Vol. 2, Issue 37 Sept. 22, 2016

GOING DEEP FOR STORIES SINCE 2015

SEPTEMBER 22, 2016 KNOXMERCURY.COM V.

2 / N.37

On the trail (and in the river) with herpetologist Stephen Nelson as he seeks out a possible new salamander species in East Tennessee

BY S. HEATHER DUNCAN • PHOTOS BY S. HEATHER DUNCAN

NEWS

Controversial Developer Offers Hope for Knoxville Center Mall

JACK NEELY

The Librarian Afoot: Carol Goris’ 50 Years at Lawson McGhee

OUTDOORS

Hiking the Smoke Ring Trail Around the GSMNP

CATHERINE LANDIS Want Change?

Vote Local and Don’t Buy the Con

www.TennesseeTheatre.com 2

KNOXVILLE MERCURY September 22, 2016

Sept. 22, 2016 Volume 02 / Issue 37 knoxmercury.com

CONTENTS

“Some people talk to animals. Not many listen though. That’s the problem.” —A.A. Milne

12 Hunting Mudpuppies COVER STORY

The Hiwassee River ripples like a slippery salamander, reflecting the flinty color of the sky. Then Stephen Nelson’s head breaks the smooth surface, and the Zoo Knoxville keeper rises from the chill water with a gasp, holding a Ziploc bag half full of water in which swims a sleek, shadowy creature normally accustomed to hiding in dark, wet corners. S. Heather Duncan dives in to learn about Nelson’s search for a new species of salamander.

NEWS

10 Mall Makeover A local developer facing multiple lawsuits over major downtown real estate deals sidesteps questions about his latest project: a long-term revitalization of Knoxville Center Mall in East Knoxville. Thomas Fraser reports.

11 Outsourcing Update Wish Knoxville a Happy Birthday!

As the city celebrates its 225th anniversary on Oct. 3, we will be marking the occasion with a special history supplement on Sept. 29. And for $25 you can be in it with a birthday message to Knoxville. Go to: store.knoxmercury.com.

University of Tennessee professors and staff members say an increasingly shorthanded facilities staff is already evidence that plans to outsource the university’s maintenance services would negatively impact the state’s flagship educational institution. Thomas Fraser provides an update.

DEPARTMENTS

OPINION

A&E

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8

18

36

Howdy Start Here: By the Numbers, Public Affairs, and PechaKucha Knoxville—each week, we run a slide from an interesting local presentation. ’Bye Finish There: At This Point by Stephanie Piper. Plus Crooked Street Crossword by Ian Blackburn and Jack Neely and Spirit of the Staircase by Matthew Foltz-Gray

9

Scruffy Citizen Jack Neely celebrates an anniversary celebration at Lawson McGhee Library.

Much Ado Catherine Landis urges us to pay attention to local politics— especially during the chaos of this presidential race.

19 20 21 22

CALENDAR Program Notes: Carpetbag Theatre prepares for its 50th anniversary and local music supporters organize.

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Shelf Life: New jazz CDs at the library.

Music: Nathan Smith peers into the future of hip-hop with Denzel Curry.

Classical Music: Alan Sherrod reviews KSO’s first Masterworks performance under new conductor Aram Demirjian.

Spotlights: Neil Michael Hagerty and the Howling Hex and the Louie Bluie Music and Arts Festival

OUTDOORS

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The Mini AT Kim Trevathan discovers a ring around the Smokies.

Movies: Lee Gardner bonds with the Greek art-house dramedy Chevalier.

September 22, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 3

LETTERS Delivering Fine Journalism Since 2015

WHO’S THIS “COURY” GUY?

by Arthur Miller An enduring masterpiece on the evils of mindless persecution and the terrifying power of false accusations.

Photo: Lauren Pennline, Grant Goodman, and Jenny McKnight; by Elizabeth Aaron 4

KNOXVILLE MERCURY September 22, 2016

I just finished reading your well-written and thoroughly researched, Sept. 15 cover story “Survival Instinct: At 80, Stan Brock Shows No Sign of Slowing His Effort to Save Lives With Remote Area Medical” [by Clay Duda] and want to thank you for highlighting a true visionary. Unlike so many other people who simply complain about the many deficiencies in this country’s medical care safety net, Brock has dedicated his life to doing something about it.

Even if it were politically possible to establish a single-payer health care system in this country—a next-to-impossible goal in our current political environment of stalemate and chaos— RAM’s services would still be needed since no doubt the health-care system would never include the dental and eye care services currently provided by RAM. The ability to access quality health, dental, and vision care should be the right of every American (and person on this planet), for without a baseline of “health,” it is difficult for a person to fully exercise his or her other rights.

In this time of truly depressing national politics, your article focuses on what one man (Stan Brock) and one organization (Remote Area Medical) with a single-minded vision can accomplish.

Thank you for the breath of fresh air, Clay and Coury. Bravo.

Anna Montgomery Knoxville

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 618 S. Gay St., Suite L2 Knoxville, TN 37902 Send an email to: editor@knoxmercury.com Or message us at: facebook.com/knoxmercury

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

INTERNS

Hayley Brundige Maria Smith

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

Charlie Finch

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 ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Michael Tremoulis michael@knoxmercury.com

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

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 618 South Gay St., Suite L2, Knoxville, TN 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 Jack Neely Coury Turczyn Joe Sullivan 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

Shields-Watkins Field This Saturday is Our Favorite Gridiron’s 95th Anniversary named Nathan Dougherty (1886-1977), who had a special interest in making a place for football on campus. A guard for the team from 1906 to 1909, he had been one of the Vols’ early stars. He was later dean of the College of Engineering. Today, UT’s engineering building on the Hill is named for him.

The business part of Neyland Stadium has hosted football since the Harding administration. Football first arrived in Knoxville soon after the electric light, around 1890. However, it was not a sport Knoxvillians paid much attention to until much later. For 30 years, the University of Tennessee’s football team played on several different fields, on and off campus, including a field at Chilhowee Park, a field on Dale Avenue, and Wait Field, a rectangle on Cumberland Avenue, at the foot of UT’s Hill.

Wait was rocky and not completely flat, a corner of it sloping upward. UT’s campus was limited to the immediate vicinity of the notably steep Hill, so building a football field would require purchasing more land.

Just after World War I, Knoxville was getting acquainted with radio and planning its first airport. Thanks in part to the urging of Prof. Charles Ferris, dean of the College of Engineering, the University of Tennessee was getting its first regulation football field, at the current location of Neyland Stadium.

The first stands were bleachers built on the west side, with a capacity of 3,200. At the time, UT’s enrollment was only about 1,000, and the stands’ size indicates a growing interest in college sports from the community at large.

Major Robert Neyland’s Vols practice at Shields-Watkins Field in October, 1934.

It was originally an all-purpose athletic field. In fact, the first game ever played on Shields-Watkins Field, in early 1921, was baseball. The Vols lost to Cincinatti. The field was also used for track meets—not just for UT, but for area high-school competitions.

Photo courtesy of Calvin M. McClung Historical Collection cmdc.knoxlib.org

The new field, in a formerly residential area closer to the river, would be UT’s first field built to specifications. It would be called Shields-Watkins Field, in honor of its primary donors.

William Simpson Shields (1853-1933) was a prominent banker known since the 1880s for making loans to working people without proven reputations. The name Watkins was in honor of his wife, Alice Watkins Shields. Neither were UT alumni, but Mr. Shields was a UT trustee, and, living on Melrose Place, the couple were neighbors to the expanding campus.

The Shields family was large, and the donor had three brothers who had been involved in wholesale businesses on Jackson Avenue, in the modern Old City. At the time of the establishment of the football field, Shields was sometimes helping as a campaign manager for his younger brother, John Knight Shields (1858-1934), a conservative Democratic U.S. senator who helped defeat President Wilson’s League of Nations proposal.

In charge of designing and grading the field was an engineering teacher

The first football game on Shields-Watkins Field was on Sept. 24, 1921, exactly 95 years ago this Saturday. The Vols beat Emory and Henry 27 to nothing. The coach was Mark Beal Banks, originally from New York, and a former athletic star at his alma mater, Syracuse. At the time, the Vols wore black jerseys.

Banks had a winning record during his five seasons with Tennessee, but the field would become more associated with the next coach, a West Point grad and Army officer from Texas whose name was Robert Neyland. He began his career as coach in 1926, the year the seating at Shields-Watkins Field more than doubled, with the addition of more bleachers on the east side, for a total capacity of 6,800.

In Neyland’s first game as coach—on Sept. 25, 1926, 90 years ago this Sunday—the Vols beat Carson-Newman, 13-0.

As the years went by, the stands got bigger and bigger. Eventually Neyland Stadium, as it was named, became one of the largest football stadiums in America. But the playing surface itself is still known as Shields-Watkins Field.

Sources: 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 September 22, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 5

Photo by Tricia Bateman

HOWDY

BY THE NUMBERS

Photo by Bob Child/Ugly Boy Flutes, ooakart.com

PECHA KUCHA NIGHT KNOXVILLE FLUTING, ANYONE? (SMOKY MOUNTAIN FLUTE CIRCLE) | Lúcia Furukawa Couto | Aug. 06, 2015 The Native American flute is a fascinating instrument that creates exquisite music. It is used and has been used by Native American people in different ways, such as in their prayers and festivities, weaved with their beautiful stories, or for boys to woo girls. The Knoxville/Townsend area is very lucky to be home to the Smoky Mountains Flute Circle. The SMFC has hosted two back-to-back national-level events, the 2013 and 2014 Renaissance of the North American Flute Foundation annual gatherings. It all started with Knoxville Area Cherokee flute player Randy McGinnis, who founded the SMFC. For further information on the SMFC, please visit our Facebook page. | Watch the 6-minute presentation at pechakucha.org/cities/knoxville

Zoo Knoxville’s House of Reptiles

415 32 41 500

number of reptiles and amphibians at Zoo Knoxville.

number of Madagascar flat-tailed tortoises—the most outside of Madagascar.

years Zoo Knoxville has worked with the critically endangered species.

pounds, the weight of Al, the zoo’s largest Adabran tortoise, who has lived here since 1974.

Over 100 6,000

Possibly the age of Al.

crickets consumed by invertebrates at the zoo’s reptile house each week; they also eat about 200 rats and mice a month.

14

feet length of the longest snake at Zoo Knoxville (a young reticulated python).

—S. Heather Duncan Source: Zoo Knoxville/Michael Ogle

PUBLIC AFFAIRS

9/22 LOUIE BLUIE DAY FRIDAY

8 p.m., Laurel Theater (1538 Laurel Ave.). $21.

Mayor Madeline Rogero will officially declare Sept. 22 to be “Louie Bluie Day.” Her proclamation will honor the late Howard “Louie Bluie” Armstrong, the stringband musician who was declared a national treasure by the National Endowment for the Arts. His son, Grammy nominated jazz and rock bassist Ralphe Armstrong, will perform in tribute. Info: jubileearts.org.

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KNOXVILLE MERCURY September 22, 2016

9/23 SCRUFFY CITY SOIREE FRIDAY

6:30 p.m., The Standard (416 W. Jackson Ave.). $125.

This fundraiser for historic-preservation group Knox Heritage features hot jazz with Kukuly and the Gypsy Fuego, a performance by the Preservation Players, and other “surprise entertainment.” Plus, there’s a silent auction of local handcrafted goods and fine art. Info: knoxheritage.org.

9/25 OLD GRAY CEMETERY LANTERN AND 9/29 EAST AND NORTHEAST KNOXVILLE CARRIAGE TOUR ECONOMIC SUMMIT SUNDAY

4-7 p.m., Old Gray Cemetery (543 North Broadway).

A lot of Knoxville history can be found in our cemeteries, and few are as historic as Old Gray, founded in 1850. Hear stories of the people behind some of Knoxville’s most unique monuments. Info: oldgraycemetery.org.

THURSDAY

5-7:30 p.m., John T. O’Connor Senior Citizens Center (611 Winona St.). Free.

City Council member Nick Della Volpe is convening this conclave of business owners, entrepreneurs, and residents to discuss the east side’s retail opportunities.

Representatives from the Knoxville Chamber, Metropolitan Planning Commission, and Knoxville Entrepreneur Center representatives will also be on hand.

,

September 22, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 7

SCRUFFY CITIZEN

The Librarian Afoot Carol Goris’ 50 years at Lawson McGhee

BY JACK NEELY

W

hen you see Carol Goris, you may take her for a professional rock climber. She is compact and wiry and efficient. Her hair is short enough never to be a problem.

She wears practical clothes that won’t get in her way, and good tennis shoes.

She just celebrated, in her modest way, a half-century as a reference librarian at Lawson McGhee Library.

I went in to see her on Saturday, and hardly recognized her, just because she was sitting down. She does not do much of that. She is, by nature, as if it’s a basic personality trait, afoot. She was dealing with a patron on the phone who was trying to find an elusive out-of-print book.

She lives at a slightly higher frequency than the rest of us. She may not say a word to you, but if she does, it’s either interesting or useful, and it arrives at an impressive clip. In terms of words per minute, they say John Kennedy was our fastest-speaking president. Carol Goris is faster. She knows you and she both have other things to do. She speaks at a reading rate.

She is originally from Biloxi, the old port town in Mississippi, and attended Millsaps College, the tiny liberal-arts college in Jackson. The state capital was a city she didn’t like much when it was still resisting desegregation. Goris was there in 1963, when civil-rights leader Medgar Evers was assassinated within walking distance from campus.

Uncomfortable in her home state, she

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KNOXVILLE MERCURY September 22, 2016

transferred to the University of Tennessee, where she had some family connections.

“I felt like I’d died and gone to heaven,” Goris says. Knoxville wasn’t America’s most progressive city, but compared to Jackson, it seemed fresh and open. She moved into Fort Sanders, as it was developing a bohemian reputation. In 1965 she went to the Civic Coliseum to see Bob Dylan.

She studied Spanish, planning to teach, but minored in library science.

Fate, and war, played a hand. In the summer of 1966, one librarian’s husband was drafted to fight. He fled to Canada, and his wife followed, leaving an abrupt vacancy. With no degree in library science, Goris applied for the job and was surprised to get it.

She reported to work in the elaborate old terra-cotta library building on the hill, north of Market Square. At the time, Knoxville’s library system was strictly a city amenity, but to take advantage of Johnson Administration federal funding for countywide systems, the library was planning a big, new, modern facility to serve city and county both.

She got to know some interesting patrons. Some were already wellknown, like author Wilma Dykeman and Richard Marius, the charismatic professor-novelist. One was a young writer who just published a novel under the name of Cormac McCarthy.

“He seemed kind of shy,” Goris

says—though he was already attracting interest from strangers, who would approach him at the library to ask him about the fates of characters.

“We used to have James Agee pilgrims. Now we have Cormac McCarthy pilgrims. They ask, ‘Was he weird?’”

No, not at all, she always tells them. She admits she doesn’t know for certain.

Lawson McGhee moved into the current building in 1971. The city later tore down the beloved old place to build Summit Hill Drive.

Things changed again beginning in the late 1980s, when the library got its first informational computers. In the early ’90s, computers started to replace the card catalogue.

Today, Goris says, people her age often ask, “Don’t you wish you could go back to the old days?” She does not. She likes the online resources that help her serve her patrons much better now. “It’s wonderful,” she says.

She admits there are limits to the Internet, which might offer a hundred versions of a famous quotation, with dozens of attributions. “If there’s a book, we just go to the source.” Books are imperfect, too, but tend to be more trustworthy.

At one time, computers seemed to sound a death knell for brick-and-mortar libraries. Goris says they’re busier than ever. Sometimes every seat’s taken. Many patrons come into the library just to use the computers. For thousands of Knoxvillians, the public library is their only access.

“We used to help people find books. Our new job is to help people find jobs. To apply, they have to go online, and they don’t know how to do it. We help them.”

Older than many retirees, she still loves her job. “I should be paying them,” she says. A reference librarian is a detective, she says, and she loves the mystery of each question, with one exception.

“I hate fish questions,” she says.

“Fish have different names all over the world.” It’s hard to keep track.

For Goris, scholarship is an athletic endeavor, as it should be. No one moves around the library as swiftly and frequently as she does, in search of an elusive book, pushing around a well-laden cart. The lively intellect gathers no moss, nor pounds.

She still lives in Fort Sanders. “I love the energy of the kids,” she says, charitably. She’s more energetic than most kids. She walks to work, about two miles.

She walks back home for lunch, another two miles. She takes a very long lunch break, about seven hours.

She visits friends, gets things done around the house. Then she walks back for the night shift. “It’s my choice,” she says. “I’m the scheduler.”

And she does have seniority. She likes working the early-morning shift, and the night shift, every day.

This septuagenarian walks eight miles a day, not counting a few more miles of walking around the library.

She’s creaky in the morning, like most folks her age. But a vital job can get you up and moving around. The aches and pains vanish, she says, and soon she’s back at her unpredictable job, helping strangers figure things out.

She is not nearly finished with that job. “It’s been a wonderful 50 years, and I hope I can hang on a little longer,” she says. With that, she abruptly excuses herself. She has things to do.◆

“We used to help people find books.

Our new job is to help people find jobs.

To apply, they have to go online, and they don’t know how to do it. We help them.”

— CAROL GORIS

MUCH ADO

Want Change?

Vote local and don’t buy the con

BY CATHERINE LANDIS

W

e had quite the kerfuffle here in House District 18 this summer, and I don’t mean the infamous shoving incident between Martin Daniel and Steve Hall. I’m referring to the fl ier war between those two that took place in the stack of junk mail on my kitchen counter.

The first came from Hall and accused Daniel of supporting ISIS. I could fill pages with reasons to deprive Mr. Daniel of another term in the state House, starting with his antagonism against the University of Tennessee’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion, but what planet—or hallucinogenic drug—do you have to be on to believe that this warrior against gender-neutral pronouns would also support a terrorist group? Daniel’s actual remarks about ISIS were in defense of free speech, an argument similar to one the ACLU used in 1977 to defend the right of Nazis to parade in Skokie, Ill.: Free speech includes offensive speech or it’s not free. Hall surely knew that. But if politics is a game, he was willing to play rough, and if you can paint your opponent as an ISIS supporter, game over.

Daniel was playing, too. One choice fl ier featured a photograph of him aiming a gun—and let me say for the record that nothing could have been more offensive in the wake of recent high-profi le acts of gun violence. The fl ier asserted that Daniel “DEFENDS our Second Amendment rights.” Good for him. As if those rights were threatened.

Daniel’s game perpetuates the increasingly tiresome and dangerous myth that constitutional, common-sense gun legislation is exactly the same thing as the government taking your guns away. It’s like saying:

“First they installed traffic lights; then they came for our cars.”

The true harm in the hyperbole comes when legislators paint themselves into corners and can’t govern.

If, for instance, Daniel were to decide a particular gun safety regulation would be good for Tennessee, how could he vote for it? He couldn’t after insinuating gun control laws by defi nition violate the Constitution.

That’s what is happening to Insure Tennessee: Once you label it an apocalyptic march toward tyranny, you can’t touch it no matter how much sense it makes or how many lives and jobs it might save. You can’t tell people the house is on fi re and then say never mind. When you yell “FIRE,” people bring hoses.

Martin Daniel won his primary, but it was a shallow victory. What does winning even mean with only 9.4 percent of registered Knox County voters bothering to show up? Maybe my District 18 neighbors are happy to be represented by a guy who pretends to champion limited government except when it comes to women’s health or messing with UT programs he knows nothing about. Or maybe they aren’t happy. Maybe they’re waiting to replace him with his Democratic opponent, Brandi Price, in November. Maybe they don’t care. I know some folks in District 2 who care deeply that their candidate for Knox County Commission lost by only 75 votes.

I must acknowledge and do understand: It’s actually really hard to pay attention to local politics. Working, raising kids, negotiating the intricacies of our busy lives, it’s easy for an election to come around without our knowing whom to vote for. Worse, there’s often no choice. Who can get excited about a

one-person race? And it’s easy to forget how important our local elections are when the gravitational pull of the presidential race is so strong. But what happens in Knox County Schools has little to do with what happens in Washington. Same for the fact that you have to show your ID to vote. Same for healthcare access, workplace rules, wages, law enforcement, women’s rights, and a lot more of what we care about. While so much focus is on Washington, state legislatures around the country, including ours, can be up to a great deal of mischief.

Citizens who choose not to vote because it’s too much trouble, or because they think it doesn’t matter, or because all politicians are the same, or because they don’t like choosing between the lesser of two evils should tell that to the poor and marginalized who end up bearing the consequences of regressive policies.

So vote, please. And keep in mind that democracy requires compromise, not purity. If ever it were to be possible for you to get everything you want, then the mechanism exists for your political opponents to get everything they want, and that is not a world you want to live in. Voting does not mean getting everything you want, but it might mean getting a heck of a lot less of the boneheaded things you don’t want.

Politics can be messy. Infuriating.

Frustrating. But it doesn’t have to be stupid. We all could get a little better at recognizing the difference between news and propaganda. We could resist the wormhole of social media sucking us into the land of snarkdom and conflation. We could get hold of some working bull manure detectors.

Because you can’t blame the politicians. If this stuff didn’t work, they wouldn’t do it, and evidently it’s easy these days to get people to believe that “Sharia Law” is just around the corner, and the federal government is itching to confiscate your guns before declaring martial law.

Since when did we turn into such gullible scaredy-cats? Has no one seen the Wizard of Oz? Spoiler alert: There’s a con man behind that curtain. ◆

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With Much Ado, Catherine Landis examines how political decisions and social trends affect the lives of the people around her. A former newspaper reporter, she has published two novels, Some Days There’s Pie (St. Martin’s Press) and Harvest (Thomas Dunne Books/ St. Martin’s Press).

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September 22, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 9

Photo by Thomas Fraser

Mall Makeover A developer facing multiple lawsuits over downtown properties announces plans for Knoxville Center Mall

BY THOMAS FRASER

A

developer largely sidestepped questions about his checkered business history Monday evening before a large and boosterish crowd eager to hear about plans for Knoxville Center, the struggling East Knoxville mall recently acquired by one of his many companies.

Legal issues have dogged Brant Enderle and many properties he has ties to, delaying the redevelopment of valuable downtown storefronts and leading to multiple liens and multimillion dollar lawsuits against him and the limited liability companies tied to his investments.

Two lawsuits focused on downtown buildings allege wrongdoing or malicious intent by Enderle, a local developer with ties to a slew of limited liability corporations that own many key downtown properties in Knoxville and Chattanooga.

Those disputes center on fouled business deals between potential tenants in the high-profile Kress and Conley buildings on Gay Street, where redevelopment projects had stalled.

BAJM Holdings, one of the LLCs named in the lawsuit involving the Kress building, is also being sued by

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KNOXVILLE MERCURY September 22, 2016

the Morristown City Council; the council wants to take control of the old Morristown College campus, which BAJM owns, through eminent domain.

MCD, another LLC named in that suit, has the same mailing address as Henry & Wallace, a company formerly known as Enderle Holdings, LLC. After purchasing Morristown College in 2014, Enderle told reporters he had a long-range hope for redeveloping the property, with the idea of making it a commercial and residential hub—similar to the vision he pitched for Knoxville Center on Monday. In its lawsuit, the Morristown City Council is seeking to take control of the property “for the safety of its citizens,” arguing that the buildings—many of which are deteriorating and covered in asbestos— have been vacant since the deal.

In August, Knoxville Partners, an LLC owned by Enderle, paid about $12.5 million for Knoxville Center, a 32-year-old mall off Interstate 640 plagued by vacancies and a decreasing number of shoppers. Enderle told the crowd Monday that his partners include a Minnesota developer and other “investors hoping to make a good return.”

Most questions from the overflow

crowd of about 200 people at New Harvest Park were earnest inquiries seeking information about a potential economic revival for the long-beleaguered East Knoxville community.

The forum was hosted by the Alice Bell/Spring Hill Neighborhood Association, and attendees included several elected officials.

But three people, moving beyond questions about cafeterias, play areas, and medical and residential development, asked more probing questions.

“Why should we trust you?” one man asked.

Enderle’s reply was brief: “I just signed for $12 million to buy it.”

Enderle acknowledged being the subject of “a few lawsuits”—that’s to be expected for a businessman involved in multimillion dollar deals, he said. “Just because someone asserts something in the newspaper and then puts folks up talking about it, don’t make it so,” Enderle said.

Many in the diverse, murmuring crowd—most of whom seemed intrigued by the potential for good economic news for their community—

A crowd of about 200 people gathered at New Harvest Park on Monday to hear developer Brant Enderle discuss his plans for the struggling Knoxville Center. Enderle and companies he’s involved with face multiple lawsuits over major development deals in downtown Knoxville. laughed and applauded at the response.

Enderle seemed surprised by the turnout at the community forum, as did organizers. He says his investment will take a while to come to fruition, but he was open to multiple ideas to bring the mall back to life and make it a center of the community, including car shows and band performances. He says initial work is planned on security systems, parking lot improvements, and infrastructure fixes, such as the repair of escalators.

Enderle emphasized again and again the “very long-time horizon” of bringing back the moribund mall. He says he was hesitant to hold many meetings like this one. “It creates great big expectations,” he says.

Based on the crowd at New Harvest Park, the community indeed appears to have just such expectations. ◆

Just because someone asserts something in the newspaper and then puts folks up talking about it, don’t make it so.

—Developer Brant Enderle on a series of lawsuits filed against him and the companies he’s involved with.

Outsourcing Update Labor shortage further sours UT staff, faculty on privatization plan

BY THOMAS FRASER

U

niversity of Tennessee professors and staff members say an increasingly shorthanded facilities staff— and the resulting unkempt campus—is already evidence that plans by Gov. Bill Haslam’s administration to outsource the university’s maintenance services would negatively impact the state’s flagship educational institution.

The uncertain future of the privatization plan, which state officials say could lead to $36 million in annual savings, is dissuading potential hires and affecting retention. There are 79 vacancies in the university department that handles landscaping and other maintenance.

“The effect that the ongoing outsourcing threat has had on hiring is that it calls into question main recruiting points—stability and benefits,” says Tom Anderson, a UT representative of United Campus Workers.

Senate Faculty President-elect Beauvais Lyons says the maintenance shortfalls are already obvious—the tall weeds marring a collection of bushes planted two years ago at the new Haslam Music Center and untended beds at the Art and Architecture Building.

“In the larger context of outsourcing, that’s one interesting data point,” Lyons says of the staffi ng crunch. And it could allow outsourcing advocates to argue that the university’s current system isn’t working.

There are currently 79 openings in facilities services, UT spokeswoman Amy Blakely says in an email.

“This is approximately double what we were running a couple of years ago. We do believe the privatization discussions have hampered our ability to recruit and retain in several areas.”

Lyons says that more than 95 percent of responses during the public comment period were opposed to the plan.

Results of the privatization study underway by Nashville-based auditing firm KraftCPAs will not become public

until November, according to the office of Strategies for Efficiency in Real Estate Management, which is attached to the state finance department. The outsourcing study, closed at this point to public scrutiny, involves custodial, grounds and repairs, and maintenance services. The state spends $550 million a year on facilities maintenance, including utilities.

SERM spokeswoman Michelle Martin says under any plan there would be “100 percent job protection” and comparable benefits if employees wanted to continue working, providing they pass background checks and drug tests.

She says that companies qualified to manage the 7,500 state buildings, totaling 94 million square feet, can save money by cross-training staff and eliminating contractors. Martin says the projected savings of $36 million was based on the $13 million the state has saved over two years after turning over management of some state office buildings and other assets to the private sector.

“By leveraging these kinds of investments we save a lot of money,” Martin says.

Anderson says the math doesn’t add up. He describes UT staff as “a work force that works for the community” in return for stability and good benefits, which include free courses and family tuition discounts. Those perks would likely disappear under private management, and hiring controls would be lost, he says.

“They can make as many claims as they want, but the fi ne print hasn’t been written yet,” Anderson says.

During his State of the University presentation on Monday, outgoing Chancellor Jimmy Cheek said 50 percent of UT employees donate to the university.

Anderson says prior efforts to privatize some services yielded results “bad enough that the university thought it best in the long-term to bring everything back in-house.” ◆ September 22, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 11

On the trail (and in the river) with herpetologist Stephen Nelson as he seeks out a possible new salamander species in East Tennessee

BY S. HEATHER DUNCAN • PHOTOS BY S. HEATHER DUNCAN

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KNOXVILLE MERCURY September 22, 2016

Photos by Heather Duncan

T

he Hiwassee River ripples like a slippery salamander, reflecting the flinty color of the sky. Then Stephen Nelson’s head breaks the smooth surface, and he rises from the chill water with a gasp, holding a gallon Ziploc bag. His scuba mask and labored walk toward shore give him a robotic look as water pours off his wetsuit.

Nelson yanks off his mask with a smack, revealing eyes pinned to the bag. It’s half full of water in which swims a sleek, shadowy creature normally accustomed to hiding in dark, wet corners. It’s small for an animal, but big for a salamander.

“It’s a common mudpuppy,” says Nelson, a herpetology keeper at Zoo Knoxville. The salamanders supposedly got their common name from making high-pitched whines when distressed, rather like a puppy’s bark.

But Nelson has never heard one utter a sound.

This animal both is, and isn’t, what he was seeking. Although he’s sampling for mudpuppies and this one will add to the genetic database he is building, his real goal is to expand on an exciting discovery he made in this river: a salamander that may be a completely new species. He and his collaborators are finishing a paper

that concludes they have either found a new mudpuppy or, almost equally intriguing, a separated population of a type known only to two rivers in North Carolina that drain to the Atlantic Ocean.

“Either way, it’s pretty significant to species conservation,” Nelson says.

Nelson’s collaborator Ben Fitzpatrick, a University of Tennessee associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, can recall only one other new Southeastern salamander species being discovered since the 1980s.

Currently there are just five known species of mudpuppy in the Southeast.

If, on the other hand, this “new type” is determined to be the same species as the Neuse River Water Dog (found in the Tar and Neuse rivers of North Carolina), that could have interesting implications for our understanding of Southern geology and evolution. Like many aquatic animals, salamander species are generally divided by the Appalachian Mountains. Each type lives either in rivers that drain to the Atlantic Ocean or those that drain to the Gulf of Mexico. Could the headwaters of the Hiwassee have moved over geologic time until they began to flow in the opposite direction?

Nelson, Fitzpatrick, and Matt

Neimiller plan to submit their research next month to the Journal of Herpetology. But they see these discoveries as only the first stage, so today, near an isolated mountain town called Reliance, Nelson has just spent five minutes chasing a salamander zipping through the leaf litter on the river bottom. Such is the life of a herpetologist, whose office is sometimes under a rock at the bottom of a swift creek. Nelson may have made a career-boosting scientific advance, but he wasn’t expecting it. This is just how he spends his time.

SEE SPOT SWIM

The dark brown mudpuppy paddles about in the plastic bag, its feet large enough to look like baby hands with webbing between the fingers. Mudpuppies look very different from most salamanders because of their external gills. Some salamanders develop lungs as they mature, and others (like the largest salamander in North America, the hellbender) breathe through their skin. Mudpuppies not only keep their gills, they keep them outside their body: thin black extensions from their necks tipped by fluffy red fringe. It gives them a slightly comical look, reminiscent of a muppet. This mudpuppy might not fetch, but I can see

Stephen Nelson dives for mudpuppies in the Hiwassee River, briefly bagging the elusive salamanders when he finds them under a rock or branch. why it received a friendlier nickname than the hellbender.

The white coloring developing on this mudpuppy’s belly indicates it’s the common variety. The new type Nelson has been studying is about 25 percent smaller, more slender, and with fewer but more well-defined spots.

This fellow is too small to weigh accurately or to tag, but Nelson records its estimated age, length (9.3 centimeters), and a description of its coloring before clipping off the tip of its tail and preserving it in a tube.

Like many salamanders, the mudpuppy will later regrow its tail (and even a lost limb).

The DNA in the tissue sample will later be analyzed to see if the two mudpuppy types in the Hiwassee are breeding with each other. Nelson snaps its photo before returning the mudpuppy to the exact spot where he found it and measuring the tree branch that had been its hiding place.

The sun’s still not out, and Nelson is shivering in his short-sleeved wet suit. But just upstream of Cherokee National Forest he dives back in. He’s only got a few hours before TVA will September 22, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 13

release a huge plug of water from the Appalachia Dam, causing the river level to rise too high for the hunt.

For a while Nelson hangs in a dead man’s float, blue snorkel protruding. Then he disappears underwater with a kick. In a few moments, his feet emerge alone, toes pointed skyward as he inspects the bottom. (This is one way—although probably not the easiest—to be sure he doesn’t cloud the clear water by stirring up mud as he walks.)

In less than an hour Nelson bags a hellbender while looking for his mudpuppies. This one isn’t nearly the two-foot-long monster it could become—it’s probably only four times as big as the mudpuppy was. Its eyes are clearly visible, and its lighter brown skin billows in wrinkly, floating folds, maximizing its contact with the oxygen in the water.

Hellbenders, which are becoming even more unusual than their appearance suggests, are considered to be more threatened than mudpuppies for several reasons. They require free-flowing water and a rocky river bottom. Once a river is turned into a lake behind a dam, or is contaminated with muddy, chemical-laced runoff—no more hellbenders. They are very sensitive to poor water quality because 14

KNOXVILLE MERCURY September 22, 2016

they breathe through their skin.

Compounding all that is what you might call an unpopularity problem.

The name gives it away. In fact, hellbender only one of the salamander’s many common names. Some East Tennesseans are more partial to “devil dog” or “snot otter.”

Although the hellbender isn’t part of Nelson’s current research, it’s rare enough that he records its size and characteristics for other researchers.

He doesn’t clip its tail, but he does inject a tiny electronic “pit tag,” which can be scanned if the salamander is caught again, providing information about its movements over time. (A big enough mudpuppy would get the same treatment.)

I think about my dad, who spent childhood summers flipping rocks in a search for salamanders in the foothills of western North Carolina. One of the many odd tidbits he shared with me when he was dying was a small, lifelong regret: He had killed a hellbender when he was a kid. It had scared him, and he didn’t know better.

That happened often in the mountains.

Some fishermen assumed the giant salamanders were gobbling up the fish stock, while others were just startled to find an enormous, biting “devil” on the end of their fishing lines. Both

reacted by slaying the dragon.

Although mudpuppies are more widespread and less sensitive, they nevertheless serve a similar purpose as an indicator of degraded water quality in rivers and lakes where hellbender’s don’t live, Nelson says.

SNAKES IN THE HOUSE

Hellbenders are what originally brought Nelson, Fitzpatrick, and Niemiller (at the time, one of Fitzpatrick’s grad students) to this river.

Researchers were sampling in the Hiwassee and Little rivers to learn more about ranavirus and chytrid fungus, two types of infections that have been killing amphibians and salamanders globally.

While looking for hellbenders, Nelson noticed some of the mudpuppies he saw looked a little unusual.

When he did a summer internship with Purdue University that brought him in contact with more of the salamanders, Nelson became even more convinced that the ones he’d seen in the Hiwassee were not the typical variety.

At the time, Nelson was earning his undergraduate degree in wildlife and fisheries science. He didn’t even have Fitzpatrick for a class, but he asked if the professor might allow him

(Main and lower right) Researcher Stephen Nelson prepares to clip the mudpuppies tail (it will regrow) to add its DNA to his data bank. (Upper right) Nelson attempts to weigh the mudpuppy using a field scale, but the svelte salamander is too small for an accurate read.

to use some leftover funding to test some of the Hiwassee mudpuppy tissue samples.

It’s unusual for someone who is not being paid or graded to volunteer to do this level of science. But Fitzpatrick says Nelson took the initiative.

“Stephen is extremely unusual,” Fitzpatrick says. “I have interacted with a lot of smart and motivated undergraduates, and he is the only one that’s really taken such a sustained, leading role on a real research project. … He’s just one of those guys that is outgoing and makes things happen.”

As young as Nelson was, he had already racked up years of observing and researching amphibians, salamanders, snakes and turtles. He started volunteering at the Knoxville Zoo (now Zoo Knoxville) while he was attending Horse Maynard Middle School in Union County, and pretty quickly was allowed to focus on his greatest interest, the reptiles and turtles.

He figures it was probably a relief

This hellbender, the largest species of salamander in North America, is still pretty young and small.

Researchers may be able to track its growth using Nelson’s records and the microchip inserted under its skin (lower left). to his parents. His mom, who was English, had a strict “no snakes in the house” rule. When he was 13 or 14, he sneaked a king snake inside, but it escaped from its makeshift Tupperware home. His mom found it in her bedroom. (She used a back-scratcher to deposit it in the yard, but it chose to return after a week, to her chagrin.)

Nelson says his parents never realized his role in inviting their reptile visitor until he fessed up 10 years later.

But Nelson fit right in at the zoo.

He’d been volunteering there for a decade before he was hired part-time in 2011, then went full-time while he was still finishing college. Most people pursuing the kind of research Nelson is doing are working on a graduate degree. He’d like to do that one day, but he’s been having too much fun doing similar work for no credit.

Nelson, a beefy guy with a bushy red beard and an easygoing yet somewhat academic manner, spends all day with the herps (geek slang for reptiles and amphibians) at the zoo.

Then he jumps in his car to spend his free hours “herping”: driving backroads scouting for snakes. (He’s also preparing to go on a trip to Madagascar next week to help with endangered tortoise work.)

Nelson had already worked on two or three research projects for Fitzpatrick when he proposed the mudpuppy research. Fitzpatrick was supportive without expecting it to produce anything very interesting. At best, the scientist says, he figured it might lead to some kind of reclassification of Hiwassee mudpuppies. But realizing that two different mudpuppy species were living alongside each other was much more intriguing.

“There are very few examples of different large aquatic salamanders in same spot,” Fitzpatrick says. “So it raises a basic biodiversity science question about what promotes or prevents coexistence.”

Once initial DNA results came back, Fitzpatrick and Nelson got a grant from the U.S. Forest Service and the Wave Foundation to expand the DNA testing, snorkel surveys, and trapping salamanders by boat.

DIVING INTO THE UNKNOWN

And that, in the end, is what brought

me here, slogging along the shore parallel to Nelson. Little darters and shiners zip in and out around my legs, but if I get too absorbed in watching them, I end up slowly subsiding several inches into the mud. I almost fall over when my boot finally comes loose with a “splorp!”

Nelson returns the hellbender beneath its rock, then emerges a few moments later with a big splash to show off a striped-neck musk turtle the size of my palm. It opens its mouth as if threatening to snap, although a finger would barely fit inside.

As I step deeper into the water to check him out, my waders compress tightly against the sweat pants I’m wearing over leggings. It’s 95 degrees in Knoxville today, but the water is just 67 degrees, and I’ve been warned about just how cold that will feel if it rises above my armpits to swamp the waders.

Eventually Nelson heads across the river, which is wide at this point, to check the other side. I wait on the bank listening to the calls of cicadas, rising and falling like waves, and cars buzzing over the U.S. 441 bridge. Tiny paw prints, probably from a mink, dance through the mud next to me on a little “beach” which will be under water in an hour or so.

Nelson slowly returns with another common mudpuppy, this one even smaller than the first.

The zoo gives him the day off now and then for this sampling. When he pauses to check his phone, Nelson sees he has a message from a colleague at Cherokee National Forest. He dials and explains, “Sorry I didn’t call you back earlier. I was snorkeling away from my phone.” It’s an occupational hazard.

Nelson says both the mudpuppies he caught today were juveniles, probably less than 5 years old. That’s a good sign. Biologists want to find animals of varying ages so they can be sure the population is still producing successful young.

Still, he finds none of the new type of mudpuppies today. These mysterious, rippling-quick salamanders are slippery in more ways than one.

Since 2011, Nelson and his fellow researchers have found just 55 of the unusual mudpuppies, all in the main stem of this river below the dam.

Nelson and Fitzpatrick say they have looked in the Little, Tellico, and Ocoee rivers as well as a tributary creek of the Hiwassee without finding any more. But they might just be looking in the wrong places, Nelson says.

In fact, the things we don’t know September 22, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 15

TORTOISE TRICKS How Zoo Knoxville leads the way in hatching herps

BY S. HEATHER DUNCAN

A Photo by Todd Pierson

about even the common mudpuppy far outnumber the things we do, especially in the Southeast. Can they live in dammed lakes here, as they can further north? Why are individuals smaller in the Southeast than in other parts of their range? What’s their lifespan? (It’s thought they often live more than 20 years, but that’s a guess, Nelson says.) Do females or males guard the eggs? (Nelson has found both beneath rocks with egg clutches attached.)

And those are the unknowns about the most common mudpuppy species.

What’s unknown about “the new type” of mudpuppy could fill this river.

Fitzpatrick points out that there’s a slight possibility this population was transported from North Carolina to this river during the last few decades by fishermen using salamander eggs for bait. Alternately, Hiwassee mudpuppies could have been the same species as the Neuse River water dog in the distant past before becoming separated and evolving on different paths.

The Neuse River water dog has been so little studied that it’s hard to quantify whether they’re different without more North Carolina tissue samples, something Fitzpatrick anticipates eventually requesting from wildlife and university officials there.

Even so, DNA comparisons aren’t as definitive as you’d think. Not long ago, scientists found that the three known species of North American wolves are genetically the same, with 16

KNOXVILLE MERCURY September 22, 2016

Mudpuppies have distinctive fluffy, red external gills. varying degrees of coyote mixed in.

But they appear and behave somewhat differently, leading to disagreement on whether they are different species or not.

We think of science as objective, but when it comes down to it, it still requires judgment calls—which can seem, well, unscientific.

“There’s no strict definition of a new species,” Fitzpatrick says. “The only kind of totally objective tests would be to put together Hiwassee water dogs and Neuse River water dogs and see if they are willing to mate and produce viable offspring.”

Although the team is ready for other scientists to review the first round of their results, they are already planning the next stages of study.

They plan to use a relatively new technology to sample DNA floating in the water. This could help them identify places where the new mudpuppies live without catching them, because it’s clear that finding mudpuppies is a time-consuming endeavor with limited rewards.

“For every hour we survey, we find .15 mudpuppies,” Nelson says.

Put another way, it generally takes more than six hours of searching to find just one. On this trip, he’s found two mudpuppies and a hellbender in about four hours (not counting the four-hour round trip drive), while freezing and soaked.

It’s a good day. ◆

t Zoo Knoxville, inspiration for successfully hatching baby tortoises was found in an unlikely spot, although it’s the sort of place that has probably bred inspiration before: A wine cooler.

After trial and error, zoo experts developed a recipe for northern spider tortoise hatchlings that included incubating the eggs, then cooling them in the wine cooler, sometimes repeatedly and over many months, to mimic the seasonal weather changes that would occur in the species’ native Madagascar.

No zoo had ever managed to hatch the critically endangered northern spider tortoises in captivity, explains Michael Ogle, the zoo’s curator of reptiles, amphibians, and birds. In 2006, Zoo Knoxville became the first. It was also the first to hatch another Malagasy species, the flat-tailed tortoise, and was second to hatch two others from the same island.

Zoo Knoxville has allowed its animal curators great influence on the way the zoo contributes to scientific research. That can take the form of which species it displays and breeds, but also how it works with scientists to reintroduce species to the wild or gather more information on their habits and habitat. For example, although the zoo isn’t funding the work, it has given keeper Stephen Nelson time on work days to pursue research into a possible new mudpuppy species in the Hiwassee River. (On the way back, he solicitously stops to buy Monterey Mushrooms from the guard shack of the plant in Loudon, as a treat for the tortoises he left behind for the day.) Zoo Knoxville has also participated in a program releasing endangered bog turtles in Tennessee every year since 1991. Of 175, at least 75 have survived, Ogle says.

Almost by accident—but really by the sheer force of enthusiasm and determination of its reptile curators over the years—Zoo Knoxville has become a world leader in tortoise and turtle conservation and breeding.

No zoo board ever sat down and evaluated all the options and decided, “We’re going to make tortoises our specialty.” But it basically happened anyway as a result of the leadership of longtime herpetology director Bern Tryon and now Ogle. Ogle is the chair of the Chelonian (turtle and tortoise) Advisory Group for the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, which manages 48 turtle and tortoise breeding programs. Ogle says Zoo Knoxville now houses 28 tortoise species or subspecies, including 16 that have been identified as critically endangered and six considered endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The zoo hatches about 20 tortoises a year. In August, the zoo hatched several endangered black-breasted leaf turtles, a species native to Southeast Asia that had not bred successfully at Zoo Knoxville since 2009.

Many of the zoo’s contributions to reptile, amphibian and salamander research happen inside the aging reptile house an a nearby off-exhibit building dubbed “the kitchen.” The zoo’s five-year master plan includes a new reptile house, and (in the proud tradition of zoo workers shaping the collection) Nelson is hopeful it will have capacity to house more salamanders, many of which need tanks with moving water.

Currently, floor-to-ceiling incubators hum in the staff space behind the clouded reptile tanks.

The sleek machines let the zoo choose the sex of the tortoise offspring. For many of these species, four degrees makes the difference

between a male and a female.

The potential tortoise parents live in huge plastic tubs filled with wood chips or sand, with plastic pipes cut in half to make domed tunnels for shelter. The tubs are stacked on wooden racks. Heat lamps dangle by chains and cords above these compact habitats, water burbling loudly in the background.

Most people think of tortoises as slow, but the Burmese star tortoises are zipping around their tub on jagged, claw-tipped legs. The species was functionally extinct until being reintroduced in the wild a few years ago. Beneath them, fog seems to pour out through a tube and settle over the metal tub of plowshare tortoises, a Malagasy species found in only four other zoos. These particular tortoises were confiscated from smugglers in Hong Kong. Black and gold hexagons decorate their shells, which on males have a long lip called a “scoot,” used to flip rivals onto their backs. (“Mess with my girl, eh? Try to put the moves on her with your feet waving in the air.”)

The five Malagasy tortoise

species at Zoo Knoxville are found in the wild only on the large island off the coast of Africa, where they are disappearing because smugglers trap them for the Asian pet trade, Ogle says. However, Ogle says natives on the southern part of the island are their allies, believing the tortoises could be ancestors.

“It’s taboo for them to even look at a tortoise,” he says.

The Turtle Survival Alliance has twice sent Ogle to Madagascar to share his knowledge and help successfully reintroduce tortoises seized from poachers. When the alliance built a school for one of the native communities nearby, Zoo Knoxville donated and raised $3,500 to help buy desks, school supplies and soccer balls, say Ogle and Tina Rolen, zoo communications director. Rolen says the zoo has also raised $10,000 since 2009 to support the work of the Turtle Survival Alliance in Madagascar.

Later this month, Zoo Knoxville is helping pay for Nelson to visit one of the Madagascar tortoise reintroduction centers.

Ogle says his own trips to

Madagascar yielded ideas that helped Zoo Knoxville tortoises.

Seeing all the types of food tortoises were browsing on in Madagascar led him to expand the diet of the tortoises here, which he says has increased breeding success.

“Any time you see the animal where they really live, it just makes things click,” he says. “Seeing how they move and where they hide gives you ideas about how to replicate that.”

The zoo’s ability to breed these reptiles allows it to boost wild populations. Ogle says the zoo will soon be sending Roti Island snake-necked turtles for reintroduction to the wild.

It took many years for the zoo to achieve such successes. For example, it had owned and bred Malagasy flat-tailed tortoises since 1975, but it didn’t manage to hatch them until 2002.

That happened on Ogle’s day off.

For fun, he and a friend were out looking for snakes at Great Smoky Mountains National Park when a supervisor from work called to ask, “Do you know what you did?”

Zoo Knoxille was the first to hatch this species, the endangered Madagascar flat-tailed tortise, in captivity. Malagasy tortise eggs are often chilled between incubation periods to mimic seasonal temperature changes back home (above right). The eggs are carefully labled in pencil and nestled in plastic tubs (bottom right).

“I thought I’d let a snake out or something,” Ogle recalls.

Instead, he was hatching an egg. (The process took a day and a half, so he didn’t miss it.)

Zoo Knoxville officials are hoping much more of this action will be visible to visitors when the zoo builds a new reptile house as part of its five-year master plan. For now, the 3-week old pancake tortoises, no bigger than golf balls, crawl enthusiastically on each other’s backs in a little plastic shoe box in “the kitchen.” Behind them, impressed tortoises have stacked themselves up like a Dr. Seuss illustration, mouths hanging open. “They’re heavy breathers,” says Ogle, only half joking. The zoo’s trial-and-error work in this cramped space is keeping a lot more rare tortoises breathing for years to come. ◆

September 22, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 17

A&E

P rogram Notes

Red Carpet Treatment Carpetbag Theatre gets three-year grant to celebrate its upcoming golden anniversary

T

he Carpetbag Theatre won’t officially celebrate its 50th anniversary until 2019. But for the next three years, thanks to a recently awarded grant from the Roy Cockrum Foundation, the company will lead up to the official celebration with an ongoing reminder of its history and its contributions to the arts community in Knoxville over the last five decades.

“The funds are going to remount and reproduce our signature plays from the past 50 years,” says Jonathan Clark, one of the directors of the Carpetbag

Theatre. “We’ll be producing those shows over the next three years leading up to our 50th anniversary.”

In addition to putting on six of their best-known plays, the Carpetbag Theatre will also develop a new production, Bricks, which examines the history of the African-American brick-making industry and its significance to the black Appalachian community.

The foundation was established in 2014 by Roy Cockrum, a Knoxville native and former Episcopal monk

Music Meetup Knoxville music supporters hope to organize the local scene

A

bout 30 musicians, music supporters, and industry professionals gathered at the Concourse last week to talk about the state of local music in Knoxville. The event—organized by Garrett Thomson, program manager at Dogwood Arts, and Chyna Brackeen, owner of Attack Monkey Productions— was the second gathering of the Knox Music Coalition, a new effort to bring together musicians, promoters, venue representatives, and radio hosts to discuss the local music scene and come up with solutions to common problems.

“Over the last year I feel like we’ve seen so much happen with the scene,” Thomson says. “I’m seeing more shows being booked, more bands starting to perform, and so it’s just important for local creatives to organize so they’re compensated fairly and they’re represented fairly in the city.”

Over the course of the evening, a group that included jazz singers, radio DJs, bass players, and more talked about what Knoxville is doing well—great venues, a diversity of genres, a generally supportive environment for artists—and brainstormed ways to improve it.

During the first meetup in July, the group came up with a long list of small problems and identified some “big dreams” that they’d like to see happen. Some of the major goals included more options for professional recording and a public database with information on local musicians, venue, promoters, and media outlets.

Brackeen says it’s easy for local musicians to be overlooked. Formally organizing often disparate groups and individual musicians is an important step toward accomplishing common goals.

“I feel like there’s a lot of support

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Shelf Life: Jazz Recommendations

KNOXVILLE MERCURY September 22, 2016

Music: Denzel Curry

who won a $259 million Powerball jackpot. So far, the foundation has provided grants for Doctors Without Borders and two theatrical productions in Chicago. (Cockrum studied theater at Northwestern University in Chicago.)

Clark says the grant is rare for many reasons.

“They don’t make it a habit of doing multiyear funding often,” Clark says. “As far as we know, we’re the first local organization, within the same city as the foundation, that they have knowingly funded.”

Considering its history as a professional black theater company, the Carpetbag Theatre’s anniversary is both a testament to its longevity and a reminder of the persistence of the issues that make it necessary. The group’s mission to “give artistic voice to

the issues and dreams of people who have been silenced by racism, classism, sexism, ageism, homophobia, and other forms of oppression.” Clark says it’s important that they’re still here.

“Some people, even myself, haven’t been alive long enough to see what Carpetbag has done,” he says.

“So this is our way of letting Knoxville know that we’re still here and still working and still making quality and professional work.”

The six plays that will be reproduced during this anniversary period are Between A Ballad and a Blues, Nothin’ Nice, Dark Cowgirls and Prairie Queens, Ce Nitram Sacul, SWOPERA (A Spoken Word Opera), and Red Summer. There will be two productions each year. All of these plays will be fully produced performances at venues in Knoxville and Maryville. (Maria D. Smith)

from the city for the major cultural institutions—your symphonies and operas and things that are considered the ‘arts’ organizations—but we’ve not necessarily treated our music scene like it’s an important cultural asset,” Brackeen says. “And it is. When people come to visit Knoxville, they go to bars and theaters and they experience entertainment and they have a great time here because of what our local music scene has to offer.”

Thomson and Brackeen hope to make the Knox Music Coalition meetings monthly. Venues have offered their spaces

for the meetings and musicians have promoted the event through social media and word of mouth.

“I haven’t had to put much effort into this whatsoever, which is good, because the idea from the very beginning was to just let musicians lead it,” Thomson says. “I want to facilitate and I want to get everyone in a room, but I don’t want to just spew out my own ideas and force my own agenda. I want the creators to actually be heard.”

For more information, visit knoxmusiccoalition.org. (Hayley Brundige)

I feel like there’s a lot of support from the city for the major cultural institutions … but we’ve not necessarily treated our music scene like it’s an important cultural asset.

—CHYNA BRACKEEN

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Classical Music: Masterworks Kickoff

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Movie: Chevalier

Shelf Life

A&E

Metheny’s deep catalog. Particularly precious and welcome—whether or not you’re a guitar dweeb—are the handful of acoustic solo tracks.

Diffusion Some new and recommended jazz recordings available at the Knox County Public Library

BY CHRIS BARRETT

MIROSLAV VITOUŠ MUSIC OF WEATHER REPORT (ECM, 2016)

The attractions of fusion have long eluded me. It was only recently, while watching Jaco, the biographical documentary film about Jaco Pastorius, one of the Weather Report’s many bassists, that I recovered the repressed memory of seeing the band perform live. I was 18. I was in the Navy. Buying a ticket to see a large ensemble of jazz virtuosi who didn’t get along, pretending at rock, was easily preferable to the tribal chaos of the barracks.

This terrific new recording by the group’s founding bassist makes me wish that I had seen the group during Vitouš’ tenure. These compositions by Vitouš, Wayne Shorter, Joe Zawinul, and Alphonso Johnson—who replaced Vitouš when he quit, over Zawinul’s insistence that the group record and perform funk—are arranged for typical small-ensemble close-quarters ECM instrumental whisper-shout arrangements. They are much more successful as creative conversations than they ever were as stage spectacles. And it must be said that this is really joyous music. Vitouš plays an upright bass, mostly by bow. Its sound is miked and manipulated by pedals and keyboard effects. Listen to him doing all of that while trying to imagine how he can even stand still making this music.

PAT METHENY THE UNITY SESSIONS (NONESUCH, 2016)

With his early, exploratory recordings and appearances on sundry rock and pop records, guitarist extraordinaire Pat Metheny is probably the strongest living argument in favor of fusion. But that’s only because he tends to be the strongest living argument in favor of whatever he is playing on any given day. Metheny recorded with Jaco Pastorius before the bassist’s genius was acknowledged. In 1985, he recorded Song X with Ornette Coleman, Jack DeJohnette, and Charlie Haden and reminded the world of the genius lying latent among that group. Metheny has played on countless records that would likely not be remembered otherwise. Once the proverbial columns crumble and the dust settles, Metheny may prove to be this epoch’s Johann Sebastian Bach or Antonio Vivaldi or Sergei Rachmaninoff—our great performing composer. We could do worse.

This is the third recording by Metheny’s terrifically tight Unity Band—his first ensemble in more than 40 years to employ a tenor saxophone (played by Chris Potter, who also plays a bunch of other reeds and strings). The Unity Sessions was recorded live, without an audience, at New York’s Black Box. The set list contains cuts from the ensemble’s self-titled debut and the follow-up, Kin, along with choice picks from

MATT WILSON’S BIG HAPPY FAMILY BEGINNING OF A MEMORY (PALMETTO, 2016)

Felicia Wilson, the late wife of drummer and bandleader Matt Wilson, was a violinist. She died in 2014 following a protracted battle with leukemia. There is no question that the dozen players Wilson brought together for this record held his wife in high esteem. The collective energy is wonderfully positive, and the individual performances—both improvised and charted for big band—are inspired. Particularly fine is a hushed treatment of the Carter Family’s “Wildwood Flower,” folded into the medley “Flowers for Felicia.”

And flush with brass and reeds, the Big Happy Family gives Wilson’s raucous “Schoolboy Thug” (perhaps his greatest hit) a swinging Henry Mancini vibe to cue up a most excellent and fuzzy electric bass solo

by Chris Lightcap. Let each of us strive to be worthy of such demonstrably fond regard.

9

JOSEPH BERTOLOZZI TOWER MUSIC (INNOVA, 2016)

It’s kind of a gimmick, but it works.

Percussionist, keyboardist, and composer Joseph Bertolozzi was granted permission to explore and bang on the Eiffel Tower with a crew of sound recordists. He struck tower components ranging from the massive corner columns to wrought-iron railings to tinny, lightweight ventilation louvers. He used drumsticks, metal hammers, soft mallets and, most impressive, a self-fashioned battering ram consisting of a short log suspended by straps. The range of sounds is impressive, and the bellish tones are quite lovely. The way Bertolozzi has looped and organized the captured sounds to turn them into music is a hoot—somewhere between Steve Reich and the Chemical Brothers. The result is surprisingly satisfying.

Shelf Life explores new and timely entries from the Knox County Public Library’s collection of movies and music.

September 22, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 19

A&E

Music

Photo by Julian Consuegra

Back to the Future Florida rapper Denzel Curry ditches ’90s nostalgia and embraces a forward-thinking aesthetic

BY NATHAN SMITH

W

hen Denzel Curry reflects on meeting Andre 3000, one of his personal idols, he remembers a piece of advice from the sage Atlanta rapper: “Don’t get bored.” After a wild year in his already lengthy career, it’s a guideline the young Florida rapper has distilled into a philosophy.

The 21-year-old Curry was part of this year’s XXL Freshman Class, an important but often controversial roundup of who’s next in hip-hop. But for those who have spent a lot of time on SoundCloud, Curry was already a familiar name.

Curry was born and raised in Carol City, Fla.—he describes it on his 2015 song “Chief Forever” as “the place where all the palm trees and the AKs dwell.” He started rapping in his early teens but got serious after his parents separated and he was expelled from an exclusive arts high school.

“When something bad happens, it

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KNOXVILLE MERCURY September 22, 2016

makes me go in,” he says.

Curry soon fell in with Raider Klan, a loose and sprawling collective of young rappers united by their Internet connections. Headed by fellow Carol City native SpaceGhostPurrp, Raider Klan included the likes of Memphis rappers Xavier Wulf and Chris Travis, Houston’s Amber London, and Seattle’s Key Nyata.

SpaceGhostPurrp pioneered the group’s signature sound, a lo-fi and reverb-heavy blend of Adult Swim and early ’90s Southern rap.

Raider Klan soon developed a loyal following on the underground rap Internet. Purrp released his first mixtapes in 2010; by 2011, he was producing for, and rapping alongside, heavyweights like Juicy J, A$AP Rocky, and Wiz Khalifa. In 2012, his lone studio album, Mysterious Phonk: Chronicles of SpaceGhostPurrp, was released on 4AD, the British label associated with indie-rock acts like

the Cocteau Twins, the Pixies, and St. Vincent. But just as soon as Raider Klan emerged, it fell apart; intergroup squabbles and Purrp’s own mental-health troubles led to the collective’s dissolution, though many of its former members remain friends.

Curry’s earliest mixtapes, with names like King of the Mischievous South, Vol. 1, are pure Raider Klan house style. Though Carol City is also home to rap royalty like Rick Ross (who appears on Curry’s recent song “Knotty Head”) and pop stars like Pitbull and Flo Rida, Curry’s tapes don’t sound like anything else from the Sunshine State.

The artwork, sound, and content of his earliest releases recall the work of Texas hip-hop legend DJ Screw and Tennessee’s own Three 6 Mafia. It’s historical revisionism, an imagined version of the early 1990s. But since Raider Klan disbanded, Curry’s sound has become increasingly forward-thinking.

Nostalgic 64, his debut album from 2013, was the first time Curry felt like he sounded like himself.

Despite the title, he says that album marked the end of his nostalgic period.

“From 2011 to 2013, everyone was doing the ’90s thing,” he says.

“But I wanted to make a bigger impact. Not every kid grew up with a Nintendo 64.”

With his next two projects, the 2015 double EP 32 Zel/Planet Shrooms and the new full-length album Imperial, Curry continue his search for futuristic sounds. His new music is as emotional as it is abrasive, as rooted in punk as it is in rap. On Imperial, Curry grasps for shreds of enlightenment and peace. He’s never been shy to discuss social issues, and his raps offer crucial insight in today’s tense racial climate.

What sets Curry apart from many of his peers is a desire to create a musical mythology. His work is peppered with references to the Star Wars saga, a series he loves for its rich mythology. He designs his own artwork and has created a detailed universe within his songs. This universe is filled with mysterious

characters and alter egos like Aquarius Killa and Raven Miyagi.

“It’s all about the aesthetic,” he says.

Imperial might be Curry’s first release without any new characters, but it does offer a new persona: ULT Denzel Curry. Since the release of his now viral single “Ultimate,” Curry has begun to espouse a mentality, influenced by the advice he received from Andre 3000, called ULT. “ULT stands for Ultimately Liberating Together, Unity Love Trust, Utilizing Limitless Talent.” This outlook is all about being the ultimate version of yourself, and it’s pushed Denzel to places he’s never been before.

“My gift is writing,” he says, and his dream extends far beyond music.

He wants to make at least two more “legendary albums” and then shift his focus to other projects: comics, cartoons, movies, and more.

Though his early music might sound like another time and place, what Curry is doing now is unlike anything else from today or yesterday.

He’s much more than just the sum of his influences; as an artist, he’s about new sounds, styles, and perspectives.

No matter where Curry’s mythology takes him next, one thing is clear: He won’t get bored anytime soon. ◆

WHO

Denzel Curry with Boogie

WHERE

The Concourse (940 Blackstock Ave.)

WHEN

Thursday, Sept. 29, at 8 p.m.

HOW MUCH

$15/$18 day of the show

INFO

internationalknox.com ultimatedenzelcurry.com

Classical Music

Baton Pass KSO’s Aram Demirjian era begins with a solid Masterworks kickoff

BY ALAN SHERROD

T

here were two decidedly different layers of entertainment last weekend as the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra opened its 2016-17 Masterworks season. One, naturally enough, was the music, a program of two always compelling works by the Russian composers Sergei Rachmaninoff and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The other revolved around the debut of the orchestra’s new 30-year-old music director and conductor, Aram Demirjian, and the marketing campaign that has been constructed around his arrival. The KSO is calling it the “Aram Era,” a major theme built around Demirjian’s image and personality and featured on all the organization’s materials—advertising, program booklets, posters, even on T-shirts—in an effort to generate excitement among current audiences and understandably expand its appeal to a changing music demographic.

Perhaps cautious of the singular marketing attention on him, Demirjian took great pains to praise the

orchestra itself during his opening remarks at the Tennessee Theatre, acknowledging that he has inherited an orchestra of substantial ability and maturity as an ensemble. His audition concert last January, marked by the now infamous snowstorm scare that reduced the audience to a dedicated few, was a testament to the orchestra’s ability to pull calm music-making from the grasp of anxiety and tension.

Demirjian will have to retain—and build on—that ability, as well as the enthusiasm of the players, as the orchestra deals with upcoming personnel turnover and the natural dynamics of performance.

Building on observations from that audition concert, last weekend’s performance offered further evidence of Demirjian’s skill at drawing excitement from tempo and momentum, but perhaps at the expense of less attention to balance between sections, as well as to individual and ensemble tonal color. It’s worth noting that Demirjian made changes to the

physical arrangement of some sections, moving trumpets and low brass to the stage left rear corner of the orchestra shell—a move that offered a noticeable difference in sound projection. Similarly, the timpani was moved behind the horns, center rear, allowing it to blend more easily.

However, it was that tempo excitement that was evident as pianist Orion Weiss joined Demirjian and the orchestra for Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor. It had been almost four years to the day since KSO audiences last heard Weiss, on that occasion in a 2012 season-opening performance of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2. While both works are mind-bogglingly virtuosic for the pianist, the No. 3 showers the listener with continuous long thematic journeys and rippling melodic side trips. Weiss’ performance was masterful, both sensitive and intelligent, and without a hint of heaviness.

While Rachmaninoff kept the focus squarely on the piano, he was also conscious that a fully developed orchestral accompaniment, rich with complexity, was essential for the work’s long-term reputation. To that end, he carefully wove echoes and variations of the piano’s themes throughout the orchestration like a narrative thread. In the opening movement, there was one such moment of true magic and joy, in which a theme is repeated delicately first by the flute (played by Jill Bartine), then subsequently by the oboe (Claire Chenette),

A&E

clarinet (Gary Sperl), and horn ( Jeffery Whaley).

Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5, on the second half of the program, was like an old friend to many listeners, with its familiar themes conjuring up a range of emotions, from sadness to triumph, from pomp to tragedy, from the happiness of the waltz to melancholic despair. Demirjian’s attention to tempo worked well in this case, keeping the performance fresh and lively, with a brisk pace and dynamics.

Surprisingly, though, the expected picturesque contrasts of typical Tchaikovsky instrumental textures seemed to be almost afterthoughts rather than prominent features in this performance. Nevertheless, Demirjian’s tempo won out in the Finale movement—a powerful ending, and a solid beginning for the Aram Era.

With a leap from Russian romantics to the solid heart of the Classical period, KSO opens its Chamber Classics Series on Sunday, Sept. 25, at 2:30 p.m. at the Bijou Theatre with works by Mozart and Haydn. Resident conductor James Fellenbaum will be on the podium for three works, starting with Mozart’s Overture to The Marriage of Figaro and continuing with Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21, featuring University of Tennessee faculty pianist Kevin Class. The program concludes with Haydn’s Symphony No. 104 in D Major, nicknamed the “London.” ◆

Part of the entertainment at the opening of the KSO’s new Masterworks season revolved around the debut of the orchestra’s new 30-year-old music director and conductor, Aram Demirjian, and the marketing campaign that has been constructed around his arrival.

September 22, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 21

A&E

Movies

Male Bonding Greek director Athina Rachel Tsangari takes a wry look at the dark side of masculinity in Chevalier

BY LEE GARDNER

M

ale one-upmanship is as old as Cain and Abel. It’s older, probably. Our hominid ancestors no doubt spent their days on the baking savanna competing for food, or for mates, or just to see who could piss the farthest. Masculine rivalry forms the spine for probably half of the stories we’ve ever told ourselves, and it’s the sole focus of Chevalier, the dry, droll new comedy from Greek director Athina Rachel Tsangari.

Six Greek men have booked a luxury yacht for a short vacation cruise. They spend their days spearfishing in the brisk Aegean, and they spend their nights dining, wining, and talking. That talk often turns, as it does among many men, to a not-sosubtle game of display and dominance.

The question “What did you catch?” is always a loaded one. Disagreements turn into quiet but grudgeful struggles.

By the end of dinner one evening, the friends have resolved to play a game to determine who is “the best in general,” as scored by each other.

As Chevalier unfolds, they pull back the covers on sleeping comrades to evaluate their posture in repose.

They compete at chores around the boat—Yannis (Yorgos Pirpassopoulos) fi nishes fi rst, but his fellows fi nd his silver-polishing shoddy work. They compare morning wood, ringtones, and blood chemistry. They listen in on phone calls home to weigh who’s happiest with their significant other.

They make notes on each other in little notebooks. They stay on the boat long after it docks, and pull out all the stops, determined to come to a judgment on which of them trumps all the others.

This is familiar turf for Tsangari, who is part of a new school of Greek fi lmmakers who slyly prod at humans at our most subconsciously driven and

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KNOXVILLE MERCURY September 22, 2016

weirdest. She is a past collaborator of Yorgos Lanthimos, the auteur behind The Lobster and Dogtooth, and she cowrote Chevalier with Efthymis Filippou, who’s cowritten Lanthimos’ last three fi lms. Tsangari’s previous fi lm, 2010’s Attenberg, shared her colleagues’ deadpan absurdity and nature fi lm-like observations of what odd, compulsive creatures we are.

She also shares Lanthimos’ watchful, canny directorial skill.

Chevalier is more naturalistic, and more plausible in the world offscreen, than any of the above.

Doughy manboy Dimitris (Makis Papadimitriou) might seem like a type at fi rst, but Tsangari spends enough time on him to flesh out at least two and a half dimensions. She drops enough hints at the vanity and eccentricity of aging Josef (Vangelis Mourikis) that by the time he’s wandering the yacht’s narrow halls with a hard-on, hoping to display it to the jury of his peers to offset a poor showing that morning, it doesn’t seem too far-fetched. Handsome Christos (Sakis Rouvas) might seem like shoo-in for the winner, but the pressure of constant competition— and some prodding at his vulnerabilities—nearly unmans him.

The overarching joke here, of course, is that little of what the men on the boat do or say is that far removed from the sort of microaggressive jousting that most men inflict and endure every single day. Here they openly tsk over a paunch or a secret cigarette habit, instead of just doing it in their heads like everyone else. As ridiculous and petty as Tsangari makes their preening and bloody-mindedness seem, there is a core of sympathy to her portrayal. Many of their perceived weaknesses come from aging, from a kind heart, from a vulnerability they can

hardly be blamed for. Toward the end, bearded Yorgos (Panos Koronis) makes a dramatic gesture to show off his manliness, but it can also be read as an abject plea for connection rather than competition. After all, who absorbs a higher dose of toxic masculinity than men themselves? The gamesmanship is all the more sad because the stakes are ultimately so low.

The stakes are a bit low for Chevalier itself as well. Tsangari sets up her premise with care and manages its progress adroitly. She resists total farce with admirable steadiness.

But the low-key slow-burn pace and the wry chuckles that land every few minutes don’t feel quite like the anti-Apatow tonic they probably should. The men go back to their lives on land having learned nothing, which is fi ne. But neither have we.◆

WHAT

The Public Cinema: Chevalier

WHERE

Knoxville Museum of Art (1050 World’s Fair Park Drive)

WHEN

Sunday, Sept. 25, at 2 p.m.

HOW MUCH Free

INFO

publiccinema.org

Thursday, Sept. 22 – Sunday, Oct. 2

Thursday, Sept. 22 THE CARLEANS WITH THE KENNY GEORGE BAND • WDVX • 12PM • Part of WDVX’s Blue Plate Special, a six-days-aweek lunchtime concert series featuring local, regional, and national Americana, folk, pop, rock, and everything else. • FREE CALE TYSON • Scruffy City Hall • 6PM • Part of Wayne Bledsoe’s weekly Six O’Clock Swerve show on WDVX. • FREE GREEN RIVER ORDINANCE • The Square Room • 8PM • At the core of ‘Fifteen,’ the third studio album from Green River Ordinance, is a simple message: hold fast to the things that are true. On album opener “Keep Your Cool,” over slow, smoky guitars and a clear, bright church organ they advise, “Get your head out the clouds/ feet on the ground/ pride don’t mean you gotta be too proud.” • $12 THE ARMSTRONG LEGACY TRIO • Laurel Theater • 8PM • Sixteen years after Howard Armstrong’s legendary performance at the Laurel Theater, his son Ralphe Armstrong will perform with the Armstrong Legacy Trio along with Ray Kamalay and John Reynolds in a special performance to kick off the 10th Louie Bluie Festival. Visit jubileearts.org. • $25 THE GRASSABILLIES • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria (Maryville) • 8PM SKYLA BURRELL • Brackins Blues Club (Maryville) • 8PM TALL PAUL • Wild Wing Cafe • 8:30PM BACKUP PLANET • The Concourse • 9PM • 18 and up. • $10-$12 NEIL MICHAEL HAGERTY AND THE HOWLING HEX WITH PLEASES • Pilot Light • 9:30PM • $8 • See Spotlight.

CAPTAIN IVORY AND THE CARLEANS • Preservation Pub • 10PM • 21 and up.

CALE TYSON • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM SHAUN ABBOTT WITH THE KNOX VEGAS RAMBLERS AND BRANDON HARMON AND THE HALFWAY HEARTS • The Open Chord • 8PM • All ages. • $5-$10 GUY MARSHALL • Scruffy City Hall • 9PM • Guy Marshall’s full-length debut, The Depression Blues, is an earnest arsenal of country-folk songs that touch on themes of whiskey and wallowing.

Friday, Sept. 23 SETH WALKER WITH STOLEN RHODES • 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 REBEL MOUNTAIN • The Shed at Smoky Mountain Harley-Davidson (Maryville) • 6PM • FREE LINDSAY GEORGE • Wild Wing Cafe • 6PM B.B. PALMER • Sugarlands Distilling Co. (Gatlinburg) • 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 WILD THINGS WITH THE EMPTY POCKETS • Preservation Pub • 8PM • 21 and up.

THE DELTAS • The Open Chord • 8PM • All ages. • $8 JON LANGSTON • The Concourse • 8PM • Jon Langston’s unique voice and songwriting have sparked a wildfire fan base across the country. Langston, now a Music City resident, has created his own style and sound from a variety of influences. 18 and up. • $10 CUMBERLAND STATION • Scruffy City Hall • 9PM GREG TARDY • The Bistro at the Bijou • 9PM • Live jazz. • FREE

MOJO: FLOW • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria (Maryville) • 9PM AVENUE C • Two Doors Down (Maryville) • 9PM THE JAYSTORM PROJECT • Brackins Blues Club (Maryville) • 9PM HIPPIE SABOTAGE • The International • 10PM • Hip-hop from Sacramento, Calif. 18 and up. Visit internationalknox. com. • $17-$20 ROYAL BANGS WITH SWEET YEARS AND THE AMERICANS • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM PSYCHIC BAOS WITH LA RAIDERS • Pilot Light • 10PM • 18 and up. • $5 SWING SERENADE • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 10PM • FREE DAVE LANDEO AND THE SOL BEATS • Wild Wing Cafe • 10PM Saturday, Sept. 24 LOUIE BLUIE ARTS AND MUSIC FESTIVAL • Cove Lake State Park • 10AM • Campbell County’s homegrown celebration of one of its most famous citizens was founded to celebrate the artistic legacy of Tennessee native Howard “Louie Bluie” Armstrong. • FREE • See Spotlight on page 26.

CLAUDE BOURBON WITH CRAIG MARSHALL • 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 RICKY MITCHELL BAND • Last Days of Autumn Brewery • 3PM BIG GUN • The Shed at Smoky Mountain Harley-Davidson (Maryville) • 6PM • A tribute to AC/DC. • $10 CHELSEA STEPP • Vienna Coffee House (Maryville) • 7PM • FREE LOCUST HONEY • Sugarlands Distilling Co. (Gatlinburg) • 7PM • FREE WARCLOWN WITH KINGSLAYER, BELFAST 6 PACK, AND AS THESE LAST SECONDS ESCAPE • The Open Chord • 7:30PM • 18 and up. • $8 MARK BOLING • The Bistro at the Bijou • 9PM • Live jazz. • FREE THE SUN MACHINE • Scruffy City Hall • 9PM MIKE MCGILL • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria (Maryville) • 9PM SOUTHBOUND • Two Doors Down (Maryville) • 9PM CAPTAIN SUCK AND THE MEDIOCRE BAND • Brackins Blues Club (Maryville) • 9PM THE CLAUDETTES • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM THREE STAR REVIVAL • Preservation Pub • 10PM • Jazzy, jammy, funky Americana.

SEASON’S BEATINGS 2: THE GUILD WITH ILLUSTRIOUS, VIA VERA, THESE VICES, A MARCH THROUGH MAY, AND MY CRIMSON WISH • The Concourse • 6:45PM • Local metal and hard rock bands play a benefit to support the Rosson family. Visit internationalknox.com. 18 and up. • $10 Sunday, Sept. 25 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 J. LUKE • Wild Wing Cafe • 6PM • FREE NEEDTOBREATHE • Knoxville Civic Coliseum • 7PM • Needtobreathe is a Grammy-nominated American rock ‘n’ roll band from South Carolina, effortlessly woven from the musical traditions of their upbringing in the Deep South of the United States. • $29-$50 THE CORN POTATO STRING BAND • Sugarlands Distilling Co. (Gatlinburg) • 7PM • FREE

Photo by Jim Narcy

MUSIC

CALENDAR

NEIL MICHAEL HAGERTY AND THE HOWLING HEX Pilot Light (106 E. Jackson Ave.) • Thursday, Sept. 22 • 9:30 p.m. • $8 • 18 and up • thepilotlight.com

Royal Trux was one of the definitive alternative rock bands of the 1990s—from modest roots in a local music scene (in Washington, D.C., in this case), Neil Michael Hagerty and Jennifer Herrema found themselves facing unexpected mainstream success, jumping from a respected independent label (Drag City) to an ambitious major label (Virgin) in the Lollapalooza-era alt-rock gold rush, surviving drug abuse and the vicissitudes of fame while flirting with the worlds of art and fashion.

Now, 15 years after Royal Trux splintered, Hagerty has compiled an almost equally impressive body of work with the Howling Hex. Unburdened by the underground celebrity that suffocated his previous band, the Howling Hex traffics in jazzy acid jams; the band’s lineage runs from Zappa and Beefheart through the Nuggets compilation, surf rock, the Sonics, the Meat Puppets and Butthole Surfers. No one could accuse Hagerty’s second act of consistency—it’s too freewheeling and unfettered for that—but the Howling Hex has delivered reliable unpredictability and a playfulness that borders on the whimsical for a decade and a half. With Pleases. (Matthew Everett)

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Spotlight: Louie Bluie Festival September 22, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 23

CALENDAR THE BROCKEFELLERS • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 8PM THE WORKSHY • Preservation Pub • 10PM Monday, Sept. 26 TIM EASTON WITH MICHAEL FRACASSO • 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.

PLEASE DON’T BURY ME: A NIGHT OF AMERICANA • Central Collective • 7PM • Performances by Joey English, Christian Barnett of Blond Bones, Adeem the Artist, and My Politic; each artist will perform a John Prine song. The Ghost Motel series will film the show. • $5-$7 THE AMERICANS • Sugarlands Distilling Co. (Gatlinburg) • 7PM • FREE AMOS LEE • Tennessee Theatre • 8PM • With his laid-back vocal delivery and acoustic songwriting, Amos Lee draws inspiration from soul music, contemporary jazz, and ‘70s folk artists like James Taylor. • $44-$59 THE BLUEPRINT • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM • Local pianist Keith Brown’s cool jazz combo.

MVT WITH MAMMA BEAR • Preservation Pub • 10PM • 21 and up.

Tuesday, Sept. 27 TAMI NEILSON WITH MAMA LOUISE • 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.

CAROLINA EXPRESS • Wild Wing Cafe • 5:30PM • FREE KNOXVILLE SONGWRITERS ASSOCIATION CONCERT •

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KNOXVILLE MERCURY September 22, 2016

Thursday, Sept. 22 – Sunday, Oct. 2

Fountain City Branch Library • 5:30PM • The Knoxville Songwriters Association will present a free concert on Tuesday, Sept. 27, in memory of Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member Kim Williams, a mentor and lifetime member of the local group. KSA members and several of Mr. Williams’ co-writers will perform songs that include some of his 16 No. 1 hits and 28 top-10 songs in country, bluegrass and Christian music. • FREE KNOXVILLE SECRET SHOW: CALEB HAWLEY • 7PM • Caleb Hawley is a multifaceted singer and songwriter, currently residing in Harlem of New York City. Citing his two greatest influences as Randy Newman and Prince, he leaves a lot of room for possibility in the genre spectrum.

Part of the Knoxville Secret Shows series produced by Knoxville Music Warehouse and Rhythm N’ Blooms; the venue will be announced to ticketholders the day before the show. Visit knoxvillemusicwarehouse.com. • $10-$12 KNOXVILLE JAZZ ORCHESTRA: CUBAN FIRE WITH PAQUITO D’RIVERA • Bijou Theatre • 8PM • Saxophonist and clarinetist Paquito D’Rivera’s extraordinary career defies categorization. A native of Havana, Cuba, Paquito is the winner of fourteen Grammy awards, a lifetime achievement award from Carnegie Hall, a NEA Jazz Masters award and a Guggenheim fellowship. Paquito and his rhythm section join the KJO for an exciting journey to the crossroads of big band jazz and Latin music. • $35 THE GROOVE ORIENT • Preservation Pub • 10PM PAUL LEE KUPFER • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM • Originally from the mountains of West Virginia, Paul Lee Kupfer has traveled as a solo performer and band leader

since 2006 while living in Philadelphia, California, Tennessee, Montana and towns in between. Restless touring and writing has allowed him to share the bill with some of his heroes.

Wednesday, Sept. 28 SKYLAR GREGG WITH MEGAN JEAN • 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.

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 TENNESSEE SHINES: BOMBADIL • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 7PM • Durham, N.C.’s irrepressibly creative band brings their infections harmonies and inventive compositions back to our stage. We’ll hear songs from their latest release, “Hold On,” as well as old favorites and new songs. • $10 THE EVAN BURNETT TRIO • The Bistro at the Bijou • 7PM • Live jazz. • FREE RAILROAD EARTH • Bijou Theatre • 7:30PM • Like The Band, the members of Railroad Earth aren’t losing sleep about what kind of music they play—they just play it. When they started out in 2001, they were a bunch of guys interested in playing acoustic instruments together. • $21.50-$25 JOHN MCLAUGHLIN • The Square Room • 8PM • Filled with “infectious and catchy piano-driven melodies” (Eat Sleep Breathe Music), his new album, Like Us has already garnered attention from notable media outlets, such as The Huffington Post, Entertainment Tonight and Perez

Hilton. • $20 LAKE STREET DIVE • The Mill and Mine • 8PM • A “side pony,” the hairstyle that Lake Street Dive’s Nonesuch debut is named after, is the kind of one-sided Cubism-worthy ’do that requires unwavering self-confidence to pull off. A side pony, for them, is really a metaphor for their philosophy and personality as a band, one that seamlessly incorporates R&B, pop, ’60s-era rock, and soul into a unique, dance-party-ready mix. • $22-$25 DEVAN JONES • Scruffy City Hall • 9PM THE GROOVE ORIENT • Preservation Pub • 10PM Thursday, Sept. 29 TOUGH OLD BIRD WITH THE GET RIGHT 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.

JUBAL • Scruffy City Hall • 6PM • Part of Wayne Bledsoe’s weekly Six O’Clock Swerve show on WDVX. • FREE MATTHEW MCNEAL • Sugarlands Distilling Co. (Gatlinburg) • 7PM • FREE CHEAP TRICK • Niswonger Performing Arts Center (Greeneville) • 7:30PM • Since the 70s they have been blending elements of pop, punk and even metal in a way that is instantly catchy and recognizable. • $55-$275 SHOVELS AND ROPE • Bijou Theatre • 8PM • It’s not all that unusual for musicians to talk the talk about taking a lessis-more approach to their work – but it’s rare indeed for artists to really walk the walk, and apply that philosophy across the board. Over the better part of a decade,

CALENDAR Shovels & Rope have done just that, cutting unnecessary frills from their songs, not to mention the very way they live their musical lives. • $25 DENZEL CURRY • The Concourse • 8PM • All ages. Visit internationalknox.com. • $15-$18 • See Music story on page 20.

MEGAN JEAN WITH THE WEEPING WILLOWS • Scruffy City Hall • 8PM THE 9TH STREET STOMPERS • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria (Maryville) • 8PM SECRET CITY CYPHERS • The Open Chord • 8PM • FREE STONE KOLED • Wild Wing Cafe • 8:30PM • FREE GAMENIGHT WITH GROUNDHOG AND NIGHT GALLERY • Pilot Light • 10PM • Full of chiming, cleverly orchestrated guitars, elaborate song structures, and warm, open-hearted vocals that somehow never sound treacly, Gamenight’s 2013 album, Pets Pets, is redolent of ’90s indie-rock influences. 18 and up. • $5 THE GET RIGHT BAND • Preservation Pub • 10PM THE FUTUREBIRDS • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM Friday, Sept. 30 THE PHILLIP FOX BAND WITH THE WEEPING WILLOWS • 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 FARMER AND ADELE • Sugarlands Distilling Co. (Gatlinburg) • 7PM • FREE MIC HARRISON WITH JOSH SMITH • Royal Oaks Event Center (Maryville) • 7:30PM • Together, Harrison and the High Score developed a combination of high octane honky tonk and power pop rock ‘n’ roll that has wowed audiences from Bonnaroo to Boston. • $15 FROG AND TOAD’S DIXIE QUARTET • The Crown and Goose • 8PM • Live jazz featuring a mix of original music, early jazz and more. • FREE CEREUS BRIGHT • Bijou Theatre • 8PM • Cereus Bright finds its muse—and its name—from the Cereus flower: a white desert flower that blooms only at night. Just as this flower grows in the most desolate of settings, so does art draw its beauty from brokenness and heartache. In their lyrics and melodies, Cereus Bright aims to embrace life as both messy and beautiful. Comparisons with bands such as the Avett Brothers, Fleet Foxes, and the Head and the Heart are inevitable, and are major compliments. • $18.50 THE TENNESSEE STIFFLEGS • Laurel Theater • 8PM • The Tennessee Stifflegs play old-time and western swing with a keen sense of showmanship and musical integrity.

Visit jubileearts.org. • $11 MORNING FATTY WITH VESSEL AND FUTURE THIEVES • Scruffy City Hall • 8PM DEE DEE BROGAN • The Open Chord • 8PM • Born and raised in South Carolina, Dee Dee now makes her home in Tennessee. Since she could speak, she has been using her voice to touch people’s lives, and is now proud to debut her first solo album, Dee Dee Brogan December Five and Twenty. All ages. • FREE ILLITERATE LIGHT • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria (Maryville) • 9PM PORCH 40 • Brackins Blues Club (Maryville) • 9PM JACK’D UP • Two Doors Down (Maryville) • 9PM MAMA LOUISE • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM • A tribute to the Allman Brothers.

DEVAN JONES AND THE UPTOWN STOMP • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 10PM • FREE URBAN SOIL WITH THE PARTIALS • Preservation Pub • 10PM BEAR GRILLZ WITH MIDNIGHT TYRANNOSAURUS AND IRELL

• The Concourse • 10PM • 18 and up. • $10-$20 KID CONGO POWERS AND THE PINK MONKEY BIRDS WITH DADDY DON’T • Pilot Light • 10PM • Legendary guitar stylist Kid Congo Powers (the Gun Club, the Cramps, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds) and his longtime cohorts create a cocktail of fuzz guitars, New Orleans drum beats, soulful strut bass lines, and sonic ambrosia from beyond. 18 and up. Visit thepilotlight.com for advance tickets. • $10 Saturday, Oct. 1 THE YOUNG FABLES WITH THE WILDER ADKINS 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 JUNIOR BOYS WITH EGYPTRIXX AND BORYS • Pilot Light • 7PM • Before there was Clap Your Tapes And Say Art Brut, there was Junior Boys: the proto-blog success story. • $12-$15 JOE LASHER JR. • Sugarlands Distilling Co. (Gatlinburg) • 7PM • FREE SCOTTY MCCREEERY • Niswonger Performing Arts Center (Greeneville) • 7:30PM • At the age of 17, Scotty McCreery quickly established himself as one of country music’s hottest stars. 18 and up.

AARON KIRBY AND SOUTHERN REVELATION • Two Doors Down (Maryville) • 9PM Sunday, Oct. 2 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 J. LUKE • Wild Wing Cafe • 6PM • FREE BLACKFOOT WITH SOMETHING WICKED AND JOSIAH AND THE GREATER GOOD • The Open Chord • 7PM • If there’s one thing Rickey Medlocke can’t do, it’s sit still. The Blackfoot cofounder and Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist is constantly looking for ways to challenge his creative impulses, and his latest pet project has been to shepherd the next-generation incarnation of his beloved Blackfoot. • $15-$20 WE CAME AS ROMANS WITH COUNTERPARTS, FIRE FROM THE GODS, HEARTSICK, AND THE CREATURES IN SECRET • The Concourse • 7PM • Tracing Back Roots most notably showcases vocalist Dave Stephens in a new light, with the incorporation of his clean singing for the first time ever. In addition to his signature powerful, yet articulate, screams, Stephens now also displays rich melodic tones and gritty textures, that perfectly balances the soaring, smooth croons of co-vocalist Kyle Pavone. Musically the album expands on the anthemic, inspiring quality of the band’s recently released single “Hope”, offering sweeping guitars interlaced with delicate synth interludes and explosive percussive elements. All ages. • $15-$18 BLITZEN TRAPPER AND REAL ESTATE WITH KACY AND CLAYTON • Bijou Theatre • 7:30PM • Blitzen Trapper is an experimental folk rock band that hails from Portland, Oregon. They combine classic rock with Americana sounds to create folk rock with big riffs. Real Estate is a rock band from Ridgewood, New Jersey. They play hazy indie rock with beachy vibes. • $22 THE LONETONES • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 8PM • FREE

OPEN MIC AND SONGWRITER NIGHTS

O I !

D A R E G E L L O C T R O P SUP

Long sleeve: orange.

Short sleeve: grey, black, and white.

ALL sales help keep WUTK on the air!

Available at: Disc Exchange • WUTK Office P105 Andy Holt Tower on campus Fizz on Market Square • Planet xchange at 7240 Kingston Pike

Streaming 24.7.365 at WUTKRADIO.COM September 22, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 25

CALENDAR

Thursday, Sept. 22 – Sunday, Oct. 2

Thursday, Sept. 22 SCOTTISH MUSIC SESSION • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 7:15PM • Held on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month.

• FREE Tuesday, Sept. 27 PRESERVATION PUB SINGER/SONGWRITER NIGHT • Preservation Pub • 7PM OLD-TIME JAM SESSION • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 7:15PM • Hosted by Sarah Pirkle. • FREE Wednesday, Sept. 28 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.

SCHULZ BRÄU OPEN MIC NIGHT • Schulz Bräu Brewing Company • 8PM • Every Wednesday. • FREE BRACKINS BLUES JAM • Brackins Blues Club (Maryville) • 9PM • A weekly open session hosted by Tommie John. • FREE

DJ AND DANCE NIGHTS

Saturday, Sept. 24 ASCEND • The International • 9PM • Ascend is Knoxville’s interactive dance experience. Take it to the next level with us every Saturday night with the best music of today and your favorite throwbacks. 18 and up. • $5-$10

LOUIE BLUIE MUSIC AND ARTS FESTIVAL Cove Lake State Park (Caryville) • Saturday, Sept. 24 • 10 am.-7 p.m. • Free • louiebluie.org

A one-day festival can’t do justice to the range and diversity of Howard “Louie Bluie” Armstrong’s fascinating career. Over the course of six decades, from the late 1920s into the ’90s, Armstrong played string jazz and blues, folk and pop, country and gospel, with a particular fondness for the clever urbanity of Tin Pan Alley—George Gershwin’s “Lady Be Good” was an early favorite. With the Tennessee Chocolate Drops, he recorded at the 1930 sessions at the St. James Hotel in downtown Knoxville. In 1933, with Ted Bogan and Carl Martin, he played at the Chicago World’s Fair. During the last several decades of his life—he died in 2003, at the age of 94—he continued playing and became an accomplished visual artist. In 1985, he was the subject of Terry Zwigoff’s award-winning documentary Louie Bluie.

But the Louie Bluie Music and Arts Festival, now celebrating its 10th year, makes an admirable effort. This year’s music lineup (there’s also a healthy offering of arts and crafts, food, and kids’ entertainment) features folk, country, modern and traditional jazz, bluegrass, gospel, and more.

The headlining band has a special connection to Armstrong: the Armstrong Legacy Trio is led by Howard’s son, Ralphe Armstrong, who began playing with his father when he was 5 and learned the value of diversity from him. Over the course of a long career, the younger Armstrong, an in-demand bass pro, has played with a bewildering range of music legends, from Smoky Robinson and the Miracles to Doc Watson, from Aretha Franklin to Frank Zappa. Oh, and he was an original member of the pioneering free-form fusion outfit the Mahavishnu Orchestra, with visionary guitarist John McLaughlin. (The Armstrong Legacy Trio plays on Thursday, Sept. 22, at the Laurel Theater. Visit jubileearts.org for info on that show.)

Admission to the Louie Bluie Music and Arts Festival is free, but donations to the Campbell Culture Coalition help the fest keep going. (Matthew Everett)

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KNOXVILLE MERCURY September 22, 2016

Saturday, Oct. 1 ASCEND • The International • 9PM • Ascend is Knoxville’s interactive dance experience. Take it to the next level with us every Saturday night with the best music of today and your favorite throwbacks. 18 and up. • $5-$10 HEADROOM • The Concourse • 10PM • After More than six years of bringing parties to festivals, burns, and clubs, Headroom is back again. Expect a massive banging sound system, lasers, and the areas’s finest DJs from Knoxville’s most diverse underground crew. Featuring Alex Falk, J Mo, Gregory Alan Tarrants, and Borg. 18 and up. • $5

CLASSICAL MUSIC

Thursday, Sept. 22 SCRUFFY CITY ORCHESTRA • First Baptist Church • 7PM • A new venue for musicians from the greater Knoxville metropolitan area. Scruffy City Orchestra kicks off with regular rehearsals on Thursdays beginning Aug. 25.

Conductors are Mat Wilkinson and Ace Edewards.

Prospective members, especially string players, are encouraged to contact Alicia Meryweather at ScruffyCityOrchestra@gmail.com for more information. • FREE Saturday, Sept. 24 OAK RIDGE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA: PRIDE OF PLACE • Oak Ridge High School • 7:30PM • Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra and the Manhattan Project National Historical Park collaborate to celebrates Oak Ridge’s scientific heritage with a world premiere performance of a new work by East Tennessee composer Mark Harrell and Peter Boyer’s Ellis Island: The Dream of America. Visit orca.org.

• $25 Sunday, Sept. 25 KSO CHAMBER CLASSICS: MOZART AND HAYDN • Bijou

Theatre • 2:30PM • The 2016-17 Chamber Classics series will open on Sunday, September 25 with music of Mozart & Haydn, conducted by James Fellenbaum and featuring two KSO soloists: Gordon Tsai, violin and Kathryn Gawne, viola. Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro” Overture will open the program, followed by Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante and Haydn’s Symphony No. 104, known as “London.” • $13.50-$31.50 READY FOR THE WORLD MUSIC SERIES: POLAND • University of Tennessee Natalie L. Haslam Music Center • 2PM • The University of Tennessee’s Ready for the World Music Series brings renowned artists to perform and talk about musical styles and literature from diverse regions around the world. Three countries will be featured in the 2016-2017 academic year are Poland (Sunday, Sept. 25); Brazil (Sunday, Feb. 12); and China (Sunday, April 2). Visit music.utk.edu/rftw. • FREE

THEATER AND DANCE

Thursday, Sept. 22 THE WORDPLAYERS: ‘LAST TRAIN TO NIBROC’ • Erin Presbyterian Church • 7:30PM • Arlene Hutton’s play explores the new relationship of two young people who meet in 1940 under the shadow of the threat of war. Sept.

15-25. Visit wordplayers.org. • $15 Friday, Sept. 23 KNOXVILLE CHILDREN’S THEATRE: ‘THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE’ • Knoxville Children’s Theatre • 7PM • The magic and mystery of the Great Lion Aslan and the struggle with the White Witch are what four children find when they inadvertently wander into an old wardrobe and arrive in Narnia. The war in Narnia is consuming the magical animals of Narnia, and only Aslan can bring about peace. Sept. 23-Oct. 9. Visit knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com. • $12 THE WORDPLAYERS: ‘LAST TRAIN TO NIBROC’ • Erin Presbyterian Church • 7:30PM • Sept. 15-25. Visit wordplayers.org. • $15 Saturday, Sept. 24 KNOXVILLE CHILDREN’S THEATRE: ‘THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE’ • Knoxville Children’s Theatre • 1PM and 5PM • Sept. 23-Oct. 9. Visit knoxvillechildrenstheatre. com. • $12 Sunday, Sept. 25 TENNESSEE CHILDREN’S DANCE ENSEMBLE • World’s Fair Park • 2:30PM • Children representing a broad spectrum of the performing arts, including classical and contemporary music, drama, and storytelling, will join the internationally acclaimed Tennessee Children’s Dance Ensemble in a one-hour performance designed to delight and inspire audiences of all ages. Adult tickets are $7, children’s tickets are just one penny. Tickets are available through TCDE in advance, or at the gate on the day of the performance. • $7 KNOXVILLE CHILDREN’S THEATRE: ‘THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE’ • Knoxville Children’s Theatre • 3PM • Sept. 23-Oct. 9. Visit knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com. • $12 THE WORDPLAYERS: ‘LAST TRAIN TO NIBROC’ • Erin Presbyterian Church • 2:30PM • Sept. 15-25. Visit wordplayers.org. • $15 Wednesday, Sept. 28 CLARENCE BROWN THEATRE: ‘THE CRUCIBLE’ • Carousel

CALENDAR Theatre • 7:30PM • Arthur Miller’s searing play chronicles the historical events in the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

The fear and accusations of Salem may be an aberration of the American Dream, but it has lent its name to later witch hunts that recur from time to time in the ongoing American story. Sept. 28-Oct. 16. Visit clarencebrowntheatre.com.

SPOKEN WORD

Thursday, Sept. 29 CIRQUE ITALIA • West Town Mall • 7:30PM • Come experience the magical world of Cirque Italia, the first traveling water circus in the U.S., featuring a 35,000 gallon water-tank stage and performers from around the world—contortionists, clowns, acrobats, aerialists, and more. Animal free. Visit cirqueitalia.

KNOXVILLE CHILDREN’S THEATRE: ‘THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE’ • Knoxville Children’s Theatre • 7PM • Sept. 23-Oct. 9. Visit knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com. • $12 CLARENCE BROWN THEATRE: ‘THE CRUCIBLE’ • Carousel Theatre • 7:30PM • Sept. 28-Oct. 16. Visit clarencebrowntheatre.com.

Sunday, Sept. 25 KRISH MOHAN • Preservation Pub • 8PM • When you’re born in India and immigrate to the U.S., it can be hard to find a place to fit in. Using his quirky attitude and intelligent comedy, Krish tries to find where he fits in. Is it with Americans or the Indians in the U.S?

Friday, Sept. 30 CIRQUE ITALIA • West Town Mall • 7:30PM • Visit cirqueitalia.

KNOXVILLE CHILDREN’S THEATRE: ‘THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE’ • Knoxville Children’s Theatre • 7PM • Sept. 23-Oct. 9. Visit knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com. • $12 CLARENCE BROWN THEATRE: ‘THE CRUCIBLE’ • Carousel Theatre • 7:30PM • Sept. 28-Oct. 16. Visit clarencebrowntheatre.com.

Saturday, Oct. 1 CIRQUE ITALIA • West Town Mall • 2:30PM, 5:30PM, and 8:30PM • Visit cirqueitalia.

KNOXVILLE CHILDREN’S THEATRE: ‘THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE’ • Knoxville Children’s Theatre • 1PM and 5PM • Sept. 23-Oct. 9. Visit knoxvillechildrenstheatre. com. • $12 CLARENCE BROWN THEATRE: ‘THE CRUCIBLE’ • Carousel Theatre • 7:30PM • Sept. 28-Oct. 16. Visit clarencebrowntheatre.com.

WORDPLAYERS: AUDITIONS FOR A WOMAN CALLED TRUTH • Erin Presbyterian Church • 3PM • The WordPlayers announce auditions for A Woman Called Truth, which will tour East Tennessee in February. For what to prepare and more information, please see www.wordplayers.org or call 865-539-2490. • FREE Sunday, Oct. 2 CIRQUE ITALIA • West Town Mall • 2:30PM, 5:30PM, and 8:30PM • Visit cirqueitalia.

KNOXVILLE CHILDREN’S THEATRE: ‘THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE’ • Knoxville Children’s Theatre • 3PM • Sept. 23-Oct. 9. Visit knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com. • $12 CLARENCE BROWN THEATRE: ‘THE CRUCIBLE’ • Carousel Theatre • 2PM • Sept. 28-Oct. 16. Visit clarencebrowntheatre.com.

WORDPLAYERS: AUDITIONS FOR A WOMAN CALLED TRUTH • Erin Presbyterian Church • 3PM • The WordPlayers announce auditions for A Woman Called Truth, which will tour East Tennessee in February. For what to prepare and more information, please see www.wordplayers.org or call 865-539-2490. • FREE

COMEDY AND

Thursday, Sept. 22 SUGAR HIGH! COMEDY SHOW • Sugar Mama’s • 8PM • A new comedy showcase at the brand new home of Sugar Mama’s on the 100 block. No cover. • FREE

Monday, Sept. 26 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.

FRIENDLYTOWN • Pilot Light • 7:30PM • A weekly comedy night named after the former red-light district near the Old City. Visit facebook.com/friendlytownknoxville. 18 and up. • FREE Tuesday, Sept. 27 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 • Come laugh until you cry at the Longbranch every Tuesday night. 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 can email us at longbranch.info@gmail.com to learn more, or simply come to the show a few minutes early. • FREE SPIKE COLLAR COMEDY: KYLE FIELDS • The Open Chord • 8PM • With supporting acts Lance Adams, Jeff Danger, Boston McCown, and Tre Pack. Hosted by J.C. Ratliff. Visit scruffycitycomedy.com. 18 and up.

Wednesday, Sept. 28 FULL DISCLOSURE COMEDY • The Open Chord • 8PM • Full Disclosure Comedy is Knoxville’s long-form improvisational troupe, bringing together community members for laughs and overall general merriment.

Friday, Sept. 30 HAL HOLBROOK: MARK TWAIN TONIGHT! • Tennessee Theatre • 8PM • $54-$79 Sunday, Oct. 2 UPSTAIRS UNDERGROUND COMEDY • Preservation Pub • 8PM • A weekly comedy open mic. Visit scruffycity.com.

FESTIVALS

FREE! Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with fun for the whole family Saturday night: salsa music by the incredible Jimmy Bonilla Orchestra.

Sunday: Parade of Nations at 3:15 pm Heritage booths • Authentic food vendors • Folk dance presentations For kids: a ventriloquist, music and a science show by Dr. Hazari Ballet Folklórico Mexicano, Carlos Santana music by Soul Sacrifice, Mariachi Olimpico, and the amazing Marcel Portilla Band.

Saturday, Sept. 24 LOUIE BLUIE ARTS AND MUSIC FESTIVAL • Cove Lake State Park • 10AM • Campbell County’s homegrown celebration of one of its most famous citizens was founded to celebrate the artistic legacy of Tennessee native Howard September 22, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 27

CALENDAR “Louie Bluie” Armstrong. • FREE • See Spotlight on page 26.

Sunday, Sept. 25 PICKLE FEST • The Riverdale School • 12PM • A celebration of the preservation of local food, with live music and puppet shows, food trucks, craft vendors, kids’ games and crafts, a poetry contest, and a pickle contest and pickling demonstrations. Free and family friendly. • FREE Friday, Sept. 30 OAK RIDGE CIVIC MUSIC ASSOCIATION OKTOBERFEST FUNDRAISER • Willow Ridge Garden Center and Landscaping (Oak Ridge) • 5:30PM • Join fellow music and beer lovers for a festive event that will include delicious German cuisine catered by Carmella Catering, plenty of craft ales, a selection of fine wines, and exciting silent and live auction items, all in support of the Oak Ridge Civic Music Association. Tickets can be purchased by calling the ORCMA office at (865) 483-5569 or by visiting Willow Ridge Garden Center. All proceeds benefit the Oak Ridge Civic Music Association. • $65 GREEKFEST • St. George Greek Orthodox Church • 11AM-10PM• The 37th installment of this fall fest will feature the usual excellent Greek traditional music, dance, and food. • $2-$3 Saturday, Oct. 1 HOLA FESTIVAL • Market Square • 7-10PM • The area’s biggest and best celebration of Latin and Latin American culture. • FREE GREEKFEST • St. George Greek Orthodox Church •

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KNOXVILLE MERCURY September 22, 2016

Thursday, Sept. 22 – Sunday, Oct. 2

11AM-10PM• The 37th installment of this fall fest will feature the usual excellent Greek traditional music, dance, and food. • $2-$3 Sunday, Oct. 2 ARTS AND CULTURE ALLIANCE GAY STREET BRIDGE DINNER • Downtown Knoxville • 5:30PM • The Arts & Culture Alliance invites guests to enjoy a truly unique dining experience on the Gay Street Bridge at Knoxville’s once in a lifetime celebration of the City of Knoxville’s 225th Birthday. www.knoxalliance.com/dinner-on-the-bridge. • $225 HOLA FESTIVAL • Market Square • 11AM-6PM • The area’s biggest and best celebration of Latin and Latin American culture. • FREE GREEKFEST • St. George Greek Orthodox Church • 11AM-8PM• The 37th installment of this fall fest will feature the usual excellent Greek traditional music, dance, and food. • $2-$3

FILM SCREENINGS

Thursday, Sept. 22 SCHULZ BRÄU FILMNACHT • Schulz Bräu Brewing Company • 9PM • A free weekly movie screening—check social media for the week’s entry. 21 and up. • FREE Friday, Sept. 23 MOVIES ON MARKET SQUARE • Market Square • 8PM • Knox County Public Library’s Movies on Market Square is gearing up for its 13th season of family-friendly outdoor

movies in the heart of downtown Knoxville. On six consecutive Friday nights, from Sept. 9-Oct. 14, bring the whole family to see a free movie. The lineup includes Up (Sept. 23); Night at the Museum (Sept. 30); Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Oct. 7); and Ghostbusters (Oct. 14). Shows start at dusk. Visit knoxlib.org. • FREE Sunday, Sept. 25 THE PUBLIC CINEMA: CHEVALIER • Knoxville Museum of Art • 7PM • In the middle of the Aegean Sea, on a luxury yacht, six men on a fishing trip decide to play a game.

During this game, things will be compared, measured and blood will be tested. Friends will become rivals, but at the end of the voyage, when the game is over, the winner will wear the victorious signet ring: the “Chevalier.” Visit publiccinema.org. • FREE • See review on page 22.

Monday, Sept. 26 UT OUT FILM SERIES: KUMA HINA • University of Tennessee • 6PM • Kuma Hina is a powerful film about the struggle to maintain Pacific Islander culture and values within the Westernized society of modern day Hawaii. Part of the UT OUT Film Series at the John C. Hodges Library. • FREE THE BIRDHOUSE WALK-IN THEATER • The Birdhouse • 8:15PM • A weekly free movie screening. • FREE Thursday, Sept. 29 SCHULZ BRÄU FILMNACHT • Schulz Bräu Brewing Company • 9PM • A free weekly movie screening—check social media for the week’s entry. 21 and up. • FREE Friday, Sept. 30

MOVIES ON MARKET SQUARE • Market Square • 8PM • Visit knoxlib.org. • FREE

SPORTS AND RECREATION

Thursday, Sept. 22 CYCOLOGY BICYCLES THURSDAY MORNING RIDE • Cycology Bicycles • 10AM • Visit cycologybicycles.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 FLEET FEET GROUP RUN/WALK • Fleet Feet Sports Knoxville • 6PM • Visit fleetfeetknoxville.com. • FREE CEDAR BLUFF CYCLES BEGINNER ROAD RIDE • Sequoyah Park • 6:20PM • Visit cedarbluffcycles.net. • FREE CEDAR BLUFF CYCLES THURSDAY NIGHT RIDE • Cedar Bluff Cycles • 6:20PM • Visit cedarbluffcycles.net. • FREE Friday, Sept. 23 RIVER SPORTS FRIDAY NIGHT GREENWAY RUN • River Sports Outfitters • 6PM • riversportsoutfitters.com. • FREE Saturday, Sept. 24 BIKE ZOO SATURDAY MORNING RIDE • The Bike Zoo • 9AM • Visit bikezoo.com. • FREE PADDLE THE RIVER • Riverside Landing Park • 9:30AM • Visit riversportsoutfitters.com.

SMOKY MOUNTAIN HIKING CLUB: OLD SUGARLANDS TRAIL

Thursday, Sept. 22 – Sunday, Oct. 2

AND CEMETERY • 10AM • We will hike the Old Sugarlands Trail to see the Sugarlands Cemetery and other historic sites. Hike is about 5 miles. Meet at Sugarlands Visitors Center near the restrooms at 10:00 am. Leader: Charles Hurst, charlesbh@charter.net • FREE WEST BIKES SATURDAY RIDE • West Bicycles • 8AM • Visit westbikes.com. • FREE KTC BIG SOUTH FORK TRAIL RACE • Big South Fork • 8:30AM • One of the most well-respected trail races in the east, the Big South Fork Trail Race has attracted avid trail runners from throughout the region. Since its inception in the mid-1990’s, Race Director Bobby Glenn has presented a trail racing classic suitable for hardcore ultra enthusiasts as well as road runners looking for a challenging introduction to off road running. Visit ktc.org.

Sunday, Sept. 25 SMOKY MOUNTAIN HIKING CLUB: BASKINS CREEK/ GRAPEYARD RIDGE • 8AM • For this outing we will utilize a car shuttle to hike from the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail to Greenbrier. We’ll start out on the Baskins Creek trail visiting Baskins Creek Falls and the Jim Bale Cabin along the way. Then we will continue on to the Grapeyard Ridge Trail that will take us into Greenbrier. The hike will be approximately 11 miles and is rated moderate. Meet at the Comcast, 5720 Asheville Highway, at 8 am. Leaders: Billy Heaton, bheaton8@yahoo.com and Ron Blessinger, rblessinger@msn.com. • FREE BEGINNER AND OPEN PICKLEBALL • Arnstein Jewish Community Center • 12PM • A paddle sport for all ages and skill levels combining elements of tennis, badminton, and table tennis. The beginners’ session runs from noon-1 p.m.; open play is from 1-3 p.m.

Monday, Sept. 26 KTC GROUP RUN • Mellow Mushroom • 6PM • 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 17 mph and the B group averages around 14 mph. • FREE BEARDEN BEER MARKET FUN RUN • Bearden Beer Market • 6:30PM • Visit beardenbeermarket.com. • FREE BIKE N’ TRI MONDAY GROUP RUN • Bike N’ Tri (Maryville) • 6:30PM • Every Monday evening, join us for a social three- to six-mile group run. All runners/joggers/walkers welcome. • FREE Tuesday, Sept. 27 CYCOLOGY BICYCLES TUESDAY MORNING RIDE • Cycology Bicycles • 9AM and 10:30AM • Visit cycologybicycles.com.

• FREE AMBC BIG GROUP MOUNTAIN BIKE RIDE • Ijams Nature Center • 6PM • Visit ambc-sorba.org. • FREE THIRD CREEK GREENWAY SOCIAL RIDE • Bearden Bike and Trail • 6PM • Visit beardenbikeandtrail.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 • cedarbluffcycles.net. • FREE BIKETOPIA TUESDAY ROAD RIDE • Biketopia • 6:30PM • Visit biketopia.com. • FREE FOUNTAIN CITY ROUNDABOUT • Casual Pint (Fountain City) • 6:30PM • It’s our weekly neighborhood bike ride followed by pints. Riders get $1 off pints. Visit facebook.

CALENDAR

com/TheCasualPint/. • FREE Wednesday, Sept. 28 THE BEST OF IJAMS GUIDED HIKE • Ijams Nature Center • 10AM • Join us for a fun-filled guided early fall hike as we explore all of the most popular spaces at Ijams Nature Center. This hike is great for those new to Ijams or anyone wanting some exercise and more information about spots you have been hiking to for years. Come see how beautiful Ijams is in the fall. We will cover 2-3 miles in about an hour and a half so wear comfortable hiking shoes and bring water. Cost is $10 per person. Please call Ijams to register at 865-577-4717 ext. 110. • $10 BIKE N’ TRI GROUP RIDE • Bike N’ Tri (Maryville) • 10AM • Every Wednesday, join us for a social group ride of 20-40 miles. We’ll split into two groups to make the ride suitable for all riders. All riders welcome. • FREE FLEET FEET WEDNESDAY LUNCH BREAK RUN • Fleet Feet Sports Knoxville • 12PM • Visit fleetfeetknoxville.com. • FREE KTC GROUP RUN • Runner’s Market • 5:30PM • Visit ktc.org.

• FREE TVB EASY RIDER MOUNTAIN BIKE RIDE • Ijams Nature Center • 6PM • Check out our Facebook page or give us a call at 865-540-9979 for more info. We meet near Mead’s Quarry. • FREE AMBC CONCORD PARK MOUNTAIN BIKE RIDE • Concord Park • 6PM • Visit ambc-sorba.org. • FREE Thursday, Sept. 29 CYCOLOGY BICYCLES THURSDAY MORNING RIDE • Cycology Bicycles • 10AM • Visit cycologybicycles.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 FLEET FEET GROUP RUN/WALK • Fleet Feet Sports Knoxville • 6PM • Visit fleetfeetknoxville.com. • FREE CEDAR BLUFF CYCLES BEGINNER ROAD RIDE • Sequoyah Park • 6:20PM • Visit cedarbluffcycles.net. • FREE CEDAR BLUFF CYCLES THURSDAY NIGHT RIDE • Cedar Bluff Cycles • 6:20PM • Visit cedarbluffcycles.net. • FREE Friday, Sept. 30 RIVER SPORTS FRIDAY NIGHT GREENWAY RUN • River Sports Outfitters • 6PM • Greenway run from the store every Friday evening. Work up a thirst then join us for $2 pints in the store afterwards. riversportsoutfitters.com. • FREE Saturday, Oct. 1 WALK TO END ALZHEIMER’S • University of Tennessee • 8AM • The Alzheimer’s Association of Eastern TN is hosting a Walk to End Alzheimer’s, a two-mile walk that with kid’s zone, DJ, photo booth, cookout and pet corner.

Proceeds from this event will go to the 24/7 Helpline (800.272.3900), research, educational programs, and support groups. Teams can register at alz.org/tn or call Sunny Biden at 865-684-8585 or email sbiden@alz.org.

THE GREAT LLAMA RACE • World’s Fair Park • 10AM • This event brings together local celebrities to not only race llamas but to raise awareness about Casa de Sara’s mission to bring health care and education to impoverished and at-risk children in Bolivia and around Knoxville. We will have various music and dance performances, food vendors, games, and more, including a new 5K race for humans only. Visit thegreatllamarace. com. • $5 WEST BIKES SATURDAY RIDE • West Bicycles • 8AM • Visit westbikes.com. • FREE BIKE ZOO SATURDAY MORNING RIDE • The Bike Zoo • 9AM • Visit bikezoo.com. • FREE

RUNNER’S MARKET SATURDAY GROUP RUN • Runner’s Market • 9AM • Visit runnersmarket.com. • FREE CATALYST ADAPTIVE CLIMB • River Sports Outfitters • 10AM • Join us the first Saturday of every month as we climb with Catalyst Sports. This event is for anyone with physical disabilities. All ages are welcome to come and climb our rock wall. • $10

ART

A1 Lab Arts 23 Emory Place SEPT. 2-30: Signification, an exhibition about art and language featuring work by Shannon Novak, Aaron Oldenburg, Norman Magden, Sara Blair McNally, Grayson Earle, Michael Arpino, Robert Thompson, Tracy Riggs, Elizabeth Mcnall, Beth Fox, Melanie Eichholz, Heath Schultz, Monique Grimord, Carson Grubaugh, Anna Ursyn, Peter Whittenberger, and the Bureau (Liat Berdugo, Josh Finn, Leora Fridman, and Shawn Manchester).

Arnstein Jewish Community Center 6800 Deane Hill Drive AUG. 29-SEPT. 30: Artwork by David Barnett.

Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts 556 Parkway (Gatlinburg) AUG. 15-OCT. 5: A retrospective exhibition featuring artwork by Bill Griffith, former Arrowmont program director.

Art Market Gallery 422 S. Gay St. SEPT. 1-30: Paintings by Kathy Holland and gourd art by Jeannie Gravetti.

Broadway Studios and Gallery 1127 N. Broadway SEPT. 2-30: All Scapes, an art competition featuring work by local artists in any -scape format: landscape, cityscape, seascape, etc.

Downtown Gallery 106 S. Gay St. SEPT. 2-30: Persona: Process Portraiture, an exhibition of work by Leah Schrager, Marcia Goldenstein, Judith Page, and Gail Skudera.

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. SEPT. 2-30: Slot Machine, coloring pages by Stephen Reid Carcello; We the People, by Antuco Chicaiza; artwork by Emily Taylor; A Time of Recent Creativity, new paintings by Anthony Donaldson; and Cosmic Order, artwork by Eurichea Showalter Subagh Ball.

Ewing Gallery 1715 Volunteer Boulevard SEPT. 6-30: The Unbearable Flatness of Being, an exhibit of paintings by Sarah Emerson. Emerson will discuss her work on Thursday, Sept. 29, at 7 p.m.

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

Happy Hour 4pm - 8pm | mon - fri Huge selection of Craft, Import & Local beer Locally roasted coffee

wed sept. 21 • 8pm

Fat Penguin W/ Southern Cities, Blond Bones $5 • all ages ( funk / ska / reggae )

thurs sept. 22 • 8pm

Shaun Abbott w/ Knox Vegas Ramblers, Brandon Harmon & The Halfway Hearts $5 ADV / $10 day of All AGes ( country )

fri sept. 23 • 8pm The Deltas $8 • All Ages ( r&b / beach music )

sat sept. 24 • 8pm

WarClown W/ Kingslayer Belfast 6 Pack As These Last Seconds Escape $8 • All Ages ( power metal ) "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

Knoxville Arts and Fine Crafts

September 22, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 29

CALENDAR Center 1127B Broadway AUG. 1-OCT. 31: Whimsical Creatures, paintings and photographs by Lela E. Buis.

Knoxville Museum of Art 1050 World’s Fair Park Drive AUG. 26-NOV. 6: Romantic Spirits: 19th-Century Paintings of the South From the Johnson Collection SEPT. 12-OCT. 7: Frutos Latinos, Hola Hora Latina’s 10th annual art exhibit and contest. 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 SEPT. 17-JAN. 8: Knoxville Unearthed: Archaeology in the Heart of the Valley. JULY 12-OCT. 19: Land, Sea, and Spirit: Alaska Native Art From the 19th and 20th Centuries.

ONGOING: The Flora and Fauna of Catesby, Mason, and Audubon and Life on the Roman Frontier.

FAMILY AND KIDS’ EVENTS

Thursday, Sept. 22 LITTLE LEARNERS • Blount County Public Library • 10:30AM

Thursday, Sept. 22 – Sunday, Oct. 2

• Recommended for ages 3-5. Interactive sessions focus on language acquisition and pre-literacy skills incorporating stories, music, motion, play, crafts and more. • FREE CHESS AT THE LIBRARY • Blount County Public Library • 1PM • For middle and high school students, with coach Tom Jobe. Visit blountlibrary.org. • FREE LEGO CLUB • Blount County Public Library • 4PM • LEGO 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, Sept. 23 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, Sept. 24 CHESS AT THE LIBRARY • Blount County Public Library • 10AM • For middle and high school students, with coach Tom Jobe. Visit blountlibrary.org. • FREE BLOUNT COUNTY NERD GROUP • Blount County Public Library • 3PM • By participating in the newly-formed Blount County Nerd Group, students seventh grade and up can learn skills such as making simple games, developing professional websites and creating mobile apps. Participating students are encouraged to bring their own technologies including a laptop. However, students

THE UT DEPARTMENT OF RELIGIOUS STUDIES PRESENTS

Space, Memory, and Conversation: From the Biblical World to the Classrooms of Today Tuesday, September 27 at 5:30 PM

McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture, Auditorium Speaker:

PROFESSOR VICTOR H. MATTHEWS

Dean of Humanities and Public Affairs and Professor of Religious Studies, Missouri State University

who do not have adequate technology will be provided a laptop by the library when necessary. • FREE Tuesday, Sept. 27 LITTLE LEARNERS • Blount County Public Library • 10:30AM • Recommended for ages 3-5. Interactive sessions focus on language acquisition and pre-literacy skills incorporating stories, music, motion, play, crafts and more. • FREE SENSORY STORY TIME • Blount County Public Library • 6PM • An interactive storytime with stories, songs, movement, and activities designed to increase early literacy skills and provide a safe and open space for children and families to learn and interact. Open to children of all abilities but especially designed for the kids with special needs between the developmental ages of 3 - 5. • FREE Wednesday, Sept. 28 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

Friday, Sept. 23 UT SCIENCE FORUM • Thompson-Boling Arena • 12PM • Held in Thompson-Boling Arena Dining Room C-D. Visit scienceforum.utk.edu. • FREE Saturday, Sept. 24 BANNED BOOKS WEEK READ FREE DAY • Blount County Public Library • 11AM • In celebration of Banned Books Week, September 25-October 1, library staffers and special guests will read from beloved but banned (or threatened) books to celebrate our nation’s First Amendment Right to read free. Join in a scavenger hunt that will be happening throughout the day as well.

Complete the scavenger hunt to win small prizes. • FREE 1,000 CRANES FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE DAY • Union Ave Books • 10AM • Learn to fold origami paper cranes at Union Ave Books. • FREE Monday, Sept. 26 SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN STUDIES SERIES: BEEKEEPING, PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE • Blount County Public Library • 7PM • John Skinner, Ph.D., Professor and Extension Apiculture Specialist at the University of Tennessee, will discuss how and when honey bees were first introduced to the Americas, describing early tools that first settlers used, hive design and the simple language of beekeeping. • FREE Wednesday, Sept. 28 BOOKS SANDWICHED IN • East Tennessee History Center • 12PM • The Friends of the Knox County Public Library’s monthly reading series this summer and fall includes

The Knoxville Montessori School

50th Anniversary Celebration!

October 22, 2016 10 a.m. - noon

Visit our school, meet current families and alumni, and help celebrate 50 years of Montessori education in Knoxville.

All ages welcome!

RSVP: 525-6042 or kms@knoxvillemontessori.org

FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

religion.utk.edu 30

KNOXVILLE MERCURY September 22, 2016

4311 Kingston Pike · Knoxville, TN 37919 · 865-525-6042 kms@knoxvillemontessori.org · www.knoxvillemontessori.org

Thursday, Sept. 22 – Sunday, Oct. 2

Knoxville attorney Tammy Kaousias on Give Us the Ballot: The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in America, by Ari Berman (Sept. 28); Vrondelia Chandler of Project Grad and Jackie Clay of the Save Our Sons initiative on Rac(e)ing to Class: Confronting Poverty and Race in Schools and Classrooms, by H. Richard Milner IV and Tyrone Howard (Oct. 26); and UT journalism professor Stuart Brotman on Free Speech: Ten Principles for a Connected World, by Timothy Garton Ash (Nov. 16). • FREE

Tennessee Humanities Center’s 2016-17 Distinguished Lecture Series at the John C. Hodges Library. • FREE MARIA CORNELIUS: ‘THE FINAL SEASON: THE PERSEVERANCE OF PAT SUMMITT’ • Union Ave Books • 5:30PM • Reception and book launch for Maria Cornelius, author of The Final Season: The Perseverance of Pat Summitt. • FREE

Friday, Sept. 30 VOLHACKS HACK-A-THON • University of Tennessee • Volhacks is hosting its inaugural hack-a-thon Sept.

30-Oct. 2. Participating businesses will range from computing giants IBM and Cisco to social media corporations Yik Yak and Eventbrite to local powerhouses like Pilot Flying J and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The event will take place in the Min H. Kao Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Building. It’s all part of a growing movement in computing to have the most proficient hackers use their skills for good.

UT SCIENCE FORUM • Thompson-Boling Arena • 12PM • Visit scienceforum.utk.edu. • FREE PETER RAILTON: “MORAL LEARNING” • University of Tennessee • 3:30PM • While the traditional view of morality has been understood as being part of maturation or genetics, Railton argues that morality might be attained through continuous learning as people interact with their environment. This method of thinking accounts for spontaneous moral learning and action according to community norms and values. Part of the University of

CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS

Thursday, Sept. 22 GENTLE YOGA AND MEDITATION • Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church • 12PM • Call 865-577-2021 or email yogaway249@gmail.com. Donations accepted.

AARP DRIVER SAFETY CLASS • John T. O’Connor Senior Center • 12PM • Call 382-5822.

PORTRAIT AND LIFE DRAWING SESSIONS • Historic Candoro Marble Company • 12:30PM • Call Brad Selph for more information (865-573-0709). • $10 CANCER SUPPORT COMMUNITY: HEALING THROUGH ART • Cancer Support Community • 1PM • No experience necessary. RSVP. Call 865-546-4661 for more info. All Cancer Support Community programs are offered at no cost to individuals affected by cancer.

KNOX COUNTY MASTER GARDENERS • Humana Guidance Center • 3:15PM • Join Master Gardener Alice Greene to

CALENDAR

learn what to do with bulbs. Plan and plant the spring bloomers, and dig up and store those tender summer bloomers like gladiola, caladium, and dahlia. Call 865-329-8892. • FREE KNOXVILLE CAPOEIRA CLASS • Emporium Center for Arts and Culture • 6PM • Visit knoxvillecapoeira.org. • $10 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 KNOXVILLE PERSONAL TRAINING PILATES • Beaver Creek Cumberland Presbyterian Church • 6:30PM • Every Tuesday and Thursday. First class is free. Call (865) 622-3103 or visit knoxvillepersonaltraining.com. • $4 BELLY DANCE LEVELS 1 AND 2 • Knox Dance Worx • 8PM • Call (865) 898-2126 or email alexia@alexia-dance.com. • $12 COMEDY IMPROV CLASS • Broadway Academy of Performing Arts • 7PM • Paul Simmons of Einstein Simplified will be teaching a six-week improv/comedy improv class Sept. 22-Nov. 3. (There’s no class on Oct. 13.)

Contact Paul at dr.p@tds.net or 865-898-6448 for more info or to register. Walk-ins are welcome. Cost is $100 for the six classes.

Saturday, Sept. 24 YOGA AT NARROW RIDGE • Narrow Ridge Earth Literacy Center • 9:30AM • For information call 865-497-2753 or email community@narrowridge.org. • FREE CANCER SUPPORT COMMUNITY: MINDFULNESS IN EVERYDAY LIFE • Cancer Support Community • 10AM • Call

865-546-4661 for more info. All Cancer Support Community programs are offered at no cost to individuals affected by cancer.

IMPROV COMEDY CLASS • The Birdhouse • 10:30AM • A weekly improv comedy class. • FREE KNOX COUNTY MASTER GARDENERS: FALL LAWN REPAIR • Cedar Bluff Branch Library • 10:30AM • Did your lawn have problems this summer? Fall is the time to fix those lawn problems. Join Master Gardener Ron Pearman to learn how. Your lawn will reward you next year.Call 865-470-7033. • FREE SUP 101 • Outdoor Knoxville Adventure Center • 10AM • $45 Sunday, Sept. 25 CIRCLE MODERN DANCE BALLET BARRE CLASS • Emporium Center for Arts and Culture • 1PM • Visit circlemoderndance.com. • $10 CIRCLE MODERN DANCE OPEN LEVEL MODERN TECHNIQUE CLASS • Emporium Center for Arts and Culture • 2PM • Visit circlemoderndance.com. • $10 CIRCLE MODERN DANCE IMPROVISATION CLASS • Emporium Center for Arts and Culture • 3:30PM • Visit circlemoderndance.com. • $10 ROOFTOP YOGA • Central Collective • 5PM • 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. Bring your own mat and enjoy some yoga outdoors on the roof. • $10 BEGINNING BRIDGE LESSONS • Knoxville Bridge Center •

www.sweetpbbq.com

Your Downtown Experience Begins Here

N aturally, our agents possess an intimate

knowledge of our properties, but they also develop a deep understanding of our clients’ needs. It’s the artful melding of the two that is our great skill.

Sweet P’s Downtown Dive Presents

Wednesday, September 28 5-9 pm @ the Downtown Dive featuring an

Wednesdays 7 - 9pm • FREE In The Beergarden

octoberfest themed food & beer to benefit

Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation

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3725 Maryville Pike, Knoxville (865) 247-7748

Catering

(865) 306-2727 orders@sweetpbbq.com

Downtown Dive

410 W. Jackson Ave., Knoxville (865) 281-1738

859 Ebenezer Road, Knoxville, TN 37923 o. 865.357.3232 | c. 865.356.4178 Melinda.Grimac@SothebysRealty.com Each office is independently owned and operated

Call today to have your property marketed here.

MELINDA GRIMAC AFFILIATE BROKER

September 22, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 31

CALENDAR 1:30PM • Contact Jo Anne Newby at (865} 539-4150 or email KnoxvilleBridge@gmail.com. • $5 Monday, Sept. 26 BLOUNT COUNTY LIBRARY RESUME HELP SESSIONS • Blount County Public Library • 9AM • Résumé help sessions are designed to give one-on-one help to job seekers in need of a new or improved résumé. Instructors will be available to help individuals design or update a résumé using current formatting trends. For more information on the program, please call Holly Scarlett at Blount County Adult Education at 865-982-8998. Bring your job history with dates to the computer lab. • FREE GENTLE YOGA AND MEDITATION • Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church • 5:30PM • Call 865-5772021 or email yogaway249@gmail.com. Donations accepted.

BEGINNER MODERN BELLY DANCE • Broadway Academy of Performing Arts • 6PM • Tribal fusion belly dance is a modern blend of traditional belly dance infused with hip-hop, modern dance, and more to create a new, unique dance form. Each class will include an invigorating warm-up designed to increase flexibility and strength followed by an overview of posture, isolations, and basic footwork. At the end of class we put the moves together in a fun and simple combination. No dance experience is necessary. • $13 KNOXVILLE PERSONAL TRAINING BOOT CAMP • Beaver Creek Cumberland Presbyterian Church • 6:30PM • First class is free. Call (865) 622-3103 or visit knoxvillepersonaltraining.com. • $15

Thursday, Sept. 22 – Sunday, Oct. 2

Tuesday, Sept. 27 BLOUNT COUNTY LIBRARY RESUME HELP SESSIONS • Blount County Public Library • 9AM • For more information on the program, please call Holly Scarlett at Blount County Adult Education at 865-982-8998. Bring your job history with dates to the computer lab. • FREE KNOX COUNTY MASTER GARDENERS: FALL LAWN REPAIR • Karns Senior Center • 11AM • Did your lawn have problems this summer? Fall is the time to fix those lawn problems.

Join Master Gardener Ron Pearman to learn how. Your lawn will reward you next year. Call 865-951-2653. • FREE 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 • Visit capoeiraknoxville.org. • $10 KNOXVILLE PERSONAL TRAINING PILATES • Beaver Creek Cumberland Presbyterian Church • 6:30PM • Every Tuesday and Thursday. First class is free. Call (865) 622-3103 or visit knoxvillepersonaltraining.com. • $4 BEGINNING BRIDGE LESSONS • Knoxville Bridge Center • 6PM • Contact Jo Anne Newby at (865} 539-4150 or email KnoxvilleBridge@gmail.com. • $5 Wednesday, Sept. 28 BLOUNT COUNTY LIBRARY RESUME HELP SESSIONS • Blount County Public Library • 9AM • For more information on the program, please call Holly Scarlett at Blount County Adult Education at 865-982-8998. Bring your job history with dates to the computer lab. • FREE ESTATE PLANNING: WILLS, TRUSTS, AND PROBATE • Blount

Bach or Basie?

Your music, your choice.

Your classical and jazz station.

32

circlemoderndance.com. • $10 CLIMBING FUNDAMENTALS • River Sports Outfitters • 6PM • Visit riversportsoutfitters.com/events. • $20 Thursday, Sept. 29 AARP DRIVER SAFETY CLASS • Second Presbyterian Church • 9AM • Call 382-5822.

BLOUNT COUNTY LIBRARY RESUME HELP SESSIONS • Blount County Public Library • 9AM • For more information on the program, please call Holly Scarlett at Blount County Adult Education at 865-982-8998. Bring your job history with dates to the computer lab. • FREE GENTLE YOGA AND MEDITATION • Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church • 12PM • Call 865-577-2021 or email yogaway249@gmail.com. Donations accepted.

PORTRAIT AND LIFE DRAWING SESSIONS • Historic Candoro Marble Company • 12:30PM • Call Brad Selph for more information (865-573-0709). • $10 KNOXVILLE CAPOEIRA CLASS • Emporium Center for Arts and Culture • 6PM • Visit knoxvillecapoeira.org. • $10 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 KNOXVILLE PERSONAL TRAINING PILATES • Beaver Creek Cumberland Presbyterian Church • 6:30PM • Call (865) 622-3103 or visit knoxvillepersonaltraining.com. • $4 COMEDY IMPROV CLASS • Broadway Academy of Performing Arts • 7PM • Contact Paul at dr.p@tds.net or 865-898-6448 for more info or to register. Walk-ins are

UT-RELYANT UXO TRAINING COURSE Millions of acres of property in the U.S. and around the world contain land mines and unexploded ordnance (UXO).

Mitigation of these risks requires trained personnel.

UT and RELYANT have partnered to develop the most comprehensive UXO training program available. Our fall program begins Oct. 3.

LEARN MORE You’re invited to attend a free information session at the UT Conference Center in downtown Knoxville. Please call 865-974-1530, email utnoncredit@utk.edu, or go online to make your reservation.

Tuesday, September 27 6-7 p.m.

Course # 16FAUXO

www.utuxo.com

FIX THIS BASTARD KNOXVILLE MERCURY September 22, 2016

WUOT_Ad_4.625x5.25_ClassicalJazz_KnoxMerc.indd 2

County Public Library • 11AM • Matt Haralson, Elder Law Attorney with Kizer & Black Attorneys, PLLC, will discuss how to approach estate planning. He will talk about the difference between wills and trusts and information that’s important to know about, and include, in each. He will also discuss probate, especially in Blount County. • FREE CIRCLE MODERN DANCE INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED MODERN TECHNIQUE CLASS • Emporium Center for Arts and Culture • 6PM • Visit circlemoderndance.com.

BEGINNER MODERN BELLY DANCE • Broadway Academy of Performing Arts • 6PM • Tribal fusion belly dance is a modern blend of traditional belly dance infused with hip-hop, modern dance, and more to create a new, unique dance form. Each class will include an invigorating warm-up designed to increase flexibility and strength followed by an overview of posture, isolations, and basic footwork. At the end of class we put the moves together in a fun and simple combination. No dance experience is necessary. • $13 HANDS-ON CHEESEMAKING WORKSHOP • Central Collective • 6:30PM • Eileen Moffatt, who learned cheesemaking at The San Francisco Cheese School, will lead you through the hands-on process for making a batch of fresh chevre. Participants will taste Ms. Moffatt’s chevre, learn how to make their own and take some home. Attendees are welcome to bring wine or their beverage of choice to enjoy during the class. Visit thecentralcollective.com. • $32 CIRCLE MODERN DANCE OPEN LEVEL BALLET CLASS • Emporium Center for Arts and Culture • 7:30PM • Visit

9/17/16 5:00 PM

Thursday, Sept. 22 – Sunday, Oct. 2

CALENDAR

welcome. Cost is $100 for the six classes.

BELLY DANCE LEVELS 1 AND 2 • Knox Dance Worx • 8PM • Call (865) 898-2126 or email alexia@alexia-dance.com. • $12

Pizzeria • 5:30PM • Weekly atheists meetup and happy hour. Come join us for food, drink and great conversation.

Everyone welcome. • FREE THREE RIVERS! EARTH FIRST! • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 8PM • Call (865) 257-4029 for more information.

• FREE

MEETINGS

Wednesday, Sept. 28 KNOXVILLE WRITERS’ GROUP • Naples Italian Restaurant • 11AM • Guest speakers read from and discuss their work.

All-inclusive lunch is $12.00. RSVP to 865-983-3740.

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

Thursday, Sept. 22 ADULT CHILDREN OF ALCOHOLICS • The Birdhouse • 6PM • FREE K-TOWN SOUND SHOW CHORUS OPEN HOUSE • Fountain City Presbyterian Church • 6:30PM • Join us for a night of fun and education. Our chorus is a chapter of Sweet Adelines International, an innovative group of women bringing every era and genre of music to life in the barbershop style. As a member of our chorus, you’ll discover educational opportunities, fun social activities, an enlarged circle of friends, and exciting performances and competitions that rival the best a cappella choruses in the world. For more information please contact Rachel Coker, 765-606-1424. • FREE Saturday, Sept. 24 AL-ANON • Faith Lutheran Church • 11AM • Visit our local website at farragutalanon.org or email us at FindHope@ Farragutalanon.org. • FREE NARROW RIDGE SILENT MEDITATION GATHERING • Narrow Ridge Earth Literacy Center • 11AM • For information call 865-497-2753 or email community@narrowridge.org. • FREE Sunday, Sept. 25 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. To find out more, visit our web page (http:// knoxville-tn.sundayassembly.com) or email saknoxville. info@gmail.com. • FREE REFUGE RECOVERY • Losel Shedrup Ling • 8:30PM • Contact David at 865-306-0279 for any further questions.

• FREE BIRDHOUSE SUNDAY DINNER POTLUCK AND PRESENTATION • The Birdhouse • 6PM • 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. Sunday dinner is always free and open to the public. Please bring a dish to share—but if you are for some reason unable to contribute food, please just bring yourself, and share in our feast. Children are especially welcome here. • FREE Monday, Sept. 26 GAY MEN’S DISCUSSION GROUP • Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church • 7:30PM • Visit gaygroupknoxville.org.

APPALACHIAN MOUNTAIN BIKE CLUB • Central Flats and Taps • 7PM • Visit ambc-sorba.org. • FREE Tuesday, Sept. 27 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 ATHEISTS SOCIETY OF KNOXVILLE • Barley’s Taproom and

ETC.

Thursday, Sept. 22 COMMUNITY PARTNERS PINTS FOR A PURPOSE • Little River Trading Co. ( Maryville) • 5PM • Join us for a monthly beer event to benefit local nonprofits and try out local and regional breweries. This month’s Pints With a Purpose, sponsored by Little River Trading Company, the Blount Partnership, and Yakima, features Good People beer; proceeds benefit the Blount County Appalachian Mountain Bike Club. Visit littlerivertradingco.com. • FREE GOODWILL VINTAGE FASHION SHOW AND SALE • Holiday Inn (World’s Fair Park) • 6PM • The show will feature hundreds of vintage and vintage-inspired modern looks.

See Spotlight on page 23. Visit gwiktn.org/vintage or call 865.588.8567 to purchase tickets. • $40 KNOXVILLE STARTUP DAY • Bijou Theatre • 2PM • Knoxville’s Startup Day was rebranded in 2016 as a week-long series of events taking place Sept. 19-23.

Officially known as Innov865 Week, the new format will feature nationally recognized entrepreneur and investor Paul Singh and the North American Tech Tour, and will kick off with the Kauffman Foundation’s Mayors Summit on Entrepreneurship and end with the signature event, Startup Day. MARBLE SPRINGS SHOPPING AT THE FARM FARMER’S MARKET • Marble Springs State Historic Site • 3PM • FREE NARROW RIDGE COMMUNITY POTLUCK • Narrow Ridge Earth Literacy Center • 6:30PM • This fourth Thursday event is an opportunity to introduce folks to the Narrow Ridge community as well as for friends and neighbors to come together to share good food and conversation.

Guests are invited to bring a dish to share. For information, call 865-497-2753 or email community@ narrowridge.org. • FREE Friday, Sept. 23 FRIENDS OF SEYMOUR LIBRARY USED BOOK SALE • Seymour Public Library • 10AM • Books cost $1 or less. Selections include non-fiction, popular fiction authors, children’s books and Louis L’Amour Westerns. Proceeds benefit the Seymour library extension fund. For more information call 573-0728. • FREE KNOX HERITAGE SCRUFFY CITY SOIREE • The Standard • 6:30PM • Come celebrate our city and support Knox Heritage in its mission to preserve Knoxville’s historic treasures. The Scruffy City Soirée is our annual fall fundraiser, which provides support for many important Knox Heritage programs and services and makes it

possible for the Knox Heritage staff to advocate every day for historic places in Knoxville and throughout the 16-county region. Visit knoxheritage.org. • $125 LAKESHORE PARK FARMERS MARKET • Lakeshore Park • 3PM • FREE Saturday, Sept. 24 SEYMOUR FARMERS MARKET • First Baptist Church Seymour • 8AM • FREE OAK RIDGE FARMERS MARKET • Historic Jackson Square • 8AM • 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. Visit marketsquarefarmersmarket.org. • FREE ARTS AND ANTIQUES IN JACKSON SQUARE • Historic Jackson Square • 9AM • For more info visit jacksonsquareoakridge.org. • FREE Sunday, Sept. 25 OLD GRAY CEMETERY LANTERN AND CARRIAGE TOUR • Old Gray Cemetery • 4PM • Scattered throughout Old Gray Cemetery and downtown Knoxville are some landmarks so distinctive that they remain notable to Knoxvillians, even if the stories and people behind them have largely faded from collective memory. Please join us for an afternoon/evening of food, fun, carriage rides, and stories of familiar landmarks. • $10 GOOD SPORTS NIGHT • Central Collective • 6PM • Here’s the deal. You purchase a ticket to a mystery event. Show up to The Central Collective at the specified date and time, and be ready for anything. Visit thecentralcollective.com. • $16 BIRDHOUSE SUNDAY DINNER POTLUCK AND PRESENTATION • The Birdhouse • 6PM • 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. Sunday dinner is always free and open to the public. Please bring a dish to share—but if you are for some reason unable to contribute food, please just bring yourself, and share in our feast. Children are especially welcome here. • FREE

historic buildings, including one of the South’s oldest libraries on fresh local dishes and classic British favorites for antiques, art, and crafts from Appalachian artisans trails that lead into a national park and state natural area In vintage accommodations dating back to the 1880s in one of the most stunningly beautiful places in Tennessee

75 minutes from Knoxville. For special events and offers visit our website or Facebook

Tuesday, Sept. 27 EBENEZER ROAD FARMERS MARKET • Ebenezer United Methodist Church • 3PM • FREE Wednesday, Sept. 28 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. Visit marketsquarefarmersmarket.org. • FREE OAK RIDGE FARMERS MARKET • Historic Jackson Square • 3PM • FREE UT FARMERS MARKET • University of Tennessee • 4PM • 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

Send your events to calendar@knoxmercury.com

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September 22, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 33

OUTDOORS

Voice in the Wilder ness

Photos by Kim Trevathan

The Mini AT Travis Hall maps a “Smoke Ring” on the edges of the GSMNP

BY KIM TREVATHAN

“I

t won’t rain on me,” said Travis “Shepherd” Hall, the long-distance hiker who was descending the Smokies’ Chestnut Top Trail with me last Friday afternoon.

Hall, who hiked the Appalachian Trail in 2000 (north to south), has made this same claim to fellow hikers who were worried about the weather.

When he left a shelter, he says, they would watch in amazement as the rain stopped. Just now, as I followed Hall

34

KNOXVILLE MERCURY September 22, 2016

closely, I heard drops but did not feel them. Maybe he was onto something.

The Smoke Ring Trail (SRT) is Hall’s brainchild, an idea he began to develop seven years ago, to map a route that goes around the perimeter of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Hall, a hair stylist in high demand who works out of Hairpeace in Knoxville, didn’t get a chance to do the 260-mile long trek until last April.

He started on Chestnut Top on April 2, and on April 23 he descended Roundtop Trail and waded across the Little River, his finish line, to complete the circle.

The SRT uses parts of 51 official park trails and a couple of stretches of roads. Hall recommends the park’s $1 trail map for hikers to make sure they turn the right way at trail junctures.

Many people want to hike the AT but can’t get away for six months, he says. The SRT gives you the same biodiversity, scenery, and immersive trail magic as the AT (minus moose and martens) but you can do it in three weeks, and there are multiple access points where you can see loved ones or go into town or quit, if you have to.

Hall calls it the “mini AT.” Towns such as Fontana Village, Bryson City, Cherokee, and Gatlinburg are in close proximity to Hall’s route, and there are many other access points near campgrounds such as Abrams Creek in Blount County and Deep Creek near Bryson City.

Even though the trail skirts the borders of the park, Hall maintains that the SRT counters the misconception that the GSMNP as a whole is crowded. On his hike in April he saw only one other camper in the backcountry tent sites.

At the same time, because of the access points, he was able to see his daughter, Bronwen, four times in the three-week trek.

When I ask Hall, 48, about unusual or odd things he’d seen on the SRT, the AT, or any of the 900 miles he’d hiked in the Smokies, he says that every day on the trail is “strange and wonderful.”

“A lot of young guys think trail magic is a beer by the road,” he says.

For him, it’s about “being present in the moment and following your heart…. You don’t have a watch and you’re not on a schedule, whenever you encounter something, there’s a strange sense of ‘meant to be’ about what happens.”

Being in the moment, he says, is “focusing about where your next step will be, but not thinking about it….you think you’ve been hiking two hours,

but it’s been 15.”

On the AT, he learned from well-known hikers such as the Nimblewill Nomad, a 60-plus-year-old sage with long white beard and hair, who did 30-mile days. “I felt like he slowed his pace so I could stay with him,” he says.

He also met the barefoot thru-hikers, Lucy and Susan Letcher, sisters from Maine who wrote The Barefoot Sisters Southbound. They let him feel their feet.

On our short hike, he was truly making long-distance hiking sound transcendent and spiritual, the best kind of adventure on which to embark.

At our resting point at the top of the ridge, he put his arms around a chestnut oak that he called “Ninnie’s tree.” When his grandmother died, he hiked up here, he says, “to think.” On that day he leaned up against this tree and had a good cry, and he felt his grandmother’s comforting presence.

Instead of visiting her grave, he comes up to the chestnut oak that he named for her.

When Hall first got out of his car at the Wye parking lot near the trailhead, I wasn’t so sure about him.

Instead of the trekking poles that hard-core hikers always seem to have, he had two old wooden sticks. One of them looked like a shepherd’s staff and the other like a broomstick.

And that’s exactly what they were.

A gift from someone’s garage 25 years ago, the shepherd’s crook, as he calls it, earned him his trail name: Shepherd. He was relieved that some wisecracker didn’t name him Little Bo Peep. On the AT he bought the broomstick in Pennsylvania to “match” the staff.

These two low-tech sticks assist him in various ways. Hooking the crook of the staff around a tree, he demonstrated how he could use it to pull himself up a steep incline. He says the staff could be used as a weapon. He showed me how the different lengths of the sticks could be easily adjusted to slanting terrain.

Sitting on a log near Ninnie’s tree, we had climbed about 1,200 feet.

Stung by a bee on my Achilles tendon, my shirt and pants saturated with

OUTDOORS

sweat, I hadn’t quite caught onto the trail magic, but I knew it would take time, definitely more than two miles.

Travis said just a bit farther on, on the left, a gathering of pink lady slippers bloomed in the spring. He described watching the emergence of spring on his Smoke Ring hike in April, how ascent and descent revealed wonders such as a tunnel of blooming laurels (not far from where we were) or a colorful splatter of bluets or trillium or Dutchmen’s britches, “a different world three times a day.”

On the loop, hikers will travel through along the Boogerman Trail, a segment of the Smokies with rare old-growth forest. They are likely to see Elk in the Little Cataloochee or Oconoluftee areas. Hikers with expansive budgets could stay at luxury resorts like Blackberry Farm or The Swag, which border the SRT. What stops people from long-distance hiking, Travis says, is fear of the unknown, of being out in the woods overnight. He’s felt it, too, that fear that every sound you hear in the night woods is a bear or a person.

But after a couple of weeks on the AT, he says, he’d get a ride into town

and become frightened about the car’s velocity. He’d feel the stress in the traffic around him.

“After a while, you realized that being up here is a lot safer than, say, Alcoa Highway,” he says.

Hall, who has a Facebook page for the trail, would love to make a map of the Smoke Ring Trail and to have some patches made similar to the ones hikers get for thru-hiking the AT. His “ultimate dream,” he says, would be for the “National Park Service to recognize the trail and that a thru-hiker fee (limited number of passes per season) might go toward helping to maintain the park’s backcountry trails.”

The Travel Channel did a “roam” blog on Hall that contained an interview, but he’s not so much interested in recognition. He wants people to enjoy the Smokies in a new way, going clockwise or counterclockwise around the perimeter of the park on backcountry trails that are uncrowded and full of trail magic. ◆ A writing instructor at Maryville College, Kim Trevathan is the author of Paddling the Tennessee River: A Voyage on East Water and Coldhearted River: A Canoe Odyssey Down the Cumberland.

September 22, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 35

’BYE

At This Point

Climate Change Look for the helpers

BY STEPHANIE PIPER

I

’m trying to recall what civility feels like. Remember civility, that quaint notion of public and private discourse characterized by mutual respect and an absence of screaming and name-calling? Mostly, it feels like a distant memory.

I’m also trying to recall a period when the lead story on every news outlet wasn’t about war, or rumors of war, or another mass shooting or the latest vitriol-spewing politician.

There is ample evidence to suggest that these are not the worst of times. I came of age during the Vietnam War, an era that ripped the country apart. My parents lived through the Great Depression and World War II and had the first-person narratives to prove it. History reminds us that violent discord is nothing new.

In 1856, a dispute over slavery prompted a cane-wielding Preston Brooks of South Carolina to go after Charles Sumner of Massachusetts on the floor of the U.S. Senate. The Broadway hit Hamilton chronicles the life of the first Secretary of the Treasury, killed in an 1804 duel by the sitting Vice President, Aaron Burr.

The fact that strife goes way back

seems like cold comfort in today’s 24-hour news cycle. A click of the remote or a swipe of the phone calls up a new catalog of horrors, a fresh supply of tweets to ignite rage and division. I alternate between vowing to turn it all off and muttering unprintable words at the screen.

And then I wonder what an ordinary person living an unremarkable life could do to change a climate of negativity and fear.

Mr. Rogers, a prophet in a cardigan sweater and sneakers, often quoted his mother. Faced with scenes of violence and destruction, she offered this advice: Look for the helpers.

I thought of this while watching coverage of the Sept. 11 anniversary.

From the first responders charging up the stairs of the towers to the stranger offering an arm to a stumbling office worker, the helpers were the only visible agents of hope.

I saw it again in a recent news story about a rescue group in Syria, volunteers who comb the ruins of bombed buildings for survivors.

Whatever their political affiliations, they put them aside to save the lives of other human beings.

A click of the remote or a swipe of the phone calls up a new catalog of horrors, a fresh supply of tweets to ignite rage and division.

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KNOXVILLE MERCURY September 22, 2016

Closer to home was a story about two nuns, brutally murdered last month in their home in rural Mississippi. They worked in a medical clinic nearby, providing the only health care available to the poor of the area. As I watched the news coverage and listened to interviews with clinic patients who described the sisters’ unfailing compassion, I struggled to understand why these helpers were struck down in the midst of their vitally important work.

The only answer that surfaced was a question that repeated itself in my mind: What am I doing right now to foster peace, civility, hope?

I thought about making a donation to the clinic, about supporting the rural poor in my own county. These are good ideas, as far as they go. It is unlikely that I will become a medical missionary or a social worker at this

BY IAN BLACKBURN AND JACK NEELY

point in my life.

But I also thought about smaller, less apparent ways of cultivating peace. I thought about judgment and its power to limit generosity of spirit. I thought about silence, and how it nurtures clarity of thought and action.

I reflected on the vast universe of things I don’t know, and how I might give people the benefit of the doubt. I considered the cumulative effect of saying the word that lifts up rather than the word that casts down.

I thought about the scenes of chaos that confront us on the news every day, and about looking for the helpers.

It gives me hope when I see one.

Someday, I would like to be one. ◆ Stephanie Piper’s At This Point examines the mystery, absurdity, and persistent beauty of daily life. She has been a newspaper reporter, editor, and award-winning columnist for more than 30 years.

SOMETIMES DISCOVERY STARTS WITH A PATH. Right outside of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, is your own o u t d o o r a m u s e m e n t p a r k . We o ffe r m i l e s o f g re e nw a y s p a c e s t o unwind and enjoy everything the outdoors has to offer. From stream side trails, wilddower elds, forests, waterways and open spaces; all loc located within just a few minutes of quaint neighborhoods and downtown.

Walk , run or c ycle, the options are endless in the Peaceful Side of the Smokies. You’ll discover that you’re going to need a longer stay.

Lantern and Carriage Tour — Old Gray Cemetery —

Building a legacy with Dave Ramsey

543 North Broadway, Knoxville, TN Sunday, September 25, 2016 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM

Friday October 14, 2016 at 6:30 pm

“Landmarks of the Cemetery and the City”

— Rain or Shine —

(A Benefit For Historic Ramsey House) The Foundry

747 Worlds Fair Park Drive

Doors open at 6:30 for “Meet & Greet” | Silent Auction Items Dinner and Dancing 7pm-10pm Mr. Ramsey will be speaking on “Building a Legacy.” He is the nationally known expert on how to take control of your finances and stay debt free.

The guest emcee will be Sam Venable, Knoxville’s very own advisor on anything and everything.

Peruse the Silent Auction and bid on that special item from one of our quality area merchants. After dinner the big band sound of the Streamliners will provide music from the 40’s and early 50’s with sounds of Count Basie and Duke Ellington, for your dancing or listening pleasure. *There will be a prize for the best dressed 40’s attire. (40’s attire encouraged but not required)

Adults: $10 Students: $5 Carriage Ride: $5 Information: (865) 522-1424 www.OldGrayCemetery.org Sponsored By: East TN Public Television, and WUOT.

Tickets for the benefit are $100 per person.

For more information or reservations please call 865-546-0745 or email judy@ramseyhouse.org Historic Ramsey House 2614 Thorngrove Pike, Knoxville, TN 37914 www.ramseyhouse.org

September 22, 2016

KNOXVILLE MERCURY 37

’BYE

Spir it of the Staircase

BY MATTHEW FOLTZ-GRAY

38

KNOXVILLE MERCURY September 22, 2016

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COMMUNITY

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He’s a loving 3 year old Tabby mix. Visit YoungWilliams Animal Center / call 865-215-6599 for more information.

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KNOXVILLE MERCURY 39