Vol. 2, Issue 25 - June 23, 2016

JUNE 23, 2016 KNOXMERCURY.COM V.

2 / N. 25

AWWW! HOW CAN YOU POSSIBLY RESIST PICKING UP THIS ISSUE?

DOWN AT THE

They all ask for you—with a new branding campaign and an ambitious expansion plan to double attendance

BY S. HEATHER DUNCAN

NEWS

Faculty and Students Seek Path Forward for UT Pride Center

JACK NEELY

Fountains of Knox: A Summer Afternoon at World’s Fair Park

MUSIC

Pinklets Take Their Catchy Pop-Rock to Bonnaroo and Beyond

STEPHANIE PIPER

Saved by Literature: Are Books a Balm for Every Wound?

Introducing two advanced degree programs that will take your career to new heights.

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LMU Duncan School of Law (601 W. Summit Hill Drive)

www.LMUnet.edu 2

KNOXVILLE MERCURY June 23, 2016

June 23, 2016 Volume 02 / Issue 25 knoxmercury.com

CONTENTS

“ Democracy is the art and science of running the circus from the monkey cage.” —H. L. Mencken

14 D own At the Zoo

COVER STORY

Earlier this year, a small change occurred at the zoo that portends bigger changes to come: the Knoxville Zoo became Zoo Knoxville. It’s a rebranding effort that’s one part of a master plan to expand the zoo and double its attendance. The physical overhaul to come over the next five years will not only be the zoo’s largest in a decade, but it also signifies broader changes in the nonprofit’s vision and identity. We knew the Knoxville Zoo. But what will Zoo Knoxville look like? S. Heather Duncan takes a look.

NEWS

12 P ride Forum

About 100 people showed up on a Friday

afternoon for a forum hosted by UT’s Faculty Senate to discuss the recently defunded Pride Center. They were here to voice their support for the center, ask questions and hear updates, and figure out what can be done to help reopen the center. Clay Duda sits in.

13 Launching Devil’s

Racetrack As Mayor Madeline Rogero helped lift the

burlap sack covering a name placard, a mountain biker launched over a wooden jump in the background, officially marking the opening of the Devil’s Racetrack Downhill Trail in South Knoxville last Friday afternoon. Clay Duda surveys the scene.

We’re Hiring!

Phase 2 of our Master Plan for Media Domination includes expanding our staff—and we’ll be posting job listings at our new Careers page: knoxmercury.com/careers.

DEPARTMENTS

OPINION

A&E

4 Letters to the Editor 6 Howdy

8 Scruffy Citizen

20 Program Notes: We recap the

Start Here: By the Numbers, Public Affairs, Quote Factory PLUS: “Photo Recollection: Knoxville Streets,” a photo series

by Holly Rainey.

36 ’Bye

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 takes a stroll at World’s Fair Park to find unity near the Court of Flags.

10 Perspectives

Joe Sullivan—who just announced his retirement from bi-weekly column writing in his previous column—is back with a new column.

CALENDAR nief-norf Summer Festival.

21 Inside the Vault: Eric Dawson

gets some interesting footage from veteran Knoxville R&B musician Rick Lomax.

24 Spotlights: Composer/multi-

instrumentalist/singer Kaoru Ishibashi, the annual Kuumba Festival, and the Hops in the Hills craft-brew festival.

22 Music: Mike Gibson talks about sisterhood with the Pinklets.

23 Movies: April Snellings reels in the fish story that is Finding Dory.

June 23, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 3

LETTERS Delivering Fine Journalism Since 2015

OH, CANADA

It is a mistake for S. Heather Duncan to make a link between extreme weather events like “increased flooding” and global warming. [“Knoxville hearing on federal coal leases Thursday,” Daily Dumpster blog post, May 25, 2016] This is one of the few areas of agreement between the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the Nongovernmental International Panel on Climate Change (NIPCC).

In 2012, the IPCC asserted that a relationship between global warming and wildfires, rainfall, storms, hurricanes, and other extreme weather events has not been demonstrated.

In 2013, the NIPCC concluded the same saying, “in no case has a convincing relationship been established between warming over the past 100 years and increases in any of these extreme events.”

The National Climate Data Center reveals that extreme weather state records for Tennessee are spread throughout the past century, with no recent increase. Here are some of the records: Maximum Temperature: 113 F, 1930 Minimum Temperature: -32 F, 1917 Maximum 24-Hour Precipitation: 13.6 inches, 1982 Maximum 24-hour Snowfall: 30 inches, 1993 Maximum Snow Depth: 63 inches, 1993 Yet, on the false premise that there has been a supposed increase in extreme weather events caused by global warming, President Obama wants to end America’s use of coal, your country’s least expensive and most plentiful power source (Tennessee gets 41 percent of its electricity from coal). It is worrisome for us here in Canada, and indeed across the free world, when our primary defender is bent on crippling itself in this way.

Tom Harris, Executive Director International Climate Science Coalition (ICSC) Ottawa, Ontario, Canada 4

KNOXVILLE MERCURY June 23, 2016

ED. NOTE:

Although Mr. Harris notes in his email, “ICSC is not right wing (our participants come from across the political spectrum) and are not lobbyists or ‘shills’ for industry of any sort,” the Center for Media and Democracy’s Sourcewatch describes them as “a group of climate change skeptics” that has received funding from the Heartland Institute, a member of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).

Further, the 2012 IPCC report that he cites also says: “It is virtually certain that increases in the frequency and magnitude of warm daily temperature extremes and decreases in cold extremes will occur in the 21st century at the global scale. It is very likely that the length, frequency, and/ or intensity of warm spells or heat waves will increase over most land areas. It is likely that the frequency of heavy precipitation or the proportion of total rainfall from heavy falls will increase in the 21st century over many areas of the globe.”

PAINT LOCAL

In a move demonstrating a brave independence from both the “buy organic” and “buy local” movements, Knoxville has used our tax dollars in the form of a matching grant to support artists and their creative expression from Alabama, Montana, and Oregon. [“Muscle for Mussels,” news feature by Thomas Fraser, June 16, 2016] Hopefully, our local artists, who apparently were found lacking in skill and vision, will benefit through utilizing the new mural along Third Creek Greenway as an instructional piece (if not their own preprimed canvas).

Tom McDaniel Knoxville

OPEN CALL FOR TALENT

Help us make the Mercury the best paper in East Tennessee!

If you have an idea for a spectacular new department or column, then

pitch us. All ideas will be considered!

Or, if you’re an experienced reporter looking for assignments, let us know about your areas of expertise.

We especially would like to find contributors in the following areas: • business • state politics • arts & entertainment • general funniness Send your pitch letter and writing samples to: editor@knoxmercury.com

DID WE MENTION OUR AWESOME NEW T-SHIRTS YET?

Even if you already own one of our highly collectible launch T-shirts, you’ll certainly want to pick up one of our new, extremely fashionable gray T’s. Guaranteed to make you 30 percent more sexy among people who like to read about Knoxville! Meanwhile, you can also shop for all of our Knoxville Mercury goods and services. We’ve got koozies, and amazingly enough, classified ads! And remember, all proceeds go to a worthy cause: keeping your favorite weekly paper in business.

Go to: store.knoxmercury.com.

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 Brian Canever Patrice Cole Eric Dawson George Dodds Lee Gardner Mike Gibson Carey Hodges Nick Huinker Donna Johnson

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

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

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

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. © 2016 The Knoxville Mercury

It’s Kuumba Weekend Kuumba, the festival of African-American culture, has been celebrated in Knoxville every year since 1989.

Founded by African American Appalachian Arts, Kuumba is now a Knoxville tradition. Local founder Nkechi Ajanaku is still in charge of the festivities.

Different every year, the festival usually includes the Kuumba Watoto drum and dance ensemble, and a “Junkanu Parade,” like no other parade in the year, it includes drummers, dancers, and colorfully dressed stilt-walkers, often surprising office workers downtown on the Friday evening of Kuumba. Following the parade will be a performance by the Ogya World Band on Market Square.

This year, other musical performances will include Rev. Osagyefo Sekou and the Holy Ghost Band, gospel artist Sean Steward, and Zakiyyah (“Zock”) Modeste and her five piece band. For more, check kuumbafestival.com. The Saturday and Sunday performances will take place at Morningside Park and Haley Heritage Square.

African American Appalachian Arts has an especially close relationship with Haley Heritage Square, as the organization sometimes known as Quad-A was central to planning the memorial square, known for sculptor Tina Allen’s large seated bronze statue of Alex Haley, completed in 1998.

most of her performing career was over, but she lived here when she made her only record album.

Author Alex Haley (1921-1992) moved here when he was already famous for Roots.

James Brown, Godfather of Soul, never lived in Knoxville, but visited repeatedly both to perform and because he had a business interest here. In the late 1960s he launched a black-oriented radio station, WJBE, which broadcasts to this day at 99.7 FM and 1040 AM.

The Alex Haley statue at Haley Heritage Square in Morningside Park, site of much of this weekend’s Kuumba festival, is the largest statue in the city. Completed in 1998, in a major effort that included Appalachian African-American Arts, planner of Kuumba, it’s one of the best-known works by California sculptor Tina Allen (1949-2008).

This weekend is also the weekend of the Ijams Nature Center’s Meadow Lark Festival, an annual music festival on the unusual grounds of the riverside nature center. Ijams is today a fascinating museum of both natural history and human history, as the center unites artist/ornithologist Harry Ijams’s ca. 1910 bird sanctuary with adjacent historic marble quarries, now mostly returned to nature but still discernible, almost like ancient ruins. See ijams.org for more.

A few birthdays this week offer further reason to celebrate:

African Americans have been part of - June 23 is the 243rd birthday of the Virginia-born Knoxville’s population and culture since the judge and journalist who served as Knoxville’s first Photo by Tricia Bateman city’s founding. Throughout the period of mayor, Thomas Emmerson. slavery, Knoxville was home to both slaves and free blacks. Knoxville’s black population has been as high as about 30 - June 25 is the 157th birthday of Adelia Lutz, the artist for whom the unusual percent, early in the 20th century, but due to suburbanization and some 1890 house known as Westwood was built. out-migration, the city’s black population is today 17 percent. Still, that proportion is higher than that of the United States as a whole.

- June 27 is the 132nd birthday of William Perry “Buck” Toms, the civic leader and philanthropist whose legacy is associated with two very different destinations: Knoxville’s antebellum home Crescent Bend—the Toms Foundation Kuumba is a Swahili term for “creativity.” Knoxville-born blacks especially owns and operates the 1834 Drury Paine Armstrong house—and the Boy Scout known for their creativity include modern artists Beauford Delaney (1901-1979) camp on Watts Bar Lake which bears his name. and his brother Joseph Delaney (1904-1991); modernist poet Nikki Giovanni, born here in 1943, who is now on the faculty of Virginia Tech, but is still a - June 29 is the 190th birthday of Julius Ochs, founder of Knoxville’s first frequent visitor; and bluesman / actor Brownie McGhee (1915-1996), and his Jewish congregation, Temple Beth El. A Union officer during the Civil War, he brother Stick McGhee (1917-1961), whose career links him to the dawn of was married to a Confederate sympathizer, who was, like himself, a Jewish rock ’n’ roll. immigrant from Bavaria. While in Knoxville, he served as a justice of the peace, and helped plan one of the first bridges across the Tennessee River here. He Others moved here later. Musicians Carl Martin (1906-1979) and Howard also reportedly composed an opera based on the Book of Ruth. He was the Armstrong (1909-2003) lived and performed in Knoxville for several years in father of Adolph Ochs, who went on to be the influential publisher of the the 1920s and early ‘30s, at the beginning of their careers that linked jazz, New York Times. country, and blues. Blues singer Ida Cox (1896-1967) moved to Knoxville after

Source: Calvin M. McClung Historical Collection

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 June 23, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 5

Photo by Clay Duda

HOWDY

BY THE NUMBERS

Shady City

26,064

acres within the city of Knoxville are covered by tree canopy, about 40 percent of the entire city.

0%

change in tree cover from 1997 to 2010.

The city did annex about 7 square miles of land during that time, but the percentage covered by trees remained steady.

35 10,726 1st District

goats unleashed (so far) this year to gnaw away at invasive species.

Two men walking on W Magnolia Avenue. PHOTO RECOLLECTION: KNOXVILLE STREETS by Holly Rainey (loveh865.com)

QUOTE FACTORY “ I believe that everyone involved in the ongoing collaboration that led to this logistical conclusion feels good about the fact that we were able to meet our collective priority to not interrupt the academic schedule on that Thursday.”

—University of Tennessee Athletic Director Dave Hart, in a statement explaining UT’s decision to cancel classes on Sept. 1 to accommodate the SEC Network broadcast of the football team’s 2016 season opener. That’s a Thursday instead of Saturday; the game starts at 7:30 p.m. And, as you know, it’s very important for tailgaiters to have sufficient parking space.

PUBLIC AFFAIRS

6/23 FORUM: PRISON PRIVATIZATION THURSDAY

6-8 p.m., St. Luke’s Episcopal Church (600 South Chestnut St.). Free.

The Knox County Incarceration Collective, a prisoners’ rights and prison reform group, presents this forum on the increasing use of third-party companies in jails— which results in prisoners becoming profit centers. How humane is it to restrict personal visitation in favor of costly video communication? That and other policies will be discussed. (Dinner will be served, too.)

6

KNOXVILLE MERCURY June 23, 2016

trees in maintained areas within 81 city parks.

(AKA South Knoxville) has the most tree coverage, recorded at 51 percent in 2010. That’s up from 46 percent in 1997.

—Clay Duda Source: City of Knoxville, TN Tree Canopy Report, March 2014, Tennessee Department of Agriculture; City of Knoxville Urban Forester Kasey Krouse; knoxvilletn. gov/trees

6/24 FESTIVAL: SUMMER ON BROADWAY 6/26 FUNDRAISER: ANNUAL BOOK SALE 6/28 MEETING: MIXED-USE ZONING FRIDAY

2-7:45 p.m., Downtown Maryville. Free.

Blount County makes summer official with a weekend of activities in its downtown area. The two biggies include the Big BBQ Bash, a professional barbecue cook-off and fundraiser for the Helen Ross McNabb Center, in Founder’s Square; and the Hops in the Hills Craft Brew Festival, with multiple events. Runs through Saturday. Info: summeronbroadway.net.

SUNDAY

10 a.m.–6 p.m., Chilhowee Park’s Jacob Building (3301 E. Magnolia Ave.). Free.

The Friends of the Knox County Public Library’s annual used book sale gathers more than 75,000 books (plus DVDs, CDs, audio books, music, and magazines) for a media-consumption orgy of great deals. Please note: The editor requests that you refrain from buying any LPs until after he gets there. Runs through June 28, with a members-only preview on Saturday. Info: knoxfriends.org.

TUESDAY

6 p.m., Bearden United Methodist Church (4407 Sutherland Ave.). Free.

The Metropolitan Planning Commission is seeking more feedback on its proposal for a Mixed Use District zone in Bearden Village. This zoning is part of an effort to fulfill the 2001 Bearden Village Opportunities Plan, which aims to create a more pedestrian-friendly, connected “urban village.” Check out the current draft of the zoning at knoxmpc.org/mixed-use/bearden.

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KNOXVILLE MERCURY 7

SCRUFFY CITIZEN

The Fountains of Knoxville A summer afternoon at World’s Fair Park

BY JACK NEELY

T

here is one place in town where blacks and whites and immigrants mingle daily, in close quarters.

They go there for one reason, because jets of cool water shoot out of the ground.

High above them, as if symbolizing this multinational congress, are the flags of 22 countries, among them China, Australia, Italy, Egypt. The countries have no association with each other except that they once participated in the same world’s fair.

I often find myself down at World’s Fair Park, on a summer afternoon, sometimes just to get a Coke and maybe some spicy snacks from the vending machines.

The Court of Flags, where Ronald Reagan spoke on opening day of the 1982 World’s Fair, was an awkward set of stepped concrete bleachers with the national flags in a single row behind.

Redesigned, it’s a much handsomer place now. The 21st-century Court of Flags has become a summer tradition for hundreds of people.

Working people, perhaps non-working people, newcomers just learning their way around, along with an unfamiliar language, they all somehow find their way down here.

There and on the closely trimmed lawn they lay themselves out in public, on towels and blankets, in low chairs, bold, vulnerable, un-self-conscious. To the passerby of a certain age, the

8

KNOXVILLE MERCURY June 23, 2016

smell of the Court of Flags in 2016 can evoke memories of poolside summers during the Johnson administration, this potent fusion of fresh chlorine, tanning oil, and cigarette smoke.

The chlorine is important. In every group you see, there is one kid using these powerful jets, with obvious satisfaction, as a bidet.

The kids laugh and scream and chase and splash. The adults bring pizza and coolers and lawn chairs and make a day of it. Some of them are extraordinarily large people, and standard-sized swimwear covers a tiny percentage of their flesh. If one day they come naked, they may be less startling. If you find them startling now, it’s none of their concern.

(Everything’s subjective. They may well wonder who this weirdo is walking around in public wearing clothes on a hot day, moreover clothes that don’t even have words on them.

What is he, illiterate?)

Then there are people down here from cultures that cover up more than I do, but for this afternoon don’t mind their kids having some fun. I’ve never played in a fountain before. Maybe I should.

Down there I often encounter one of my favorite librarians on her way to work. Carol notices things others don’t, and she modified my perspective in an agreeable way. The other day, she was barely able to contain her

joy in the scene, this moment of happy diversity, rare elsewhere in town, maybe elsewhere in the world.

This week, some white field paint in the middle of the lawn spells out a word invisible from the ground but legible to balloonists and, barely, from the Clinch viaduct: HOPE.

Every afternoon at 4, on a summer as hot as this one, we would march through these asphalt corridors. Every day for six months was a sufficiently significant occasion for a parade, led by a brass band playing the World’s Fair theme, which I thought bore a strong resemblance to Sousa’s “Semper Fidelis March,” but I wasn’t going to mention it. Sousa’s lawyers might have spoiled the party.

At the fore of the brass band was a phalanx of five young men in red polyester shirts, telling innocent strangers looking at maps, posing for pictures, eating ice cream with their kids, to get the hell out of the way right now because an actual parade—inexorable, non-negotiable, deserving of their respect—was right behind them.

More often than not, I was one of those young men, a squadron of the crowd-control corps. Sometime, if you’re bored, try to carve a 50-footwide swath through a festival crowd of happy people not in a mood to be moved. But we did it every day. We were pros.

Still, it was a great relief when the skies darkened and a thunderstorm came up right at 4, as happened a dozen times that summer, it meant the parade would dissolve, and, being that we were still technically on parade duty, we could just peel off and go to the Strohaus for a beer. The Strohaus was the long old brick building known a century before, and in years to come, as the Foundry.

Given a choice of shouting at strangers and sharing a pitcher of

beer with friends, I will often choose the latter.

Just northwest of the Court of Flags is an asphalt parking lot where most of the cavorters park. Those walking across can look down and see Second Creek running, sometimes rushing, south toward the river.

Right about there, 34 years ago, was the Philippines pavilion. Over the course of the summer, it developed a reputation for an outdoor restaurant with a tree-shaded dining veranda by the creek. It looked awfully appealing, but there was such a wait for a table that I never got to try it. I figured I’d get a chance after the hordes were gone, because I thought it was too lovely to end. It seemed like a fantasy from a pre-war novel about paradise, or a lot like the real restaurants that draw people down to the Riverwalk in San Antonio.

Surely, even if they couldn’t get the Filipinos to stay in town and operate it, Knoxville would try to replicate and perpetuate this creekside Eden, and that if the World’s Fair accomplished nothing else, getting Knoxville to rediscover its creeks would be a worthy achievement. But in the decades since, no one has tried anything similar.

Then I tried to imagine real Knoxvillians going to a restaurant like that. “Haw, haw,” they would remark.

“I bet there are rubbers in that creek.”

Perhaps there were. But people from Toledo, and St. Paul, and Tokyo, and Sydney didn’t seem to mind enjoying an early supper on that patio. Whatever shortcomings Second Creek has, it’s probably not much different from those of the San Antonio River, or the Seine, or the canals of Venice or Amsterdam.

Knoxvillians don’t dislike Knoxville like we used to. Maybe someday we’ll get there. ◆

If one day they come naked, they may be less startling.

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KNOXVILLE MERCURY 9

PERSPECTIVES

On the Upswing Tennessee’s experiencing a revenue and economic growth bonanza.

BY JOE SULLIVAN

B

y one very important measure, Tennessee’s economic growth this past year exceeds that of any other state. And by just about any measure, Tennessee’s growth is well above the national average.

What’s more, the state’s foremost economic forecaster is predicting that strong growth will continue through 2016 and 2017 with Tennessee continuing to outpace the nation as a whole.

The measure that most stands out is the one on which the state depends for a majority of its revenues: namely, sales taxes. For the first half of the fiscal year that ends June 30, Tennessee sales tax revenues grew by 7.1 percent over the prior year compared to a national average of 2.6 percent as compiled by the Rockefeller Institute of Government. (Only three other states—Idaho, Kansas, and Virginia—exceeded 6 percent.)

And Tennessee’s growth rate since then has kept on going up—to 7.8 percent for the first 10 months of the fiscal year whereas the Rockefeller Institute is forecasting that the national average increase for the year will slip to 2.5 percent.

Underlying the big state revenue boost is what the director of UT’s Boyd Center for Business and

10

KNOXVILLE MERCURY June 23, 2016

Economic Research, Bill Fox, calls “an extraordinarily good year for employment and personal income growth” in Tennessee. The center reports that non-farm employment in the state grew by 2.5 percent in 2015, representing the largest growth since the 1990s and well above the national rate of 2.1 percent. And the center is forecasting a growth rate of 2.6 percent in 2016 compared to 1.9 percent nationally. It also looks for personal income in the state to continue to grow at a 5 percent annual rate, compared to a projected 3.8 percent rate nationally in 2016 and 4 percent in 2017.

On the flip side, Tennessee’s unemployment rate has fallen to 4.1 percent from 5.8 percent a year ago, which takes it from well above the national average to well below it.

So what accounts for Tennessee’s remarkably robust economy? Fox is less clear about the “whys” of all of this, but ventures, “There’s not a simple explanation…. It’s a very diverse set of things.” Heading his list: “The Haslam administration deserves a lot of credit for being really successful in recruiting new employers to Tennessee,” Fox says. “And we’ve done a really good job of convincing the country that we care a

lot about education and improving the quality of our work force. Also, we have a very good location right in the middle of things. So those are some of the factors that play into this.”

In the center’s most recent report, the leisure and hospitality sector and the professional and business services sector are singled out as particular sources of strength. It’s also worth noting that the economic surge has coincided with the repeal of Tennessee’s inheritance tax, which many have contended was a deterrent to attracting and retaining wealthy residents, especially retirees. No other Southern state has such a tax.

The nearly $500 million generated by the 7.81 percent year-over-year growth in sales tax revenue accounts for the biggest part of an aggregate $800 million surplus over budgeted state revenues for the fiscal year to date.

The big boost equates to a 6 percent increase in overall state revenues. That is almost double the average rate of growth for all states during the first half of the fiscal year, which is as far as the widely followed Rockefeller Institute’s tabulations go at present. That’s especially noteworthy because revenue growth in states that rely so heavily on sales tax, as Tennessee does, typically lag behind growth rates in states with more reliance on income taxes during economic upturns, especially ones that have lasted as long as the seven years since the trough of the 20082009 recession.

Indeed, Fox himself has long

classified sales taxes as an “inelastic” source of revenue that doesn’t keep pace with economic growth or even inflation-driven increases in the cost of government in the long run. Income taxes have historically been more “elastic” along with being more progressive.

While Fox insists that dependence on an inelastic sales tax will continue to constrain Tennessee in the long run, he doesn’t foresee any braking effect in the near term.

“Based on our stable pattern of economic growth, I don’t see anything in the data that suggests a slowdown relative to the rest of the nation,” he advises.

Just how much of a further boost to state spending the $800 million and counting budget surplus will provide isn’t clear to me. In April, the state Legislature “recognized” $376 million of the overage in an appropriations bill. The balance remains uncommitted.

Fox also credits the Haslam administration for “recognizing that the revenue growth is beyond the norm and being very conservative about spending on the basis of what is surely short-term growth.”

One budget component that is clear is a $100 million increase in the state’s “rainy day fund” to a total of $668 million. But that is still less than it was prior to the great recession in 2008-2009 when it was rapidly depleted. And akin to the law of gravity, the law of business cycles hasn’t been repealed. ◆

For the first half of the fiscal year that ends June 30, Tennessee sales tax revenues grew by 7.1 percent over the prior year, compared to a national average of 2.6 percent.

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June 23, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 11

Pride Forum

“I missed that at the time,” Zomchick said, referring to the timeframe of the bill. Throughout the meeting, Zomchick was dealt the brunt of the crowd’s anguish and hostility over how the university has handled the implementation of this new law and what some see as a wavering commitment to diversity. Lyons stepped in, encouraging folks not to vilify the school’s administration for acts of the Legislature—“We’re all on the same team,” he said—but attendees still wanted answers.

Donna Braquet, now-former director for the Pride Center, said if the school was serious about preserving the work of the center, it would have consulted with her about possible options or other funding structures that would have allowed it to stay in operation. But to this day, she said, administrators have not reached out.

Godfrey said bluntly that it’s unfair to say that Pride Ambassadors, a student group dedicated to LGBT+ issues, has been working with administrators because “administration flat-out does not care.” (The Ambassadors have had a handful of meetings with Student Life administrators since the center closed in May 20, the first about two weeks after it shuttered.) Others pointed to personal examples that they say show the school is not standing behind its commitment to diversity despite what it says publicly, pointing to a lack of communication, comments made during meetings with Chancellor Jimmy Cheek, and the school’s willingness to make changes or backpedal when programs or activities draw ire from mostly conservative

Dozens gather to question response, path forward for UT Pride Center

BY CLAY DUDA

U

H.B. 1066 and a sister bill in the Senate earned approval from state legislators by wide margins, eventually becoming law and taking effect May 20 without a signature from Gov. Bill Haslam. The bill defunds the ODI for the next fiscal year, starting July 1, and also bars UT from financing or supporting some specific activities including Sex Week, the use of gender-neutral pronouns, and promoting or inhibiting religious celebrations.

Faculty Senate President and UTK Professor Beauvais Lyons started the forum by recapping the law and the many legal questions it presents, adding that UT attorneys “politely declined” an invitation to take part in the panel discussion.

There are still more questions than answers. He expects that the state’s attorney general’s office will issue a legal opinion in the coming weeks.

The funding component of the bill specifically deals with the next fiscal year, yet many in attendance wondered why monies were pulled and staff let go on May 20, more than a month before that deadline. They pointed those question directly at John Zomchick, Vice Provost of Faculty Affairs, the only school administrator present in the audience during the discussion.

Photos by Clay Duda

niversity of Tennessee student Chesnea Skeed fought back tears as she flipped through PowerPoint slides recounting the history of the campus Pride Center—a six-year legacy that came to an abrupt end (or at least has been put on hiatus) May 20 when the school pulled its funding and staff in response to a newly passed state law.

The center had served as a refuge for LGBT+ students and others looking for a safe place to open up or just hang out, Skeed and others testified. “I found a place where I could be who I am and I found a family,” former Pride Center Graduate Assistant Kristen Godfrey told the crowd gathered in the Hodges Library Auditorium on June 17.

About 100 people showed up on a Friday afternoon for this forum hosted

by UTK’s Faculty Senate. They were here to voice their support for the center, ask questions and hear updates, and figure out what can be done to help reopen the center as a bona fide, staffed resource center for LGBT+ people—a group statistically at high risk for discrimination. Some point to the recent state law defunding the school’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion, and thus the Pride Center, as a clear example of that.

12

KNOXVILLE MERCURY June 23, 2016

state legislators. (Cheek announced he would be stepping down as chancellor a few days later, telling reporters on Tuesday that the decision had nothing to do with the ODI controversy or the federal Title IX lawsuit facing the university.) One example of this brought up in the meeting was the first Sex Week in 2013. That year UT agreed to change how Sex Week was funded, giving students an option to opt-out of having a portion of their student fees go towards funding the annual week-long series of lectures and workshops centered on sexual health and education.

“Sometimes we have to push our administrators for more, because in some cases such as this they are not our allies,” said student George Habeib. Others in the crowd said they’d like to see the school have enough backbone to take a stand in the face of adversity, similar to the tack taken by the University of North Carolina when in May it refused to enforce a state law requiring transgender people to use the restroom that corresponds to the gender on their birth certificate.

Frustrations aside, many during the meeting also asked about a path forward from here, what’s being done and what they might do to help get the Pride Center back on its feet. A steering committee is being formed to help direct or determine the future of the center, whatever that might be, and students with the Pride Ambassadors are actively fundraising in hopes of covering operating costs for the center.

So far they’ve raised more than $9,600 of a $25,000 goal through an online

Photos by Clay Duda

Launching Devil’s Racetrack An expert-level mountain biking course opens in South Knoxville

BY CLAY DUDA

A

s Mayor Madeline Rogero helped lift the burlap sack covering a name placard, a mountain biker launched over a wooden jump in the background, officially marking the opening of the Devil’s Racetrack Downhill Trail in South Knoxville last Friday afternoon.

It took a crashed computer server and a lot of enthusiasm to get here.

Devil’s Racetrack, Knoxville’s first

expert-level gravity trail for mountain biking, was constructed with a $100,000 grant from Bell Helmets earned through a competition more than a year ago. East Tennesseans voted with such enthusiasm that they crashed Bell’s corporate server, taking several websites offline for several hours.

“We never saw anything like it,” Jessica Klodnick with Bell Helmets told the crowd. “It not only crashed

our website, but several of our sister websites as well. We lost that e-commerce for a day, but it was great.”

When the votes were tallied, Knoxville had smoked the competition, beating out Asheville and San Francisco for the grant money. Over the past year the Appalachian Mountain Bike Club has worked furiously to carve the nearly mile-long trail into the side of Pappy’s Point, a knobby hill in part of the Urban Wilderness closest to downtown, just 2.5 miles away. It marks the area’s first expert-level downhill mountain biking trail—technically a double-black diamond gravity trail—a component of the larger Baker Creek Preserve, a roughly 7-mile network of trails and other attractions developed by Legacy Parks with $210,000 from the state, and other contributions. The grand opening continued on Saturday with a host of bikers lining up for group rides, food trucks, and other festivities.

Riders lined up at the top of Pappy’s Point to test their skill on the treacherous trails below. The highrises

in downtown Knoxville in the distance peek over the rolling ridgelines. A large dirt mound blocks views of the obstacles below: a series of berms and jumps, a curved wooden wall, a rock garden, and a large wooden jump that doubles as a bridge over a gravel path leading towards the summit, among other things. One after another, bikers of various skill level pedaled up and over the mound, leaving nothing but small puffs of red dust as they put their own abilities to the test.

Legacy Parks Executive Director Carol Evans joked that 98 percent of the people who turned out for the opening ceremonies would never set foot (or tire) on the track. Yet it marks yet another addition to Knoxville’s outdoor playground, an attraction that may help boost its burgeoning reputation as a destination for the outdoor enthusiast.

If this weekend’s turnout was any indication, that may hold true. ◆

@KNOXMERCURY.COM

Visit knoxmercury.com/photos for a full gallery.

June 23, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 13

DOWN AT THE

They all ask for you—with a new branding campaign and an ambitious expansion plan to double attendance

BY S. HEATHER DUNCAN

T

he high-pitched song reverberates like water droplets falling rapidly into a pond, but with a volume no mere drip could achieve.

From a mile off, you can hear it heralding the morning awakening of nature. Yet no birder would recognize it.

It echoes in only one place in Knoxville: the zoo. The gibbons are calling.

14

KNOXVILLE MERCURY June 23, 2016

But the long-limbed apes are hard to fi nd in a turn-off almost hidden behind a zoo restaurant. “Here’s the funny guy!” one mom tells her child as they fi nd the gibbon enclosure, where two of the small apes dangle from a chain-link dome. The dome radiates from the crown of a fake tree in the center, a web of ropes and poles extending outward.

A major expansion will soon move the gibbons and their neighbors the tigers, now almost hidden behind mesh and chain link, to the new “Asia Trek” section of the zoo. The physical overhaul will not only be the zoo’s largest in a decade, but also signifies broader changes in the nonprofit’s vision and identity. The newly-renamed Zoo Knoxville aims to almost

double its annual visitation, becoming more fi nancially stable.

Zoo officials argue that, as the No. 1 tourist destination in the county, the zoo drives economic growth that benefits local governments, businesses and taxpayers—even residents who never set foot there or hear the gibbon’s call.

Knoxville politicians appear to be

Photos by Tricia Bateman

sold on this argument. City Mayor Madeline Rogero held her annual budget announcement at the zoo’s upgraded event tent, touting the city’s commitment of $10 million in bond funds to help finance the new and improved animal exhibits.

Last year, the city finished reconstructing Prosser Road, one of the streets that accesses the zoo entrance. The $1.2 million overhaul relieved flooding problems and created a bike corridor connecting several neighborhoods to the zoo.

Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett (whose daughter already convinced him to pitch in hotel/motel tax revenue to build a winter home for the zoo’s giant tortoises) is asking County Commission to commit $5 million over five years to the cause; that vote is slated for next week.

The money would help foot the bill for a master plan that aims to not

only add new exhibits but broadly overhaul the visitor experience.

We knew the Knoxville Zoo. But what will Zoo Knoxville look like?

THE NEW ZOO

The process of rebranding, renaming, and revisioning has been overseen by director Lisa New, who became zoo CEO and executive director in 2013.

New, who has a master’s degree from the University of Tennessee in animal behavior, had spent her entire 22-year career at the zoo, first working with apes, then as director of animal collections and conservation. She still looks more comfortable in a zoo polo shirt than executive dresses. Although her office features animal-print chairs and couches, she doesn’t spend much time sitting on them. She’s more likely to be answering a call on her walkie talkie and

keeping tabs on what’s happening out her big window: Earth movers shifting mounds of dirt to build the new Tiger Forest exhibit. Staff say she’s always out on zoo pathways, on the lookout for maintenance problems or any sign of something that’s not right, anything that erodes the quality of “the visitor experience.”

A tiny woman, New doesn’t look like she could hold her own with a gorilla. But she is vice-chair of the executive committee that manages the species survival plan for gorillas (and chimps), which governs their housing and breeding in U.S. zoos. This group had to decide to allow Knoxville to start breeding gorillas, paving the way for the birth of babies Ubuntu and Obi last summer. The tiny siblings, who are now wrestling and being flown around in games of “airplane” by their dad, drove visitation to a record

440,000 and helped drive the zoo to profitability for the first time in years.

Taking notice, the zoo is now planning to breed endangered Malayan tiger cubs. And a third gorilla pregnancy was used this winter as the peg for the zoo’s rebranding and renaming—putting “Zoo” before “Knoxville.” New says the name will market well with other similar Knoxville tourism entities such as Visit Knoxville and Outdoor Knoxville; it also stands out from most other zoos. The accompanying “Wildly fun!” brand is a whimsical swirl of animal and human figures.

New says these changes were made after market research showed that, although members saw the zoo mostly as a destination for fun, non-members saw it as primarily educational (implied yawn). The research also showed 53 percent of its June 23, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 15

“The average guest now wants to know the animals they’re seeing are part of something bigger.”

—ZOO KNOXVILLE DIRECTOR LISA NEW

guests travel from outside a 50-mile radius, which is sunusual for a zoo.

The majority of those tourists are on vacation in Gatlinburg, Dollywood, or the Smokies, says New. Armed with this and more survey results, she and the zoo board worked with Zoo Advisors LLC to develop a strategic plan, then a detailed master plan for the next five years. Tiger Forest comes first. The 1.6-acre space, set to open in spring 2017, will include climbing structures and a swimming area for up to six critically endangered Malayan tigers, which visitors will be able to view both above and below the water. If approved by the national group that manages the species survival plan, a female would be added to the two tiger brothers the zoo currently owns, with cubs soon to follow.

16

KNOXVILLE MERCURY June 23, 2016

The zoo master plan also called for a new reptile house, a new second entrance, Kids Cove bathrooms, and new living space for the zoo’s “ambassador animals” like Einstein the talking parrot. These animals visit school groups and perform in shows, and today they live mostly in a trailer. Their new digs will have to wait, however, because the zoo is seizing opportunities that arise as the tiger area is developed: space to move gibbons and add an enclosure for langurs, a tree-living monkey species that will be new to Zoo Knoxville. That section of the zoo, which also contains the red pandas, will be the re-dubbed Asia Trek.

After the Asia section is finished, the zoo plans to focus on a new reptile house closer to the entrance, in an area where the bird show amphitheater is now.

The current reptile house is about 40 years old and was designed with no input from the reptile keepers, says Michael Ogle, curator of herpetology (herps) and birds. It houses both reptiles and amphibians in acrylic enclosures viewed from outside the nondescript building. The terrariums fog up in winter so what’s inside is hardly visible—even if the acrylic could be cleaned. But it can’t, and the enclosures can’t be replaced, they don’t fit well any more, and they break easily.

Despite these limitations, Zoo Knoxville has the ninth-largest reptile collection among American zoos and is a world leader at breeding endangered tortoises from Madagascar. New says she wants the new reptile house to be designed so that visitors can see some of this cutting-edge work, much of which is now housed in a nondescript building referred to as “the kitchen.”

“More and more we realize we want and need to be as transparent as we can about what we’re doing,” New says. “The average guest now wants to know the animals they’re seeing Visitors peer past their own fogged reflections to see animals in the 40-year-old reptile house. The zoo’s herpetologists, including Michael Ogle (right), breed endangered tortoises behind the scenes.

are part of something bigger.”

Although the zoo’s reptile collection is one of its gems, just 10 percent of it is on display. Many of the “hidden” animals are baby tortoises scrambling around in plastic tubs. But other animals also remain out of the public eye. For example, a 14-foot, 48-pound reticulated python sways her head high in the air, inquisitively sniffing with her tongue, in an enclosure only staff can see.

The new reptile house, estimated to cost $10 million to $12 million, will include a variety of indoor display areas, New says. Dark halls would house small animals in lit tanks like the ones found in aquariums, while bright, sun-lit rooms would display

The Elephant in the Room

multiple species together in large tanks. An outdoor area would include a native bog habitat and classroom space, she says.

These projects will probably wrap up around 2020, and what follows is more open-ended. New says new species will likely to targeted to the Africa section, which will need updating by then. The zoo is considering a redesign of its elephant habitat, possibly moving them daily among more enclosures (such as where the rhinos are now, and/or in the empty back of the zoo) and providing them more water features.

Other animals might shift as the zoo continues to try to consolidate, because the consultant indicated the zoo is too spread out. That’s one of the reasons Tiger Forest is being located next to the entrance instead of in the area across from the lions. It’s also likely the zoo will eventually move the otters nearer the front, closing the entire upper wing, New says.

This consolidation means that the 56-acre zoo has plenty of space for the next 10 to 15 years, New says.

THE FINANCIAL JUNGLE

Zoo Knoxville began in 1934 as a 4-acre “birthday park” for poor children, funded by donations. It languished and closed briefly before the city helped reopen it as a “birthday park zoo” in 1948, and the zoo’s

Photo by Tennessee Trails Photography

The births of zoo babies are often carefully managed (as with gorillas) but recent baby peccary and red wolf arrivals came as a surprise. The red wolf pup, like many Zoo Knoxville animals, was named (Waya, the Cherokee word for wolf) through online voting.

fi nancial dependence on the city began. For several decades Knoxville operated it directly before a nonprofit was created to take it over in 1971.

Today, the zoo covers around 86 percent of its costs through operating revenue from tickets, gift shop and concessions sales, and special-event rentals. The city contributes most of the rest through a contract renegotiated every five years, and leases the land to Zoo Knoxville for $1 a year.

The city contract that will expire in July provided the zoo $1.2 million in operating funds a year, and a total of $3 million in capital support. But in 2013, the city issued $10 million in bonds to support capital construction over five years. (As a result, the city won’t be including extra capital dollars in the contract renewal currently under negotiation, New says.) The city bond funds provide a springboard for the zoo to raise the remainder it needs to fulfill its master plan.

Until the last few years, Zoo Knoxville operated slightly in the red; its expenses have tended to exceed income by $1 million to $1.5 million since the Great Recession began in 2008. In 2014, for example, the zoo’s 990 tax form indicated it had revenue

Among the many changes Zoo Knoxville has planned, one major change it has rejected is getting rid of elephants. The animals are highly popular with zoo visitors, but their social and physical needs are tough to meet in captivity.

The Knoxville Zoo became the first in the Western hemisphere to successfully breed African elephants in 1978. But it never attempted to breed its current group of three elephants, even though they were initially the appropriate age to do so.

In recent years, standards for elephants have changed as zoos recognize that the animals, which live in herds and may walk more than 50 miles a day in the wild, need to be kept in larger groups and larger spaces.

Zoos in Seattle, San Francisco, Philadelphia, and Chicago have closed their elephant exhibits after public criticism.

“Elephants have been the poster child for animal welfare issues,” says Zoo Knoxville veterinarian and University of Tennessee professor Edward Ramsay. He notes that elephants are one of the few species that has a shorter life expectancy in captivity. He compares how much space Zoo Knoxville gorillas and elephants have, relative to their size, but adds that giving the same type of space to a herd of 5,000-pound animals is difficult in any city.

The way humans interact with elephants is a contentious point. Many keepers prefer “free contact,” which allows them in the same space with the elephant, using a large hook called an ankus to move the elephant around.

Almost all keepers killed by elephants were

using free contact, which animal activists decry as inhumane to the animals.

Many zoos have switched to “protected contact,” which physically separates keepers from elephants. Zoo Knoxville followed suit after elephant keeper Stephanie James was killed in 2011 when an elephant crushed her against a stall. Based on witness interviews, the subsequent Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency investigation report called the elephant’s actions “deliberate.” However, Captain Walter Cook, TWRA Captive Wildlife Coordinator, calls the incident a “tragic accident” and says, “The animal did not intend to hurt Stephanie.”

Still, the Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined the zoo $9,000 for not placing the elephant in “protected contact” earlier, after a trainer was injured when the same animal knocked her down and pinned her to the ground.

The keeper’s death did not trigger the local protests other zoos have seen in similar circumstances. “The community rallied behind us,” says Zoo director Lisa New. (She says people’s main concern was that the elephant not be punished, which it wasn’t.)

But a National Geographic article posted online in 2013 that featured an interview with the zoo’s curator of elephants, Jim Naelitz, provoked outrage among many readers, including other zoo professionals and biologists. (For example, Naelitz said that working with elephants is not a dangerous profession, without mentioning the recent keeper death at his zoo.)

The escalating requirements for elephant care led New to evaluate the long-term feasibility of keeping them.

“We decided elephants are important to our visitors and our board and they have a future here,” New says, adding that the zoo’s master plan calls for eventually expanding the space for elephants.

Complications may develop if the male elephant, Tonka, is moved to another zoo for breeding. That would leave Zoo Knoxville with fewer than three elephants, which is the new standard of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Its website states that, starting this September, it will allow no variances from the three-animal requirement, but New says she thinks Zoo Knoxville might be able to get a waiver for any periods when Tonka is breeding. Decisions about breeding and the movement of animals among zoos are made at the national level as part of a species survival plan that tries to protect species from extinction by maintaining genetically diverse populations in zoos.

—S. Heather Duncan

June 23, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 17

Capital Improvement Projects THROUGH JULY 2014

PROJECT Gorilla Valley Otters Aviary Penguin Rock Tortoise Territory Pridelands Gibbons Chimp Ridge Safari Grill Lindsay Young Animal Care Center Front Gate/Lower Admin/Gift Shop/Plaza Prkng Black Bear Falls Stokely African Elephant Preserve Grasslands Africa!

Kids Cove Boyd Family Red Panda Village Cat Holding - White Tiger African Painted Dogs Blue Monkeys Valley Of The Kings -Lions/Baboons Komodo Dragon Malayan Tigers Clayton Safari Splash, Restrooms & Changing Area Williams Family Giraffe Feeding Platform Pilot Flying J Building - Wee Play Adventure

18

KNOXVILLE MERCURY June 23, 2016

YEAR COMPLETED COST 1994 $1,620,097 1995 $71,163 1995 $139,034 1996 $66,620 1996 $2,146 1997 $119,357 1998 $21,371 1999 $890,972 1999 $505,480 2000 $387,959 2000 $5,697,456 2000 $987,546 2002 $2,700,000 2002 $725,000 2005 $5,249,586 2007 $472,691 2008 $201,333 2010 $64,261 2011 $67,000 2009-2012 $1,855,563 2012 $12,500 2012 $261,355 2012-2013 $948,248 2013 $100,000 2014 $580,000

of $9.5 million and expenses of $10.5 million. But New says if depreciation and a loan against pledges is excluded, the zoo basically broke even.

New says the zoo managed a slight surplus of $100,000 in 2015 due to “the highest revenues in the zoo’s history:” $9.9 million.

Until last year, the zoo’s attendance numbers had been fairly steady at 380,000 to 400,000 visitors a year, New says, but it hasn’t grown along with Knoxville’s rapidly increasing population. “It was catching up with us in terms of operating costs and needs,” New says.

A bequest of about $820,000 from the estate of Nadine Brantley Dempster helped by paying for basic capital improvements like paving, painting, improved restrooms, and a new phone system. (For two weeks, New says, she ran the zoo on a cell phone.)

New credits last year’s financial success partly to these upgrades, which gave the park a better look and feel. Other factors were reducing the number of animal shows in favor of creating more face-to-face “encounters” between visitors and animals on zoo pathways, and improved TripAdvi-

sor ratings due to weekly staff meetings aimed at responding to individual visitor feedback.

Zoo Knoxville’s vision is for attendance to climb close to 800,000 a year by 2025, starting with a 17 percent attendance jump when the tiger exhibit opens. New says the zoo depends on members, who buy an annual pass and then visit repeatedly, to bridge the cold winter months when visitation drops.

The master plan calls for growing membership from about 11,000 households to more than 15,000.

New says one way to drive membership is by adding non-animal attractions, a trend at zoos. “People want a variety of options for a variety of age groups,” New says.

A look back at Zoo Knoxville’s expansion investments shows the biggest bucks this decade were spent not on an animal habitat but on creating the Kids Cove play area in 2005 for $5.2 million.

In more recent years, Zoo Knoxville has added a tiny train, a popular splash pad, and (this year) a gem-mining feature. New says the zoo’s topography would also lend itself well to a zip line and ropes course, potentially increasing the zoo’s appeal to teens.

New acknowledged that while these activities aren’t directly related to the mission of animal conservation, “If we don’t have any margin, we don’t have any mission.”

AN EVOLVING MISSION

Zoos have changed dramatically in the last quarter-century, and Zoo Knoxville is no exception.

Dr. Edward Ramsay, who has been a veterinarian for the zoo for

decades, remembers a very different collection of animals in the early 1980s. Many were kept in small, sparse cages. (Example: three apes in a corn crib.)

“There were 60 big cats in the collection when I came,” Ramsay recalls. “Now there’s about 10.”

Often, the animals were chosen based on what ridiculous “pet” a local resident had purchased in its infancy.

That’s how the Knoxville Zoo got its very first animal, Al the Alligator. The zoo also purchased animals that had been taken from the wild, many of which died, Ramsay says.

“Zoos have gotten rid of those Noah’s Ark-type collections, which I think is a good thing,” says Ramsay, a frenetic, weathered man with a slightly grizzled beard who rattles out witty observations in a machine-gun staccato. (A quick comparison based on your house cat: “If you get two litters out of a [tiger] queen a year, pretty soon you’re going to have tigers out the ying yang.”)

Ramsay first came to the University of Tennessee in the early 1980s to pursue a doctorate in animal reproduction, but that trend ended poorly.

“Animals are made to have babies, and if you keep them right, they will have more babies than you want,” he says. Today, zoos worry more about contraception.

In the old days, the Knoxville Zoo sold the “surplus animals”—mostly older adults who weren’t cute any more—to animal dealers. “Thirty

years ago, (these animals would) go to hunting ranches, wildlife auctions, or some guy in Texas with more money than fencing,” he recalls. Today, zoos have gone so far in the opposite direction that they have to carefully share common farm animals like rabbits and goats, Ramsay says.

Being a zoo vet now is less about breeding than gerontology. Old animals can’t be hawked to dealers, and are now valued more because wild replacements aren’t possible. Captive animals often have twice the life expectancy they would in the wild, so zoos have increasingly aging populations, with all the accompanying health-care complications. Ramsay’s list of animals that are actually sick is much shorter than the one of “chronic cases” that need maintenance medications for arthritis, heart disease, and thyroid problems.

Zoo trends related to the visitor experience are also evident in Knoxville: “Immersion design,” with barely-visible dividers between people and animals, and exhibits that reflect the art and culture of animals’ native habitats. Ramsay (like other critics nationally) questions some of these trends, particularly what he calls “the Disneyfication of the zoo.”

“We no longer have a lion enclosure,” he says. “We have a lion ‘experience.’”

That experience doesn’t come cheap—look at the $10 million tiger price tag, more than triple what the zoo spent on the elephant exhibit in 2002.

(Zoo Knoxville has spent about $26 million altogether on capital improvements since 1994.) Ramsay questions what such an investment could mean for endangered animal populations in the wild, compared to keeping six tigers in a zoo.

“We are supposed to be a conservation organization,” he says.

“Where’s the conservation? We breed a lot of gorillas, but none of those are going to go to Africa. We build larger ‘experiences’ instead of focusing on our core mission.”

New acknowledges some of Ramsay’s points, but says locals won’t necessarily donate $10 million for conservation in the wild, as they will to see tigers up close.

“The other thing I would say is, we certainly have to be a living, breathing, viable organization before we’re able to just give money away to conservation efforts,” New says. That means regularly operating in the black, with a surplus.

The zoo’s “quarters for conservation” program” donates a quarter from the price of every ticket to conservation and sometimes helps zoo staff travel to help with research on wild populations, like tortoises and Komodo dragons. The zoo has also been breeding and releasing critically endangered bog turtles in Tennessee for 25 years.

In 2015, Zoo Knoxville gave about $71,000 to wild conservation initiatives (including projects like local butterfly gardens), New says.

Zoo Knoxville veterinarian and University of Tennessee professor Edward Ramsay She acknowledged that’s less than 1 percent of the zoo’s budget. The goal is to reach 3 percent.

“We engage the community to care more about wild life and wild places, and how do we put a price tag on that?” New says. “Part of that ‘Disneyfication’ is to make people fall in love with wildlife, and them having a great time points to that.”

A

t the gibbon enclosure, kindergarteners in matching T-shirts are hopping up and down and yelling, “Cool!” Profoundly disabled children rock excitedly in their wheelchairs.

A child points to a faded sign depicting a thermometer. “What does that mean?”

His mom reads the sign. “They’re endangered,” she says.

“What does that mean?” he repeats.

“It means there aren’t many of them in the wild,” she says.

Kids yell, “Hey monkey! Hey monkey!” but the golden gibbon doesn’t respond. Its whooping call is silent now.

It clings to the chain link in a corner, staring off into the world outside its enclosure, an impossible distance. ◆

@KNOXMERCURY.COM

Go to our website to read about how Zoo Knoxville is regulated, plus see an expanded photo gallery.

June 23, 2016

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P rogram Notes

Summer Classic The nief-norf Summer Festival brings new music to Knoxville

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or two weeks earlier this month, Knoxville probably had more performances of contemporary classical music per capita than any city in the United States that isn’t New York. During the nief-norf Summer Festival, which ran from June 7-20 and featured three dozen performing fellows, 10 composers, and a program of eight concerts in five different venues, audiences were treated to some of the most rewarding (and sometimes difficult) music of the last 100 years—pieces from 20th century legends like Iannis Xenakis, Igor Stravinsky, and Morton Feldman as well as pillars of the emerging 21st-century canon like John Luther Adams, Caroline Shaw, and Michael Gordon. Performances ranged from intimate solo, duo, and trio pieces to chamber ensembles, big percussion groups, and indoor and outdoor sound installations; the sounds were challenging and absorbing, beautiful and provocative, mesmerizing and invigorating.

The nief-norf Summer Festival brings musicians, composers, and scholars from around the country to Knoxville every year for an immersion in the music of the 20th and 21st centuries—the kind of music that is only now beginning to find its way into the college curriculum and concert halls. nnSF was founded in 2011 by Andy Bliss, who is now the head of percussion studies at the University of Tennessee, and his colleague Kerry O’Brien, a musician and scholar now

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Inside the Vault: R&B

KNOXVILLE MERCURY June 23, 2016

based in Seattle. (They had founded nief-norf in 2005 as a performing ensemble.) The festival moved to Knoxville in 2015 after four years at Furman University in South Carolina.

Most of the action takes place on the UT campus, where the performing fellows, composers, and nief-norf faculty study and rehearse during daytime sessions.

In the festival’s second year here, though, Bliss and company proved decisively that it can be more than just an academic conference or a teaching retreat—this year’s concert performances, held at UT’s Natalie L. Haslam Music Center, the Square Room, Ijams Nature Center, the Emporium Center, and the Jackson Avenue Terminal, were an essential public expression of the festival’s mission.

The student performers delivered capable and energetic concerts:

During a weeknight concert at the Square Room, the audience heard four chamber pieces, including Gordon’s hypnotic For Madeline, from 2009, and Charles Wuorinen’s brittle and jittery Arabia Felix, from 1973, all performed with verve and confidence.

The closing marathon concert at the Jackson Terminal on Sunday, June 19, was an endurance test and a sampling of the wide variety of music covered by the festival. The converted railroad depot turned out to be an ideal room for the seven-hour session—spacious but not cavernous, acoustically warm without being stuffy. There were chamber pieces, group improvisations, and Feldman’s Why Patterns?, a sparse, 30-minute meditation for flute, percussion, and piano. Andrea Lodge and Chris Adler, nief-norf’s composition director, gave a thundering, festival-highlight piano four-hands rendition of the first part of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring just after O’Brien’s staging of Alvin Lucier’s Music on a Long Thin Wire, an installation made with a piece of wire, an amplifier, a sine wave oscillator, a magnet, and microphones.

Need more evidence that nief-norf is more than just a funny-sounding word? Next year’s festival will be held in conjunction with the International Music and Minimalism Conference, a prestigious biennial gathering of scholars from around the world.

—Matthew Everett

Bliss and company proved decisively that nief-norf can be more than just an academic conference or a teaching retreat—this year’s concert performances were an essential public expression of the festival’s mission to promote contemporary classical music.

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Music: the Pinklets

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Yak Strangler FIST PUMP AT THE PEARLY GATES

“Burned Bread Alarm,” the first track on Yak Strangler’s new album, opens with a short, jagged, jazzy guitar riff over a drum roll, followed by a brief guitar solo that suggests, in just a few bars, a blender full of Eddie Van Halen, Frank Zappa, the Butthole Surfers’ Paul Leary, psychedelic mushrooms, and Pat Metheny. Over the next half hour, guitarist Chris Newman and drummer/vocalist Rylan Bledsoe churn through a frantic and slightly demented mash-up of post-punk, art rock, and funk.

Welcome to Fist Pump at the Pearly Gates, the noise-pop/prog-punk twosome’s chaotic, bewildering, and abrasive second album—and one of the most purposeful and impressive local underground releases of the last several years.

Newman is a brainy, technical player, but he doesn’t seem interested in conventional prettiness or accessible melody; he pursues his own relentless logic on Fist Pump, chasing muddy tones, dissonance, bent notes, odd harmonies, Beefheart blues licks, and whammy bar acrobatics.

Bledsoe, who is the son of News Sentinel music writer Wayne Bledsoe and also plays in the CrumbSnatchers, is equally proficient, managing to keep idiosyncratic rhythms underneath the guitarist’s unpredictable detours and providing unexpected flourishes of his own. Bledsoe also sings here, a departure for the previously all-instrumental Yak Stranglers. He has a declamatory but impassioned style, part Keith Morris, part Steven Malkmus, that adds an acerbic, emotional dimension to the band’s otherwise wonkish approach. (M.E.)

Movies: Finding Dory

Inside the Vault

Rhythm and Blues Revue Rick Lomax and TAMIS preserve a night with Knoxville’s R&B stars

BY ERIC DAWSON

T

he veteran Knoxville R&B musician Rick Lomax visited The Tennessee Archive of Moving Image and Sound recently. He brought with him a few records, a video, and a lot of stories about Knoxville’s R&B scene in the 1970s and ’80s. Lomax is currently in local band Eastwind, but he’s been playing around town since the ’70s, most notably in Player’s Choice, a band he started with his brother, Paul. Player’s Choice recorded a couple of singles at Big Mama Studios in the mid 1980s— Lomax can’t remember the exact year—and these 45s offer a glimpse of what you might have heard at a black club in town at that time.

“Message in the Music” is an up-tempo number with a touch of electro-funk influence—the synthesizer part must have sounded futuristic at the time. Dwight Hardin, who often performed live with the band, sings on the record; the B-side is an extended

instrumental version of the song, clearly intended for dance floors. On the other single, Leonard Means sings the soul ballad “Am I the One” and Lejuana Dean takes vocal duties for the B-side track, “Watch That Space.” They’re an interesting pair of records. It’s not often you find local bands releasing singles with a different vocalist on each side.

Together, the two records reveal the range of a band that obviously played frequently and knew how to please the audience with a variety of songs.

The DVD that Lomax brought, titled “Night With the Stars,” offered a more sustained and intriguing look at what was happening in the local R&B scene in the early 1980s. Originally shot on VHS, the audio and video quality suffer from that format’s limitations, but it’s still an incredible document of some of Knoxville’s best R&B musicians of the time.

The concert took place at Harper’s V.I.P. Lounge, run by John

Harper from 1978 to 1987 and located where McCalla Avenue meets Holston Drive. Lomax estimates the club held from 250 to 300 people. It hosted, he says, touring acts like Bobby “Blue” Bland, the Chi-Lites, Roger Troutman, and Anglo Saxon Brown, as well as numerous local bands.

The band that night was led by Chico Crawford, one of the most respected keyboard players ever to hit Knoxville. Lomax says it was an honor for Player’s Choice to back Crawford, who always had his pick of musicians.

At this point, Player’s Choice was made up of Lomax (keyboards), his brother, Paul (bass), Marcy Mills (percussion), Gary Moulden (guitar), and Kenneth Robinson (drums). Guest musicians drop in—Hucklebuck McMillan on guitar, Robert Spencer on keyboard, and a man known only as Soap Gun on congas. Dwight Hardin sings the first number; he’s followed by Sharon Mosby, who is introduced as having worked with Cannonball Adderley and his brother Nat Adderley. Harold Hardy comes on and delivers a knockout performance that shows why he was a giant of the scene for decades. The women in the audience shouting back at him between vocal pauses gives you an idea of how beloved he was.

Perhaps most surprising guest appearance was a vocal spot by longtime local club fixture Fred Logan. Logan, who tells the crowd he’s 76 years old, opened his first club on Gay Street in the 1930s. Some of

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the clubs he operated included the Paradise Club, the Five-Point Lounge, the Flamingo, the Showboat, and the El Rocco at Vine and Central. Logan was apparently quite a character—in the Knox County Public Library’s Paper to Pixels archive of the News Sentinel, he’s referred to more than once as a “well-known police character.” His performance of a blues medley at Harper’s V.I.P. gives some hint of his personality, and his spoken asides and the way he carries himself on stage let you know he was right at home in the setting.

The 90-minute concert is a great revue of familiar blues, soul, pop, and funk numbers, with several instrumentals that let the musicians show off their considerable skill. Lomax says he and his friends and colleagues came up under the tutelage of what he calls the “pioneers,” working musicians a generation or two older who were well-versed in blues, jazz, and pop standards—that’s why the musicianship was so good. When Player’s Choice and other bands like Genuine Black and Soul Liberation came along in the 1970s, they knew those standards but were also tuned in to contemporary radio, so they added their own spin to the past and present.

A lot of the performers from that night have since died. Those who survive, like Crawford and Lomax, are now the older generation, and they’re still out there gigging. Maybe some younger players are paying attention. ◆

The ’80s VHS documentary “Night With the Stars” offers an intriguing look at what was happening in the local R&B scene at the time. It’s an incredible document of some of Knoxville’s best R&B musicians of the era.

June 23, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 21

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Music

Teen Beat Sister rock trio the Pinklets take their catchy pop-rock to Bonnaroo and beyond

BY MIKE GIBSON

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s the daughters of local singer/ songwriter and guitar player extraordinaire Kevin Abernathy, the trio of sisters comprising the Pinklets have a legacy to live up to. Yet they’ve already one-upped their more seasoned sire in at least one respect— they played the New Music on Tap stage at this year’s Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival on June 12.

“It was sort of surreal,” says singer/guitarist Lucy Abernathy, 13, of the recent Bonnaroo venture. “I’d always seen pictures of the Bonnaroo stages, followed the festival on social media. But actually being there was just crazy. It was so cool.”

“We played the last day, so we had two days to just relax and have fun,” says drummer Eliza, 11. “Even though there were adults all around us, we all felt really comfortable. We almost forgot we were there to play.”

They’re a precocious, articulate bunch, these Abernathy sisters. The

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KNOXVILLE MERCURY June 23, 2016

girls say that they were each attracted to their respective instruments at an early age; they formed the Pinklets back in 2008 at the behest of eldest sibling Roxie, now 16.

“I thought it would be fun to have a band with my sisters,” says Roxie, the Pinklets’ keyboardist and sometimes bass player. “And that urge to play hasn’t dissipated any since then.”

But Roxie characterizes the

band’s early music as slight, kid-friendly fluff—“silly stuff, a lot of stuff that didn’t make sense,” she says.

Slowly, though, the sisters’ attitude toward making music changed as they grew older and assimilated more adult pop and rock. Then came an appearance on Kid Stuff, a weekly show on WDVX 89.9 FM hosted by Sean McCollough of the local folk/Americana band the Lonetones.

That was a turning point of sorts, Roxie says, the point at which the Pinklets began shaping up as a serious, long-term endeavor. In the meantime, their parents, Kevin and Christine, recognized that their daughters possessed a rare combination of talent and dedication; the Pinklets began playing around town at parties, weddings, and other events.

The girls have a handful of videos online, dating back to the early days of the band. It’s fascinating to watch as they evolve through the years and come of age musically, becoming more confident, more stage-savvy, better able to navigate tempos and changes.

Their stock-in-trade is a bright, teen-centric brand of mid-tempo power pop, replete with fetching melodies, the occasional vocal harmony, and a few classic piano-rock overtones—the girls collectively list Billy Joel as a big influence.

Eliza and Roxie point to Lucy as the natural songwriter in the band, though they both contribute parts and ideas along the way, and help in crafting arrangements. Lucy says her father was a major inspiration, as a songwriter as well as a guitarist.

“I’ve always liked to write,” she says. “But if there hadn’t been such a

talented guitar player and songwriter in the family, I probably wouldn’t have played guitar, or started writing songs.”

The Pinklets’ local profile was already on the rise when they took the New Music on Tap stage a couple of weeks back—they landed the Bonnaroo slot when AC Entertainment chief Ashley Capps happened to catch a portion of their set at Waynestock, the annual Knoxville music festival founded in honor of News Sentinel music writer Wayne Bledsoe’s late son, Andrew.

The next logical step, the girls agree, is to enter the studio.

“We definitely want to record,” Roxie says. “We don’t just want people to see us on a YouTube video from two years ago, because we’ve improved a lot since then.

“We also want to continue performing and improving as artists.

And we want to make audiences happy. That’s one of the most important things for us, making people happy with the music we play.” ◆

WHAT

Meadow Lark Music Festival with the Pinklets, Dale Watson and His Lone Stars, Southern Culture on the Skids, and more

WHERE

Ijams Nature Center (2915 Island Home Ave.)

WHEN

Saturday, June 25, from noon-11 p.m.

HOW MUCH

I thought it would be fun to have a band with my sisters. And that urge to play hasn’t dissipated any since then.

—ROXIE ABERNATHY, bassist and keyboardist for the Pinklets

$25/$35 at the gate

INFO

wdvx.com/event/ meadow-lark-music-fest/ or thepinklets.weebly.com

Movies

Fish Tale Pixar lands a small-scale whopper with Nemo sequel Finding Dory

BY APRIL SNELLINGS

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eave it to Pixar to turn a riptide of obstacles into an ocean of opportunities. Not only does Finding Dory, the studio’s long-awaited follow-up to 2003’s Finding Nemo, hand off its story to a scene-stealing B-team character—a risky proposition, even in the most skilled hands—but it also trades the limitless visual spectacle of the open ocean for the decidedly more prosaic setting of a worn-at-the-edges aquarium. Then there’s the central problem posed by its main character: How do you build compelling kid-friendly drama around a critter whose defining quality means she’ll almost immediately forget any trauma that befalls her?

But then Pixar does its thing, and in one concise story beat, Dory’s

perpetual short-term memory loss is transformed from a running gag to a disability that causes much fin-wringing for the little fish’s family. The story begins in flashback mode, with a googly-eyed baby Dory (voiced in these scenes by Sloane Murray) being gently coached by her parents, Charlie and Jenny (Eugene Levy and Diane Keaton), to find help in the event that she wanders off and can’t remember how to get home. In short order, the couple’s worst nightmare is realized when the tiny blue tang is separated from them and forced to fend for herself, quickly forgetting that she even had a family in the first place.

This savvy reverse engineering pays off when the film leaps forward to present day, which, in this case, is one

year after the events of Finding Nemo.

Dory is still chumming around with Marlin the clownfish (Albert Brooks again) and his son (Hayden Rolence this time), but now her forgetfulness is couched in pathos and emotional heft.

(Don’t worry, it’s still very funny.)

When sudden jagged memories remind Dory that she has parents and that they might be at a Monterey Bay aquarium called the Marine Life Institute, she sets off to find them, with Marlin and Nemo in tow.

It’s tempting to lament Dory’s lack of Nemo’s near-mythic sprawl, but it finds its own kind of adventure in its contained setting. Dory is more episodic than Nemo, with much of the film devoted to a succession of slapstick routines and fast-moving

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action sequences as Dory tries to make her way across the aquarium from exhibit to exhibit—sometimes in tanks and pools, but just as often in buckets, coffee pots, and even a sippy cup.

Like so many Pixar movies, Dory relies on a veteran cast to voice an assortment of well-drawn characters, from Ed O’Neill’s grumpy seven-armed octopus (Dory calls him a “septopus”), to Idris Elba and Dominic West’s scheming Cockney sea lions.

It’s a testament to star Ellen DeGeneres’ enormous appeal and her skill in the sound booth that she’s never upstaged by any of the movie’s supporting players (though Sigourney Weaver’s turn as the aquarium’s god-like recorded celebrity narrator comes close).

The breathtaking, otherworldly seascapes that marked Finding Nemo are mostly absent here, and, with the exception of a chase scene involving an incandescent squid, so is the almost constant threat of danger. (The narrative might suffer a little for its lack of any discernible villains, but maybe there are already enough of those to go around these days.) But the creative and box-office success of Pixar’s films has always owed as much to their writers as their animators—Finding Dory might be smaller in scope than its predecessor, but it’s at its best when it puts its characters center stage and treats them with sincere tenderness and affection.

Most of them, including a near-sighted whale shark and a beluga whale with a busted echolocator (or so he thinks), struggle with some sort of disability, but like Dory, their journey isn’t so much about overcoming their physical and cognitive differences as learning to use them to their advantage.

If it’s innovative animation you’re looking for, though, Finding Dory provides it in the form of its glorious opening short, “Piper,” which stands among the studio’s best efforts in terms of sheer visual inventiveness and technical virtuosity. As is so often the case, it’s worth noting that the 3D in Finding Dory is almost entirely superfluous, so save your bucks and skip the up-charge, but do stick around for a clever post-credits Nemo callback. ◆ June 23, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 23

CALENDAR Thursday, June 23 SNAKE BLOOD REMEDY WITH GRANDPA’S COUGH MEDICINE • 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 DOUG AND DOUG • Brackins Blues Club ( Maryville) • 6PM JAMES AND EMMA • Regal Cinemas Pinnacle Stadium 18 in Turkey Creek • 6:30PM • Part of the Sounds of Summer concert series. • FREE THE JAKOB’S FERRY STRAGGLERS • Sugarlands Distilling Co. (Gatlinburg) • 7PM • The Jakob’s Ferry Stragglers draw freely from old-time, bluegrass, country, jazz, rockabilly and swing styles to create their tight, high-energy string band music. • FREE ENSEMBLE SWING TIME • Market Square • 7PM • Come swing the night away with this 16-piece big band featuring original arrangements made famous by Glenn Miller, Harry James, the Dorsey Brothers and other great bands from the Swing Era. • FREE STEVE KAUFMAN ACOUSTIC KAMPS CONCERT SERIES • Maryville College • 7PM • In conjunction with his annual summer camps for guitarists, fiddlers, and other acoustic musicians, award-winning guitarist Steve Kaufman hosts two weeks of concerts at Maryville College’s newly refurbished Alumni Gym. The lineup includes Kaufman, Cary Fridley, April Verch, Mike Dowling, Clint Mullcan, and more than a dozen other musicians. June 13-24. Visit flatpik.com for more info. • $15 PINK FLOYD LASER SPECTACULAR • The International • 8PM • Al ages. • $19.99-$24.99 BOBBY LONG • Scruffy City Hall • 8PM • New York-based British singer-songwriter Bobby Long will be playing in Knoxville (for the first time) in support of his CD release, “Ode to Thinking” from Compass Records.

KEVIN ABERNATHY • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria (Maryville) • 8PM ANDI AND SHANE • Wild Wing Cafe • 8:30PM • FREE LOVE AND THEFT WITH SAMMY ARRIAGA • Cotton Eyed Joe • 9PM • “We wanted to show a different side and make a record that sounds like us,” Stephen Barker Liles says of Love and Theft’s boundary-pushing new album Whiskey On My Breath. “Country music has always been about honest performances and songs that mean something, and that’s the kind of record that we wanted to make.” .18 and up. • FREE DYLAN LEBLANC • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM • Overwhelmed by the speed his gift would take him, from Applebee’s server to “the new Neil Young” in a matter of months, he walked away from an unlikely major label deal after releasing two critically acclaimed albums. He slipped into a blur of booze and self-doubt. Exhausted and damaged at just 23-years-old, Dylan came home to Muscle Shoals, Alabama to write a new life for himself. In between the moments of clarity and a few familiar falls, he also wrote a new album, Cautionary Tale: a collection of shimmering, arresting songs with the same haunting vocals that caught the attention of Lucinda Williams and Bruce Springsteen, now with a sharpened edge honed by hastened maturity.

FRAZIERBAND • Preservation Pub • 10PM THE FOUNTAIN CITY RAMBLERS • Clancy’s Tavern and Whiskey House • 7PM BRISTON MARONEY WITH CHESS CLUB AND DEVIN BADGETT • Open Chord Brewhouse and Stage • 8PM • All ages. • $5 THE PAISLEY FIELDS WITH THE GUTTER BLOSSOMS • Pilot 24

KNOXVILLE MERCURY June 23, 2016

THE MIKE SNODGRASS BAND • Wild Wing Cafe • 10PM • FREE THE CHARLES WALKER BAND • Preservation Pub • 10PM NATTY’S COMMON ROOTS • Just 1 More Bar and Grille • 7PM YAK STRANGLER WITH LINES TAKING SHAPE, OMNIPRESENT, AND MAPS NEED READING • The Bowery • 7PM • 18 and up. • $10 • See Program Notes on page 20.

KIRK FLETA • Jimmy’s Place • 7PM • FREE MIZERY WITH WILL TO DIE, DISMAL DREAM, SOUL POWER, AND THE BAD IDOLS • Longbranch Saloon • 8PM • $8 THE DEACONS WITH HELLAPHANT AND SUZY HOMEMAKER • Purple Polilla • 9PM • Hellaphant’s self-titled debut EP, from 2014, was a charming collection of three-chord anthems that hinted at the influence of the SST roster, Jawbreaker, and more contemporary bands like Cloud Nothings, FIDLAR, and Wavves. But the band’s 2015 full-length, Family Man, is an advance in every way, from the quality of the production to the confident performances and all-around more well-crafted songs. • $3 STONE KOLE’D • The Rocks Tavern • 9PM

Light • 9PM • The Paisley Fields are a Brooklyn based alt-country band, unapologetic about pushing boundaries and seeking inspiration in the unexpected. Though lead singer James Wilson is inspired by country musicians like Dolly Parton and Gram Parsons, he wanted The Paisley Fields lyrics to reflect a modern world. 18 and up.

• $5 Friday, June 24 DALE WATSON WITH DANIEL CHAMPAGNE • 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 ALIVE AFTER FIVE: LEFTFOOT DAVE AND THE MAGIC HATS • Knoxville Museum of Art • 6PM • Classically trained “Leftfoot” Dave Overall heads up a five-member band that plays a musical gumbo of blues with a dollop of R&B, a splash of funk, and a pinch of Cajun. • $5-$10 BENDER • Wild Wing Cafe • 6PM • FREE GRANDPA’S COUGH MEDICINE WITH SNAKE BLOOD REMEDY • Sugarlands Distilling Co. (Gatlinburg) • 7PM • Blazing tempos, outlaw attitude, foot-stomping intensity, acoustic wizardry. These things all accurately describe Grandpa’s Cough Medicine’s tongue in cheek approach to bluegrass music. • FREE THE SPARKLE MOTION BAND • Last Days of Autumn Brewery • 7PM STEVE KAUFMAN ACOUSTIC KAMPS CONCERT SERIES • Maryville College • 7PM • In conjunction with his annual summer camps for guitarists, fiddlers, and other acoustic musicians, award-winning guitarist Steve Kaufman hosts two weeks of concerts at Maryville College’s newly refurbished Alumni Gym. The lineup includes Kaufman, Cary Fridley, April Verch, Mike Dowling, Clint Mullcan, and more than a dozen other musicians. June 13-24. Visit flatpik.com for more info. • $15 BRAD AUSTIN • Vienna Coffee House (Maryville) • 7PM • FREE GREGG ALLMAN AND JAIMOE’S JASSZ BAND • Tennessee Theatre • 8PM • Gregg Allman is one of the most-acclaimed and beloved icons in rock and roll history. As a founding member of the legendary Allman Brothers Band and in his own storied solo career, Allman has long been a gifted natural interpreter of the blues, his soulful and distinctive voice one of the defining sounds in the history of American music. • $47.50-$94.50 FROG AND TOAD’S DIXIE QUARTET • The Crown and Goose • 8PM • Live jazz featuring a mix of original music, early jazz and more. • FREE HOT ACTION COP WITH INWARD OF EDEN, INDIE LAGONE, AND BELFAST 6 PACK • Open Chord Brewhouse and Stage • 8PM • 18 and up. • $10-$15 NUTHIN’ FANCY • Two Doors Down (Maryville) • 9PM THE T. MICHAEL BRANNER CONCEPTET • The Bistro at the Bijou • 9PM • Live jazz. • FREE VELVET KING WITH CHALKY AND THE SACRED • Scruffy City Hall • 9PM THE BARNYARD STOMPERS • Brackins Blues Club (Maryville) • 9PM SENRYU, MEOB, AND YUNG LIFE • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM THE APPLESEED COLLECTIVE • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 10PM • The Appleseed Collective is a four-piece Americana band that’s toured these United States since 2010, serving up songs new and old—barn-burners, old soul jazz, airy mood pieces, bluesy digressions—to crowds hungry for more. • FREE MAE BETH HARRIS • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria (Maryville) • 10PM

MAX PAIN AND THE GROOVIES • Pilot Light • 10PM • 18 and up. • $5 Saturday, June 25 MEADOW LARK MUSIC FESTIVAL • Ijams Nature Center • 12PM • A day of live music at Ijams Nature Center celebrating the harmony of nature and song. Proceeds benefit WDVX and Ijams Nature Center. Featuring music

by Southern Culture on the Skids, Dale Watson, and many, many more. Visit ijams.org. • $20-$35 • See Music story on page 22.

WENDEL WERNER WITH COLE GRAHAM AND A PAUPER’S PRAYER • 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 LOVERBOY • Back Porch on the Creek • 7PM • Loverboy’s red leather pants, bandannas, and big rock sound defined the band’s trademark image and high-energy live show. • $22-$43 JORDAN BENNETT • Vienna Coffee House (Maryville) •

Photo by Kaden Shallat

MUSIC

Thursday, June 23 - Sunday, July 3

KISHI BASHI The Concourse (940 Blackstock Ave.) • Saturday, June 25 • 9 p.m. • $12/$15 at the door • 18 and up • internationalknox.com or kishibashi.com

The Athens, Ga.-based composer/multi-instrumentalist/singer Kaoru Ishibashi, who performs as Kishi Bashi, introduced himself on the 2012 album 151a as an eccentric voice of sugary indie orchestral synth-pop—the influence of Athens’ psych/folk/pop collective Elephant 6 was apparent. (Ishibashi occasionally plays violin for the Elephant 6 electronic funk-pop band of Montreal.) His second album, Lighght, released in 2014, showed Ishibashi growing as a songwriter; without sacrificing the child-like buoyancy of 151a, his songs became more complex, relying as much on his background as a classical musician as on his pop instincts. Last year’s String Quartet Live!—recorded live with, you bet, a string quartet—turned songs from Ishibashi’s previous albums into gloriously complex, multidimensional chamber music with echoes of disco, funk, and ’70s pop.

With “psychedelic folk banjo” guy Tall Tall Trees. (Matthew Everett)

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Spotlight: Kuumba Festival

28

Spotlight: Hops in the Hills

Thursday, June 23 - Sunday, July 3

7PM • FREE OUTLAW RITUAL • Sugarlands Distilling Co. (Gatlinburg) • 7PM • Outlaw Ritual is a three-piece rock ‘n’ roll band that blends a cocktail of blues, country-billy and a twist of punk. It has been said that Hasil Adkins would be proud of these folks blending the street sounds of Brooklyn with the lonesome call of the Deep South. • FREE KISHI BASHI WITH TALL TALL TREES • The Concourse • 9PM • Having collaborated and toured with indie strangelings of Montreal, Regina Spektor, and Sondre Lerche, singer, violinist, and composer, K Ishibashi (aka Kishi Bashi), embarks on a epic orchestral solo project. His solo live show is a dazzling array of looping and vocal/violin gymnastics. K is also singer of the NYC synth rock band Jupiter One. 18 and up. • $12-$15 • See Spotlight on page 24.

SOUTHBOUND • Two Doors Down (Maryville) • 9PM MARK BOLING • The Bistro at the Bijou • 9PM • Live jazz. • FREE LEFTFOOT DAVE AND THE MAGIC HATS • Brackins Blues Club (Maryville) • 9PM THE ACCOMPLICES • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM THE BEARDED • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 10PM • FREE JAKE DECKER • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria (Maryville) • 10PM PURPLE MASQUERADE • Wild Wing Cafe • 10PM • A tribute to Prince. • FREE GIMME HENDRIX • Preservation Pub • 10PM THE BARNYARD STOMPERS WITH THE BARSTOOL DUO • Scruffy City Hall • 10PM JUSTIFIED • Jimmy’s Place • 7PM • FREE *REPEAT REPEAT WITH THE CRUMBSNATCHERS • 8PM • They’ve opened for the likes of Walk The Moon, Glass Animals, and St. Lucia. They’re one of Nashville’s most exciting up-and-coming bands. Their jangly surf-rock songs are the soundtrack of summer. And we get to present them to you in one of our amazing and mysterious locations. When *repeat repeat comes to town for a KMW Secret Show it will be a must-see. The KMW Secret Shows is a completely new music experience providing an excellent listening environment.

Each locale will be different and will include unique spaces like rooftop gardens, trendy storefronts, and maybe even a physical warehouse or two. The location will remain a secret until the day before each show and will only be revealed to ticketholders. All we can tell you about the location is that it will be in or near downtown.

We’re not going to send you on an accidental road trip.

Tickets to each event will be limited in an effort to maintain an intimate feel, further placing the emphasis on the listening experience. • $10-$12 JIMMY AND THE JAWBONES WITH SHAUN ABBOTT AND SO IT GOES • Open Chord Brewhouse and Stage • 8PM • All ages. • $5 MAD HATTER • Paul’s Oasis • 9:30PM LACING WITH GRACELESS • Pilot Light • 10PM • 18 and up. • $5 Sunday, June 26 SHIFFLETT’S JAZZ BENEDICT • The Bistro at the Bijou • 12PM • Live jazz. • FREE SUNDAY JAZZ BRUNCH • Downtown Grill and Brewery • 12:45PM • Knoxville’s coolest jazz artists perform every Sunday. • FREE THE STELLA VEES • Star of Knoxville Riverboat • 4PM • Come join the Smoky Mountain Blues Society as they present some of the best known regional Blues Music artists performing on specialty cruises on the Tennessee River. From April through October, blues lovers will convene to celebrate this truly American art-form during

CALENDAR

a 3 hour Sunday afternoon cruise on the Star of Knoxville Tennessee Riverboat. Visit smokymountainblues.org. • $16-$20 J. LUKE • Wild Wing Cafe • 6PM • FREE PAT BAKER • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 8PM EVAN STONE • Preservation Pub • 10PM KNOXVILLE COMMUNITY BAND • Clayton Center for the Arts (Maryville) • 3PM • The Knoxville Community Band gives musicians of all experience levels the opportunity to perform in various concerts, including an outdoor concert series during the summer and other festivals and City events throughout the year. The band plays an assortment of light classical, festive and marching songs. • FREE THOMPSON SQUARE • Jackson Avenue Terminal • 6:30PM • Q100.3 presents Thompson Square as part of the Jackson Terminal Acoustic Concert Series benefiting krēd and military services provided by the Helen Ross McNabb Center. This intimate acoustic concert will be held at Jackson Terminal. Because of the intimate nature of the event, a limited number of tickets will be available.

Pre-sale tickets are $40. Tickets at the door, should there be any available, are $50. Please visit www.mcnabbcenter.org/JacksonTerminalConcert, for more information. • $40-$50 KNOXVILLE GAY MEN’S CHORUS: DENVER BOUND! • Knoxville Museum of Art • 7PM • Send the Knoxville Gay Men’s Chorus off to the GALA Festival in Denver! We will be performing our GALA show in the third floor gallery of the KMA. The event is free and open to the public, though donations to KGMC will be accepted and appreciated. • FREE LITTLE MAKER • Pilot Light • 10PM • “Bayou indie pop” from Louisiana. 18 and up.

Monday, June 27 JUSTIN TRAWICK AND KEELAN DONOVAN WITH LAWSON GARRETT AND THE LOVE • 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 VIENNA COFFEE HOUSE JAZZ TRIO • Vienna Coffee House (Maryville) • 5PM • Every Monday. Visit viennacoffeehouse.net. • FREE THE BARNYARD STOMPERS • Sugarlands Distilling Co. (Gatlinburg) • 7PM • Barnyard Stompers are a true C&W outfit from South Texas who combine the perfect mixture of Classic Country, Dirty Blues and Southern Rock along with their own unapologetic style to create some of the rawest, roughest, rowdiest Outlaw music ever heard. • FREE THE BLUEPRINT • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM • Local pianist Keith Brown’s cool jazz combo.

BEN RICKETTS • Preservation Pub • 10PM • Active for seven years, Ricketts has performed throughout the American Southeast and self-released nine albums spanning a variety of genres. Mixing unique songwriting with eclectic arrangements (including both live instrumentation and electronics) and a unique stage presentation, Ricketts’ sets have been referred to as “mind-bending psychedelia” and “a full experience.” 21 and up.

BEN SHUSTER • Wild Wing Cafe • 10PM • FREE Tuesday, June 28 THE LOST FIDDLE BAND • Wild Wing Cafe • 5:30PM • FREE TOM MASON WITH DUNDERHEAD • 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 PEA PICKIN’ HEARTS • Sugar Mama’s Bakery • 7PM MARBLE CITY 5 • Market Square • 8PM • Live jazz every Tuesday from May 3-Aug. 30. • FREE PASSION PIT • The Mill and Mine • 8PM • The music on Kindred is as Passion Pit as ever—more so, if possible—but the stacked shrieking-child vocals and distancing reverb and esoteric lyrical moments are gone.

The veils are peeled away. • $30 TOMMY ROBERTS • Preservation Pub • 10PM Wednesday, June 29 TOMMY ROBERTS WITH MURIEL ANDERSON • 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 SAM GLOVER • Whole Foods • 6PM • FREE 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 DANIEL RYAN TRIO • The Bistro at the Bijou • 7PM • Live jazz. • FREE TENNESSEE SHINES: ROBERT ELLIS • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 7PM • Americana singer-songwriter Robert Ellis makes a rare visit to Knoxville with his full band to perform songs from his 2016 self-titled New West Records release and remind us how obsessed we were with 2014’s The Lights from the Chemical Plant. Ellis’ latest songs contemplate the vagaries of love backed by lush compositions. • $10 NINE LASHES WITH MAGDALENE, RANDOM HERO, ILIA, AND INWARD OF EDEN • Open Chord Brewhouse and Stage • 7PM • Nine Lashes is an American Christian rock band from Birmingham, Ala., formed in 2006. They independently released their first album, Escape, in 2009 with producer Travis Wyrick before Trevor McNevan of Thousand Foot Krutch brought them to the attention of Tooth and Nail Records. All ages. • $8-$10 THE ZAC FALLON PROJECT • Scruffy City Hall • 8PM MIKE SNODGRASS • Wild Wing Cafe • 8:30PM • FREE WRAY WITH EX-GOLD AND THE FEM DOMS • Pilot Light • 8:30PM • Wray is one of those rare bands that effortlessly blend smart sonic pluralities into a seamless whole without losing any of their DIY grit. Based out of Birmingham, Alabama, the trio has a shared history that reaches back over a decade in the Birmingham music scene. Expectations for this compelling act continue to grow with the groundswell of support and patronage they’ve received since they first made their debut in 2013.

18 and up. • $5 SAM PACE AND THE GILDED GRIT • Preservation Pub • 10PM Thursday, June 30 MY BROTHER’S KEEPER WITH KIRK FLETA • 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 BARK • Scruffy City Hall • 6PM • Bark is a side project of the Tim Lee 3, featuring Tim and Susan Lee on mostly bass-and-drums arrangements, embellished with some economical guitar lines—imagine Joy Division playing White Stripes songs. • FREE PIPER MONTANA SMITH • Regal Cinemas Pinnacle Stadium 18 in Turkey Creek • 6:30PM • Part of the Sounds of Summer concert series. • FREE BLUE LINE BLUES • Market Square • 7PM • There is a thin line between law enforcement and music when Blue Line Blues gets together to perform down-home blues and bluegrass tunes. • FREE THE MIDNIGHT RUN BLUEGRASS BAND • Barley’s Taproom June 23, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 25

CALENDAR and Pizzeria (Maryville) • 8PM AUSTIN LUCAS WITH MATT WOODS • Open Chord Brewhouse and Stage • 8PM MATT HICKEY • Wild Wing Cafe • 8:30PM • FREE FRONT COUNTRY • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM • What started as a reluctant band of some of the hottest young pickers in the SF Bay Area has transformed into a hard-touring powerhouse Roots-Pop ensemble that is stretching the boundaries of Bluegrass and Americana until they break.

CULTURE VULTURE WITH PACE HOUSE • Preservation Pub • 10PM PSYCHIC BAOS WITH THE CANCELLED AND CRISWELL COLLECTIVE • Pilot Light • 10PM • 18 and up. • $5 AFTAH PARTY • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM • Funk, soul, hip-hop, jazz, rock and poetry combine when Aftah Party hits the stage with an eclectic sound that can’t be matched. This 10-piece band, with three-piece horn section, has set out on a mission to combine their wide range of musical experiences and influences into a single dynamic and soulful experience for audiences. • $5 Friday, July 1 AUSTIN LUCAS • WDVX • 12PM • Part of WDVX’s Blue Plate

Thursday, June 23 - Sunday, July 3

Special, a six-days-a-week lunchtime concert series featuring local, regional, and national Americana, folk, pop, rock, and everything else. • FREE MISS NIKKI • The Alley • 7PM 3 MILE SMILE • Jimmy’s Place • 7PM • FREE FROG AND TOAD’S DIXIE QUARTET • The Crown and Goose • 8PM • Live jazz featuring a mix of original music, early jazz and more. • FREE THE EAST WIND BAND • Open Chord Brewhouse and Stage • 8PM • Classic disco and funk tunes. All ages. • FREE THE MATT HICKEY BAND • Two Doors Down • 9PM VIETJAM • Scruffy City Hall • 9PM THE LAWSUITS • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM • For years, Philadelphia’s The Lawsuits have been known for a sound that cannot be pigeonholed into one genre.

There is something to be said about a band that has been creating music together as long as The Lawsuits have.

With that longevity comes a sort of comfort and understanding for both themselves, and the listener.

“Moon Son”, the band’s second full length release, and Random Records debut, showcases years of blending each other’s influences and sounds to create something wholly their own.

THE J. ERIC BAND • Wild Wing Cafe • 10PM • FREE THE PARTIALS • Preservation Pub • 10PM • 21 and up.

KUUMBA FESTIVAL Market Square and Morningside Park • Thursday, June 23-Sunday, June 26 • kuumbafestival.com

The annual Kuumba Festival kicks off this Thursday, marking four days of cultural festivities, performances, and family-friendly events stretching from Market Square to Morningside Park.

The word “kuumba,” in Swahili, means “creativity,” broadly encouraging folks to do what they can with what they’ve got to make their community a better and more beautiful place to live.

Now in its 27th year, this weekend-long festival celebrating slices of African culture kicks into full swing on Friday with a junkanu parade down Gay Street and performance by kuumba watoto dancers and drummers in Market Square. Over several days, both Market Square and Haley Heritage Square in Morningside Park will be transformed into African marketplaces with unique vendors, children’s activities, and an assortment of performances and gospel music.

There’s even a Kuumba Kamp for kids 5-18, focused on making learning about West African culture and arts fun and exciting. Best of all, it’s mostly all free. Visit kuumbafestival.com for more information. (Clay Duda)

26

KNOXVILLE MERCURY June 23, 2016

Saturday, July 2 CHRIS LONG WITH THE CLASSIC Q BAND • 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 BENDER BASS AND COMPANY • Jimmy’s Place • 4PM • FREE SEVEN BRIDGES: THE ULTIMATE EAGLES TRIBUTE • The Shed at Smoky Mountain Harley-Davidson (Maryville) • 6PM • $10 RICKY MITCHELL • Last Days of Autumn Brewery • 7PM LOCUST HONEY • Sugarlands Distilling Co. (Gatlinburg) • 7PM • As Locust Honey, Chloe Edmonstone and Meredith Watson bring their experience in Old-Time, Bluegrass, and Pre-War Blues to both their original material and the traditional songs and tunes of the American Southeast. • FREE LACEY CAROLINE • Preservation Pub • 8PM • 21 and up. • FREE AESOP ROCK WITH ROB SONIC AND DJ ZONE • The International • 9PM • Indie-rap mainstay Aesop Rock has announced his new album, The Impossible Kid, dropping April 29th on Rhymesayers Entertainment, marking his first solo venture since 2012’s Skelethon. On the new album, Aesop continues finding new ways to improve on the skills that have made him one of the kings of indie hip-hop. 18 and up. • $18-$20 CYPHER: A HIP-HOP SHOW • The Birdhouse • 9PM • Open mic for the first half of the night, then two featured artists to close out the night. 18 and up.

MIDDLEFINGER • Two Doors Down (Maryville) • 9PM JOHN PAUL KEITH • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM • John Paul Keith, the brilliant singer-songwriter and blistering guitarist who exploded out of a self-imposed musical exile in Memphis with 2009’s critically acclaimed Spills and Thrills and 2011’s The Man That Time Forgot, returns with Memphis Circa 3AM — his most accomplished and moving collection of songs yet. Less a tribute to the spirit, soul and sound of the city than the living, crackling embodiment of it, Memphis Circa 3AM finds Keith reaching the songwriting depths and musical heights that his previous two releases foreshadowed. • FREE DJ STAN DUH MAN • Wild Wing Cafe • 10PM • FREE BATH SALT ZOMBIES • Preservation Pub • 10PM • 21 and up.

• $5 Sunday, July 3 SHIFFLETT’S JAZZ BENEDICT • The Bistro at the Bijou • 12PM • Live jazz. • FREE SUNDAY JAZZ BRUNCH • Downtown Grill and Brewery • 12:45PM • Knoxville’s coolest jazz artists perform every Sunday. • FREE JAYSTORM • Jimmy’s Place • 7PM • FREE MISTY MOUNTAIN STRING BAND • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 8PM • Drawing influence from old-time music, Americana, bluegrass, and songs of labor and protest, Misty Mountain String Band doesn’t stray far from their upbringings in Kentucky and West Virginia.

YUNG JOC WITH BANDZ, KLEAN KEEM, AND CM3 • NV Nightclub • 8PM • Yung Joc’s 2006 debut album New Joc City entered at #1 on both the Billboard Top R&B/Hip Albums and Top Rap Albums charts and #3 on the Billboard 200 chart. New Joc City featured the multi-platinum selling, #1 Billboard Hot Rap Track “It’s Going Down,” which won a BET Award for Hip-Hop Track of the Year and garnered several nominations including the Grammy Awards, American Music Awards, MTV Video Music Awards (Best Rap Video) and more. • $15-$25

CUMBERLAND STATION • Preservation Pub • 10PM

OPEN MIC AND SONGWRITER NIGHTS

Thursday, June 23 VIENNA COFFEE HOUSE OPEN MIC NIGHT • Vienna Coffee House (Maryville) • 7PM • Visit viennacoffeehouse.net. • FREE SCOTTISH MUSIC SESSION • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 7:15PM • Held on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month.

• FREE Friday, June 24 TIME WARP TEA ROOM OPEN SONGWRITER NIGHT • Time Warp Tea Room • 7PM • Songwriter Night at Time Warp Tea Room runs on the second and fourth Friday of every month. Show up around 7 p.m. with your instrument in tow and sign up to share a couple of original songs with a community of friends down in Happy Holler. • FREE Tuesday, June 28 PRESERVATION PUB SINGER/SONGWRITER NIGHT • Preservation Pub • 7PM OLD-TIME JAM SESSION • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 7:15PM • Hosted by Sarah Pickle. • FREE Wednesday, June 29 TIME WARP TEA ROOM OLD-TIME JAM • Time Warp Tea Room • 7PM • Regular speed old-time/fiddle jam every Wednesday. All instruments and skill levels welcome.

BRACKINS BLUES JAM • Brackins Blues Club ( Maryville) • 9PM • A weekly open session hosted by Tommie John. • FREE ACOUSTIC OPEN MIC NIGHT • Asia Cafe West • 7PM • Bring an acoustic guitar and a few songs every Wednesday.

Sign-up sheet available 30 minutes prior to 7 p.m. start.

Three songs or 10 minutes per performer. • FREE Thursday, June 30 VIENNA COFFEE HOUSE OPEN MIC NIGHT • Vienna Coffee House (Maryville) • 7PM • Visit viennacoffeehouse.net. • FREE

DJ AND DANCE NIGHTS

Friday, June 24 KNOXVILLE LOCAL DJ SHOWCASE • El Pulpo Loco • 10PM • Brooklyn Jay’s presents the Knoxville Local DJ Showcase, boasting a large roster of local artists, ranging the entire electronic music spectrum.: Ghoblin, DJ Cali D, Stinky Igloo, and TrippNinja. 18 and up. • $5 Saturday, June 25 THE COSPLAY RIVER PARTY • Star of Knoxville Riverboat • 10PM • The Fanboy Expo is in town the weekend of June 24-26, so we’re gonna do what we do best...throw a party.

Dress up as your favorite comic book character, as your favorite video game character, or just dress up as whatever you want and prepare for the best people-watching ever. For this event we’ve got an eccentric and diverse lineup for you. So far on the bill are some insanely talented Knoxville artists such as One Hour Photo, The Gutter Blossoms, East Towards Macedonia, and Doc Isaac, plus Ho-Tron Beatz from Asheville. • $15-$25

Thursday, June 23 - Sunday, July 3

Sunday, June 26 LAYOVER SUNDAY BRUNCH • The Concourse • 12PM • Enjoy good eats, refreshing libations, and the most appropriate afternoon tunage in the company of this city’s most dedicated loafers. We’ll be serving our normal brunch in all it’s glory, courtesy of Localmotive. Musical accompaniment by the likes of Slow Nasty, Psychonaut, and a rotating list of special guests. All ages. • FREE Friday, July 1 GLOWRAGE PAINT PARTY • NV Nightclub • 9PM • Experience this full production, award winning, international touring dance party in Knoxville for an experience like no other—amazing LED visuals, full intelligent lighting, and gallons of washable glow paint.

Featuring music by Stoags, Lvnchbox, Rasch, and more.

Sunday, July 3 LAYOVER SUNDAY BRUNCH • The Concourse • 12PM • Enjoy good eats, refreshing libations, and the most appropriate afternoon tunage in the company of this city’s most dedicated loafers. We’ll be serving our normal brunch in all it’s glory, courtesy of Localmotive. Musical accompaniment by the likes of Slow Nasty, Psychonaut, and a rotating list of special guests. All ages. • FREE HOUSE IN TYSON PARK • Tyson Park • 10AM • The Art of House, Headroom and TEKNOX present House at Tyson Park. This event has been created to celebrate the holiday weekend with friends, family, and the diverse sounds of underground dance music provided by Knoxville’s finest original house music DJs and producers: Kevin Nowell, Rick Styles, Mark B, JMo, Gregory Tarrants, Alex Falk, Dialectic Sines, Saint Thomas LeDoux, and Nikki Nair.Rules: Tents are allowed, but no stakes in the ground; grills are allowed; clean up after yourself— anything you bring into the park take out when you leave; no alcohol allowed in the park; and be open minded, courteous to others, and let go and enjoy yourself. • FREE

CLASSICAL MUSIC

Sunday, June 26 RYAN FORD AND ELIZABETH VAUGHN • St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral • 1PM • Ryan Ford, tenor, and Elizabeth Vaughn, piano will perform art songs. • FREE

THEATER AND DANCE

Thursday, June 23 KNOXVILLE CHILDREN’S THEATRE: ‘CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY’ • Knoxville Children’s Theatre • 7PM • Poor Charlie Bucket finds a Golden Ticket in his Wonka Chocolate Bar, sending him and his Grandpa on a magical tour of Willy Wonka’s renowned chocolate factory. One by one, the other children on the tour break the rules, but if Charlie survives the journey, he may find an even greater reward. June 10-26. Visit knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com. • $12 TENNESSEE VALLEY PLAYERS: ‘PIRATES OF PENZANCE’ • Carousel Theatre • 7:30PM • The 2016 collaboration between the Tennessee Valley Players and the University of Tennessee School of Music Choral Area is Gilbert and Sullivan’s farce of sentimental pirates, bumbling policemen, dim-witted young lovers, and an eccentric major general. June 10-26. Visit tennesseevalleyplayers. org. • $20 Friday, June 24 KNOXVILLE CHILDREN’S THEATRE: ‘CHARLIE AND THE

CALENDAR

CHOCOLATE FACTORY’ • Knoxville Children’s Theatre • 7PM • June 10-26. Visit knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com. • $12 TENNESSEE VALLEY PLAYERS: ‘PIRATES OF PENZANCE’ • Carousel Theatre • 7:30PM • June 10-26. Visit tennesseevalleyplayers.org. • $20 ENCORE THEATRICAL COMPANY: ‘FOLLIES’ • Walters State Community College • 8PM • The time is 1971, and theatrical impresario Dimitri Weissmann hosts a reunion of ex-Follies performers in his crumbling theatre, setting the stage for a parade of brilliant pastiche numbers, including “Losing My Mind,” “I’m Still Here,” and “Broadway Baby.” Amid the reminiscing, two middle-aged couples confront some unpleasant truths about their past and present, and come face to face with the future. A true theatrical event, this legendary masterpiece is considered by many to be the greatest musical ever created. June 10-26. Visit encoretheatricalcompany.com.

Saturday, June 25 KNOXVILLE CHILDREN’S THEATRE: ‘CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY’ • Knoxville Children’s Theatre • 1PM and 5PM • June 10-26. Visit knoxvillechildrenstheatre. com. • $12 TENNESSEE VALLEY PLAYERS: ‘PIRATES OF PENZANCE’ • Carousel Theatre • 7:30PM • June 10-26. Visit tennesseevalleyplayers.org. • $20 ENCORE THEATRICAL COMPANY: ‘FOLLIES’ • Walters State Community College • 8PM • June 10-26. Visit encoretheatricalcompany.com.

Sunday, June 26 KNOXVILLE CHILDREN’S THEATRE: ‘CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY’ • Knoxville Children’s Theatre • 3PM • June 10-26. Visit knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com. • $12 ENCORE THEATRICAL COMPANY: ‘FOLLIES’ • Walters State Community College • 2PM • June 10-26. Visit encoretheatricalcompany.com.

TENNESSEE VALLEY PLAYERS: ‘PIRATES OF PENZANCE’ • Carousel Theatre • 3PM • June 10-26. Visit tennesseevalleyplayers.org. • $20

COMEDY AND SPOKEN WORD

Thursday, June 23 SUGAR HIGH! COMEDY SHOW • Sugar Mama’s Bakery • 8PM • A new comedy showcase at the brand new home of Sugar Mama’s on the 100 block. No cover. • FREE Sunday, June 26 UPSTAIRS UNDERGROUND COMEDY • Preservation Pub • 8PM • A weekly comedy open mic.

BRIAN REGAN • Tennessee Theatre • 7PM • Brian Regan has distinguished himself as one of the premier comedians in the country. The perfect balance of sophisticated writing and physicality, Brian fills theaters nationwide with fervent fans that span generations. • $48.50 UPSTAIRS UNDERGROUND COMEDY • Preservation Pub • 8PM • A weekly comedy open mic.

Monday, June 27 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. Free, but donations are accepted.• FREE ON THE MIC WITH MIKE • Scruffy City Hall • 7PM • Bee

Valley Productions and Scruffy City Hall are proud to present an attention-deficit, topsy turvy take on the late-night talk show format. Mike Bartlett created the show as a way of marrying his passion for music and comedy; the purpose is to showcase the abundance of talented artists in the Knoxville music scene. Each episode features unique interviews and performances from Knoxville’s best artists, as well as sketches, segments, games, and more. Visit beevalleyproductions. com/comedy/onthemicwithmike.

Tuesday, June 28 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 OPEN MIC STAND-UP COMEDY • Longbranch Saloon • 8PM • Doors open at 8:30, first comic at 9. No cover charge, all are welcome. Aspiring or experienced comics interested in joining in the fun email us at long branch.info@gmail. com to learn more, or simply come to the show a few minutes early. • FREE

Knoxville’s BEST live music venue 6 nights a week!

Happy Hour 3pm to 8pm Huge selection of Craft, Import & Local beer Locally roasted coffee

FESTIVALS

Thursday, June 23 KUUMBA FESTIVAL 2016 • Now in its 27th year, Kuumba Fest brings African culture to the heart of Knoxville with a variety of activities. First, the Junkanu Parade marches down Gay Street accompanied by drummers, stilt walkers, and dancers. Then Market Square and Morningside Park are transformed into African markets, with lots of unique vendors. Visit kuumbafestival.com.

See Spotlight on page 26.

Friday, June 24 KUUMBA FESTIVAL 2016 • Now in its 27th year, Kuumba Fest brings African culture to the heart of Knoxville with a variety of activities. First, the Junkanu Parade marches down Gay Street accompanied by drummers, stilt walkers, and dancers. Then Market Square and Morningside Park are transformed into African markets, with lots of unique vendors. Visit kuumbafestival.com.

See Spotlight on page 26.

HOPS IN THE HILLS • Now in its second year, Maryville’s celebration of fermentation brings together over 20 local breweries and live music in the scenic gateway to the Smoky Mountains. 21 and up. Visit hopsinthehills.com. • $10-$80 •See Spotlight on page 28.

FANBOY EXPO • Knoxville Convention Center • 12PM • Join us for almost 70,000 square feet of vendors, celebrity guests, comic industry pros, cosplayers and much more!

Our vendors sell merchandise including comics, toys, memorabilia, movies, gaming supplies and the list goes on and on. Featuring appearances by William Shatner, Ric Flair, Neal Adams, and dozens of other film, TV, and comics guests. Visit fanboyexpo.com. • $17-$50 Saturday, June 25 KUUMBA FESTIVAL 2016 • Now in its 27th year, Kuumba Fest brings African culture to the heart of Knoxville with a variety of activities. First, the Junkanu Parade marches down Gay Street accompanied by drummers, stilt walkers, and dancers. Then Market Square and Morningside Park are transformed into African markets, with lots of unique vendors. Visit kuumbafestival.com.

See Spotlight on page 26.

HOPS IN THE HILLS • Now in its second year, Maryville’s celebration of fermentation brings together over 20 local

wed june 22• 8pm

Full disclosure comedy long-form improv free • all ages ( comedy )

thur june 23 • 8pm Briston Maroney w/ chess club, & Devin Badgett $5 • all ages ( rock )

fri JUNE 24 • 8pm

hot action cop W/ Inward of Eden, Indie Lagone, & Belfast 6 pack $10 adv / $15 day of All Ages ( rock )

sat june 25 • 8pm

jimmy & the jawbones w/ Shaun Abbott, & So It Goes $5 • all ages ( americana ) "Coolest venue in town! Not too big, not too small. Great sound system and audio engineers. Lights show, good food, cold beer and a music store in the back. Oh, and they give lessons, too. Seriously? I still can't believe this place is real."

-Austin Hall of Sam Killed The Bear

Knoxville’s Best Musical Instrument Store

8502 KINGSTON PIKE • (865) 281-5874 openchordmusic.com

June 23, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 27

CALENDAR breweries and live music in the scenic gateway to the Smoky Mountains. 21 and up. Visit hopsinthehills.com. • $10-$80 • See Spotlight on page 28.

FANBOY EXPO • Knoxville Convention Center • 10AM • Join us for almost 70,000 square feet of vendors, celebrity guests, comic industry pros, cosplayers and much more!

Our vendors sell merchandise including comics, toys, memorabilia, movies, gaming supplies and the list goes on and on. Featuring appearances by William Shatner, Ric Flair, Neal Adams, and dozens of other film, TV, and comics guests. Visit fanboyexpo.com. • $17-$50 MEADOW LARK MUSIC FESTIVAL • Ijams Nature Center • 12PM • A day of live music at Ijams Nature Center celebrating the harmony of nature and song. Proceeds benefit WDVX and Ijams Nature Center. Featuring music

by Southern Culture on the Skids, Dale Watson, and many, many more. Visit ijams.org. • $20-$35 • See Music story

Thursday, June 23 - Sunday, July 3

on page 22.

SUNDRESS ACADEMY FOR THE ARTS BARN-RAISING PARTY • Sundress Academy for the Arts • 2PM • Sundress Academy for the Arts invites you to the raising of its new barn at Firefly Farms, the home of SAFTA. The barn raising serves as a thank you to all of our donors from the last crowd-funding campaign and those who donated time and energy to build this barn. This event will feature barbeque, beer, and hayloft readings from local artists.

This event is free for all of those who donated. There is a suggested donation of $20 for all others. Additionally, all food and drink will be provided by SAFTA. • FREE-$20 CREATURE SEEKER LABYRINTH PARTY AND DAVID BOWIE TRIBUTE • Creature Seeker Oddities • 7PM • A David Bowie/Labyrinth party by fans for fans. We’re playing Bowie music all night, in case you want to Dance a Magic Dance and we will be watching the movie in our media

room. This event is open for all ages to attend. We will have plenty of Bowie and Labyrinth inspired art and replica props. Masquerade, Labyrinth and David Bowie costumes are highly encouraged. We will have several photo ops set up for you. For the kids and immature adults, we will have The Bog of Eternal Stench “farting stones” path to walk. $5 at the door. • $5 Sunday, June 26 KUUMBA FESTIVAL 2016 • Now in its 27th year, Kuumba Fest brings African culture to the heart of Knoxville with a variety of activities. First, the Junkanu Parade marches down Gay Street accompanied by drummers, stilt walkers, and dancers. Then Market Square and Morningside Park are transformed into African markets, with lots of unique vendors. Visit kuumbafestival.com.

See Spotlight on page 26.

FANBOY EXPO • Knoxville Convention Center • 11AM • Join us for almost 70,000 square feet of vendors, celebrity guests, comic industry pros, cosplayers and much more!

Our vendors sell merchandise including comics, toys, memorabilia, movies, gaming supplies and the list goes on and on. Featuring appearances by William Shatner, Ric Flair, Neal Adams, and dozens of other film, TV, and comics guests. Visit fanboyexpo.com. • $17-$50

FILM SCREENINGS HOPS IN THE HILLS Maryville • Friday, June 24-Saturday, June 25 • $10-$50 • hopsinthehills. com or summeronbroadway.net

If Knox Brewfest and Knox Beer Week haven’t satisfied your appetite for malt and hops, head down to Maryville to lift a pint at the second annual Hops in the Hills festival this weekend. The main attraction is the Brew Fest from 4 to 8 p.m. on Saturday at downtown Maryville’s Municipal Garage upper deck, where you can sample the offerings of 36 breweries while listening to Matt Honkonen and Jay Clark with their bands ($40 in advance, $50 at the gate, or $20 for designated drivers). Many of Knoxville’s newest entrants to the beer scene will be pouring, including Crafty Bastard, Cold Fusion, Balter, Alliance and Last Days of Autumn—none of which were fully open during last year’s festival. Since it’s Maryville, Blackberry Farm (which has some amazing, limited-run high-alcohol brews) is in on the action, too.

Before the imbibing, you can get the inside scoop (pour?) from brewers and WDVX’s Amy Campbell at Barley’s Taproom in Maryville for a discussion of “What Is Tennessee Brewing?” open to all ticket holders at 2 p.m.

To prime the keg for Saturday, Knox Brew Tours is offering a Friday night pub crawl for $10, with buses running continuously from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. among six stops in Maryville, allowing riders to stay as long as they want at any. Some of those venues have been hosting special nights of prizes, games, and music through this week leading up to the festival. On Thursday you can get in on this “celebration of fermentation” at Switchback Tavern, where a portion of the cost of your pint will benefit Tennessee Wildlife.

As last year, Hops in the Hills piggybacks on Maryville’s Summer on Broadway festivities, which expands the fun into the more family-friendly realm with a barbecue competition, craft fair, classic car show, magic show, and dogs taking giant leaps into the water in pursuit of toys. (S. Heather Duncan)

28

KNOXVILLE MERCURY June 23, 2016

Thursday, June 23 NOKNO CINEMATHEQUE: ‘STRANGER THAN FICTION’ • Central Collective • 8PM • An IRS auditor (Will Ferrell) suddenly finds himself the subject of narration only he can hear: narration that begins to affect his entire life, from his work, to his love-interest, to his death. • FREE Friday, June 24 MOVIE NIGHT IN THE PARK: ‘STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS’ • French Memorial Park • 9PM • At its best, The Force Awakens is a rapturous, soaring adventure movie that almost perfectly mimics the tone of the 1977 original and its first two sequels. At its worst, it still coasts along nicely on the considerable charms of its cast, both old and new, and the sheer power of the nostalgia it so effectively evokes. Best of all—and unlike the last three installments—it’s a lot of fun. • FREE Saturday, June 25 NARROW RIDGE FILM NIGHT: ‘THE SALT OF THE EARTH’ • Narrow Ridge Earth Literacy Center • 7PM • Our bimonthly film nights feature films that inspire reflection and discussion about our place within the larger Earth community. This month’s film is The Salt of the Earth, co-directed by Wim Wenders and Juliano Ribeiro Salgado.

Viewers are advised that this film contains disturbing images such as photographs of human casualties of war and famine (as well as images of incredible beauty). For more information call 865-497-2753 or email community@narrowridge.org. • FREE Monday, June 27 THE BIRDHOUSE WALK-IN THEATER • The Birdhouse • 8:15PM • A weekly free movie screening. • FREE MONDAY MOVIE MADNESS • Scruffy City Hall • 9PM • Campy horror, thrillers, and more every week. Plus beer! • FREE Tuesday, June 28 CHICANO PARK • The Birdhouse • 7:30PM • A documentary about gentrification in South Central LA in the ‘50s and how the Chicano culture in that time used art as

resistance and painted on the bridges.

SPORTS AND RECREATION

Thursday, June 23 CYCOLOGY BICYCLES THURSDAY MORNING RIDE • Cycology Bicycles • 10AM • Join Cycology Bicycles every Thursday morning for a road ride with two group options. A Group does a 2 to 3 hour ride at 20+ pace; B group does an intermediate ride at 15/18 mph average. Weather permitting. cycologybicycles.com. • FREE FLEET FEET GROUP RUN/WALK • Fleet Feet Sports Knoxville • 6PM • Join us every Thursday night at our store for a fun group run/walk. We have all levels come out, so no matter what your speed you’ll have someone to keep you company.

Our 30 - 60 minute route varies week by week in the various neighborhoods and greenways around the store, so be sure to show up on time so you can join up with the group. All levels welcome. fleetfeetknoxville.com. • FREE NORTH KNOXVILLE BEER RUNNERS • Central Flats and Taps • 6PM • Meet us at Central Flats and Taps every Thursday night for a fun and easy run leading us right through Saw Works for a midway beer. • FREE IJAMS OUTDOOR ACADEMY: LEAD BELAYING AND CLIMBING • Ijams Nature Center • 5:30PM • Attend our climbing school for a step-by-step series about the technique you need to tackle real rock and the skills you should know before getting outside on your own. This series will benefit the beginner climber who wants to learn standard skills and beneficial climbing technique as well as the more advanced climber who wants to establish good climbing form for lead climbing and those pushing harder grades. Finish off with a climbing trip where you can put your new skills to use. Call (865) 577-4717, ext. 116 for information and registration. • $25 STANDUP PADDLEBOARDING 101 • Sequoyah Park • 6PM • Come learn to paddle with us every other Thursday. We meet at Sequoyah Hills Boat Ramp. Cost is $35. Paddle board is included. Just show up and learn. You’ll be paddling around in no time. You must register for this event so we know to bring you a board. Visit riversportsoutfitters.com. • $35 CLIMBING AT IJAMS CRAG • Ijams Nature Center • 5PM • Come top rope with us at Ijams Crag. Thursday evenings.

Cost is $10 per person. Gear will be included (we provide helmet, harness, rope). Please wear appropriate shoes, comfortable stretchy climbing apparel and bring water.

Pre-registration is advised. You can register online or by calling 865-673-4687. riversportsoutfitters.com/events/. • $10 BILLY LUSH BOARD SHOP SUP AND SUDS • Billy Lush Board Shop • 5:30PM • Each Thursday at 5:30 p.m. May through August. Join us for your choice of a group paddle or SUP yoga class followed by cold beer from our taps at the shop. We will launch from the dock for a one-hour group paddle or yoga class then meet back in the shop for suds.

Rentals are $19 for the group paddle and $25 for the yoga class and includes a complimentary beer. Those who join the group paddle with their own board get $1 off pints till close. • $19-$25 BEARDEN BIKE AND TRAIL LAPS ON CHEROKEE BOULEVARD • Bearden Bike and Trail • 6PM • Join us every Thursday evening at 6 p.m. to ride laps on Cherokee Boulevard.

Pace is at 14-18 mph - divides into groups. Leaves the store promptly at 6:30 p.m. Visit beardenbikeandtrail.com.

• $0

Thursday, June 23 - Sunday, July 3

FOUNTAIN CITY PEDALER THIRSTY THURSDAY ROAD RIDE • Fountain City Pedaler • 6PM • This no-drop Thursday evening ride utilizes a 25-mile loop on scenic North Knoxville back roads and rolls east towards House Mountain. Ride starts at 6 p.m. from the shop. Road bikes with front and rear lights are recommended.

Other bikes such as cyclocross, touring, fast hybrids, or mtb’s with high pressure street tires are also acceptable. This ride is not a race and Luke will ride “sweep” behind the groups to make sure no one gets left behind. Post ride: Bring a camping chair, something to cook on the grill, and beverage(s) of choice. The Grill & Chill is a social gathering at the shop after the ride. Visit facebook.com/Fountain-CityPedaler-Bike-Shop. • FREE CEDAR BLUFF CYCLES THURSDAY NIGHT RIDE • Cedar Bluff Cycles • 6:20PM • Join Cedar Bluff Cycles for their Thursday evening road ride. The Thursday night ride is made up of a combination of the A and B riders from Tuesday night. This is a great opportunity for less experienced riders to push their limits a bit. A lot of the A riders are getting a last ride in before the weekend race.

Their goal is to keep an even paced ride at a good tempo.

This helps the less experienced rider to become familiar with road etiquette. The average speed for this ride is 19-22 mph depending on group dynamic. Visit cedarbluffcycles.net. • FREE CEDAR BLUFF CYCLES BEGINNER ROAD RIDE • Sequoyah Park • 6:20PM • Join us every Thursday evening at Sequoyah Park for a beginner’s no-drop ride. Riders can ride at their own pace on Cherokee Boulevard and do as many laps as they choose. Visit cedarbluffcycles.net. • FREE Friday, June 24 RIVER SPORTS FRIDAY NIGHT GREENWAY RUN • River Sports Outfitters • 6PM • Greenway run from the store every Friday evening from 6-7:30 pm. Work up a thirst then join us for $2 pints in the store afterwards. riversportsoutfitters.com. • FREE FREEDOMFEST 5K • Alcoa High School • 9PM • $15-$25 Saturday, June 25 SUP 101 • Outdoor Knoxville Adventure Center • 10AM • We cover all the basics of standup paddleboarding in this introductory class. No experience required. We will teach you: equipment overview, safety and awareness of the conditions, balancing, correct stance, four different paddle strokes, steering and turning, proper paddling form and more. All instructors are PaddleFit and WPA (World Paddle Association) certified. Classes are offered every Saturday at 10 a.m. through September. • $45 WEST BICYCLES MONTHLY BIKE CLINIC • West Bicycles • 11AM • Free monthly bicycle service clinic, including flat tire repair, gear and brake adjustment, pre-ride check list, and custom emergency tool/convenience kit recommendations. Every fourth Saturday of the month through August. Call (865) 671-7591 or visit westbikes.com. • FREE KTC CADES COVE RUN AND POTLUCK BRUNCH • Unnamed Venue • 7AM • We’ll start at 7 a.m., meeting at the bicycle rental area. Run any of the loops—4, 7, or 11 miles. Potluck brunch in the picnic area to follow. Dates are May 21, June 25, July 23, and Aug. 20. • FREE BIKE ZOO SATURDAY MORNING RIDE • The Bike Zoo • 9AM • Join us every Saturday for a three-hour ride of 50 miles or more, usually at a fast pace of 18-20 mph. Visit bikezoo.com. • FREE PADDLE THE RIVER • Riverside Landing Park • 9:30AM • Come paddle with us every fourth Saturday of the month.

We will be paddling from Holston River Park to Ned

CALENDAR

McWherter Dock. We will meet at 9:30 a.m. at McWherter Landing and set up our shuttle system. We will put in at Holston River Park and paddle down and take out at Ned McWherter. Come on out and paddle with us. Cost is $20 per person. Boat/paddle/PFD will be provided. Show up with your water attire and bring something to drink and sunscreen for those sunny days. Visit riversportsoutfitters.com.

Monday, June 27 KTC GROUP RUN • Mellow Mushroom • 6PM • Join Knoxville Track Club every Monday evening for a group run starting at the Mellow Mushroom on the Cumberland Avenue strip on the University of Tennessee campus. Visit ktc.org. • FREE TVB MONDAY NIGHT ROAD RIDE • Tennessee Valley Bikes • 6PM • The soon to be famous Monday night road ride happens every Monday. We usually split into two groups according to speed. Both groups are no-drop groups. The faster group averages over 17mph and the B group averages around 14mph. • FREE BEARDEN BEER MARKET FUN RUN • Bearden Beer Market • 6:30PM • Come run with us. Every Monday year round we do a group fun run through the neighborhood. Open to all levels of walkers and runners. Everyone who participates earns $1 off their beer. Visit beardenbeermarket.com. • FREE Tuesday, June 28 CYCOLOGY BICYCLES TUESDAY MORNING RIDE • Cycology Bicycles • 10:30AM • Join Cycology Bicycles every Tuesday morning at 10:30 am for a road ride with two group options. Weather permitting. Visit cycologybicycles.com. • FREE HARD KNOX TUESDAY FUN RUN • Hard Knox Pizzeria • 6:30PM • Join Hard Knox Pizzeria every Tuesday evening (rain or shine) for a 2-3 mile fun run. Burn calories.

Devour pizza. Quench thirst. Follow us on Facebook. • FREE CEDAR BLUFF CYCLES TUESDAY GREENWAY RIDE • Cedar Bluff Cycles • 6:30PM • Join us every Tuesday evening for a greenway ride at an intermediate pace of 14-15 mph.

Must have lights. Weather permitting. cedarbluffcycles. net. • FREE Wednesday, June 29 SMOKY MOUNTAIN HIKING CLUB: MAUDE’S CREEK AND JOHN MUIR OVERLOOK • 8AM • This hike will include Maude’s Crack and the John Muir Overlook loop in Big South Fork. Hike: 7 miles, rated moderate. Meet at 8:00 am at Hardees on TN-61 at I-75 Exit 122. Leader: Ron Brandenburg, ronb86@comcast.net • FREE KTC GROUP RUN • Runner’s Market • 5:30PM • If you are visiting Knoxville, new to town, new to the club, or just looking to get more involved, this is the place to start. A festive and relaxed group get-together occurs every Wednesday afternoon at 5:30 pm at Runners Market. Visit ktc.org. • FREE FOUNTAIN CITY PEDALERS SHARPS RIDGE MOUNTAIN BIKE RIDE • Fountain City Pedaler • 6PM • Join us every Wednesday evening for a mountain bike ride from the shop to Sharps Ridge. 6-10 mile ride with plenty of bail out points. Regroup as necessary. Lights required, call the shop if you need them. Visit fcpedaler.com. • FREE TVB EASY RIDER MOUNTAIN BIKE RIDE • Ijams Nature Center • 6PM • On Wednesday nights we hit the local trails for an easy-paced mountain bike ride. Riders of all skill levels are welcome, and if you would like to demo a mountain bike from our shop this is a great opportunity to do so. Rides are weather permitting. If

the trails are too wet, we do not ride. Check out our Facebook page or give us a call at 865-540-9979 for more info. We meet near Mead’s Quarry. • FREE

ART

Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts 556 Parkway (Gatlinburg) APRIL 27-JUNE 25: Arrowmont staff exhibit, featuring artwork by Jeda Barr, Nick DeFord, Kelly Sullivan, Vickie Bradshaw, Bill Griffith, Kelly Hider, Jennifer Blackburn, Ernie Schultz, Heather Ashworth, Laura Tuttle, Bob Biddlestone and Jason Burnett. MAY 21-AUG. 20: Arrowmont’s annual instructor exhibit.

Art Market Gallery 422 S. Gay St. MAY 31-JUNE 26: Artwork by Pat Herzog and Diana Dee Sarkar.

Bliss Home 24 Market Square JUNE 3-30: Photography by Brian Murray.

Downtown Gallery 106 S. Gay St. JUNE 3-AUG. 19: Through the Lens of Ed Westcott, an exhibition of photos taken by the official photographer for the Manhattan Project in Oak Ridge.

East Tennessee History Center 601 S. Gay St. APRIL 16-OCT. 30: Come to Make Records, a selection of artifacts, audio and video recordings, and photographs celebrating Knoxville’s music heritage and the 1929-30 St. James Hotel recording sessions.

Emporium Center for Arts and Culture 100 S. Gay St. MAY 13-JUNE 27: Tennessee Watercolor Society 35th Biennial Exhibition. JUNE 3-24: Through Our Eyes, paintings by Kim Emert Gale and Janet Weaver; A Mosaic Journey, glass art by Judy Overholt Weaver; and the fourth annual Knoxville Photo Exhibition.

Envision Art Gallery 4050 Sutherland Ave. JUNE 10-JULY 8: The Nature of Power, paintings by Marc H. Cline.

Knoxville Museum of Art 1050 World’s Fair Park Drive MAY 6-AUG. 7: Full Stop, a large-scale installation by painter Tom Burkhardt, and Contemporary Focus 2016, with artwork by installation/video/sound artist John Douglas Powers. 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.

McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture 1327 Circle Park Drive JUNE 4-AUG. 28: Dinosaur Discoveries: Ancient Fossils, New Ideas. ONGOING: The Flora and Fauna of Catesby, Mason, and Audubon and Life on the Roman Frontier.

Westminster Presbyterian Church 6500 S. Northshore Drive

June 23, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 29

CALENDAR THROUGH JUNE 26: Artwork by Donna Conliffe and Ann Dally.

FAMILY AND KIDS’ EVENTS

Thursday, June 23 LITTLE MASTERS CAMP • McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture • 9AM • For ages 4–5. Art projects to take home, stories, and guided activities are inspired by the works in our exhibition of decorative arts. June 21–23.

For more details and registration information visit the “Summer Camps” page on our website: mcclungmuseum. utk.edu/education/families/summer-camps/. • $35 LITTLE LEARNERS • Blount County Public Library • 10:30AM • Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10:30 a.m., “Little Learners,” recommended for ages 3-5. Interactive sessions focus on language acquisition and pre-literacy skills incorporating stories, music, motion, play, crafts and more. • FREE DIG IT! FUN WITH FOSSILS CAMP • McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture • 1PM • For ages 9–11 (rising 4th, 5th, and 6th graders). June 20–24. For more details and registration information visit the Summer Camps page on our website: mcclungmuseum.utk.edu/ education/families/summer-camps/. • $110 CHESS AT THE LIBRARY • Blount County Public Library • 1PM • For middle and high school students, with coach Tom Jobe. • FREE LEGO CLUB • Blount County Public Library • 4PM • LEGO

Thursday, June 23 - Sunday, July 3

Club will take place in the children’s library. Kids will complete different-themed and timed LEGO Challenges, as well as have some time for free building. The library will provide the LEGOs, so all you have to bring is your imagination. • FREE Friday, June 24 ETTAC FRIDAY FUNDAY • East Tennessee Technology Access Center • 9AM • For parents of children with and without disabilities, the East Tennessee Technology Access Center opens its doors to them during the summer through July on Fridays with lots of activities to keep them entertained and stimulated. For children age 5 to 10. Parents must register for all sessions by the Thursday before the session. Call (865) 219-0130 and press 3, email lorriec@ ettac.org, or go to www.ettac.org. • $5 DIG IT! FUN WITH FOSSILS CAMP • McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture • 1PM • For ages 9–11 (rising 4th, 5th, and 6th graders). June 20–24. For more details and registration information visit the Summer Camps page on our website: mcclungmuseum.utk.edu/ education/families/summer-camps/. • $110 S.T.E.A.M. KIDS • Blount County Public Library • 4PM • For grades K-5. Every week will be a different adventure, from science experiments to art projects and everything in between. Materials will be limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. • FREE Saturday, June 25 CHESS AT THE LIBRARY • Blount County Public Library • 10AM • For middle and high school students, with coach Tom Jobe. • FREE

GARGANTUAN GAMING DAY • Blount County Public Library • 2PM • We are taking Teen Gaming day to the next level with bigger games and games that make you think outside the box. See if you can beat a world record on a “Minute to Win It” challenge, learn a new way to play Scrabble, challenge a friend to a game of Dance Dance Revolution, and more. Pizza and drinks will be provided to fuel your competitive side. Bring a friend and challenge each other. This event will take place in the Meeting Room Hallway as well as the Sharon Lawson Room. • FREE Monday, June 27 MCCLUNG MUSEUM STROLLER TOUR: MOVING WITH DINOSAURS • 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. Crying and wiggly babies welcome. This month, in celebration of our new special exhibition, “Dinosaur Discoveries,” we look at how dinosaurs would have moved. 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. Eventbrite registration: eventbrite. com/e/mcclung-museum-free-stroller-tours-2016-17-registration-20728646941. • FREE Tuesday, June 28 LITTLE LEARNERS • Blount County Public Library • 10:30AM • Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10:30 a.m., “Little Learners,” recommended for ages 3-5. Interactive sessions focus on language acquisition and pre-literacy skills incorporating

stories, music, motion, play, crafts and more. • FREE Wednesday, June 29 BABY AND ME • Blount County Public Library • 10:30AM • Recommended for ages 2 and under. These lapsit sessions for baby and caregiver feature short stories, action rhymes, music and pre-literacy tips and tricks for caregivers. It is also a great time for caregivers and babies to socialize. • FREE

LECTURES, READINGS, AND BOOK SIGNINGS

Thursday, June 23 JULIA FRANKS: ‘OVER THE PLAIN HOUSES’ • Union Ave Books • 6PM • Book signing with Julia Franks, author of the novel Over the Plain Houses. • FREE IEXPLOIT: PRISON PRIVATIZATION • St. Luke’s Episcopal Church • 6PM • The Knox County Incarceration Collective, an autonomous prisoners’ rights and prison reform group, invites you to iExploit: Prison Privatization, a chance to hear about current issues for incarcerated folks at Knox County and strategize against the root of the most recent issues, which is privatization. Formerly incarcerated folks, their loved ones, anti mass incarceration/ incarceration organizations/prison reform organizations, advocates, and community members are most welcome to join. • FREE AN EVENING WITH DR. BILL BASS • Cherokee Caverns •

THE FILM THEY DON’T WANT YOU TO SEE “I think the movie is something people should see.”

VAXXED -Robert De Niro on “TODAY”

LOUISVILLE, KY | JULY 15-17, 2016

from Cover-Up

to Catastrophe

vaxxedthemovie.com

STARTS FRIDAY, JUNE 24 30

@vaxxedthemovie KNOXVILLE REGAL DOWNTOWN WEST CINEMA 8 1640 Downtown West Blvd (844) 462-7342 #357

KNOXVILLE MERCURY June 23, 2016

4.625" X 5.25"

KNOXVILLE MERCURY

THURS 6/22

Thursday, June 23 - Sunday, July 3

6:30PM • Forensic anthropologist, bestselling author and creator of the Body Farm, Dr. William Bass III will speak on forensic science and decomposition in a cave environment at Historic Cherokee Caverns on Oak Ridge Highway in Karns. Not appropriate for children. Ages 13 and up. Tickets are $40 per person and must be purchased in advance at cherokeecaverns.com. • $40 Saturday, June 25 SAFTA OUTSPOKEN REVIEW • Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church • 8PM • What is it like to love a region that often refuses to love you back? For many Southern, LGBTQ+ writers, creating art while witnessing its governments’ focus on preserving antiquated views of sex and gender diversity can be a life-long battle. That’s why Sundress Academy for the Arts is hosting its third annual OUTSpoken Review, a night when Knoxville’s LGBTQ+ community can give voice to their stories and experiences. A portion of all proceeds will go to Project ACT/Positively Living which serves vulnerable groups struggling to survive the challenges created by HIV/AIDS, homelessness, mental illness, addiction, and disabilities.

You can purchase tickets at sundresspublications.com. • $15-$17 Sunday, June 26 DINOSAURS IN THE MOVIES: FACT OR FICTION? • McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture • 2PM • Good science fiction always includes some science and a variable amount of fiction. Join us as Dr. Stephanie Drumheller-Horton, UT vertebrate paleontologist, critiques some famous film dinosaurs as part of programming

related to new special exhibition “Dinosaur Discoveries: Ancient Fossils, New Ideas.” • FREE KEITH STEWART: ‘BERNADETTE PETERS HATES ME’ • Union Ave Books • 2PM • Book signing with Keith Stewart, author of a books of essays, Bernadette Peters Hates Me: True Tales of a Delusional Man. • FREE BIRDHOUSE SUNDAY DINNER POTLUCK AND PRESENTATION • The Birdhouse • 6PM • Join us for a potluck dinner at 6 p.m. and a presentation at 7. We will be learning about the Knoxville Housing Cooperative in the 4th and Gill Neighborhood—its history and purpose in our community, how it started, and why we still need it. Every month, the Birdhouse hosts a Sunday dinner program. It begins with a potluck dinner, followed by a speaker and presentation on a wide range of timely topics. • FREE

CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS

Thursday, June 23 GENTLE YOGA AND MEDITATION • Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church • 12PM • Call 865-577-2021 or email yogaway249@gmail.com. Donations accepted.

BELLY DANCE LEVELS 1 AND 2 • Knox Dance Worx • 8PM • Call (865) 898-2126 or email alexia@alexia-dance.com. • $12 PORTRAIT AND LIFE DRAWING SESSIONS • Historic Candoro Marble Company • 12:30PM • Portrait and life drawing practice at Candoro Art & Heritage Center. $10. Call Brad

CALENDAR

Selph for more information (865-573-0709). • $10 KNOXVILLE CAPOEIRA CLASS • Emporium Center for Arts and Culture • 6PM • This class is an hour of student-led training and review of Capoeira skills and exercises.

Come prepared to sweat. Visit knoxvillecapoeira.org. • $10 KNOX COUNTY MASTER GARDENERS: IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME • Humana Guidance Center • 3:15PM • Join Master Gardener Amy Haun to learn how to invite pollinators, butterflies and other beneficial insects into your ornamental and vegetable gardens. Call 865-329-8892. • FREE BACKPACKING BASICS II: WHAT’S IN YOUR PACK? • REI • 6PM • So you have your backpack loaded with all the “necessary” items for your next backpacking trip. Still think you might be carrying too much? Join REI for this small group session on how to cut weight and tailor your gear to best suit your needs. Visit rei.com/stores/ knoxville. • $10-$30 THIRSTY (FOR KNOWLEDGE) THURSDAY • Old City Wine Bar • 6:30PM • Join our sommelier, Matt Burke, every Thursday in the cellar of the Old City Wine Bar for our ongoing wine education series. Free to listen and only $20-$25 to partake in the libations. • $20-$25 SUP YOGA • Concord Park • 6PM • Yoga on a SUP board?

Come join us every Thursday at 6 p.m. at the Cove. We will meet at the River Sports Outfitters building. Cost is $25 and includes board, paddle and PFD. Register at barrebelleyoga.com/class-schedule. • $25 SUP YOGA • Ijams Nature Center • 6PM • Yoga on a paddleboard! Meet us at the Meads Quarry every

Thursday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 9 a.m. Cost is $25 and includes board and PFD. Personal boards are not permitted on the quarry. Get a great core workout and expand your flexibility. Register at barrebelleyoga.com/ class-schedule. • $25 Saturday, June 25 IMPROV COMEDY CLASS • The Birdhouse • 10:30AM • A weekly improv comedy class. • FREE KNOX COUNTY MASTER GARDENERS: IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME • Cedar Bluff Branch Library • 10:30AM • Join Master Gardener Amy Haun to learn how to invite pollinators, butterflies and other beneficial insects into your ornamental and vegetable gardens. Call 865-470-7033. • FREE SUP YOGA • Ijams Nature Center • 9AM • Yoga on a paddleboard! Meet us at the Meads Quarry every Thursday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 9 a.m. Cost is $25 and includes board and PFD. Personal boards are not permitted on the quarry. Get a great core workout and expand your flexibility. Register at barrebelleyoga.com/ class-schedule. • $25 Sunday, June 26 YOGA AT NARROW RIDGE • Narrow Ridge Earth Literacy Center • 9:30AM • Narrow Ridge invites you to join us every Sunday morning for yoga instruction from Angela Gibson. This class can be tailored to each individual’s ability level. For information call 865-497-2753 or email community@narrowridge.org. • FREE CIRCLE MODERN DANCE BALLET BARRE CLASS • Emporium Center for Arts and Culture • 1PM • This open-level barre

SESSIONS Old Time Jam: Tuesdays Irish Session: 1st & 3rd Thursdays Scottish Session: 2nd & 4th Thursdays Mumbilly Session: 2nd Saturdays

located in the Old City jigandreel.com

June 23, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 31

CALENDAR class is designed to help students build and maintain strength, flexibility, and coordination for ballet technique.

This is a great class for beginning and experienced students alike. • $10 CIRCLE MODERN DANCE OPEN LEVEL MODERN TECHNIQUE CLASS • Emporium Center for Arts and Culture • 2PM • This class is open to all. Teachers cover basic technique and vocabulary for modern and contemporary dance. The class includes floor and standing work to build proficiency in alignment, balance, initiation and articulation of movement, weight shift, elevation and landing, and fall and recovery. Instruction is adjusted to meet the experience and ability of those in attendance. • $10 CIRCLE MODERN DANCE IMPROVISATION CLASS • Emporium Center for Arts and Culture • 3:30PM • Our improv classes offer an introduction to dance improvisation as a movement practice, performance technique, and a tool for creating choreography. Class involves both structured and free improvisations aimed at developing creativity, spontaneous decision-making, freedom of movement, and confidence in performance.

No dance experience is necessary—only the desire to move. • $10 ROOFTOP YOGA • Central Collective • 6:30PM • Take your practice outside and breathe in some fresh air. This class will be accessible to all levels, and will include some breath and body awareness at the beginning to help calm the mind and get centered for class. • $10 Monday, June 27

Thursday, June 23 - Sunday, July 3

GENTLE YOGA AND MEDITATION • Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church • 5:30PM • Call 865-5772021 or email yogaway249@gmail.com. Donations accepted.

KNOXVILLE KETTLEBELL CLUB BEGINNERS CHALLENGE: STRENGTH AND STABILITY • Bullman’s Kickboxing and Krav Maga • 9:30AM • Have you been looking for a way to get fitter, happier, and healthier? Do you have any nagging injuries and are looking for a program that will accommodate your current level of fitness and also take you to the next level of strength and stability? Join us for this six-week series introducing the ancient strength-training kettlebell workout to make modern life feel better. Mondays and Wednesdays, 9:30 a.m.-10:45 a.m., starting May 23. • $180 SIX-WEEK CREATIVE WRITING INTENSIVE CLASS • The Birdhouse • 6PM • This summer, join journalist and poet Holly Haworth for a six-week creative writing intensive.

This very exciting course will focus on establishing a regular practice, honoring the wildness of the entire writing process, writing as discovery, finding your most important stories, making space for your creativity, and sustaining inspiration. Entire course is $250. Participants must sign up for entire six-week course. Pre-registration required. Contact instructor Holly Haworth at olmountaingal@gmail.com or at (865) 801.0806. • $250 CANCER SUPPORT COMMUNITY: QUICK AND TASTY COOKING • Cancer Support Community • 12PM • Call 865-546-4661 for more info. All Cancer Support Community programs are offered at no cost to individuals affected by cancer.

Tuesday, June 28 GENTLE YOGA AND MEDITATION • Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church • 12PM • Call 865-577-2021 or email yogaway249@gmail.com. Donations accepted.

KNOXVILLE CAPOEIRA CLASS • Emporium Center for Arts and Culture • 6PM • Capoeira originated in Brazil and is a dynamic expression of Afro-Brazilian culture. It is an art form that encompasses martial arts, dance, and acrobatic movements as well as its own philosophy, history, culture, music, and songs. Visit capoeiraknoxville.org. • $10 ACROYOGA • Dragonfly Aerial Arts Studio • 7PM • Fly with us! Each class is beginner friendly, incorporating intermediate options for more experienced fliers. New content is explored each week while reviewing components taught in previous classes, providing a space for students to form strong foundational skills in flying, basing, and spotting. Each session ends with therapeutics or Thai massage. Please bring a mat, close fitting long pants, and water. No partner needed. • $15 SIX-WEEK NATURE-WRITING COURSE • Ijams Nature Center • 6PM • This summer, join journalist, poet, and Southern Appalachian naturalist Holly Haworth for a six-week nature-writing course at Ijams Nature Center. Your writing desk will be 300 acres of protected wildlife habitat along the Tennessee River (or, in the case of rain, an open-air covered pavilion at the old Ijams homesite). Entire six-week course is $250. For more information or to register, please contact Holly directly at olmountaingal@ gmail.com or (865) 801.0806. • $250 Wednesday, June 29

CIRCLE MODERN DANCE INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED MODERN TECHNIQUE CLASS • Emporium Center for Arts and Culture • 6PM • A rotation of core members and guest artists of Circle Modern Dance teach this class. They present a variety of modern and contemporary styles, including Bartenieff and release-based techniques. This class is primarily designed for students with a basic knowledge of modern dance technique and vocabulary, but is open to any mover who is willing to be challenged.

CIRCLE MODERN DANCE OPEN LEVEL BALLET CLASS • Emporium Center for Arts and Culture • 7:30PM • This is a basic ballet class open to students of all levels of experience and ability. Students will learn new steps, build coordination and flexibility, and learn choreography.

• $10 KNOXVILLE KETTLEBELL CLUB BEGINNERS CHALLENGE: STRENGTH AND STABILITY • Bullman’s Kickboxing and Krav Maga • 9:30AM • Have you been looking for a way to get fitter, happier, and healthier? Do you have any nagging injuries and are looking for a program that will accommodate your current level of fitness and also take you to the next level of strength and stability? Join us for this six-week series introducing the ancient strength-training kettlebell workout to make modern life feel better. Mondays and Wednesdays, 9:30 a.m.-10:45 a.m., starting May 23. • $180 BACKPACKING BASICS FOR WOMEN • REI • 4PM • Let’s face it. When it comes to backpacking, there are questions and concerns that are unique to women. Join an REI backpacking expert for answers, tips and gear recommendations just for you. Visit rei.com/stores/

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KNOXVILLE MERCURY June 23, 2016

Trip using

our new

google Trip planner

Thursday, June 23 - Sunday, July 3

knoxville. • FREE

MEETINGS

Thursday, June 23 ADULT CHILDREN OF ALCOHOLICS • The Birdhouse • 6PM • A meeting group for adults who grew up in alcoholic or dysfunctional homes. The group aims to bring emotional healing to those who have been or who are in these situations and have experienced any level of trauma or abuse as a result. Led by Laura Moll, the class is free to attend. • FREE TRANSGENDER DISCUSSION GROUP • Maryville College • 6:30PM • Join us for fellowship and conversation and help guide a new dialog within the LGBT community of Blount County by sharing your story with friends and allies. This group will meet biweekly June 23-Aug. 18 at the Clayton Center lobby at Maryville College. • FREE NARROW RIDGE COMMUNITY POTLUCK • Narrow Ridge Earth Literacy Center • 7PM • Bring a dish and an appetite.

This fourth Thursday event is an opportunity to introduce folks to the Narrow Ridge community as well for friends and neighbors to come together to share good food and conversation. We look forward to seeing you there.

Saturday, June 25 AL-ANON • Faith Lutheran Church • 11AM • Al-Anon’s purpose is to help families and friends of alcoholics recover from the effects of living with the problem drinking of a relative or friend. Visit our local website at farragutalanon.org or email us at FindHope@

Farragutalanon.org. • FREE MARBLE SPRINGS STATE HISTORIC SITE ANNUAL MEETING • Marble Springs State Historic Site • 12PM • Marble Springs State Historic Site will host a day of history at the annual meeting of the Governor John Sevier Memorial Association with special programming by Ken Cornett.

This event will feature a talk by Cornett about his compilation of the history of East Tennessee’s Stations. To register for lunch, call (865)573-5508 or email info@ marblesprings.net no later than Tuesday, June 21. • FREE Sunday, June 26 NARROW RIDGE SILENT MEDITATION GATHERING • 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 information call 865-497-2753 or email community@narrowridge.org. • FREE THREE RIVERS! EARTH FIRST! • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 7PM • Three Rivers! Earth First! is the local dirt worshiping, tree hugging, anarchist collective that meets every Sunday night on the second floor of Barley’s in the back room (when its available) to organize against strip mining, counter protest the KKK and Nazis, to clean up Third Creek and to fight evil corporations in general. Open meeting, rotating facilitation, collective model. Y’all come. Call (865) 257-4029 for more information. • FREE REFUGE RECOVERY • Losel Shedrup Ling • 8:30PM • A peer-led weekly group gathering to supplement your

CALENDAR

dedicated practice (AA, NA, Smart Recovery, etc.) for recovery from addictions of all kinds. Contact David at 865-306-0279 for any further questions. • FREE SUNDAY ASSEMBLY • The Concourse • 10:30AM • Sunday Assembly is a secular congregation without deity, dogma, or doctrine. Our motto: Live Better, Help Often, Wonder More. Our monthly celebrations feature a different theme every month, with inspiring speakers and lively sing-alongs. To find out more, visit our web page (http:// knoxville-tn.sundayassembly.com) or email saknoxville. info@gmail.com. • FREE Monday, June 27 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.

APPALACHIAN MOUNTAIN BIKE CLUB • Central Flats and Taps • 7PM • Interested in getting involved with the mountain biking community here in Knoxville? The Appalachian Mountain Bike Club meets the fourth Monday of each month. • FREE Tuesday, June 28 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 EAST TENNESSEE CIVIL RIGHTS WORKING GROUP • Beck Cultural Exchange Center • 3:30PM • ETCRWG is an informal networking group of community leaders, civil

rights advocates, area law enforcement agency representatives, and concerned citizens. It was founded on the principle that unity is our greatest asset in ensuring the civil rights of all persons in East Tennessee. • FREE Wednesday, June 29 THE BOOKAHOLICS BOOK GROUP • Union Ave Books • 12PM • Union Ave Books’ monthly book discussion group. Visit unionavebooks.com. • FREE KNOX HERITAGE PRESERVATION AND LIBATIONS • The Crown and Goose • 5:30PM • Join friends of historic preservation for a drink and good conversation. No need to RSVP, just stop by. Free and open to the public. • FREE

ETC.

Thursday, June 23 MARBLE SPRINGS SHOPPING AT THE FARM FARMER’S MARKET • Marble Springs State Historic Site • 3PM • Marble Springs State Historic Site is proud to present the sixth season of Shopping at the Farm, the Marble Springs Farmer’s Market for our South Knoxville community. The market will be held Thursdays from 3-6 p.m. beginning on May 19 and continuing weekly through Sept. 22. All vendors will be selling fresh, locally-produced products, and artisan crafts. This year we will be allowing the addition of antiques vendors. • FREE COMMUNITY PARTNERS PINTS FOR A PURPOSE • Little River Trading Co. • 5PM • The next Community Partners Pints for a Purpose will benefit Tennessee Wild. Visit tnwild.org. Brought to you by Little River Trading Co.,

Maori Healers Women’s Retreat

July 29 - August 4, 2016 | Dandridge, TN

(August 5-7 Individual Bodywork Sessions for Men and Women | Knoxville, TN)

Business

Product awareness

The Maori Healers have been traveling the world teaching workshops and offering healing bodywork for quite a while now. Because of their special association with Tennessee, seeded when they first presented their work on this stunning land over 15 years ago, Knoxville is one of the two continental US locations where they are holding a women’s retreat. KAWA ARIKI is a ground breaking and deeply necessary workshop that releases the 'wounded woman' from all types of abuse. KAWA ARIKI is about the adornment of a woman who is growing herself, ready to bloom to the full hearted capacity of womanhood, armed with self-knowledge and understanding, thus giving her power. This workshop contains a lot of bodywork that will help you move through many of the things that have held you back, allowed fear to rule your life, and maintained the mediocrity of that life. Spaces are limited.

More at www.maorihealers.com

Company goodwill

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

For more information or to register visit: www.knoxvillehealingcenter.com or call 865-250-8812.

Sign up by June 29th to receive a 10% discount for the retreat.

June 23, 2016 WUOT_Ad_5.5x4.25_WhyWUOT_KnoxMerc.indd 1

9/7/15 9:52 AM

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 33

CALENDAR Blount Partnership, Oboz Footwear, Leki Trekking Poles, Deuter Packs. Thanks to our sponsors 100% of the nights beer sales proceeds goes to the advocate. • FREE Friday, June 24 LAKESHORE PARK FARMERS MARKET • Lakeshore Park • 3PM • Offering a wide variety of hand-picked produce, artisan breads, grass-fed beef, natural pork and chicken, farm fresh eggs and farm-based crafts. • FREE TOOTSIE TRUCK POP-UP DINNER • Central Collective • 7PM • The menu features prickly gin fizz, goat adobo with veggies, black beans, and corn tortillas, salad, dessert, and more. Local sources include Knox Whiskey Works, Mountain Meadow Farms, JEM Farm, Jennings Hollow Farm, Ricky Bailey Honeybees, Colvin Family Farm, Seven Springs Farm, and the Fungi Forager. • $65 Saturday, June 25 SEYMOUR FARMERS MARKET • First Baptist Church Seymour • 8AM • Open from 8 a.m. to noon every Saturday from June to the second Saturday in October.

Locally grown fruits, vegetables, eggs, honey, baked goods and crafts sold by the person who produced it. • FREE MARKET SQUARE FARMERS’ MARKET • Market Square • 9AM • The MSFM, a project of Nourish Knoxville, is an open-air farmers’ market located on historic Market Square in the heart of downtown Knoxville. We are a producer only market – everything is either made, grown or raised by our vendors all within a 150 mile radius of the MSFM. Visit marketsquarefarmersmarket. org. • FREE

Thursday, June 23 - Sunday, July 3

OAK RIDGE FARMERS MARKET • Historic Jackson Square • 8AM • The market offers seasonal vegetables, herbs, fruits and berries, honey, artisan bread and cheese, grass-fed beef and naturally raised chicken, pork and lamb, farm-based crafts, flowers and potted plants. • FREE FRIENDS OF THE KNOX COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 2016 ANNUAL USED BOOK SALE • Chilhowee Park • 10AM • The sale starts on Saturday, June 25, with the Friends Members’ Only Day (you can join or renew your membership at the door) and continues June 26-28. June 28 is bag sale day—$5 for a bag of books. Visit knoxfriends.org.

ARTS AND ANTIQUES IN JACKSON SQUARE • Historic Jackson Square (Oak Ridge) • 9AM • Join the merchants of Jackson Square on the last Saturday of each month, as we celebrate local talent and enjoy fresh produce at the Arts and Antiques in the Square. For more info visit jacksonsquareoakridge.org. • FREE Sunday, June 26 FRIENDS OF THE KNOX COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 2016 ANNUAL USED BOOK SALE • Chilhowee Park • 10AM • The sale starts on Saturday, June 25, with the Friends Members’ Only Day (you can join or renew your membership at the door) and continues June 26-28. June 28 is bag sale day—$5 for a bag of books. Visit knoxfriends.org.

Monday, June 27 FRIENDS OF THE KNOX COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 2016 ANNUAL USED BOOK SALE • Chilhowee Park • 10AM • The

BREAKFAST starts on the 100 Block at 135 S. Gay St!

sale starts on Saturday, June 25, with the Friends Members’ Only Day (you can join or renew your membership at the door) and continues June 26-28. June 28 is bag sale day—$5 for a bag of books. Visit knoxfriends.org.

Tuesday, June 28 EBENEZER ROAD FARMERS MARKET • Ebenezer United Methodist Church • 3PM • The market offers hand-picked produce in season, artisan breads and cheese, grass-fed meat and farm fresh eggs. • FREE FRIENDS OF THE KNOX COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 2016 ANNUAL USED BOOK SALE • Chilhowee Park • 10AM • The sale starts on Saturday, June 25, with the Friends Members’ Only Day (you can join or renew your membership at the door) and continues June 26-28. June 28 is bag sale day—$5 for a bag of books. Visit knoxfriends.org.

Wednesday, June 29 MARKET SQUARE FARMERS’ MARKET • Market Square • 11AM • The MSFM, a project of Nourish Knoxville, is an open-air farmers’ market located on historic Market Square in the heart of downtown Knoxville. We are a producer only market – everything is either made, grown or raised by our vendors all within a 150 mile radius of the MSFM. Visit marketsquarefarmersmarket. org. • FREE UT FARMERS MARKET • University of Tennessee • 4PM • SThe UT Farmers Market is free and open to the public every Wednesday from 4-7 p.m. in the UT Gardens off Neyland Drive. Market activities will be scheduled

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KNOXVILLE MERCURY June 23, 2016

Join us June 26th at Philadelphia Quarry for a recreational dive and an opportunity to meet other divers.

through Oct. 19. For more information about the UT Farmers’ Market you can visit the market website: vegetables.tennessee.edu/utfm.html or find it on Facebook. • FREE OAK RIDGE FARMERS MARKET • Historic Jackson Square • 3PM • The market offers seasonal vegetables, herbs, fruits and berries, honey, artisan bread and cheese, grass-fed beef and naturally raised chicken, pork and lamb, farm-based crafts, flowers and potted plants. • FREE

Send your events to calendar@knoxmercury.com

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KNOXVILLE MERCURY 35

’BYE

At This Point

Saved by Literature Are books a balm for every wound?

BY STEPHANIE PIPER

I

have been reading lately about bibliotherapy, and how the right book might cure a host of spiritual ills. Not self-help books. Novels. Biographies.

Poetry collections. Essays.

It’s a concept I embrace, having been saved by literature myself more times than I can count. I read for sanity as well as for pleasure. And as C.S. Lewis said, I read to know that I’m not alone in the world.

As I write this, Father’s Day is approaching. I can’t think about reading without remembering my father, for whom books were a livelihood and a compass and a bulwark against ignorance. Reading was a cornerstone of my childhood, an activity as basic as eating and sleeping. It was what we did, on the front porch, in front of the fire, in bed at night. My earliest memories are of my father reading to us, back in the olden days before TV. He read us Charlotte’s Web, and Stuart Little, and Grimm’s Fairy Tales. He read fluently, expressively, inventing character voices for Wilbur the pig and Snowbell the cat and any number of kings

and trolls and giants. Long before we knew how to read ourselves, he showed us the worlds that waited between the covers of books.

My first experience of bibliotherapy came at age 4, when I broke my leg in a car accident. Sidelined from backyard games, I accompanied my father on Saturday morning errands.

Our first stop was the town library, a turreted old Victorian house where the Children’s Room was the front parlor, cozy with threadbare sofas and window seats. My miniature cast propped on a footstool, picture books stacked high around me, I became fast friends with the elderly librarian. The message of those quiet hours was clear. If you have books, you will never be lonely, or bored, or awash in self-pity. If you have books, you will be safe.

We moved when I was 9. The posh suburb was another universe compared to the comfortable, slightly shabby small town we left behind. In my fourth-grade class, the resident Mean Girls sized me up on day one and pegged me as the duck in the chicken coop.

I read for sanity as well as for pleasure.

And as C.S. Lewis said, I read to know that I’m not alone in the world.

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KNOXVILLE MERCURY June 23, 2016

Once again, I found shelter in the library. A dodgeball reject, I smuggled the slim Bobbs Merrill orange biographies out to recess and sat under a tree escaping into the lives of Susan B. Anthony, Girl who Dared and Pocahontas, Brave Girl and Harriet Beecher Stowe, Connecticut Girl. These feisty heroines who beat the odds gave me permission to imagine a day when I would find my own voice and speak up, loud and clear.

I moved on to boarding school and an education grounded in 19th century principles, which included memorizing poetry and reciting it aloud. It was, perhaps, the greatest gift a writer could be given—the luxury of Shakespeare and Wordsworth and Yeats and Emily Dickinson on demand. Learn it by heart and it’s yours for life, my favorite teacher told us. I believed her then, and I believe

BY IAN BLACKBURN AND JACK NEELY

her now. Those poems, committed to memory decades ago, have seen me through dark days and given me language to express the ineffable. I cannot imagine wiser therapy than the injunction to “give sorrow words,” or a truer observation of modern life than this: “The world is too much with us, late and soon. Getting and spending we lay waste our powers.”

As the recent horror of Orlando unfolded, I turned for counsel to the poet Mary Oliver. “Can one be passionate about the just, the ideal, the sublime, and the holy, and yet commit to no labor in its cause?” she asks. Moments of silence and flower-decked memorials are well and good, but flowers fade and the silence yields to talk and more talk. “The gospel of light is the crossroads of—indolence, or action,” she continues. “Be ignited, or be gone.” ◆

n e Op ll!

Ca Help us make the Mercury the best paper in East Tennessee!

If you have an idea for a spectacular new department or column, then pitch us.

ALL IDEAS CONSIDERED! We especially would like to find contributors in the following areas: • business • state politics • arts & entertainment • general funniness

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JOIN OUR LUNCH CLUB & BE REWARDED! ASK SERVER FOR DETAILS.

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sushi bar * for extremely talented people who shun the inevitable materialism that comes with really large paychecks

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KNOXVILLE MERCURY 37

’BYE

Spir it of the Staircase

BY MATTHEW FOLTZ-GRAY

38

KNOXVILLE MERCURY June 23, 2016

www.thespiritofthestaircase.com

CLASSIFIEDS

Place your ad at store.knoxmercury.com

Support the Knoxville Mercury and sell your stuff by purchasing an ad in our classifieds section.

Now Hiring!

FOR SALE

SERVICES

FUN AND FESTIVE JEWELRY, local and handmade, unique and modern, repurposed vintage beads, hand-painted geometric necklaces, and more. etsy.com/shop/triciabee

DANE KRISTOF, The popular Nashville psychic and clairvoyant that the tabloids call,” the Seer of Music Row,” is accepting appts. for when he is in Knoxville this month.

One Nashville paper said, “This guy’s the real deal.

He starts by telling you little known things that only you could know not to impress you but to add validation to the reading.” Call (615)4294053 for a Knoxville appt.

– www.DaneKristof.com.

COMMUNITY

Part-Time Administrative Assistant The Knoxville History Project is a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating people about the rich and diverse history and culture of Knoxville, Tennessee.

The purpose of this position is to provide general support to the Executive Director and manage day-to-day operations and communications for the Knoxville History Project.

HOUSING

COMMUNITY

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS Respond to incoming telephone calls, emails, and social media messages in a timely manner, answering or re-directing to KHP staff as appropriate.

Produce and distribute letters, emails, faxes, and forms.

NORTH KNOXVILLE’S PREMIER RENTAL HOMES pittmanproperties.com

FREE TO GOOD USE, Old downtown Knox Bldg has old LG heavy plate glass.

Need truck or van.

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CONNIE - is a calm, loving 10 year old Labrador retriever / mix. She deserves a family to spend the rest of her life with.

Visit Young-Williams Animal Center / call 865-215-6599 for more information.

LAVERNE - is a 2 year old female hound mix! Great for an active family. She’s up-to-date on vaccines, and already received her spay surgery. Visit Young-Williams Animal Center / call 865-215-6599 for more information.

BAM BAM - is a 1 year old male hound / mix who needs someone to teach him manners! He would thrive in an active home with someone who likes to run, go on hikes, and enjoy the gorgeous outdoors.

Visit Young-Williams Animal Center / call 865-215-6599 for more information.

SAGE - is a sassy 2 month old domestic shorthair / mix kitten looking for a playmate! She’s ready to go home and is fully vetted. Visit Young-Williams Animal Center / call 865-215-6599 for more information.

Organize and schedule meetings and appointments for the Executive Director.

Generate invoices for services performed by the Executive Director.

Assist Executive Director in the preparation of reports and financial statements.

Develop and maintain a filing system using standard office procedures Perform basic bookkeeping tasks.

Update social media sites and make basic edits to the Knoxville History Project website.

REQUIREMENTS AND APPLICATION DETAILS Position is for 15 hours per week at $15.00 /hourwith some flexibility in the schedule.

Visit knoxmercury.com/careers for more details and job requirements.

Send application with resume to jack@knoxhistoryproject.org, or Knoxville History Project, 706 Walnut Street, Ste. 404, Knoxville, 37902.

SELL YOUR STUFF AND HELP SUPPORT THE MERCURY AT THE SAME TIME! Order classified ads online from the comfort of your own home or mobile device.

No need to talk with any humans!

Just $10 for 200-characters or $14 for 400-characters.

Listings will run in print and online for one week.

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June 23, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 39

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