORE.

HARD KNOX PIZZERIA 4437 KINGSTON PIKE (WESTERN PLAZA) 865.602.2114 • CLOSED MONDAY | TUES.-THUR. 11A-9P | FRI./SAT. 11A-10P | SUN. 11A-9P October 15, 2015

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 15

Runners Up

TOP COMFORT FOOD

Bruce Bogartz, Jeffrey DeAlejandro, Ma Gallaher

Chandler’s Deli

See Also:

Top New Restaurant in Food and Top Catering Service in Services TOP COFFEEHOUSE

Old City Java

HOLLY HAMBRIGHT small; as a restaurateur, she’s helped redefine casual dining as elegant eating for nearly all hours of the day. It’s really no surprise that voters have overwhelmingly crowned Holly—sometimes called the Holly Lama—as the queen of Top Knox nosh. (D.P.)

The downtown institution has built a cult following (or, more like a cup culture following, complete with a revolving cast of MacBook-toting freelancers filling its tables) since opening its doors in the Old City more than 25 years ago. As the city has continued to evolve, one constant has been the high-caliber, high-octane brews dripping, steaming and swirling into the cups at Java, and for that we are continually hyper. Coming up: Owners Shaun and Meg Parrish’s in-house bakery, Wild Love Bakehouse, will be opening its own location at 1625 N. Central, right next to Mid-Mod Collective. (C.D.) Runners Up

Coffee & Chocolate, K Brew, Remedy Coffee

If you haven’t had Chandler’s fried chicken, then hurry up or move; it’s an essential Knoxvillian thing to do. For most Top Knox voters it’s the gold standard for crispy, juicy, can’t-stop-atone-piece chicken, as well as many more home-style favorites. Mac-ncheese, collard greens, fried okra and more make this destination deli on Magnolia a regular in any conversation about soulful food in Knoxville. (D.P.) Runners Up

Big Fa y’s, Pete’s Coffee Shop, Tupelo Honey Cafe

for those who appreciate the art of the sandwich (including New York Times travel writer Seth Kugel). The flavor of each carefully chosen ingredient comes shining through every bite rather than being submerged in a morass of sauce or dough. Take, for example, his Beef and Blue Grilled Cheeseter: house-roasted beef, Danish blue cheese spread, and caramelized balsamic onions, neatly arranged between two buttery-crisp slices of fresh bread, not too thick. Simple, perfect. Blevins is not open for dinner nor on weekends, but these artworks are well worth making a lunch trip to enjoy. (C.T.) Runners Up

TOP DELI/SANDWICH/SUB SHOP

North Corner Sandwich Shop David Blevins is a sandwich savant, an artisan who combines his intellectual desire to assemble each sandwich in perfect balance along with a creative drive that never goes beyond the boundaries of good taste. In his tidy, small eatery on North Central Street, he has established an enticing gallery

Frussie’s Deli & Bakery, Gus’s Good Times Deli, Nixon’s Deli TOP DESSERTS

Li on’s Market and Restaurant For years Litton’s has been on the minds and lips of East Tennesseans for good burger eating, but the incredible dessert selection does a lot to keep this North Knoxville darling in the good

Who loves BbQ?

You do!

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Thanks Knox MeRcury Readers for voting Sweet P's TOP BBQ!

plus 3 runner up awards!

TOP Ribs a TOP Wings a TOP Waterfront Restaurant

Thank you Knoxville for voting for us!

Runner Up - Top Middle Eastern LUNCH & DINNER – Mon-Fri 11am-9pm CATERING AVAILABLE 865-387-8275

706 Walnut St, Knoxville, TN 3725 Maryville Pike Knoxville (865) 247-7748

Catering (865) 306-2727 orders@sweetpbbq.com

410 W. Jackson Avenue Knoxville (865) 281-1738

www.sweetpbbq.com 16

KNOXVILLE MERCURY October 15, 2015

yassin’s falafel house

graces of eaters. Whether it’s cookies, cakes, brownies, or pies, Litton’s does it all with sugary aplomb. They’re especially loved for a much-lauded coconut cream pie—or is it the dreamy red velvet cake? Or the almost impious turtle brownies. Or the chocolaty sensation called Day & Night cheesecake. Well, you get the drift . (D.P.) Runners Up

Bu ermilk Sky Pie Shop, Coolato Gelato, Magpie’s Bakery TOP FOOD TRUCK

Savory and Sweet When Knoxville finally caught up with the food-truck trend in 2012, Savory and Sweet was one of its pioneers—and one of its best, right off the bat. The husband-and-wife team of Byron and Kiki Sambat exemplify the ideals that made food trucks a phenomenon in the first place: delivering artisan, hand-crafted food that reflects their own creative tastes. Some Knoxville restaurateurs can be accused of doing the same ol’ same ol’—but not the Sambats. Whether it’s the trademark bacon-wrapped almond-stuffed dates,

the pimento cheese and candied jalapeños sliders, the coffee chipotle pork tacos, or the tofu bahn mi, Savory and Sweet makes eating out—on the streets—an adventure. (C.T.) Runners Up

Cruze Farm food truck, Good Golly Tamale, Poutine Mobile TOP FRENCH

The French Market Crêperie “French” often suggests fi ne dining, which isn’t what you’ll get at the French Market. You’ll likely be more than satisfied, though, with Knoxville’s only version of genuine Parisian street food—both sweet and savory crêpes, for breakfast, dinner, or dessert, decadent and delicious, loaded up with cheese, fresh fruit and cream, veggies, smoked salmon, pork tenderloin, you name it. Even Nutella, which, it turns out, is the most popular crêpe here. (M.E.) Runners Up

Cafe du Soleil, Northshore Brasserie, The Orangery

We are grateful for our loyal customers who voted us the Top breakfast in Knoxville, where you can have a meal that’s a steal and nd your comfort in our food.

Box lunches: sandwich, chips, and a chocolate chip cookie only $6.59!

Call us to cater your next special event.

Look for us Saturdays at the Market Square Farmer’s Market. www.CruzeFarm.com

540 Union Ave. Knoxville, TN 37902 (865) 523-2860

www.petescoffeeshop.com Monday-Friday: 6:30 am-2:30pm Saturday: 7 am-2 pm

We Accept Debit and All Major Credit Cards.

October 15, 2015

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 17

TOP HAMBURGER

Hotdogs and Sandwiches, Dave’s Dog House

Stock & Barrel It’s hard to imagine more juicy burger options than at Market Square’s burger-and-bourbon concept restaurant. For me, it’s the quality and creativity of the toppings that really take these burgers over the top. Where else would you find blue cheese, Benton’s bacon, blueberry preserves, and fried jalapeños on the same burger? (Ask for the Bernie.) The Greek “lamburger” is amazing, and don’t dismiss the Elvis, with peanut butter, a fried banana, and Benton’s bacon. For those without a penchant for red meat, Stock and Barrel also offers “burgers” made of salmon, turkey, chicken (with waffles for bread) and beans. A contributor to the farm-to-table movement, Stock and Barrel uses Grainger County beef, Sweetwater Valley Farm cheese, and buns from Knoxville’s Flour Head Bakery.

The duck confit fries are as melt-in-yourmouth as you could dream, but then what else did you expect when they fry them in, yes friends, duck fat. (H.D.) Runners Up

Cru Bistro and Wine Bar, Li on’s Market and Restaurant, Not Watson’s Kitchen & Bar

TOP ICE CREAM/FROZEN TREATS

Coolato Gelato

THE PUBLIC HOUSE TOP HOT DOG

The Public House Yes, you can have a gourmet hot dog in Knoxville. Some may claim that such a thing can’t exist, but the Public House defies those preconceptions with hot-dog combinations that go beyond simple “bar food.” First, the base: a Nathan’s Famous all-beef dog (or veggie dog), tucked into a Flour Head Bakery bun. Second, the house-made toppings: Collard green kimchi, cilantro, srira-

cha-honey dressing for the Collard Kimchi dog; Bull’s BBQ pulled pork, Century Harvest pickles, and Cruze Farm Buttermilk Ranch for the aptly named BBQ + Pickles + Ranch dog; or how about chile con carne with a sweet and spicy yogurt sauce to create the Chile Con Carne + Pineapple Raita dog.

Dazzling flavor grenades all. And hey, they have gourmet popcorn, too. (C.T.) Runners Up

Cruze Farm food truck, Curious Dog

Perhaps the best thing about Coolato Gelato is that you’ll fi nd flavors to entice the grownup palette as well as any kids’ sweet tooth. Whether you prefer the tiramisu, peach iced tea, or pumpkin cheesecake varieties (which seriously tastes exactly like frozen pumpkin cheesecake), you won’t fi nd this many choices in gelato (and even milk-free sorbetto) anywhere else in Knoxville. It couldn’t be presented more lusciously, with roasted espresso beans for the cappuccino crunch and fresh berries and peach slices on the blackberry peach. They also offer gelato cakes that, for the same reason, are a step above most ice cream cakes; the birthday ones come topped with house-made macaroons, or you can order your own specialty flavor. (H.D.) Runners Up

Creamery Park Grille, Cruze Farm, Pop Culture

Serving a full line-up of pizzas, calzones, sandwiches, salads, and wings!

Dine in, carryout and delivery (within 5 miles)

TOP ICE CREAM / FROZEN TREAT

Root Beer Floats make the world a happy place !

Homemade Vanilla Gelato

Creamy Soda Foam ALLEY PIE PIZZA

WORLD’S FAIR SANDWICH

1/2 Off ys* Tuesda

POP-EYE PIZZA

*Any 14” pizza, dine in only!

Carryout or delivery, buy one 14” pizza get a second 14" pizza half off.

$2 BEER SATURDAYS ALL DAY!

TWO CONVENIENT LOCATIONS: 18

KNOXVILLE MERCURY October 15, 2015

Bearden: 4618 Kingston Pike (865) 247-0380 Cedar Bluff: 179 N. Seven Oaks* (865) 454-886 (*Next to the discount movie theater)

www.sergeantpepperonis.com

Chilled Glass Mug

Cold Root Beer Soda

MONDAY - SATURDAY 9:30 AM - 11:00 PM SUNDAY 9:30 AM - 10:00 PM 524 S Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902 | 865.971.5449

TOP ITALIAN

TOP MIDDLE-EASTERN

Naples Italian Restaurant

Holy Land Market

Nothing fancy here—they’ve been doing the basics for more than 30 years at this Bearden institution, and there’s no reason to start messing with a winning formula now. Good old-fashioned family dining, Italian style, done with care and craft, ranging from simple pasta-and-sauce dishes to house-made ravioli and fresh seafood.

Plus tiramisu and other Italian desserts! (M.E.) Runners Up

Altruda’s Italian Restaurant, Original Louis Drive-In Restaurant, Savelli’s Italian Restaurant

With this vote, Denise and Walter Ajlouny confirm what we’ve known for 10 years: Sutherland Avenue is a destination spot for garlicky hummus, crisp, flavorful falafel, and the one lentil soup that should be on your bucket list.

Holy Land’s specials are always special, too, including great shawarma, mashi lamb, and a must-try Jordanian specialty called mensiff. Of course, many voters are friends of the Ajlounys—as you will be too after a single meal there. Walter and Denise seem to know no strangers. (D.P.) Runners Up

King Tut’s Grill, Turkish Market, Yassin’s Falafel House

TOP INDIAN

Sitar Indian Cuisine Knoxville’s oldest Indian restaurant remains its most popular, winning over diners with its buffet of accessibly spiced Indian favorites. (C.T.) Runners Up

Bombay Palace, Red Onion Pizza, Woodlands Indian Restaurant TOP MEXICAN/SOUTH AMERICAN TOP TACO

Soccer Taco Knoxville may be a football town, but it also loves its fútbol, and no one knows this better than Soccer Taco. A Knoxville Mexican-food essential since 2005, their tacos are full, flavorful, and authentic—with ingredients like beef tongue and cheek. Paired with one of their tastefully strong margaritas and bottomless chips and salsa, this restaurant definitely gives you your money’s worth. Between the food coma, the sports-focused TVs, and the beer, it’s an easy way to spend an afternoon. (Jordan Achs) Top Mexican/South American Runners Up

Chez Guevara, Pelancho’s Mexican Restaurant and Cantina, Senor Taco Top Taco Runners Up

Chez Guevara, La Esperanza, Senor Taco

TOP NEW RESTAURANT

Holly’s 135 When Holly took over this cozy nook on the 100 block, she celebrated with a party that featured candied bacon and wacky cocktails. It was an omen. 135 is that rare meeting of pub and grub that keeps things casual, chill, and comely.

The menu showcases Chef Holly’s sometimes quirky sammitches and shareables along with a singular Build-a-Bowl option with offerings like pork confit, lemon feta rice, and shawarma ’shrooms. The place is also loved for its daring drinks and plenty of distinctive draft selections. And did we mention candied bacon? (D.P.) Runners Up

5 Bar, Not Watson’s Kitchen + Bar, OliBea TOP OUTDOOR DINING

Lakeside Tavern Beyond Market Square, the sad fact of Knoxville outdoor dining is that much of it includes a view of the parking lot. Not very appetizing. Thankfully, Knoxville also has a big river running through it, which several restaurants take full advantage of (see Top Waterfront Restaurant below).

Lakeside Tavern has sited its expansive patio along a scenic stretch of the Tennessee River that not only affords a view of the Concord Marina, but also the riverside train tracks. Settle in for the Sunday brunch (get there early), and you’ll have a bucolic dining experience. (C.T.) October 15, 2015

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 19

Runners Up

Calhoun’s, Central Flats & Taps, The Crown & Goose TOP PIZZA

Hard Knox Pizzeria “Gourmet pizza” may be available nearly everywhere, including your local gas station, but few pies enter the heady zone of Italian tradition and local innovation that Hard Knox Pizzeria occupies. Started by Dean Bastian and now owned by Paul and Alexa Sponcia, Hard Knox utilizes a true wood-fired oven for an authentic charred thin crust that’s topped with fresh mozzarella. Keep it simple and try a red pie with paper-thin Genoa salami that’s crisped in the oven to a perfect succulent crunch. Or go for something more complex like the Sweet Pea with its prosciutto, blue cheese, and clover honey. If you’re truly daring, order one of the gourmet pies that really are gourmet, devised by local guest chefs. (C.T.) Runners Up

Barley’s Taproom & Pizzeria, Sergeant Pepperoni’s, The Tomato Head

TOP RIBS TOP WATERFRONT RESTAURANT

Calhoun’s / Calhoun’s on the River The love affair between Knoxville and this award-winning purveyor of BBQ (and other things comforting and delicious) is a long-standing and passionate romance.

Perhaps it’s because Calhoun’s meltingly tender and hickory smoked ribs made riverfront dining work even when the scenery of the opposite bank was a less than stunning vista of industrial gas canisters and Baptist hospital. (D.P.) Top Ribs Runners Up

Chandler’s Deli, Dead End BBQ, Sweet P’s Barbeque and Soul House Top Waterfront Restaurant Runners Up

Lakeside Tavern, Riverside Grille, Sweet P’s Barbecue and Soul House TOP SALADS TOP VEGETARIAN/VEGAN MENU

The Tomato Head From the very beginning, Tomato Head has championed fresh and inventive

THE TOMATO HEAD

THANK YOU KNOXVILLE MERCURY READERS! We are grateful for your kind and generous support.

’ •TOP NEW RESTAURANT •TOP CHEF •TOP CATERING SERVICE •TOP APPETIZER &

HOLLY’S 135 HOLLY HAMBRIGHT HOLLY’S EVENTFUL DINING HOLLY’S 135

HAPPY HOUR (Runner Up)

Holly’s Homberg

5032 Whittaker Dr., Suite 3 (865) 330-0123

Holly’s Corner 842 N. Central Ave (865) 851-7854

Holly’s 135 135 S. Gay St. (865) 329-0000

www.hollyseventfuldining.com 20

KNOXVILLE MERCURY October 15, 2015

sushi bar

•TOP SUSHI •TOP ASIAN (Runner Up) 506 S. Gay St. next to Regal Riviera 8 – 865-633-8539 Bearden – 5130 Kingston Pike – 865-588-9811 mon–sat 11am- close • sun 12pm - close

namasushibar.com

Kabobs Shawarma Hummus Falafels ––––––– N EW! ––––––– MEDITERRA LUNCH BUFNFEEATN

11A-2P MON-SAT

Promoting general good times @ 212 W. Magnolia

THANKS MERCURY READERS TOP BAR TOP HOT DOG RUNNER UP TOP COCKTAILS THE PUBLIC HOUSE 212 W. MAGNOLIA AVE KNOXVILLE, TN 37917 865-247-4344

DINE-IN | TAKE OUT | DELIVERY

9115-C Executive Park Drive | Knoxville

KNOXPUBLICHOUSE.COM M-TH 4PM-MIDNIGHT | F-SAT 4PM-2AM | SUN. 2PM-10PM

865-691-9100

www.mamamiacuisine.com

Taste of Thai AUTHENTIC THAI CUISINE

ALL YOUR THAI FOOD FAVORITES MADE FRESH TO ORDER EVERY DAY.

WINNER

TOP KNOX

ASIAN RESTAURANT

Thank you Knoxville for choosing us again!

Full Bar & Patio Open for Lunch & Dinner 7 days a week (Dine-In or Take-Out) 8926 Towne & Country Circle (Cedar Bluff Rd. Exit off I-40) 865-691-4442 October 15, 2015

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 21

food, as well as the idea that eating well doesn’t have to be bad for you.

Despite the fact that it’s the oldest operating restaurant on Market Square, the menu remains fresh, lively, and progressive. Vegans, vegetarians, and regular vegetable lovers alike give the restaurant high marks for its inventive and tasty treatment of food that doesn’t rely on animal protein for flavor. And the salads, vegetarian or not, are eye-catching cornucopias of texture, flavor, and creativity. (D.P.) Top Salads Runners Up

Aubrey’s, Sunspot, Trio Cafe Top Vegetarian/Vegan Menu

place.) The frequent appetizer special of steamed mussels and clams is popular with my family, and don’t miss the Spinach Maria side dish. If you’re looking for large plaster fi sh and seafood nets as décor, possibly with some tanks of small bright-colored fi sh thrown in for good measure, Chesapeake’s delivers. Unlike many seafood restaurants, Chesapeake’s is open for lunch, and it also offers a Sunday brunch buffet with goodies like salmon, crab cake Benedict, and bacon cheddar grits. (H.D.)

customers over the years, many of whom have made Ye Olde a part of their family traditions. This is Knoxville dining at its most Knoxvillian: friendly, no frills, the real deal. (C.T.)

Runners Up

Whether you’re after the complex flavors packed into the Maui Wowie roll, the simple pleasures of salmon and rice in its sake nigiri, or the thrill of quail egg shooters, Nama Sushi Bar has proven a master of the Japanese flavors that hallmark its menu. The restaurant has doubled down—no, tripled down— since its humble beginnings in 2004 as a storefront in the 100 block of Gay Street. Its original downtown location doubled in size, transplanting to 506 S. Gay St. to make room, and it also added a Bearden locale; and, last year, it opened doors in Nashville. All we can say is keep on wrappin’ those amazing rolls! (C.D.)

Bayou Bay Seafood House, The Shrimp Dock, Shuck Raw Bar and Grill

Runners Up

Bistro at the Bijou, Sunspot, Three Rivers Market TOP SEAFOOD

Chesapeake’s Chesapeake’s is really all about the oysters and the shrimp, although scallops, lobster, and crab cakes are also menu staples at this downtown seafood mecca. (If you’re looking for fried seafood, BTW, this is not the

TOP STEAKS

Ye Olde Steak House The name isn’t just a reference to its way of cooking up prime beef—simple, straightforward, honest—it’s also a clue to Ye Olde Steak House’s enduring charm: heritage. This cabin-style retreat on the side of Chapman Highway is closing in on 50 years of serving Knoxville. Its rustic walls and down-home decor have seen a lot of

Ye Olde Steak House Since 1968

Food fit for a King.

Runners Up

Anaba Japanese Cuisine, Tomo Japanese Restaurant, Wasabi Japanese Steakhouse TOP WINGS

Runners Up

Chop House, Connors Steak & Seafood, Copper Cellar, The Grill at Highlands Row TOP SUSHI

Nama Sushi Bar

Central Flats and Taps Chicken wings may be considered mere sauce-delivery objects at a lot of places, but at Central Flats and Taps chicken is also the thing—they slowroast their wings and then bake them, which means they might take a bit longer than at your usual wing emporium. And then you can have them either wet (with sauces like Key lime BBQ or fresh garlic and herb) or dry (rubbed with spice mixes like Jamaican jerk or Cajun). The fl avors unite rather than overwhelm for a true wings-connoisseur experience. (C.T.) Runners Up

Dead End BBQ, Rooster’s, Sweet P’s Barbecue and Soul House

Bistro

The

at The Bijou

Thank you Knoxville for voting for us!

Top Brunch

Voted Knoxville’s Best Steak 20 years in a row RESERVATIONS:

865-577-9328 •

CARRY OUT:

865-250-3724

HOURS: Sun-Thurs 4-9, Fri-Sat 4-9:30

Please call for special hours for UT home games 6838 CHAPMAN HIGHWAY 5 miles south of the Henley Street bridge

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KNOXVILLE MERCURY October 15, 2015

Lively traditional farm to table American cuisine.

Vegetarian and Vegan options available.

Live Jazz Weekly 807 South Gay Street • Downtown Knoxville (865) 544-0537 • thebistroatthebijou.com M: 11a-9p | T-Th: 11a-11p | F: 11a-12a | Sat: 10a-12a | Sun: 10a-9p

DRINK TOP BAR

Runners Up

The Public House

Preservation Pub, Sapphire, Su ree’s High Gravity Tavern

The Knoxville Public House is a popular bar that doesn’t necessarily aim to be populist. When it opened in 2010 on Magnolia Avenue, it was considered to be on the outer fringes of downtown’s renaissance, far away from the Market Square masses. Which suited it just fine.

The vibe at Public House is more calm retreat than sensory overload. First, there are no TVs strung up from the ceilings and walls—ESPN’s anchors will not be watching your every move.

Second, there’s no live music. Third, there’s no smoking. How can such a bar thrive in Knoxville? Co-owner Laura Sohn’s artisanal interests reveal themselves in everything from the cocktails to the popcorn (Pork rind + black pepper? Sure!) to the spectacular dinner-club events featuring local chefs.

It all combines to create a uniquely sophisticated, low-key haven for the discriminating imbiber. (C.T.)

TOP BEER MARKET/TAPROOM

Bearden Beer Market Most places, sitting outside is an option. At the Bearden Beer Market, it’s just about the only option—the near West Knoxville institution in the making has a tiny taproom and retail outlet, but it’s mostly one giant beer garden, perfect for great weather and still awesome otherwise. The mood is deliberately downscale—the focus is on the beer, and they have one of the best rotating selections in town, on tap and in the bottle, for consumption on-site or off. (M.E.)

TOP BAR + TOP COCKTAILS

Runners Up

Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria, Hops and Hollers, Su ree’s High Gravity Tavern

East Tennessee’s wine cellar since 1970

10 YEARS OF SPIRITED NIGHTLIFE.

Thank you Mercury voters for selecting us

Top Wine Store!

4534 Old Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919 (865) 584-3341 • asheswines.com M-Th: 9AM - 9:30PM | Fr-Sat: 9AM-10PM | Sunday: Closed email: thad@asheswines.com

WWW.SAPPHIREKNOXVILLE.COM October 15, 2015

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 23

TOP BEER SELECTION (RESTAURANT)

Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria Tap, tap, who’s there? Barley’s, with 96 varieties. Where else are you gonna find Fort Collins Chocolate Stout, Miller Lite, Foothills People’s Porter, Oskar Blues Mama’s Little Yella Pils, and Flat 12’s Hello My Name is Amber lined up side by side—and still have several yards of tap to choose from? All this, and tasty bar food, too. Like New York-style pizzas, Tilapia Po’ Boys, and more.

The experimental should duly note that Tuesday at Barley’s means half-price pints. (Rose Kennedy) Runners Up

Aubrey’s, Central Flats and Taps, Sunspot TOP COCKTAILS

Peter Kern Library On weekend evenings, you might have to wait in line to get into this cozy literary-themed speakeasy-style bar tucked into the lobby of the Oliver Hotel, named after a pioneering 19th-century Market Square confectioner. It’s worth it. They take booze and the service thereof seriously here.

Both the cocktails (imaginative originals and flawless takes on the classics) and the atmosphere (self-consciously civilized) are unlike anything else in Knoxville. (M.E.) Runners Up

Armada Craft Cocktail Bar, The Public House, Sapphire TOP CRAFT BREWER

Saw Works Brewing Company With five years of operation under its belt, Saw Works brewery is the grand dame of local brewing. Its regular offerings are a smooth-drinking pale ale, a brown ale, and an “autumn-colored” IPA called Rocky Hop, available at tap rooms and beer markets in Knoxville and other East Tennessee cities. Despite weathering an early name change after its initial Marble City Brewing moniker faced a copyright challenge, Saw Works has developed a loyal following through beer festivals 24

KNOXVILLE MERCURY October 15, 2015

and mill tours. They serve up seasonal beers and small batches of “rough cut” experimental brews in a tap room on East Depot Avenue. (H.D.) Runners Up

Black Horse Brewery, Fanatic Brewing Company, Woodruff Brewing Co. (Downtown Grill & Brewery) TOP DIVE BAR

Pilot Light See: Top Rock Club in Arts & Entertainment Runners Up

Marie’s Olde Towne Tavern, Toddy’s Back Door Tavern, Toot’s Li le Honky Tonk TOP HAPPY HOUR

Downtown Grill & Brewery Hard to say which came fi rst: the dedicated crew of downtown workers, Vols, and politicos that frequent DG&B most evenings, or the Happy Hour dedicated to the frugal-but-discerning imbibers. Monday to Friday, 4 p.m.-8 p.m., craft pints are $2.50 and LIT and margaritas $3; house wine $4 glass; free doubles on all well and call liquors.

And dare we say they are the original ones to put the Funday in Sunday?

‘Cause all the same deals apply on the day of rest from 11 a.m.-10 p.m., along with free pool. (R.K.) Runners Up

Central Flats & Taps, Holly’s 135, Preservation Pub TOP LIQUOR STORE

Bob’s Wine and Liquor They don’t even seem to notice that they’re in their mid-40s, an age when many of us would start slowing down.

Bob (as in Robert Gilbertson, founder), though, still races around lining up liquor and beer and wine specials. All told, Bob’s sell 3,200 wine labels and more than 1,700 spirit labels, and it’s got the staff to help you find any of it, whether it’s Fireball or a wine or liqueur you’ve never heard of and had no idea you needed. (R.K.)

October 15, 2015

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 25

ALE YES KNOXVILLE!

Runners Up

TOP SPORTS BAR

Ashe’s Wine & Spirits, McScrooge’s Wine and Spirits, Toddy’s Liquor and Wine

Fieldhouse Social

TOP MOONSHINE

Sugarlands Distilling Company

drop in and have a pint and a bite.

Runner Up Top Bar Runner Up Top Taproom BARCAoDn E coming so

409 s. gay street 856.934.3814

open MON-THU: 3pm Fri-sat: 3 -1am pm-2am sun: 3pm-9 pm

Open a little over a year and East Tennessee-owned, Sugarlands makes its Appalachian mark with a house-barn workplace constructed from four salvaged area barns and homes as well as on-site storytelling and live music. The moonshine itself offers a few variations that are different from the other guys, including Jim Tom Hedrick’s Unaged Rye and a tasty little Tickle’s Dynamite Cinnamon Moonshine. Also fun: They’re tinkering with a Time Machine Whiskey that could produce the taste profi le of a super premium whiskey in less time. We’d like to time travel with them. (R.K.) Runners Up

Old Forge Distillery, Ole Smoky Moonshine Distillery, Popcorn Su on’s Tennessee White Whiskey

If only the Vols were doing as well every week as this new kid on the sports bar block. Fieldhouse Social is right near the UT action (and the sororities) there in University Commons. Airy and tall inside, it has one heckuva four-sided bar dominating the center. A patio for game day, $2 off draft s on Tuesdays, including lots of regional artisan picks, the Knox Trivia Guys on occasion, and 75-cent wings all day Thursday make this a solid sports bar even before its major claim to fame: the largest TV in the Southland. (R.K.) Runners Up

Bearden Hill Fieldhouse, Rooster’s Bar and Grill, Soccer Taco TOP WINE BAR

Drink.

Say, this is cool: Drink. boasts “wine dispensing machines” so guests can sip a bit of wine before investing in a bottle or even committing to a glass.

That’s just one of the unusual touches at this self-described “midtown lounge”

Thank You For Voting Us Top Knox.

We’re proud to be your clothier since 1966.

5614 Kingston Pike at Melrose Place · 865-584-3492 · www.msmcclellan.com 26

KNOXVILLE MERCURY October 15, 2015

BOB’S LIQUOR & WINE East Tennessee’s largest selection of fine wines and spirits.

Thank you Knoxville for voting for us!

Top Knox Liquor Store Top Knox Wine Store 220 North Winston Rd Knoxville, TN 37919 (One Block West of West Town Mall) 865.693.2483 www.bobswine.com

October 15, 2015

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 27

with the exhaustive wine list and attentive and educational staff.

Chandeliers, shiny round urban tables so patrons can stand to mingle, small plates from next-door’s Bistro by the Tracks. They’ll even draft a craft beer or designer cocktail if wine at the wine bar isn’t your thing. (R.K.) Runners Up

Bistro by the Tracks, Cru Bistro and Wine Bar, Knoxville Uncorked, Sunspot TOP WINE LIST (RESTAURANT)

Knoxville UnCorked Location, location, location. Along with the wine list curated by the sensationally knowledgeable co-owner Jim West (yes that’s Scott West’s dad), UnCorked has a wine room for large parties, an intimate full bar, a central courtyard, and a patio, all in the center of historic Market Square. The list reads like a dreamy cheat sheet, with lively descriptions of vintages like Black Opal Shiraz and Boom Boom! Syrah 2012; many bottles are in the very affordable $30-$50 range, with only a few choices topping $140. (R.K.) Runners Up

Aubrey’s, Bistro by the Tracks, Cru Bistro and Wine Bar TOP WINE STORE

Ashe’s Wine & Spirits Ashe’s proprietor, Thad Cox Jr., sets the tone here, with a staff that can guide buyers through a purchase of a wee bit of dessert wine or cases of bubbly for a celebration. Tastings are commonplace, and Ashe’s heralds the arrival of seasonals with great fanfare.

Nowadays the store features 35 Boars Head cheese, meat, and hummus varieties for take-home, too. Even more fabulous are the Ashe’s-sponsored Naples restaurant wine dinners, with exceptional pairings of wine from a featured vineyard and fare prepared by chef Gary Nicely. (R.K.) Runners Up

Bob’s Wine and liquor, Downtown Wine + Spirits, McScrooge’s Wine and Spirits

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KNOXVILLE MERCURY October 15, 2015

TOP ARTISTS WORKSHOP/STUDIO

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT TOP AMERICANA BAND

Runners Up

The Black Lillies

Dixieghost, Guy Marshall, Handsome and the Humbles

The Black Lillies are a different band than they were at the beginning of 2015—two members left in February, to be replaced by three new ones—and it shows on their new album, Hard to Please. On the new disc, the band, led by Cruz Contreras, sheds its bluesy backwoods bluegrass sound for a jolt of funky juke-joint rock ’n’ roll inspired by Muscle Shoals, Memphis, and New Orleans. (M.E.)

TOP ART GALLERY

Emporium Center The 100 block of Gay Street is ground zero for Knoxville’s First Friday art nights, and the Emporium Center, with up to five galleries available each month for exclusively local and regional art, is the 28,000-square-foot centerpiece of the city’s unofficial arts district. It’s also headquarters for several local arts organizations, including the Arts and Culture Alliance of Greater Knoxville, the nonprofit brain trust behind most of the center’s exhibits, and provides studio space for working artists. (M.E.) Runners Up

1010 Gallery, Art Market Gallery, Benne Galleries

BLACK LILLIES

Vacuum Shop Studios Nothing demonstrates just how far the downtown renaissance has spread like Vacuum Shop Studios, located on North Broadway, right between the Old North and Fourth and Gill neighborhoods. For two and a half years, the studio space/ gallery has provided affordable workspace for artists as well as solo and group shows by member artists, First Friday receptions, open studio tours, and more. (M.E.) Runners Up

Emporium Center, Ironwood Studios, Striped Light TOP BLUES BAND

Jenna and Her Cool Friends The Cool Friends are a veritable all-star East Tennessee blues combo—the collective years of experience shared by brassy frontwoman Jenna Jefferson, harpist Michael “Crawdaddy” Crawley, keyboard player Ben Maney, guitarists Keith Ford and “Detroit” Dave Meer, bassist Glyn Lloyd, and drummer Kevin

Redding are probably well into triple digits. On their debut album, I’m What You Get, from 2014, Jefferson and Crew stroll through a classy set of modern urban blues covers and originals, with a bunch of soul, R&B, and gospel thrown in. (M.E.) Runners Up

Jonny Monster Band, Labron Lazenby and the LA3, Slow Blind Hill TOP CLUB DJ

Fast Nasty / Slow Nasty Fast Nasty is Knoxville’s premier provider of bass/dubstep/house jams.

Slow Nasty makes chilled-out lounge electronica. Both of them are Matthew Keaton, a DJ and producer from Dandridge who’s a regular feature on Knoxville’s electronic music scene. (M.E.) Runners Up

4matiks (Forrest Kurth), DJ Eric B, Earl Grae TOP COMEDIAN

Jeff Blank

Thank you Knoxville! For electing

P IL O T

STILL

L I G H T

ROCKIN’’ AT OUR NEW LOCATION

(despite what some people say)!

Instruments / Equipment / Lessons / Production Over 20 years in the business and counting!

ROCK CLUB, TOP DIVE BAR.

TOP

1505 Downtown West Blvd.

(865) 691-9590

Pilot Light | Knoxville’s home for independent / experimental music and performance since May 2000. Come be involved!

106 e Jackson Ave. Knoxville | thepilotlight.com October 15, 2015

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 29

Jeff Blank is Knoxville comedy’s likeable everydude—a regular guy, as evidenced by his biker mustache and wallet chain, who pokes as much fun at himself (or maybe even more) than he does at the usual targets (rednecks, ex-girlfriends, people at Walmart). He’s also, despite the schlubby act, a really good stand-up comic, with timing, low-key charisma, subtle smarts, and an always-evolving act. (M.E.) Runners Up

Victor Agreda Jr., Shane Rhyne, Alex Stokes TOP COVER BAND

The Coveralls Knoxville’s long-running bar/wedding/ special event favorites are masters of mood—they know what an audience wants, whether it’s Top 40 hits, Motown, classic rock, or jazz standards, and they deliver, on time, every time. (M.E.) Runners Up

Pop Rox, Same as It Ever Was, VibraSlaps TOP DANCE CLUB

Sassy Ann’s Knoxville’s favorite dance club isn’t in a late-night entertainment district or a warehouse. It doesn’t have a stadium-sized sound system. Instead, it’s in a three-story converted Victorian house on the edge of Fourth and Gill. For more than a decade, Sassy Ann’s has served as the neighborhood’s own mini-entertainment district, with a regular program of Top 40 and retro dance nights and even an ongoing comedy open mic. (M.E.) Runners Up

Hanna’s Cafe, The International/ Concourse (Temple), Southbound TOP DANCE COMPANY

Circle Modern Dance Knoxville’s major modern dance company celebrates its 25th anniversary this year—25 years of performances, classes, and encouragement. (“It is our philosophy that everyone is a dancer, and every body has the right to dance.”)

The anniversary celebration culminates in the troupe’s serene, stately holiday 30

KNOXVILLE MERCURY October 15, 2015

show, Modern Dance Primitive Light, set for December at the Laurel Theater in Fort Sanders. (M.E.) Runners Up

Appalachian Ballet Company, Follies Girls Productions, Tennessee Children’s Dance Ensemble

Runners Up

Brian Clay and Jazzspirations, Frog & Toad’s Dixie Quartet, Kelle Jolly and the Will Boyd Project TOP KARAOKE

Marie’s Old Town Tavern

They call it a “neighborhood bar with a big city vibe.” Club XYZ is an anchor of both Knoxville’s LGBT community and Happy Holler. They’ve been serving up drinks, drag, karaoke, and national acts—like Victoria St. James, Miss Gay Tennessee 2015—for more than a decade. (M.E.)

Marie’s is an old-fashioned corner bar—beer, smoke, sports on TV, a jukebox full of country songs, a wall of Elvis paintings above the bar. On Friday and Saturday nights, it goes supernova with karaoke; aspiring pros, slumming hipsters, hardcore regulars, and grizzled veterans all mix it up at the microphone, belting classic rock, country, and pop.

Dolly Parton is always a special crowd favorite. (M.E.)

Runners Up

Runners Up

The Edge, Kristopher’s, Sassy Ann’s

Asia Cafe, Bullfeathers, Toot’s Li le Honky Tonk

TOP LGBT CLUB

Club XYZ

TOP HIP-HOP/R&B GROUP

LiL iFFy The end is upon us—Wil Wright, aka LiL iFFy, aka the world’s first Harry Potter-themed rapper, is retiring his hip-hop persona at the end of this year. After four years and four full-length releases (nobody in town puts out more records than Wright), the scope of the project has grown wider and deeper, no longer limited to the wizard-school shtick. LiL iFFy’s fourth (and, barring any surprises, final) album, LiL iFFy, is an ambitious collection of woozy bass and alt-hip-hop, featuring guest appearances from Playboy Manbaby, Brandon Gibson, and Wright’s own long-running indie-rock band, Senryu. (M.E.) Runners Up

Black A icus, Jaystorm Project, The Theorizt TOP JAZZ BAND

Knoxville Jazz Orchestra Vance Thompson’s big band showcases world-class classic jazz, from swing to bebop and beyond, dozens of times during the year, from monthly lunchtime concerts at the Square Room and weekly summer gigs on Market Square to holiday concerts and appearances with special guest stars. In early 2016, they’ll accompany Christian McBride and Regina Carter at two different shows. (M.E.)

TOP LIVE COMEDY VENUE

Scruffy City Hall Scruff y City Hall has turned out to be a missing piece of downtown’s puzzle— bigger than a bar, smaller than a theater, just the right size for big local bands and regional touring acts. The biggest beneficiary since it opened in 2014 might be Knoxville’s comedy scene— Scruff y City hosts weekly shows by the veteran improv troupe Einstein Simplified and is the main venue for the upcoming Scruff y City Comedy Festival, scheduled for Nov. 13-15. (M.E.) Runners Up

Open Chord, Pilot Light, Preservation Pub TOP MUSIC FESTIVAL

Big Ears It’s getting harder and harder to describe this music festival, which is unlike anything Knoxville or most other places have ever seen. The music is mostly uncategorizable—experimental jazz, Scandinavian art-pop, indie folk, free improv, drone metal, and contemporary composition. The one common element is that almost every artist who’s appeared at Big Ears—from big-name composers like Philip Glass and Steve Reich to Laurie Anderson, Television, the National, Swans, Joanna Newsom, and St. Vincent, plus dozens of less-

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Open House October 24th, 2015

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8502 KINGSTON PIKE | (865) 281-5874 | www.openchordmusic.com October 15, 2015

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 31

er-known but eminently admired bands, solo artists, collaborations, and collectives—demand and reward close listening and careful attention. It’s three days and nights of reliably deep, thoughtful music full of revelations, with a community of fans from around the world. (M.E.) Runners Up

Bonnaroo, Rhythm N’ Blooms, Rossini Festival TOP MUSEUM

Knoxville Museum of Art After a quarter century and a handful of reinventions (and almost as many fi nancial crises!), the Knoxville Museum of Art seems to have fi nally found its full mission, as patron and repository for decades of East Tennessee art. KMA now focuses on local and regional artists, as demonstrated by the mammoth ongoing exhibition Higher Ground: A Century of the Arts in East Tennessee and Cycle of Life, the glass and steel installation by Richard Jolley that now dominates the museum’s downstairs hall. (M.E.)

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KNOXVILLE MERCURY October 15, 2015

Runners Up

Runners Up

East Tennessee History Center, McClung Museum of Natural History & Culture, Museum of Appalachia

Bijou Theatre, Pilot Light, Scruffy City Hall TOP ROCK BAND

TOP PERFORMANCE VENUE

Tennessee Theatre Knoxville’s grand entertainment palace—the official state theater of Tennessee, the gem of downtown—can still take your breath away no matter how many times you’ve seen its ornate interior since its $25 million restoration in 2003 and 2004. The 87-yearold Tennessee Theatre is home to performances as varied as the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra’s Masterworks Series, the Summer Movie Magic classic fi lm series, and the headlining sets at Big Ears, AC Entertainment’s fringe music festival.

On any given night, you might fi nd an opera, a rising alternative rock act, a blues or country legend, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Monty Python’s Spamalot, or a rare screening of the fi lm Stark Love. And it’s the perfect venue for all of them. (M.E.)

The Black Cadillacs The Black Cadillacs take some new turns on their self-titled EP, released earlier this year, successfully updating their retro Southern boogie rock into something altogether more contemporary—they resemble the Black Keys more than the Black Crowes these days.

(They even borrow from Texas psych adventurers the Black Angels on the trippy “Methadrone.”) (M.E.) Runners Up

The Dirty Guv’nahs, Rat Punch, Tim Lee 3 TOP ROCK CLUB

Pilot Light The little hole in the wall that could is still going strong after a decade and a half, and seems, in fact, to be in the midst of a particularly vibrant period, hosting comedy, film, storytelling, and puppet

shows in addition to the usual menu of underground and indie rock bands and local experimental groups. (M.E.) Runners Up

The International, Open Chord, Scruffy City Hall TOP THEATER GROUP

Clarence Brown Theatre Company That great big auditorium! Three stages!

Repertory workhorses! Recent big city hits! Experimental drama! The University of Tennessee’s Clarence Brown Theatre Company has all of that and more. For 45 years, the company has towered over the dramatic arts in East Tennessee—with resources the likes of which other local theater companies must envy—as the home of major-league productions both familiar and surprising. (M.E.) Runners Up

Einstein Simplified, Knoxville Children’s Theatre, Theatre Knoxville Downtown

October 15, 2015

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 33

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KNOXVILLE MERCURY October 15, 2015

October 15, 2015

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HEALTH & BEAUTY TOP DENTAL CARE

TOP EYE CARE

Richard Barbee New Dentistry

Winston Eye & Vision Center

It’s kind of ironic to see the level of dedication New Dentistry has to not needing to see you too often. Through meticulous record keeping, cleanings, regular checkups and disease prevention tools like X-rays, they ensure your mouth and teeth are healthy enough to prevent bigger, costlier occurrences later. Does the dentist give you the heebie-jeebies like me? Dr. Barbee’s staff is great about explaining what they’re doing and making you feel at ease in that scary chair. (Jordan Achs)

Some people can get a tad uncomfortable when it comes to having their eyes examined. But even the most optically squeamish will find the Winston Eye & Vision Center to be an oasis of calm. The Winston family has been doing this for 70 years in Knoxville, and they are the most laid-back group of opticians who’ve ever blasted my eyeballs with puffs of air.

The office atmosphere is relaxed, the doctors soothing, and the selection of services and frames excellent. (C.T.)

Runners Up

Campbell Cunningham Taylor & Haun, The Eye Group, Luttrell’s Eyewear

Runners Up

Buzz Nabers DDS, Cornerstone Dental Arts, Downtown Dental

Make Top Knox your year-long go-to guide.

Bookmark the list at knoxmercury.com/topknox2015

TOP HAIR SALON TOP LICENSED MASSAGE THERAPY TOP MEDI SPA TOP NAIL SALON TOP SKIN CARE

Top Medi Spa Runners Up

Salon Visage & Spa Visage

Top Nail Salon Runners Up

Gallaher Plastic Surgery & Spa, Knoxville Dermatology Group, Pure Luxe Salon and Spa Lox Salon, Natural Alternatives, Tek Nails

When other salon owners from all over the world are coming to one Knoxville salon to learn techniques, you know you’ve got a gem. Salon Visage has been pampering Knoxville for two decades, training their staff to be artisans in one area of expertise, ensuring VIP-level services without breaking the bank. Meanwhile, Spa Visage offers a variety of packages and services to make you feel rejuvenated and pampered, with personable staff to make everything custom for you. When you want to treat yourself, Visage does it right. (J.A.) Top Hair Salon Runners Up

Belleza, Chop Shop, Lox Salon Top Licensed Massage Therapy Runners Up

Belleza, Longevity Massage Specialists, Meadowsweet

Top Skin Care Runners Up

Nourish Skin Studio, Skincare Center at Dermatology Associates, The Skin Wellness Center TOP HOLISTIC HEALTH CENTER

Gypsy Hands Healing Arts Center For those in need of some positive, motherly love, Gypsy Hands Healing Arts Center is just what the doctor (or shaman) ordered. It’s been a healing “home base” for Sara Griscom for over 13 years as she travels the world to learn more traditional healing arts from the likes of Buddhist and Maori healers, or sometimes more institutional paths, like studying psychology here at the University of Tennessee. These two sources of knowledge enable Gypsy Hands to offer a variety of services from

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BEST WOMEN’S HEALTH CLINIC

Knoxville Locations DEANE HILL

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KNOXVILLE MERCURY October 15, 2015

You don’t have to be a Summit patient to use our express clinics. www.summitmedical.com

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for voting us Top Hair Salon.

1701 Downtown West Blvd.

(865) 694-4000 SalonVisage.com

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We’re honored to be your choice for top: •

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Traditional Barbershop – The Frank’s Barbershop Team (865) 588-4001 FRANKSBARBERSHOP.NET October 15, 2015

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 37

side-by-side with our neighbors to make sure that everyone, regardless of age, income or background, has the opportunity to learn, grow, and thrive.” That comes through with its many programs, from youth development to financial-assistance memberships. (C.T.) Runners Up

Exclusive Fitness, Fort Sanders Health and Fitness, National Fitness TOP MARTIAL ARTS GYM

Broadway Family Karate GYPSY HANDS energy work, dance instruction, health and nutritional counseling to midwife and hospice services. The shop’s down-to-earth vibe and helpful, friendly staff make it a perfect tranquil healing space in a stressful world. (J.A.) Runners Up

Apple Health and Wellness, Eddie’s Health Shoppe, The Glowing Body

TOP FITNESS CENTER

YMCA One reason why the nonprofit YMCA rises to the top is that it embodies “fitness” in every sense, not just the muscular sort. Its many locations don’t simply offer workout equipment, pools, and classes—they make it their mission to strengthen the community as a whole.

As the Knoxville Y’s mission statement makes clear, “Every day, we work

Thank You love FOR THE

Karate trains both the body and the moral character of its pupils, so it’s no wonder it’s a hit with parents and kids alike. But when it comes to family activities, the less complicated the better. Broadway Family Karate embraces this philosophy, offering no-commitment-necessary introductory courses, classes for all ages, and flexible schedules six days a week. Each class has character lessons as well as physical training, and the family-friendly space even has a viewing area to watch your little Karate Kids. (J.A.) Runners Up

Bullman’s Kickboxing & Krav Maga,

Knoxville Martial Arts Academy, Wah Lum Kung Fu TOP PERSONAL TRAINER

Alison Oakes Alison Oakes’ training approach is one of personalization—whether it’s training by yourself in the comfort of your own home or with a few friends at a gym of your choosing. This personalization extends to meal planning as well, leading you to start a plan you might actually stick to. Her cool twists on healthy recipes help make those healthy habits less of a chore, and prepackaged lunches help the busiest person still get their food pyramid covered. (J.A.) Runners Up

Michelle Kenik, Shannon Lawless, Wade Wilburn TOP TRADITIONAL BARBER SHOP

Frank’s Barbershop This upscale barbershop on Northshore somehow exudes masculinity and pampering at the same time, with an atmosphere that might suggest that

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One body at a time!

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, KNOXVILLE

receive

OFF

any FACIAL OR MASSAGE SERVICE 865.454.3035

www.nourishskinstudio.com

5815 Walden Drive Knoxville, TN 37919

Discount for services in October only, mention Knox Mercury to receive discount, can not be combined with other specials

38

KNOXVILLE MERCURY October 15, 2015

Stop by and visit us today!

Exclusive Fitness 7575 S. Northshore Dr. Knoxville, Tennessee 37919 865-531-5656 exclusive-fitness.com

Hours Mon-Thurs: 5 AM - 10 PM Fri: 5 AM - 9 PM Sat: 7 AM - 6 PM Sun: 10 AM - 6 PM

Thank You Knoxville SawWorks Brewing Company voted Top Craft Brewer FRANK’S BARBERSHIOP patrons are young lords stopping by before their cricket game. Most of the patrons seem to be on the young side, and unlike most traditional barber shops, the “barbers” are mostly attractive female stylists. Note, however, that owner Frank Gambuzza is president of Paris-based Intercoiffure America/Canada, and Self magazine has called him one of the top 20 hairdressers in America. Gentlemen can watch Sports Center on leather couches in the dark-paneled parlor, play a game of billiards (“pool” just doesn’t seem appropriate here) or darts, and sip a literally icy-cold mug of root beer while they wait their turn for a shave and a haircut. The shave, with brushes and hand blades, seems pretty popular. (H.D.) Runners Up

Suburban Barber Shop, Union Avenue Barber Shop, Western Plaza Barber Shop TOP WALK-IN/URGENT-CARE CLINIC

Summit Medical An East Tennessee institution for 20 years, Summit Medical Group offers clinics and services catered to any medical need. Their urgent-care clinics are state-of-the-art while still offering fast, urgent medical care to walk-ins all over Knoxville. When you have a medical emergency, it’s nice having the peace of mind Summit Medical provides. (J.A.) Runners Up

East Town Urgent Care, Family Care Specialists, Trinity Medical Associates

TOP WOMEN’S HEALTH CENTER

Lisa Ross Birth & Women’s Center The Lisa Ross Birth & Women’s Center is a nonprofit, freestanding birthing center, which means it can provide many different services for a much lower cost. Their mission focuses on all women, which means stable, personalized services for all your health needs regardless of demographic. With a knowledgeable, friendly staff, patients can feel empowered and supported.

(J.A.) Runners Up

Contemporary Women’s Health, Knoxville Center for Reproductive Health, Women’s Care Group

Now available in packages.

Look for us in your favorite grocery.

708 East Depot Ave. Knoxville, TN 37917 • 865-247-5952 sawworksbrewing.com

We’re Breathless.

Thanks, Knoxville!

TOP YOGA STUDIO

Glowing Body “Yoga Meets You Where You Are” is more than just a mantra to The Glowing Body—it’s visible in their entire workings.

They offer classes for all skill levels, time commitments, budgets, and energy levels.

In other words, Glowing Body makes sure that every excuse in your book isn’t good enough. Those on a budget will enjoy their donation-based karma classes offered throughout the week, and they offer prenatal yoga and meditation classes as well. Glowing Body tackles all your yoga doubts and inhibitions, because in the end, “It’s All Yoga.” (J.A.) Runners Up

Breezeway Yoga Studio, Real Hot Yoga, Shanti Yoga Haven

SPECIAL OFFER TO KNOX MERCURY READERS: 20% OFF Single Piece Regular Priced Apparel Mention Knox Mercury to receive discount! Valid until October 31, 2015

Monday-Friday 10am-8pm Saturday 9am-6pm, Sunday 12pm-6pm

2918 Sutherland Ave Knoxville, TN 37919

865-523-0066 www.riversportsoutfitters.com October 15, 2015

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 39

Visit Downtown North TOP SHOPPING DISTRICT

Knoxville Pride since 2004 1215 North Central Street 865.637.4XYZ

MAKE EVERY DAY A

“Thank you Knoxville for voting us TOP LGBT Club!”

Open 7 days, 7pm-3am, Happy Hour Daily 7-9

Check our Facebook for weekly activities

RETR RETROSPECT TTR ROSPE RO P CT PE

Thanks Knoxville!

Vintage Store

HOLLY DAY! mid-century modern, antiques, vintage clothes, pop culture collectables, retro, original art & more!

TOP Wings

’ 842 N. Central Ave 851-7854 AVAILABLE FOR PRIVATE PARTIES!

hollyseventfuldining.com 40

KNOXVILLE MERCURY October 15, 2015

1121 N. Central St. Knoxville 522.3511 Mon-Sat 11a-6p Sun 12-5p

Like us on

TOP Happy Hour TOP Beer Selection TOP Outdoor Dining

1204 Central Street, Knoxville, TN 37917 865.247.0392 • flatsandtaps.com

Purple Heart Tattoo

Voted one of the TOP! Come see why

“It is beautiful to be what you are .”

-Jean Pau l Gaultier 104 Hotel Road, Knoxville, TN 37918

1723 N. Central St.

1211 N. Central, Knoxville, TN 37917 865-742-0906 facebook.com/shopfolly

October 15, 2015

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 41

Architectural Antics

PRACTICING HOLISTIC HEALING TRADITIONS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

Architecturals Art & Antiques

Thank You!

EXPLORE OUR INTERIOR & EXTERIOR TREASURES!

HEALING OUR PHYSICAL, EMOTIONAL, MENTAL & SPIRITUAL BODIES 12pm-6pm Wed-Fri 10am-5pm Sat 12pm-5pm Sun 865.414.4838 or 865.696.7777 820 N. Broadway • Knoxville TN www.architecturalantics.com 42

KNOXVILLE MERCURY October 15, 2015

North Corner Sandwich Shop

Thank you Knoxville for voting us Top!

Thank you Again knoxville

2400 N. Central St.

1020 BROADWAY, KNOXVILLE, TN 37917 (865) 971-3983 | sainttattoo.com

423-737-0760 M-F, 11a-3p Find us on

Top Sandwich Shop

2015 TOP KNOX WINNER NEW RETAIL BUSINESS Runner up: TOP Furniture Store, TOP Antique Store, TOP Instagram

Thanks Knoxville for the Mid Mod Love!

1621 N. Central Street Knoxville TN 37917 865.337.5575

October 15, 2015

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 43

SHOPPING TOP ANTIQUES STORE

Runners Up

Nostalgia

Mid Mod Collective, Retrospect, Westwood Antique & Design Market

Nostalgia not only offers an eclectic mix of vintage goods and antiques, but also an assortment of styles collected by the more than two dozen antique dealers that hunt, haul, and display their treasured fi nds at the original Bearden store and its newer location off McCalla Avenue in East Knoxville.

Not exactly the pile of junk you might fi nd in your grandparents’ garage or basement, these knickknacks from a bygone era have been hand-selected and meticulously displayed for your viewing (and purchasing) pleasure.

Find Waldo, check out the fi shies swimming in the old floor TV turned aquarium, or grab that vintage ’60s flower dress for a peace and love Halloween. And if you’re stopping by the original location, be sure to say hi to customer service reps Felix and Oscar, the shop cats. (C.D.)

TOP AUTO DEALER

Harper Auto Square Harper may feature the swankiest nameplates in town—Porsche, Maserati, Jaguar, among other top brands—but it’s also the home of working-class European marques Volkswagen and Fiat. You might expect the Maserati customers to receive a posher level of service, but such is not the case at the egalitarian Harper Auto Square: all customers are treated like royalty. Taking your old VW to be serviced is like visiting the salon—you are pampered with iPads, Keurig coffee pods, and an airy, sunny waiting room stocked with magazines you’ll actually want to read. Expect frequent cheerful updates on the progress being made on your repairs. And if you should ever be called back into the garage to observe

TENNESSEE VALLEY BIKES your car’s maladies, you’ll be impressed by the fact that it’s as spotless as a hospital operating room. (C.T.) Runners Up

Fox Toyota, Rusty Wallace Honda, Toyota of Knoxville TOP BIKE SHOP

Tennessee Valley Bikes

Scott Smith says it’s dumb luck and good timing that led him to purchase the pedal-pushing powerhouse that is Tennessee Valley Bikes, but since taking ownership of the Magnolia Avenue shop in 2008, he’s been building up intown ridership and hanging loose in the robust and ever-growing mountain biking scene.

TVB holds a special place in the heart of Knoxville—literally—as the town’s only downtown bike shop, and in a way it’s an ever-changing shrine to Knoxville

T THANK YOU FOR VOTING ROCKY HILL TOP KNOX!

We specialize in hardware, tools, plumbing, paint accessories, adhesives, and much more.

Open 7 days a week. Come see us!

7511 S. Northshore Dr. Knoxville, TN 37919 (865) 690-0876 44

KNOXVILLE MERCURY October 15, 2015

TROWBRIDGE FINE FURNITURE & CABINETS

All Custom Made & Designed Eco-Friendly Regional Sourcing Furnirure Restoration 30+ Years of Experience trowbridgefurniture.com 865-579-3679

Thank You Knoxville For Voting Harper Auto Square Top Knox Auto Dealer.

The Harper Auto name has been synonymous with Quality to the Knoxville Area since 1981

Kingston Pike at Franklin Square and on Parkside Drive harperautosquare.com

October 15, 2015

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 45

bikelife. A collage of stickers collected over the years, everything from top brands to DIY dust-ups, line the walls, while a revolving installation of various big-wheeled beauties dangle overhead: customers’ bikes freshly repaired or tuned up, new factory models completely taken apart and reassembled for quality checks, and an assortment of makes and models on hiatus from life on streets or trails. It all started as a predominantly commuter-focused shop, but today you’ll find everything from roadsters to mountain bikes to touring bikes and the occasional BMX build hanging on the racks—but its intown roots still hold true.

TVB has long been a cog that keeps the urban community rolling from downtown streets to the hills in the Smokies. (C.D.)

include brick-and-mortar sales in its rankings, Knoxville could’ve vaulted to the top based on McKay’s business alone. On any given weekend, McKay’s is a madhouse of book-, record-, and video game-loving consumers searching for great deals between two floors of physical media. It’s like a weekly collectors’ convention. If you care to disband your suspicion that everything’s going digital, just cast your eyes on the long check-out lines of satisfied customers clutching their prizes. (C.T.)

dresses in the area. And if you’ve got more than just dresses to worry about, our top bridal shop winner also offers a free service called Beyond The White Dress to aid the bride-to-be in contacting various vendors before the big day.

(Marina Waters)

Runners Up

Prestige Cleaners

Runners Up

White Lace & Promises

The Bike Zoo, Greenlee’s Bicycle Shop, Harper’s Bike Shop TOP BOOKSTORE

McKay’s A couple of years ago, Amazon named Knoxville the #2 “most well-read” city in America—based on sales to Amazon. If the industry scourge would’ve dared to

Mr. K’s Used Books, Music, and More, Southland Books, Union Ave Books TOP BRIDAL SHOP

Weddings are huge. They’re huge for the bride and groom and their families. And while there might not be much they can do about the crazy new in-laws, White Lace & Promises can promise you this much: They’ve got you covered—literally.

They have an extensive selection of wedding dresses from a wide array of designers and they also currently have the largest selection of bridesmaid

Where service meets fashion

Thank you again Knoxville for voting us

NOW ACCEPTING

I-MED INSURANCE

farragut location: 11730 Kingston Pike • 865.671.2145

• EYE EXAMS BY APPOINTMENT •

luttrellseyewear.com • Tues-Thurs 10a-7p • Fri 9a-5p • Sat 10a-3p KNOXVILLE MERCURY October 15, 2015

Runners Up

TOP DRY CLEANER

Andes Optical, Clancy Optical/Spex Eyewear, The Eye Group

This year, Prestige Cleaners is celebrating 30 years of “top Knox” cleaning services. From purchasing cleaning equipment from an ad in 1985 to becoming a full-fledged, cleaning service with 10 stores throughout Knoxville, Prestige has come a long way over the years. Now with numerous honors, including Blue Ribbon Small Business of the Year awards in 2010 and 2014, and a sparkling reputation, it’s no wonder why this cleaner has cleaned up. (M.W.) Runners Up

Crown Cleaners, Farragut Cleaners, King Cleaners

3601 SUTHERLAND AVE KNOXVILLE, TN 37919

Glasses can be costly to maintain, so it’s clear to see—pun intended—why Luttrell’s is the best. A true local talent, Luttrell’s has a more varied selection and better customer service than any of the chain stores, but they still keep prices low—they even take vision insurance. (J.A.)

TOP FOREIGN FOODS GROCERY

Sunrise Supermarket There are plenty of markets in Knoxville dedicated to food from around the world—Indian, Middle Eastern, Latin, African, and Southeast Asian groceries.

But none of them qualify as a supermarket, except Sunrise. It’s a genuine wonderland: jackfruit, fresh and ripe or green and canned; the biggest lemongrass stalks around; hit the freezer section for yuba and dim sum supplies; and don’t forget to show up on the weekend for boba tea. (M.E.)

HOLY LAND

865•525•4659

MARKET & DELI

All the flavors of the Middle East | All of your favorite deli classics

AVAILABLE IN THE SAME PLACE

RUNNER UP TOP FOREIGN FOODS GROCERY

Top Eyecare

46

Bootleg Be y, Bridals by Connie, Gilded Gown, Wedding Wonderland

Lu rell’s Eyewear

TOP MIDDLE EASTERN

Top Eyewear

bearden location: 5030 Kingston Pike • 865.588.4052

Runners Up

TOP EYEWEAR SHOP

Runners Up

swallow a needle. Lucky for cat and store, a nearby veterinarian was able to remove it, but DeLuca still keeps Gypsy’s old X-ray in the window as a fond memory of how he used up one of his nine lives—and as a warning to fellow beading pet parents. (R.K.)

Ebisu Asian Market, Holy Land Market and Deli, India Market TOP FURNITURE STORE

Bliss Home I scoured most of the leading local furniture stores, as well as some low-cost leaders, before buying a couch at Bliss. It was luxurious, I had a choice of many structural options, and it cost less than the equivalent elsewhere. The staff was patient and attentive with considering options, colors, and fabrics and helped me figure out the best time to buy to maximize both their and the manufacturer’s sales, and it was delivered on time.

The showroom is really pleasant, with lots of great wall art, throw pillows, and accents that could energize the look of a room without requiring a new furniture purchase. It’s all displayed in a space that feels light and spacious yet skips that terrible cavernous warehouse vibe found at many furniture stores. Plus, Bliss just has a very modern yet accessible style sense. Its product choices feel trendy without sacrificing comfort or practicality in the furniture. (H.D.) Runners Up

Knoxville Wholesale Furniture, Mid Mod Collective, O.P. Jenkins TOP GIFT SHOP TOP WOMEN’S CLOTHING

Bliss Stepping into Bliss is like setting foot into a playground for the shopping senses.

Here, an array of irresistibly plush scarves begging for your touch. There, a vibrant orange array of Vol-friendly shirts, sweaters, and scarves. Plunge in deeper and find a selection of Votivo candles to tickle your nose with scents like Smoke on the Water, Champaca, and Black Ginger. To the right, a selection of one-of-a-kind baby gifts; to the left, a collection of books that contains everything from whiskey journals to adult coloring books themed around mandalas and whimsical cities. Still deeper, there is a section dedicated to the playful chef with cookbooks, cool kitchen tools (like a cat-head egg coddler and guitar-shaped spatula), and ukulele-shaped cutting boards.

Then there are the women’s clothes and accessories, and all of them are beautiful, with a handmade

Runners Up

BLISS feel and a funky urban vibe. There is a mix here, carefully cultivated, of ephemera and investment pieces—the on-trend (this year: faux fur, fringe, suede) and investment pieces (neutral palates and serious fabrics with an artisan feel). By design, there are limited quantities and sizes of everything—which can be frustrating if you don’t fi nd your fit, but rewarding if you hit the jackpot, as you know that you won’t run into everybody and their mother wearing your look. See something you like? Better buy it now. Need justification? You deserve to be swaddled in bliss. (Hillari Dowdle) Top Gift Shop Runners Up

Earth to Old City, Nothing Too Fancy, Rala Top Women’s Clothing Runners Up

Est8te, Fizz, Nothing Too Fancy TOP IN-STORE PET

Gypsy at White Fox Beads Sometimes it’s good when you don’t play well with others. Gypsy got his gig as a store cat around seven years ago, when White Fox Beads owner Gail DeLuca was looking for one, and Gypsy literally hopped into the car of one of her workers at a gas station. The worker had lots of other pets, though, and juvenile Gypsy beat them all up. On to the store with him, first living in the Maryville location and then making the move to the Homberg Drive location with DeLuca (and his original rescuer). The fun thing is, Gypsy’s inclination to love on humans is as strong as his instinct to whoop up on other cats. He particularly likes kids, and DeLuca says an out-oftown customer once sent her friend to the store just to see Gypsy—his one stop when traveling through Knoxville.

Gypsy steers clear of the store’s beads for the most part, but he did once

Felix and Oscar at Nostalgia, Henry at Lost and Found Records, Sam at Natural Pet Supply

Three Rivers Market has been connecting East Tennessee with healthy local, natural, and organic foods since 1981.

TOP JEWELRY STORE

Markmans Diamonds and Fine Jewelry Finding quality and great service is like searching for a diamond in the rough.

And since 1976, Knoxville has been home to the diamond of diamond jewelers, Markmans Diamonds and Fine Jewelry. Apart from their selection of over 20 top jewelry designers, they succeed at keeping a reputation of great customer service and amazing quality— not to mention their pieces are beautiful enough to pass on generation to generation. (M.W.) Runners Up

Bliss, Lamon Jewelers, Rick Terry Jewelry Designs TOP LOCAL-FOODS GROCERY

Three Rivers Market The motto for Three Rivers Market might was well be “for the community, by the community.” Knoxville’s only cooperative grocery store has really grown up since launching more than three decades back, today boasting nearly 7,000 members with ownership stakes in the company, and carrying hundreds of locally-sourced fruits, vegetables, meats, products, and other scrumptious goodies. It’s the type of place where you can expect to pick up organic everything unless it’s noted otherwise. These days, the quintessentially Knoxville food emporium—named after the confluence of the Holston, French Broad, and Tennessee rivers in East Knoxville—offers more than just your average grocer experience, with free Wi-Fi, a “Barking Lot” for your four-legged friends, a fi x-it station for bike repairs, fresh deli makes and sushi, designated electric vehicle charging stations, and eatery areas to chomp or imbibe. (C.D.)

We specialize in local, organically-grown produce eggs from pastured hens from small, local farms fresh local dairy products free from artificial growth hormones grass-fed and humanely raised meats from local farms locally baked bread a fresh salad and hot food bar made fresh daily featuring local and organic ingredients

Open daily 9 am - 10 pm 1100 N. Central St., Knoxville, TN 37917 www.threeriversmarket.coop

October 15, 2015

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 47

ome at n the

Runners Up

Butler & Bailey Market, Market Square Farmers’ Market, Pra ’s Country Store TOP MEN’S CLOTHING

M.S. McClellan A little oasis of traditional English country style and a bastion of Ivy League dress codes for almost 50 years, Matthew McClellan and his staff stand strong against fast fashion and mall trends with an impressive roster of top-quality brands (Oxxford, Alden, Peter Millar, and dozens more, including Top Knox runner-up Marc Nelson’s line of locally produced denim). More expensive than the Gap, but worth it. (M.E.) Runners Up

John H. Daniel, Marc Nelson Denim, Nothing Too Fancy TOP MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS STORE

The Parlor Josh Sidman’s vintage music instrument/Western clothing/vinyl shop left Gay Street this summer and moved

back to its original home in an old grocery store on Chickamauga Avenue in North Knoxville—a retreat that made sense, considering the store’s trade in high-end guitars, mandolins, amps, and other gear depends on online sales and discerning buyers more than steady foot traffic. And it proves that there’s a lot more to Knoxville than downtown.

(M.E.) Runners Up

Open Chord Music, Rik’s Music, Rush’s Music TOP NEW RETAIL BUSINESS

Mid Mod Collective All it takes these days to hail back to the Mad Men era of free-flowing cocktails, shagadelic carpet, and soulful wailings on wax is a short trip from downtown up North Central Street to Mid Mod Collective, a new-kid-on-the-block business that has quickly earned a reputation for its fashionably modern vintage wares. No, it doesn’t serve drinks, but you might be able to snag a travel bar. Opened just this February by a smattering of antique collectors, the shop specializes

MID MOD COLLECTIVE in mid-century modern furniture and other fi nds, a design style that has seen a resurgence as children of the Baby Boomer generation have come of age.

You may recognize the clean, smooth-flowing industrial lines and other hallmarks from your parents’ living room of yore (or maybe your grandparents’, depending on your age), and Mid Mod’s 5,000-square-foot showroom in the former Higginboth-

am’s Auto Service garage offers a rolling display of hip furnishings and happening layouts that have aged gracefully with time. Its inventory also includes a large selection of old books and vinyl. (C.D.) Runners Up

Bula Boutique, Local Motors, Open Chord

e Pet!

the

The largest international supermarket in Knoxville, with THE largest fresh seafood and meat selections.

2015

GYPSY SAYS: Thanks for voting me

Knoxville’s Top-In-Store Pet!

nk You Tha

Be sure to come by and pet me soon!

5111 Homberg Drive 865-980-0237 www.whitefoxbeads.com

colors

48

KNOXVILLE MERCURY October 15, 2015

323 Union Avenue Knoxville, TN 37902 865-525-7888 shoprala.com M-F 11-9pm | Sat. 10-9pm | Sun. 11-6pm

Winner Top Knox Foreign Foods Grocery 8509 Kingston Pike 865-693-2677 sunrise-supermarket.com

October 15, 2015

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 49

TOP OUTDOOR SPORTS STORE

River Sports Outfi ers

Tory Burch, Kendra Scott, Nicole Miller, Henry & Belle, Amy Matto, Milly, DVF, Rebecca Taylor, Shoshanna, Tart, Leo & Sage and more!

Thank you Knoxville for choosing us as one of the top boutiques, and best wishes to all Top Knox 2015 Winners!

Situated along Sutherland Avenue just west of downtown, River Sports is one of those all-terrain attractions that has long been a staple in town, where avid outdoor enthusiasts have flocked for more than three decades to pick up an assortment of new gear or enjoy a slice of adventure without ever leaving the city.

Put your gecko-like qualities to the test on the shop’s faux rock walls in the indoor climbing center, or just get lost in the wilderness of inventory, perusing the assortment of climbing gear, camping equipment, water-sport vessels, mountain bikes, and other equipment quite literally stacked from floor to ceiling in this independently owned and operated outdoor wonderland. (C.D.) Runners Up

Blue Ridge Mountain Sports, Mast General Store, Uncle Lem’s Mountain Outfi ers

Located in the District in Bearden at 145 S. Forest Park Blvd 865-588-1588 • www.est8te.net • Instagram: est8te_style

Enjoy Happy Hour

Food Specials! bistro M-F 4 -7 PM ALL FOR ONLY

$5

■ BAKED ARTICHOKE DIP

Margherita Pizza

■ ROASTED RED PEPPER HUMMUS

BREAD WITH PIMENTO CHEESE

TOP SHOPPING DISTRICT

Market Square There are other malls and shopping centers that offer a much broader selection of merchandise, especially if you’re looking for underwear, shoes, or auto accessories. Some suburban shopping centers even offer air conditioning and roofs. And truth be told, today there are fewer than a dozen actual shops on Market Square proper, and on a typical evening, Market Square might seem more a place to shop for a sandwich or that perfect glass of beer.

Still, Market Square includes some of the freshest and most tempting gift shops in town. Some even claim they do 100 percent of their shopping in the greater Market Square area (there’s a good wine store around the corner, and Union Ave Books is just a block and a half away).

Whether you buy anything or not, no other place offers better people-watching options. Everybody comes to Market Square. And for five hours every Saturday, there is no better place to shop for locally grown produce. (Jack Neely)

Runners Up

Disc Exchange Fried Chicken & Waffle

TURKEY CREEK 11383 Parkside Dr. ■ 865-671-6612 DOWNTOWN 141 S. Gay St. ■ 865-544-1491 www.crubistroandwinebar.com KNOXVILLE MERCURY October 15, 2015

Remember this about Agri Feed: If they don’t sell a particular food or toy, it probably wouldn’t be very good for your pet anyway. The longtime Middlebrook Pike mainstay takes excruciating pains with its inventory, with research and good common sense backing up everything from the foods to the pond stuff and health supplements. Of course they’re fun, too—lots o’ Vol gear and pet costumes and wind chimes and wild bird fixtures make their way into the store.

And lots of adoptable animals make their way out of Agri Feed, too, from featured cats to any number of rescues that hold adoption events through the kindness of Agri Feed. (R.K.)

Lost & Found Records, McKay’s, Raven Records and Rarities

TOP RECORD STORE

■ FRIED CHICKEN & WAFFLE

50

Agri Feed Pet Supply

Runners Up

CitiFid-O, Misty’s Pet Depot, Natural Pet Supply, River Dog Bakery

■ GRILLED BUTTERMILK CORN

■ MARGHERITA PIZZA

TOP PET SUPPLY STORE

feature records in their mix—that’s quite a few more record outlets than existed in Knoxville during the industry’s actual hey day. The one shop that’s been open continuously since those glory years is Disc Exchange, which remains the go-to resource for new releases, not only on CD but also vinyl. And if you’re seeking new sounds, let the humans at Disc Exchange guide you rather than an algorithm—the discoveries will be much more personal, which is what music is supposed to be. (C.T.)

Contrary to the prevailing consumer trends of doom for physical media, Knoxvillians still like to buy their music in formats they can hold. They’re currently supporting five record stores around town, plus several shops that

MARKET SQUARE

Runners Up

Bearden District, Happy Holler/N. Central Street, Turkey Creek TOP TATTOO STUDIO

Saint Ta oo If you’re dead-set on getting “no regrets” scrawled across your forehead, you best have someone who knows what they’re doing ink it on. If you add it all up, the steady-handed artists at Saint Tattoo in North Knox have more than a half-century of experience inscribing lasting works on people’s outer bods, and with two piercers on staff the shop on North Broadway is essentially a one-stop shop for many lifestyle needs. Owner Scott Cooper got his start there in 1996 as an apprentice, then went on to study and work at shops from Colorado to New York, including a stint under famed traditional tattooist “Krooked Ken” in Maryland, before circling back around to take over operations at Saint in 2010. The studio’s strength, he says, is a well-rounded cast of artists and piercers that can tackle everything from portraits to traditional Japanese, from labret studs to naval rings, and

ensure it’s all done sanitarily and free of hiccups. No regrets. (C.D.) Runners Up

Born This Way Body Arts, Purple Heart Ta oo, Synergy Ta oo

RUN LOCAL SHOP LOCAL

lebrating Ce

www.runnersmarket.com

20 1 9 Years 5 95- 201

TOP THRIFT/CONSIGNMENT STORE

Knoxville Area Rescue Ministries (KARM) With 18 locations stretching from Powell to South Knox and even Morristown, KARM is “the thrift store with a mission” of offering affordable merchandise as a Christian ministry to the general public.

The organization also serves meals to the homeless and those in crisis, offers emergency and residential shelter to almost 400 people each night, and has programs that offer job training in the later stages. As for the shopping, nice aspects of the KARM stores include Saturday hours, weekday evening hours at a few locations, and pickup of some large household donations, usually within a day or two of calling to schedule. (R.K.) Runners Up

The Bag Lady Boutique, Nostalgia, Planet Xchange

Join us Saturday, October 17th to Celebrate 20 Years!

Food, Fun, and Run-ning!!

In Bearden

4443 Kingston Pike Knoxville, TN 37919 865-588-1650 Open 10-7 M-F | 10-6 Sat

We have a reputation for creating quite a spectacle!

Knoxville’s most experienced doctors, friendly staff & great eyewear!

(865) 693-3441 | winstonvision.com October 15, 2015

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 51

Holly” on the invite to insure a prompt response. (D.P.)

SERVICES TOP AUTO SERVICE

Fisher Tire Company For 67 years, Fisher Tire Company has been serving Knoxville and its surrounding areas to the best of their ability and anyone else’s. Apart from stellar customer service and a slew of top tire brands available, Fisher Tire also has an in-depth, online diagnostic test for any issue your car might have.

But to experience the five-star service and quality automotive work you’ll have to make a pit stop in person and see what we mean. (M.W.) Runners Up

Auto Technicians, Harper Auto Square, RT Clapp TOP BANK/CREDIT UNION

ORNL Federal Credit Union ORNL Federal Credit Union was

Runners Up

originally chartered in 1948 for the employees of Oak Ridge National Laboratory in the then-secret city. Each of its 10 founding members put up $5 to create the initial deposit base; today, the financial cooperative holds over a billion dollars in assets and serves members in 16 counties. It’s a successful institution that works to make its members successful as well. (C.T.) Runners Up

First Tennessee Bank, TVA Federal Credit Union, UT Federal Credit Union TOP CATERING SERVICE

Holly’s Eventful Dining What else is there to say? Knoxville loves Holly Hambright. Whether it’s her domicile or yours, she really brings home the bacon. Holly’s catered food is always attractive and popular. In fact, party planners who worry about getting timely RSVPs just throw “Food By

All Occasion Catering, Big Fa y’s Catering Kitchen, Bradford Catered Events TOP CLOTHING ALTERATIONS

Annie’s Alterations, Sandra G’s (TIE) Buying off-the-rack clothes means trying to fit your body into some generalized measurements meant to accommodate the most people possible.

(So maybe that’s why we all look so uncomfortable.) The solution? Have a professional make the clothes accommodate your own measurements instead. Annie’s in Bearden is typically jammed with clothes on the mend.

(Pants need hemming? Standard turnaround time is a week.) Meanwhile, Sandra G’s further west specializes in formal-attire alterations, particularly of the wedding dress variety. (C.T.) Runners Up

European Alterations, Quality Alterations, Prestige Cleaners

TOP FLORIST

Crouch Florist, The Flower Pot (TIE) Knoxville is blessed with two great florists who pride themselves on customer satisfaction and going above and beyond in your floral needs. The Flower Pot has been delivering flowers all over Knoxville since 1972, with flower arrangements and deliveries for every occasion you could possibly think of— even just to make someone smile. Crouch Florist has a 100 percent satisfaction guarantee on its thoughtful arrangements, and offers online ordering for convenience. Both are making Knoxville more beautiful one flower at a time. (J.A.) Runners Up

Always in Bloom, CachePot Floral & Garden, Lisa Foster Floral Design, Petree’s Florist TOP FRAMERY

Frameworks To run a successful business, you’ve got to be in the right frame of mind. And luckily for Knoxville, Frameworks is ready to work on any framing project

IT’S TIME FOR A LITTLE TRASH TALK.

Cigarette butts are the most littered item in the world, and they are often found in outdoor recreation areas, where they become toys or food for our children, pets, and wildlife.

Tobacco litter is one habit we have to quit.

For information on community-wide clean up programs, contact the Knox County Health Department at 865-215-5170.

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KNOXVILLE MERCURY October 15, 2015

Thank you Knoxville for voting McGaha Electric Co. Top Knox Electrician.

Thank you Knoxville for your support!

McGaha Electric Co. is a family owned business serving the Knoxville Community for over 35 years. We are a full service company with trained and insured technicians that can handle all your electric and audio needs:

FAMILY OWNED & OPERATED COMMITTED TO QUALITY 10232 KINGSTON PIKE (865) 691-5858

3530 N. BROADWAY (865) 687-5121

5001 KINGSTON PIKE (865) 588-9922

Winner Top Knox Renovations / Remodeling Company 2015 Thanks to all our supportive clients for 11 great years of work in the Knoxville area!

• 24 Hour Emergency Service • Emergency Power • Sports Lighting • Residential • Institutional & Government

• Industrial and Manufacturing • Retail and Commercial • Worship Centers and churches • Structural wiring and cable management

Contact us and find out why Knoxville voted us Top Knox!

1409 N. 6th Avenue Knoxville, TN 37917 865.523.8373 • mcgahaelectric.com

FOR ALL YOUR INSURANCE NEEDS, WE’VE GOT YOU COVERED Auto • Homeowners • Renters • Health Life • Long-Term Care

THANK YOU KNOXVILLE FOR MAKING US

TOP KNOX INSURANCE AGENT!

We appreciate the opportunity to serve you. Call Us Today!

Renovation • Custom Millwork • New Construction

1550 Jones Road | Lenoir City, TN 37771 865-919-3607 | clinchrivercustombuilders.com

The Mike Lewis Agency 9044 Middlebrook Pike Knoxville, TN 37923 865-694-9118 www.mikelewisagency.com Monday-Friday 8:00 am–5:00 pm

October 15, 2015

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 53

Runners Up

sitters and dog walkers. They’re into holistic wellness, too, so a single month’s calendar might include an essential-oil seminar within days of “Barn Hunt Practice.” Loyal customers look to them for numerous health and wellness products or just swing by for the self-serve dog wash. (R.K.)

Benne Galleries, Fowler’s Framery, Liz-Beth & Co.

Runners Up

you can think of. They treat each framing project individually, whether that’s a concert poster or a fi ne piece of artwork. And with tons of frame and mat combinations, the options are endless. (M.W.)

Thank you for voting our practice

Top Dental Care in Knoxville We are honored to be listed among other businesses, people and activities that are committed to improving the quality of life in our community.

Our patients are our friends and our goal has always been to treat them the way we would family in achieving their optimal oral health. We serve all ages and offer preventive and restorative procedures to provide minimally invasive, biologically compatible, appearance enhancing care.

The word “doctor” is derived from a Latin word meaning “teacher” and, with a Master’s degree in Nutrition, I realize one cannot separate the health of the mouth from that of the rest of the body. We emphasize prevention as the way to avoid serious costly dental problems and larger health-related issues.

TOP INSURANCE AGENT

Mike Lewis - State Farm Insurance is a top priority and to Mike Lewis, you are his main priority. Lewis has won numerous awards, such as the State Farm Quality Award-Crystal Excellence as well as being the National Sales Quality Winner and National Sales Achiever Winner. Not to mention he’s been at this for 25 years. With Lewis you’ll feel assured—and definitely insured. (M.W.) Runners Up

Cindy Doyle (State Farm), Keith Schneider (Allstate), Ben Sparks (Premier), Karen Teske (Allstate) TOP LAWYER

TOP PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER

John Black Photography Weddings and babies, families and pets.

John Black captures the happy moments and works hard to make portraits that are at once gorgeous and bursting with the subjects’ genuine personalities.

His new studio in the arts district of downtown (on Jackson Avenue) comes alive with events, from Lightroom workshops to fashionista birthday parties for the 8-16 set. John Black has always been able to bring out the brightness in any subject, even an old industrial building. (R.K.) Runners Up

With heartfelt appreciation, we will continue to honor your trust with a continued commitment to the quality of your care and to healthy patients.

Stephen A. Burroughs Law Office of Stephen A. Burroughs

Jennie Andrews, Lauren Coakley, Bill Foster, Shawn Poynter

• High standards of excellence

• Uncompromising safety

• Education and prevention

• A positive experience

A personal injury bulldog, Stephen A. Burroughs has an Army background and a policy where fees are contingent upon clients winning their case. But he has a soft side, too—a couple of his favorite charities include the Humane Society of East Tennessee and Disabled American Veterans. He also has a great sense of humor—remember Swagfest 2011, his party in the Sunsphere? (R.K.)

Jessica Rodocker - First Neighborhoods Realty

Runners Up

Don Bosch (The Bosch Law Firm), Sco Carpenter (Knox County Public Defender’s Community Law Office), Gregory Isaacs (The Isaacs Law Firm)

See what our patients are saying about us!

Over 762 reviews at NewDentistryTN.com Richard Barbee DDS MS 7828 Kingston Pike 865-693-8131 www.NewDentistryTN.com 54

Birchwood Kennels, Central Veterinary Hospital, Happy Yap Tales!

KNOXVILLE MERCURY October 15, 2015

TOP PET SERVICE

Hush Puppy’s Pet Services Clever name, sure, but this West Knox-centric place also trains clever dogs and has a bevy of hound-loving pet

TOP REALTOR

Part Realtor, part history buff, Rodocker has worked exclusively in Knoxville’s historic districts since she graduated from the University of Tennessee in 2003, and her First Neighborhoods Realty deals only with properties that sit in historic Knoxville neighborhoods within range of downtown. All in a year’s work are sales in Old North Knoxville, Hillsboro Heights in South Knoxville, and Westover Terrace in Holston Hills. And did we mention she’s lived in historic Knoxville areas that whole time, too?

This includes her current abode, a renovation-in-progress 1915 Craft sman in Island Home Park. (R.K.) Runners Up

Kimberly Dixon Hamilton (Downtown Realty), Pete McClain Jr. (Realty Executives), Jennifer Montgomery (Tro a Montgomery Real Estate)

October 15, 2015

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 55

THANKS FOR VOTING US #1!

Stephen and Bryan can help.

Law Office of Stephen A. Burroughs Voted Knoxville’s Best Lawyer in 2013, 2014 & 2015!

3 7 7 3 5 52 Stephen A. BURROUGHS

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KNOXVILLE MERCURY October 15, 2015

Bryan L. CAPPS

HOME & GARDEN TOP ELECTRICIAN

McGaha Electric Co. The McGaha family has been running their business for over 35 years now and we see why. There aren’t too many electric companies with employees who will fi x a light while hanging Christmas decorations too. And of course they are qualified to work on any electric fi xture for residential, retail, commercial, and business buildings, with a great deal of care and great service in their tool belts as well. (M.W.) Runners Up

Amp Electric, Pat Murphy Electric, Sitara Electric TOP GARDEN STORE/NURSERY

Stanley’s Greenhouse Garden Center There’s such a wonderful combination of sweetness and hard-nosed practi-

cality at Stanley’s. Built on the South Knoxville family farm in 1955 by Charles and Mary Kathryn Stanley, the garden center and plant farm still employs a raft of family members. It supports the community with events like this fall’s Pansyfest, with pansy purchases to benefit the Alzheimer’s Pansy Project in honor of UT Coach Emeritus Pat Summitt, and also sponsors the WNFZ call-in show Garden Talk on 94.3 FM Saturday mornings at 8 a.m. The whole atmosphere is peppy, from blooming shrimp plants to a whopper cacti and succulent section, to gorgeous orchids.

But the good people at Stanley’s are tough stuff, too—they do the heavy lifting for lavish plantings and will tell you how to toil in the soil. And behind those kind staff smiles lurks all the knowledge you’ll need on how to purge insect pests and weedy foes (though sometimes they’ll just encourage the “live and let live” approach). (R.K.)

Where great gift ideas are grown!

ELDER’S ACE HARDWARE Runners Up

Ellenburg Landscaping & Nursery, Grow Green Garden Shop, Mayo Garden Center TOP HANDYMAN SERVICE

HEP and Hood’s Handyman Service (TIE) Is there really anything more handy than a professional handyman? These two companies have dedicated service and

handyman skills that every spouse wishes he or she had. Next time you find that honeydew list, maybe you should consider turning it into a handyman list. (M.W.) Runners Up

Mr. Handyman, Roger That, Smart Home Fix TOP HOME IMPROVEMENT STORE

Elder’s Ace Hardware

Stanley’s Greenhouse

Keeping Knoxville green & growing since 1955

WINNER TOP KNOX GARDEN STORE / NURSERY 2015 Thanks for voting for us!

Flowers, plants and gift baskets for all occasions.

Locally owned and operated in Knoxville for over 100 years.

Three convenient locations: 2314 N. Broadway 865-523-5121

700 S. Gay St. 865-522-4825

8205 Chapman Hwy. 865-573-0137

Thank you Knoxville for voting us TOP KNOX FLORIST 2015!

Come pick from thous our fields ands of pa of nsies Sa .

tu Oct. 1 rday 7&2 4

Just 5 minutes from downtown 3029 Davenport Road (South Knoxville) | 865.573.9591 M-F 8-5pm | Sat 9-5pm | Sun 1-5pm www.stanleysgreenhouses.com October 15, 2015

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 57

Always in Bloom LLC

Thanks for voting for us!!

Flowers for every occasion 3727 Sutherland Avenue • 865-558-5769 www.alwaysinbloomtn.com

After opening the first Elder’s Ace Hardware “out in the country” near Chattanooga in 1969, Elder Glenn managed to build a small empire of home improvement stores stretching through North Georgia and East Tennessee, largely based on the merits of family business and strong customer service.

Today his sons, Tom, current president, and Grif, vice president and controller, head the 18-store network operating between Knoxville and Rome, Ga. With a humble Southern attitude, the company fesses up that it’s not always going to get things right, but it does its best to keep customers happy and take care of the folks behind the counter, some of whom have worked with the family for decades. That neighborly attitude isn’t something you’re likely to find in the big-box stores. (C.D.) Runners Up

Colonial Hardware, Knox Rail Salvage, Rocky Hill Hardware TOP INTERIOR DESIGN

Bliss Home See: Top Furniture Store in Shopping Runners Up

Architectural Antics, Benne Gallery, The Drawing Room TOP LANDSCAPING/TREE SERVICE

Mencer’s Tree Service I can’t say enough about the skill, efficiency, and professionalism of Mencer’s. You will find cheaper companies to remove your trees, but you get what you pay for. I watched a single man cut down an entire, huge double-trunked pine tree in my front yard in less than an hour—and he used safety equipment. (By contrast, I watched an immigrant worker for another tree service almost get crushed while helping trim a tree at my neighbors’ house. I kinda appreciate dealing with companies that value their employees enough not to cut corners on training and safety procedures.)

Mencer’s was also the only company I found that claimed to be able to remove trees growing between, or precariously arching over, power lines without having to get the electricity turned off and the lines lowered first. True to their word, they removed both tricky trees, plus the pine, and cleaned up all the debris within three hours, leaving me just as 58

KNOXVILLE MERCURY October 15, 2015

much firewood and mulch as I wanted and carting away the rest. (H.D.) Runners Up

Earthadelic, Edwards Tree Service, Ellenburg, Hedstrom Design TOP PLUMBER

Sco ’s Plumbing Scott’s Plumbing is a family owned plumbing service that has been in operation for over 30 years, working on various buildings throughout Knoxville including Tennessee RV and Cornerstone Church. (M.W.) Runners Up

Cedar Bluff Plumbing, Hiller, Johnson Plumbing, Sander’s Plumbing TOP RENOVATIONS/REMODELING COMPANY

Clinch River Custom Builders, McCamy Construction (TIE) Pit top construction crews in East Tennessee against each other and what do you get? A tie in craftsmanship. On one side are the carpenter brothers behind Clinch River Custom Builders out in Lenoir City, Christopher and Simon Hodshon. They pride themselves on taking a modern angle to an age-old American tradition, with an environmentally-conscious approach to construction as well as offering extensive in-house millwork for custom features like cabinets, doors and windows, and furnishing. On the other hand, there’s Knoxville-based McCamy Construction, situated on the 100 block of Gay Street, led by Sam McCamy III. It’s a turn-key company centered on residential new builds and remodels that also specializes in commercial and restaurant build-outs.

We’ll let these guys bust out the saw horses and rev up the meter saws to see who makes the final cut. (C.D.) Runners Up

Christopolous & Kennedy, Dewhirst Properties, Fairfax Construction

TOP MUSIC SCHOOL

EDUCATION & MEDIA TOP COSMETOLOGY SCHOOL

Tennessee School of Beauty Teachers can make or break a learning environment, so hearing students praise their teachers at the Tennessee School of Beauty shows what their learning environment is like. And that also translates to happy clients who come in for some styling. Being a beauty school means their prices are great on your wallet, but their level of professionalism makes you feel at ease. (J.A.)

dance. And both of those are the exact students Riversong Dance Studio aims to teach. The studio is known for its kind, patient instructors while obtaining the right amount of discipline in order to learn the art of dance—and what else could you really ask for? (M.W.) Runners Up

Angela Floyd Dance Studio, Dancers Studio, Studio Arts for Dancers

This is no ordinary music school. The Joy of Music School doesn’t just teach children how to play instruments—it changes lives. Founded in 1997 by famed local broadcaster James Dick, the school’s mission is to bring music education to underprivileged kids whose families can’t otherwise afford lessons or instruments. Through fund-raising concerts, donated instruments, and lots of volunteer teachers from Knoxville’s music community, it makes a critical difference in the lives of kids who need it most. (C.T.) Runners Up

Knoxville Academy of Music, Open Chord School of Music, University of Tennessee School of Music

Runners Up

Master Academy of Barbering, Sweetwater Institute of Cosmetology

TOP PRIVATE SCHOOL

Webb School of Knoxville

TOP DANCE SCHOOL

Riversong Dance Studio Dance students can range from those who want to one day be professional ballerinas to those who just want to

The Joy of Music School

RIVERSONG DANCE STUDIO

Webb School is 60 years old this year. It was once spare and Spartan, pun intended. But now the only independent K-12 private school in the Knoxville area

looks like a small private college, an interesting concentration of buildings on a hillside just west of Cedar Bluff. It looks pretty, and it doesn’t hurt a school’s reputation when one of your alumni is the governor of the state and another is chief justice of the state supreme court—quite an accomplishment for a school with under 1,000 students. Never mind that another Webb alum is former Jets and Dolphins quarterback Chad Pennington. (J.N.) Runners Up

Christian Academy of Knoxville, The Episcopal School of Knoxville, Knoxville Catholic High School TOP RADIO PERSONALITY

Hallerin Hilton Hill, The Triple H Morning Show, WOKI Hollerin’ Hallerin Hill he’s not. Triple H plays it ridiculously cool on WOKI’s morning drive-time interview and call-in show. He’s noted for his almost superhuman equilibrium on the air, and his down-home approach to politics, even if his callers aren’t. The show

RE-ELECT

Finbarr

FEATURED BARBER

Camred Warren

FEATURED COSMETOLOGIST

Ebony Burris

Sforaunders city council General Election

November 3, 2015 Early Voting: October 14-29 Scan this with your smartphone to find out more.

For voting

pellissippi state the Top Small College or University and the Top Technical/Business School in Knoxville!

Oldest barber school in Knoxville.

Open for 55 years.

Only barber & cosmetology school in East Tennessee.

Only accredited barber school in Knoxville.

Family owned.

Classes start every month.

ENROLL NOW! A TBR INSTITUTION AN AA/EEO COLLEGE

1221 N. Central • Tue-Sat 10:30-5:30 865.971.1529

Your vote does matter!

Vote to keep a positive voice on Knoxville’s City Council!

Paid for by ‘Finbarr Saunders for City Council’, Daniel L. Barnett, Treasurer

October 15, 2015

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 59

skews decidedly to the right, but it’s often an essential listen, as recent interviews with power players like Mayor Madeline Rogero, Tennessee Commissioner of Economic and Community Development Randy Boyd, Sen. Bob Corker, and Gov. Bill Haslam all indicate. (M.E.)

community colleges in America, but when President Obama needed one as a platform for a major policy statement about public education, he chose Pellissippi State. With four campuses in Knoxville and one in Blount County, Pellissippi offers a wide variety of course options. Celebrating its 40th anniversary last year, PSCC has more than 10,000 students, second only to UT as the biggest post-secondary institution in town, making it the largest community college in Tennessee. (J.N.)

Runners Up

Chance Collins (aka DJ 1Chance, The Elevation Suite, WUTK), Damian Messer (The Marble City Radio Show, WUTK), Derek Senter & Rob Levering (The Funhouse, WUTK)

Top Small College or University Runners Up

TOP RADIO STATION

Carson-Newman University, Maryville College, South College

WUTK 90.3, The Rock It would be enough if WUTK was “only” teaching UT students the ropes of broadcasting, the original free music media. But the station goes far beyond its educational role to inject Knoxville’s airwaves with something we desperately need: new music, fresh ideas, local personalities. It demonstrates the huge difference between programming devised in some far-off city by a national company and shows produced by local people who are guided by their own

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KNOXVILLE MERCURY October 15, 2015

Top Technical/Business School Runners Up

South College, Tennessee College of Applied Technology, Tennessee Technology Center

WUTK tastes in music and entertainment. One adds to Knoxville’s quality of life, the other is quickly forgotten. (C.T.)

TOP SMALL COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY TOP TECHNICAL/BUSINESS SCHOOL

Runners Up

Pellissippi State Community College

WDVX, WIVK, WUOT

There are probably a couple thousand

TOP TV PERSONALITY

Robin Wilhoit - WBIR Usually, with news anchors, station managers have to make a choice

between perky and smart. Robin Wilhoit somehow handles both, and can also be earnest and convincingly serious when she needs to be. Life’s not always cute and silly, and sometimes we do need to pay attention. (J.N.) Runners Up

Russell Biven (WBIR), Abby Ham (WBIR), Tearsa Smith (WATE) TOP TV STATION

WBIR Founded in 1956, WBIR is not Knoxville’s oldest television station, but it seems as if it should be. The region’s biggest TV station has built a reputation with extraordinary phenomena like the Heartland Series, the long-running cultural survey disguised as entertainment. A phenomenon of national significance, it has few parallels in other markets. It’s been out of production for six years now, but remains a signature part of the station, whose motto is still “Straight from the Heart.” Bill Williams, Knoxville’s Cronkite, retired 15 years ago, but still appears in the wings, sometimes on camera, blessing WBIR’s work like a grandfatherly pope. Both

WBIR institutions never quite left the building, and give the station a kind of gravitas—which combines with a slightly subversive postmodern fringe (“Live at Five at Four?”)

Its personalities—Robin Wilhoit, John Becker, Russell Biven, Abby Ham, Todd Howell, Beth Haynes, Ed Rupp, et al.—may constitute most of the local broadcast names most Knoxvillians recognize. Moreover, WBIR has somehow spread its seed across Knoxville media, giving the whole region’s media landscape a kind of WBIR-ish tint. Bob Kesling, WBIR’s longtime sports anchor, is now recognizable across the state every fall Saturday as the Voice of the Vols. Gene Patterson, a WBIR reporter of yore, became WATE’s main anchor for many years, and now flaks for Oak Ridge. Ted Hall, for several years WBIR’s charismatic afternoon anchor, is now the energizing star at WVLT. (J.N.)

Winner: TOP Happy Hour

$5 Lunches & Garden Fresh Salad Bar Mon.-Fri.

Kindred Healthcare invites you to attend our Open Interview Day in Knoxville!

Join Us!

Wednesday, October 21st 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM Location Hilton Knoxville Airport 2001 Alcoa Hwy Alcoa, TN 37701 Certified Nursing Assistants Full Time and Part Time All Shifts Available *RNs and LPNs* Hiring Event for Kindred locations: • Fairpark Nursing & Rehab – Maryville • Kindred Nursing & Rehab – Loudon • Kindred Nursing & Rehab – Maryville • Northhaven Nursing & Rehab – Knoxville

Runners Up

** NEW base rates and pay scale based on experience for CNAs!**

WATE, WKOP, WVLT 424 South Gay Street 865-633-8111 downtownbrewery.com

RSVP-Walk In’s Welcome.

Apply: KindredCareers.com Contact: jennifer.hughes@kindred.com (919) 414-8633.

EOE. M/W/V/D. Drug Free Workplace.

Friday October 30 7:30 p.m.

Tennessee Theatre 604 S. Gay St. Knoxville, TN Tickets

Join us for a celebration of Knoxville, featuring: Samuel Barber’s KNOXVILLE: SUMMER OF 1915 Aaron Copland’s THE TENDER LAND the academic premiere of Ellen Reid and Royce Vavrek’s KNOXVILLE: SUMMER OF 2015 and other music and readings that honor our region.

$20 adults, $15 seniors 60+, $5 students with school ID and youth 18 and under.

Tennessee Theatre box office 865-684-1200 ext. 2, or ticketmaster.com

MUSIC.UTK.EDU/SUMMER2015 October 15, 2015

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 61

Thank you for voting us Top Cosmetology School.

Knoxville’s #1 choice for Cosmetology School since 1930. tennesseeschoolofbeauty.com (865) 588-7878

$

3000 TUITION SCHOLARSHIP VOUCHER

STUDENT NAME In appreciation of being named Top Cosmetology School, present this voucher for a $3,000 scholarship for our November or December Cosmetology class.

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KNOXVILLE MERCURY October 15, 2015

ID #: 2015TOPCOSMOVOUCHER PROGRAM:  NOV 2015 COSMETOLOGY

 DEC 2015 COSMETOLOGY

AUTHORIZED SIGNATURE Terms & Conditions: Scholarship voucher is non-transferable, one voucher per person. Valid for use at Tennessee School of Beauty (TSB) only. Voucher valid only for tuition in our November or December 2015 Cosmetology course and may not be used as initial down payment.

Voucher has no cash value and is non-refundable. Cannot be combined with any other special promotional offer or scholarship.

Student must maintain satisfactory academic and attendance progress. Voucher not valid for currently enrolled students. Voucher must be presented prior to enrollment.

KNOXVILLE ONLINE TOP BLOG

We appreciate the sentiment! (C.T.)

posts and Instagram pictures as husband-and-wife team Eric and Mandee McNew, the deliciously diabolical snappers behind Knox Foodie (@knoxfoodie on Instagram and Twitter). If you choose to follow, like, or repost, consider yourself warned: You may pack on a few pounds just gazing at the culinary delicacies these two consume on a weekly basis. In the past few days alone they’ve scarfed pad thai (homemade, including the fish sauce), Saturday brunch shrimp at the Plaid Apron in Sequoyah Hills, slow-smoked pork butt from Dead End BBQ in Maryville, and imbibed a few pints of fall-flavored brews at Mind Yer P’s and Q’s in Farragut, just to list a few. Their social media prowess has earned thousands of die-hard followers intent on tagging along for a handheld tour of the top chefs, eateries, and eat-beforeyou-die dishes in Knoxville and East Tennessee, and we really can’t blame them. (C.D.)

Runners Up

Runners Up

Inside of Knoxville, Knoxville Pays it Forward, You Know You Are From Knoxville If

Mid Mod Collective (midmodcollective), Holly Rainey (hcrainey), Visit Knoxville (visitknoxville)

TOP INSTAGRAM FEED

TOP PODCAST

Knox Foodie (knoxfoodie)

Our Humble Beer Podcast

Stick a fork in me, I’m done. Perhaps no other Knoxvillians can whip up such a mouth-watering batch of social media

We can say it now, officially: Knoxville’s a beer town. With an onslaught of new craft breweries opening nearly every-

Inside of Knoxville Alan Sims has created a unique full-time job for himself as Knoxville’s digital town crier. When it comes to new business developments in the downtown area, Sims is usually first with the scoop, announcing openings and closings, retail shops and restaurants, and new living quarters. But his appeal also lies in his tone—always even-handed and open-minded. He has truly made himself Knoxville’s go-to “Urban Guy.” (C.T.) Runners Up

The Blue Streak, KnoxViews, Scruffington Post TOP FACEBOOK PAGE/GROUP

Knoxville Mercury

OUR HUMBLE BEER PODCAST where, we can check that title off the list. Done. And if you want to keep up with that ever-growing scene, then let D.J. Loope and Chris Hill be your guides. Since April 1 of this year, their Humble Beer Podcast has been taking listeners on extended tours and tastings, such as chatting for 40 minutes with the owners of Devils Backbone Brewing Company, hanging out at Flow, or hitting the road with Knox Brew Tours.

If you’re into beer, these are your new best buds. (C.T.)

Aww Shucks We won our own poll!

Thanks for voting us the top Facebook Page/Group.

Runners Up

Einstein Simplified, Sharing Needles With Friends, WUOT TOP TWITTER FEED

@KnoxvillePains “Even the best city on the planet has its pains,” is the explanation for the Knoxville Pains Twitter feed, and it’s a pretty good summation of the repartee: Witty observations and complaints about the Scruff y City, delivered with nonetheless obvious affection. About 9,800 followers keep tabs on the commentary, which focuses heavily on University of Tennessee football and traffic, with a sprinkling of local photos and a heavy helping of emojis. (H.D.) Runners Up

@KnoxFoodie, @moxcar, @WBIR TOP VINE FEED

Bliss (shopinbliss) To be sure, Bliss uses its micro-videos on Vine for marketing purposes: product demos, beauty shots, and staff picks. But it does so with a sense of fun and ease that other local businesses with social-media aspirations should take note of. (C.T.)

KNOXFOODIE

join the fun at facebook.com/ knoxmercury

Runners Up

Victor Agreda Jr., Rocky Top Insider October 15, 2015

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 63

outdoor gallery of wildlife. Ijams also offers perfectly civilized lawns that are amenable to picnics, weddings, and symphony concerts. (J.N.)

KNOXVILLE LIFE TOP ATTRACTION

Market Square Just hang around at the south end, near the old bell, and listen. Newcomers stop and marvel out loud at the place, as if trying to comprehend it before wading in.

They try to take pictures, but it usually doesn’t work. It’s a spectacle you have to behold, even if it’s just an ordinary Wednesday evening. There are other cities with market squares, but Knoxville’s is unusual in several regards, including its oblong shape and pedestrians-only ethic; its combination of brick Victorian commercial buildings and lush trees, residences, and patios; and its occasional magician or guy playing something, maybe a cello, maybe a saw. And for those who want history, no acre or two in East Tennessee offers more, from Civil War to civil rights, from music to literature. It’s been here for 161 years now, serving basically the same function, and you don’t have to be a historian to feel the resonance. One of the few things James Agee

Top Bike or Walking Trails

and Cormac McCarthy have in common is that they both described Market Square in major novels. Elizabeth Gilbert even finished Eat, Pray, Love while she was living on the Square. There was a time when Knoxville itself attracted few tourists who weren’t on their way to see something else, but today Market Square proves itself a draw for travelers who come all the way to East Tennessee and are content to stay in town. (J.N.) Runners Up

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Ijams Nature Center, Knoxville Zoo TOP BIKE OR WALKING TRAIL TOP FREE STUFF TO DO TOP PARK FOR A PICNIC TOP SECRET ABOUT KNOXVILLE

Ijams Nature Center Ijams is still Knoxville’s unique refuge after more than a century, a combination of artist-ornithologist Harry Ijams’

Runners Up

House Mountain, South Knox Trails/ Urban Wilderness, Third Creek Greenway IJAMS NATURE CENTER

Top Free Stuff to Do Runners Up

Edwardian-era bird sanctuary and recently added acreage that includes massive industrial quarry sites so weathered they look like Mayan ruins discovered in the jungle. Across its 300 acres are some trails you can take your grandmother on a digestive stroll after Sunday dinner. For other trails, you’d better take a GPS device, a canteen, and a Sherpa or two. Ijams itself is amazing, but the second-most astonishing thing about it may be that it’s only 3 miles from downtown. It’s not just trails, of course.

Ijams includes a small but very interesting museum emphasizing endangered and extinct species—if you’ve ever seen a passenger pigeon or an ivory-billed woodpecker in your life, there’s a good chance it was at Ijams—as well as an

Knoxville Museum of Art, Market Square, Market Square Farmers Market Top Park for a Picnic Runners Up Runners Up

Concord Park, Fountain City Park, World’s Fair Park Top Secret About Knoxville Runners Up

Peter Kern Library, QED Comedy Laboratory, Urban Wilderness TOP DOG PARK

Concord Dog Park Nestled on a peninsula on Fort Loudoun Lake, the four-acre Concord Dog Park

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Register today at www.gentlebarn.org/tennessee OPEN SATURDAYS 11-1 / SCHOOL FIELD TRIPS / BIRTHDAY PARTIES / PRIVATE TOURS / SPECIAL NEEDS GROUPS 64

KNOXVILLE MERCURY October 15, 2015

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KNOXVILLE MERCURY 65

offers room to roam for many a fourlegged fluff ball. At one end is a swimming area, complete with jumping dock, that gives way to the Concord Marina, and on the other is a separately fenced small dog area to keep the little tykes from getting trampled. The pet park also has paved, ADA-rated walking trails, and leashed-up there are plenty of other hikes, walking paths, and waterfronts to wear out a pooch in the greater Concord Park. Grrrr, bark, woof.

Good dog. (C.D.) Runners Up

Downtown Dog Park, Tommy Schumpert Dog Park, Victor Ashe Park TOP FESTIVAL

Rossini Festival As unlikely as it may seem, an opera festival changed Knoxville. The Rossini Festival, ostensibly our tribute to 19th-century Italian opera, was a roaring popular success from its overture, 13 years ago. Even in a driving rain, Rossini is a bigger draw than most festivals of more obvious appeal. It features lots of live music, and that’s part of it, but then again, it’s not rock or country music, and at the white-hot center of it are always tenors and sopranos and basses singing operatic arias, usually in languages other than English. And tens of thousands come every year. We can’t claim to know why Rossini captured our imagination or tapped into our secret reserves of festivity, but somehow it did, and raised the bar for all other festivals.

Now there are so many spring festivals to keep up with, we have a hard time putting out a garden. (J.N.) Runners Up

Big Ears, Dogwood Arts Festival, Rhythm N’ Blooms

here for a tour of the fair grounds one afternoon a few months later. Bob Hope, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Imelda Marcos had a good look at it. Noted aesthetes have denounced it. It was featured prominently in the intro to the 1983 Miss Universe Pageant. Its exaggerated demise was worthy of a guffaw in a 1990s episode of The Simpsons. People have gotten married in the thing. (J.N.) Runners Up

James White Fort, Market Square, Tennessee Theatre URBAN WILDERNESS TOP NEW THING IN KNOXVILLE

Urban Wilderness It’s perhaps ironic that the urban wilderness wins in the “new thing” category, because it’s been here all along, although often out of sight or inaccessible in private hands. Thanks to efforts by nonprofit Legacy Parks, the Appalachian Mountain Bike Club, the city and the county, these islands of green have been connected by trails, including 42-miles of paths along the South Loop, that feature everything from river views to old quarries and hilly forests. Encompassing city park land as well as parts of Forks of the River Wildlife Management Area and Ijams Nature Center, the urban wilderness has become hugely popular with trail runners, birders and mountain bikers. It’s so big that you can return again and again to explore a new section, and its closest point is just 3 miles from downtown. Plus it’s free. Its presence has fired up South Waterfront development, and now there are a growing number of places to stop for a pint on your way home (including right on the Ijams property in the warmer months). (H.D.) Runners Up

Knoxville Mercury, QED Comedy Laboratory, Retropolitan Craft Fair,

TOP HISTORIC LANDMARK

The Sunsphere

TOP NONPROFIT COMMUNITY GROUP

Well, the National Parks Service, which is the nation’s arbiter of what passes for “historic,” won’t even consider the Sunsphere as potentially historic until 2032, when it’s 50 years old, and a lot of us will be dead. But our readers have decided it’s historic, and who are we to argue. Maybe it is. It reflected its golden glow on Ronald Reagan, when he arrived one morning in May to open the fair, and Jimmy Carter, when he came

Knox Heritage

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KNOXVILLE MERCURY October 15, 2015

The Knoxville Mercury and its governing body, the Knoxville History Project, owe quite a bit to preservation group Knox Heritage—it provided us with a huge amount of help in preserving independent journalism in Knoxville.

But beyond our own particular needs, it has served Knoxville since 1974 as the first line of defense in keeping our

architectural history intact. For many years, its preservationist instinct seemed like a niche interest, but the rest of Knoxville has finally caught up to KH, and now the city’s heritage is something that most people here recognize as a valuable asset to be protected and refurbished. Without Knox Heritage, many of the buildings we now prize as integral to Knoxville’s renewal would no longer exist. By preserving our past, Knox Heritage has helped set Knoxville’s future. (C.T.) Runners Up

AYSO Region 124, Knoxville Area Rescue Mission, Legacy Parks Foundation TOP PLACE TO TAKE THE KIDS

Knoxville Zoo The zoo is probably a bigger draw for families than ever this year, as we watch how our close cousins the Gorillas raise their own families. (My favorite day was when the moms lay down with their feet up against the wall with the babies snoozing on their chests, and the dad came over and got in the exact same pose between them.) The Knoxville Zoo has an impressive array of species, even compared with larger zoos in bigger cities, and it has upgraded their habitats significantly in recent years so animals like elephants and giraffes are more enjoyable to watch (and probably happier, too). But zoos these days have a lot more than animals for kids: an indoor toddler area with slides and safari/veterinarian play areas, an outdoor climb and slide area for older kids, a giant sandbox, a train, a carousel… and in summer, there’s an impressive splash pad. And on the way out, the gift shop is the best place to buy a nice

stuffed animal in Knoxville. (H.D.) Runners Up

Ijams Nature Center, Fort Kid, Market Square TOP RESTORATION PROJECT

J.C. Penney Building It’s not quite done yet, but the readers’ choice is likely influenced by the fact that for years it looked like it would never amount to anything at all. Easily the most challenging historic renovation of the century, the building known since the 1930s as the J.C. Penney Building— Mr. James Cash Penney visited it annually, during his life—is actually composed of a couple of buildings, mostly serving as wholesale houses for several decades before that famous department-store chain arrived. The late 1890s buildings were subject of an almost ruinous “modernization” effort in the early ’60s, and when the faux-modern façade came down, the dismay at the shaved-off ornamentation and concrete-blocked-in windows was palpable. And there it sat, for years, as if it were proof that some buildings just couldn’t respond to the preservationist tide, as one proposal after another proved it wasn’t up to the challenge. But with a big push by a partnership between two downtown juggernauts, Hatcher-Hill and Dewhirst Properties has nearly completed the project, which will be mostly residential—with the interesting addition of the first bowling alley downtown in about a century.

(J.N.) Runners Up

Historic Westwood, Tennessee Theatre, White Lily Flats

TOP UNDERRATED NEIGHBORHOOD

Happy Holler Well known by night for its signature watering holes and nightlife, and by day for its quirky shops and eateries, it’s hard to argue that Happy Holler is as underrated as Top Knox voters may have you believe. But it’s still developing its reputation as a destination and focal point for the increasingly vibrant and belovedly scruffy neighborhood of Historic Old North Knoxville. Rarely a month goes by that a once-vacant storefront isn’t filled anew with entrepreneurial spirit, and many long-neglected Victorian homes with paint seen peeling in the sun are now getting some much needed TLC. Mid Mod Collective (another Top Knox honoree) set up shop in the area early this year, groupthink Hive opened its doors to female entrepreneurs during the summer, and an explosion of microbreweries now operating or currently under construction means there will soon be 11 (!) within a mile or so of the Holler, not to mention the growing list of bars and restaurants. With so much momentum, it’s hard to see how this little enclave can stay under the radar that much longer. (C.D.)

Runners Up

Fourth and Gill, Fountain City, Parkridge TOP WATERWAY TO PADDLE

Tennessee River At 652 miles long, the Tennessee certainly has length on its side, and it’s hard to compete with that geographical reality.

However, this choice would have been very surprising 40 or 50 years ago, and that indicates that maybe, despite everything, we’re doing something right.

There was a time in living memory when the Tennessee River, the defining principal of this 224-year-old city, was polluted, stinky, and really pretty gross. In a former era, a duck race would likely be won by a dead cow. Although paddling the Tennessee sometimes involves competing with giant asphalt barges, it is just in recent years a pleasant way to get from downtown to Ijams Nature Center and beyond. However, with all due respect to the fair winner, we might recommend that you try some of its tributaries first. (J.N.) Runners Up

French Broad River, Holston River, Ijams & Mead’s Quarry

October 15, 2015

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 67

68

KNOXVILLE MERCURY October 15, 2015

Thursday, Oct. 15 - Sunday, Oct. 25

Thursday, Oct. 15 BEAR MEDICINE WITH SUNSHINE STATION • Scruffy City Hall • 8PM • This Lexington band offers tiny, minimalistic songs with subtle impressionistic details on its 2014 album, The Moon Has Been All My Life.

JESSE GREGORY • Market Square • 7PM • Jesse Gregory was voted 2014 IBAA Momentum Vocalist of the Year.

Bluegrass aficionados will welcome this vibrant artist on her way to becoming a big name in bluegrass. • FREE WES LUNSFORD AND LAUREL WRIGHT • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM MADDIE AND TAE • Cotton Eyed Joe • 10PM • Maddie Marlow and Taylor Dye never intended to hit a nerve when they sat down on St. Patricks Day and wrote “Girl In A Country Song.” Merely expressing their own reaction to the reductive tilt of today’s BroCountry, the pair and co-writer Aaron Schwerz shamelessly skewered its Xeroxed stereotypes. • $10 D.J. MORRISON • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria (Maryville) • 8PM THE CHUCK MULLICAN JAZZ BONANZA • Red Piano Lounge • 8PM RANDALL CONRAD OLINGER WITH LOREN WALKER MADSEN • WDVX • 12PM • FREE PIGEONS PLAYING PING PONG • The Concourse • 9PM • Based out of Baltimore, MD, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong has an undeniably unique and versatile live sound that ascends peaks of musical ecstasy. 18 and up. • $7-$10 GRACE POTTER • Tennessee Theatre • 8PM • Grace Potter’s epic musical journey reaches a new milestone with the arrival of her solo debut, Midnight, an inspired work that is surprising, revelatory and wildly original. • $30-$49.50 RAMAJAY • Preservation Pub • 10PM • 21 and up. • $3 THE THIRST QUENCHERS • Mind Yer Ps and Qs Craft Beer and Wine Lounge • 8PM • The Ps and Qs house band.

Friday, Oct. 16 BEAR MEDICINE • WDVX • 12PM • FREE THE BOTTLE ROCKETS WITH MARK OLSON • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM • The Bottle Rockets’ brand of populist, Midwestern, brawny rock ‘n’ roll is a sound so effortless, it’s easy to take their craft for granted; a sound so universal, yet unmistakably the Bottle Rockets.

BRIAN CLAY • Red Piano Lounge • 9PM THE TEMPER EVANS BAND • Two Doors Down (Maryville) • 10PM FISH STYX • Brackins Blues Club (Maryville) • 9PM FROG AND TOAD’S DIXIE QUARTET • The Crown and Goose • 8PM • Live jazz featuring a mix of original music, early jazz and more. • FREE SAMANTHA GRAY AND THE SOUL PROVIDERS WITH BILLY CRAWFORD • Knoxville Museum of Art • 6PM • The cream of the Tri-Cities blues talent comes together for the first of two special shows in Knoxville. • $10 KELLE JOLLY AND THE WILL BOYD PROJECT • Laurel Theater • 8PM • Kelle Jolly is a visual and musical artist who currently lives in Knoxville with her saxophonist husband, Will Boyd. • $13-$14 KITTY WAMPUS • Throttle Down Bar & Grill (Oak Ridge) • 9:30PM • Classic rock, blues, and R&B. KNOX COUNTY JUG STOMPERS • Sugarlands Distilling Co. (Gatlinburg) • 7PM • FREE LEFT FOOT DOWN • Bijou Theatre • 8PM • With original music rooted in southern rock and a healthy pinch of improvisational jazz and blues, Left Foot Down took Knoxville by storm when they hit the stage in 1998 and quickly gained a large and loyal fan base. It’s been over 12 years since Left Foot

Taproom and Pizzeria • 8PM SHIFFLETT AND HANNAH • The Bistro at the Bijou • 12PM • Live jazz. • FREE DAVE SLACK TRIO • Pero’s on the Hill • 1PM • Live jazz.

SUNDAY JAZZ BRUNCH • Downtown Grill and Brewery • 12:45PM • Knoxville’s coolest jazz artists perform every Sunday. • FREE

Down have performed together. Though many friends and fans have campaigned for a reunion show, the stars simply haven’t aligned…until now. • $20 LERA LYNN • The Square Room • 8PM • Singer-songwriter Lera Lynn is featured as the recurring bar singer in True Detective, performing at The Black Rose, the dingy dive bar where Ray and Frank often meet to discuss their private business dealings. • $12-$15 JAMEL MITCHELL TRIO • The Bistro at the Bijou • 9PM • Live jazz. • FREE MOUNTAIN SOUL • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 10PM • FREE THE PEA PICKIN’ HEARTS • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria (Maryville) • 10PM PILOT ROUGE • Preservation Pub • 8PM • 21 and up. • FREE JEREMY PORTER AND THE TUCOS WITH JAKE AND THE COMET CONDUCTORS AND THE FLOORBOARDS • Preservation Pub • 10PM • 21 and up. • $5 RED AS BLOOD WITH HELLAPHANT AND TRACTORHEAD • Open Chord Brewhouse and Stage • 8PM DAVE SLACK TRIO • Pero’s on the Hill • 7PM • Instrumental and vocal jazz standards.

TALL PAUL • Bearden Field House • 9PM • FREE WENDEL WERNER • Red Piano Lounge • 6PM Saturday, Oct. 17 SHAUN ABBOTT • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria (Maryville) • 10PM DON ALDER • WDVX • 12PM • FREE BOSLEY • Preservation Pub • 10PM • 21 and up. • $5 CAROLINA CEILI • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 10PM • FREE FLEETWOOD MAC TRIBUTE CONCERT • The Shed at Smoky Mountain Harley-Davidson (Maryville) • 6PM • $10 JEANINE FULLER • Red Piano Lounge • 9PM EMMYLOU HARRIS AND RODNEY CROWELL • Clayton Center for the Arts (Maryville) • 8PM • $36.50-$250 • See Spotlight AARON KIRBY AND THE TENNESSEE JAM BAND • Two Doors Down (Maryville) • 10PM KITTY WAMPUS • Paul’s Oasis • 9PM • Classic rock, blues, and R&B. THE LAST TYCOON • Preservation Pub • 8PM • 21 and up. • FREE TIM LEE 3 • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM • The Tim Lee 3’s new album, 33 1/3, is, like its predecessors, full of inventive, melodic guitar rock with pop instincts and bar-band muscle.

LEFT FOOT DAVE AND THE MAGIC HATS • Brackins Blues Club (Maryville) • 9PM MANDOLIN ORANGE • Bijou Theatre • 8PM • Mandolin Orange makes music that WNYC describes as being ‘laced with bluegrass, country and folk’often wistful and contemplative without being somber, and always firmly grounded in the South.’ • $17-$19 THE CHUCK MULLICAN JAZZ BONANZA • The Bistro at the Bijou • 9PM • Live jazz. • FREE THE RERUNS • Pero’s on the Hill • 7PM • Knoxville’s premier TV band plays your favorite television themes.

THE ROYAL HOUNDS WITH BILL AND THE BELLES • Scruffy City Hall • 9PM RYAN SHELEY WITH JUSTIN WELLS AND MATT WRIGHT • Open Chord Brewhouse and Stage • 8PM BEN SHUSTER • Bearden Field House • 9PM • FREE Sunday, Oct. 18 CAUTIOUS BEVERLY WITH HELLAPHANT, ASHES OF LAKESHORE, AND THERMOSTAT • Longbranch Saloon • 9PM JENNA AND HER COOL FRIENDS • Star of Knoxville Riverboat • 3PM • Part of the Smoky Mountain Blues Society’s annual season of summer blues cruises. • $16-$19 MY BROTHER THE BEAR WITH BEN KNIGHT • Barley’s

Monday, Oct. 19 BAND AND THE BEAT WITH BARK • Pilot Light • 9PM • 18 and up. • $5 FALSE HOPE DIES WITH BURNING TURLEY • Longbranch Saloon • 9PM GHOST TOWN BLUES BAND • Preservation Pub • 10PM • 21 and up. • $3

Photo by David McClister

MUSIC

CALENDAR

EMMYLOU HARRIS AND RODNEY CROWELL Clayton Center for the Arts (502 E. Lamar Alexander Parkway, Maryville) • Saturday, Oct. 17 • 8 p.m. • $36.50-$250 • claytonartscenter.com

Emmylou Harris is one of country music’s great collaborators. She began her career in the early 1970s as a backup singer for Gram Parsons’ solo albums, lending her crystal-clear soprano to two of the founding documents of West Coast country rock, and later got a boost by the Hot Band, a loose confederation of all-pro session players (and a young Rodney Crowell) that helped push her early solo albums Pieces of the Sky, Elite Hotel, Luxury Liner, Roses in the Snow, and Cimmaron to classic status. Her greatest commercial success came from Trio, a 1987 album featuring Harris, Linda Ronstadt, and Dolly Parton, and she’s known for her contributions to Bob Dylan’s Desire and the Band’s The Last Waltz. She’s even recorded with Coner Oberst of the indie-folk band Bright Eyes.

Most recently, she’s teamed back up with Crowell, nearly 40 years after he left the Hot Band, for a pair of late-career touchstones, Old Yellow Moon (2013) and The Traveling Kind (2015).

Like always, Harris finds new challenges in this ongoing partnership with Crowell, which could easily be a well-deserved career victory lap for the duo. Instead, they take the same music-without-borders approach to American folk traditions that they’ve always been interested in, finding inspiration in Cajun music, gospel, rock ’n’ roll, classic country, the blues, and bluegrass without committing to any single style. Even with all that restless boundary-pushing, though, a valedictory mood does hang over Old Yellow Moon and The Traveling Kind, especially on the old country standard “Dreaming My Dreams,” made famous by Waylon Jennings, and a new version of Crowell’s “Bluebird Wine,” first recorded by Harris on Pieces of the Sky. There’s no pretense to youth here, but that doesn’t mean these old partners can’t have fun. (Matthew Everett)

October 15, 2015

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 69

CALENDAR DANIEL KIMBRO • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM SCRUFFY CITY JAZZ BAND • Open Chord Brewhouse and Stage • 8PM CHARLIE WHITTEN AND MOLLY PARDEN • WDVX • 12PM • FREE Tuesday, Oct. 20 BATH SALT ZOMBIES • Scruffy City Hall • 10:30PM CALABRESE WITH LA BASURA DEL DIABLO AND THE HARIKARIS • Open Chord Brewhouse and Stage • 7PM • $10-$15 THE COTERIES • WDVX • 12PM • FREE DOYLE WITH THE FAMILY RUIN AND HATCHET • The Concourse • 8PM • Doyle’s first band, the infamous Glenn Danzig-fronted Misfits, helped create the genre of speed/ thrash metal with their last album, 1983’s “Earth AD/ Wolf’s Blood.” His new solo album, Abominator, is not the sound of some punk guitarist gone metal- it’s the roaring return of one of extreme metal’s original architects to his blood-splattered drawing board. 18 and up. • $12-$16 FOREIGNER • Niswonger Performing Arts Center (Greeneville) • 7:30PM •.Responsible for some of rock and roll’s most enduring anthems including “Juke Box Hero,” “Feels Like The First Time,” and “Urgent,” Foreigner continues to rock the charts more than thirty years into the game. • $65-$85 THE HOOTEN HALLERS • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM • The Hooten Hallers are a blues, soul, and rock n’ roll band from Columbia, MO. JOEY AND KELLY KNEISER • Sugarlands Distilling Co. (Gatlinburg) • 7PM • FREE DUSTIN PRINZ WITH NED AND THE DIRT • Preservation Pub • 10PM • 21 and up. • $3 Wednesday, Oct. 21 ADRENALINE KID WITH HIVEHEAD, THE SKITZOIDS, AND THE PARAGON PROJECT • Open Chord Brewhouse and Stage • 9PM • All ages. • $5 DAVE EGGAR AND MARIO DIAZ WITH DAVID FRANCISCO • WDVX • 12PM • FREE KATY FREE AND WENDEL WERNER • Red Piano Lounge • 8PM FROG AND TOAD’S DIXIE QUARTET • The Crown and Goose • 6:30PM • Live jazz featuring a mix of original music, early jazz and more. • FREE THE CASEY GREEN TRIO • The Bistro at the Bijou • 7PM • Live jazz. • FREE OLD DOMINION WITH LOGAN BRILL • Cotton Eyed Joe • 10PM • Blending old-fashioned country charm, lyrical wit and rock n’ roll grit into radio-friendly hook-heavy pop nuggets, Old Dominion have emerged as one of the hottest breaking bands in country music. • FREE UBERYOU WITH DAY AND AGE • Pilot Light • 10PM • 18 and up. • $5 TENNESSEE SHINES: THE WILD PONIES WITH SUSAN O’DELL UNDERWOOD • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 7PM • Dead right, honest songwriting delivered in a hauntingly beautiful yet gritty, neo-traditional Americana wrapper. • $10 Thursday, Oct. 22 DAVE BARNES • Bijou Theatre • 8PM • When Dave Barnes first showed up on the music scene 12 years ago, he was the guy hitting the college circuit with limitless energy and an equally unrestrained expectation for the future.

Since then, the singer-songwriter has written and released seven albums, played hundreds of cities each year, and formed deeper relationships in the industry than his 23-year-old self could have dared hope. • $21.50-$23.50 PAT BOONE • Oak Ridge High School • 7:30PM • The classic 70

KNOXVILLE MERCURY October 15, 2015

pop singer, known for his mainstream-friendly interpretations of early rock ‘n’ roll and R&B hits, will be backed by the local big band/swing orchestra the Streamliners. Proceeds benefit the Oak Ridge High School music department. • $20-$75 CAPTAIN MIDNIGHT • Scruffy City Hall • 8PM ANTONIA COVE WITH JIMMY DAVIS AND LEFTOVER SALMON • WDVX • 12PM • FREE JIMMY DAVIS • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria (Maryville) • 8PM FALLOIR WITH FRAGILE SEEDS • Pilot Light • 9PM • 18 and up. • $5 FUTURE THIEVES • Preservation Pub • 10PM • 21 and up. • $3 KNOXVILLE’S FINEST BAND • Market Square • 7PM • FREE JOEL LEVI • Sugarlands Distilling Co. (Gatlinburg) • 7PM • FREE THE LONELY BISCUITS • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM PULLMAN STANDARD • Longbranch Saloon • 8PM SECRET CITY CYPHERS • Open Chord Brewhouse and Stage • 8PM • $3-$5 THE PRESTON SHIRES TRIO • Red Piano Lounge • 8PM SOULFLY WITH SOILWORK, DECAPITATED, AND SHATTERED SUN • The International • 6:45PM • All ages. • $25-$28 THE THIRST QUENCHERS • Mind Yer Ps and Qs Craft Beer and Wine Lounge • 8PM • The Ps and Qs house band.

Friday, Oct. 23 THE 9TH STREET STOMPERS • Sugarlands Distilling Co. (Gatlinburg) • 7PM • FREE CRUMBSNATCHERS WITH THE JEFF HASKELL BAND • Preservation Pub • 10PM. • $5 DIARRHEA PLANET • Bijou Theatre • 8PM • In a world of unintelligible lo-fi recording, reverb drenched vocals, and tuneless guitars, Diarrhea Planet aims to put the backbone back into rock and roll. • $16.50 DIVIDED WE STAND WITH ELISIUM, SPLIT TUSK AND AUTUMN REFLECTION • Open Chord Brewhouse and Stage • 8PM • Local metal and hard rock. All ages. • $10 FREEQUENCY • Cru Bistro and Wine Bar • 8PM • Acoustic Americana trio.

FROG AND TOAD’S DIXIE QUARTET • The Crown and Goose • 8PM • Live jazz featuring a mix of original music, early jazz and more. • FREE JACK’D UP • Two Doors Down (Maryville) • 10PM JENNY AND TYLER • Saw Works Brewing Company • 8PM • FREE DEVAN JONES AND THE UPTOWN STOMP • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 10PM • FREE K CAMP • The International • 9PM • K.Camp is the voice of the north side of Atlanta—Marietta, to be precise—whose regional hit “All Night” has won support in Atlanta, Alabama, and the Carolinas. 18 and up. • $20-$80 KUKULY AND THE GYPSY FUEGO • The Bistro at the Bijou • 9PM • Homegrown hot jazz inspired by Django Reinhardt, Les Paul, and Antonio Carlos Jobim. • FREE AMY LYNN WITH LAUREL WRIGHT AND RICKY MITCHELL • Sun Dance Farm and Event Center • 7PM • Local singer-songwriter and country music artist will release her debut EP album, Bulletproof, on Friday, October 23.

Tickets can be purchased at www.amylynnmusic.com and all tickets must be purchased in advance (no tickets sold at the gate). • $15 JAMEL MITCHELL • Red Piano Lounge • 9PM MOJO FLOW • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria (Maryville) • 10PM ASHLEY MONICAL WITH THE 9TH STREET STOMPERS • WDVX • 12PM • FREE JOHN NÉMETH • Knoxville Museum of Art • 6PM • $15

Thursday, Oct. 15 - Sunday, Oct. 25

CALENDAR CLASSICAL TICKETS start at just $15

ODD FUTURE FIESTA • Longbranch Saloon • 9PM THE POP ROX • Bearden Field House • 9PM • FREE THE PRESERVATION HALL JAZZ BAND AND THE TRAVELIN’ MCCOURYS • The Standard • 7:30PM • Join WDVX for an evening of World Class Jazz & Grass with the Travelin McCourys and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. • $30-$40 DAVE SLACK TRIO • Pero’s on the Hill • 7PM • Instrumental and vocal jazz standards.

THE STOOGES BRASS BAND • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM SUPATIGHT WITH BASEBALL THE BAND • Scruffy City Hall • 10PM UNLIMITED GRAVITY WITH PROJECT ASPECT AND CUDDLEFISH • The Concourse • 10PM • Presented by Midnight Voyage and WUTK. 18 and up. • $5 WENDEL WERNER • Red Piano Lounge • 6PM Saturday, Oct. 24 ALL HALLOW’S FELLOWSHIP BENEFIT • Scruffy City Hall • 8PM • A fundraiser for Chris Scum, featuring Red as Blood, Todd Steed, and more. 21 and up.

APPALACHIAN SURF TEAM WITH ELORA • Preservation Pub • 8PM • 21 and up. • FREE BETHANY AND THE SWING SERENADE • Red Piano Lounge • 9PM KENT GOOLSBY AND THE GOLD STANDARD • Sugarlands Distilling Co. (Gatlinburg) • 7PM • FREE KINCAID • Two Doors Down (Maryville) • 10PM NOT A PLANET WITH ROMAN REESE AND THE CARDINAL SINS • Preservation Pub • 10PM • 21 and up. • $5 OVER THE EFFECT • Longbranch Saloon • 9PM THE PUNKNECKS • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 10PM • FREE THE RERUNS • Pero’s on the Hill • 7PM • Knoxville’s premier TV band plays your favorite television themes.

BEN SHUSTER • Bearden Field House • 9PM • FREE JOSH TURNER • Niswonger Performing Arts Center (Greeneville) • 7:30PM • Multi-platinum MCA Nashville recording artist Josh Turner is one of country music’s most recognizable hit-makers. With a rich, deep voice and distinctive style, Turner is a disciple of traditional country music and one of the youngest members of the Grand Ole Opry. • $50-$60 TWISTED WITH BLAZE, BOONDOX, PROZAK, AND SCUM • The Concourse • 9PM • A potent concoction of hardcore hip-hop, rock, horror cinema and theatrical styling. 18 and up. • $23 THE WAR AND TREATY WITH NOT A PLANET • WDVX • 12PM • Part of WDVX’s Blue Plate Special, a six-days-a-week lunchtime concert series featuring local, regional, and national Americana, folk, pop, rock, and everything else. • FREE THE WILL YAGER TRIO • The Bistro at the Bijou • 9PM • Live jazz. • FREE

OPEN MIC AND SONGWRITER NIGHTS

Thursday, Oct. 15 IRISH MUSIC SESSION • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 7:15PM • Held on the first and third Thursdays of each month. • FREE Sunday, Oct. 18 FAMILY FRIENDLY DRUM CIRCLE • Ijams Nature Center • 4PM • Bring a drum or share one of ours. All ages from toddlers to grandparents welcome. Free. Call Ijams at 865-577-4717 ex 110 to register. • FREE COMMUNITY DRUM CIRCLE • Tyson Park • 3PM • Join us for our last outdoor drum circle of the year. We’ve rented a

giant picnic shelter at Tyson Park that will provide lots of seating and shade. No experience is necessary and all ages are welcome. Admission is free. Located at Tyson Park under the large shelter near the tennis courts and playground. Parking spaces and restrooms are nearby and there’s an adjacent grassy area for hooping and poi. • FREE Tuesday, Oct. 20 PRESERVATION PUB SINGER/SONGWRITER NIGHT • Preservation Pub • 7PM • A weekly open mic.

OLD-TIME JAM SESSION • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 7:15PM • Hosted by Sarah Pickle. • FREE Wednesday, Oct. 21 TIME WARP TEA ROOM OLD-TIME JAM • Time Warp Tea Room • 7PM • Regular speed old-time/fiddle jam every Wednesday from 7-9 p.m. at the Time Warp Tea Room. All instruments and skill levels welcome.

BRACKINS BLUES JAM • Brackins Blues Club (Maryville) • 9PM • A weekly open session hosted by Tommie John. • FREE LONGBRANCH ACOUSTIC OPEN MIC NIGHT • Longbranch Saloon • 9PM Thursday, Oct. 22 SCOTTISH MUSIC SESSION • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 7:15PM • Held on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month.

• FREE

DJ AND DANCE NIGHTS Friday, Oct. 16 RETRO DANCE NIGHT • Hanna’s Old City • 9PM • 80s and Top 40 hits with DJ Ray Funk.

HEADROOM IV • The Concourse • 9PM • Featuring C Powers, Mark B, Greg and Nikki Nair. 18 and up. • $5

Saturday, Oct. 17 RETRO DANCE NIGHT • Hanna’s Old City • 9PM • 80s and Top 40 hits with DJ Ray Funk.

TEMPLE DANCE NIGHT • The Concourse • 9PM • Knoxville’s long-running alternative dance night. 18 and up. • $5 Sunday, Oct. 18 LAYOVER BRUNCH • The Concourse • 12PM • Brunch food

By Localmotive. Music on the patio. Presented by Midnight Voyage Productions. All ages. • FREE

CLASSICAL MUSIC

Thursday, Oct. 15 KSO CONCERTMASTER SERIES • Knoxville Museum of Art • 7PM • Featuring Gabriel Lefkowitz, violin, and Kevin Class, piano, performing KREISLER: Variations on a Theme by Corelli; MENDELSSOHN: Piano Trio No. 1 in d minor; and BEETHOVEN: Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 9 in A Major, “Kreutzer.” • $15 Friday, Oct. 16 UT TROMBONE CHOIR 50TH ANNIVERSARY EVENT • University of Tennessee • Featuring workshops, lectures, master classes, and performances, headlined by the UT Trombone Studio Faculty and Student Recital at the Haslam Music Center on Friday, Oct. 16, at 6 p.m.; a guest artist recital by Moises Paiewonsky at the Haslam Music Center on Saturday, Oct. 17, at 6 p.m.; and the UT Trombone Choir and Alumni Combined Concert at the James R. Cox Auditorium at Alumni Memorial Building on Sunday, Oct. 18, at 6 p.m. • FREE Saturday, Oct. 17

UT TROMBONE CHOIR 50TH ANNIVERSARY EVENT • University of Tennessee • FREE KNOXVILLE OPERA GOES TO CHURCH … A CELEBRATION OF TALENT • The Community Church at Tellico Village • 7PM • A mix of gospel and opera performed by local and guest artists. • FREE STILETTO BRASS QUINTET • First United Methodist Church of Oak Ridge • 7:30PM • The Stiletto Brass Quintet, formed in 2010, features five highly accomplished women with careers spanning the fields of orchestral, wind band, and brass chamber music. Subscription and individual tickets may be purchased online at www.ORCMA.org or by calling (865) 483-5569. • $25

NEXT WEEK!

Sunday, Oct. 18 UT TROMBONE CHOIR 50TH ANNIVERSARY EVENT • University of Tennessee • FREE Monday, Oct. 19 KEVIN CLASS: BRAHMS’ COMPLETE CHAMBER MUSIC WITH PIANO (PROGRAM VI) • University of Tennessee Natalie L. Haslam Music Center • 8PM • Faculty and guest artists recital; performances by Ching-Yi Lin-violin, Andrew Braddock-viola, and Christine Kim-cello. • FREE

THEATER AND DANCE

MARCELO LEHNINGER Music Director candidate

Thursday, Oct. 15 CLARENCE BROWN THEATRE: ‘OF MICE AND MEN’ • Clarence Brown Theatre • 7:30PM • This classic follows two migrant workers during the 1930s dustbowl depression who drift from job to job across the farms and fields of California, holding fast to their friendship and dream of one day having an acre of land they can call their own. Sept. 30-Oct. 18.

PINES OF ROME

Friday, Oct. 16 CLARENCE BROWN THEATRE: ‘OF MICE AND MEN’ • Clarence Brown Theatre • 7:30PM • Sept. 30-Oct. 18.

Marcelo Lehninger, conductor Gabriel Lefkowitz, violin

Saturday, Oct. 17 CLARENCE BROWN THEATRE: ‘OF MICE AND MEN’ • Clarence Brown Theatre • 7:30PM • Sept. 30-Oct. 18.

GO! CONTEMPORARY DANCE WORKS: PUSH • Clarence Brown Theatre • 7:30PM • GO! Contemporary Dance Works will begin its’ 13th season, under the direction of Lisa Hall McKee with PUSH, a diverse and electric performance that will enthrall audiences of all ages. • $16 Sunday, Oct. 18 CLARENCE BROWN THEATRE: ‘OF MICE AND MEN’ • Clarence Brown Theatre • 2PM • Sept. 30-Oct. 18.

GO! CONTEMPORARY DANCE WORKS: PUSH • Clarence Brown Theatre • 3PM • $16 Friday, Oct. 23 KNOXVILLE CHILDREN’S THEATRE: QUOTH THE RAVEN: TALES OF EDGAR ALLAN POE • Knoxville Children’s Theatre • 7PM • Knoxville Children’s Theatre will present Quoth The Raven: Tales of Edgar Allan Poe, a stage adaptation of the writings of Edgar Allan Poe for children and families, especially for Halloween. Oct. 23-Nov. 8. Visit knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com. • $12 THEATRE KNOXVILLE DOWNTOWN: DIAL “M” FOR MURDER • Theatre Knoxville Downtown • 8PM • Tony Wendice has married his wife, Margot, for her money and now plans to murder her for the same reason. He arranges the perfect murder. Unfortunately, the murderer gets murdered and the victim survives. Oct. 23-Nov. 8. Visit theatreknoxville. com. • $15 I AM MY OWN WIFE • Clarence Brown Theatre • 8PM • I

Thursday, Oct. 22 • 7:30 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 23 • 7:30 p.m.

TENNESSEE THEATRE

SHOSTAKOVICH: Symphony No. 1 RAVEL: Tzigane DEBUSSY: Two Preludes RESPIGHI: Pines of Rome Sponsored by Harper Auto Square & UT Federal Credit Union

TCHAIKOVSKY PIANO CONCERTO NO. 1 Thursday, Nov. 19 • 7:30 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 20 • 7:30 p.m.

Tennessee Theatre Shizuo “Z” Kuwahara, conductor Stewart Goodyear, piano Sponsored by Circle of Friends

CALL: (865) 291-3310 CLICK: knoxvillesymphony.com VISIT: Monday-Friday, 9-5 October 15, 2015

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 71

CALENDAR

Thursday, Oct. 15 - Sunday, Oct. 25

COMEDY AND SPOKEN WORD

Am My Own Wife is the 2004 Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning play by Doug Wright. The play tells the true story of Charlotte Von Mahlsdorf, an East Berlin antique collector and transgender person who survived both the Nazi and Communist regimes in part by acting as a Stazi informant. She became a national icon after the fall of the Berlin Wall. This one-man show will be performed by Brian Gligor under the direction of John Sipes; Gligor will play 35 different characters, including Charlotte herself. For more information please visit iwifeknoxville.com. • FREE Saturday, Oct. 24 KNOXVILLE CHILDREN’S THEATRE: QUOTH THE RAVEN: TALES OF EDGAR ALLAN POE • Knoxville Children’s Theatre • 1PM and 5PM • Oct. 23-Nov. 8. Visit knoxvillechildrenstheatre. com. • $12 THEATRE KNOXVILLE DOWNTOWN: DIAL “M” FOR MURDER • Theatre Knoxville Downtown • 8PM • Oct. 23-Nov. 8. Visit theatreknoxville.com. • $15 I AM MY OWN WIFE • Clarence Brown Theatre • 8PM • For more information please visit iwifeknoxville.com. • FREE Sunday, Oct. 25 KNOXVILLE CHILDREN’S THEATRE: QUOTH THE RAVEN: TALES OF EDGAR ALLAN POE • Knoxville Children’s Theatre • 3PM • Oct. 23-Nov. 8. Visit knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com. • $12 I AM MY OWN WIFE • Clarence Brown Theatre • 2PM • For more information please visit iwifeknoxville.com. • FREE THEATRE KNOXVILLE DOWNTOWN: DIAL “M” FOR MURDER • Theatre Knoxville Downtown • 3PM • Oct. 23-Nov. 8. Visit theatreknoxville.com. • $13

Friday, Oct. 16 THE FIFTH WOMAN POETRY SLAM • The Birdhouse • 6:30PM • The 5th Woman Poetry slam is place where all poets can come and share their words of love, respect, passion, and expression. It is not dedicated solely women but is a place where women poets are celebrated and honored. Check out our facebook pages for the challenge of the month and focus for our poetry every month.

Saturday, Oct. 17 COMEDY BOOZE CRUISE: JAMIE WARD AND KRISTINE KINSEY • Star of Knoxville Riverboat • 10:30PM • Scruffy City’s tradition of Comedy Booze Cruises continues on the Star Of Knoxville Riverboat with rising star from Atlanta Jamie Ward and a local favorite you may have seen at Side Splitters Kristine Kinsey. Also on the show is the host of Knoxville’s weekly Tuesday night open mic John Miller and Atlanta favorite Jennifer Lynch. Hosted by Jay Kendrick. The boat will depart at 10:30PM as we depart for a night of drinks, laughs, and fun. This show is for 21+ up only. • $10-$15 Sunday, Oct. 18 UPSTAIRS UNDERGROUND COMEDY • Preservation Pub • 8PM • A weekly comedy open mic.

Monday, Oct. 19

OCTOBER 24, 2015 2-9pm Musik, Art, Brats & Bier!

QED COMEDY LABORATORY • Pilot Light • 7:30PM • QED ComedyLaboratory is a weekly show with different theme every week that combines stand-up, improv, sketch, music and other types of performance and features some of the funniest people in Knoxville and parts unknown.

It’s weird and experimental. There is no comedy experience in town that is anything like this and it’s also a ton of fun. Pay what you want. Free, but donations are accepted. • FREE Tuesday, Oct. 20 OPEN MIC STAND-UP COMEDY • Longbranch Saloon • 8PM • Come laugh until you cry at the Longbranch every Tuesday night. Doors open at 8, first comic at 8:30. No cover charge, all are welcome. Aspiring or experienced comics interested in joining in the fun email us at longbranch.info@gmail.com to learn more, or simply come to the show a few minutes early. • FREE EINSTEIN SIMPLIFIED • Scruffy City Hall • 8PM • Einstein Simplified Comedy performs live comedy improv at Scruffy City Hall. It’s just like Whose Line Is It Anyway, but you get to make the suggestions. Show starts at 8:15, get there early for the best seats. No cover. • FREE Wednesday, Oct. 21 RALPHIE MAY • Bijou Theatre • 8PM • Voted one of Variety’s “10 Comics to Watch,” Ralphie May combines the familiar elements of hip-hop and topical comedy with a dash of southern down-home flavor and quick wit.

Appearing on the first season of “Last Comic Standing,” Ralphie displayed his ability to cross social, cultural, and ethnic barriers. He will capture your heart and make you

gleefully uncomfortable. • $30

FESTIVALS

Thursday, Oct. 15 TOP KNOX 2015 WINNERS’ PARTY • Scruffy City Hall • 8PM • Join the staff of the Knoxville Mercury in celebrating the winners and runners-up in our inaugural Top Knox readers’ survey, sponsored by Visit Knoxville. The party’s on the very same day the Top Knox 2015 issue comes out!

Performing will be Bear Medicine and Sunshine Station.

And it’s free! • FREE Friday, Oct. 16 FANBOY EXPO • Knoxville Convention Center • 4PM • The semiannual comics/sci-fi convention brings the Monkees’ Peter Tork, Steve Guttenberg, Lex Luger, and more to the Knoxville Convention Center for a weekend of autographs, collectibles, and art. Plus: a Skype Q&A session with Dick Van Dyke! Visit www.fanboyexpo.com. • $15-$50 BREASTSTROKES KNOXVILLE AUCTION • Striped Light • 6PM • Please join us on Friday, October 16 for our annual silent auction to raise money for two local women who are fighting cancer.

SUPER SPEEDY CIDER CON • Hilton Downtown • Super Speedy Cider Con (SSCC) is the only Brony convention in the heart of the South for fans of the Hasbro animated TV series My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, commonly referred to as “Bronies”. Held in downtown Knoxville at the newly renovated Hilton, Super Speedy Cider Con features extraordinary special guests, amazing panel

We love you, Knoxville!

A Fantastic Time under the Big Tent!

RAIN OR SHINE!

60 Art Vendors

Watch the Vols with us!

LIVE MUSIK:

2-4 p.m. Knoxville Polka Kings 4-6 p.m. Misty Mountain String Band 6-9 p.m. Uptown Stomp

Thanks for voting WUTK 90.3 The Rock Knoxville’s BesT Radio sTaTion and for voting dJ-1 Chance (Collins), damian Messer, and Rob & derek from The Funhouse as the three runner-ups for Best Radio Personality

One free beverage with $10 advanced tickets available at:

in the inaugural Knox Mercury Top Knox awards.

Kids 12 and under FREE!

Mark your calendars for these upcoming WUTK fund raisers: Oct. 30: Lil’ Iffy @ The Concourse ★ Nov. 2: Beer Dinner @ Sunspot

www.artoberfestknox.com

LOCATED AT THE CORNER OF GRATZ & MORGAN STREETS IN KNOXVILLE BEER BY

72

KNOXVILLE MERCURY October 15, 2015

THANKS TO MEDIA SPONSOR

Streaming 24.7.365 from our BRAND NEW web site!

WUTKRADIO★COM or listen on your

smart phone and iPad app.

Thursday, Oct. 15 - Sunday, Oct. 25

lineup, the best vendors and artists, contests, cosplaying, games, fun, and much more.

Saturday, Oct. 17 ST. PAUL EPISCOPAL CHURCH FALL FESTIVAL • St. Paul Episcopal Church • 9AM • Crafts, bake sale, yard sale, live bluegrass music, hot dog lunch for sale.

FANBOY EXPO • Knoxville Convention Center • 10AM • Visit www.fanboyexpo.com. • $15-$50 KNOX ASIAN FESTIVAL • Krutch Park • 10AM • Knox Asian Festival aims to promote diverse cultures and celebrate traditions and talents from the Asian continent. The Festival aims to bring together people from various cultural backgrounds, to promote peace, harmony and unity. Each participating country will showcase its unique music, dance, food, fashion, handicrafts and other products. Visit http://www.knoxasianfestival.com for more info. • FREE EAST TENNESSEE MUSIC COLLECTORS SHOW • Days Inn North • 10AM • This event is for music lovers and collectors, and features music dealers from all over the South selling rare vintage vinyl LPs and 45s plus CDs, DVDs and more. Bring your clean record collection in for appraisal and purchase and make good extra cash. • $2 KNOXVILLE ZOMBIE WALK • The Concourse • 6PM • The Knoxville Zombie Walk 2015 will start and end at The Concourse at The International. After the walk there will be a concert featuring La Basura Del Diablo, The Billy Widgets, and Burning Turley. All ages. • $5 STURGEONFEST 2015 • Seven Islands State Birding Park • 11AM • Come out to help us release thousands of native lake sturgeon into the French Broad River! SF 2015 will

feature food, education exhibits, a hay bale maze, and an opportunity to get up close and personal with these prehistoric creatures. For more information visit www.

TCWN.org.

KNOXVILLE BREWERS’ JAM • World’s Fair Park • 12PM • Community Shares of Tennessee ’s biggest annual fundraiser regularly draws up to 4,000 people to downtown Knoxville for a day of craft beer, live music, food and fun. For more information, visit KnoxvilleBrewersJam.com, email knoxbrewersjam@communitysharestn.org or contact Community Shares at 865-522-1604. • $45 HISTORIC RUGBY GHOSTLY GATHERING • Historic Rugby • 6PM • The yearly Halloween-season celebration is a favorite among village visitors, who enjoy a homemade chili dinner with dessert at the Historic Rugby Community Building, followed by candle and oil lamp tours of several historic buildings dating back to the early 1880s. For reservations or more information, call 1-888-214-3400 or email rugbyeducation@highland.net or visit www. historicrugby.org. • $20 SUPER SPEEDY CIDER CON • Hilton Downtown • Super Speedy Cider Con (SSCC) is the only Brony convention in the heart of the South for fans of the Hasbro animated TV series My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, commonly referred to as “Bronies”. Held in downtown Knoxville at the newly renovated Hilton, Super Speedy Cider Con features extraordinary special guests, amazing panel lineup, the best vendors and artists, contests, cosplaying, games, fun, and much more.

Sunday, Oct. 18

CALENDAR

FANBOY EXPO • Knoxville Convention Center • 11AM • Visit www.fanboyexpo.com. • $15-$50 MABRY-HAZEN HOUSE LINEAGE AND LEGACY • Mabry-Hazen House • 2PM • A special celebration of one of Knoxville’s first families, the event will center on remembering the family’s impact both past and present.

Join us for a one-act play written by Doug McDaniel and performed by the Tennessee Stage Company as Evelyn Hazen reminisces on the history of her family from the 1850s through the 1960s. Additionally, the event will serve as the annual meeting of the membership. For more information visit www.mabryhazen.com. • FREE SUPER SPEEDY CIDER CON • Hilton Downtown • Super Speedy Cider Con (SSCC) is the only Brony convention in the heart of the South for fans of the Hasbro animated TV series My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, commonly referred to as “Bronies”. Held in downtown Knoxville at the newly renovated Hilton, Super Speedy Cider Con features extraordinary special guests, amazing panel lineup, the best vendors and artists, contests, cosplaying, games, fun, and much more.

FILM SCREENINGS

Friday, Oct. 16 MOVIES ON MARKET SQUARE • Market Square • 7PM • The 1992 women’s baseball comedy A League of Their Own caps this season’s film series. Bring a blanket or a lawn chair and join hundreds of others under the stars for a night of family fun in front of the silver screen. • FREE

THE UT DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY PRESENTS THE 2015 CHARLES O. JACKSON MEMORIAL LECTURE

Bible and the Civil War: The

Monday, Oct. 19 THE BIRDHOUSE WALK-IN THEATER • The Birdhouse • 8:15PM • A weekly free movie screening. • FREE Wednesday, Oct. 21 SCRUFFY CITY CINE-PUB • Scruffy City Hall • 7PM • Free Wednesday movie screenings. • FREE Friday, Oct. 23 KNOXVILLE HORROR FILM FEST • Regal Downtown West Cinema 8 • The Knoxville Horror Film Fest will present its seventh annual weekend of scare-­friendly cinema on October 23-­25, bringing the genre film festival experience to East Tennessee with a slate of premier indie horror features and a barrage of unique shorts from around the region and around the world. This year’s festival will kick off Friday night at Regal Downtown West, return for an all­-day marathon of screenings on Saturday, then wrap up across town on Sunday afternoon with a special throwback double feature followed by an awards ceremony & 80’s-­horror themed costume party at Market Square’s Scruffy City Hall. Further information is available at knoxvillehorrorfest.com or on KHFF’s Facebook page.

Saturday, Oct. 24 KNOXVILLE HORROR FILM FEST • Regal Downtown West Cinema 8 • Further information is available at knoxvillehorrorfest.com or on KHFF’s Facebook page.

THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW • Tennessee Theatre • 11PM • Come dressed to impress as your favorite Rocky Horror character. The movie begins at 11:15pm, complete with a live shadow cast, leading fans in audience

Patronize our advertisers!!!

And tell them you saw their ad here in

BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER SPEAKER:

MARK NOLL

Francis A. McAnaney Professor of History, University of Notre Dame

WEDNESDAY

OCTOBER 21, 5 p.m.

UT CAMPUS, ALUMNI MEMORIAL BUILDING, ROOM 210 1408 Middle Drive, Knoxville, TN 37996 FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

history.utk.edu

October 15, 2015

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 73

CALENDAR

Thursday, Oct. 15 - Sunday, Oct. 25

participation. • $10

add a pint and a pizza. • FREE

Sunday, Oct. 25 KNOXVILLE HORROR FILM FEST • Scruffy City Hall • Further information is available at knoxvillehorrorfest.com or on KHFF’s Facebook page.

THE PUBLIC CINEMA: HORSE MONEY • Knoxville Museum of Art • 2PM • Pedro Costa’s latest collaboration with a community of Cape Verdean immigrants in Lisbon opens with a silent montage of still photos by Jacob Riis, a muckraking journalist and social reformer who documented the lives of the working poor in turn-of-thecentury New York City. Costa is himself something of a muckraker, and the images in Horse Money are similarly sublime, haunted and material. • FREE

Friday, Oct. 16 WINDROCK PARK FALL JAMBOREE • Windrock Park • For more information about the event or the area, visit www. windrockpark.com or call 865-435-3492.

KNOXVILLE AMATEUR HOCKEY ASSOCIATION SLED HOCKEY CLINIC • Cool Sports • 6:30PM • The clinic is being offered, free of charge, to anyone over the age of five with physical and cognitive disabilities interested in trying the game of hockey. The Try Sled Hockey For Free clinic will be led by instructors from USA Hockey’s National Sled Hockey Program as well as members of the Nashville “Sled Preds” and local KAHA instructors. No previous hockey or ice skating experience is required. While the clinic is free, space is limited and pre-registration is required. To register or for more information, visit www. kaha.org. • FREE

SPORTS AND RECREATION

Thursday, Oct. 15 WINDROCK PARK FALL JAMBOREE • Windrock Park • Calling all ATV’s and SxS’s! There will be a range of events from guided rides, ATV Rodeo, poker run, Windrock Wide Open, Windrock Challenge, Drag Race, Mud Bog and Dash for Cash. For more information about the event or the area, visit www.windrockpark.com or call 865-435-3492.

WHOLE FOODS GAME NIGHT • Whole Foods • 6PM • Join us for everything from Candy Land to chess, and feel free to

Saturday, Oct. 17 WINDROCK PARK FALL JAMBOREE • Windrock Park • For more information about the event or the area, visit www. windrockpark.com or call 865-435-3492.

SMOKY MOUNTAIN HIKING CLUB: MOUNT CAMMERER • Smoky Mountain Hiking Club • 8AM • For this Fall hike, we will start at the Cosby Campground Hiker Parking Area, taking Low Gap Trail for a steep but beautiful climb up to the AT, seeing some amazing old growth trees along the way. Hike: 11.4 miles RT, rated moderate due to length and total elevation gain (approx. 2800 ft.). Meet at Comcast, 5720 Asheville Highway, for prompt departure at 8:00 AM. Leaders: Diane Petrilla,petrillad@gmail.com; Eric Keller,

eric.keller@live.com • FREE VALOR FIGHTS 27 • The International • 5PM • Knoxville’s local MMA promotion pits Terry Bullman against Portland Pringle in a pro kickboxing matchup, with other fights on the undercard. • $28-$66 PRIDE NIGHT OUT WITH THE KNOXVILLE ICE BEARS • Knoxville Civic Coliseum • 6:30PM • Pride Night OUT with the Ice Bears will include buffet dinner, ice box seating, player visits, door prizes, cash bar, and much more. Tickets available online at knoxvillepridefest.org/store/ice-bears.

This edition of Pride Night OUT will be the inaugural event featuring professional hockey in Knoxville. • $50 Monday, Oct. 19 GOODWILL GOLF CLASSIC • Houston Hills Country Club • 11AM • The Goodwill Golf Classic celebrates the contributions of the Hatmaker family while supporting the mission of Goodwill Industries-Knoxville, to provide vocational training and employment opportunities for people with barriers to employment. Registration for the Goodwill Golf Classic includes 18 holes of golf at the Holston Hills Country Club, cart rental, lunch and refreshments throughout the event. Single-player registration is $150; a team of four is $550. Can you snag the $10,000 Hole-in-One prize? Proceeds from this event directly support job training in and around Knox County.

Space is limited, so register online at www.goodwillknoxville.org/golf or by calling the Goodwill Marketing Team at 865.588.8567.

Tuesday, Oct. 20 FALL TRASH RUN • Bearden Beer Market • 6PM • The Trash

Business

Run is a non-competitive Fun Run for people who seek to improve their own health while improving the health of the community. Runners go out on a mile long run and pick up litter along the way. We will be hosting our Fall Trash Run at the Bearden Beer Market on October 20th at 6:00pm. There will be raffle prizes! Bearden Beer Market will be providing a $1 off beer during the event and will donate a $1 to KKB for every beer bought.

WHOLE FOODS GAME NIGHT • Whole Foods • 6PM • Join us for everything from Candy Land to chess, and feel free to add a pint and a pizza. • FREE Wednesday, Oct. 21 SMOKY MOUNTAIN HIKING CLUB: EAST LAKESHORE TRAIL • 9AM • This will be an easy shuttle hike on the East Lakeshore Trail along Tellico Lake. We will cross the Wind River golf course. Hike: 7.7 miles, rated easy. Meet at Lenoir City Cracker Barrel, Exit 81, 325 Fort Loudon Medical Center Drive, at 9:00 AM. Leader: Terry Nyenhuis, terrynyenhuis@gmail.com • FREE

ART

A1LabArts 23 Emory Place OCT. 2-16: Chakra Windows, the fall member exhibit, featuring artwork by Preston Farabow, Doris Ivie, Norman Magden, Seva, and more. An opening reception will be held on Friday, Oct. 2, from 6-10 p.m., with presentations and performances by the artists starting at 8 p.m. A closing reception will be held on Friday, Oct. 16, from 6-9 p.m.

Product awareness

Company goodwill

There’s never been a better time to “go public.”

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9/7/15 9:52 AM

Thursday, Oct. 15 - Sunday, Oct. 25

Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts 556 Parkway (Gatlinburg) AUG. 29-OCT. 31: MATERIALITIES: CONTEMPORARY TEXTILE ART; SEPT. 11-NOV. 7: TIME, A COLLABORATIVE EXHIBIT OF CERAMIC WORK BY BLAIR CLEMO AND JASON HACKETT. Art Market Gallery 422 S. Gay St. SEPT. 28-NOV. 1: Paintings by Marie Merritt and pottery by Millie Derrick.

Broadway Studios and Gallery 1127 Broadway OCT. 2-28: Artwork by members of the Fountain City Art Center.

Clayton Center for the Arts 502 E. Lamar Alexander Parkway (Maryville) OCT. 3-31: Townsend Artisan Guild: A Sense of Place. A closing reception will be held on Friday, Oct. 30, from 6-9 p.m.

The District Gallery 5113 Kingston Pike OCT. 2-31: In My View, new oil paintings by Bill Suttles.

Downtown Gallery 106 S. Gay St. OCT. 2-31: Artwork by sculptor and installation artist Lorrie Fredette and painter Larry Brown.

East Tennessee History Center 601 S. Gay St. APRIL 27-OCT. 18: Memories of the Blue and Gray: The Civil War in East Tennessee at 150 Emporium Center for Arts and Culture 100 S. Gay St. OCT. 2-30: Tennessee Artists Association Fall Juried Show; Tennessee River: Gem of the South, photographs by Ron Lowery; sculpture by Anna Wszyndybyl; Letters From Vietnam Project; Vols: A 25-Year Retrospective, photographs by Patrick Murphy-Racey.

Ewing Gallery 1715 Volunteer Blvd.

OCT. 5-31: infra_eco_logi urbanism, an exhibition of speculative urban design. .

Knoxville Museum of Art 1050 World’s Fair Park Drive AUG. 21-NOV. 8: The Paternal Suit, paintings, prints, and objects by conceptual artist F. Scott Hess. ONGOING: Higher Ground: A Century of the Visual Arts in Tennessee; Currents: Recent Art From East Tennessee and Beyond; and Facets of Modern and Contemporary Glass.

Liz-Beth and Co. 7240 Kingston Pike SEPT. 28-OCT. 24: Knoxville: A Work of Art, featuring Knoxville’s urban landscapes in work by Jillie Eves, Sandy Brown, Jim Gray, Caitlin Painter, Rex Redd, and David Patterson.

McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture 1327 Circle Park Drive SEPT. 11-JAN. 3: Embodying Enlightenment: Buddhist Art of the Himalayas. Ongoing: The Flora and Fauna of Catesby, Mason, and Audubon and Life on the Roman Frontier.

CALENDAR

Zach Searcy Projects 317 N. Gay St. OCT. 2-31 : Phantom Buoy, new paintings by Thomas Wharton.

Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church 2931 Kingston Pike SEPT. 11-DEC. 3: An exhibit of artwork by TVUUC members.

LECTURES, READINGS, AND BOOK SIGNINGS

Thursday, Oct. 15 THEODORE BROWN JR.: “ESTES KEFAUVER’S PERSONAL APPROACH TO POLITICS” • East Tennessee History Center • 12PM • Theodore Brown, Jr. will explore the sources of Kefauver’s approach to politics, the motivations behind his congressional investigations, and the methods he used in taking progressive positions on controversial public-policy issues. Call 865-215-8824 or visit the website at www.

EastTNHistory.org. • FREE SAM VENABLE • University of Tennessee • 5:30PM • The Library Society of the University of Tennessee invites the public to spend an evening with Knoxville’s best-known jokester. The event is free and open to the public, but registration is requested at http://s.lib.utk.edu/ samvenable. • FREE Friday, Oct. 16 KENTUCKY POET LAUREATE GEORGE ELLA LYON • Carson-Newman University • 4PM • Part of the Carson-Newman University Appalachian Cultural Center’s 2015 lineup. • FREE Tuesday, Oct. 20 ROBERT B. CHURCH III MEMORIAL ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN LECTURE SERIES • University of Tennessee Art and Architecture Building • 5:30PM • Internationally recognized architects and designers will visit the University of Tennessee this year to talk about the latest ideas in the field during the Robert B. Church III Memorial Lecture Series. The series, which is free and open to the public, features lectures, films and exhibits. FREE Wednesday, Oct. 21 BECKY DAVIS: ‘FRACKING: ECONOMICS AND POLICY IMPACT’ • Howard H. Baker Center for Public Policy • 11AM • Becky Davis is a Baker Center graduate research assistant. • FREE MARK NOLL: “THE BIBLE AND THE CIVIL WAR” • University of Tennessee Alumni Memorial Building • 5PM • The distinguished historian will explore arguments that claim the Bible contributed to sectional controversies that eventually led to the Civil War. The event, which is free and open to the public, will be in the Alumni Memorial Building, Room 210. • FREE ROBERT B. CHURCH III MEMORIAL ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN LECTURE SERIES • University of Tennessee Art and Architecture Building • 5:30PM • Internationally recognized architects and designers will visit the University of Tennessee this year to talk about the latest ideas in the field during the Robert B. Church III Memorial Lecture Series. The series, which is free and open to the public, features lectures, films and exhibits. FREE

FAMILY AND

KIDS’ EVENTS

Thursday, Oct. 15 BABY BOOKWORMS • Lawson McGee Public Library • 11AM • For infants to age 2, must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. • FREE CHESS AT THE LIBRARY • Blount County Public Library • 1PM. • FREE TODDLER’S YOGI YOGA • Shanti Yoga Haven • 9AM Friday, Oct. 16 SMART TOYS AND BOOKS ART CLASS • Smart Toys and Books • 10AM • Reservations and payment are required in advance. Class fees are non-refundable. Ages 2+. • $10 Saturday, Oct. 17 CHESS AT THE LIBRARY • Blount County Public Library • 10AM • FREE SATURDAY STORIES AND SONGS • Lawson McGee Public Library • 11AM • A weekly music and storytelling session for kids. • FREE CHILDREN’S STORY TIME • Union Ave Books • 11AM • FREE Sunday, Oct. 18 PAINT YOUR PUMPKIN • Sweet Pea • 1PM • Participants may purchase a pretty painted pumpkin from the patch or decorate one to their hearts desire for a donation to Cancer Support Community East Tennessee. For more information please contact Margaux Cowan-Banker at 865-546-4661 or Dee Lockwood-Hicks at 865-584-9000.

Monday, Oct. 19 TODDLER’S YOGI YOGA • Shanti Yoga Haven • 9AM MUSICAL MORNINGS • Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge • 10AM • Children can explore tone, melody, and rhythm in an age-appropriate environment. childrensmuseumofoakridge.org/musical-morning.

STROLLER TOUR: DISCOVERING BUDDHIST FOLKTALES • McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture • 10AM • Join us for a morning out as our museum educator leads engaging gallery tours for parents and caregivers and their young ones. This month we explore the special exhibit, Embodying Enlightenment: Buddhist Art of the Himalayas. The event is free, but limited, and all attendees must register to attend online. Registration opens a month in advance and closes the day before the tour. • FREE SMART TOYS AND BOOKS STORYTIME • Smart Toys and Books • 11AM • Storytime with Miss Helen is every Monday at 11:00am. No charge. No reservations required. • FREE Tuesday, Oct. 20 TODDLERS’ PLAYTIME • Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge • 10AM • Toddlers’ Playtime is designed for children aged 4 and younger, accompanied by their parents, grandparents, or caregivers. Free with paid admission or museum membership. http://childrensmuseumofoakridge.org/ toddlers-playtime/ PRE-K READ AND PLAY • Lawson McGee Public Library • 11AM • Pre-K Read and Play is a pilot program specifically designed to prepare children to enter kindergarten. While the format of the program will still feel like a traditional storytime with books, music, and other educational activities, each weekly session will focus on a different standard from the Tennessee Department of Education’s Early Childhood/Early Learning Developmental Standards.

• FREE KIDS IN ACTION! • Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge • 11AM • Frances Gross will lead the kids in games that provide a good workout. These classes are free with paid

ON SALE FRIDAY, 10/16 AT 10AM!

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KNOXVILLE MERCURY 75

CALENDAR admission or museum membership. Details are available at http://childrensmuseumofoakridge.org/classes/. For preschoolers 3-5 years old.

EVENING STORYTIME • Lawson McGee Public Library • 6:30PM • An evening storytime at Lawson McGhee Children’s Room to include stories, music, and crafts. For toddlers and up. • FREE Wednesday, Oct. 21 BABY BOOKWORMS • Lawson McGee Public Library • 10:20AM • For infants to age 2, must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. • FREE PRESCHOOL STORYTIME • Lawson McGee Public Library • 11AM • For ages 3 to 5, must be accompanied by an adult.

• FREE

CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS

Thursday, Oct. 15 GENTLE YOGA AND MEDITATION • Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church • 12PM • Call 865-577-2021 or email yogaway249@gmail.com. Donations accepted.

CANCER SUPPORT COMMUNITY: KNIT YOUR WAY TO WELLNESS • Cancer Support Community • 1PM • Whether you are a novice knitter or an old pro, you are invited to bring your own project or join others in learning a new one. Supplies provided. 865-546-4661.

PORTRAIT AND LIFE DRAWING PRACTICE SESSION • Historic Candoro Marble Company • 2PM • Portrait practice session. Call Brad Selph for more information 865-573-0709. • $10 KNOX COUNTY MASTER GARDENERS: MAKING A BIRD-FRIENDLY HABITAT • Humana Guidance Center • 3:15PM • For more information call 865-329-8892. • FREE KNOX COUNTY MASTER GARDENERS: DON’T TREAT YOUR SOIL LIKE DIRT • Concord United Methodist Church • 6PM • 865-966-6728 ext 227. • FREE BELLY DANCE LEVELS 1 AND 2 • Knox Dance Worx • 8PM • Call (865) 898-2126 or email alexia@alexia-dance.com. • $12 Friday, Oct. 16 YOGA AND QI-GONG BASICS • Shanti Yoga Haven • 6PM Saturday, Oct. 17 IMPROV COMEDY CLASS • The Birdhouse • 10AM • A weekly improv comedy class. • FREE KNOX COUNTY MASTER GARDENERS: MAKING A BIRD-FRIENDLY HABITAT • Bearden Branch Public Library • 10:30AM • Call 865-588-8813 or knoxlib.org. • FREE Sunday, Oct. 18 MINDFULNESS TOO SERIES: CULTIVATING WELL-BEING • Cancer Support Community • 5PM • This mindfulness series will focus on the empirically validated findings from positive psychology, neuroscience and evolutionary biology that suggest that 40% of our felt sense of wellbeing can be enhanced by learning and engaging in simple habits and behavioral practices. Call 865-5464661 for more info.

MONDAY, OCT. 19 CANCER SUPPORT COMMUNITY QUICK AND TASTY COOKING CLASS • Cancer Support Community • 12PM • Call 865-546-4661.

KNOX COUNTY MASTER GARDENERS: DON’T TREAT YOUR SOIL LIKE DIRT • Davis Family YMCA • 1PM • Call 865-777-9622. • FREE GENTLE YOGA AND MEDITATION • Tennessee Valley 76

KNOXVILLE MERCURY October 15, 2015

Thursday, Oct. 15 - Sunday, Oct. 25

Unitarian Universalist Church • 5:30PM • Call 865-5772021 or email yogaway249@gmail.com. Donations accepted.

Tuesday, Oct. 20 GENTLE YOGA AND MEDITATION • Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church • 12PM • Call 865-577-2021 or email yogaway249@gmail.com. Donations accepted.

YOGA WITH SUBAGHJI • The Birdhouse • 5:15PM • Classes and Workshops Wednesday, Oct. 21 FLOW AND GO YOGA • Illuminations Alternative and Holistic Health • 12:15PM • Call 985-788-5496 or email sandylarson@yahoo.com. • $10 BELLY DANCING CLASS • Illuminations Alternative and Holistic Health • 7PM • Call 985-788-5496 or email sandylarson@yahoo.com. • $15

MEETINGS

Thursday, Oct. 15 CANCER SUPPORT COMMUNITY FAMILY BEREAVEMENT GROUP • Cancer Support Community • 4:30PM • Call 865-546-4661 for more info.

OVEREATERS ANONYMOUS • Recovery at Cokesbury • 5:30PM • FREE ATHEISTS SOCIETY OF KNOXVILLE • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 5:30PM • Weekly atheists meetup and happy hour. Come join us for food, drink and great conversation.

Everyone welcome. • FREE THE SOUTHERN LITERATURE BOOK CLUB • Union Ave Books • 6PM • Union Ave Books’ monthly discussion group about Southern books and writers. • FREE Saturday, Oct. 17 AL-ANON • Faith Lutheran Church • 11AM • Visit our local website at farragutalanon.org or email us at FindHope@ Farragutalanon.org. • FREE Sunday, Oct. 18 SILENT MEDITATION SUNDAYS • Narrow Ridge Earth Literacy Center • 11AM • The gatherings are intended to be inclusive of people of all faiths as well as those who do not align themselves with a particular religious denomination. For more information contact Mitzi Wood-Von Mizener at 865-497-3603 or community@ narrowridge.org. • FREE Monday, Oct. 19 ASPERGER’S SUPPORT GROUP • Remedy Coffee • 6PM • Are you an adult with asperger’s and looking for others who have the same strengths and challenges in life? Contact Saskia at (865) 247-0065 ext. 23. • FREE GAY MEN’S DISCUSSION GROUP • Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church • 7:30PM • We hold facilitated discussions on topics and issues relevant to local gay men in a safe and open environment. Visit gaygroupknoxville.org.

Tuesday, Oct. 20 KNOXVILLE COCOAHEADS • Knoxville Entrepreneur Center • 7PM • CocoaHeads is a group devoted to discussion of Apple’s Cocoa and Cocoa Touch Frameworks for programming on OS X (Mac) and iOS (iPhone, iPad). During monthly meetings, members offer tutorials, present their projects, share app ideas, and provide advice to other programmers.

Wednesday, Oct. 21 COMITE POPULAR DE KNOXVILLE • The Birdhouse • 7PM • A

weekly meeting of the local immigrant advocacy organization.

CANCER SUPPORT COMMUNITY WOMEN WITH ADVANCED CANCER NETWORKER • Cancer Support Community • 1:30PM • Join other women who are living with cancer as a chronic illness to discuss feelings and experiences that are unique to women with advanced cancer. Please call before your first visit. Call 865-546- 4661 for more info.

All Cancer Support Community programs are offered at no cost to individuals affected by cancer.

ORION ASTRONOMY CLUB • The Grove Theater (Oak Ridge) • 7PM • ORION is an amateur science and astronomy club centered in Oak Ridge. We meet on the third Wednesday of each month for coffee and conversation, and our program begins 15 minutes thereafter. • FREE

ETC.

Thursday, Oct. 15 BLOUNT COUNTY FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY PRE-OWNED BOOK SALE • Blount County Public Library • 12PM • Over 40,000 books, many 50 cents, cookbooks, collectibles, mysteries and romances, children’s books , young adults’ series, Christian self-help and fiction,hobbies, DVDs, CDs. Oct. 15-17. (October is for members only; you can join at the door.) • FREE NEW HARVEST PARK FARMERS MARKET • New Harvest Park • 3PM • FREE THURSDAY NIGHT LISTENING PARTY • Open Chord Brewhouse and Stage • 8PM • We’ll listen to a specific album the day before it’s released. Then we’ll be giving away lots of freebies including a copy of the evening’s album.

Friday, Oct. 16 BLOUNT COUNTY FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY PRE-OWNED BOOK SALE • Blount County Public Library • 9AM • FREE LAKESHORE PARK FARMERS’ MARKET • Lakeshore Park • 3PM • FREE UNION COUNTY FARMERS MARKET • Maynardville • 4PM • More info call Union Co. Extension Office at 865-9928038. • FREE Saturday, Oct. 17 OAK RIDGE FARMERS’ MARKET • Historic Jackson Square • 8AM MARKET SQUARE FARMERS’ MARKET • Market Square • 9AM • FREE UT ARBORETUM SOCIETY FALL PLANT SALE • University of Tennessee Arboretum (Oak Ridge) • 9AM • Beaver Creek Nursery, East Fork Nursery, Riverdale Nursery, Sunlight Gardens, as well as the UT Arboretum Society’s members and friends will offer a variety of high quality plants. To learn more about the Arboretum Society, go to www. utarboretumsociety.org. For more information call 865-483-3571. • FREE BLOUNT COUNTY FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY PRE-OWNED BOOK SALE • Blount County Public Library • 9AM • FREE Tuesday, Oct. 20 EBENEZER ROAD FARMERS’ MARKET • Ebenezer United Methodist Church • 3PM • FREE Wednesday, Oct. 21 MARKET SQUARE FARMERS’ MARKET • Market Square • 9AM • FREE

Send your events to calendar@knoxmercury.com

s r p e a n r t n i y w TH

U RS

DAY O TH AT CTOBER SC

M P

RUFFY RE A U Q S CITY HALL MARKET TWO BANDS • STARTING AT 8PM

Bear Medicine & Sunshine Station FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!

Come find out if your favorites won! brought to you by:

bring friends!

October 15, 2015

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 77

’BYE

At This Point

Fall Time Travel Savoring a certain slant of light

BY STEPHANIE PIPER

H

ere we are, well into my favorite month, and what do I have to show for it? October has crept up on me, sidling in on a string of faux-summer days. Now the clock is running, and I am feeling a certain urgency. It’s the time I wait for all year, and I want to savor every moment.

I did get a glimpse of what’s ahead on a recent visit to Connecticut.

Fall was in full swing there, maples blazing, sumac trailing its red vines over stone walls. The wind that sent orange leaves swirling down country lanes already had a chill to it. Back at my old school where I had returned for a class reunion, the first fire of the season crackled on the front hall hearth. Beyond the trees, pale sun glinted on the gray water of the sound.

Autumn light is the light of memory, an elegiac light in which the past seems at once very near and

impossibly distant. Among my classmates, the sharp edges have smoothed out over the decades. Ancient grudges and historic slights surfaced again, but now as funny stories told over cocktails. A slide show of our yearbook pictures ran in the dining room, teenaged faces framed by flips and pageboys, still untouched by the world beyond the wrought-iron school gates.

The archivist had been busy. Our old school uniform in all its plaid pleated glory graced a dressmaker’s mannequin posed beneath the video screen.

Designed to flatter every figure, someone quipped, and we remembered tacking up our hems with Scotch tape and rubbing chalk over the grimy collars of white uniform blouses.

We sat at round tables and called up ghosts: the black-habited nuns who had taught us Shakespeare and Latin and how to pray in three languages

BY MATTHEW FOLTZ-GRAY

78

KNOXVILLE MERCURY October 15, 2015

www.spiritofthestaircase.com

and make beds with perfect hospital corners. We talked about the implacable and irreplaceable discipline of those olden days, and how it had shaped us for the trials to come. We spoke of the class members we have lost, and toasted them with lemonade.

We told the stories our grandchildren now beg to hear, about ringing the tower bell and sneaking cigarettes in the barn near the hockey field. We looked from the pictures on the screen to the faces at the table and read what life had written on each one.

Later, we sat in a single pew in the chapel. Once we filled several rows, giggling behind missals or deep in ardent prayer over an upcoming algebra test. Dahlias from the front lawn gardens glowed like jewels in the altar vases, and the air smelled faintly of incense and furniture polish, just as it always did. We sang the school song, led by a choir of current students in their own plaid uniforms. Outside, a shower of leaves blew across the steps

of the towering new athletic center.

Autumn light is the light of longing, a quiet light that stirs us to return home and look for what we left behind, see again the places we thought we knew. On the front steps where we posed for graduation photos 50 years ago, we paused once more to say goodbye. You look wonderful, we told each other. Now, as then, it was the truth.

Back in Knoxville, the month unwinds in a skein of mellow days.

The yellow glare of summer fades to a dim gold, turning everyday scenery into gilded landscapes. Purple ironweed and goldenrod bloom in ditches and vacant lots and the kudzu blossoms, its grape scent lingering.

The year slows to a measured pace, inviting reflection. The urgency recedes. I’ve gone far away and come back and it’s still October. History is a pattern of timeless moments, T.S. Eliot wrote. I plan to savor this one for a long while. ◆

Autumn light is the light of longing, a quiet light that stirs us to return home and look for what we left behind, see again the places we thought we knew.

’BYE

BY IAN BLACKBURN AND JACK NEELY

me as we celebrate a community of giving on November 12.

Philanthropy is what we are all about. We devote our careers to bringing abou

Friday, November 13, 2015

at the Knoxville Marriott • 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM our community.

HONORING THESE INDIVIDUALS AND ORGANIZATIONS

Legacy Award Recipient

Dr. Joe Johnson

President Emeritus of the University of Tennessee

WANT TO FIND A COPY OF THE KNOXVILLE MERCURY?

We’ve got a map for that!

Please confirm the names of y Outstanding Corporate Philanthropist

Outstanding Philanthropist

Outstanding Foundation

Outstanding Youth in Philanthropy

DENSO Manufacturing TN Women’s Fund of East TN

It’ll be updated as we add more locations.

If you’ve got suggestions, let us know. knoxmercury.com/find-us

Betsey Bush

Meredith Maroney

Angelia Jones FOR INFORMATION CONTACT: amjones@alz.org • 865-765-9208

of Differ en orld W

! ce

You’ll See a

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DESIGN PRINT

MAILING & PRINTING, INC. MAIL

United Way of Greater Knoxville

October 15, 2015

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 79