LET’S ROLL UP OUR SLEEVES AND GET TO WORK
NOVEMBER 3, 2016 KNOXMERCURY.COM V.
2 / N.43
10
women who make a
difference
Their names may not be well known (yet), but they’re creating a better Knoxville
NEWS
18th & 89th District GOP Candidates Expect to be Back in Nashville
JACK NEELY
Two Endangered Musical Landmarks—and a Third That May Yet Have Hope
OUTDOORS
Rover Retreats: One Canine’s Guide to KnoxArea Dog Parks
GEORGE DODDS
UT’s Perplexing Pursuit of a ‘Collegiate Gothic’ Campus
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KNOXVILLE MERCURY November 3, 2016
Nov. 3, 2016 Volume 02 / Issue 43 knoxmercury.com
CONTENTS
“If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman.” —Margaret Thatcher
14 1 0 Women Who Make a Difference COVER STORY
You may not have heard their names very often, but you have surely seen the effects of their accomplishments. These are women whose hands-on work in the trenches has improved the quality of life in Knoxville, making our city more livable for people of all backgrounds. Their efforts have made Knoxville a true community, richer in opportunity, beauty, and spirit. So if you don’t know who they are already, let us introduce you to them now.
NEWS
12 Elections:
Districts 18 & 89
Two incumbent Knox County Republican legislators are confident heading into the final days of the 2016 election season, but both are stealing glances over their shoulders—and planning their next moves in the General Assembly should they be reelected to their House seats. Thomas Fraser talks with the candidates (well, three out of four).
13 SoKno Rising
With a couple of big project announcements, and several smaller business openings, South Knoxville is experiencing an Urban Wilderness renewal. The decrepit South Knox High building has a new owner, as does the former Sevier Heights Baptist Church campus. What are their plans? Thomas Fraser finds out.
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DEPARTMENTS
OPINION
A&E
4 Letters to the Editor 6 Howdy
8 Scruffy Citizen
23 Program Notes: Keep Knoxville
Start Here: Dumpster Dive, Public Affairs, and PechaKucha Knoxville—each week, we run a slide from an interesting local presentation.
Jack Neely follows up his report on the WNOX Auditorium, along with a couple of other music-history landmarks.
10 Architecture Matters
George Dodds tries to understand the University of Tennessee’s urge to recreate a “collegiate Gothic” architecture heritage it never really had.
44 ’Bye
Finish There: Restless Native by Chris Wohlwend. Plus Crooked Street Crossword by Ian Blackburn and Jack Neely and Spirit of the Staircase by Matthew Foltz-Gray
.
CALENDAR Beautiful tries to restore another Old City mural.
24 Shelf Life: Chris Barrett highlights
some new additions to the Knox County Public Library’s A/V shelves.
25 Classical Music: Alan Sherrod
reviews KSO’s Chamber Classics performance of “The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires.”
29 Spotlights: Some fellow named
Bob Dylan, plus Young Thug and the Scruffy City Comedy Festival.
OUTDOORS
42 Outside Insider
Kim Trevathan gets a dog’s eye view of six Knoxville-area dog parks.
26 Movies: Lee Gardner finds neither rock nor roll in Jim Jarmusch’s disappointing Stooges doc, Gimme Danger.
27 Books: J. Burrows delves into The Fall of Heaven: The Pahlavis and the Final Days of Imperial Iran.
November 3, 2016
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 3
LETTERS Delivering Fine Journalism Since 2015
VOTING FOR PEOPLE WE’VE NEVER MET
I left the voting booth a couple hours ago having voted for presidents, congressmen both national and state, and local officials. I also voted to allow selling wine in food stores in town. I know why I voted for the ones I chose, with the exception of two, and I voted against some specifically because I know them. Did you vote for someone on principle, knowing full well they had no chance but you couldn’t bring yourself to select from those who seemingly did? I did, even though friends told me that a vote for principle is a vote for “the other guy,” a wasted vote. If “the other guy” wins, disaster is surely upon us, and it’s all my fault. I’m comfortable with that. I voted for the national incumbent of a party I detest. I like him. We don’t always agree but sometimes we do, and when he votes “my way,” he doesn’t give a damn what his party wants, he votes his conscience. So, when he votes his conscience and we don’t agree, I have to give him that option. I didn’t know his opponent, of a party I detest less than his. But I don’t vote for a party label. That ticks off my friends. In that regard, the incumbent and I are alike. I voted for three guys who had no opposition. I know that one of them is the laughing stock in his party. He never shows for a vote. He’s too busy with his law practice. Yet no one mounted a campaign against him. What does it matter? How many did you vote for today because they were first alphabetically, even though you didn’t know them? Or because they had an ad that caught your eye and the message resonated with you, and though the facts could have changed your mind, you didn’t have them—and you didn’t care. Besides, it was too late—you’re in the booth and a decision must be made. Either way, you put the “I Voted” sticker on your chest and walked proudly out of the building. I was lucky this time. I actually knew the people, what the incumbents had done to justify their return, or not. I knew the idiot who ran on one issue 4
KNOXVILLE MERCURY November 3, 2016
EDITORIAL
that was clearly inflammatory on the surface but much ado about nothing in reality. I fear the person’s victory because voters were swayed by words, not substance. I chuckled to myself thinking about that. It’s not the first time citizens have voted for the wrong candidate out of ignorance. It won’t be the last. I voted for wine in food stores and now I understand why I did.
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
Joseph Malgeri Bean Station
WHAT WE’VE GOT
I am proud that Knoxville holds three significant examples of Western theater architecture. Two designs are based on a perspective tradition dating back 500 years. The Bijou is a restored 19th century commercial road house with a hemp fly system, and an absolutely wonderful “portrait” proscenium arch; its auditorium, a modified horseshoe with side-boxes. Other examples similar to ours are the Ford Theatre in Washington, D.C. and the Washington Hall Theatre at Notre Dame. The colorful Tennessee Theatre, an early 20th century movie palace, blends old and new with its arched proscenium and curved balcony. A similar remaining example is the Fox in Atlanta. Ours now has an enlarged stage house that allows Broadway roadshow productions. The third example is completely different, at once contemporary and ancient. The WNOX Auditorium is a 20th century reflection of a 2,400-yearold classic, a community center used by Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides— the Theatre of Dionysus. [“The Modern Marvel at Whittle Springs,” Scruffy Citizen by Jack Neely, Oct. 20, 2016]. I am not sure how proud I will be if the WNOX Auditorium is erased from the checklist of global theater structures, and from Knoxville’s historic music history. Like Joni Mitchell said, “You don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone.” David J. Weber Knoxville
BRING ON THE SEXY WITH OUR KNOXVILLE MERCURY T-SHIRT
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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
Chris Barrett Ian Blackburn Brian Canever Patrice Cole Eric Dawson George Dodds Thomas Fraser Lee Gardner Mike Gibson Nick Huinker Donna Johnson Tracy Jones
Catherine Landis Dennis Perkins Stephanie Piper Ryan Reed Eleanor Scott Alan Sherrod April Snellings Joe Sullivan Kim Trevathan Chris Wohlwend Angie Vicars Carol Z. Shane
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
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
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November 3, 2016
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 5
HOWDY DUMPSTER highlights DIVE Weekly from our blog Read more at knoxmercury.com/blog GLORIA JOHNSON VS. ‘CREEPY CLOWNS’ The Democratic candidate for the District 13 House seat went after incumbent GOP Rep. Eddie Smith, saying bizarre mailings targeting her—which include references to the recent pulpy rumors that evil clowns lurk among us—are over the top and dishonest. Johnson condemned both TV spots and the mailer, which morphs Johnson’s face into one of the purported “creepy clowns” and alleges a “radical agenda.”
Photo by Jote Khalsa
PECHA KUCHA NIGHT KNOXVILLE A SHERPA FOR YOUR BIRTH | Barbara Steppe | Presented Feb. 11, 2016 In this presentation, Barbara Steppe explores the world’s oldest profession! Not that one...the other oldest profession—helping women to birth their babies. And that is a doula: a woman who provides emotional and physical support to a mother in her childbearing year. FreeSpirit Birth is the name of her doula practice and her intention is to awaken her community—one with a less than desirable set of birth statistics—to a very simple, tried & true way to improve birth outcomes and emotional satisfaction. | Watch the 6-minute presentation at pechakucha.org/cities/knoxville
PUBLIC AFFAIRS
11/3 2016 PRESERVATION AWARDS THURSDAY
5 p.m., Bijou Theatre (803 S Gay St.). Free. Knox Heritage is saluting the people and places who’ve achieved significant historic preservation work in Knoxville this past year. The award ceremony’s celebrity guest and speaker is Jeff Devlin, host of DIY Network’s Stone House Revival. Reception starts at 5 p.m., awards at 6 p.m. RSVP: rsvp@knoxheritage.org or 865-523-8008.
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KNOXVILLE MERCURY November 3, 2016
11/4 BOOK SIGNING: SPIRIT OF THE STAIRCASE FRIDAY
Signing: 2-4 p.m., Union Ave Books (517 Union Ave.); Party: 5 p.m-7 p.m., Suttree’s High Gravity Tavern (411 S Gay St.). Free. Now’s your chance to meet the artist behind our very own Spirit of the Staircase comic strip, Matthew Foltz-Gray. He’s celebrating the release of his first book, Tap Water and Tuna Party, a collection of strips from the Mercury. Could this reclusive genius be just like his main character—coincidentally named “Matt”? Hmmmm.
11/5 FUNDRAISER: ARTSCLAMATION! SATURDAY
9 a.m.-5 p.m., Lighthouse Knoxville (6800 Baum Dr.). Free. This 15th annual art sale benefits the behavioral health programs and services at Covenant Health’s Peninsula Hospital. More than 30 local and regional artists have donated works in a variety of media, including oil, watercolor, pastel, and acrylics, as well as photography. Funds raised will go toward constructing an outside activity therapy area for acute patients with mental disorders and dependencies.
LIVE NATION BUYS INTO AC ENTERTAINMENT Concert behemoth Live Nation Entertainment has bought a majority interest in local promoter AC Entertainment. The deal will give Live Nation a bigger presence in the Southeast and “will foster growth opportunities” for AC Entertainment. Live Nation had already acquired a majority stake in Bonnaroo, one of AC’s premier events, in 2015. OLD KNOXVILLE HIGH RENOVATION Its progress may appear to be slow, but a Dover Development Corporation spokesperson says the company remains on track to refurbish the old Knoxville High School building on East 5th Avenue despite taking on a massive $8.8 million project in the decrepit South High. Dover Development is also in the midst of a $20 million effort to transform the old Farragut Hotel downtown.
11/6 SEMINAR: ‘CONVERSATIONS ON RACE’ SUNDAY
5:45-7 p.m., Church Street United Methodist Church (900 Henley St.). Free. This is the first discussion in a two-part series on race relations. It features keynote speaker the Rev. Michelle Ledder, director of programs ministry for the United Methodist Church’s General Commission on Religion and Race, in Washington, D.C. The second discussion will be Nov. 13, featuring a panel discussion with Avice Reid, Andre Canty, and the Rev. Janet Wolf. Info: 865-524-3048.
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KNOXVILLE MERCURY 7
SCRUFFY CITIZEN
Musical Landmarks, Almost Two rapidly vanishing former venues, and a third that has better prospects BY JACK NEELY
A
couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the the old WNOX auditorium’s awkward fix. The state-of-the-art 1955 broadcasting and recording landmark at Whittle Springs never found its rhythm, and closed after only a few years. In recent decades, a couple of earnest attempts to revive the unique modernist facility with its large auditorium have proven disappointing. A stop-work order, which paused a real-estate dealer’s demolition project—nothing has been announced for the property, which is for sale—has preserved it in the early stages of demolition. But only for a few more weeks. In my column I mentioned that the demolishers should do their demolishing carefully, because the building contains a cornerstone with a time capsule. I ran across a 1955 newspaper article describing it. But I should have checked with Bradley Reeves, founder of the Tennessee Archive of Moving Image and Sound, who knows about such things. Bradley says the time capsule was liberated some years ago, probably in the ’80s, when the building was owned by someone in Kentucky. A witness, dead now, expressed disappointment in the contents. But what can you expect? A time capsule that’s just 30 or 40 years old is unlikely to be nearly as interesting to you and me as it would be to people who find it after we’re dead. Time capsules are not intended for the people who remember the time they encapsulate. Meanwhile, Bradley says, despite
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KNOXVILLE MERCURY November 3, 2016
visits from Chet Atkins and other attempts to honor the building’s cultural heritage, it wound up in the hands of an owner who just wanted to clear it out, and rented a Dumpster and hired some people to sweep out tons of records from one of country music’s most influential radio stations. Bradley says the cornerstone, which had a historical inscription on it, was still on the premises for some years after it was looted. It was dislodged from the wall, but too heavy to move easily. Bradley tried to obtain it for the East Tennessee Historical Society, but was told by the then-owner that she was going to use it in a museum. People like to talk about starting museums, but generally don’t do it. Bradley says she died not long after that, and the cornerstone vanished. He doesn’t know what happened to it. There are some morals to this story. If you have something rare and unusual of historical interest, don’t wait. Donate it to the East Tennessee Historical Society. They’ll take care of it, make sense of it, perhaps someday display it, and credit you forever. If you keep it, mathematical probability suggests that it will eventually wind up in the hands of someone who doesn’t care about it. They’ll be annoyed that you saved it, and they will call Junk Bee Gone.
Last month I was riding the free Cumberland Avenue bus when I realized that, while we weren’t
looking, Knoxville lost another live-music landmark, semi-legendary to another demographic group. It would be hard to make a case to save the concrete shell at 1820 Cumberland Ave. It had been radically remodeled over the years. Not long ago it was called Bar Knoxville. But it was once a counterculture place called Alice’s Restaurant, known in the ‘70s for live music. John Prine was there once. Later, the same building very efficiently housed three different businesses, cheek to jowl, each so different from each other they could have been in different countries. The Pickle-U Pub was the Strip’s beer joint, a crowded, smoky place, a little rougher-edged than even the Longbranch Saloon; perhaps vaguely aware of a university nearby, its clientele, overwhelmingly male, were mostly skinny unshaven tough guys who came out weekends hoping to witness a good fight. In the other half was Discount Records, a basic brightly lit record store that offered some good deals. Upstairs of all that, though, was an attic nightclub called Bundulee’s, accessible by a narrow staircase in the back of Pickle-U. About 35 years ago, Bundulee’s was the place to find punk rock in Knoxville, mostly local bands like Koro, Turbine 44, and the Five Twins, but also some traveling ones touted in the alternative-music press. Overenthusiastic pogoing had dented its sloped ceilings with cranium-shaped holes, Later buildings that housed businesses called Gabby’s and Bonkers and Rumorz looked so different that I’m not sure much of the old building was left. It’s thoroughly gone now.
A few folks have responded to my column about the uncelebrated rock ’n’ roll heritage of the Jacob Building at Chilhowee Park. In the ’50s, it was East Tennessee’s best venue for rock, performed almost exclusively by black bands. A Nashvillian, Del Truitt, who was attending UT in the early ’60s, remembers it was still going on then, when Ike and Tina Turner and the very young Marvin Gaye were performing there. Ike and Tina performed there at least twice, once in 1961, when they appeared on a bill with the Drifters and Chuck Berry, and again the following year. He recalls the segregated program. For predominantly black shows, blacks got the dance floor, and whites were allowed only in the mezzanine, as spectators. He remembers one ugly incident when during intermission somebody in the white section, occupied by about 50, lobbed a glass whiskey bottle into the black dance floor. “That caused some very tense minutes,” he recalls. To their credit, perhaps, the police cleared out the white section. The Jacob Building is due some homage as a live-music venue. Since its construction in the early ’40s, replacing a similar but fancier exposition building that had burned down, an amazing array of performers played there, from Louis Armstrong to Big Mama Thornton to Tommy Dorsey to Little Richard to Buddy Rich to Bo Diddley to James Brown. It may not have the best acoustics or the adjacency of dinner places that downtown does, but it has a swing, R&B, and rock ’n’ roll heritage unlike any other building in East Tennessee, featuring the music of two races in an era when the races were expected to stay apart. ◆
If you keep it, mathematical probability suggests that it will eventually wind up in the hands of someone who doesn’t care about it. They’ll be annoyed that you saved it, and they will call Junk Bee Gone.
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KNOXVILLE MERCURY 9
ARCHITECTURE MATTERS
The Post-Fact Age Collegiate Gothic at UT today: When the legend becomes fact, print the legend BY GEORGE DODDS
A
rchitectural criticism is a relatively recent invention; we have the Victorian John Ruskin to thank for it, who, as its paterfamilias, tended to funnel his sexual energies towards architraves, frescos, and other art forms rather than his wife, Effie. As it turned out, Ruskin had a lot of untapped energy throughout a long and productive life. One can find all 38 weighty volumes of it in his collected writings in the University of Tennessee’s John C. Hodges Library. Ruskin wrote lengthy essays, many in support of Gothic Revival architecture, well before photography or engravings became commonplace in architectural commentaries. Hence, his readership was accustomed to disquisitions detailing every nuance of
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KNOXVILLE MERCURY November 3, 2016
appearance, quality, and materiality. In the United States, Louis Mumford was the first well-known architectural critic to publish regularly in a national magazine: for three decades, in The New Yorker, beginning in the 1930s. But it wasn’t until 1963 that the first major newspaper hired a critic to focus solely on architecture. The paper was The New York Times; the critic, Ada Louise Huxtable. Few need to be told that the world has become vastly more complex since Ruskin’s time, and the publishing world far more atomized since Huxtable retired from the Times. What is less well known is that the average 21st-century American uses a much smaller vocabulary than did the literate Victorian to describe his/her
world. (We use fewer than 0.1 percent of the words available to us in standard English.) Such a paucity of descriptors inevitably leads to a loss of subtlety. Then there is the nettlesome problem of facts. They no longer seem to have the relevance they once enjoyed. The 2016 national election seems to have ushered in, with gigabit speed, something the news media often refers to as “the post-fact era,” in which one’s veracity matters less than whether what one says resonates with the preconceived notions of one’s target audience. In the era of the post-factual, what does it mean, then, when the state’s flagship university adopts a much publicized and unyielding adherence to building in a particular manner—one that seems to have little or no relation to the architectural style the administration insists on assigning to it?
COLLEGIATE GOTHICITY
Since he arrived in early 2009 from the University of Florida, Chancellor Jimmy Cheek has worked vigorously on several fronts to improve both the substance and the image of the state’s flagship campus. Some of his most laudable achievements are the least visible: improving the university’s status as a research institution, increasing student retention rates, and many more. Chief among his more visible and enduring changes was the requirement that new construction on the UTK campus be designed in what the university officially refers to in press releases and in virtually all meetings in which
building design is adjudicated as the “collegiate Gothic” style. On Oct. 27, the university issued a “call for qualification,” to architects for a $130,000,000 engineering complex planned to abut The Hill, in which they specify: “The Project’s exterior will have a Collegiate Gothic architectural style that reflects the traditional architectural context at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.” Making sense out of the current “design culture” on the UT campus would be easier if what the university has been aspiring to is not so much collegiate Gothic but rather collegiate Gothicity. (Yes, it’s a word.) The new brick and stone-trimmed buildings are intended to evoke a sense of the Gothic spirit within a modern paradigm, built in a manner that clearly demonstrates through its character, space, and detailing that this is a building of the 21st century. But they are not; nor is this the university’s intention. There are a few exemplars of this complex practice within a 600-mile radius of Knoxville. Among them are the addition/renovation to Princeton University’s former Frick Chemistry Lab by Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg (KPMB) Architects, Toronto, and the Mathematics and Science Complex on the campus of Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio. Kenyon College is home to what is purported to be the first collegiate Gothic building in the United States. Capriccio of Ayres Hall as Setting For One of Queen Elizabeth I’s Summer Progresses. Photomontage: Lindsay Clark and George Dodds, 2016.
“Old Kenyon” was completed about the same time (1829) as East Tennessee College’s Old College Hall, a full century before it was demolished to clear the way for UT’s Ayres Hall. Without resorting to mimicking Gothic forms or attempting vague evocations of an architecture of past-ness common to most of what has been built on the UT campus of late, Kenyon’s Mathematics and Science Complex, by the Boston-based firm, The Gund Partnership, establishes a difficult balance between innovative space-making and rethinking the college’s long tradition of collegiate Gothic architecture in a wholly new idiom. The result is a transformative architecture that is neither historicist, nor modernist, but something that oscillates between these polarities. Also on the Kenyon campus, also designed by Gund Partnership, is Gund Gallery, located in the college’s historic center. Clad in locally quarried stone, it is perhaps the most articulate and well-informed rethinking of collegiate Gothic spirit within a modern idiom yet to be realized. It is everything one could hope for in a major building on such a storied campus, with fine landscape architecture and equally outstanding building stock. The Gund Gallery is restive and subtle where necessary, bright and engaging when required. There are moments of high contrast and others of still and calm. It engages, challenges, and yet works within the fabric and topography of the Kenyon campus to demonstrate that it is part of the body politic rather than standing apart from it. There are many who wish one could say the same of what has been happening on the UT campus for much of the past decade, where Ayres Hall is considered the wellspring of all things collegiate Gothic, at least
Above: 20 Washington Road Renovation (former Frick Chemistry Lab), Princeton University, Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects, Toronto (2016). Image courtesy KPMB Architects. Right: Gund Gallery, Kenyon College, Gambier, Ohio, Gund Partnership, Boston, MA (2011). Image courtesy Gund Partnership. for the current administration.
STYLE, NOT SINCERITY
In Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Ernest, as things unravel for its protagonist in the final act, Gwendolen blithely comments: “In matters of grave importance, style, not sincerity, is the vital thing.” This point of view goes far in explaining the state of things architectural on much of the UT campus. And while drawing precise distinctions between Gothic and Elizabethan styles of architecture may seem of little moment, and matters of stylistic discernment are not always so black and white, it is the university’s Knoxville administration that has made the matter such a “vital thing” worthy of some precision, particularly as regards Ayres Hall. For some time, Ayres has been referred to as collegiate Gothic, not just by the campus administration but by architectural colleagues as well. Yet letters between its architects, Miller, Fullenwider and Dowling, of Chicago, and President Brown Ayres (1856–1919) document—and its form, details, and character demonstrate— that Ayres is a conscious work of Elizabethan Revival architecture. (This was fully fleshed out by Justin Dothard, a recent graduate from the School of Architecture’s graduate program, in his excellent thesis, About Face: The Coming of Ayres Hall at the University of Tennessee, 2016). Elizabethan architecture was to England and the court of Elizabeth I what Renaissance architecture was to the Medicis of Florence and the popes
of 16th-century Rome. Unlike its Gothic precursor, Elizabethan architecture (and its revival) is less richly detailed, is fenestrated with larger and more regular openings, governed by an overall symmetry, and demonstrates a clear preference for flat arches over pointed. Hence, conflating Gothic and Elizabethan is be a bit like confusing Kennedy’s “New Frontier” for Lyndon Johnson’s “Great Society”— they are related by party, and the latter maintains some elements of the former, but one was intended to replace the other, to signal change. Miller, Fullenwider and Dowling recommended Elizabethan Revival to Ayres, in no small part because it was not as flamboyant, expensive, or as elitist, as collegiate Gothic—all of which were politically problematic for a Tennessee electorate that, in the early 20th century, much like today, was highly critical of the need for a new building at all. For the most part, much of what has been built in its name during the current UT administration is brick, bland, and relatively inoffensive. In defense of those tasked with their design, while their client specifies its narrow taste in style, it has yet to produce a coherent set of design guidelines. Rather, it simply sends architects to a Pinterest webpage housing a collection of architectural details from the campus, many of which are far more Elizabethan than collegiate Gothic. In some cases, such as the recent Fred Brown Hall dormitory, it could have worked successfully had it been
sited as what urban designers call a “background building”—intended to be unassuming so as to permit the surrounding space, or perhaps a nearby building, to take prominence. Unfortunately, on the UT campus, buildings that would do far better in the background, such as Brown or the Stokely Family Residence Hall (still under construction), are situated in foreground locations. Why do the new bland brick buildings on the UT main campus have a markedly different character than the more forward-looking recent works on the Agriculture Institute’s West Campus, which differ substantially from the far more forward-looking recently completed Joint Institute for Advanced Materials (BarberMcMurry Architects) building on the UT Cherokee Farm Innovation Campus? Why are those campuses not handicapped by the same unsated desire to resuscitate the image of a past that, at least on the main UT campus, never existed? To the casual observer these may seem three profoundly different places, with completely different value systems. Yet they are all part of the University of Tennessee’s presence in Knoxville. Why the apparently conflicting representations of attitudes to contemporary technologies and design practices within what one would assume to be the same body politic? These seem questions worth exploring. ◆ George Dodds is the Alvin and Sally Beaman Professor of Architecture at the University of Tennessee. Architecture Matters explores issues concerning the human-made environment in Knoxville and its environs. November 3, 2016
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 11
Elections: 18th & 89th Districts GOP reps face Democratic challengers, yet already looking ahead to January BY THOMAS FRASER
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wo incumbent Knox County Republican legislators are confident heading into the final days of the 2016 election season, but both are stealing glances over their shoulders—and planning their next moves in the General Assembly should they be reelected to their House seats. Early voters, who are typically Democrats, have cast ballots in droves, propelled in part by the presidential election. (About 101,270 Knox County voters had cast early ballots as of Monday evening; the Election Commission also received 4,745 absentee ballots. There are 293,340 registered voters in Knox County.) That heartens at least one Democratic candidate. But District 18 Rep. Martin Daniel and District 89 Rep. Roger Kane, based on their campaign funds and the voting histories and demographics of their districts, expect little trouble securing wins on Nov. 8. Daniel is challenged by Democrat Brandi Price; Kane faces Heather Hensley. Daniel topped challengers Steve Hall and James Corcoran in a bruising GOP primary that peaked with Hall filing assault charges against Daniel after a fracas broadcast live on WOKI during the popular Hallerin Hilton Hill Show. Daniel says he has a court date Nov. 9—the day after the election—but doesn’t want to talk about it. “It doesn’t have anything to do with my representation of the district,” Martin says. But at the same time he seems to consider the incident a badge of honor, of sorts: In a post on his Facebook campaign page, he shared: “‘Quote from yesterday’s campaign trail: When you stood up for yourself at the radio interview, I knew then I would vote for you.’” Price cites the incident during a phone interview. “I don’t think that he has the focus or temperament to be our representative,” she says of
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KNOXVILLE MERCURY November 3, 2016
Daniel. She says his unabashed support for business and focus on deregulation only benefits a handful of people—including the representative. “I think while business is important for our economy, there are 65,000 people in our district who need representation,” Price says. She says strong turnout for early voting buoys her. “I think if we can get people out to the polls and vote, I think I have a fair chance of winning,” she says. Prices’ platforms are Democratic go-tos, including support for expanded health care coverage and opposition to voucher programs and state outsourcing efforts, especially at the University of Tennessee. Price has a distinct fundraising disadvantage; she raised $3,505 in the third quarter, spent $2,500, and entered the campaign stretch with $2,212. Daniel outraised and outspent her by notable amounts: Daniel received $15,000 in the third quarter and spent $28,000. He had $4,300 as of Oct. 1, but his campaign still carries personal loans totaling an eye-popping $230,000. His war chest and incumbent status, combined with the fact the last Democrat in a district general election won only 39 percent of the vote, make his return to Nashville likely. He also managed to separate himself from prime primary opponent Hall by 10 percent of the vote in the four-way August GOP primary, despite the assault charge and other controversies, including intemperate remarks about Muhammad Ali following the Champ’s death and a successful effort to defund the University of Tennessee’s Center for Diversity and Inclusion. So it’s not surprising he’s looking ahead to the 2017 legislative session. The university will again be in his crosshairs. He plans to present a bill requiring an audit of the entire university and board of regents systems. “We don’t know it’s being run
efficiently,” he says of the systems, which receive $1.5 billion in funding per year. He acknowledges that such an audit would be very expensive—he estimates it would cost between $3 million and $5 million—but the annual savings could be twice that, he says. Daniel also expects to address transportation infrastructure improvements and the state’s gasoline and diesel taxes. The 18-cent-per-gallon rate for gasoline has been unchanged since 1989. Efforts to change it in recent sessions have met with little success. The Legislature will also likely discuss legalization of marijuana for medical uses and the creation of $7,000 “education savings accounts” so the parents of disabled children can seek alternative education settings. He thinks the UT Office of Diversity and Inclusion will see its funding restored, as legislation called for its funding to be diverted for only one year. “Unless they embarrass us again,” he says.
I
n District 89, Republican Rep. Roger Kane will likely return to Nashville for a third consecutive term. He was first elected to the office in 2012 when the new district was created via redistricting to account for population growth in the northwest part of Knox County. He faces largely token opposition from Democrat Heather Hensley, a registered nurse who reported only $350 in campaign funds and didn’t respond to a request for comment for this story. Kane raised $6,650 in the third quarter; he spent $11,000. Including previous cash on hand, and if he doesn’t spend a lot in the fourth quarter, he can go to Nashville with a comfortable cushion of $45,000 in campaign funds. So Kane, like Daniel, is looking ahead to the 2017 session. One of his main constituent complaints, he says, is health care; even those who were able to obtain coverage under the Affordable Care Act—Kane, an insurance broker, cites the importance of such coverage to real estate agents and contractors who don’t have group coverage—are dismayed to see forecasts of rate increases of at least 25 percent. Kane served on the 3-Star Healthy Task Force that examined ways to expand coverage to the state’s poor and uninsured, left without health care because of the state’s refusal to expand
Medicaid coverage under the ACA. He says a pilot program that would focus on veterans and preventative care will be proposed to the General Assembly in January, provided it is approved by the federal government. “Insure Tennessee would just open the floodgates,” Kane says of health-care expansion legislation supported by the Haslam administration but flatly rejected by General Assembly Republicans. Education will also be a focus for Kane, who is chairman of the House Education Instruction and Programs Subcommittee. “We’ve made great strides academically, but we continue to have funding issues,” he says. He says the committee will also continue to examine and revise the state’s education curriculum, including changing the grades at which some content is taught and expanding geography instruction. Like other legislators, he also wants movement on road improvements, citing needs in Solway and on Hardin Valley Road and Oak Ridge Highway. He seems averse to acrimony. “I still get along great with Democratic friends,” he says, in spite of an especially contentious presidential race. “People ask me when I’m going to fix Washington. I say, ‘Never. I’m a state representative.’” Early voting ends Thursday; polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Nov. 8. For specific ballots, precincts, and voter information go to knoxcounty.org/election.
18 District House Race MARTIN DANIEL JOB: 18th District state House representative; majority owner, Elevation Outdoor Advertising AGE: 59 EDUCATION: University of Tennessee; J.D., University of Memphis PRIOR POLITICAL EXPERIENCE: Incumbent one-term 18th district House representative. FAMILY: Wife; two children BRANDI PRICE JOB: Juvenile court attorney AGE: 28 EDUCATION: J.D., Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law PRIOR POLITICAL EXPERIENCE: None FAMILY: Single; no children
THOMAS KRAJEWSKI AT SEVIER HEIGHTS BAPTIST CHURCH
SoKno Rising Urban Wilderness draws several new projects to South Knoxville BY THOMAS FRASER
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outh Knoxville residents, boosters, and investors have found a blueprint for economic success in the woods. Several new project announcements and business plans have put the southern side of the river in the news lately, and the area’s proponents attribute the growth spurt to the Urban Wilderness, a 1,000-acre green assemblage of parks and wild land threaded with hiking and mountain-bike trails. It’s brought a lot of attention to South Knoxville among both local outdoors enthusiasts as well as national outdoors publications and websites. Which in turn is sparking the interest of developers. “There’s a huge resurgence and renaissance going on, to be honest with you,” says 1st District City Council member Nick Pavlis. “[It’s] attributable to the Urban Wilderness—that’s the catalyst, there’re no two ways about it.” Relatively low housing prices in the area also augment the draw, he says, but demand is increasing and bidding wars have broken out, especially in areas adjacent to the expansive green space and trails. Though Pavlis’ observations are anecdotal, the real estate website Zillow ranks the 37920 zip code as a
“hot market” that has seen property values increase 3.3 percent over the past year. It projects a 4 percent increase over the next year. “This is what South Knoxville has needed for years and years. There are so many moving parts to it,” he says of the area’s success, noting the public investment in the area through tax credits while also citing entrepreneurship. “There’s a ribbon-cutting every week.” Not exactly, yet, but there are significant signs of growth throughout South Knoxville, where some merchants faced dire times during the 2011-2013 closure of the Henley Bridge: • Developer David Dewhirst is moving forward with the renovation of the Kerns Bakery at 2110 Chapman Highway. An open house at the property last month attracted a couple of hundred people. In 2015, the city provided $200,000 toward the renovation of the historic building. New windows have been installed at the site, which will include retail and dining options. • Last month, City Council approved the sale of South High to Dover Development Corp., which plans a $9 million renovation of the blighted Moody Avenue school into an assisted-living center.
• Suttree Landing Park on the Tennessee River along Sevier Avenue is complete. (The Trailhead Beer Market is near the 8-acre city park.) Meanwhile, $160,000 in Phase 1 improvements is slated for Fort Dickerson Park, which will add a public drive and parking lot to the quarry lake. • Work continues on the Sevier Avenue site of SoKno Taco Cantina; that should be open by the beginning of December. Honeybee Coffee Company also began work last month on a brick-and-mortar location on Sevier Avenue—up the street from Three Bears Coffee Company. And that brings us back to the Urban Wilderness, developed by the Legacy Parks Foundation. It includes Ijams Nature Center and the Meads Quarry area and extends mainly along the south side of the river. The cantina is going up across the street from the Round Up Restaurant; both are near Baker Creek Bottoms and its mountain bike trails ranging from novice to expert. A children’s bike area is almost complete, and a youth adventure park opened Nov. 3 near SouthDoyle Middle School. The former Sevier Heights Baptist Church campus on Sevier Heights Road is adjacent to a lot of this, and the site could be another notable commercial endeavor tied to the Urban Wilderness. Tom Weiss, who operated the Grill at Highlands Row in Bearden for six years, is partnering with former Blackberry Farm activities director Thomas Krajewski to convert the site’s five buildings—totaling 80,000 square feet across 4 acres—into an “adventure inn,” restaurant, and brewery. The plan is contingent on successful rezoning of the property from residential to commercial, but Weiss and Krajewski have the property under contract and think there’s a market for concierge outdoor services and adventure tourism. “We truly have an ability to be a one-stop hub for people wanting to explore outside,” says Krajewski, a real estate agent at National Land Realty. And the area’s outdoor attractions range far beyond those of the Urban Wilderness. Visitors to the area could base their trip at the as-yet unnamed property, ride mountain bikes in the morning, and then take an afternoon hike or rafting trip. The heart of the business would be roughly 34-bed lodging units, but
the brewery (planned along with a tasting room in the gym of the old church campus) and restaurant (set for the old chapel building) would cater to overnight guests, locals, and day-trippers. “It’s going to be an eclectic mix of uses,” Weiss says. Indeed: Flying Anvil Theatre would lease the sanctuary for rehearsals and performances, and the whole project will be “art-centric,” featuring works representing or created in South Knoxville. The project would reuse existing historic buildings; a recent tour of the campus showed most of the buildings to be in very good repair, considering the church dates to the 1930s. A few concerns have surfaced, but Weiss says the project appears to have overwhelming support from the South Haven neighborhood, based on a recent presentation he made to area homeowners. Presuming successful rezoning, Weiss and Krajewski hope to begin bringing in leaseholders to operate the restaurant, brewery, and inn within about six months of approval. They decline to identify specific possible leaseholders as this point, as plans still have to be massaged and leases signed. Down the hill at the Baker Creek Bottoms trailhead, Yanni Smyrni and his wife and son take a break from mountain biking. “This is the greatest family recreational opportunity that Knoxville has to offer,” he says on a sun-soaked autumn Sunday as other bicyclists of varying intensities come and go, and the parking lot gradually fills up. And people are coming from other cities and states to enjoy the outdoor amenities of the South Knoxville wilderness. Smyrni, who came to Knoxville two years ago as a manager at REI’s opening and now runs a Farragut bike shop, calls the seemingly endless trail connections spanning so many acres “unheard of in an urban setting.” Nearby, Kelly Brown of Bower Bird Sculpture is putting the finishing touches on the children’s practice area. The development adjacent to the Urban Wilderness is testament that South Knoxville and its citizens “have embraced recreation as a means of commerce,” Brown says. “As populations grow in these areas, these spaces are going to become more and more valuable,” he says. ◆ November 3, 2016
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 13
Y
ou may not have heard their names very often, but you have surely seen the effects of their accomplishments. These are women whose handson work in the trenches has improved the quality of life in Knoxville, making our city more livable for people of all backgrounds. Their efforts have made Knoxville a true community, richer in opportunity, beauty, and spirit. So if you don’t know who they are already, let us introduce you to them now.
10
women who make a
difference
Their names may not be well known (yet), but they’re creating a better Knoxville
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KNOXVILLE MERCURY November 3, 2016
JOB Creative Director, Robin Easter Design
ACHIEVEMENTS
Design Trendsetter
civic Creative planner Conservationist
robin easter
dawn michelle carol evans foster
that’s in the theater. I think that’s part of what makes things stand out and be more special—you don’t see it repeated over and over.” But how important is good design for a city? “I think it’s crucial, really. You want to recruit businesses and tourism—a city needs that to be a vital city. You’ve got to look like you’re the same kind of quality, like you can play with the bigger cities on that level. But it also has to be functional—it’s important for design to make an impression, but it’s more important that it really functions and serves a purpose. “It also helps set the personality of this city. You can go somewhere and see the look and get a feel for the soul of the city. If it’s done well, it can convey what the vibe is. But on a subliminal level, it just looks like they’ve got it together—they know what they’re doing. It’s professionally run and organized.” In fact, envisioning Knoxville’s own visual identity would be her dream project. “I love this town and I love this area so much… I feel like the city could benefit from an overall brand identity, a really strong identity that pays attention to what is the soul of this city and how to represent that to people. “I don’t know if I even have the words that would describe it—I would have to show it. But it’s one of the most welcoming places, I think. A lot of cities you go to, you just can’t break into the scene—it’s very cliquish. But Knoxville’s not like that. I feel like Knoxville is open arms and it’s got so many unique little facets to it. It would be an awesome challenge. I’d love to do it.” (Coury Turczyn)
When Robin Easter started her own design firm in 1989, there weren’t many small studios civic planner that focused purely on graphic design itself— Knoxville had several big agencies with design departments. Not many small businesses or groups could afford to hire someone to create their logo or brand, so they did without—and as a result, Knoxville’s own visual identity was pretty rudimentary. Easter not only elevated the standards for great design in Knoxville, but her firm also created or refined many of the identities that we now think of as being synonymous with Knoxville itself—the places we hold out as being important parts of the city’s fabric: Knox Heritage, Tomato Head, Bliss, the Crown & Goose, Legacy Parks Foundation (and its Environmental Outdoor Knoxville and Urban Wilderness initiatives), Sunspot, Coolato Gelato, Aubrey’s, Knox Whiskey Works, and more. Her firm has also produced the visual identities for a wide range of projects, such as the Daniel apartment building in the Old City, the National Park Service’s display at Tyson McGhee Airport, and the design for Jack Neely’s elaborate coffee-table book, The Tennessee Theatre: A Grand Entertainment Palace. Easter’s touch can be seen almost everywhere around town—she’s helped make Knoxville a more distinctive-looking place.
dawn michelle foster
Protector
Renee Hoyos
“I
think with everything we do, we really do our research and we strive to make sure it’s very authentic,” Easter says. “Making something perfect is a lot more important to us than the bottom line. For us, the end product and making sure it really represents somebody well is the most important thing. And that it’s really original and unique. I don’t have a bag of tricks, and we don’t use a lot of clip art. For example, the Tennessee Theatre book—there’s not one piece of canned anything in there. Every little filigree was handdrawn based on a piece of filigree
LGBTQ AdvocatE
Donna Braquet
Literary Booster
JOB Redevelopment Director, City of Knoxville
ACHIEVEMENTS
ment has paid off. “The South Waterfront vision plan was adopted 10 years ago. It hit the wall with the recession. One of benefits with the mayor and Council moving forward with public dollars for park and waterfront was to spread investment over time, and look what’s happening now. “My hometown is Louisville, Kentucky, and I saw a lot of displacement in my neighborhood. I had that interstate going through the backyard, an overpass that disconnected the school from the neighborhood. I don’t always tell my story, but I listen to a lot of stories that I can relate to. When I keep that in mind, I always think about areas that will remain disadvantaged, and what tools are needed to kind of move that forward, and that’s what my passion is. That’s why this department is very important, to provide the right policy to make these things happen, and to provide the right guidance to the community, the developer, and the stakeholders to make it possible.” Foster, who constantly credits Mayor Madeline Rogero, City Council, and the women she works with for Knoxville’s resurgence, says, “I’m very much a team player. I have been a woman working in construction, and with the highway department in Kentucky when I started out. I’ve learned to just do my job well, because it was always a competition. And then raising three daughters and having them become successful, professional women, and having a son to understand that women are as important in the workforce as any man—it was always something I had to kind of teach and learn to deal with it myself.” (S. Heather Duncan)
As the person who heads up redevelopment for the city, Dawn Michelle Foster has a huge InternationalProtector Ambassador Environmental influence on shaping public spaces in Knoxville. She is managing (sometimes controversial) redevelopment efforts as they spread out from downtown to the Cumberland Avenue Corridor, South Waterfront, Downtown North, and Magnolia Warehouse District. Under Foster, the department has emphasized walkability and creating a defining neighborhood character, even for areas like the Strip where that might have seemed a lost cause.
Drocella Renee Hoyos Mugorewera
“W
hen you think about having an energized downtown and job creation and retention, we’re transforming all of these areas into vibrant communities,” Foster says. “Momentum from downtown has the opportunity to go into these adjacent areas.” The city has faced accusations that it doesn’t put enough into improving infrastructure in East Knoxville, which is predominantly black, yet its residents have also expressed fear that the planned streetscape improvements to Magnolia Avenue will push out existing businesses and change the character of the community. “When you want to provide redevelopment opportunities, you’re going to face the challenge of interested parties that come in and displace or buy out another business, but that’s not our intent here,” says Foster, who lives in East Knoxville herself. “We want to identify the needs of the community and make sure if development occurs, it meets the needs of community. We don’t want to force any project down…. We have to track the progress as it continues to see if we’re living up to our expectations.” Foster expresses pride in how the city’s long-term approach to redevelop-
LGBTQ Athletics AdvocatE Leader
Beth Donna Braquet Alford-Sullivan
Literary Stylemaker Booster
Flossie McNabb Brynn Crowell
Fine Arts Trailblazer
Kathryn
November 3, 2016
Flossie McNabb
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 15
Environmental Protector
LGBTQ Athletics AdvocatE Leader
Renee Hoyos
Beth Donna Braquet Alford-Sullivan
JOB Executive director of the Tennessee Clean Water Network
ACHIEVEMENTS
what they’re supposed to do.” “We went on to work in Memphis, Chattanooga, and Madisonville, and all the concepts I learned from the KUB case I took with me. Also, for me personally as an environmentalist, that case showed me both sides of the issue. So in some of these cases I could advocate for things for these treatment plants that they needed to get the job done, that otherwise I might have just been dismissive. “Every discharge permit to industry or municipalities gets looked at by a staff member. We comment on a good number of them, and about 20 percent of them get changed as a result.” (The Clean Water Network is still negotiating with the state over Gatlinburg’s permit, for example.) “No other organization in Tennessee looks at permits like we do. … We might be the only organization in the South that does it on a regular basis. “Williams Creek is a little bit of a departure from what we would normally do,” she says. “East Knoxville has the lowest percent of parks of all the sectors. So it’s really important to me to stay in the game to make sure that park gets all the resources it can get. … It’s nice to participate in that way in your own backyard.” (S.H.D.)
From Knoxville, Renee Hoyos turned the Clean LGBTQ Water Network into the state’s leading nonprofit for protecting water resources. Its budget has since quintupled, allowing it to better advocate for strong laws and file lawsuits against polluters. It has also begun promoting fair food policy. Since she took the job in 2003, the Clean Water Network followed its successful lawsuit against KUB to its conclusion, resulting in the cleanup of widespread sewage problems.
AdvocatE
Donna Braquet
A
native of California, Hoyos left a state government job there to steer the Clean Water Network. “An outsider can see possibilities people on the inside don’t see,” she says. “Knoxville reminds me of California in the 1970s. When I got here, people didn’t seem to be that concerned about water resources. Creeks would be muddy because of bad development practices. … I think people now 13 years later think about water resources differently. Within the development community, I see a lot better-maintained sites than 12 years ago. The public has grown more intolerant of them being sloppy. We’ve done a lot of press and outreach. “In 2007, we really fought back on some very bad water laws, and we haven’t seen that kind of thing come up since. “Twelve years ago, we didn’t talk about climate change so much. Now it’s a daily conversation. Groups like us try to make those issues understandable at the local level.” Hoyos says the KUB case, which her organization filed right before she arrived, was “the greatest learning experience I had here… KUB did an exemplary job of cleaning up. You don’t find many environmental groups that will praise the people that they sued, and they should when they do
Literary Booster
Flossie McNabb
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KNOXVILLE MERCURY November 3, 2016
“ T welve years ago, we didn’t talk about climate change so much. Now it’s a daily conversation. Groups like us try to make those issues understandable at the local level.” —Renee Hoyos
JOB Associate professor, University of Tennessee library system
ACHIEVEMENTS
the hate via the Pride Center was recognized at the Sept. 19 meeting of the UT Faculty Senate, which presented her with a plaque and resolution “celebrating her exemplary vision, leadership, and community-building, in service to the University of Tennessee and its commitment to diversity and inclusion of all…” The honor has encouraged her, though she notes that UT is now the only school in the Southeastern Conference without a chief diversity officer: “It’s a shell of what it was.” “There needed to be a physical space where people could come together and be who they were,” Braquet says of the Pride Center then, and now. “There’s a big difference between a space and a center.” Despite the setbacks, Braquet— who lives in Knoxville with her wife, Corrine (and her once-disapproving mother, Janice)—is not going anywhere soon. “If everybody who was like me left, nothing would ever change—nothing would ever get better,” she says. (Thomas Fraser)
As founder and former director of the UT Pride Literary Stylemaker Booster Center, Donna Braquet is an advocate for LGBTQ rights, particularly on the UT campus. The Pride Center opened in 2010 and served about 50 students per day. The General Assembly earlier this year defunded the Office of Diversity and Inclusion at least through July 1, 2017. That led the university to shutter the center. Located in Melrose Hall next to Hodges Library, the center is still technically open, but has no professional staff—and it has weathered a series of vandalism attacks. Nevertheless, Braquet carries on.
Flossie Brynn Crowell McNabb
B
raquet often thinks about hate, and she still doesn’t understand its root: “I don’t get it. I don’t see why so many would take so much time and energy hating and fighting against other people,” she says. Braquet, a lesbian who grew up in Slidell, La., found she wasn’t alone in the world after she “got up the courage” to go to a meeting of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance at New Orleans University. She cites her own college experience with gay support groups as an inspiration to speak out on equal gender and sexual rights. “We grew up learning the same bad things about ourselves … (but) they were wonderful people. I found my voice. That’s why I know what a difference having LGBT support organizations can make,” she says. “I went from self-loathing to being a leader and outspoken. It definitely gave me a perspective on wanting to be involved in the fight for equality. “The center was a point of pride for me. It was so much fun working for the students and seeing all the center did for them. You can see them blossom into these awesome people. Many felt the center was a home they never had.” Her six-year effort to help fight
Fine Arts Trailblazer
Kathryn Frady Marvel “ I f everybody who was like me left, nothing would ever change— nothing would ever get better.” —Donna Braquet
Design Trendsetter Literary Booster
Creative Conservationist Fine Arts Trailblazer
robin easter Flossie McNabb
Kathryn carol evans Frady Marvel
JOB Owner, Union Ave Books
ACHIEVEMENTS
come cheaply—there are hard expenses involved that would probably discourage any traditional businessperson. “It almost has to be an intuitive thing to you rather than a business—‘I want to do a business because I want to make X amount of dollars,’” she says. “It wasn’t that. I don’t want to lose money, but if we make a dollar at the end of the year and everybody’s paid and we’ve paid our bills, I feel like that’s big success. So it’s more intrinsic. “Sometimes I wonder, ‘Why am I doing this?’ And then you’ll get a customer like the one that just came in—he looked hesitant, and he asked, ‘What are your favorite short story writers?’ And we just had the best time helping him. We piled up a stack this high. And that just feeds you. It’s a little world that’s created here with books, whether it’s short stories or children’s books. Every day is something different. “And you go, ‘This is why I do it.’” (C.T.)
Two years after Flossie McNabb and her partners closed Carpe Librum Books in 2010, civic McNabb decided to go it alone and open the city’s one and only independent new-books store, Union Ave Books. It’s been a gutsy move. Despite the bigger chain competitors (Barnes & Noble), online goliaths (Amazon), and technology (ebooks) arrayed against her, McNabb has managed to create a safe place for book lovers in the Daylight Building downtown. More than just a retail outlet, Union Ave is Knoxville’s literary bastion, a third place for readers to discuss books, for authors to read and discuss their works, and for children to discover new worlds.
planner
dawn michelle foster
“I
Environmental Protector
just believe in it, and I believe our city and our literate community just needed it,” McNabb says about the book store. “It makes us different from other cities— it makes us a place where people can go and feel like they have something in common, whether they’re a reader or not. I’ve always lived in Knoxville and there was always a bookstore down here, and people would gravitate to that. I remember Miller’s had one on the balcony and would always go there and pick out books. There was something magical about picking a book that you could get into—you’d take it home and it was yours, a new world. … But there was something missing when those stores were gone. “So many people come in here and say ‘Thank you. Thank you for being here. This is so important to us.’ People from out of town that come in for these conventions go, ‘Oh, I thought we weren’t going to find a bookstore downtown.’ It makes you realize how important it is to have that—it’s more than the literary aspect. It’s ideas.” But helping foster ideas and boost Knoxville’s literary scene does not
Renee Hoyos
“ I don’t want to lose money, but if we make a dollar LGBTQatAdvocatE the end of the year and everybody’s paid and we’ve paid our bills, I feel like that’s big success.” —Flossie McNabb
Donna Braquet
Literary Booster
JOB Executive director, Legacy Parks Foundation
ACHIEVEMENTS
do. By IMRYS [the mining company that owned Mead’s Quarry] not donating it directly to the city, we were able to get services, donations, and grants. Then we gave the property to the city.” The next year, the River Bluff property off Cherokee Trail came to Evans’ attention. “Our board was bold and said we should try to raise the money to buy it. For us as an organization, it was a watershed moment. In the worst possible economy, that you could raise $1.5 million for a piece of property in South Knoxville—it made us sit up and say, ‘Hey, I think people really want this.’ We used it as a way to launch the bigger initiative of the Urban Wilderness concept. Instinctively, I thought: This is very authentic. This is who we are,” Evans says. “We had this seamless political support, which was so freeing. Then, too, there definitely is a shift in business [outlook]—businesses now know quality of life is what attracts and retains talent. “The wonderful unintended consequence is [the Urban Wilderness] really made a place for people to want to move and live near and open businesses near.” (S.H.D.)
Carol Evans was on the board of directors when Legacy Parks Foundation was founded in 2005, International Ambassador and 18 months later took the job of executive director. Envisioned mostly to raise money for city and county parks, Legacy Parks under her direction has become much more: Specializing in partnerships with private land owners and outdoors enthusiasts, it has worked deals to create more than 50 miles of walking and biking trails and develop the Urban Wilderness. Evans’ marketing background—she worked for Scripps Networks and was the first marketing director for the Lady Vols—helped her make outdoor recreation a key part of Knoxville’s identity. Under Evans, Legacy Parks has conserved more than 1,000 acres and created 400 acres of Athletics Leader new parks. Up next, Evans says: Creating and implementing a strategy for a greenway connecting Maryville to the Smokies; increasing access to the three rivers in Knox County; developing trail connections to adjacent counties like Blount and Anderson; and developing the Gulf & Ohio Railway trail to connect Chapman Highway and Mead’s Quarry.
Drocella Mugorewera
Beth Alford-Sullivan
“W
hen I came on (at Legacy Parks), rather than fundraising and handing off money, we became quickly an organization that had initiatives we directed and managed” with the blessing of the city and county, Evans says. “We are very opportunistic and entrepreneurial. That suits me best. I do have 100 balls in the air at one time, and I figure I’ll catch a few of them. “Our first effort at truly fundraising and helping create a park was Clayton Park in Halls. In four months, we raised $600,000. That was a good model for us, to work alongside folks that are already in the community.” Legacy Parks’ first big-impact project was Ross Marble Quarry in 2007. “It became a great demo project to show: Here’s what a nonprofit can
“ I n the worst possible Stylemaker
economy, that you could raise $1.5 million for a piece of property in South Knoxville— it made us sit up and say, ‘Hey, I think people really want this.’” —Carol Evans
Brynn Crowell
Fine Arts Trailblazer
Kathryn
November 3, 2016
Flossie McNabb
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 17
InternationalProtector Ambassador Environmental
Athletics Leader
Drocella Renee Hoyos Mugorewera
Beth Alford-Sullivan
JOB Executive director, Bridge Refugee Services
ACHIEVEMENTS
people with local American mentors in their field. “Even if you can’t get work in that field, talking about what they know is empowering. Networking is what did it for me. I wouldn’t have known about Habitat (for Humanity) without that,” says Mugorewera, whose family received a Habitat house soon after coming to Knoxville. “I want to create support groups for refugees to share skills with each other and new arrivals, like how to participate in government meetings, how you get job references and start a business.” Refugees are directed to different cities by the federal government, and Mugorewera is a great example of how they change the character of a community. This year, the majority of Knoxville’s immigrants have come from Iraq and Congo, but Mugorewera expects some Syrians will be part of the mix. That has been controversial in Tennessee, but Mugorewera says that Knoxville residents have mostly called to say, “This is not who we are. We want to help.” Mugorewera says, “I want to train refugees to tell our stories. Our stories are our power. People don’t understand, I don’t leave all my belongings and family behind (in my home country) to go to the food stamp office. Refugees who have been helped need to show the social, cultural, and economic value they bring to this country.” (S.H.D.)
A refugee herself and former member of the Rwandan parliament, Drocella Mugorewera LGBTQ Athletics AdvocatE Leader arrived in Knoxville in 2009 through Bridge and worked her way up from a retail job to leading the refugee placement and support service. During a political phase when many refugees are met with distrust, Bridge meets them at the airport. With the help of volunteers, it sets up their apartments, connects them with English classes and teaches them to navigate the school, public benefits, and health care systems.
Beth Donna Braquet Alford-Sullivan
A
fter Mugorewera escaped Rwanda by attending a professional conference outside the country, “I saw my husband for the first time again a year later, and my (five) children almost two years later,” she says. Mugorewera, who speaks five languages, first began helping fellow refugees by translating for Burundian immigrants in church and then for Cherokee Health. There, she identified challenges facing refugees, like being unable to read directions on medication. (The clinic started adding pictograms.) After taking the job of Bridge executive director a year ago, Mugorewera started reorganizing it to build better support networks for and among refugees, including the 231 who arrived in Knoxville in the last year. “The three pillars of Bridge are learning English, working, and being involved in the community,” Mugorewera says. “Our accountability is very important to the government, our staff, and our clients. “I want to expand Bridge partnerships from churches to employers and the business community,” she says. Mugorewera recognized a gap for refugees who were skilled workers or professionals before escaping to the U.S., and a partnership with Tennessee Immigrant Employment Solutions led to a new program to link such
Literary Stylemaker Booster
Flossie McNabb Brynn Crowell
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KNOXVILLE MERCURY November 3, 2016
Fine Arts Trailblazer
Kathryn “ I want to train Frady Marvel refugees to tell our stories. Our stories are our power.” —Drocella Mugorewera
JOB Director of track and field and cross country, University of Tennessee
ACHIEVEMENTS
you just have to learn to work within a culture that you’re given. “I definitely think that in the world of track and field and cross country there are some phenomenal women coaches who are developing the skill sets to be leaders in the sport. You see them popping up at major institutions, and they’re great role models for a large sport—we have huge participatory numbers in high school and up through college. A lot of kids take part in our sport. The more that women can be seen in leadership positions, I think it’s going to open more doors for people in the future. “For young women, coaching can be tough. We don’t have an offseason in our sport, and there are other challenges—low pay, long hours. You end up in a relationship and want to start a family—those are times they have to fall out of the coaching ranks and then find a way back in, or they can try to have it all, which is challenging. There’s just no down time in our sport. “I hope we continue to be diverse. It is tough in sports in this society. It’s focused on competition and success, and the predominant sports in college center around men. But I think women are cracking the code at all levels. As we evolve as people, we start to recognize that it doesn’t matter who does the job but how well the job gets done.” (Matthew Everett)
When Beth Alford-Sullivan was named head Stylemaker coach of the combined track and cross country teams at the University of Tennessee in 2014, she became the first woman to coach a men’s team in the SEC in any sport. (She had become the first woman in the country to coach a men’s team at the NCAA’s top competitive level when she became head coach at Penn State in 2006.) The Vols have one of the most storied programs in the country—seven NCAA titles, 80 conference championships in indoor and outdoor track and cross country, and dozens of All-Americans—but faded from the national spotlight during the late ’00s and early ’10s. In the second year of a long-term rebuilding project, Alford-Sullivan got surprising top-10 Fine Arts Trailblazer national finishes from both the men (sixth at the NCAA outdoor championships) and women (seventh in the indoor championships).
Brynn Crowell
“I
’ve had some great opportunities through my career—a lot of them have been created by people who had confidence in me and had a desire to help me move from one level to the next,” Alford-Sullivan says. “When I was coming out of high school and even college, for that matter, I had never seen a female coach. People definitely took some chances on me. When I was at Penn State, the athletic director, Tim Curley, put me in the position to be the director of the men’s and women’s program when our men’s coach, Harry Groves, retired. Tim really took a step forward when he gave me the directorship. “But there have been obstacles along the way. I’ve always had to prove that I really do coach—a lot of people think of me more as a director or administrator, but honestly, I do coach. I coach the distance runners, men and women, and I have all the way through my career. Sometimes
Kathryn Frady Marvel
“ A s we evolve as people, we start to recognize that it doesn’t matter who does the job but how well the job gets done.” —Beth Alford-Sullivan
Literary Stylemaker Booster
Fine Arts Trailblazer
Flossie McNabb Brynn Crowell
Kathryn Frady Marvel
JOB Owner, Lox Salon, White Buffalo, Basement Community Art Studio
ACHIEVEMENTS
White Buffalo, it has more of a calming effect.” Of course, the Basement Community Art Studio is the opposite—a hodgepodge of creativity, it’s filled with arts and crafts supplies that families can pick up, make things, and not worry about cleaning up afterward; it also offers family yoga classes. Crowell was inspired by a trip to Portland where she found places that parents could bring their kids and enjoy themselves as well. “With the Basement, my goal was to have a place where families could come and be able to work together, or let parents have a break from entertaining their kids. … I think it encourages people to be creative even if they don’t know how to or where to start.” Crowell’s next idea may take further mulling, but she’s had it on her mind for a while: vegan barbecue. “I think my goal in these businesses is that I really want to give back to the community. It’s been great to be able to have these spaces and watch them grow, to see Knoxville really develop. I think Knoxville is on the right track. It’s just a matter of every member of the community trying to encourage that and be a part of it. That’s kind of my mindset—how do I make Knoxville better, and make people proud of the town that they live in?” (C.T.)
When Brynn Crowell graduated from beauty Fine school in 2006, she couldn’t find a salon where she felt comfortable working—she had her own edgier sense of style that she wanted to express. So she went ahead and opened her own, Lox Salon, which has become an anchor in the Old City. And while she came from a punk aesthetic, Crowell has made sure that Lox feels welcoming to a wide range of clients, from college students to suburban housewives; it also serves as a community space, participating in First Friday and hosting Rhythm N’ Blooms events. Recently having a baby inspired her to envision a more family friendly Old City, so she opened White Buffalo, a children’s clothing and toy shop, as well as the Basement Community Art Studio below Lox, which provides an arts and crafts space for the whole family.
Arts Trailblazer
Kathryn Frady Marvel
“P
eople sit in my chair at the salon and I kind of pick their brain—what would you like to see? What is Knoxville missing?” Crowell says. “When I travel to other cities and go downtown, what do they have that we don’t have? And how can I make that happen? I love to see small businesses, and I want to help out wherever I can. Growing up, I always thought I was going to move to a big city; a lot of my friends did, but there’s something special about Knoxville, and I’m glad to be a part of that.” The style she’s promoted in Knoxville is edgy yet fun—but, she says, “I really don’t spend a lot of time thinking about how I want it. I think with the salon I found pieces that I really like and put them together. I like a vintage vibe, but I also like it to be really clean, too. I feel like simple is better. We’re so often overly stimulated with social media and everything else, I think when people walk into the salon, or they walk into
“ I think Knoxville is on the right track. It’s just a matter of every member of the community trying to encourage that and be a part of it.” —Brynn Crowell
JOB Cofounder and general manager, Marble City Opera
ACHIEVEMENTS Marble City Opera is Knoxville’s alternative opera company. Since 2013, the company has staged intimate, accessible opera productions in nontraditional venues—restaurants and bars, museum and gallery spaces, and even a coffee shop. The company supports new music (four of its productions have been world premieres), gives young singers and musicians valuable experience, and cultivates a new, younger audience for the fine arts.
“A
friend and I wanted to perform an opera. We found an opportunity at the Atlanta Fringe Festival and they wanted a company name, so we gave them Marble City Opera,” Marvel says. “When they accepted us we decided we were going to perform in Knoxville and had a sold-out show—people were very excited and wanted to know if we were going to do more shows. “There are a lot of great singers, locally and regionally, who aren’t getting the kind of work that they would like to have, or the experience to reach the next level. I’m very passionate about helping singers. When you’re in college, a lot of the bigger opera companies use you in their productions, because you’re cheaper or you’re free labor or the school has a deal—the University of Tennessee has a deal with Knoxville Opera. So a lot of the artists living in Knoxville aren’t singing the smaller roles they might have the opportunity to sing if there wasn’t a university here. That’s very common in our industry. “Opera as an industry isn’t thriving the way some of us younger people think it could. Part of that is getting a younger audience and finding a new audience that can be engaged in this older art form in a
new way. Because we’re a small company without many funds, taking smaller, shorter operas into interesting venues to help create the atmosphere of the piece became a cool concept that separates us from what the bigger opera company is doing or what the university is doing. “We’ve done 11 different shows in 11 different venues since 2013. We try to do three bigger shows a year and some smaller events. That’s one of the ways we go out into the community and get the community engaged. It’s a lot of fun to go to different restaurants and bars. We’ve had a young crowd— people in their late 20s to late 30s have been the majority of our audience. We’re still reaching the older crowd who goes to Knoxville Opera and the traditionalists. With our productions, it’s an hour-long evening instead of three. It’s in English, so you can understand it. And when we’re fortunate enough to do it in a venue that serves alcohol, we’ve really nailed it. We can draw in a younger audience and engage them in a way that makes them say, oh, maybe I will spend a little more money and a little bit more time at the other opera.” (M.E.)
“ T here are a lot of great singers, locally and regionally, who aren’t getting the kind of work that they would like to have, or the experience to reach the next level.” —Kathryn Frady-Marvel
November 3, 2016
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 19
Our commitment to excellence dates back to 1973 when AA-AIR Company was founded in the garage of the Pirkle family home. Honoring that commitment for over 40 years has made us one of the top HVAC specialists in the region. Today, daughter and now owner Donna Kimble continues the tradition of expert and timely service with the same client-focused vision that has been instrumental in the success of the company. Tasty, fresh-baked bagels and breads made with the finest ingredients, then stuffed, wrapped, topped and shmeared in ways never-before imagined. Today clever creations have expanded beyond the bagel to bring more new taste discoveries to breakfast, lunch and then some. Yvonne Kidder, co-owner of Einstein Bros. Bagels located in Farragut and Cedar Bluff, brought the Einstein Bros. franchise to the Knoxville community in 2010. Yvonne’s daughter, Elizabeth Kidder Hinds (Elizabeth Kidder: Illustrator), became a part of her mother’s marketing team upon graduation from Savannah College of Art & Design in 2012 to assist in marketing, social media, and even the store's window paintings. The two love working together so much at Einstein Bros. that they recently started a wedding design company called “Make My Wedding Work.” Einstein Bros. has been a great gathering point for locals to eat breakfast, lunch, coffee, and more. Yvonne and her husband hope to bring a third location to the greater Knoxville area in the near future.
2 LOCATIONS 1049 N Cedar Bluff Rd 11693 Parkside Dr Knoxville, TN 37923 Farragut, TN 37934 (865) 951-1515 (865) 675-6667 MyEinsteinBagels.com
I've collected toys, dolls and other interesting things since I was a child. My passion for collecting soon became a hobby and my hobby quickly turned into a business. I curate and design my shop to where the items speak for themselves because most vintage items do have a story to tell! I specialize in picking for others. Looking for that hard to find item, if I don't already have it. We truly are an Emporium, offering every- thing from mid-century and industrial design furniture to victorian era, political items, religious memorabilia, medical oddities, pottery, original art, vintage kitch, books, pop culture, bottles, pyrex, limited edition toys, imports, and so much more. Come be amazed by this true Emporium of Sorts. - Gina Alazawi
Emporium 611 N. Gay Street (Emory Place) 865-347-4670 20
KNOXVILLE MERCURY November 3, 2016
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Nest Knoxville’s owner Natalie Stair grew up in Hickory, NC, what is widely known as the furniture capital of the world. As a third-generation business owner in the industry, it is safe to say furniture is in her blood and she is extremely proud to share her love of furniture with her adopted hometown of Knoxville. Nest Knoxville specializes in designer furniture market samples…the best kept secret of insiders in the industry. Here you can save 40-60% off traditional retail prices on the brand names you love and the best part is it is all ready to take home today!
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Fashions for Women Changing the World One Day at A Time
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Since Tile Sensations opened its doors 20 years ago, our designers have created unique, individual concepts for each client. Our staff has 38 years of combined experience and our design and service are second to none. Whatever your design goals, the ladies at Tile Sensations will help you create a one-of-a-kind space. Stop by our showroom and we promise you’ll feel right at home.
3413 Sutherland Ave Knoxville, Tennessee 37919 (865) 329-3290 www.tilesensations.com
Lisa Sorensen is the co-owner of Bliss, Bliss Home and Tori Mason Shoes. Lisa opened Bliss in 2003 to be a part of the downtown revitalization, and the Bliss brand has been growing and evolving ever since. Bliss Home expanded to Nashville in spring of 2013. In late summer 2016, Lisa opened Tori Mason Shoes in downtown Knoxville. Lisa combined her experience of living abroad in Italy with the momentum of her existing brands to fill the shoe store void downtown. Lisa's travels influenced her decision to open a shoe store, since bigger cities seem to have a shoe store on each block. Bliss and Bliss Home have received multiple accolades over the years, including Best Store and Best Furniture. Lisa received the Rising Star Award from the Tennessee Small Business Center in November of 2013. Lisa co-owns her four stores with husband Scott Schimmel. They live in Fourth and Gill and have two children, Victoria and Oliver. Lisa is a graduate from the University of Tennessee where she fittingly studied business and graduated Cum Laude.
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KNOXVILLE MERCURY 21
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KNOXVILLE MERCURY November 3, 2016
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P rogram Notes
eep Knoxville Beautiful lost one Old City mural earlier this year. The nonprofit organization has one left—an expansive depiction of a train on the side of a brick building at the corner of Jackson Avenue and Central Street—and they don’t plan to lose it. The mural, located in the courtyard behind Lonesome Dove, commemorates the introduction of the railroad to Knoxville in the 19th century, transforming a small river town into a major wholesale center. Though the colors have faded and the paint shows cracking after years of exposure to the elements, the mural still stands as a testament to the significance of the railroad in Knoxville’s economic and cultural development. KKB, which commissioned the piece in 2001, has started an Indiego-
go campaign to raise money to restore and preserve this historic train mural. The group hopes to raise $4,500 for the cost of the supplies and work to revitalize the piece. The effort, which has raised $563 so far, began partly in response to the destruction of KKB’s other Old City piece, the Knoxville Music History Mural, in April. That mural, at 118 E. Jackson Ave., paid homage to 41 influential Tennessee artists, including Dolly Parton, Roy Acuff, the Everly Brothers, R.B. Morris, Donald Brown, and the Tennessee Chocolate Drops. It was painted over with no notice by developer Leigh Burch, the owner of the building. Local advocates for public art, including Patience Melnik, the executive director of KKB, expressed dismay at Burch’s decision.
Five months later, Melnik says she was shocked when she heard that the music mural had been destroyed. Looking through files on the mural’s creation in 2000, Melnik says she was struck by the number of community members who worked to make the music history mural happen, from high-school students to business owners and City Council members. In addition to brightening up areas like the Old City, Melnik says public art creates a sense of collective ownership of the city and the history that helped shape it. “It’s there in our visual landscape, and that’s what public art is for—it’s for everyone,” Melnik says. “And so I think we all felt that it was ours, and nobody ever conceived that something like this would happen, that in one evening it would just be gone. So it was devastating.” The train mural will be fixed and repainted by Walt Fieldsa, the original designer of both the music history and train murals. In a video explaining the planned restoration, Fieldsa discussed the importance of public art in Knoxville. “Every town I’ve been in that has had murals has always had a very healthy and vibrant social community, and I think that that is one of the key things to having public art,” Fieldsa says. Melnik says she knows the community will be able to raise the needed funds for the project, but she hopes they can restore the piece sooner rather than later. “Some of the things in our community we just really don’t appreciate until they’re gone,” Melnik says. “So I hope that people can rally around and actually take that moment to pull out their phone or get on their computer and actually make that donation, whether it’s $5 or $500. It all helps. “It could be lost, so I hope that people will rally around it.” (Hayley Brundige)
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On the Right Track Keep Knoxville Beautiful campaigns to preserve the Old City’s historic train mural
K
Classical Music: Chamber Classics Series
Shelf Life: Classic Recordings
Movie: Gimme Danger
A&E
Majority Rules LIVE NATION TAKES MAJORITY STAKE OF AC ENTERTAINMENT Concert behemoth Live Nation Entertainment has bought a majority interest in local promoter AC Entertainment, according to a new Billboard story. The deal will give Live Nation a bigger presence in the Southeast and “will foster growth opportunities” for AC Entertainment. Live Nation had already acquired a majority stake in Bonnaroo in 2015. “As the saying goes, the only constant is change, and embracing change and pursuing new opportunities have defined AC Entertainment throughout its 25 years,” AC founder, namesake, and CEO Ashley Capps says in the story. “Initially, the conversation with Live Nation was one of several that we were having as we contemplated how we wanted to grow and where we wanted to go as a company in the coming years. As we got to know the Live Nation team better, especially working on Bonnaroo, it became clear that our teams could complement one another very well. It seemed like a great fit for AC, for where we are as a company now and how we expect to grow in the future.” AC Entertainment was founded by Capps in 1991 and has become one of the region’s most influential concert promoters. The company currently books concerts at the Tennessee and Bijou theaters and the Mill and Mine in Knoxville and at venues in Chattanooga, Nashville, Asheville, Memphis, and Charleston and Columbia, S.C. The company also stages Bonnaroo, Big Ears, the Forecastle Festival in Louisville, and the Sloss Music and Arts Festival in Birmingham. Capps says he will continue to manage the day-to-day operation of AC Entertainment. The company has 40 employees in Knoxville plus offices in Nashville, Chattanooga, Chicago, and Louisville. Live Nation, based in Los Angeles, was established in 2005 as a spin-off of Clear Channel Communications. The company merged with Ticketmaster in 2010. (Matthew Everett)
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Books: Fall of Heaven November 3, 2016
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 23
A&E
Classical Music
Seasons’ Greeting
Live Music | Dancing | Spirits | Food & Fun! 865-525-6101 • KNOXART.ORG
KSO offers an invigorating Sunday afternoon of Latin American (and Latin-themed) music
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November 4th
Stacy Mitchhart Band
November 11th
Boys’ Night Out Tribute to C. Vaughn Leslie
November 18th Leftfoot Dave & The Magic Hats
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KNOXVILLE MERCURY November 3, 2016
O
f the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra’s five major concert series, the Chamber Classics series at the Bijou Theatre occupies its own eclectic corner. These days, the series’ name has become somewhat inaccurate. While the series is built around the smaller Knoxville Symphony Chamber Orchestra and its core orchestra members, its programming has expanded far beyond the classics—and so has its appeal to committed audiences. The sublimely executed Sunday performance, led by KSO resident conductor James Fellenbaum, was fresh and energetic and demonstrated how a different perspective can invigorate a receptive audience. The title, “The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires,” was a reference to the concluding work on the program, by the Argentine composer Astor Piazzolla, but more generally to the concert’s Latin American theme. The title also connected to KSO’s October Masterworks concert, which featured Antonio Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons. A word of explanation: Piazzolla wrote his original Four Seasons of Buenos Aires for his tango quintet (piano, bandoneón, violin, electric guitar, and double bass) as incidental music for the play Melenita de oro, later expanding it into a suite of four “seasons.” In 1999, the violinist Gidon
Kremer commissioned an arrangement of the piece—the version heard at this concert—from the Ukranian composer Leonid Desyatnikov. Desyatnikov adapted it for the same strings-only complement as Vivaldi’s Four Seasons but also added musical references and shaded textures from Vivaldi and the Baroque period, as well as his own twists, that were not in Piazzolla’s original. Edward Pulgar, KSO’s principal second violin, gave a sensational performance as soloist, presenting focused statements of theme and background and delivering precise
and colorful tonal details. The ear-opening cadenzas added by Desyatnikov were consummately conveyed by Pulgar and cellist Andy Bryenton. The three pieces that preceded the Piazzolla/Desyatnikov work were equally important to the concert’s themes. Danzon No. 4, by contemporary Mexican composer Arturo Márquez, was rendered with a wealth of woodwind and percussion color, beautifully performed, all in the context of dance rhythms and instrumental textures that paint specific images for north-of-the-border audiences. A slightly different sort of dance rhythm came in Fuga con Pajarillo, a rich and energetic 1990 work for strings by the late Venezuelan composer Aldemaro Romero that blends modernism and the Baroque. Absorbing the flavors of other cultures has been a common theme in music history. The American composer Aaron Copland borrowed regularly, and with relish. His Three Latin-American Sketches brought the KSO woodwind and percussion players back to the stage for an American’s take on the subject, one painted with similar Latin colors and rhythms, but perhaps with a different brush. KSO’s next Chamber Classics Series concert will be on Sunday, Nov. 27, with Aram Demirjian leading the Chamber Orchestra in “A Classical Christmas.” ◆
The eclectic programming for KSO’s Chamber Classics series has expanded far beyond the classics—and so has its appeal to committed audiences.
Shelf Life
What’s New? Some classic recordings among the new releases at Knox County Public Library BY CHRIS BARRETT
L
ong-familiar recordings can earn a place on the library’s new music display any number of ways. Maybe it’s an updated version of a classic, with the odd bonus track or few. Maybe it’s a replacement copy of a popular title that was rendered unlistenable by too much love. Maybe it’s a donation. Maybe it is all or several of the above. Here are a handful of choice CDs currently available, well worth a rewind, and new to the collection by various definitions.
ELVIS COSTELLO AND THE ATTRACTIONS THIS YEAR’S MODEL (RADAR, 1978)
Bloody brilliant. This is Costello’s second album and his fi rst with longtime backup squad the Attractions. The songs are recognizable ear candy but never tiresome: “No Action,” “Lipstick Vogue,” “Living in Paradise,” and on and on. What gives this record legs is the then-new set of sounds that Costello—with keyboardist Steve Nieve, drummer Pete Thomas, and bassist Bruce Thomas (no relation)—invented to build these songs. Punky, racing rhythms square off against Costello’s secret-agent guitar and Nieve’s space-age organ glissandi, which mimic interrogative inflection so that beats alternate between exclamation points and question marks. Nick Lowe, probably Costello’s biggest fan at the time, produced.
COWBOY JUNKIES THE TRINITY SESSION (RCA, 1988)
Another record that continues to invite imitation, also a sophomore effort. Trinity Session introduced down-tempo Canadians Cowboy Junkies to the United States, and apparently it will always be the band’s most popular record here. Chanteuse
Margo Timmins and her brothers Michael, on guitar, and Peter, on drums, know what’s a whisper. They are somehow able to withhold dynamics and kinetics while increasing emotional potency. The band’s fi rst two records made plain their penchant for covers, and their audacious habit of going after hallowed tracks that would intimidate many. Here are “Walking After Midnight,” “Blue Moon” (a la Elvis Presley), “Working on a Building,” “Sweet Jane,” and “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry.” Quiet as it is, this live-without-audience recording is surprisingly rich and spacious. Sooner or later we’re bound to see a version of this record that makes use of the proto-surround sound Ambisonic technology that was used for the recording.
SONGS: OHIA THE LIONESS (SECRETLY CANADIAN, 2000) AND MAGNOLIA ELECTRIC COMPANY (SECRETLY CANADIAN, 2003)
The late singer-songwriter Jason Molina made a satchel full of intriguing albums and singles between 1996 and 2009. He recorded solo and as leader of a handful of bands of changing names and fluid personnel. Molina wrote thoughtful, ruminative lyrics always tinged with sadness and longing, occasionally anger. But the fact that he knew enough about regret and dread to sing to them led you to believe that he would somehow prevail, that he could dodge his demons. Not to be; Molina died at age 39 from organ failure related to alcohol consumption. In hindsight, it’s easy to imagine Molina’s music as chronicle of a death foretold. He grew up in Rust Belt Ohio and warbled of opportunities missed and good times
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gone, songs often set in times and places that seem romantic or exotic compared to modern Ohio. Instrumentation is mostly acoustic, leaning toward twang. Molina’s voice is easy on the ears, with a choirboy’s tremolo that allows him the plaintive effect of minor keys while singing mostly in major. These two records are a great introduction to Molina and his music; Magnolia Electric Company contains the excellent “Farewell Transmission,” in which Molina lists the many things he has seen enough of. He seems to end lines not by fi nishing them but by ceasing to exhale.
LED ZEPPELIN THE COMPLETE BBC SESSIONS (ATLANTIC, 2016)
Kinda sorta Led Zeppelin’s answer to The Basement Tapes, these tracks circulated for decades as a bootleg package. Released as a two-disc set in 1997, the mythmaking tracks not included apparently annoyed more people than the 24 remastered songs offered. This package has the word complete in the title—accurate or not, there are nine additional tracks, including “Sunshine Woman,” which up until now had never been released. The nine new tracks do nothing to illuminate, but they certainly defend the legend. Guitarist Jimmy Page, vocalist Robert Plant, bassist and keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham made an enormous amount of sound and were impressively tight live. The earliest sessions here, recorded in 1969 for John Peel’s Top Gear radio program, are the most impressive. They crush “Dazed and Confused” and Willie Dixon’s “You Shook Me.” You can tell that they are not yet rock gods, but they seem to sense the inevitable. As the 13 months captured by these recordings pass, you sometimes hear a combination of overconfidence and unsuccessful experimentation that lures them astray from what they do best. But even those passages strike one as momentous, and must have been something to see. ◆ Shelf Life explores new and timely entries from the Knox County Public Library’s collection of movies and music.
ARAM
The
from ERA:BetheThere Beginning! New Music Director Aram Demirjian will conduct these upcoming concerts!
IN TWO WEEKS
APPALACHIAN SPRING MIDKIFF MANDOLIN CONCERTO Thursday, Nov. 17 • 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 18 • 7:30 p.m. TENNESSEE THEATRE Sponsored by Circle of Friends
CLASSICAL TICKETS start at just $15!
A CLASSICAL CHRISTMAS Sunday, Nov. 27 • 2:30 p.m. Pellissippi State Variations Choir BIJOU THEATRE Sponsored by Asbury Place Continuing Care Retirement Communities Presented with support from the Aslan Foundation
MARCH 2017
LEFKOWITZ PLAYS BRAHMS Thursday, March 16 • 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 17 • 7:30 p.m.
TENNESSEE THEATRE Sponsored by Brogan Financial Retirement & Legacy Planning
CALL: (865) 291-3310 CLICK: knoxvillesymphony.com VISIT: Monday-Friday, 9-5 November 3, 2016
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 25
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Movies
Photo by Byron Newman
No Fun Jim Jarmusch misses the Stooges’ unhinged magic in by-the-numbers rock doc Gimme Danger BY LEE GARDNER
T
he Stooges made a critical discovery during their first recording session in New York in 1969: The band couldn’t lay down a decent instrumental track if singer Iggy Pop, nee Stooge, didn’t dance in the studio while they played. If Iggy didn’t move, they couldn’t make the music move. It’s a nugget that says much about the idiot-savant nature of the band. It also serves as a good metaphor for the problem with Gimme Danger, Jim Jarmusch’s new documentary about the foursome. He’s made a film about one of the most powerful and visceral rock bands ever, featuring one of the most galvanic and colorful frontmen ever, via the rote mix of subcinematic tropes that makes up every wildly meh musical biodoc clogging up the lower depths of streaming services. Gimme Danger never really moves, as it were, and as a film, it isn’t likely to
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KNOXVILLE MERCURY November 3, 2016
move you much, either. Jarmusch finds a fine framing device: He starts in 1973, after the Stooges’ clamorous third album, Raw Power, has followed the first two into commercial ignominy. The band members are struggling with drugs and the years-long grind of trying to get the world to notice them. They don’t break up; they fall apart. As far as they know, they are utter failures. The narrative then rewinds to thumbnail the backstory of a quartet from Ann Arbor, Mich., coming of age in the ’60s but a bit too young and sardonic to be hippies. Their hang time turns into a band, but the Psychedelic Stooges aren’t a rock group so much as an experimental noise outfit. (In Pop’s talking-head interviews, which dominate the film, he reveals that a favored pastime in the early days was getting high, turning off all the lights, and listening
to records by avant-garde composer Harry Partch.) Ron Asheton (guitar), brother Scott Asheton (drums), and Dave Alexander (bass) made a riff-based racket while Iggy did everything he could think of to capture the audience’s attention—gyrating, crawling, “playing” a vacuum cleaner, screaming, even singing. The Stooges were snatched up by prescient A&R man Danny Fields and herded toward professionalism. They began recording their first album despite not having any actual songs. Scott Asheton reveals that his brother Ron wrote “Not Right” the night before a session; the thundering version on the Stooges’ 1969 debut is not only a first take, it’s the song’s first-ever performance. The album didn’t sell, and neither did the follow-up, the epochal Fun House. Iggy’s unhinged stage performances laid the foundation of his legend, and the thudding live powerhouse connected with some susceptible listeners, but the band, and the film, end up back at 1973 anyway. The final reels skim over the Stooges’ years in the wilderness and the inexorable build of their posthumous reputation and influence. (Fields notes that the Ramones came together not because they were friends, but because they were the only people they knew who liked the Stooges.) Gimme Danger wraps up with the slow progress toward a 2003 reunion that earned them some of the accolades, and the money, they missed the first time around. There are limits to what Jarmusch could do here. The relative obscuri-
ty of the Stooges during their initial careen means that there’s very little sync-sound footage of the band performing at its height. Ron Asheton, Iggy’s key foil, died in 2009, forcing Jarmusch to use a few scraps of existing interview footage. But what absolutely boggles the mind is that Jarmusch, an estimable filmmaker, can’t seem to find a way to do anything with the Stooges’ story that literally almost any other fanboy with a camera couldn’t have done. He plops Iggy down in a chair in one garish room or another and shoots him talking—he doesn’t even follow him around the house a little. He cuts in a couple of other talking heads who were in the band, or close to it. He mixes in some archival footage and old stills. He throws in some handscrawled title cards. When someone tells a funny story, he illustrates it using deliberately amateurish animation. There is mention of debauchery and bad blood, but nothing comes out on camera that’s going to wobble the righteous, redemptive arc of the story. The only rock-doc cliché Jarmusch manages to avoid is bringing in Bono or John Waters or Henry Rollins to sing the band’s praises. What Jarmusch does here constitutes an efficient format to offer basic information about a topic, but index cards can do that. It is so, so, so tired, and everybody does it. The chair, as a staple of contemporary documentary filmmaking, must die. While superfans will no doubt enjoy spending a couple of hours hearing the old stories, you can definitely wait until it’s streaming. ◆
Jarmusch has made a film about one of the most powerful and visceral rock bands ever, featuring one of the most galvanic and colorful frontmen ever, but Gimme Danger never really moves. It isn’t likely to move you much, either.
Books
Conspiracy Theory Andrew Scott Cooper traces the conspiracies and bad judgment that led to Iran’s Islamic Revolution BY J. BURROWS
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arly in The Fall of Heaven: The Pahlavis and the Final Days of Imperial Iran (Henry Holt and Co.), Andrew Scott Cooper sums up the suspicions that informed Iranian culture in the years before the 1979 Islamic Revolution. “For a people who prided themselves on their knowledge of science, philosophy, and literature, Persians saw their world as one shaped by elaborate conspiracies that allowed them to shift the blame for their own mistakes and misfortunes onto the shoulders of others,” Cooper writes. The events Cooper describes leading up to the 1979 Islamic Revolution do nothing to dispel the country’s perception of itself as a pawn of superpowers and extremists. Mohammad Reza Shah’s succession to the throne, in 1941, replacing his father, Reza Shah (who changed the country’s name from Persia to Iran), was engineered by England and Russia. In 1953, Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadeq, who was threatening the Shah’s power, was ousted with CIA assistance in Operation Ajax. In 1963, the Shah’s White Revolution, a referendum on social and land reforms overwhelmingly supported by the populace, was nearly scuttled by a small extremist religious faction. As it happens, this faction was led by a relatively junior member of the ulama, one Ayatollah Khomeini, who in time would become the prime mover in Iran’s 1979 revolution. The Fall of Heaven opens in December 1977, just as the unrest in Iran begins making international headlines. The deeply researched scope of Cooper’s account, however, includes all of the Shah’s 37-year reign, from 1941 to Jan. 16, 1979, when the Shah and Queen Farah depart Iran, never to return. Moreover, the book is positioned as a rehabilitation of the Shah and his
reign, dispelling such misrepresentations of the Shah “as a blood-soaked tyrant while she, the Queen, had whiled away her time bathing in milk.” Cooper largely succeeds, carefully identifying the Shah’s educational, infrastructural, social, and financial successes for the country, as well as debunking claims of undue cruelty. He also, perhaps inadvertently, reveals an accumulation of odd improbabilities that play a prominent role in the Shah’s downfall. For example, the Shah himself, is described as isolated, disconnected from his people, impervious to criticism (“I not only make the decisions, I do the thinking”), and surrounded largely by sycophants. And yet this same autocrat is indecisive and fearful, “a lamb in lion’s clothing,” with a weird and arguably fatal aspiration (shared with the Queen) to European stylings. The dress, celebrations, architecture, and art appreciation (Queen Farah had an Andy Warhol painting of herself)—all were manifestly non-Iranian. The most embarrassing exhibition of Euro-envy was the thoroughly misconceived and largely derided $22 million (approximately $130 million today) celebration, in 1971, of the 2,500th anniversary of Iran’s monarchy. Apparently and inexplicably modeled after the royal Field of the Cloth of Gold encampment of France’s Francis I in 1520, the Shah’s version included a tent city in the desert constructed and furnished entirely by foreign vendors. The main event consisted of a five-and-ahalf hour banquet for 60 foreign dignitaries catered by the French restaurant Maxim’s. Curiously, Iran as a country was largely absent at the most lavish celebration of its own history. (President Richard Nixon was invited but unable to attend; Vice President Spiro Agnew attended but was mostly
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absent, nursing an acute gastrointestinal inconvenience.) Equally improbable in Cooper’s account is the U.S. relationship with its most strategically important Middle East partner. First, the U.S. had virtually no intelligence operation in Iran, having agreed to forgo in-country intelligence gathering in exchange for Iran-based Soviet listening posts. Second, U.S. intelligence made little attempt to understand Khomeini’s intentions, most tellingly in the failure to translate his political treatise Islamic Government (published in 1970) until March 1979, literally days before an Islamic Republic was declared. And third, the choice of U.S. Ambassador Bill Sullivan, a notoriously tactless veteran of posts in the Philippines and Laos, who arrived in late 1977. Early in his Iran tenure, Sullivan is reported to have inquired of the Queen’s cultural advisor’s wife, “I wonder when we’re going to have a revolution in Iran?” Later, he would cross swords with—and operate independently of—the White House, becoming overly influenced by powerless moderate revolutionary elements (e.g., the National Front) and underestimating the fundamentalist Islamic threat. One can only speculate that, had these two nations made more effort to be culturally informed about Iran and its people, the ultimate outcome might have been avoided. Although that might only have allowed for yet another elaborate conspiracy. ◆
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KNOXVILLE MERCURY 27
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KNOXVILLE MERCURY November 3, 2016
Thursday, Nov. 3 - Sunday, Nov. 13
MUSIC
Thursday, Nov. 3 MATHIS GREY WITH THE FLY BY NIGHT ROUNDERS • 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 CLARK PATERSON • Scruffy City Hall • 6PM • Part of Wayne Bledsoe’s weekly Six O’Clock Swerve show on WDVX. • FREE STRAIGHT NO CHASER • Tennessee Theatre • 7:30PM • If the phrase “male a cappella group” conjures up an image of students in blue blazers, ties, and khakis singing traditional college songs on ivied campuses... think again. Straight No Chaser are neither strait-laced nor straight-faced, but neither are they vaudeville-style kitsch. They have emerged as a phenomenon with a massive fanbase, numerous national TV appearances and proven success with CD releases. • $29.50-$57.50 DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS WITH KYLE CRAFT • The Mill and Mine • 8PM • Founded in 1996 by singer/songwriter/guitarists Mike Cooley and Patterson Hood, the band have long held a progressive fire in their belly but with American Band, they have made the most explicitly political album in their extraordinary canon. A powerful and legitimately provocative work, hard edged and finely honed, the album is the sound of a truly American Band – a Southern American band – speaking on matters that matter. Visit themillandmine.com. • $25-$28 WEYES BLOOD WITH ANCIENT WARFARE AND SHRIEK OPERATOR • Pilot Light • 10PM • Though Natalie Mering, who performs and records as Weyes Blood, chose to distort her project’s name (giving “Wise” an appropriately outré, olde feel) with a nod to the ocular (w’eyes), her entire output thus far has been an exercise in exploring the atemporal. She is a musician, a singer, after all, but the particular process of Weyes Blood’s development, and Mering’s experimentation with everything from early 2000s local-noise-scene strangeness to her present mastery of timeless balladry, highlight her as an meticulous sonic alchemist. 18 and up. • $7 THE APPLESEED COLLECTIVE • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM • The Appleseed Collective is not a bluegrass band. It’s not The Hot Club of Paris. It’s not a ragtime cover band. The Appleseed Collective represents Americana music rooted in traditions from all over the world and from every decade, creating a live experience that welcomes every soul and is impossible to replicate. FAILURE ANTHEM WITH THROUGH FIRE, LETTERS FROM THE FIRE, AND COVER YOUR TRACKS • The Concourse • 7PM • 18 and up. • $12-$15 RENEE WAHL AND THE SWORN SECRETS • Sugarlands Distilling Co. • 7PM • FREE THE BEARDED • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria (Maryville) • 8PM THE CORDOVAS • Preservation Pub • 10PM • 21 and up. Friday, Nov. 4 STONE BROKE SAINTS • WDVX • 12PM • Part of WDVX’s Blue Plate Special, a six-days-a-week lunchtime concert series featuring local, regional, and national Americana, folk, pop, rock, and everything else. • FREE ALIVE AFTER FIVE: THE STACY MITCHART BAND • Knoxville Museum of Art • 6PM • The Stacy Mitchhart Band is widely recognized as the best show in Nashville, as the house band for the famed Bourbon Street Blues & Boogie Bar on historic Printer’s Alley for many years and also frequent appearances at B. B. King’s Blues Club. Known as
the “Blues Doctor” and always “dressed to the nines”, the flamboyant entertainer has won the Albert King Award for Best Guitarist at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis and virtually every Blues award there is in Nashville. He has toured internationally and has had numerous television appearances on PBS, TBS, HBO, and Monday Night Football. • $15 STOLEN RHODES • Sugarlands Distilling Co. (Gatlinburg) • 7PM • Listing such renowned/respected acts as Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Allman Brothers, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Pearl Jam as their main influences, the group (which also includes guitarist Kevin Cunningham, bassist Dan Haase, and drummer Eric Skye) has already garnered rave reviews from the press. • 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 STS9 • Tennessee Theatre • 8PM • Twenty years before the emergence of STS9, NASA sent Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 on a mission to the farthest reaches of the solar system and beyond. Each of these probes was equipped with identical Golden Records, special messages attached to what Carl Sagan called “a bottle launched into the cosmic ocean.” They contained numerous images and sounds from throughout the world, pieces of music from various cultures, a map identifying the location of our planet, and other information for whomever, or whatever, might find them. STS(‘s new album, The Universe Inside is a reflection of this message. • $35-$40 SOMO • The Mill and Mine • 8PM • SoMo -- aka Joseph Somers-Morales -- will never forget being on stage as a kid. At six-years-old, he sang at a popular club on historic 6th Street in Austin, TX. However, his life took a bit of a detour away from music for quite some time. However, in 2009, music called to him in the strangest and most serendipitous way. Receiving a piano from his mom for Christmas, he taught himself how to play by ear and recorded a cover of Chris Brown’s “Crawl”. Uploading the performance to YouTube, it soon went viral. • $25-$400 PAUL THORN • Bijou Theatre • 8PM • “In the past, I’ve told stories that were mostly inspired by my own life,” the former prizefighter and literal son of a preacher man offers. “This time, I’ve written 10 songs that express more universal truths, and I’ve done it with a purpose: to make people feel good.” Visit knoxbijou.com. • $25 JACK’D UP • Two Doors Down • 9PM THE BROCKEFELLERS • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 10PM • FREE TRISHES WITH BENJAMIN III AND TRE MCCRARY • Pilot Light • 10PM • 18 and up. • $5 MATT WOODS WITH JEFF SHEPHERD • Open Chord • 8PM • Local singer/songwriter Matt Woods celebrates the release of his new album, How to Survive. BOY BAND REVUE • The Concourse • 8PM • All ages. • $12-$15 RYAN ZIMMERMAN • Vienna Coffee House • 7PM • FREE JUDGE HAMMER • Remedy Coffee • 8PM • FREE • JOSH PRESTON • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria (Maryville) • 9PM JONNY MONSTER • Brackins Blues Club • 9PM GUY MARSHALL • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM THE JAY ERIC BAND • Wild Wing Cafe • 10PM • FREE DANIMAL PLANET WITH ANNABELLE’S CURSE • Preservation Pub • 10PM • 21 and up. BADLANDS • Scruffy City Hall • 11:30PM YOUNG THUG WITH DJ A-WALL • Old City Courtyard • 7PM • 18 and up. • $30-$40 Saturday, Nov. 5 CASSIDY ROSE GRAVES WITH THE LOW COUNTS • WDVX • 12PM • Part of WDVX’s Blue Plate Special, a six-days-a-
CALENDAR
BOB DYLAN Tennessee Theatre • Wednesday, Nov. 9 • 8 p.m. • $59.50-$129.50 • tennesseetheatre.com or bobdylan.com
The official citation for the Nobel Prize in Literature that Bob Dylan won last month credits him with “having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition.” He’s done that more than once: with the Greenwich Village protest folk of the early ’60s; the great American rock ’n’ roll road show experiment he conducted with the Band later in that decade; and his mid-’70s comeback with Blood on the Tracks and Desire. Even the late-period run of albums from Time Out of Mind (1997) to Tempest (2012), with Dylan digging into the blues, country, and pop of the early recording era, could fit that description. He took the music of Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Pete Seeger, and the Beatles—and the artists who inspired them—to places no one could have imagined, and changed the way we hear what they did, and what came before them. He’s been two steps ahead of everybody, even his most devoted fans, for most of his career. Even something as ripe as the late-career standards album takes on extra dimensions with Dylan—his two latest records, Shadows in the Night and Fallen Angels, transform songs associated with Frank Sinatra into unforeseen new forms—rustic ballads arranged as chamber suites, dusty and grand, full of optimism and regret. (Matthew Everett)
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Spotlight: Young Thug
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Spotlight: Scruffy City Comedy Festival November 3, 2016
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 29
CALENDAR week lunchtime concert series featuring local, regional, and national Americana, folk, pop, rock, and everything else. • FREE BELLE HOLLOWS • Sugarlands Distilling Co. (Gatlinburg) • 7PM • Having first played together as part of the Nashville-based newgrass band The Barrel Jumpers, Robert Phaneuf and siblings Rachel Johnson and Jeremy Johnson spent the better part of a decade developing the unique vocal blend that characterized the sound of their former band. Now, with years of experience together and a sound that is all their own, this trio is breaking new ground with their debut album Miller’s Creek. • FREE KIM SMITH AND DAVID BOETTCHER • Vienna Coffee House
Thursday, Nov. 3 - Sunday, Nov. 13
(Maryville) • 7PM • FREE DREW HOLCOMB AND THE NEIGHBORS WITH CEREUS BRIGHT • Market Square • 8PM • Campus Events Board will top off the 100th Anniversary of UT’s Homecoming with a free concert performed by Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors along with Cereus Bright.For more information about the event or about disability accommodations, please call the Center for Student Engagement at (865) 974-5455. • FREE CYPHER: A HIP-HOP SHOW • The Birdhouse • 9PM • Open mic for the first half of the night, then two featured artists to close out the night. 18 and up. MOJO:FLOW • Two Doors Down • 9PM AFTAH PARTY • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM
YOUNG THUG Old City Courtyard • Friday, Nov. 4 • 8 p.m. • $30-$40 • 18 and up
Atlanta rapper Young Thug still hasn’t released a proper album, but that doesn’t seem to be a professional impediment in 2016. The 25-year-old Thug has been climbing toward the top level of the very competitive Southern hip-hop scene with a deluge of mixtapes, including three this year. The most recent, the irrepressible Jeffrey, confirms the buzz. It’s Young Thug’s definitive statement so far, an off-kilter but pop-friendly showcase for his idiosyncratic flow, a mix of declamation, singing, barking and chirping, and sometimes unintelligible chants. Jeffrey’s also notable for its extramusical impact—the cover art features the rapper in a dress, the latest and most explicit challenge he’s delivered to rap’s hypermasculine culture. (Matthew Everett)
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KNOXVILLE MERCURY November 3, 2016
MARYVILLE COLLEGE INVITATIONAL CHOIR FESTIVAL • Clayton Center for the Arts • 6PM • The festival will serve as a benefit for the Blount County Animal Shelter. The concert is free and open to the public, but donations for the Blount County Animal Shelter are greatly appreciated. Participants include choirs from Maryville High School; Powell High School; Farragut High School; Karns High School; Alcoa High School; Pellissippi State Community College; Highlander Chorale; Maryville College Concert Choir; and Off Kilter. • FREE PETER BRADLEY ADAMS • The Open Chord • 8PM • Peter Bradley Adams is a folk-pop Americana singer-songwriter from Birmingham, Alabama. All ages. • $15 ANAGNORISIS WITH CRYPTIC HYMN AND OUBLIETTE • Pilot Light • 8PM • Based on a Greek phrase for “discovery,” Anagnorisis was founded in 2003, setting out to experiment with merging symphonic and death-infused black metal styles. 18 and up. • $8 SHIMMY AND THE BURNS • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria (Maryville) • 9PM THE BROTHERS WESTFIELD • Preservation Pub • 10PM • 21 and up. THE CAM DUFFY BAND • Scruffy City Hall • 10:30PM Sunday, Nov. 6 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 GRANT FARM • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 8PM • Boulder, Colorado-based Americana band Grant Farm has entertained a growing fan base on the nation’s club and festival scene since its founding in 2009 by vocalist and National Flatpicking Guitar Champion Tyler Grant. ROBINELLA • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria (Maryville) • 7PM Monday Nov. 7 MIGHTY MUSICAL MONDAY • Tennessee Theatre • 12PM • Wurlitzer meister Bill Snyder is joined by a special guest on the first Monday of each month for a music showcase inside Knoxville’s historic Tennessee Theatre. • FREE ZACH BRYSON AND TODD DAY WAIT WITH GRANT FARM • 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 MARYVILLE AREA DULCIMER CLUB • Blount County Public Library • 7PM • Featuring popular, patriotic, classical and even some holiday songs. • FREE TODD DAY WAIT’S PIGPEN WITH ZACH BRYSON • Sugarlands Distilling Co. • 7PM • FREE THE FARMER AND ADELE • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM ALEX AND THE XOS • Preservation Pub • 10PM Tuesday, Nov. 8 TODD BURGE WITH ALEX AND THE XOS • 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 PUBLIC APOLOGY • Wild Wing Cafe • 5:30PM • FREE • 17:30:00 • 11/8/2016 17:30:00 • Public Apology • 36884 • FREE JOHNNYSWIM • Bijou Theatre • 8PM • There are approximately 2,000 miles between Nashville and Los Angeles. Both cities are home to Johnnyswim. However, the duo’s music far transcends that distance. It’s easy to understand why A Prairie Home Companion declared that
Abner Ramirez and Amanda Sudano Ramirez are “21st century troubadours.” As Johnnyswim, they embody the tradition of the well-traveled singer-songwriter while cultivating a modern style that’s uniquely their own. • $27 WOLVES WOLVES WOLVES WOLVES WITH OFF WITH THEIR HEADS • Pilot Light • 9PM • 18 and up. • $5 THE EVENING NEWS • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM LEISURE CHIEF • Preservation Pub • 10PM Wednesday, Nov. 9 JACK MORAN • 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 FROG AND TOAD’S DIXIE QUARTET • The Crown and Goose • 6:30PM • Live jazz featuring a mix of original music, early jazz and more. • FREE THE JOSH DANIEL AND MARK SCHIMICK PROJECT • Sugarlands Distilling Co. • 7PM • FREE TENNESSEE SHINES: PAUL LEE KUPFER • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 7PM • Originally from the mountains of West Virginia, Paul Lee Kupfer has travelled as a solo performer and bandleader since 2006. Knoxville audiences may know him best as a member of The Bus Driver Tour with Ian Thomas and Danny Freund. Part of WDVX’s weekly Tennessee Shines series of live-broadcast concerts. • $10 BOB DYLAN • Tennessee Theatre • 8PM • Bob Dylan’s career has lasted the better part of fifty years now. That’s pretty remarkable. What is more impressive is that Dylan has remained not only active for almost all of that period, but controversial. • $59.50-$129.50 OTHER COLORS WITH YUNG LIFE AND DAVE FELL • Pilot Light • 9PM • 18 and up. • $5 Thursday, Nov. 10 APPALACHIAN MUSIC AND FOOD CELEBRATION WITH RICKY SKAGGS • The Mill and Mine • 7:30PM • Celebrate an evening of Appalachian food and music while benefiting Carson-Newman University with award winning American Country and Bluegrass singer, musician, and songwriter, Ricky Skaggs.Enjoy Appalachian cuisine from local chefs while Ricky and his band, Kentucky Thunder, perform a full concert set with special guest Carson Peters, a 12-year-old fiddle player who has appeared on The Tonight Show and the Grand Ole Opry. Proceeds from the event will go to the Ricky Skaggs Student Scholarship and the Women of Vision at Carson-Newman University. This is a general admission, family friendly, non-alcoholic event. Any patrons under the age of 18 must be accompanied by guardian. Carson-Newman University is a Christian liberal arts University located in Jefferson City, TN. Visit themillandmine.com. • $100 DOGWOOD TALES WITH THE VALLEY OPERA • 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 PINKLETS • Scruffy City Hall • 6PM • Part of Wayne Bledsoe’s weekly Six O’Clock Swerve show on WDVX. • FREE KODA AND MARIE • Sugarlands Distilling Co. • 7PM • FREE ZZ TOP • Tennessee Theatre • 8PM • ZZ Top have been together for over 40 years and never once has their line up changed—they are one of the only bands with a career span of this magnitude to be able to lay claim to this distinction and boy does it show. Since the 80s they have had a string of massive hits, spawning some of the best and most instantly recognizable singles within the Hard Rock genre – ‘Gimme All Your Loving’, ‘Sharp
CALENDAR Dressed Man’, ‘La Grange’ and ‘Legs’ to name but a few. • $79.50-$99.50 JIMMY DAVIS • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria (Maryville) • 8PM • • 20:00:00 • 11/10/2016 20:00:00 • Jimmy Davis • 365 • BIG GIGANTIC WITH ILLENIUM • The International • 9PM • Big Gigantic established themselves as pioneers of live electronic music with the band’s inception in 2008. Now, almost 10 years later, they continue to shape the genre by moving it forward with each new release. 18 and up. Visit internationalknox.com. • $26-$46 THE HENHOUSE PROWLERS • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM • The Henhouse Prowlers recently released their album Breaking Ground which was produced by Grammy Nominated Greg Cahill (Special Consensus). While the album features many guests what shines most is the obvious cohesion of a band that has perfected their skills over years of playing on the road and at home. THE ROSS COOPER BAND • Preservation Pub • 10PM Friday, Nov. 11 SWINGBOOTY • Red Piano Lounge • 8PM • 21 and up. • $5 THE THOMAS CASSELL PROJECT • 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 ROSS COOPER • Sugarlands Distilling Co. • 7PM • FREE MOMMA MOLASSES • Vienna Coffee House • 7PM • FREE CLARENCE BUCARO • Royal Oaks Event Center • 7:30PM • Bucaro, a Cleveland Ohio native, spent periods residing in New Orleans and Los Angeles before settling in Brooklyn, NY. With years of touring history under his belt and nine studio albums, Bucaro has delivered his most diverse and mature album to date in Pendulum, a collection that feels both timeless and fresh. Visit storiesbeyondthemusic.com. • $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 KELSEA BALLERINA WITH MORGAN EVANS • Tennessee Theatre • 8PM • Kelsea Ballerini’s breakout hit, “Love Me Like You Mean It,” is just a taste of the country-pop sound in her imaginative catalog. The Knoxville, Tennessee native has dedicated the better part of the last decade to creating inspiring music, based on her life, to motivate others to live without fear of their emotions. Visit tennesseetheatre.com. • $25-$49 CHARGE THE ATLANTIC • Preservation Pub • 8PM TYLER FARR • Cotton Eyed Joe • 9PM • Tyler Farr’s a thinker, an observer of the human condition, a man in the middle of a surging testosterone country movement in today’s Nashville who insists on digging a little deeper, getting a little realer and owning how hard it can be. • $15 NUTHIN’ FANCY • Two Doors Down • 9PM KIMBRO, HANNAH, AND DEACON • The Bistro at the Bijou • 9PM • Live jazz. • FREE KITTY WAMPUS • Spicy’s • 9PM THE PEA PICKIN’ HEARTS • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria (Maryville) • 9PM THE GROOVE ORIENT • Scruffy City Hall • 9PM Jeff Jensen • Brackins Blues Club • 9PM THREE STAR REVIVAL • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM • Jazzy, jammy, funky Americana. THE LAWSUITS • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 10PM • FREE THE POP ROX • Wild Wing Cafe • 10PM • FREE CAPTAIN IVORY • Preservation Pub • 10PM Saturday, Nov. 12 FRONTIER WITH STUART WICKE • 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 CHRISTIAN LOPEZ • Sugarlands Distilling Co. • 7PM • FREE THE VALLEY OPERA • Vienna Coffee House • 7PM • FREE THE JEFF JOPLING BAND • Two Doors Down • 9PM KODA KERL AND MARIE BORGMAN • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria (Maryville) • 9PM HAROLD NAGGE AND ALAN WYATT • The Bistro at the Bijou • 9PM • Live jazz. • FREE DYNAMO • Scruffy City Hall • 9PM THE SUPERSUCKERS WITH REV. PEYTON’S BIG DAMN BAND AND JESSE DAYTON • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM • An evening of beer-sotted brand of hell-bound grunge-icana. KING KONG WITH FROGBELLY AND SYMPHONY • Pilot Light • 10PM • 18 and up. • $7 Sunday, Nov. 13 SHIFFLETT’S JAZZ BENEDICT • The Bistro at the Bijou • 12PM • Live jazz. • FREE • 12:00:00 • 11/13/2016 12:00:00 • Shifflett’s Jazz Benedict • 398 • Live jazz. • FREE SUNDAY JAZZ BRUNCH • Downtown Grill and Brewery • 12:45PM • Knoxville’s coolest jazz artists perform every Sunday. • FREE • 12:45:00 • 11/13/2016 12:45:00 • Sunday Jazz Brunch • 14395 • Knoxville’s coolest jazz artists perform every Sunday. • FREE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN WITH O’BROTHER, CAR BOMB, AND CULT LEADER • The Concourse • 7PM • After five studio albums and countless tours around the globe, the Dillinger Escape Plan has earned much respect among fans and critics worldwide. With accomplishments such as coverage in mass media from the Rolling Stone to the New York Times, Billboard chart status, and performances on net work television such as Late night with Conan O’Brien, the Dillinger Escape Plan is often named one of the most important bands to have immerged over the last decade. All ages. • $18 PALE ROOT • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 8PM THE ZAK HERMAN BAND • Preservation Pub • 10PM
OPEN MIC AND SONGWRITER NIGHTS
Thursday, Nov. 3 IRISH MUSIC SESSION • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 7:15PM • Held on the first and third Thursdays of each month. • FREE
Monday, Nov. 7 BARLEY’S OPEN MIC NIGHT • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria (Maryville) • 8PM Tuesday, Nov. 8 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, Nov. 9 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 • 9PM • A weekly open session hosted by Tommie John. • FREE Thursday, Nov. 10 SCOTTISH MUSIC SESSION • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 7:15PM • November 3, 2016
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CALENDAR Held on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month. • FREE Sunday, Nov. 13 EPWORTH MONTHLY OLD HARP SHAPE NOTE SINGING • Laurel Theater • 6:30PM • Visit jubileearts.org. • FREE SING OUT KNOXVILLE • Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church • 7PM • A folk singing circle open to everyone. • FREE
Thursday, Nov. 3 - Sunday, Nov. 13
DJ AND DANCE NIGHTS
CLASSICAL MUSIC
Thursday, Nov. 3 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 MC3 BAND FALL CONCERT • Clayton Center for the Arts (Maryville) • 7PM • The program will include patriotic favorites, such as “American Rhapsody” by Anne McGinty; “Fantasy on Yankee Doodle” by Mark Williams; “The Promise of Living” (from the Tender Land) by Aaron Copland and James Curnow; “American Folk Rhapsody No. 3” by Clare Grundman; “O’er the Land of the Free” by Johnnie Vinson; and “U.S. Field Artillery March” by John Philip Sousa. • FREE
Saturday, Nov. 5 REWIND DANCE NIGHT • The Concourse • 9PM • 18 and up. • $5
Photo by Jason Grindle
SCRUFFY CITY COMEDY FESTIVAL Various venues downtown and in the Old City • Friday, Nov. 4-Sunday, Nov. 6 • $20-$50 • scruffycitycomedy.com
During this election season, we all need to lighten up. The Scruffy City Comedy Festival, whose theme this year is “a tribute to America,” is offering laugh therapy at five venues downtown. “It’s time to make Knoxville laugh again,” the festival website proclaims. The organizers aim to that with a lineup of 36 comics from across the country—and from across the political and cultural spectrum—as well as hometown favorites and improv troops like Knoxville’s Einstein Simplified and Full Disclosure Comedy. Headliner Baron Vaughn, who stars alongside Lilly Tomlin and Jane Fonda in the Netflix series Grace and Frankie, is likely to belt out a spoof tune or two—hip-hop, maybe, or in the style of early ’90s Disney theme songs. Knoxville’s own national phenom Trae Crowder, aka the Liberal Redneck, will be getting his red up. Joining the lineup late in the game, his touring partners Corey Forrester and Drew Morgan have relented from their earlier decision to skip this year’s festival. Lauren Faber, Carolina’s Funniest Comic (a title won in open competition, so it’s official), might share her adventures as a lesbian teaching sex education in Tanzania. And if you actually are in the mood for politics, you might be able to get a good taste from Travis Irvine, a regular political analyst for the Huffington Post and The Guardian, where he was editor for a big series on climate change. The festival, founded and organized by ex-Knoxville comedian Matt Ward three years ago, just seems to get broader and more diverse. $50 gets you into all the shows. See the schedule and learn more at scruffycitycomedy.com. (S. Heather Duncan)
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KNOXVILLE MERCURY November 3, 2016
Saturday, Nov. 5 OAK RIDGE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA AND OAK RIDGE CHORUS: CELEBRATING MOZART! • First United Methodist Church of Oak Ridge • 7:30PM • The concert will feature guest artist, Gabriel Lefkowitz, currently in his final season as Concertmaster of the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, in a performance of Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 5. The concert will also feature the Oak Ridge Chorus, performing Mozart’s “Coronation” Mass with the Oak Ridge Symphony, and Mozart’s Divertimento in F major. Subscription and individual tickets may be purchased online at www.ORCMA.org or by calling (865) 483-5569. •
$25
Sunday, Nov. 6 OAK RIDGE WIND ENSEMBLE: MUSIC FOR OUR MILITARY • Central Baptist Church Oak Ridge • 3:30PM • Featuring a special program of music in honor of veterans and currently serving personnel in the United State Armed Forces. For more information visit www.orcb.org or call 865-482-3568. • $5 Monday, Nov. 7 THE ORCHESTRA AT MARYVILLE COLLEGE: A BRITISH INVASION • Clayton Center for the Arts • 7PM • The program will include music from classical and popular British composers, including Henry Purcell, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Edward Elgar, Benjamin Britten, John Dowland, Andrew Lloyd Webber, John Lennon and Paul McCartney. • $5 Thursday, Nov. 10 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 Friday, Nov. 11 SCRUFFY CITY ORCHESTRA VETERAN’S DAY CONCERT: A MUSICAL CELEBRATION IN HONOR OF OUR HEROES • First Baptist Church • 7:30PM • Scruffy City Orchestra’s Veteran’s Day concert will feature local radio personality and Anything is Possible host Hallerin Hilton Hill performing the narration to Aaron Copland’s “A Lincoln Portrait.” The orchestra is comprised of over 60 amateur
and professional musicians volunteering their time and talents to contribute to the rapidly-growing classical music scene. The concert will also include performances of “Armed Forces Salute”, “Ashokan Farewell” (from Ken Burns’ Civil War) and other selections to honor our heroes. All veterans of the Armed Forces will receive complimentary admission to the performance with military identification. Visit facebook.com/scruffycityorchestra. • $5 Maciej Grzybowski • University of Tennessee Natalie L. Haslam Music Center • 8PM • Maciej will perform solo piano music from Bach to Lutoslawski, representing a selection of standard repertoire as well as works from outstanding contempoary Polish musicians. Saturday, Nov. 12 TRILLIUM • Clayton Center for the Arts • 7PM • Founded in January of 2014, Trillium, an ensemble of strings and piano, has engaged numerous audiences with its expressive interpretations at the heart of the piano trio literature, in addition to performances of quartets and quintets. • FREE
THEATER AND DANCE
Thursday, Nov. 3 CLARENCE BROWN THEATRE: ‘THIS IS OUR YOUTH’ • Clarence Brown Lab Theatre • 7:30PM • Strikingly funny, arrestingly fresh, caustic, and compassionate. Three wayward adolescents on the cusp of adulthood navigate Reagan-era New York, recreating their broken homes in their dysfunctional friendships and bungled attempts to find love. Oct. 26-Nov. 13. Visit clarencebrowntheatre.com. KNOXVILLE CHILDREN’S THEATRE: ‘THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE’ • Knoxville Children’s Theatre • 7PM • Three strangers volunteer to accompany Dr. John Montague in an investigation of Hill House, a mysterious mansion with a reputation for being haunted. While the four are there, supernatural events drives them to the edge of sanity and pushes one toward a terrible end. Oct. 28-Nov. 13. Visit knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com. • $12 THE MAN WHO LIVES HERE IS LOONY’ • Knoxville Museum of Art • 7PM • R.B. Morris’ one-person play adapted from the life and work of James Agee. The title comes from an anonymous person who wrote it on the door of the building on St. James Place in Brooklyn where Agee was living, and where he sometimes kept a goat. The setting of the play is a room in the garret of a building in Brooklyn on one night in the mid 20th century. Through the long night, the man (Agee) reflects on his life and work, God and humanity, art and artists, literature and writers, New York and Knoxville, and the current American culture in the Nuclear Age. Oct. 27-Nov. 6. Visit rbmorris.com. • $15 MARYVILLE COLLEGE THEATRE: ‘AND THEY DANCE REAL SLOW IN JACKSON’ • Clayton Center for the Arts • 8PM • The play, written by Jim Leonard Jr., centers around the interactions between Elizabeth Willow, a young girl afflicted with polio, and the residents of the fictional town of Jackson, Ind. The story is told in a non-realistic, episodic style; rather than being one continuous narrative, the play skips around over a period of many years. Nov. 3-5. • $10 Friday, Nov. 4 BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON • Pellissippi State Community College • 7:30PM • This debated and provocative play introduces discourse about the life of America’s seventh president, from his early days as a
CALENDAR child on the wild frontier to his controversial reign in the White House. Oct. 28-Nov. 6. Visit pstcc.edu. • $14 CLARENCE BROWN THEATRE: ‘THIS IS OUR YOUTH’ • Clarence Brown Lab Theatre • 7:30PM • Oct. 26-Nov. 13. Visit clarencebrowntheatre.com. KNOXVILLE CHILDREN’S THEATRE: ‘THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE’ • Knoxville Children’s Theatre • 7PM • Oct. 28-Nov. 13. Visit knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com. • $12 MARYVILLE COLLEGE THEATRE: ‘AND THEY DANCE REAL SLOW IN JACKSON’ • Clayton Center for the Arts • 8PM • Nov. 3-5. • $10 Saturday, Nov. 5 BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON • Pellissippi State Community College • 7:30PM • Oct. 28-Nov. 6. Visit pstcc.edu. • $14 KNOXVILLE CHILDREN’S THEATRE: ‘THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE’ • Knoxville Children’s Theatre • 1PM and 5PM • Oct. 28-Nov. 13. Visit knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com. • $12 MARYVILLE COLLEGE THEATRE: ‘AND THEY DANCE REAL SLOW IN JACKSON’ • Clayton Center for the Arts • 2PM and 8PM • Nov. 3-5. • $10 Sunday, Nov. 6 BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON • Pellissippi State Community College • 2PM • Oct. 28-Nov. 6. Visit pstcc. edu. • $14 CLARENCE BROWN THEATRE: ‘THIS IS OUR YOUTH’ • Clarence Brown Lab Theatre • 2PM and 7:30PM • Oct. 26-Nov. 13. Visit clarencebrowntheatre.com. KNOXVILLE CHILDREN’S THEATRE: ‘THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE’ • Knoxville Children’s Theatre • 3PM • Oct. 28-Nov. 13. Visit knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com. • $12 THE MAN WHO LIVES HERE IS LOONY’ • Knoxville Museum of Art • 3PM • R.B. Morris’ one-person play adapted from the life and work of James Agee. Oct. 27-Nov. 6. Visit rbmorris.com. • $15 Wednesday, Nov. 9 CLARENCE BROWN THEATRE: ‘THIS IS OUR YOUTH’ • Clarence Brown Lab Theatre • 7:30PM • Oct. 26-Nov. 13. Visit clarencebrowntheatre.com. MOMMA’S DEAD: THE GRIEF AND GREED OF A SOUTHERN FUNERAL • Clayton Center for the Arts • 7PM • Momma’s dead. Her will turns MurRuth and SurLou’s worlds upside down and threatens their lifelong friendship. Throw in a couple of NY entertainer twins, a husband-hunting femme fatale, and a whole town’s worth of characters, and hilarity ensues. The sixth in a series of plays set in vintage small-town Maryville, Tennessee, “Momma’s Dead” is written by local hairdresser Mike Everett and directed by David Dwyer. All proceeds from the production will go to the Clayton Center for the Arts on the Maryville College campus. Nov. 9-13. • $14 Thursday, Nov. 10 KNOXVILLE CHILDREN’S THEATRE: ‘THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE’ • Knoxville Children’s Theatre • 7PM • Oct. 28-Nov. 13. Visit knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com. • $12 CLARENCE BROWN THEATRE: ‘THIS IS OUR YOUTH’ • Clarence Brown Lab Theatre • 7:30PM • Oct. 26-Nov. 13. Visit clarencebrowntheatre.com. MOMMA’S DEAD: THE GRIEF AND GREED OF A SOUTHERN FUNERAL • Clayton Center for the Arts • 7PM • Nov. 9-13. • $14 Friday, Nov. 11 KNOXVILLE CHILDREN’S THEATRE: ‘THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE’ • Knoxville Children’s Theatre • 7PM • Oct. 28-Nov. 13. Visit knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com. • $12 CLARENCE BROWN THEATRE: ‘THIS IS OUR YOUTH’ • Clarence Brown Lab Theatre • 7:30PM • Oct. 26-Nov. 13.
Visit clarencebrowntheatre.com. MOMMA’S DEAD: THE GRIEF AND GREED OF A SOUTHERN FUNERAL • Clayton Center for the Arts • 7PM • Nov. 9-13. • $14 Saturday, Nov. 12 KNOXVILLE CHILDREN’S THEATRE: ‘THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE’ • Knoxville Children’s Theatre • 1PM and 5PM • Oct. 28-Nov. 13. Visit knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com. • $12 MOMMA’S DEAD: THE GRIEF AND GREED OF A SOUTHERN FUNERAL • Clayton Center for the Arts • 2PM and 7PM • Nov. 9-13. • $14 Sunday, Nov. 13 KNOXVILLE CHILDREN’S THEATRE: ‘THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE’ • Knoxville Children’s Theatre • 3PM • Oct. 28-Nov. 13. Visit knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com. • $12 CLARENCE BROWN THEATRE: ‘THIS IS OUR YOUTH’ • Clarence Brown Lab Theatre • 2PM • Oct. 26-Nov. 13. Visit clarencebrowntheatre.com. MOMMA’S DEAD: THE GRIEF AND GREED OF A SOUTHERN FUNERAL • Clayton Center for the Arts • 2PM • Nov. 9-13. • $14
COMEDY AND SPOKEN WORD
Friday, Nov. 4 FIRST FRIDAY COMEDY • Saw Works Brewing Company • 7PM • A monthly showcase featuring local and touring stand-ups comics. • FREE THE OOH OOH REVUE • Cocoa Moon • 10PM • We are classy cabaret, song, dance, comedy and bedazzling burlesque every First Friday. The show features some of Knoxville’s best and emerging talent: singers, dancers, comedians, spoken word poets, burlesque artists and so much more. It’s a variety show where each cast member brings a different sizzling act each month to entertain, delight, surprise and more. Visit oohoohrevue.com. 18 and up. • $10 SCRUFFY CITY COMEDY FESTIVAL • Scruffy City Hall • The 2016 Scruffy City Comedy Festival is a tribute to America. This election season has been a little too emotionally charged. It’s time for us to make Knoxville laugh again. Scruffy City Hall will host our headline shows each night of the festival.The Scruffy City Comedy Festival was founded in 2014 by Knoxville comedian and comedy producer Matt Ward. The festival was truly unlike any other event put on in the East Tennessee area. Hundreds of comedy fans flocked to downtown Knoxville over the course of the three day event. The festival is a way to showcase the growth of the comedy scene in Knoxville while introducing our audiences with some of the best up and coming talent from all over the country in additional to nationally known headliners.Headlining the 2016 Scruffy City Comedy Festival will be Baron Vaughn, Aparna Nancherla, and Trae Crowder, the Liberal Redneck. Visit scruffycitycomedy.com. • $40-$50 Saturday, Nov. 5 SCRUFFY CITY COMEDY FESTIVAL • Scruffy City Hall • The 2016 Scruffy City Comedy Festival is a tribute to America. This election season has been a little too emotionally charged. It’s time for us to make Knoxville laugh again. Scruffy City Hall will host our headline shows each night of the festival.The Scruffy City Comedy Festival was founded in 2014 by Knoxville comedian and comedy producer Matt Ward. Visit scruffycitycomedy.com. • November 3, 2016
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OPEN CALL! Do you have an existing photo series of life around Knoxville? We’re always on the lookout for new views of our city’s many neighborhoods and we’ll feature them in our Howdy section.
“All photographs are accurate. None of them is the truth.”
For more information or to submit samples, email tricia@knoxmercury.com.
CALENDAR $40-$50
8PM • A weekly comedy open mic. Visit scruffycity.com.
Sunday, Nov. 6 JEFF DUNHAM • Thompson-Boling Arena • 3PM • International comedy sensation comic/ventriloquist Jeff Dunham, has performed in front of sold out audiences worldwide showcasing the undeniable power of induced laughter. Dunham along with his cast of hilarious characters are set to embark on the second leg of their hugely successful “Perfectly Unbalanced” Tour. The show is packed with new surprises and old favorites. • $46.50 UPSTAIRS UNDERGROUND COMEDY • Preservation Pub • 8PM • A weekly comedy open mic. Visit scruffycity.com. SCRUFFY CITY COMEDY FESTIVAL • Scruffy City Hall • The 2016 Scruffy City Comedy Festival is a tribute to America. This election season has been a little too emotionally charged. It’s time for us to make Knoxville laugh again. Scruffy City Hall will host our headline shows each night of the festival.The Scruffy City Comedy Festival was founded in 2014 by Knoxville comedian and comedy producer Matt Ward. Visit scruffycitycomedy.com. • $40-$50 THE LIBERAL REDNECK MANIFESTO BOOK TOUR • Books-A-Million • 12PM • The Liberal Redneck Manifesto skewers political and religious hypocrisies in witty stories and hilarious graphics — such as the Ten Commandments of the New South — and much more. While celebrating the South as one of the richest sources of American culture, this entertaining book issues a wake-up call, and a reminder that the South’s problems and dreams aren’t that far off from the rest of America’s. • FREE
FESTIVALS
Monday, Nov. 7 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. 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, Nov. 8 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 KNOXVILLE POETRY SLAM • The Open Chord • 8PM • All ages. • $5 Thursday, Nov. 10 PIZZA HAS • Pizza Hoss • 8PM • On the second Thursday of the month, Pizza Hoss in Powell hosts a showcase featuring sets from some of the best comedians in East Tennessee along with selected up-and-coming talent. Each month one of the hosts of Rain/Shine Event productions (Shane Rhyne, Tyler Sonnichsen, and Sean Simoneau) serves as your guide to introduce you the best of our region’s comedy scene. • FREE
* for extremely talented people who shun the inevitable materialism that comes with really large paychecks 34
KNOXVILLE MERCURY November 3, 2016
Sunday, Nov. 13 UPSTAIRS UNDERGROUND COMEDY • Preservation Pub •
Friday, Nov. 4 UT HOMECOMING PARADE • 4PM • This annual event brings together members of the UT and Knoxville communities for a fun parade through campus. The Post-Parade Celebration will follow at Fiji Island to celebrate Homecoming. All are welcome to attend! • FREE Saturday, Nov. 5 GRAINS AND GRITS • Townsend Visitor’s Center • 4PM • Renowned country music artist Tara Thompson will headline the entertainment lineup at Grains and Grits, a celebration of Southern spirits and gourmet grub. The inaugural whiskey festival will showcase more two dozen Tennessee whiskey distilleries, craft breweries and vineyards. Attendees will have the opportunity to taste beverages, interact with distillers and enjoy fare from local restaurants. Tickets for Grains and Grits are $60 online and $70 the day of the event, and VIP parking is $10. They can be purchased at GrainsAndGritsFest.com. The website also includes more information about the event. • $60-$70 Sunday, Nov. 6 YOUNG-WILLIAMS ANIMAL CENTER FURRY FALL FESTIVAL • Young-Williams Animal Center • 12PM • Pet owners and animal enthusiasts are invited to attend the Furry Fall Festival. And, of course, furry friends are welcome, too. The Furry Fall Festival, which is free and open to the public, will include a host of booths and activities for pets and their families to enjoy. Pet- and family-friendly activities at this year’s festival include: Rabies vaccinations for $10; Medic Blood Mobile; Pet microchipping and microchip registration by Young-Williams Animal Center for $10; Information about pet adoption from Young-Williams Animal Center and other regional animal rescue groups; and more. • FREE THORN GROVE CHRISTIAN CHURCH SHINDIG • Thorn Grove Christian Church • 1PM • Thorn Grove Christian Church is hosting its second annual Shindig, a celebration of the Thorn Grove community with local musicians and a variety of activities, including a cornhole tournament. For children there is a bounce house and petting zoo. There will also be a chili cook off, bake sale and old fashioned cakewalks. • FREE
FILM SCREENINGS
Thursday, Nov. 3 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 Sunday, Nov. 6 MASTERPIECES OF INDIAN CINEMA: ‘SALAAM BOMBAY!’ • Lawson McGee Public Library • 2PM • Bollywood comes to Knoxville as Knox County Public Library presents the celebrated Indian American filmmaker Mira Nair’s Salaam Bombay! (1988). The screening, which is free and open to the public, will be followed by a brief discussion. Salaam Bombay, winner of the Golden Camera and Audience Awards at the Cannes Film Festival, is a drama about a boy named Krishna trying to earn 500 rupees on the harsh streets of Bombay to pay for his brother’s broken bicycle. This was Mira Nair’s break out film and garnered her international critical acclaim. Salaam Bombay is part
CALENDAR of the Library’s “Masterpieces of Indian Cinema” series celebrating India’s rich film history as well as its 60th anniversary of independence. The series continues on Sunday, December 4 with Monsoon Wedding. • FREE Monday, Nov. 7 UT OUT FILM SERIES: TRAINING RULES • University of Tennessee • 6PM • Training Rules examines how women’s collegiate sports, caught in a web of homophobic practices, collude in the destruction of the lives and dreams of many of its most talented athletes. Part of the OUT Film Series at John C. Hodges Library. • FREE THE BIRDHOUSE WALK-IN THEATER • The Birdhouse • 8:15PM • A weekly free movie screening. Visit birdhouseknoxville.com. • FREE Wednesday, Nov. 9 THE PUBLIC CINEMA: RUGGLES OF RED GAP • Scruffy City Hall • 8PM • An English valet brought to the American west assimilates into the American way of life. A special election week screening of our favorite film about America. Visit publiccinema.org. • FREE Thursday, Nov. 10 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 Sunday, Nov. 13 THE PUBLIC CINEMA: HOTEL DALLAS • Knoxville Museum of Art • 2PM • In the 80s, Dallas is the most popular TV series in communist Romania. Presented as a cautionary tale about Western greed, the show’s vision of wealth and glamour instead enthralls the struggling country–including Ilie and his daughter Livia. He is a small-time criminal and aspiring capitalist; she is in love with the show’s handsome leading man, Patrick Duffy. After communism falls, Ilie builds the Hotel Dallas, a life-size copy of the Dallas mansion. Livia immigrates to America, becomes a filmmaker, and directs a movie starring Patrick Duffy, as a soap opera character who dies in Texas and wakes up in Romania, in a hotel that looks just like home. Livia guides her childhood idol on a genre-bending road trip across a Romanian dreamscape–through the failed utopias of communism and capitalism, into a realm of ghosts and lost time. Visit publiccinema.org. • FREE
SPORTS AND RECREATION
Thursday, Nov. 3 CYCOLOGY BICYCLES THURSDAY MORNING RIDE • Cycology Bicycles • 10AM • Join Cycology Bicycles every Thursday morning for a road ride with two group options. A Group does a two- to three-hour ride at 20-plus mph pace; B group does an intermediate ride at 15-18 mph. Weather permitting.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 • Join us every Thursday night at our store for a fun group run/walk. We have all levels come out, so no matter what your speed you’ll have someone to keep you company. Our 30 - 60 minute route varies week by week in the various neighborhoods and greenways around the store, so be sure to show up on time so you can join up
Bach or Basie?
with the group. All levels welcome. Visit fleetfeetknoxville.com. • FREE BEARDEN BIKE AND TRAIL LAPS ON CHEROKEE BOULEVARD • Bearden Bike and Trail • 6PM • Join us every Thursday evening at 6 p.m. to ride laps on Cherokee Boulevard. Pace is at 14-18 mph - divides into groups. Leaves the store promptly at 6:30 p.m. Visit beardenbikeandtrail. com. • FREE RIVER SPORTS GREENWAY RIDE • River Sports Outfitters • 6PM • Join us every Thursday night from 6-8 p.m. to ride the greenway with our bike shop staff. Riding is free, and bikes are available to rent for $10. Test out our bikes or bring your own and then enjoy a cold $2 pint back at our store afterwards. Visit riversportsoutfitters.com. • FREE-$10 CEDAR BLUFF CYCLES BEGINNER ROAD RIDE • Sequoyah Park • 6:20PM • Join us every Thursday evening at Sequoyah Park for a beginner’s no-drop ride. Riders can ride at their own pace on Cherokee Boulevard and do as many laps as they choose. Visit cedarbluffcycles.net. • FREE CEDAR BLUFF CYCLES THURSDAY NIGHT RIDE • Cedar Bluff Cycles • 6:20PM • Visit cedarbluffcycles.net. • FREE
Your music, your choice. Your classical and jazz station.
Friday, Nov. 4 RIVER SPORTS FRIDAY NIGHT GREENWAY RUN • River Sports Outfitters • 6:15PM • Visit riversportsoutfitters.com. • FREE Saturday, Nov. 5 WEST BIKES SATURDAY RIDE • West Bicycles • 8AM • Visit westbikes.com. • FRE BIKE ZOO SATURDAY MORNING RIDE • The Bike Zoo • 9AM • Visit bikezoo.com. • FREE WUOT_Ad_4.625x5.25_ClassicalJazz_KnoxMerc.indd BIKE N’ TRI GROUP CLIMBING RIDE • Bike N’ Tri • 5PM • Join us for our group climbing ride of 30-40 miles, for intermediate to advanced riders only. • FREE SMOKY MOUNTAIN HIKING CLUB: APPALACHIAN TRAIL MAINTENANCE • 9AM • The AT maintenance work-trip for November will start at Clingman’s Dome. From the parking lot we will join the AT and proceed with trimming weeds, clearing waterbars, and pruning vegetation south to Double Springs Gap Shelter. Distance hiked will be around 5 miles RT. Please bring a lunch, work gloves and your hand tool of choice – if desired. In order to assess tool needs, pre-registration with the leader is required. Meet at the Alcoa Food City, 121 North Hall Road, at 7:30 am or at Clingmans Dome parking area at 9:00 am. Leader: Mark Shipley, mshipley@ townoffarragut.org. • FREE RUNNER’S MARKET SATURDAY GROUP RUN • Runner’s Market • 9AM • Every first Saturday of the month at 9 a.m., join us for a relaxed-pace run of 3 to 5.5 miles or beyond along the Third Creek and Sequoyah Hills Greenways. Afterwards, enjoy coffee and refreshments provided by the gang at Runner’s Market. 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
FIX THIS BASTARD 2
9/17/16 5:00 PM
Sunday, Nov. 6 CYCOLOGY BICYCLES SUNDAY MORNING GROUP RIDE • Cycology Bicycles • 9AM • Visit cycologybicycles.com. • FREE SMOKY MOUNTAIN HIKING CLUB: FITTIFIED SPRING • 10AM • We will hike on the Porters Creek and Brushy Mountain trails to the site of the former fittified spring, stopping November 3, 2016
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 35
CALENDAR along the way to visit the Ownby Cemetery, the Hiking Club Cabin, and the past club members memorial area. Hike: around 4 miles total. Meet at the first parking area in Greenbrier, on the right just off of Hwy 321, at 10:00 am, to carpool to the Porters Creek trailhead. Leader: Ed Fleming, edwrdflm@aol.com. • FREE Monday, Nov. 7 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 • 6:30PM • Every Monday evening, join us for a social three- to six-mile group run. All runners/joggers/walkers welcome. • FREE Tuesday, Nov. 8 CYCOLOGY BICYCLES TUESDAY MORNING RIDE • Cycology Bicycles • 9AM • Visit cycologybicycles.com. • FREE CYCOLOGY BICYCLES TUESDAY MORNING RIDE • Cycology Bicycles • 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
FEATURING : JACK DANIELS DISTILLERY GEORGE DICKEL DISTILLERY
Thursday, Nov. 3 - Sunday, Nov. 13
CEDAR BLUFF CYCLES TUESDAY NIGHT RIDE • Cedar Bluff Cycles • 6:20PM • Join Cedar Bluff Cycles every Tuesday night for their group ride. Riders will divided into 2 groups. The A group rides an extremely fast-paced 40-plus-mile loop at a speed of 22-24 mph. The B group is a little more relaxed, riding at an 18-20 mph pace. Visit cedarbluffcycles.net. • 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 BIKETOPIA TUESDAY ROAD RIDE • Biketopia • 6:30PM • Visit biketopia.com. • FREE FOUNTAIN CITY ROUNDABOUT • Casual Pint (Fountain City) • 6:30PM • Visit facebook.com/TheCasualPint/. • FREE Wednesday, Nov. 9 BIKE N’ TRI GROUP RIDE • Bike N’ Tri • 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 WEST BIKES WEDNESDAY BIKE RIDE • West Bicycles • 6:15PM • Visit westbikes.com. • FREE SMOKY MOUNTAIN HIKING CLUB: SCHOOLHOUSE GAP • 8AM • This hike will include the Schoolhouse Gap, Turkeypen Ridge, Finley Cane, Bote Mountain, and Westprong Trails. Hike: 9 miles, rated easy to moderate. Meet at Alcoa Food City, 121 North Hall Road, at 8:00 am. Leader: Elfie Beall, elfiebeall@comcast.net. • FREE Thursday, Nov. 10 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 BEARDEN BIKE AND TRAIL LAPS ON CHEROKEE BOULEVARD • Bearden Bike and Trail • 6PM • Visit beardenbikeandtrail.com. • FREE RIVER SPORTS GREENWAY RIDE • River Sports Outfitters • 6PM • Visit riversportsoutfitters.com. • FREE-$10 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, Nov. 11 RIVER SPORTS FRIDAY NIGHT GREENWAY RUN • River
Sports Outfitters • 6:15PM • Visit riversportsoutfitters.com. • FREE Saturday, Nov. 12 WEST BIKES SATURDAY RIDE • West Bicycles • 8AM • Visit westbikes.com. • FRE BIKE ZOO SATURDAY MORNING RIDE • The Bike Zoo • 9AM • Visit bikezoo.com. • FREE BIKE N’ TRI GROUP CLIMBING RIDE • Bike N’ Tri • 5PM • Join us for our group climbing ride of 30-40 miles, for intermediate to advanced riders only. • FREE KTC NORRIS DAM HARD TRAIL RACE • 7AM • The Norris Dam State Park and Norris Municipal Watershed provides miles and miles of scenic and challenging single-track trails and off-road jeep trails to the delight of avid and competitive trail runners. Choose between 25K and 50K races. Visit ktc.org. • $25-$40 Sunday, Nov. 13 CYCOLOGY BICYCLES SUNDAY MORNING GROUP RIDE • Cycology Bicycles • 9AM • Visit cycologybicycles.com. • FREE
ART
Art Market Gallery 422 S. Gay St. OCT. 4-27: Paintings by Brenda Mills and clay art by Karyn Kyte. Broadway Studios and Gallery 1127 N. Broadway
a CELEBRATION of southern spirits and gourmet grub
OLD FORGE DISTILLERY
BLACKBERRY FARM & BLACKBERRY FARM BREWERY BLUETICK BREWERY
POPCORN SUTTON / AVERY’S TRAIL DISTILLERY
DANCING BEAR
SUGARLANDS DISTILLING CO.
APPALACHIAN BISTRO
THUNDER ROAD DISTILLERY
LI MISS LILY’S.
H CLARK DISTILLERY
OLD MILL POTTERY HOUSE
SPEAKEASY SPIRITS DISTILLERY
FLATS & TAPS CADES COVE CELLARS
NELSON’S GREENBRIER DISTILLERY
AND MANY MORE TN FAVORITES
CORSAIR DISTILLERY COR
LIVE MUSIC & ACTIVITIES
CHATTANOOGA WHISKEY PYRAMID PREMUIM VODKA
LOCATED ON THE PEACEFUL SIDE OF THE SMOKIES
SHORT MOUNTAIN DISTILLERY JUG CREEK DISTILLERY LEIPER’S FORK DISTILLERY BOOTLEGGERS DISTILLERY BO KNOX WHISKEY WORKS TENNESSEE LEGEND DISTILLERY
36
FEATURING :
KNOXVILLE MERCURY November 3, 2016
TOWNSEND, TN
November 5, 2016, 5-9pm The Townsend Grains & Grits Festival is a celebration of southern spirits and gourmet grub. We have created a unique opportunity for you to experience our thriving craft spirits and gourmet food community, while discovering some of the region’s legendary distillers and blenders, taking place in the Peaceful Side of the Smokies.
FOR TICKETS & MORE INFORMATION, VISIT GRAIN GRAINSANDGRITSFEST.COM OR CALL, (865) 983-2241
Thursday, Nov. 3 - Sunday, Nov. 13
Oct. 7-29: Jan Lynch: A Retrospective. The District Gallery 5113 Kingston Pike OCT. 7-29: Mask, an exhibit of animal masks by sculptor Nan Jacobsohn. 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. OCT. 7-28: Tennessee Artists Association Fall Juried Show; The Arrowmont Experience; pottery by Rex W. Redd; Impressions of Nature, photographic paintings by Dennis Sabo; and artwork by Melanie Fetterolf. Knoxville Arts and Fine Crafts 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 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, Nov. 3 LITTLE LEARNERS • Blount County Public Library • 10:30AM • Recommended for ages 3-5. • 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 • FREE Friday, Nov. 4 S.T.E.A.M. KIDS • Blount County Public Library • 4PM • For grades K-5. • FREE Saturday, Nov. 5 CHESS AT THE LIBRARY • Blount County Public Library • 10AM • Visit blountlibrary.org. • FREE BLOUNT COUNTY NERD GROUP • Blount County Public Library • 3PM • Starting this summer, students can learn the basic principles of computer programming, also known as coding. • FREE Monday, Nov. 7 MCCLUNG MUSEUM STROLLER TOUR: HOORAY FOR
CALENDAR
ELECTIONS! • McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture • 10AM • Join us for a morning out as our museum educator leads engaging gallery tours for parents and caregivers and their young ones. Crying and wiggly babies welcome. This big election year, we will bring out objects from our collections in storage related to the election of public servants, and will discuss the role of national symbols. The event is free, but limited, and all attendees must register to attend online. Registration opens a month in advance and closes the day before the tour. Register online at eventbrite.com. • FREE Tuesday, Nov. 8 LITTLE LEARNERS • Blount County Public Library • 10:30AM • Recommended for ages 3-5. • FREE CANCER SUPPORT COMMUNITY KID TO KID: FUN WITH A PURPOSE • Cancer Support Community • 3:30PM • Your children will gain coping skills and have opportunities to talk about a loved one’s cancer diagnosis while also having fun. Please call before your first visit and RSVP. 865-546-4661 for more info. All Cancer Support Community programs are offered at no cost to individuals affected by cancer. Wednesday, Nov. 9 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 Thursday, Nov. 10 LITTLE LEARNERS • Blount County Public Library • 10:30AM • Recommended for ages 3-5. • FREE CHESS AT THE LIBRARY • Blount County Public Library • 1PM • Visit blountlibrary.org. • FREE LEGO CLUB • Blount County Public Library • 4PM • FREE Friday, Nov. 11 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, Nov. 12 CHESS AT THE LIBRARY • Blount County Public Library • 10AM • Visit blountlibrary.org. • FREE BLOUNT COUNTY NERD GROUP • Blount County Public Library • 3PM • Starting this summer, students can learn the basic principles of computer programming, also known as coding. • FREE WDVX KIDSTUFF LIVE • WDVX • 10AM • Sean McCollough’s weekly kids’ music show hosts a live studio audience on the second Saturday of each month. Visit wdvx.com. • FREE Sunday, Nov. 13 KMA ART ACTIVITY DAY • Knoxville Museum of Art • 1PM • Every second Sunday of each month, the KMA will host free drop-in art activities for families. A local artist will be on-site to lead hands-on art activities between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. • FREE MCCLUNG MUSEUM FAMILY FUN DAY: A SOLDIER’S DAY • McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture • 1PM • Join us for free a free Family Fun Day featuring activities, crafts, tours, and more. This month we will tour the museum’s Civil War exhibition with curator Joan Markel focusing on a soldier’s experience of the war. All materials will be provided. The program is free and open
to the public. Reservations are not necessary. • FREE
LECTURES, READINGS, AND BOOK SIGNINGS
Thursday, Nov. 3 MARK RUNGE: “GRAFFITI HOUSES OF THE CIVIL WAR” • Blount County Public Library • 7PM • This program will cover a little-known topic of the Civil War. Houses and sometimes other buildings, that were used as hospitals to house ill soldiers, became obscure “diaries” or “signatures” of sorts for soldiers who had no other way to leave their mark as having been in that location or area. So they wrote their names, brief bits of biographical information or rough pictures in order to leave a legacy in case they didn’t recover. Mark Runge, a teacher at Clayton Bradley Academy, will discuss Civil War graffiti houses and show photos. • FREE Friday, Nov. 4 UT SCIENCE FORUM • Thompson-Boling Arena • 12PM • The University of Tennessee Science Forum offers a weekly lecture on current science, medical, or technology developments. Visit scienceforum.utk.edu. • FREE MATT FOLTZ-GRAY: ‘SPIRIT OF THE STAIRCASE’ • Esteemed Mercury comic strip artist Matt Foltz-Gray is celebrating the release of his new book with a signing at Union Ave Books (2-4 p.m.) and a party at Suttree’s High Gravity Tavern (5-7 p.m.). Yes, that’s right—comic books and beer! • FREE Sunday, Nov. 6 KIM TRENT: “HISTORIC PRESERVATION IN KNOXVILLE” • McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture • 2PM • Kim Trent of Knox Heritage will talk about historic preservation in Knoxville as part of programming related to special exhibition, “Knoxville Unearthed: Archaeology in the Heart of the Valley.” • FREE RUTH B. WHITE: “KNOXVILLE’S MERRY-GO-ROUND, CIDERVILLE, AND THE EAST TENNESSEE MUSIC SCENE” • East Tennessee History Center • 2:30PM • Knoxville’s Mid-Day Merry-Go-Round and its cast of musicians are the subject of a lecture and book signing by Ruth B. White celebrating the launch of White’s new book, Knoxville’s ‘Merry-Go-Round,’ Ciderville, and the East Tennessee Music Scene. For more information on the lecture, exhibitions, or museum hours, call 865-215-8824 or visit the website at www.EastTNHistory.org. • FREE Monday, Nov. 7 JEFFREY PILCHER: “HOW BEER TRAVELED THE WORLD: A GLOBAL HISTORY” • McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture • 4PM • Almost every society has fermented alcoholic beverages—Mexican pulque, Peruvian chicha, Japanese sake, Chinese baijiu, Indian palm toddy, African sorghum beer—but a particular variety, German lager beer, has largely displaced these local brewing traditions to become a global consumer icon. This talk examines how European beer traveled the world over the past 200 years through networks of trade, migration and colonialism. Part of the University of Tennessee Humanities Center’s 2016-17 Distinguished Lecture Series. • FREE UT WRITERS IN THE LIBRARY SERIES • University of Tennessee • 7PM • The University of Tennessee’s annual Writers in the Library series features novelists, poets, and nonfiction writers from around the region and visiting
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 Nov. 2 • 7pm
Bobby Dean's Benefit Concert w/ Soulfinger Groove Junction Juke Joint Drifters The Reigns Band *Donations accepted* all ages ( blues )
thurs NOV. 3 • 8pm
Brewhouse Blues Jam w/ Robert Higginbotham & the Smoking Section free • all ages ( blues )
fri NOV. 4 • 8pm
Matt Woods "How To Survive" Release Show w/ jeff shepherd $10 Adv | $12 Day of All Ages ( Singer-songwriter )
sat NOV. 5 • 8pm
Peter Bradley Adams w/ Blue Mother Tupelo $15 • All Ages ( americana ) "Coolest venue in town! Not too big, not too small. Great sound system and audio engineers. Lights show, good food, cold beer and a music store in the back. Oh, and they give lessons, too. Seriously? I still can't believe this place is real." -Austin Hall of Sam Killed The Bear
Knoxville’s Best Musical Instrument Store
8502 KINGSTON PIKE • (865) 281-5874 openchordmusic.com
November 3, 2016
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 37
CALENDAR writers at UT, reading from and discussing their work in the auditorium of the John C. Hodges Library. The 2016-17 schedule includes Christopher Hebert (Aug. 29); Leah Stewart (Sept. 19); Tawnysha Greene and Kristi Maxwell (Oct. 3); Angela Floury (Oct. 24); Bret Anthony Johnston (Nov. 7); Garrett Hongo (Nov. 15); Joy Harjo (Jan. 23); Austion Kodra and Linda Parsons Marion (Jan. 30); LeAnne Howe (Feb. 6); Ocean Vuong (Feb. 20); Maggie Shipstead (March 6); Kathering Smith and Tanque Jones (march 20); Bobby Caudle Rogers and Maria James-Thiaw (March 27); Manuel Gonzales (April 10); and graduate student award winners (April 17). Visit lib.utk.edu/writers/. • FREE Tuesday, Nov. 8 KNOXVILLE CIVIL WAR ROUNDTABLE • Bearden Banquet Hall • 7PM • Featuring notable historians and other Civil War experts. Call (865) 671-9001 for reservations. • $3-$17 Wednesday, Nov. 9 MARC MCCLURE: “WORLD WAR I AVIATOR KIFFIN ROCKWELL” • East Tennessee History Center • 12PM • Kiffin Rockwell, a Newport, Tenn., native, volunteered for the French Foreign Legion at the outbreak of World War I and became the first American pilot to shoot down enemy aircraft during the war. He was awarded the Medaile militaire and the Croiz de gueerre for these valiant efforts. Dr. Marc McClure, a professor of history at Walters State Community College, will discuss his research into Rockwell’s life and career and share his documentary film, Valor, which won the 2016 Research Excellence Award from the East Tennessee Historical Society. For more information on the lecture, exhibitions, or museum
Thursday, Nov. 3 - Sunday, Nov. 13
hours, call 865-215-8824 or visit the website at www. EastTNHistory.org. • FREE Thursday, Nov. 10 RENATO CRUZ DE CASTRO: “THE SOUTH CHINA SEA DISPUTE” • Howard H. Baker Center for Public Policy • 4PM • Castro, a senior professor of international studies at De La Salle University in the Philippines, will deliver the Baker Center’s Global Security Lecture, “The South China Sea Dispute: U.S.-Philippines-China Security Relations.” • FREE Friday, Nov. 11 UT SCIENCE FORUM • Thompson-Boling Arena • 12PM • The University of Tennessee Science Forum offers a weekly lecture on current science, medical, or technology developments. Visit scienceforum.utk.edu. • FREE
CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS
Thursday, Nov. 3 AARP DRIVER SAFETY SMART DRIVER CLASS • Asbury Place • 9AM • Call (865) 382-5822. AARP DRIVER SAFETY SMART DRIVER CLASS • Oak Ridge Senior Center • 9:30AM • Call (865) 382-5822. GENTLE YOGA AND MEDITATION • Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church • 12PM • Call 865-577-2021 or email yogaway249@gmail.com. Donations accepted.
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604 S Gay St. Knoxville, TN 37902 | 865.684.1200
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KNOXVILLE MERCURY November 3, 2016
PORTRAIT AND LIFE DRAWING SESSIONS • Historic Candoro Marble Company • 12:30PM • Portrait and life drawing practice at Candoro Art and Heritage Center. $10. Call Brad Selph for more information (865-573-0709). • $10 CANCER SUPPORT COMMUNITY: KNIT YOUR WAY TO WELLNESS • Cancer Support Community • 1PM • Whether you are a novice knitter or an old pro, you are invited to bring your own project or join others in learning a new one. Special attention will be provided to beginners interested in learning how to knit and experience the meditative quality of knitting. Supplies provided. Call 865-546-4661. All Cancer Support Community programs are offered at no cost to individuals affected by cancer. KNOXVILLE CAPOEIRA CLASS • Emporium Center for Arts and Culture • 6PM • Visit knoxvillecapoeira.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 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 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.
BELLY DANCE LEVELS 1 AND 2 • Knox Dance Worx • 8PM • Call (865) 898-2126 or email alexia@alexia-dance.com. • $12 SUP YOGA • Concord Park • 7PM • Yoga on a SUP board? Come join us every Thursday at the Cove. We will meet at the River Sports Outfitters building. Cost is $25 and includes board, paddle and PFD. Register at barrebelleyoga.com/class-schedule. • $25 Friday, Nov. 4 AARP DRIVER SAFETY SMART DRIVER CLASS • Asbury Place • 9AM • Call (865) 382-5822. WOMEN’S ADVANCED ROAD BIKE MAINTENANCE CLINIC • Cycology Bicycles • 6:30PM • This is a women’s specific event. Take your bike mechanic knowledge to the next level with this clinic. We’ll cover bike parts, how to troubleshoot issues on the road, tips for how to change a tire quickly and efficiently, brake adjustments, and how to clean, lube, and adjust your gears. RSVP to caroline@ cycologybicycles.com. • FREE Saturday, Nov. 5 YOGA AT NARROW RIDGE • Narrow Ridge Earth Literacy Center • 9:30AM • Narrow Ridge invites you to join us every Saturday morning for yoga instruction from Angela Gibson. This class can be tailored to each individual’s ability level. For information call 865-497-2753 or email community@narrowridge.org. • FREE KNOXVILLE WRITERS’ GUILD SELF-PUBLISHING WORKSHOP • Central United Methodist Church • 10AM • Sci-fi novelist Patricia Gilliam, author of “The Hannaria Series”, will cover publishing options for participants including how
Thursday, Nov. 3 - Sunday, Nov. 13
to avoid common scams and vanity presses, factors for preparing for publication, how to invest in a professional product, and networking with the independent author community. • $40 MARBLE SPRINGS OPEN-HEARTH COOKING WORKSHOP • Marble Springs State Historic Site • 10AM • This hands-on workshop will teach visitors about open hearth cooking methods of the 18th century, focusing on cooking with a period item known as a Tin Kitchen. Participants will help prepare a rotisserie chicken, a side, and dessert. This is an excellent opportunity to learn some great new recipes and skills for the upcoming holidays. Copies of the recipes and cooking instructions will be provided. Space is limited to 10 guests so make your reservations early. Reservations must be made by Tuesday, Nov 1. To register for the workshop or to find out more information, email info@marblesprings.net or call (865)573-5508. • $20 SUP YOGA • Concord Park • 9AM • Yoga on a paddle board, every Saturday at 9 a.m. Cost is $25, including rental, or $12.50 if you already have you own board. Visit riversportsoutfitters.com. • $12.50-$25 Sunday, Nov. 6 CIRCLE MODERN DANCE BALLET BARRE CLASS • Emporium Center for Arts and Culture • 1PM • This open-level barre class is designed to help students build and maintain strength, flexibility, and coordination for ballet technique. This is a great class for beginning and experienced students alike. Visit circlemoderndance.com. • $10 CIRCLE MODERN DANCE OPEN LEVEL MODERN TECHNIQUE CLASS • Emporium Center for Arts and Culture • 2PM • This class is open to all. Teachers cover basic technique and vocabulary for modern and contemporary dance. The class includes floor and standing work to build proficiency in alignment, balance, initiation and articulation of movement, weight shift, elevation and landing, and fall and recovery. Instruction is adjusted to meet the experience and ability of those in attendance. Visit circlemoderndance.com. • $10 CIRCLE MODERN DANCE IMPROVISATION CLASS • Emporium Center for Arts and Culture • 3:30PM • Our improv classes offer an introduction to dance improvisation as a movement practice, performance technique, and a tool for creating choreography. Class involves both structured and free improvisations aimed at developing creativity, spontaneous decision-making, freedom of movement, and confidence in performance. No dance experience is necessary—only the desire to move. Visit circlemoderndance.com. • $10 ACROKNOX FOUNDATIONAL ACROYOGA • World’s Fair Park • 5:30PM • Visit acroknox.com. • $5 BEGINNING BRIDGE LESSONS • Knoxville Bridge Center • 1:30PM • Contact Jo Anne Newby at (865} 539-4150 or email KnoxvilleBridge@gmail.com. • $5 Monday, Nov. 7 GENTLE YOGA AND MEDITATION • Breezeway Yoga Studio • 7PM • Call 865-577-2021 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
CALENDAR
Creek Cumberland Presbyterian Church • 6:30PM • First class is free. Call (865) 622-3103 or visit knoxvillepersonaltraining.com. • $15 • 18:30:00 • 11/7/2016 18:30:00 • Knoxville Personal Training Boot Camp • 43164 • First class is free. Call (865) 622-3103 or visit knoxvillepersonaltraining.com. • $15 SIMPLY FOOD HEALTHY COOKING AND EATING WORKSHOP • The Central Collective • 6:30PM • Join nutrition coaching masters, Katie and Robin, for an evening of fun, food, laughter and simple strategies to balance real life challenges and healthy eating. • $25 INTRODUCTION TO ISLAM • 7PM • Hosted by Unity Transformation. Facilitated by Sharada Nizami, therapist, life coach, and a spokesperson for the Muslim community of Knoxville. Held at Knoxville Executive Suites, Building D (9111 Cross Park Drive). Visit unity transformation.org. BEGINNING CHEN-STYLE TAI CHI • Breezeway Yoga Studio • 8:15PM • An eight-week introductory-level training with Shifu Russell Sauls in the original form of Tai Chi. Chen style is significantly more dynamic than most other styles while expressing the mindful, fluid movement for which Tai Chi is famous. No experience necessary for this beginners’ series. Begins Monday, Oct. 10. $120 for the eight-week series. Visit breezewayyoga.com or email russellsauls@gmail.com for more info • $120 Tuesday, Nov. 8 OPEN PROFESSIONAL-LEVEL CONTEMPORARY DANCE CLASS • Emporium Center for Arts and Culture • 9:30AM • Taught by Harper Addison. First class is free. Class is designed to develop a well-rounded set of technical skills as well as encourage individual artistic expression. Her movement style and choreography highlight dynamic quality changes, level changes, and movement through space. • $10 CANCER SUPPORT COMMUNITY NUTRITION AMMUNITION • Cancer Support Community • 12PM • Call (865) 546-4611. All Cancer Support Community programs are offered at no cost to individuals affected by cancer. KNOXVILLE CAPOEIRA CLASS • Emporium Center for Arts and Culture • 6PM • Capoeira originated in Brazil and is a dynamic expression of Afro-Brazilian culture. It is an art form that encompasses martial arts, dance, and acrobatic movements as well as its own philosophy, history, culture, music, and songs. Visit capoeiraknoxville.org. • $10 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 • The Knoxville Association of Bridge Clubs is offering an in-depth, 17-week course on duplicate bridge, with a focus on learning the modern two over one bridge system. Contact Jo Anne Newby at (865} 539-4150 or email KnoxvilleBridge@gmail.com. • $5 GENTLE YOGA AND MEDITATION • Breezeway Yoga Studio • 12PM • Call 865-577-2021 or email yogaway249@gmail. com. Donations accepted. Wednesday, Nov. 9 KNOX COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY WINDOWS 10 COMPUTER WORKSHOPS • Cedar Bluff Branch Library • 1PM • Knox County Public Library is pleased to announce a new series of computer workshops based on Microsoft’s Windows 10 operating system. Reservations are required and can be made by calling (865) 215-8723. • FREE CIRCLE MODERN DANCE INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED MODERN TECHNIQUE CLASS • Emporium Center for Arts
and Culture • 6PM • A rotation of core members and guest artists of Circle Modern Dance teach this class. They present a variety of modern and contemporary styles, including Bartenieff and release-based techniques. This class is primarily designed for students with a basic knowledge of modern dance technique and vocabulary, but is open to any mover who is willing to be challenged. 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 CIRCLE MODERN DANCE OPEN LEVEL BALLET CLASS • Emporium Center for Arts and Culture • 7:30PM • This is a basic ballet class open to students of all levels of experience and ability. Students will learn new steps, build coordination and flexibility, and learn choreography. Visit circlemoderndance.com. • $10 CLIMBING FUNDAMENTALS • River Sports Outfitters • 6PM • Come learn the basics of climbing every second and fourth Wednesday of the month. Space is limited so call 865-673-4687 to reserve your spot now. Class fee $20. Visit riversportsoutfitters.com/events. • $20 Thursday, Nov. 10 AARP SMART DRIVER DRIVER SAFETY CLASS • East Tennessee Medical Group • 8AM • Call (865) 382-5822. Portrait and Life Drawing Sessions • Historic Candoro Marble Company • 12:30PM • Portrait and life drawing practice at Candoro Art and Heritage Center. $10. Call Brad Selph for more information (865-573-0709). • $10 KNOXVILLE CAPOEIRA CLASS • Emporium Center for Arts and Culture • 6PM • This class is an hour of student-led training and review of Capoeira skills and exercises. Come prepared to sweat. Visit knoxvillecapoeira.org. • $10 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 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 BEGINNING ACROYOGA • Breezeway Yoga Studio • 7:30PM • This beginner level class is for those either brand new to AcroYoga or just starting out. Each class explores the foundations of the AcroYoga practice. • $15 BELLY DANCE LEVELS 1 AND 2 • Knox Dance Worx • 8PM • Call (865) 898-2126 or email alexia@alexia-dance.com. • $12 SUP YOGA • Concord Park • 7PM • Yoga on a SUP board? Come join us every Thursday at the Cove. We will meet at the River Sports Outfitters building. Cost is $25 and includes board, paddle and PFD. Register at barrebelleyoga.com/class-schedule. • $25 GENTLE YOGA AND MEDITATION • Breezeway Yoga Studio • 12PM • Call 865-577-2021 or email yogaway249@gmail. com. Donations accepted. Saturday, Nov. 12 YOGA AT NARROW RIDGE • Narrow Ridge Earth Literacy Center • 9:30AM • Narrow Ridge invites you to join us November 3, 2016
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 39
CALENDAR every Saturday morning for yoga instruction from Angela Gibson. This class can be tailored to each individual’s ability level. For information call 865-497-2753 or email community@narrowridge.org. • FREE • KNOX HERITAGE PRESERVATION NETWORK • Knox Heritage • 10AM • Preservation Network is a series of free workshops held once every month on the second Saturday. The monthly workshops feature guest speakers who are specialists in windows, flooring, roofing, stained glass, tile, plumbing, electrical, and more. For more information visit www.knoxheritage.org. • FREE SUP YOGA • Concord Park • 9AM • Yoga on a paddle board, every Saturday at 9 a.m. Cost is $25, including rental, or $12.50 if you already have you own board. Visit riversportsoutfitters.com. • $12.50-$25 Sunday, Nov. 13 CIRCLE MODERN DANCE BALLET BARRE CLASS • Emporium Center for Arts and Culture • 1PM • This open-level barre class is designed to help students build and maintain strength, flexibility, and coordination for ballet technique. This is a great class for beginning and experienced students alike. Visit circlemoderndance.com. • $10 CIRCLE MODERN DANCE OPEN LEVEL MODERN TECHNIQUE CLASS • Emporium Center for Arts and Culture • 2PM • This class is open to all. Teachers cover basic technique and vocabulary for modern and contemporary dance. The class includes floor and standing work to build proficiency in alignment, balance, initiation and articulation of movement, weight shift, elevation and landing, and fall and recovery. Instruction is adjusted to
Thursday, Nov. 3 - Sunday, Nov. 13
meet the experience and ability of those in attendance. Visit circlemoderndance.com. • $10 CIRCLE MODERN DANCE IMPROVISATION CLASS • Emporium Center for Arts and Culture • 3:30PM • Our improv classes offer an introduction to dance improvisation as a movement practice, performance technique, and a tool for creating choreography. Class involves both structured and free improvisations aimed at developing creativity, spontaneous decision-making, freedom of movement, and confidence in performance. No dance experience is necessary—only the desire to move. Visit circlemoderndance.com. • $10 ACROKNOX FOUNDATIONAL ACROYOGA • World’s Fair Park • 5:30PM • Visit acroknox.com. • $5
MEETINGS
Thursday, Nov. 3 NAACP • Beck Cultural Exchange Center • 6PM • The mission of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate race-based discrimination. Join the fight for freedom by becoming a member of the NAACP. Regular individual annual membership rates vary. CANCER SUPPORT COMMUNITY FAMILY BEREAVEMENT GROUP • Cancer Support Community • 6PM • CSC is committed to providing bereavement services to those who have lost a loved one to cancer. Please contact our clinical staff before attending. Call 865-546-4661 for more info. All Cancer Support Community programs are offered
at no cost to individuals affected by cancer. CANCER SUPPORT COMMUNITY BREAST CANCER NETWORKER • Thompson Cancer Survivor Center West • 6PM • This drop-in group is an opportunity for women who have or have had breast cancer to come together to exchange information, offer support, education and encouragement. Bring your favorite seasonal snack to share. Call 865-546-4661 for more info. All Cancer Support Community programs are offered at no cost to individuals affected by cancer. ADULT CHILDREN OF ALCOHOLICS/DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILIES • The Birdhouse • 6PM • A 12-step meeting for adults who grew up in alcoholic or dysfunctional homes. The group offers a safe space for emotional healing. Contact Laura at 706-621-2238 or lamohendricksll@gmail.com for more information or visit the international ACA website at adultchildren.org. • FREE KNOXVILLE WRITERS’ GUILD • Central United Methodist Church • 7PM • The Knoxville Writers’ Guild exists to facilitate a broad and inclusive community for area writers, provide a forum for information, support and sharing among writers, help members improve and market their writing skills and promote writing and creativity. A $2 donation is requested. Additional information about KWG can be found at www.KnoxvilleWritersGuild.org. BLACK LIVES MATTER • The Birdhouse • 7:30PM • #BlackLivesMatter is working for a world where Black lives are no longer systematically and intentionally targeted for demise. Visit blacklivesmatterknoxville.org. • FREE
Saturday, Nov. 5 SEEKERS OF SILENCE • Church of the Savior United Church
of Christ • 9AM • Seekers of Silence is an ecumenical and interfaith gathering of men and women who come together to listen. We listen to presenters speak on spirituality topics; we listen to God in silent prayer; we listen to each other in small group sharing. Participants come from a variety of religious traditions. Members of several denominations as well as followers of other faiths come from all over East Tennessee to attend. All are welcome. Our meetings are on the first Saturday of each month (except July). Meetings start with 20 minutes of silent meditation, followed by a talk and small group discussions. We end with another 20-minute meditation and a shared lunch. The meetings are open to all and free of charge, although donations are accepted.Visit sosknoxville.org. • FREE AL-ANON • Faith Lutheran Church • 11AM • Al-Anon’s purpose is to help families and friends of alcoholics recover from the effects of living with the problem drinking of a relative or friend. Visit our local website at farragutalanon.org or email us at FindHope@ Farragutalanon.org. • FREE NARROW RIDGE SILENT MEDITATION GATHERING • Narrow Ridge Earth Literacy Center • 11AM • Narrow Ridge invites you to join us for our Silent Meditation Gathering. The gatherings are intended to be inclusive of people of all faiths as well as those who do not align themselves with a particular religious denomination. For information call 865-497-2753 or email community@narrowridge.org. • FREE GERMAN TREFF • GruJo’s German Restaurant • 2PM • Whether you have lived in Germany and would like to
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KNOXVILLE MERCURY November 3, 2016
Thursday, Nov. 3 - Sunday, Nov. 13
share some memories, would like to explore your roots, practice the language, or if you are just curious and like to meet new people, this monthly meeting, held on the first Saturday of each month, is a great opportunity to have a wonderful time. • FREE Monday, Nov. 7 GAY MEN’S DISCUSSION GROUP • Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church • 7:30PM • We hold facilitated discussions on topics and issues relevant to local gay men in a safe and open environment. Visit gaygroupknoxville.org. Tuesday, Nov. 8 ATHEISTS SOCIETY OF KNOXVILLE • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 5:30PM • Weekly atheists meetup and happy hour. Come join us for food, drink and great conversation. Everyone welcome. • FREE • DER GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS STAMMTISCH • Los Amigos • 6PM • A weekly gathering for Germans and anyone interested in German culture and the German language. • FREE HARVEY BROOME GROUP OF THE SIERRA CLUB • Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church • 7PM • The Sierra Club is a national, member-supported environmental organization that seeks to influence public policy in Washington D.C., in the state capitals, and locally through public education and grass-roots political action.As one of five Groups within the Tennessee Chapter of the Sierra Club, the Harvey Broome Group is based in Knoxville and focuses on Knox County and 17 surrounding counties in East Tennessee. • FREE THREE RIVERS! EARTH FIRST! • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 8PM • Three Rivers! Earth First! is the local dirt-worshiping, tree-hugging, anarchist collective that meets every Sunday night on the second floor of Barley’s in the back room (when its available) to organize against strip mining, counter protest the KKK and Nazis, to clean up Third Creek and to fight evil corporations in general. Open meeting, rotating facilitation, collective model. Y’all come. Call (865) 257-4029 for more information. • FREE Thursday, Nov. 10 CANCER SUPPORT COMMUNITY LEUKEMIA, LYMPHOMA, AND MYELOMA NETWORKER • Cancer Support Community • 6PM • This drop-in group is open for those with leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma and myeloproliferative disorders and their support persons. Participants will be able to exchange information, discuss concerns and share experiences. Call 865-546-4661 for more info. All Cancer Support Community programs are offered at no cost to individuals affected by cancer. ADULT CHILDREN OF ALCOHOLICS/DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILIES • The Birdhouse • 6PM • A 12-step meeting for adults who grew up in alcoholic or dysfunctional homes. The group offers a safe space for emotional healing. Contact Laura at 706-621-2238 or lamohendricksll@ gmail.com for more information or visit the international ACA website at adultchildren.org. • FREE Saturday, Nov. 12 CANCER SUPPORT COMMUNITY PROSTATE CANCER NETWORKER • Cancer Support Community • 10AM • This drop-in group is an opportunity for men to network with other men about their experiences with prostate cancer. Call 865-546-4661 for more info. All Cancer Support Community programs are offered at no cost to individuals affected by cancer. AL-ANON • Faith Lutheran Church • 11AM • Al-Anon’s
CALENDAR
purpose is to help families and friends of alcoholics recover from the effects of living with the problem drinking of a relative or friend. Visit our local website at farragutalanon.org or email us at FindHope@ Farragutalanon.org. • FREE NARROW RIDGE SILENT MEDITATION GATHERING • Narrow Ridge Earth Literacy Center • 11AM • Narrow Ridge invites you to join us for our Silent Meditation Gathering. The gatherings are intended to be inclusive of people of all faiths as well as those who do not align themselves with a particular religious denomination. For information call 865-497-2753 or email community@narrowridge.org. • FREE Sunday, Nov. 13 SKEPTIC BOOK CLUB • Books-A-Million • 2PM • The book club of the Rationalists of East Tennessee meets on the second Sunday of every month. Visit rationalists.org. • FREE
ETC.
Thursday, Nov. 3 KNOX HERITAGE PRESERVATION AWARDS CELEBRATION • Bijou Theatre • 5PM • This annual salute to the people and places making preservation work in our community is free and open to the public. The evening begins with a reception at 5 p.m. and the awards celebration kicks off at 6 p.m. Please RSVP at rsvp@knoxheritage.org or (865) 523-8008.This year’s celebrity guest and speaker is Jeff Devlin, host of DIY Network’s Stone House Revival. Knox Heritage preserves, restores and transforms historic places. For everyone. Forever. The nonprofit organization was founded in 1974 and now serves the entire 16-county Knoxville region. For more information, visit www. knoxheritage.org. SOUL OF CREATIVITY ART SHOW AND YOGA EVENT • Breezeway Yoga Studio • 4PM • The Soul of Creativity art show and yoga event will showcase local artists and businesses. This free event is sponsored by Breezeway Yoga Studio and proceeds from the event will be donated to the Cancer Support Community of East Tennessee. There will be a fundraising raffle, food and drink available for purchase, an acro yoga demonstration, music, and art on display for sale. • FREE Friday, Nov. 4 LAKESHORE PARK FARMERS MARKET • Lakeshore Park • 2PM • Offering a wide variety of hand-picked produce, artisan breads, grass-fed beef, natural pork and chicken, farm fresh eggs and farm-based crafts. • FREE Saturday, Nov. 5 MARKET SQUARE FARMERS’ MARKET • Market Square • 9AM • The MSFM, a project of Nourish Knoxville, is an open-air farmers’ market located on historic Market Square in the heart of downtown Knoxville. We are a producer only market – everything is either made, grown or raised by our vendors all within a 150 mile radius of the MSFM. Products vary by the season and include ornamental plants, vegetable and herb starts, produce, dairy, eggs, honey, meats, baked goods, jams/jellies, coffee, and artisan crafts. Every Wednesday from 11a.m. to 2p.m. and Saturday from 9a.m. to 2p.m., May 4-Nov. 19. Visit marketsquarefarmersmarket.org. • FREE SCOTTISH COUNTRY DANCE • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 4PM • Led by Cynthia West on the first Saturday of every month. Visit jigandreel.com. • FREE
FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH ALTERNATIVE GIFT FAIR • First United Methodist Church Maryville • 9AM • Get a jump start on the Christmas shopping rush and help out great organizations while your at it. This year nearly 20 vendors representing non-profit, fair trade and church groups come together in one place to help you find just the right gifts for people on your Christmas list. By shopping at the AGF, your purchases actually help you “give twice!” All the vendors will be in Wesley Hall and other rooms on the upper level of the church. Visit www.1stchurch.org. • FREE Monday, Nov. 7 WUTK BEER DINNER • Sunspot • 6PM • The 4th Annual WUTK Beer Dinner at Sunspot Restaurant is Monday, November 7, sponsored by Yee Haw Brewing, and tickets are $45 each, with all proceeds benefitting WUTK. Call (865)637-4663 for reservations. • $45 Tuesday, Nov. 8 EBENEZER ROAD FARMERS MARKET • Ebenezer United Methodist Church • 3PM • The market offers hand-picked produce in season, artisan breads and cheese, grass-fed meat and farm fresh eggs. • FREE Wednesday, Nov. 9 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 Thursday, Nov. 10 KNOXVILLE SQUARE DANCE • Laurel Theater • 8PM • Jubilee Community Arts presents Knoxville Square Dance with live old-time music by the Helgramites and calling by Stan Sharp, Ruth Simmons and Leo Collins. No experience or partner is necessary and the atmosphere is casual. (No taps, please.) Visit jubileearts.org. • $7 Friday, Nov. 11 LAKESHORE PARK FARMERS MARKET • Lakeshore Park • 2PM • Offering a wide variety of hand-picked produce, artisan breads, grass-fed beef, natural pork and chicken, farm fresh eggs and farm-based crafts. • FREE Saturday, Nov. 12 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 FREE THE NIPPLE PROTEST • Downtown Knoxville • 1PM • Come join your fellow sisters and brothers on Gay Street in downtown Knoxville to participate in a Free The Nipple Protest. Let’s band together, peacefully protest our basic human rights of equality. Women are done sacrificing our comfort for the comfort of society. If this is something that resonates you please join, the more people, the more powerful our collective voice. • FREE Sunday, Nov. 13 HARVEST MOON BALLROOM DANCE • Square Dance Center • 6PM
Send your events to calendar@knoxmercury.com
Sunday, Nov. 6
November 3, 2016
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 41
OUTDOORS
Out side Insider
DOGWOOD DOG PARK IN VICTOR ASHE PARK
CONCORD DOG PARK
Rover Retreats A canine view of Knoxville-area dog parks BY KIM TREVATHAN
A
s I approached Maryville’s PetSafe Pistol Creek Dog Park with Pepper, the 6-month old black Lab I was puppysitting, my worst fears about dog parks were realized. A big fight broke out. A golden retriever and pit boxer went at it full tilt for a minute or so. This was my first visit to a dog park, and here I was with my girlfriend Catherine’s puppy, whose barking and playfulness had been testing Norm, my elderly German shepherd, for the past two days. How would Pepper fare among dog park dogs? That Sunday, Pepper and I would try out three parks, and later in the week, I would take Norm to sample three more.
PISTOL CREEK
After the dust from the fight settled and the apologetic owner left with his pit boxer, Pepper and I entered the 1-acre fenced-in area with the small 42
KNOXVILLE MERCURY November 3, 2016
pavilion (in Bicentennial Greenbelt Park, Maryville). I freed Pepper from his leash, and he fit right in with the only other dogs there, the golden, who had not been the aggressor in the fight, and a standard poodle. Prone to sudden surges of energy, Pepper, on leash, had once jerked Catherine’s mom to the ground, which resulted in a broken elbow. Freed of the leash and among young, energetic dogs, he was burning off his exuberance. Like most dog parks in the Knoxville area, Pistol Creek’s has separate enclosures for big dogs and for those under 30 pounds. Pepper, just starting to fill out, barely fit the large dog category, but he squared up to the communal fountain right next to the battle-hardened golden.
CONCORD
Dogs far outnumbered humans at Concord Dog Park in West Knoxville,
with 40 or so canines running, sniffing, and jumping off the dog dock into the lake. I kept Pepper on leash for the first 15 minutes and then turned him loose among the horde. In the hour we were there, no fights broke out, and Pepper met dozens of new friends. Humans complimented him on his good looks. The main large-dog area at Concord is a mix of dirt and gravel, but at 4 acres, with natural trails that go into the woods, it’s the largest dog park in the Knoxville area.
CHARTER DOYLE
This one’s in a relatively undeveloped part of South Knox County, on Martin Mill Pike, so I wasn’t surprised that Pepper and I had it to ourselves, except for Ruby, a 4-pound, 4-ounce min pin (miniature pinscher) in the adjoining small-dog pen. While Pepper scavenged for the leavings of former canine visitors, I chatted with Ruby’s owner. Somebody had just inconsiderately brought a big dog into the small-dog pen, he told me. “He could have eaten Ruby in one bite!” Ruby did not like to be stepped on. “She will bite you if you step on her,” he said. “She’s bitten me 14 times.” Though tiny, Ruby was clearly overweight, the result of the owner’s feeding her table scraps. “I got in
trouble the other day when my wife found gravy on Ruby’s back while bathing her,” he said. While I was talking, Pepper was exploring the downward-sloping park, a cedar-shaded area with rock outcroppings for climbing dogs and a little grove of trees in a far corner. Pepper ignored the tennis ball I’d brought and molested the ragged remains of a red one he’d found on his own. He slept on the drive home. Norm appreciated the new version of Pepper, worn-out and mellow from three dog park visits.
DOGWOOD DOG PARK AT VICTOR ASHE PARK
I was a little worried about Norm’s first visit to a dog park. He didn’t much like dogs. Although he’d never been in a fight, the younger Norm would make great leaping circles around me when we approached another dog on our walks. Though he has mellowed with age, he clearly prefers people. That Wednesday afternoon, as soon as I turned him loose inside the Dogwood Park enclosure, he ignored the dogs who welcomed him at the entrance and tottered uphill 20 yards to greet an older gentleman seated in a lawn chair. “There’s an old one!” said the man, who rubbed Norm’s ears.
OUTDOORS Though unremarkable in appearance or features, Dogwood was the most social park. Many seemed to be regulars, and Norm made many friends, including an unneutered German shepherd whose owner, a well-muscled young man, said, “Bro, excuse me for asking, but what happened to your dog?” I explained to him about Norm’s diminishing strength in his hindquarters, a malady fairly common in the breed. Despite his disability, I had not seen Norm cover so much territory in a couple of years. He was all over the place. He staggered up and down the sloped area. He sat down only a couple of times to rest and seemed to most enjoy the company of Shiloh, a strange little poodle-cocker spaniel mix. Though he still preferred humans over dogs, Norm had a great time at Dogwood. If you have a geriatric dog, Dogwood is perfect because you can park just a few feet away from the entrance. There are some agility features like a wooden ramp, a barrel and a hoop to pass through, but the dogs, fascinated with each other, were ignoring these human ideas of canine fun.
dered up and down the steep terrain of the small park, fascinated by the smells. For him, I guess, the scents of departed dogs was just as interesting as their presence. Around 11, a couple with a schnauzer mix arrived. They said that in the evenings the place was quite popular. Even though the location was less than scenic, with four-lane Hall of Fame Drive dominating the view from the knoll, it was a break from the city asphalt and the nearest spot to run free on dirt for city-slicker canines.
TOMMY SCHUMPERT DOG PARK
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.
This seemed the classiest of the parks, with enclosed areas of a few acres, one for small dogs, one for large ones, and another fenced area with a pond and fountain that’s open to dogs of all sizes. For Norm, the only drawback was the 50-yard asphalt stroll from parking spot to entrance. There was a long, steep slope down to the pond, so I kept Norm in the large-dog area, which was flat and lush with grass. Because it was Sunday morning around 10, the park was not crowded, only 10-15 dogs, but more were arriving as we left.
The Knoxville area has eight dog parks, and an additional one in the works in northwest Knoxville (Plumb Creek). Rules at the parks, all of them PetSafe parks, are fairly commonsensical. You should enter and leave with your dog leashed. You should watch your dog after he’s released. Don’t bring a dog that’s aggressive or unhealthy, and make sure she’s had her shots. Don’t bring a dog in heat. Clean up your pooch’s poop. Outdoor Knoxville has a great guide to the dog parks, with directions for getting to them, at outdoorknoxville.com.◆
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DOWNTOWN DOG PARK
Other than a young man sitting on a bench hunched over his cell phone, Norm and I had the downtown park, on South Central Avenue, to ourselves. First thing Norm did was trot down the steep slope to greet the young man. Then he (Norm) mean-
PISTOL CREEK DOG PARK IN MARYVILLE November 3, 2016
KNOXVILLE MERCURY 43
’BYE
R estless Nat ive
Fowl Fight A trip to Union County for raised hackles and flying feathers BY CHRIS WOHLWEND
T
he Game Club’s schedule listed eight months’ of meetings, every other week. Some events were “cock,” others “stag,” a couple were designated “short heel.” At the bottom of the card, in boldface type, was a warning: NO DRINKING ALLOWED. The club’s meeting place was a large barn deep in the woods of Union County, circa mid-1970s. I had picked up the schedule as my three companions and I paid our $2 entry and went into the barn. The event was a cockfight, illegal but still to be found in East Tennessee. My introduction to cockfight culture had occurred several years earlier, courtesy of the father of one of my sister’s acquaintances. In his East Knoxville backyard, he had shown me a couple of roosters that he was conditioning. He told me that he didn’t fight them but was helping a friend who did. The subject was interesting enough that I wrote down what he had told me when I returned home, figuring that I might want to write about the subject at some point. My decades-old notes, refreshed by Internet searches, reveal that a stag is a bird less than 2 years old, a cock older than 2. A short heel is a steel “knife” about an inch long that is attached to the bird’s foot to replace its natural spur, which has been cut off. My source had made me a gift of a pair
of spurs that he had recently trimmed off so that he could substitute needle-like steel “gaffs,” more deadly than the knives. And he pointed out the rooster’s hackles, the feathers on the back of its neck. When the hackles are up, he said, the bird is anxious to fight. My notes and my spurs had been filed away when I left Knoxville in 1972. It was on a visit back when a friend told me that two of his coworkers had invited him to a Game Club meet. I was asked along and we made arrangements for the next event. When my companions and I entered the barn, we found a raucous crowd sitting on benches, about six rows ascending around a circular pit. Two men, holding their birds, were perched on the concrete-block wall that defined the pit, preparing to turn the roosters loose. As we looked around, we realized that, despite the admonition against alcohol, many of the attendees had obviously been drinking. There were numerous trips outside to vehicles parked in the field surrounding the barn. No drinking inside, maybe, but what you did out in the field or in your truck was your own business. After a refreshment break, re-entry to the barn was not a problem. The birds were matched by weight, and their owners carried them around the edge of the ring, letting the
My source had made me a gift of a pair of spurs that he had recently trimmed off so that he could substitute needle-like steel “gaffs,” more deadly than the knives.
44
KNOXVILLE MERCURY November 3, 2016
bettors take them in. Bets were yelled out: “Ten on the blue!” “I got $50 on the roundhead!” “Who wants $20 against the hackle?” A couple of men were circling just outside the pit, noting the wagers, making sure that the bettors knew who had responded to their calls. Wagers made, the first match began with the two roosters rushing at each other. Feathers and blood were soon flying. During breaks, the handlers wiped blood away and breathed into the cocks’ mouths. After a while, one of the birds was unable to continue and a victor was declared. Money changed hands around the barn and the next match began. Soon, the “drag pit,” behind the bleachers, was occupied with barely alive birds that could continue only sporadically. Once they had expired, the dead were carried outside. I didn’t
BY IAN BLACKBURN AND JACK NEELY
inquire about their disposal. After a couple of hours, we decided we had seen enough. Later, my friend, a grad student who was working part time in medical research, said his friends were getting up another trip to the game club’s meeting. Did I want to go? I declined, and he admitted he had no interest, either. He had decided that his acquaintances were a bit odd and didn’t want to hang out with them anymore. “They’re dieners,” he said. What’s that, I asked. “They help out at autopsies,” he explained. ◆ Chris Wohlwend’s Restless Native addresses the characters and absurdities of Knoxville, as well as the lessons learned pursuing the newspaper trade during the tumult that was the 1960s. He now teaches journalism part-time at the University of Tennessee.
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’BYE
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Historic November With multiple historical events, November remembers. The evening of Thursday, Nov. 3, will witness Knox Heritage’s annual Preservation Awards, at the Bijou Theatre. The historical preservationist organization was founded in 1974 to save that theater from planned demolition. The 1909 vaudeville house, which has hosted performers from the Marx Brothers to John Philip Sousa, has since earned international praise for its near-perfect acoustics. Each year, KH awards the best examples of historic preservation in Knox County. This year’s guest speaker is Jeff Devlin, host of DIY Network’s Stone House Revival. The event is free and open to the public, but KH asks that attendees respond to rsvp@knoxheritage.org, or call (865) 523-8008.
Roy Acuff, Chet Atkins, Archie Campbell, and Don Gibson. From 1936 to 1955, the show was broadcast from the WNOX studios on the 100 block of Gay Street, in a building torn down after a fire in 1978; the space is now used as a courtyard for the Emporium Lofts. From 1955 to 1961, it was broadcast at the big modern WNOX Auditorium at Whittle Springs. (It’s in the process of a demolition effort currently delayed by a city-mandated 60-day hold for potentially historic properties.) Very few performers of the show survive, but the author, who has been connected to the music business for half a century, was married to Harold White, a steel guitarist for the “Merry-Go-Round.” And as it happens, her Ciderville signing lands on the 106th birthday of Lowell Blanchard (1910-1968), the Illinois-raised founder and longtime emcee of Mid-Day Merry Go Round. The following day, Sunday, Nov. 6, White will give a free presentation about her book at the East Tennessee History Center, at 2:30.
The University of Tennessee, celebrating Homecoming this weekend, traces its origins to 1794, and has been on its current campus since 1828. On Friday, Nov. 4, Jack Neely of the Knoxville History Project will give a historic walking tour of the University of Tennessee’s campus. Included will be the “Hallowed Hill,” which contained most of the college for about Knoxville Marble: One of the carved eagles on the 1932 U.S. Post 100 years, and is still the site of historic buildOffice building on Main Street. The man at right is probably ings, including couple of Victorian-era academic The same day, Nov. 6 at 2:00, at UT’s Italian immigrant Albert Milani (1892-1977), Knoxville’s halls; the old administration building that was best-known marble sculptor, who was recruited for the project. McClung Museum, Kim Trent, longtime central to a dramatic student demonstration in executive director of Knox Heritage, gives a 1970; Ayres Hall, UT’s symbolic center (visible talk and slide presentation about Historic Image courtesy of the Calvin M. McClung Historical Collection in an Ingrid Bergman movie!)—plus Alumni Preservation in Knoxville. It’s one of several cmdc.knoxlib.org Memorial Hall, where composer Sergei Rachlectures held in conjunction with the musemaninoff gave his final performance, three um’s current exhibit, “Knoxville Unearthed: years after young Frank Sinatra sang there. Archaeology in the Heart of the Valley,” Also included will be some of the newer parts of campus, including Circle Park, displayed this fall in honor of Knoxville’s 225th anniversary. which dates to the early 1890s and was arguably Knoxville’s first public park. The tour is free, but registration is required. To register, see UTK.COLNov. 11 is Veterans Day. Originally called Armistice Day, it has been LEGIATELINK.NET/FORM/START/113936. celebrated in downtown Knoxville nearly every year since 1918, when it was the day that celebrated the end of World War I. It’s always the occasion of a Several years ago, singer-songwriter Scott Miller recorded a song called mid-day parade that starts at 11:00, the time when the war ended. “Ciderville Saturday Night” that got some national attention. This Saturday evening (Nov. 5), at Ciderville, the country-music sanctuary in Powell (2836 Clinton Highway), Ruth B. White will be signing her new book Knoxville’s “Merry-Go-Round,” Ciderville and the East Tennessee Country Music Scene. Mid-Day Merry-Go-Round was the live-audience variety show broadcast daily on WNOX from 1936 to 1961. Although it featured several varieties of music, including jazz and classical, as well as humor, it became associated with launching the careers of several major country-music stars, including
“Rock of Ages: East Tennessee’s Marble Industry” is the name of the exhibit opening at the Museum of East Tennessee History, It opens at 4:30 on Friday, Nov. 18. It will demonstrate how this area’s marble, used in several of the great monuments in New York and Washington, D.C., became famous and such a big part of the local economy that Knoxville became known in the late 19th century as the Marble City.
Source: Calvin M. McClung Historical Collection
The Knoxville History Project, a new nonprofit organization devoted to the promotion of and education about the history of Knoxville, presents this page each week to raise awareness of the themes, personalities, and stories of our unique city. Learn more on www.facebook.com/knoxvillehistoryproject • email jack@knoxhistoryproject.org