Vol. 3, Issue 8 Mar. 30, 2017

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R S Y! A E R W O R T E S I D H UN

THEY SAID IT COULDN’T BE DONE

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3/ N.8

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vi a . l t r i ng a c lo ati into celebr ue! y l l ss a e e re y, we’r 00th i r ’ u 1 yo w a our l e s s ither E *Un

A 6-Year-Old Writes to the U.S. District Court of Appeals

Tennessee Williams and Clarence Brown’s Unlikely Connection

T U A R T ST N TA Pizzeria Nora Fills a Void on the Downtown North Frontier

Knoxville Community Darkroom Reintroduces Film (!) Photography

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F I T A H W

novelist left town just he —t ly al on rs pe t et rn t known Bu Though she hadn’t Wha xvillians Burnett. no K u yo if ew kn on et pl rth—Tem chool only music -s ic bl before the columnist’s bi pu y nt ou C n ga or uld by day a M tracing that author’s Scholar Paul Brown, co ns io ct se e, ge A es m Ja g en researchin teacher, read the has be s. The public library’s de ca de l ra ve se of d rio a of the pe lumn with a bit of co on et family around town over pl m Te r pe pa a t directed Brown to “Papers to Pixels” projec ese last 20-odd years. th ng si is m e at th en be information I’d on learned, based on th et pl m Te g in is rt ve ad n, colum id for? hodgson pa s ce As she asserted in a 1927 an Fr of e m ho er trusted, that the form memories of people she own as Tinker Tavern. kn en th e ac pl a as w t et Burn

vertisers, It takes money from ad s to make a readers, and benefactor e these days. great paper sustainabl stories and To maintian our unique e need your journalistic integrity, w re we deliver help. You can make su read by donating. the stories you want to launching To make it easier, we’re program in a new monthly donation nations. addition to one-time do Learn more at

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2 knoxville mercury March 30, 2017

March 30, 2017 | Volume 03: Issue 08 | knoxmercury.com

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U S R T T R AN !

O SP Y! T EAR R W O R T DE S I H UN

“Journalism will kill you, but it will keep you alive while you’re at it.” —Horace Greeley

6

HOWDY Local Life

8

OPINION Scruffy Citizen

by Marissa Highfill

Jack Neely takes a close look at the connection between Tennessee Williams, Clarence Brown, and pimiento cheese.

10 Architecture Matters

George Dodds considers the possibility of building new rail service in the age of Trump.

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L D E C KS! FOO N A !

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S P C I T S A ST MU

A&E

24 Program Notes

It’s a Big Ears after-party, with an exit interview with Ashley Capps.

25 Movies

April Snellings thinks about Life.

26 Photo Gallery

A visual tour of the Big Ears Festival.

CALENDAR 28 Spotlights

Mark Eitzel, Richard Thompson, AustenFest, and more.

FOOD

40 Home Palate

COVER STORY

18 100 Things You Don’t Know About Knoxville Over two years ago, we decided to take a stab at publishing a true community paper— one that not only covers Knoxville, but is also supported by Knoxville. To celebrate our 100th issue, we asked people from around town in different occupations to share little-known facts and bizarre trivia about our fair city.

NEWS 14 A Small Plea

Thousands of transgender-rights advocates across the nation have pledged to support Gavin Grimm, the transgender Gloucester, Va. student who sued his high school for barring him from the restroom used by boys at school. A 6-year-old girl from Knoxville is also “Standing With Gavin,” even writing an open letter to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th District asking it to rule for Grimm. And like Grimm, she is transgender. Rose Kennedy reports.

PRESS FORWARD 16 Knoxville Community Darkroom

A nonprofit addition to the local art scene reintroduces an old idea: film-based photography for everyone. Carol Z. Shane interviews the staff of volunteers.

Dennis Perkins revisits an old haunt to find a new restaurant, Pizzeria Nora.

’BYE 46 Restless Native

by Chris Wohlwend

46 Spirit of the Staircase

by Matthew Foltz-Gray

47 Crooked Street Crossword

by Ian Blackburn and Jack Neely

HELP SUPPORT INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM! Wow, 100 issues. Where did all the time go? Well, most of it was spent working like the dickens to make this paper happen. If you’ve appreciated the effort, please help support it. Find out how: knoxmercury.com/donate.

March 30, 2017 knoxville mercury 3

AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT DEFINITION OF “CLASSY”

Focus: Business & Innovation

The Village Mercantile

Monica Lauber

owner of The Village Mercantile

This independent grocery in North Knoxville sells affordable, non-perishable food to lower-income shoppers

BY CAROL Z. SHANE

ntrepreneurship runs in Monica Lauber’s blood—her mother’s maiden name was “Mast,” and her great-uncle Will developed the first Mast General Store in Valle Crucis, N.C. But alongside that talent for building businesses comes a heart for helping those in need, and a desire to foster community bonds.

Lauber owns The Village Mercantile, which provides quality non-perishable groceries to an older, lower-income clientele, most of whom are pedestrians. Her store operates on the same model as United Grocery Outlet, Big Lots, and Bargain Hunt, offering merchandise that, for a variety of reasons, has been removed from the inventory of primary retailers.

Having won second place in First Tennessee Bank’s statewide 2016 “Best of the Best in Customer Service” contest, The Village Mercantile will celebrate its first anniversary in its current location this May. Lauber and her staff, which includes her wife, Amy Perkins, are known for their generosity and their willingness to offer aid wherever it’s needed, one person at a time.

Your first store, Furniture Traders in Fountain City, was very different from The Village Mercantile. How did that start?

I wanted people to have access to quality items. You know, there’s a time in your life when you need good furniture but you can’t afford it, and you don’t want to screw stuff together anymore. That’s how that started. It

was to meet the needs of a community with a lot of seniors who were downsizing and a lot of young families coming up who needed to start housekeeping, and how do you connect them? I was trying to connect them.

You started The Village Mercantile in that same space. When and how did the change come about?

In 2011-2012. I noticed a decline in sales—more people wanted to sell than buy. It was skewed. And if people aren’t buying then I’m not eating.

I realized that most people were having to choose between prescriptions, gas, and groceries. I knew I wasn’t going to go to pharmacy school or open a convenience store, so groceries it was.

Why did you choose to concentrate on salvaged, lower-priced goods?

I have a degree in family and consumer science, and I’ve studied food safety. I understand product dating.

Food waste in our country is excessive—about 80 billion pounds wasted in a calendar year. I already had the space, I already had the storefront.

And so we sent everything to auction that wasn’t dear in some way and started over.

It really morphed out of my own need, and the need to feed my family.

It wasn’t just a business decision, right? You went through a very rough time yourself.

I hit a time in my life when I was in a

Photos by Marissa Highfill

E

The Village Mercantile food pantry line. I thought, “Wow, is this really where I am?”

You know, sometimes need doesn’t look like need. I rolled up in a minivan that was paid for. I wore nice clothing; I was clean and bathed. No one in my home was hungry. But we had sincere needs; namely, I needed to cook dinner. So I got to the end of the line and I got the same amount of groceries for me, four kids, and my dad—six people in the house—that the single man in front of me received.

And I didn’t have a meal in my hands.

I had parts of a meal: I had some condiments; I had spaghetti but no sauce; I didn’t have any meat or any kind of protein source. So I went home and found all the change in the house—nickels and dimes—and I went and bought the components that I needed.

It was just to get through that day.

I think I was expecting money the next day—it was a stopgap. That was

4503 Walker Blvd.

865-805-3511 facebook.com/thevillagemercantile Programs • The Village Mercantile sells affordable, non-perishable groceries to a lower-income clientele that’s often without transportation.

• It rents out a community room at $15 an hour.

• It offers a Little Free Library that includes large-print books for its senior community.

How You Can Help • Shop there!

• Donate books, including large print books.

• Donate money to help buy insurance for their truck.

10 knoxville mercury March 16, 2017

“A little over a week ago, Carol Z Shane brought to the shop several copies of The Knoxville Mercury which included her Press Forward article about The Village Mercantile. Since then we have been the recipients of several unexpected kindnesses and I want to say thank you. People looking for community opportunities have shown up to volunteer around the store or leave contact information for a future need. Books in great number have arrived for the Little Free Library, both outside and for the Large Print Annex in the Community Room. Also, donations of food have come anonymously as neighbors want to help make a difference in the community.

“This next expression of gratitude is a BIG ONE! Bob Richards of Bob’s Trails, Trees & Gardens has gifted the amount of money equal to six months of insurance premium required to operate our box truck. His contribution and belief in what we are doing means far more than a post can describe. The hours that will be spared will multiply the impact of our efforts as we are able to get more product with less physical strain. Bob, I THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for your tremendous gift!!”

—Village Mercantile commenting on Facebook

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As a regular reader of the Knoxville Mercury I read with astonishment the letter from Gene Burr of Knoxville. [“Keep It Scenic,” March 16, 2017] Apparently Mr. Burr had been sleeping under a rock during the whole Obama administration. He criticized a billboard owner in West Tennessee for something which was posted on the billboard, which I have no idea what it was. I can only assume it was something detrimental to Michelle Obama and if so I concur.

Mr. Burr alluded to the statement that the billboard was trying to undo Michelle’s great accomplishment.

Was that great accomplishment the fact that she stated, after her husband got elected, that she had never been proud of America until he got elected?

What about her great accomplishments of taking separate flights to Hawaii vacations instead of flying with her husband, thereby saving American’s hundreds of thousands of dollars?

What about her accomplishments of taking non-family members on the trips and having them listed as “staff”?

A great first lady? Certainly not to my belief, nor the belief of millions of Americans who want our country out of the $21+ trillion [national debt] that her husband threw us into. Plus she dressed very un-ladylike on many occasions, which no other first lady had previously done. In my opinion she was the most classless first lady ever and I hope no other first lady in future years has the unmitigated gall to “dress down” as Michelle did while her husband is serving our great country in the highest capacity.

Joe C. Copeland Oak Ridge Ed. Note: Mr. Burr’s letter to the editor was actually referring to a lawsuit brought by Memphis billboard owner William Thomas against the state, trying to overturn the Highway Beautification Act, which was originally advocated by First Lady Claudia Alta “Lady Bird” Johnson. His reference to First Lady Michelle Obama was incidental: “‘Lady Bird’ did us proud, as did Michelle Obama…”

“I commend Mayor Rogero & Chief Rausch. Except for full blooded American Indians, we are all here because of immigrants. I trust Chief Rausch’s officers to keep their cool, and to recognize and arrest real criminals, which contributes far more to the health & well being of our community than [arresting] immigrants just trying to find a better life. I wish Mayor Burchett and the Sheriff had joined them.”

—Valerie Ohle commenting at knoxmercury.com

OUT OF OUR… COUNTRY Mrs. Mayor Rogero of Knoxville is [the] only mayor in Tennessee who has said her police won’t help ICE agents apprehend “immigrants.” [“Mayor Rogero and KPD Chief Rausch Mark ‘Day of Immigration Action,’” Daily Dumpster blog post by S. Heather Duncan, March 21, 2017] No one asked her to deal with immigrants. They need to help with the “ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS.” A mayor of a city of this size should have the intelligence to understand the difference. Who voted for this pitiful woman. You embarrass the region. Get the ILLEGALS, ALL OF THEM, OUT OF OUR COUNTRY! Now, today, everyday.

Jim Frazee Tellico Village

Delivering Fine Journalism Since 2015 EDITORIAL EDITOR Coury Turczyn coury@knoxmercury.com SENIOR EDITOR Matthew Everett matthew@knoxmercury.com CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Jack Neely jack@knoxhistoryproject.org STAFF WRITERS S. Heather Duncan heather@knoxmercury.com CONTRIBUTORS Chris Barrett Joan Keuper Ian Blackburn Catherine Landis Hayley Brundige Dennis Perkins Patrice Cole Stephanie Piper Eric Dawson Ryan Reed George Dodds Eleanor Scott Thomas Fraser Alan Sherrod Lee Gardner Nathan Smith Mike Gibson April Snellings Carey Hodges Denise Stewart-Sanabria Nick Huinker Joe Sullivan Donna Johnson Kim Trevathan Tracy Jones Chris Wohlwend Rose Kennedy Angie Vicars Carol Z. Shane MULTIMEDIA ASSISTANT Jeffrey Chastain 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 PHOTOGRAPHY INTERN Marissa Highfill ADVERTISING PUBLISHER & DIRECTOR OF SALES Charlie Vogel charlie@knoxmercury.com SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Scott Hamstead scott@knoxmercury.com ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Michael Tremoulis michael@knoxmercury.com BUSINESS BUSINESS MANAGER Scott Dickey scott.dickey@knoxmercury.com KNOXVILLE MERCURY

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR GUIDELINES • Letter submissions should include a verifiable name, address, and phone number.

We do not print anonymous letters.

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

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

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

Send your letters to: Our Dear Editor, Knoxville Mercury 618 S. Gay St., Suite L2 Knoxville, TN 37902

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 Robin Easter Tommy Smith Melanie Faizer Joe Sullivan Jack Neely Coury Turczyn Charlie Vogel The Knoxville Mercury is an independent weekly news magazine devoted to informing and connecting Knoxville’s many different communities. It is a taxable, not-for-profit company governed by the Knoxville History Project, a non-profit organization devoted to exploring, disseminating, and celebrating Knoxville’s unique cultural heritage. It publishes 25,000 copies per week, available free of charge, limited to one copy per reader. © 2017 The Knoxville Mercury

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March 30, 2017 knoxville mercury 5

DUMPSTER highlights DIVE Weekly from our blog BIG EARS RECAPS Big Ears is a big deal for serious music listeners. Every year, our crew of freelance writers get all giddy with anticipation. But how is the actual experience of attending these shows? We’ve got daily reports from Carey Hodges, Eric Dawson, Nick Huinker, and senior editor Matthew Everett.

BIG EARS PODCASTS Okay, so you don’t want to read any more about Big Ears. How about listening? We’ve got a 45-minute discussion with AC Entertainment’s Ashley Capps—he’s got a radio voice that’s always a pleasure to hear—plus a roundtable discussion of the shows by our motley crew of contributors.

LOCAL LIFE Photo Series by Marissa Highfill

Last weekend’s Big Ears Festival drew not only black-attired music aficionados from bigger cities, but also colorful performers such as these stilt-walkers in Market Square.

BIG EARS PHOTOS All right—you can’t read another word about Big Ears, and you don’t want to listen either.

So instead, how about a look at some photos? Photographers Marissa Highfill, Jeffrey Chastain, and Tricia Bateman give you a visual tour. Also look for the black and white gallery by Rolling Stone-approved photographer Andrew Gresham.

PUBLIC AFFAIRS

4/1 VOLUNTEER: IJAMS RIVER RESCUE SATURDAY

10 a.m.-2 p.m., Tennessee River. Free.

So we’ve got this major waterway running through town that some people seem to feel is a convenient waste receptacle. Fortunately, for 28 years, nearly a thousand volunteers have gathered to pick up over 10 tons of trash annually. Now that’s teamwork! Info: ijams.org.

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4/3 SPEAKER: CLARENCE L. VAUGHN III MONDAY

1 p.m., Burlington Branch Knox County Public Library (4614 Asheville Hwy.). Free.

This month’s edition of the East Knox Community Meeting features guest speaker Clarence L. Vaughn III, director of the Knoxville Police Advisory and Review Committee. PARC is a civilian committee that reviews complaints about the Knoxville Police Department. Vaughn was named director one year ago.

4/4 MEETING: SHORT-TERM RENTAL ORDINANCE TUESDAY

6 p.m., Central United Methodist Church (201 Third Ave.). Free.

Knoxville edges closer to the Airbnb age as the city presents its “outlines” for an ordinance on Short-Term Rentals (STRs), which are currently prohibited as they’re not covered by existing laws.

How will the city make them legal and “ensure a level playing field for STRs and traditional hotels and motels”? Find out, maybe!

4/5 SEMINAR: “RETROFITTING SUBURBIA FOR 21ST CENTURY CHALLENGES” WEDNESDAY

6 p.m., UT’s Art and Architecture Auditorium (1715 Volunteer Blvd.). Free.

Architect Ellen Dunham-Jones, an authority on sustainable suburban redevelopment, will be discussing how community design affects public health, economic vitality, and sustainability. There will also be a presentation on Tuesday, April 4 at 6 p.m., at the Farragut Town Hall Community Room (11408 Municipal Center Dr.).

OVER TH ER E! O n e h u n d r e d y e a r s a g o , t h e U n i t e d S tat e s e n t e r e d W o r l d Wa r I . s o d i d K n o x v i l l e .

The United States was slow to join the World War, but when the country declared war on Germany, in April, 1917, thousands of young men, and a few older career military officers like Brig. Gen. Lawrence Davis Tyson, Col. Cary Spence, and Col. James A. Gleason, successful Knoxville businessmen before the war, saw combat in Europe. Tyson, a veteran of wars against the Apaches, 30 years earlier, would be the first to lead troops into German-occupied Belgium.

Knox County contributed about 4,000 men in uniform to fight the Germans.

Most were “doughboys” serving in the U.S. Army. They paraded down Gay Street to board trains for boot camp.

Several others joined the Navy or Marines.

Brookside Mills employee who enlisted in the Navy. He was among the 306 men lost on the U.S.S. Cyclops, in the Western Atlantic in March, 1918. The disappearance of the Cyclops remains the Navy’s biggest mystery.

J. Ernest Karnes, known as “Buck” to some of his friends, won the Congressional Medal of Honor for extraordinary bravery in subduing a German position with the help of only one other soldier near Estrees, France. The Alcoa Highway Bridge was named in his honor, but at home he lived a humble life, as a painter and policeman.

In 1917, thousands of recruits marched down Gay Street to board troop trains at the Southern Railway Station. They were bound for pre-combat training at Camp Sevier in South Carolina.

At home, civilians did what they could to help, as women prepared bandages and other medical supplies needed on the front. The Park House on the corner of Walnut and Cumberland was a center for these home efforts.

Meanwhile, a former Knoxvillian, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury William Gibbs McAdoo, worked to secure millions to fund the war effort.

Knoxville’s vigorous German minority had maintained an influential and often festive presence in Knoxville, but during the war, some changed their names to sound more American. Prince Street was the old street that ran from the river wharves to Market Square, but during World War I Knoxville changed it to Market Street, reputedly to sound more democratic and less German. Anti-immigrant sentiment grew, and immigrant entrepreneurs often gave their businesses patriotic-sounding names to prove their allegiance.

A year passed before a Knoxvillian died in combat. The first was Lillard Earle Ailor, a young man killed at Verdun on Apr. 8, 1918. Ailor Avenue, between Fort Sanders and Mechanicsville, is named for him.

Most of the losses were in the war’s final weeks. The worst day for Knoxville was Oct. 6, 1918, when 15 Knoxvillians died in combat.

The Doughboy Statue was erected in front of Knoxville High School on Fifth Avenue in 1921 by veterans of the 117th Infantry as a memorial to “that company of shining souls who gave their youth, that the world might grow old in peace.” Many of those who died were KHS alumni.

McGhee Tyson Airport was named in honor of Capt. Charles McGhee Tyson, who was killed in a plane crash in the North Sea in the final weeks of the war. His father, Brig. Gen. Lawrence Tyson, and mother, Bettie Tyson, donated Tyson Park to the city to assure that Knoxville’s airport should always bear their son’s name.

Estimates vary, but about 140-160 soldiers from Knox County were killed in World War I. The last Knoxvillian killed was Oscar Rider, an employee of the Ty-SaMan machinery factory, who was shot at the Argonne Forest one hour before the already announced Armistice signing.

The day the war ended, Nov. 11, 1918, brought jubilation to Gay Street. A clothing merchant’s sign declared, “Closed for Joy.” Please help the Knoxville History Project maintain this page and support the Knoxville Mercury for another year! See knoxvillehistoryproject.org, or send your tax-deductible donation to KHP at 516 W. Vine Ave., #8, Knoxville, TN 37902.

The war’s strangest loss was that of Archie Pope of Fountain City, a The Calvin M. McClung Historical Collection, Lawson McGhee Library Image courtesy of Calvin M. McClung Historical Collection • cmdc.knoxlib.org

Source

T h e K n ox v i l l e H i s to ry P r o j ec t, a n o n p r o fi t o r g a n iz at i o n d e vot e d to t h e p r o m ot i o n o f a n d ed u c at i o n a b o u t t h e h i s to ry o f K n ox v i l l e , p r e s en t s t h i s pag e e ac h w e e k to r a i s e awa r en e s s o f t h e t h em e s , p er s o n a l i t i e s , a n d s to r i e s o f o u r u n i q u e c i t y.

L e a r n m o r e at

knoxvillehistoryproject.org

o r em a i l

jack@knoxhistoryproject.org

March 30, 2017 knoxville mercury 7

Scruffy Citizen | Architecture Matters

Knoxville, Kentucky Tennessee Williams, Clarence Brown, and pimiento cheese

BY JACK NEELY

T

he great playwright Tennessee Williams, with better luck, might have celebrated his 106th birthday this week. He was not a Knoxvillian, although when he first became famous, the Knoxville papers were happy to claim him as one. His family, whose story would make a very long Tennessee Williams play, was prominent here, and in the minds of Old Knoxvillians, it was only temporary confusion that caused a few of the Williamses—like the writer’s father, the lost sheep Cornelius—to wander away for a bit, to the Deep South and Midwest. Surely they would come back soon and assume their distinguished place at local black-tie events.

There’s a pretty fascinating recent book, probably not recommended for the judgmental, called The Follies of God. Its subtitle is “Tennessee Williams and the Women of the Fog.” Author James Grissom was an aspiring young unknown who met Williams in New Orleans, looking for a boost toward a writing career, and instead, was sent on an errand by the legendary playwright—an errand that took Grissom about 30 years to complete. Williams wanted Grissom to track down and interview each of his favorite actresses (and actors, like Marlon Brando, but mostly actresses), and find out what they thought about

8 knoxville mercury March 30, 2017

the playwright who was part of their resumes: Lillian Gish, Jessica Tandy, Katharine Hepburn, Maureen Stapleton. And Grissom carried out that daunting mission, never mind that his famous client died very early in the process, back in 1983.

I’ve never heard of a book like it, and hate to bring out one error that was a missed stitch in the writer’s connection-making mission, and maybe a symptom of how Knoxville presents itself to the world.

Grissom tells the story of how, working in Hollywood in 1944, Tennessee Williams was taking a lunch break at the MGM commissary and found himself seated next to Clarence Brown, one of the studio’s most successful directors at the time—it was the era of National Velvet—but not one known for personal extravagance. Brown had brought a pimiento-cheese sandwich.

Although that was an exotic treat in Hollywood then.

I was middle-aged before I realized one bleak reality, that there are desolate places in the world, even in America, where pimiento cheese is scarce. Where, strange as it may seem, people don’t even know what it is.

I don’t believe Williams and Brown ever worked together, but in the commissary the two struck up a conversation about the South, and

Brown, who didn’t like everybody, gave Williams half of his pimiento-cheese sandwich, spiked with a dash of vinegar. (I’ve never tried that embellishment. I mean to this weekend.)

The next day, the two ran into each other again, and Brown had brought pimiento-cheese sandwiches again, and brought a spare for Williams. “For later, when you’re writing,” Brown said.

The story gets complicated later, but the fact that two very different fellows could bond over pimiento-cheese sandwiches, something they missed from home, was surprising and revealing.

Here’s the line, describing Brown and Williams in the commissary, that stuck in my craw.

“The two of them, one from Kentucky, the other deeply marinated in the ways of Mississippi and Louisiana, laughed over shared tastes.”

Their heritages weren’t just a few states apart. I’d argue they were more like a few blocks.

If Mr. Grissom, who seems a painstaking researcher in other respects, had allowed himself a dozen seconds to Google Clarence Brown, then he’d know that Brown was not from Kentucky, but from a distinctive place called Knoxville, which is in Tennessee, and home of some of the best pimiento cheese in the world. And that that city was also the home of Tennessee Williams’ father, and beloved aunts, and grandparents, and great-grandparents, and the source of some of the stories and themes of his plays.

Brown was an alumnus of the University of Tennessee, and to help its growing drama program, became one of its biggest donors in history. In 1980, Tennessee Williams gave a talk at the Clarence Brown Theatre.

With a little more research, Mr. Grissom might have been interested to learn that Clarence Brown’s old house is an easy 10-minute walk from the Williams family plot at Old Gray, where the playwright’s family, including his grandmother, Belle; and grandfather and namesake, Thomas Lanier Williams, were buried. (Tennessee Williams’ formal name was Thomas Lanier Williams III.) Now his father and aunts are buried there, too.

It’s not the first time an author

has seen “Knoxville” and written down “Kentucky.” Is it impossible to imagine more than one place in the mid-South that starts with a K? Last year I gave a bus tour to some retired combat veterans from all over the country. A couple of the older men, from the Upper Midwest, claimed they’d never heard of Knoxville before, and when they saw it on their itinerary, figured it was in Kentucky. That’s where Fort Knox is.

So an audacious and expensive world’s fair and all these decades touting of Knoxville as Gateway to the Smokies, and the Home of the Vols— and all the Vols’ winning seasons—still haven’t given the word “Knoxville” a secure purchase on American minds.

Big Orange is also the color of pimiento cheese.

At least until recently, and by that I mean the downtown’s preservationist revival, the Big Ears and Rossini and Biscuit Festival era, Knoxville has not proven itself to be been very handy at introducing itself. As fond as we are of the Big Orange, we can’t always count on talented young athletes, most of whom come from other places, and are headed for other places after that, to tell much of the story of Knoxville a national audience.

So when writers see the word and don’t register it, it’s not always their fault.

Big Orange is also the color of pimiento cheese. And if Mr. Grissom does visit someday, he’ll find the short stroll from Clarence Brown’s house to the Williams family plot will take you by Holly’s Corner, a cafe known for its creative take on that regional specialty.

Jack Neely is the director of the Knoxville History Project, a nonprofit devoted to exploring, disseminating, and celebrating Knoxville’s cultural heritage. The Scruffy Citizen surveys the city of Knoxville’s life and culture in the context of its history.

March 30, 2017 knoxville mercury 9

Scruffy Citizen | Architecture Matters

(most notably J. P. Morgan), controlled virtually all of Tennessee’s rail service. Just as the coal mines of West Virginia, beginning in the 19th century, were owned by out-of-state cartels (and largely mined by migrant labor hastily imported for rapidly expanding coal operations), the mining and railroad industries in Tennessee have been controlled by “outside interests.”

That said, those interests served the state well, at least until 1920, when rail service reached its high-water mark of 4,078 miles of track. That year was critical for other reasons: The federal government lifted its national control of the rail industry (following World War I); L&N Southern reported its first loss since Reconstruction; and rail service began a steady decline, interrupted only by a significant uptick during World War II. By 1995, rail travel had contracted to the point that passenger service was virtually extinct (save for Amtrak service through Memphis) and total rail mileage shrank to pre-1890 levels (approximately 2,600 miles).

Tennessee will never get back to its 1920 level; going backwards is not the point. What matters is who and where is served, and more critically, how. Yes, the state has a bucket full of bridges and roads requiring urgent and sustained attention; the federal and state departments of transportation ought to direct funds at those projects as well. The number of decrepit dams in all 50 states is staggering. But

Trains, Plains, and Auto-fields We need another Marshall Plan, or a second TVA, for rail

GEORGE DODDS

10 knoxville mercury March 30, 2017

which by the beginning of this century accounted for well over two-thirds of the authority’s energy production.

From the K&N’s inception, however, coal and other raw materials were its preferred fare. From the start, Tennessee’s railroad and coal industries have been recto and verso of the same page.

The CTR did more than service the coal industry; several mining operations along its rail line were CRTowned and operated.

More broadly still, for most of its history, a relatively small group of men at some remove from the state Right: The Virginia, Tennessee, and Georgia Air Line; the Shenandoah Valley R.R.; Norfolk & Western R.R.; East Tennessee, Virginia, & Georgia R.R. (its leased lines,) and their connections. (1882) Below: Aerial view of recently completed Interstate 40 at Lovell Road (circa 1960).

Courtesy Library of Congress Geography and Map Division.

R

ail service once connected Memphis and Knoxville; it still does if you happen to be freight.

To understand why coal can travel by rail where we cannot, and what this has to do with our built environment, it’s important to understand a few basics.

Since the late 19th century, the L&N line—which carried passengers as well as coal—has run south from Knoxville through Chattanooga. From there, its tracks arc west across northern Alabama, and nip off Mississippi’s northeastern corner before they pop back up into Tennessee, just south of Memphis. After 1912, and for the next five decades, passengers arrived at Memphis’s Union Station. Until it was demolished in 1969, it was one of that city’s finest Beaux-Arts buildings.

A more direct route (no longer in service) required passengers to make a connection at Nashville’s Union Station: from the Knoxville and Nashville Railroad (K&N 1884-1902) to the Memphis and Charleston line.

The main purpose for the K&N track, however, was to transport coal, not people. The K&N was renamed the Central Tennessee Railroad (CTR) in 1902; it carried passengers to the state capitol until 1956.

The cessation of passenger service roughly coincided with TVA’s shift to coal-fired power generating plants,

Tennessee’s Department of Commerce won’t attract the kind of progressive businesses the state needs with interstate billboards crowing: “Bridges gusseted, dams shored up, guns concealed but loaded.”

Anyone who’s traveled to a major city in Asia or Europe knows our country’s infrastructure is an embarrassment; you would think we were on the losing end of the last century’s World Wars. And while there are political and economic reasons for this beyond short-sighted fiscal conservatism, we have made do for so long, it has become so normative as to escape notice. Several generations of Americans have come of age barely taking note that the last superpower, with over 300 million inhabitants, has little rail service beyond two major coastal operations, that our airports resemble bus stations, and our bus stations look a lot like under-funded homeless shelters (Knoxville notwithstanding).

During the next 1,400 days, however—presuming the 45th president beats the odds and completes his first term absent impeachment, indictment, or self-immolation, and presuming that his pledge of $1 trillion infrastructure spending is more than an “air quote” promise—there is an open door where many see ahead only a dark passage.

Senate Democrats were the first through the door. Before the inauguration in January, they detailed a plan Continued on page 12.

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that earmarks $180 billion for new rail construction and upgrades. True, it doesn’t bode well that Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell (R, Kentucky) slammed the door shut, presciently rejecting the plan a month before the Democrats even released it.

There is more at stake, however, than passing up an open door and leaving cash on the table. Recent developments in the railroad industry in this region signal great prospects for Chattanooga, Nashville, and Memphis, but a potentially dim future for East Tennessee and Knoxville, absent bright-eyed vision. Here are a few reasons: The U.S. High Speed Rail Association, a not-for-profit private advocacy group, has a phased proposal to construct or upgrade, by 2030, 17,000 thousand miles of Very High Speed (VHS) service (180-200 mph) throughout the 48 contiguous states, particularly where it is most needed and least present. To date the proposal extends east, as far as 12 knoxville mercury March 30, 2017

Nashville (through Memphis).

Meanwhile, widely reported last year, Georgia’s Department of Transportation is zeroing in on one of three potential routes for a new VHS rail line that links Atlanta and Chattanooga (travel time 88 minutes).

Both developments bode well for Tennessee, overall, but apparently leave Knoxville and its environs largely on the cutting edge of the past for the foreseeable future.

If this region is to keep apace with these trends, it needs something approaching the support that the Midwestern farming community has enjoyed since the New Deal. We need a domestic Marshall Plan; we need another TVA. Not the TVA of the last century that uprooted generations of families as it inundated homesteads and entire towns with several million metric tons of water, but that aspect of the TVA that revitalized a depressed region and set the stage for this state’s place in “The American Century.” We need a TVA for 2017 and beyond.

Left: Fort Loudon Dam, Tennessee Valley Authority. “Drillers.” Jack Delano, photographer (circa 1942).

Above: Special TGV 4402 “V150,” running at 574 kilometers per hour (356.6 miles/hr)—a new world speed record for steel rail Very High Speed trains. Near Le Chemin, Meuse, France.

Three-hundred and eighty three miles separate the downtowns of Memphis and Knoxville. The projected cost of the Atlanta-Chattanooga VHS line is $8.76 billion, covering 128 miles, or $68.4 million/mile. Presuming the same cost per/mile of track, connecting Gay Street and Beale Street (non-stop in two hours) would carry a price tag of upwards of $26 billion. Admittedly, this seems the sort of sum one associates with the reconstruction of New York’s Ground Zero. And yes, “A billion here, a billion there; pretty soon you are talking real money.” Yet, with $1 trillion in federal funds earmarked for infrastructure, state bonds, and working with not-for-profits such as the U.S. High Speed Rail Association, these sorts of things are possible.

Moreover, most of the abandoned CRT and Memphis & Charleston rail lines are extant. If they can be upgraded, the cost per mile could drop from $68 million to $4 million per mile, lowering the total cost by more than 90 percent.

Just as most of the Atlanta/ Chattanooga VHS rail line will be constructed along the Interstate 75 corridor, the stretch of I-40 between Memphis and Knoxville seems the perfect substrate: the right-of-way is clear and available; all grading and blasting through topographical impediments complete. Construction would be largely on grade (the least expensive type) situated between the east/

west roadbeds.

With a 21st-century infrastructure networked to most of the country, Tennessee would be in a position to attract progressive businesses that stay (permanent dollars) and businesses for those that don’t (tourism).

Progressive and innovative businesses help raise the number of quality workplaces and the quality of life.

Innovative businesses propel the state toward an influx of intellectual and creative capital—not secreted within a walled compound weaponizing nature’s elements for the Department of Energy (read Defense), but dispersed throughout the state.

VHS train service could change Tennessee’s economic and political landscape on the same scale that the TVA changed its physical landscape.

Why couldn’t the Holston River Valley and Tennessee Valley be home to another Silicon Valley? Remember that unlikely scene on the West Porch of the Capitol Building at noon, Jan. 20, 2017. For better or worse, we are in the age when seemingly anything is possible.

Forget I-40. Build an infrastructure for 21st-century train travel that moves fourfold faster than vehicular traffic, connecting Tennessee’s western plains with the Cumberland Plateau and the mountains to the east. Forget your grandfather’s highways and imagine a vast field of cars, not idling at rush hour nor parked at a mall, but decorating a strange landscape garden. A kind of ruin—an auto-field folly to a form of transportation that has outlived its value, because it takes far more than it gives. It is a monument to the American Dream—a dream that, in this century and the next, will require of us a new kind of dreaming.

These are the sorts of dreams one has when propelled 200 mph, a few centimeters above the earth.

Now it’s a mighty long way down the dusty trail And the sun burns hot on the cold steel rails ‘n I look like a bum ‘n I crawl like a snail All the way from Memphis —Mott the Hoople, “All the Way from Memphis” (1972)

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A Small Plea A 6-year-old transgender girl in Knoxville writes a letter to the U.S. District Court of Appeals

BY ROSE KENNEDY

T

housands of transgender-rights advocates across the nation have pledged to support Gavin Grimm, the transgender Gloucester, Va. student who sued his high school for barring him from the restroom used by boys at school.

A girl from Knoxville is also “Standing With Gavin,” even writing an open letter to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th District asking it to rule for Grimm. But the suit may mean even more to her than to Grimm, because while he will graduate high school long before any precedent is set in the case, she is just 6, a public school student with 11 years ahead of her.

And like Grimm, she is transgender. Her mother, “Ann,” who spoke anonymously to protect her child’s identity, says the girl has already experienced discrimination at school, which the mother also did not name.

The girl’s letter references the struggle: “My school isn’t letting me use the girls’ bathroom,” the girl printed in her own handwriting, with three rainbow heart stickers stuck next to her signature. “I don’t know why. I feel sad when I have to use the teacher’s bathroom. Please tell my school to let me use the girls’ bathroom.”

Knox County Schools does not have an explicit policy regarding transgender students’ use of school restrooms, according to KCS director of public affairs Carly Harrington.

“The common practice of Knox County Schools is to follow state and federal law and to consider such instances on a case-by-case basis,” she says. “Appropriate accommodations are made that are reasonable to those who may be affected, including but not limited to, the use of gender-neutral restrooms. Principals

14 knoxville mercury March 30, 2017

administer the accommodations.”

Statewide, recent bills Tennessee HB888 and SB771 have attempted to establish a law requiring “students in public schools and public institutions of higher education to use restrooms and locker rooms that are assigned to persons of the same sex as that shown on the students’ birth certificates.”

And while SB771 failed in the Senate Education Committee on March 22, HB888 is still in progress in the House, with co-sponsors numbering 20 at last count.

The young girl and her mother have been watching videos about Grimm and the national case for some time. “I want her to know someone is fighting for her, for all trans kids, and I want her to have positive trans role models,” she says.

The child first decided to share her own experience with the U.S. Supreme Court, which was originally supposed to hear Grimm’s case March 28. When the Supreme Court kicked the case back down to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit, the girl and her mother addressed the lower court instead. A family friend close to Grimm’s case had advised Ann that an open letter was the way to go; the letter later came to the attention of GLSEN, a LGBTQ students advocacy group that published a scan on its website and Facebook page.

The Supreme Court’s punt of Grimm’s case was “in light of” President Trump’s departments of Education and Justice deciding Feb. 22 not to enforce May 2016 guidelines set forth in a joint statement from those same departments in the Obama administration. Those LGBTQ-friendly guidelines established a baseline for including transgender students in the interpre-

tation of the Title IX law to “attend school in an environment free from discrimination based on sex.” The Trump administration did not replace the guidelines, only omitted them.

But these ins and outs are lost on the 6-year-old transgender girl who loves Legos, drawing, and snuggling with her stuffed animals, says her mom.

“She does not understand why the school is doing this to her. She hasn’t done anything wrong, yet she’s being punished,” Ann says. “She doesn’t have a full understanding of all the legal stuff, but she does know that Gavin is fighting for her. He personally shared her letter on his Facebook page, and that made her feel really excited. She looks up to him. I look up to him! I don’t know how his case will turn out, but I do know he’s changing the world for the better.”

A

nn says that her daughter’s transition was not a surprise to her in any way. The child was “gender creative from a pretty young age,” Ann says, “and I could see that she was struggling with her assigned gender even before she had the words to tell me.

“Once she did have the words, I listened. We’ve figured it out together.

She used to have a lot of anxiety, but after she transitioned, all that disappeared. She’s living as her true self, she’s happy, she’s well-adjusted. The only problem and source of anxiety right now is the school.”

Even when the Obama-era education guidelines were firmly in place, clearly stating that transgender kids should be treated in accordance with their gender identities, Ann maintains that school officials told her that her daughter must use either the restroom that corresponds with the sex marker on her birth certificate or a single-stall staff restroom.

“My daughter’s sex assigned at birth is only one very small part of who she is, but to her principal, this is the only part of her that matters,” she says.

The family navigated the process of acquiring accurate identification documents, something that was only possible because Ann’s daughter was born in a state that allowed amendments to sex markers on birth certificates, not Tennessee, which prohibits such changes. Still, Ann says, little changed at the school.

“She has a birth certificate, a passport and Social Security records all with a sex marker of female,” notes

Ann, “But the school says she must still use either the boys’ restroom or the staff restroom.

“This is problematic for her emotional well-being, as well as her physical safety. Every time she needs to use the restroom at school, she’s reminded that her school doesn’t accept her. For months, she was scared to use the restroom at school out of fear of being hurt by another student or punished by a teacher. She was convinced there were cameras in and near the restroom so that the principal could spy on her. I had to go to the school to personally check the restroom for cameras multiple times in order to put her mind at ease. No child should have anxiety about something as simple as using the restroom.”

A

ctivists are watching the timeline of Grimm’s case closely, pondering whether it or another landmark transgender student rights case will make its way to the Supreme Court only after the current vacancy is filled

by President Trump.

In the Tennessee Legislature, yet more bills target LGBTQ rights, including: • SB30/HB33: As introduced, it would “require the words ‘husband,’ ‘wife,’ ‘mother,’ and ‘father’ be given their natural and ordinary meaning, without forced or subtle construction that would limit or extend the meaning of the language and that are based on the biological distinctions between men and women.”

SB127/HB54: Known as the “Business License to Discriminate” by the Tennessee Equality Project, this bill would prohibit “state and local governments from taking discriminatory action against a business based on that business’s ‘internal policies.’”

• SB752/HB892: As introduced, “enacts the ‘Tennessee Natural Marriage Defense Act,’ which states the policy of Tennessee to defend natural marriage between one man and one woman regardless of any court decision to the contrary.”

• SB1085/HB1111: This requires that undefined words be given their “natural and ordinary meaning, without forced or subtle construction that would limit or extend the meaning of the language, except when a

contrary intention is clearly manifest.”

• SB1153/HB1406: A bill that would repeal the statute that deems a “child born to a married woman as a result of artificial insemination, with consent of the married woman’s husband, to be the legitimate child of the husband and wife.” It would take away the parental rights of the second parent in cases of artificial insemination.

As federal and state legislation drags out, transgender students will feel the stress. Right after the Trump administration altered the guidelines on how Title IX should be read, Joshua Block, the American Civil Liberties Union lawyer representing Grimm, wrote a letter to the Supreme Court. “Delaying resolution of that question will only lead to further harm, confusion, and protracted litigation for transgender students and school districts across the country,” Block wrote.

Locally, the recently established Trans Empowerment group is trying to keep transgender issues in the limelight.

Trans Empowerment president Jack Knoxville, himself transgender, says that while solid national and state legislation would make things better for transgender students, an even bigger challenge is simply awareness.

“We need to provide adequate education about the trans community to the public,” he says. “We have decades of misinformation working against us, as well as religious and cultural bias to overcome.”

Originally from New York, Knoxville says he tires of certain mindsets in East Tennessee.

“I see and hear a lot about how ‘God doesn’t make mistakes’ and every life is valuable,” he says. “But then when children don’t feel comfortable in their skin, they are told that their thoughts and feelings are not valid and suddenly their rights don’t matter. I, personally, would love to see society stop focusing on things like gender as a means to create inequality. In all honesty, gender shouldn’t be a factor for disqualification in the human race.”

A “state snapshot” for Tennessee from the 2015 GLSEN School Climate Survey (a national sample of 10,528

students between the ages of 13 and 21, reported in December 2016) indicates widespread identity-based harassment, with 83 percent of LGBTQ students reporting verbal harassment, 36 percent physical harassment, and 18 percent physical assault based on their sexual orientation. Gender expression accounted for 57 percent of Tennessee LGBTQ students surveyed reporting verbal harassment, 26 percent physical harassment and 13 percent physical assault.

The report’s Tennessee Snap Shot also found one in five LGBTQ students (22 percent), and half of transgender students (50 percent), were unable to use the school restroom that aligned with their gender.

One in five LGBTQ students (21 percent) and half of transgender students (50 percent), were prevented from using their preferred name and gender pronouns in school.

This type of turmoil, the report concluded, led to findings that LGBTQ students who experienced high levels of anti-LGBTQ victimization were twice as likely to report they do not plan to pursue post-secondary education and had lower GPAs, lower self-esteem and higher levels of depression than their cisgender peers.

Doing without public education for her transgender daughter will never be a solution for her family, Ann notes.

“I’m not certain who came up with this analogy, but I agree that ‘It wasn’t about drinking fountains then, and it’s not about bathrooms now,’” Ann says. “This whole restroom issue has nothing to do with restrooms and everything to do with trans people’s right to exist in public spaces.

“My daughter, and all trans kids, have just as much of a right to a public education as any other person. She, and all trans people, have just as much of a right to access public facilities, including restrooms, as any other person. So, no, we have not considered pulling her out of school, because she has a right to be there.

We aren’t going away, and we won’t stop fighting until her rights are fully respected.”

Or, as her child sums it up: “I belong in the girls’ bathroom because I’m a girl. I’m transgender and there’s nothing wrong with that.”

March 30, 2017 knoxville mercury 15

PRESS FORWARD

Focus: Arts and Culture

Photo courtesy of Lisa Flanary

Knoxville Community Darkroom

Lisa Flanary

Founder, Knoxville Community Darkroom

A nonprofit addition to the art scene reintroduces an old idea: film-based photography for everyone

F

or photographic artists who still crave the tactile, full-sensory, analog method of turning a blank piece of photo paper into a masterpiece, community darkrooms have become a destination. Until recently, Knoxville didn’t have one, but that’s about to change.

The Knoxville Community Darkroom (KCD), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that has its grand opening this Friday, will not only provide dark room facilities to members, but also conduct photography workshops and classes, volunteer with local organizations to teach film photography, and curate its own gallery.

It began in the mind and heart of Lisa Flanary, who teaches photography at Carson-Newman College. She admits she’s the type who goes into rapture over a fresh pack of newly-opened photo paper, and she’s managed to find colleagues whose passion for handmade photographs matches her own. Flanary and her KCD officers and board members— Jacob Long, vice president; Anna Lawrence, treasurer; Abigail Malone, secretary; Donna Moore and John Allen—gathered to talk about their favorite obsession.

How and when did the idea for KCD come about?

Flanary: Two years ago I had the idea that we needed a community darkroom in Knoxville. There’s one in 16 knoxville mercury March 30, 2017

Asheville, Nashville—actually, the Nashville Community Darkroom is our template. They’re all over the world—it’s a real thing. And so I tried to get interest drummed up. I met Donna through A1 Lab Arts, where she’s co-director.

Moore: We wanted to put a darkroom in our space but it was too small, so A1 was the fiscal sponsor for the KCD until they got their own nonprofit status—that way they could advertise, collect money, do a Kickstarter campaign.

Flanary: We started posting on Facebook and then Abigail and Jacob came along, then Anna—things just started rolling. And if I had written descriptions for all of our board members it couldn’t be any better because everybody’s got their own expertise. It’s just been amazing.

Why a community darkroom? In this digital age, who’s going to come here?

Flanary: I shoot some digital, but film is my preferred medium. There’s a craft to it that you do not get with a computer. And actually having your hands in the chemistry, and hearing running water. And just the smells and sounds of the darkroom, and how it feels to make a perfect print. It’s magic.

Malone: You get lost; it’s like a time vortex.

Lawrence: And there’s a sense of community that I think is missing.

Photos by Marissa Highfill

BY CAROL Z. SHANE

THE KNOXVILLE COMMUNITY DARKROOM 5117 Homberg Dr. theknoxvillecommunitydarkroom.org Email news@knoxdarkroom.org

Volunteers left to right: Anna Lawrence, John Allen, Donna Moore.

People can come in and sit around and critique each others’ work and just have a shared space that isn’t necessarily available to photographers now.

Flanary: Once you have made prints in the darkroom you’re not going to be happy with anyone else developing your film. And you’ll be a better digital photographer, too.

How so?

Flanary: When you’ve got 36, 24, or 12 exposures—even if you’re working with a large-format camera

PROGRAMS • KCD will work with students through on-site and satellite workshops to offer arts education programs focused on introducing film photography.

• KCD will volunteer with community organizations to teach photography basics, with the goal of students creating their own work to exhibit in the KCD gallery.

• KCD will offer classes, meet-ups, critique nights, and workshops. It will also provide gallery space for members and other artists in the community.

HOW YOU CAN HELP • Join! Show up from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on grand opening day, March 31.

• Become a teacher, an artist in residence, or a volunteer. Students may trade work for a membership.

COME LOWER YOUR SCORES!

Workshops include making cyanotypes, also known as blueprints or sunprints.

and you have two exposures for one film holder—that’s going make you a better photographer. If you only have 12 images, you’re not going to just “click click click.”

Malone: You have to think about what you’re doing—you have to be more intentional.

Will you teach photographic and darkroom techniques?

Moore: We will have classes in fundamentals. Worldwide Pinhole Day is coming up on April 30. For the last 10 years I’ve done a workshop the day before that. We learn how to how to make cameras out of a can with a hole in it; we learn how to use a darkroom. I’ve never had a full darkroom; I’ve always had to just make one out of a bathroom at A1 Lab Arts! So that’s starting at the basics, which is really where photography started ….

Flanary: …. yeah, with the camera obscura….

Moore: ….which is basically a box with a hole in it. And we had a 218th birthday party yesterday for Anna Atkins. She was the first one who used cyanotype - the first process where you could fix a negative. And then they figured out how to do Van Dyke brown, which is what you see in all those old portraits. …

Flanary: … and then Daguerre….. and Henry Fox Talbot, who was patented in 1839….

You guys are talking a lot of history here!

Flanary: Well, that’s what we like to do. [laughter] But yeah, we’re going to offer classes and workshops and we’ll have a refresher course.

Moore: Even for experienced developers—we have to teach them our darkroom system because it’s going to be different from theirs. And if they took it in college, there are lots of updates.

Malone: And even we will all need a refresher course—there’s so much equipment here that is not our own.

Moore: All this stuff ’s donated.

Today we went and picked up two beautiful enlargers.

Flanary: We had two workshops over at the Emporium and there were a lot of interested young people; the older people came in and said, “I used to do this, I don’t do it anymore.” And that’s where we’ve gotten a lot—from older people who’ve given us all this fabulous equipment. I cannot overstate how much we appreciate that generosity. It feels like Christmas.

Is there a membership fee?

Flanary: There’s a $30 monthly membership, $85 for three months, $300 for a year. If you sign up during April, we’re offering a founding membership—a year for $275 and your work featured in the Dogwood Arts Festival Art DeTour on May 6. And there’s a $15 drop-in fee for non-members.

How do you like your location?

Flanary: Even though we have

more of a “Scruffy City” feel, we’re in a good area—the art district. We’re also going to have a gallery here, and shows. And on the other side of the building there’s a framer.

Moore: Today we had three people walk in off the street asking, “are you open?” One was from New Haven, Conn.—she said “we don’t have this up there.”

Long: Bearden’s a good central location.

Allen: I’ve been noticing a few other creative nonprofits opening. It’s a good time for Knoxville to have this—good momentum.

Flanary: We want to be seen as an artist/community builder. If someone wants to take a class, great, but we want everyone to come in and be a part of it, even if they’re not film photographers.

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18 knoxville mercury March 30, 2017

T U A R T ST N TA

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VER TWO YEARS AGO, we decided to take a stab at publishing a true community paper—one that not only covers Knoxville, but is also supported by Knoxville. Governed by the 501(c)(3) Knoxville History Project, the Mercury has become an ongoing learning experience in what it takes to create reliable news media in the digital age. It must be a community-wide effort, from start to finish. To celebrate our 100th issue, we asked people from around town in different occupations to share little-known facts and bizarre trivia about our fair city.

LIZ ALBERTSON senior planner at the Metropolitan Planning Commission:

JACK NEELY director of the Knoxville History Project:

1

7

The highest population density in Knoxville is the Fort Sanders neighborhood.

2

The first Food Policy Council in the country started here in 1982: the Knoxville-Knox County Food Policy Council.

3

The average elevation of Knoxville varies by 1,000 feet from west to east.

4

In 1930, Knoxville was the largest cotton underwear manufacturer in the U.S. and claimed to be the “Underwear Capital of the World.” Several textile mills, including Standard Knitting Mills, were well known for producing T-shirts, socks, and athletic wear.

5

The first zoning ordinance for the city of Knoxville was passed by City Council on October 15, 1928, making Knoxville the third City in the state of Tennessee to have zoning.

Memphis and Chattanooga had also adopted zoning ordinances prior to us.

6

Interstate 640 was originally supposed to go all the way around Knoxville, like a ring road that most cities have, but the south side of the ring was never completed due to controversy.

Knoxville was home to a national chewing-gum factory called Walla Walla. In its early days, when its gum was a favorite in several states, it was located in Emory Place, on the north end of downtown, when that urban pocket was known as the Central Market. It remained in business, after a couple of moves and name changes, until the 1960s.

8

Knoxville once hosted the Tallest Structure in the World. The 1,752-foot WBIR Tower, located in east Knox County near House Mountain, has appeared in the Guinness Book of World Records because it was (for a few months in 1963) taller than anything else ever built. Today, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, an actual building tapering to an antenna, is abouty 50 percent taller.

9 10

Knoxville is closer to London, Ontario than to Fayetteville, Ark.

The Tennessee Valley Authority, based in Knoxville since President Franklin Roosevelt started it in 1933, is America’s largest power supplier, with customers ranging from northern Mississippi to Southwestern Virginia.

11

Knoxville is 17 percent African-American—a higher percentage than that of America as a whole, which is just 13 percent black.

12

Knoxville’s last regular passenger train came through town in the middle of the night in

southern edge of the South Lawn, near the intersection of Cumberland Avenue and 11th Street.

18

Most of downtown Knoxville, located as it is on a bluff 70 feet above the river level, has never flooded.

1970, on the way from Birmingham to Washington, D.C. Today, Knoxville is one of the largest cities in America with no regular passenger-rail service.

13

However, the city was one the headquarters of one of the largest passenger-rail lines in the South: The East Tennessee, Virginia, and Georgia Railroad was once the major link between the gulf states and the East Coast, and brought 30 passenger trains a day through downtown.

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Knoxville was primarily a baseball town decades before football became popular. Downtown businesses sometimes closed on baseball game days.

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The Fountain City Lake, aka “the Duck Pond,” was originally installed in 1891 as part of the landscaping of a popular rural “springs” resort called the Fountain Head Hotel. The hotel burned down more than 90 years ago.

Built to honor the source of all energy on Earth, the Sunsphere was described, upon its completion in early 1982, as the world’s first spherical building.

However, between 1996 and 2002, the new nation of Kazakhstan erected a structure called Bayterek Tower, a somewhat taller landmark whose central structure bears an astonishing resemblance to the Sunsphere. In the Kazakh version, which is the most impressive thing about the skyline in Astana, the large golden globe represents not the sun but the egg of a mythical bird.

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The original name of Walnut Street was Crooked Street.

The original name of Western Avenue was Asylum Avenue. The original name of Summit Hill was Gallows Hill.

The Rossini Festival is the only festival honoring Gioacchino Rossini in the Western Hemisphere. However, each August there’s a two-week Rossini Festival in the composer’s birthplace of Pesaro, Italy, a city otherwise known for its network of bike paths. It includes conferences about Rossini and multiple productions of his operas.

Knoxville is also home to the only statue of Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff in America.

Without realizing it at the time, as he was dying of cancer, Rachmaninoff performed the final piano concert of his career at the University of Tennessee’s Alumni Memorial Hall in 1943.

The statue, a gift of Russian sculptor Ivan Bokareff but bronzed and erected by local philanthropists, is located in World’s Fair Park at the

Looney’s Bend, the river peninsula that became known as Sequoyah Hills, was set to be developed as a steel mill. It ended abruptly with that Panic of 1893.

Cherokee, the peninsula later known as Cherokee Farms and now being developed by UT, was set to be developed as a stylish residential community with riverfront boulevards and streets inspired by Cherokee lore. It also ended abruptly with the Panic of 1893.

In 1893, legendary landscape architect Fredrick Law Olmsted was in Knoxville, working on a significant project. To this day, no one knows what that project was. Two leading candidates are a prospective city park on top of Cherokee Bluffs, which was never finished, and Circle Park, which was.

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The Cherokee Bluffs park plan suffered a setback in 1894 when a cable car, a contraption March 30, 2017 knoxville mercury 19

so remarkable it was featured on the cover of Scientific American, malfunctioned, perhaps due to sabotage, resulting in the death of a passenger, a young attorney, and the injury of several others.

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Suttree Landing Park is not the first city park on the south side of the river. In the 1880s, Luttrell Park appeared on the south side of the river to the west of the Gay Street Bridge. In the 1890s, inspired by the national City Beautiful movement, a group of progressives worked to improve the park, originally conceived to be a large space of many acres. It was used for scouting events, gospel tent meetings, and May Day celebrations. However, it was never really completed, and development reduced it in size to a small riverfront strip between the Gay Street and Henley Street Brides. It was known for a landmark called Chair Rock.

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Chapman Highway is named for Col. David Chapman, the World War I veteran and pharmaceutical executive for whom Mount Chapman, one of the highest peaks in the Smokies, is also named. Called the Father of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, he led the effort to make a park out of the Smokies, which by the 1920s had suffered severely from industrial clear-cutting. By the 1930s, Chapman Highway was America’s main route to its most popular national park, and most of the businesses that bloomed along it catered to that tourist industry, with hotels, motels, restaurants, and souvenir shops. Chapman is memorialized with a large bronze bust in the foyer of the East Tennessee History Center, on Gay Street within view of the building where he used to work.

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Bearden Place and Farragut Avenue are both in North Knoxville.

Concord Street is near UT. Melrose Place, the shopping center, is more than 4 miles from Melrose Place, the street.

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The Union Avenue Barber Shop is on Walnut Street.

Church Street United Methodist Church is on the corner of Henley and Main. Earth to Old City is on Market Square.

Knoxville had baseball about 25 years before it had football. It had bowling at least 10 years before it had baseball.

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Knoxville’s longest tradition of a publicly celebrated holiday is the Fourth of July, which dates here back to 1793. Christmas is only occasionally mentioned before the 1840s.

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Magnolia Avenue is not named for the tree, but for a woman, Magnolia Branner. A planter’s widow from the Deep South, she was the mother of one of Knoxville’s youngest mayors, H. Bryan Branner, who was only 29 when he occupied the city’s highest office in 1880.

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Knoxville’s congressional district, Tennessee’s Second, has not elected a Democrat as U.S. Representative since before the Civil War. The first Republican to hold the seat was Horace Maynard, the Knoxville lawyer for whom Maynardville is named. Originally from Massachusetts, Maynard was regarded as an ally of the Radical Republicans who pushed for Civil Rights and impeached President Andrew Johnson. He was later ambassador to Turkey. He’s buried at Old Gray.

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Knoxville touted itself as the Gateway to the Smokies for much of the 20th century. However, the city’s association with the Smokies is relatively recent. Relatively few Knoxvillians had seen the Smokies up close until the 1930s, when the park was opened, and roads into the mountains were completed.

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Island Home isn’t really on an island! It’s near an island called Dickinson Island. That island, home to the Downtown Island Airport, is named for the Dickinsons of Amherst, Mass., to whom poet Emily Dickinson belonged. Her first cousin, Perez Dickinson, moved to Knoxville as a young man around 1830 to become a successful merchant.

Married only once, his wife and infant child died in childbirth in 1846.

Dickinson was a single widower for more than half a century. He reportedly never spent a night in his “Island Home,” but sometimes hosted receptions there. In the 1920s, the house became part of the campus of the Tennessee School of the Deaf.

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Henry Hull played a minor character, an old man, in the Tony Perkins movie The Fool Killer, a sort of art-house historical horror film shot in Knoxville in 1963 and released with a gala ceremony at the Tennessee Theatre in 1965. Hull, an actor originally from Louisville, Ky., attended that ceremony. At the time, no one remarked on one aspect of his fame that made him a cult legend after his death: He was the first person to play a werewolf in a major motion picture.

He played the title role in the 1935 classic, Werewolf of London.

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Water spat, flushed, spilled, or poured into the river at Knoxville will flow through Chattanooga and northern Alabama before flowing north again past the Shiloh Battlefield and past Paducah, Ky., to join the Ohio, where it begins to turn around and flow south again toward Cairo, Ill., and then due south past southeastern Missouri and eastern Arkansas and Memphis and Mississippi and Louisiana, past Vicksburg, Natchez, and Baton Rouge, before reaching New Orleans and then the Gulf of Mexico. In all, it will go through nine dams and touch eight states.

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Knoxville is the largest Knoxville in the world. The second-largest is Knoxville, Iowa, which peaked at 8,232 in 1990, but which has lost about a thousand citizens since then. It’s home of the Knoxville Racetrack, an internationally famous sprint-car racing attraction.

Knoxville, Ill., peaked at 3,432 in 1980, and has also been declining in size.

William Blount, who was a land speculator when he was not working as governor or senator, was planning a much-larger city adjacent to Knoxville, to be called Palmyra. Little is known about the specifics of the plan, which involved a prominent physician in New York, but it had died by the time Blount died in 1800.

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Kings who have visited Knoxville include King Hussein of Jordan and King Paul of Greece. Most kings don’t stay in town for very long.

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Most presidents since McKinley have at least visited Knoxville shortly before or during their presidencies. The biggest exceptions are Coolidge and Truman.

Herbert Hoover made a tour of smaller towns in the region during his presidency, and many years later visited Knoxville. Truman apparently never came closer than Cosby, where he attended a ramp festival two years after leaving office.

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The point from which most addresses throughout Knox County are numbered is the intersection of Jackson Avenue and Central Street, in the Old City.

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Missouri runner Ivory Crockett broke the world record for the 100-yard dash at Tom Black Track in 1974.

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There’s a paint color marketed nationally by Benjamin Moore called Knoxville Gray. It’s a complex gray, with some blue and green tones.

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Before a major annexation, one century ago in 1917, Knoxville was four times as densely populated than it is today.

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Knoxville’s Cherokee Porcelain, which specializes in applying porcelain enamel to steel products, manufactures the subway signs for several major transit systems, including those of Washington, Chicago, and New York.

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The word “pigburger,” which describes a sandwich offered by several older barbecue stands, may have originated in Knoxville.

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The soft drink known as Mountain Dew was first manufactured by the Hartman Beverage Company of East Knoxville in 1946. It was originally a lemon-lime soda, named after the old nickname for moonshine—suggesting its purpose as a mixer to make corn liquor more palatable.

The trademark, along with its hillbilly marketing campaign, was purchased by a West Virginia company, which added the peculiar color, fruitier flavor, and caffeine to the product.

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One million people attended the two-month long National Conservation Exposition at Chilhowee Park in 1913. It was the first conservation-themed exposition in world history.

George Mason University economist Tyler Cowen in 2013 identified Knoxville, in terms of demographics and economy, as the “most average” city in America. Some Knoxvillians were offended, but so were citizens of several other cities who thought Knoxville too small to be “average,” touting their home cities as more worthy claimants to the title.

Three Rivers Market was home to the first recycling center in Knoxville to accept multiple materials.

ERIC DAWSON director of the Tennessee Archive of Moving Image and Sound: Five Little-Known Knoxville Bands From the ’60s:

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The first known use of the term “hot dog,” to describe what was previously known as wienerwurst, was in a Knoxville newspaper in 1891.

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CHARLOTTE TOLLEY executive director of Nourish Knoxville:

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Knox County hosts six farmers’ markets, with a market every day of the week except Sunday and Monday

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Two Knoxville farmers’ markets (Market Square and New Harvest Park) offer a SNAP doubling program, which is going to be expanded to Three Rivers Market.

SNAP recipients get double the amount they spend in the form of vouchers/tokens to spend on fresh fruits and vegetables.

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The Market Square Farmers’ Market was the first farmers’ market in the state to accept SNAP benefits through a market-wide script system.

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Pole Vaulters from all around the world come to Knoxville to train for the Olympics. Pole Vaulter Tim Mack won a gold medal for the United States in the 2004 Athens Olympics. Now, he hosts clinics and training sessions in Knoxville for promising, young pole vaulters.

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Ozzy Ozbourne’s guitarist, Randy Rhoads, played his last show in Knoxville before dying in a plane crash. (A monument to Rhoads would be worth it if for no other reason than to have Ozzy hang out here for a bit.)

The Hitchhikers

Tennessee Hot Pants

Soul Sanction

Ronnie Speeks Band

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Joy of Cooking connection: John Becker, great-grandson of Irma Rombauer, and his wife Megan Scott, lived in Vonore while reworking the Joy website and creating the Joy of Cooking app.

Meanwhile, Megan started Little Blue Baking Company and sold at the Market Square Farmers’ Market. The couple relocated to Portland, Ore., where they now maintain digital media for Joy of Cooking.

The Blue Shades

MATT SHAFER POWELL former WUOT news director, now at Central Michigan University’s WFYI:

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Photos courtesy of TAMIS

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When it was installed in 1998, the bronze Tina Allen statue of Alex Haley in Haley Heritage Square was reported to be the largest statue of an African-American in the world. Since then, the larger stone statue of Martin Luther King in Washington has taken that distinction.

The East Tennessee Farmers Association for Retail Marketing (FARM) has been running producer-only markets since 1976.

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Kurt Vonnegut once attended the UT. I learned this while watching a documentary about Vonnegut a couple months ago.

Vonnegut’s one of my favorite authors and I worked for UT for more than 14 years. How in the world did this escape me? There’s gotta be a plaque somewhere on campus.

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WUOT’s All Things Considered host, Brandon Hollingsworth, is an expert on the history of NBC’s Today Show. Go ahead. Ask him anything. He’ll know the answer.

Bonus Oak Ridge Factoids: • Lee Harvey Oswald once visited the American Museum of Atomic Energy in Oak Ridge. Four months before he (allegedly?) assassinated John F. Kennedy, Oswald apparently visited the museum, claiming Soviet citizenship on the guest register and listing Dallas as his home.

• Oak Ridge has the lowest average wind speed of any city in the country. Oak Ridge’s annual average wind speed is 4.1 mph, which makes it America’s least windy city. Great for rowing, not so great for flying kites.

NELDA HILL manager at the Lawson McGhee Library:

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The Lawson McGhee Library officially desegregated its loaning policy at a board meeting on Oct. 17, 1950, the first library in the state to do so.

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Lawson McGhee retains a remnant of the pre-Internet age: the Useful Information file.

Before Google answered all of our questions, people would often call the reference desk at the local library; the questions with the most difficult-to-find answers were filed, just in case they were needed again. One factoid in the file stands out: In 1973, the First Church of Voodoo at 2827 E. 5th Avenue was established. The founder was Robert Pelton, a UT creative writing instructor and author of The Complete Book of Voodoo. A News Sentinel clipping quotes high priestess Francis A. Torrance: “If we’d named it something else, nobody would pay any attention to it.”

CHRIS WOHLWEND longtime local journalist and journalism instructor: Knoxville’s Top 5 Pranks, Tantrums & Flops

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One: In the early 1960s there was a UT student who was apparently majoring in pranks—complex capers that involved careful planning and accomplices.

His crowning achievement, still talked about when I was a student in the late 1960s, involved an innocent female, a popular movie showing at the Tennessee Theater on Gay Street, a getaway car, and three accomplices.

On a warm summer evening the prankster—we’ll call him Chuck—and his date stood in a lengthy line to purchase tickets to the movie.

Suddenly, a car screeched to a halt in front of the theater and three males jumped out, one brandishing a pistol.

“Okay, Chuck,” the armed man yelled, “this is it!” He fired three or four times and Chuck crumpled to the sidewalk, apparently bleeding, the girl screaming, the witnesses scattering.

The gunsel and his companions then threw Chuck’s body into the back seat of the car before jumping in. The driver then executed a U-turn and sped south on Gay Street to the bridge, where they stopped long enough to throw the “body” into the river.

Of course, the whole thing was a fake. Story on campus was that because of the prankster’s connections—he was the scion of a prominent

Memphis family—he got off with a fine.

The girl, of course, found someone else to take her to the movies.

the next day to make repairs. And neighborhood residents would give all the credit to Cas Walker.

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Two: Ben Byrd, the muchmissed sports columnist for the Knoxville Journal, was known for impatience when deadlines loomed.

Piqued by a ringing telephone once, he ripped it from the wall and tossed it out the open second-floor window of the Church Street quarters of the newspaper. But his more infamous toss happened several years earlier when the newspaper was housed on Gay Street (in the building now occupied by the Mercury). There, as the story went, he threw his typewriter out the window into the alley that runs between Gay and State streets.

The incident led to the installation of bars on the windows—not to keep people out but to keep dangerous objects in. Shortly before Ben’s death last year at age 91, Grady Amann and I asked him about the incident. He said the story had been exaggerated. “It was only the typewriter’s carriage,” he explained.

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Three: Many of notorious politician Cas Walker’s most infamous on-air shenanigans are viewable on YouTube, but one trick he employed to fool his constituents is not. During the months leading up to election day, he would check with the relevant city department and find out what the schedule was for street pothole repair. The day before a crew was scheduled for a particular street, he and one of his assistants would show up, Cas carrying a walking stick, his accomplice a clipboard. They would then walk the street, Cas using his cane to point out sections in need of work and his aide dutifully noting them. If there were no residents watching, they would knock on a door or two until they found someone and explain that the crew would be there

Four: One Sunday night in the late 1960s a ne’er do well jumped off the south side of Gay Street Bridge in a suicide attempt. But he didn’t pay attention to where he was leaping and wasn’t far enough out on the bridge to hit the water. He landed feet-first in the mud flats below Baptist Hospital, going in up to his armpits. Then he started yelling for help. At the time, the hospital had a dorm for nursing students just to the east of the bridge (in the patch of land between the split sections of Sevier Avenue). One of the nursing students heard his calls and the police were summoned. He was rescued, and somewhere a photo exists of him looking sadly up at the photographer on the bridge.

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Five: Around 1966 word began to spread on the UT campus that a trio of football players had been caught after slipping into the Geography and Geology Building on the Hill in an effort to steal the exam for an upcoming test. An alarm was triggered and the UT police were soon on the scene. The players panicked and the tight end leading the mission leaped through one of the building’s leaded-glass windows. The other two, a linebacker and an offensive lineman, followed. The police then followed the trail of blood from the cuts caused by the glass down the hill to their rooms in Stadium Hall. I don’t recall how they were punished, if at all. But one of the trio, the late Rod Harkleroad, confirmed the story when he and I were talking a couple of decades later. “But I don’t want you to get the wrong impression,” he emphasized. “I wasn’t the one doing all the bleeding.”

SHANE RHYNE comedian and comedy show booker at RainShine:

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Knoxville has had several nicknames over time, the best-known being Marble City and the Scruffy City. But, to me, nothing better illustrates Knoxville’s personal-

placed an emphasis on parks and set aside money to rehab the area. The community joined in and—as the sheriff’s office hired more officers and developed a better E-911 system—regular patrol became more routine.

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William Blount, a signer of the U.S. Constitution, is buried on State Street

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Knoxville is rumored to have had its own version of Dr. Frankenstein, a guy who practiced galvanization in the basement of a downtown church.

ity extremes than the fact we were known as, at separate times, “The Underwear Capital of the World,� and “The Streaking Capital of America.�

Near the end of the 19th century a lot of our knitting mills manufactured underwear. But the streaking came from the 1970s. Walter Cronkite referred to us as the nation’s streaking capital after an evening in 1974 when several thousand UT students shut down The Strip as a streaking mob.

MIKE DONILA longtime WBIR reporter and now community relations manager for Knox County Parks and Recreation:

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Melton Hill Park, considered a Hardin Valley community jewel, was initially transferred by the Tennessee Valley Authority to the county in 1964. (It was originally named Cruickshank Bend.) The park thrived but decades later—because general community neglect and federal funding cuts—it fell into disarray and became one of the most avoided spots in the entire county. Gangs openly consumed alcohol and took drugs; there were many fights; and one motorcycle gang even assumed squatters rights, allegedly slaughtering and eating cattle from a nearby farm. (There is another story that the farmers actually used the site to dress the cattle and left the remains.)

The Sheriff’s Office at the time was operating on a skeleton crew and couldn’t patrol the area. In addition, the site was subject to an emergency radio blackout, so deputies couldn’t call for help if needed. In the late 1980s, however, the County Commission

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Babe Ruth played at the old Bill Meyer Stadium (though it wasn’t called that at the time). Big leaguers used to play exhibition games when they traveled by train from city to city between series. Ruth also played in the Appalachian League in Asheville when he was coming up in the farm system.

TOM JESTER longtime ad man:

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The major feature October Sky was shot in and around Knoxville. But what most people don’t know is, the original name of the fi lm was Rocket Boys. The producers weren’t crazy about it so they rearranged the letters to spell “October Sky.�

ERIN DONOVAN director of communications at Visit Knoxville:

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Ingrid Bergman’s hand prints are pressed into a sidewalk in Bearden. Bennett Galleries was once the site of the Capri Cinema (or Capri-70, when it held a 70 mm projector). In April 1970, Bergman appeared there for the premiere of A Walk in the Spring Rain, a romance co-starring Anthony Quinn.

ZACK ROSKOP director of Knox Brew Tours:

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Knoxville is at the intersection of I-40 and I-75—both of those interstates are in the top five of the longest in the U.S.

The Tireless Researchers at WalletHub: Just about every week, personal-finance website WalletHub issues carefully researched and thoroughly vetted (we assume) rankings of cities in an attempt to get some free publicity.

And it works, as you might have seen their work cited in countless news stories and Facebook posts breathlessly recounting Knoxville’s latest ranking.

Here’s how Knoxville has placed in its various surveys over the past couple years, in order of ranks.

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Ninetieth best city for single moms.

One hundred and thirty-third city for people with disabilities.

Two hundred and seventh fastest-growing city.

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Ninth best city to get married.

Tenth fattest city in America Fifteenth best city for women-owned businesses.

Thirty-second best city for return on educational investment.

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Thirty-fourth best metro area for STEM professionals.

Thirty-fi fth best city for return on investment on police spending

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Fortieth best city as a summer travel destination.

Fortieth best foodie city, with a ranking of 121 for affordability and 32 for diversity, accessibility, and quality.

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Forty-eighth best city for Hispanic entrepreneurs.

Sixty-ninth best city to start a career.

Sixty-ninth best city for summer jobs.

Seventieth best city for singles.

TOM CERVONE director of Dogwood Arts:

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To celebrate the Dogwood Arts Festival’s 25th anniversary in 1985, organizers collaborated with the Dulin Gallery of Art—the Knoxville Museum of Art’s precursor— to put on a “famous artist show.�

Gathering works from the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the Virginia Museum of Fine arts in Richmond, and the Arnot Museum in New York, Strokes of Genius displayed paintings by Picasso, Degas, and Mary Cassatt, among others.

COURY TURCZYN editor of the Mercury:

Did we mention yet that this is our 100th issue?

That’s approximately 100 more than some people predicted. Help us publish another 100: knoxmercury.com/donate.

Seventy-fi fth best city to work for a small business.

Eighty-sixth best large city to start a business.

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Photo by Tricia Bateman

Program Notes | Movies | Gallery

BIG EARS: EXIT INTERVIEW

AC Entertainment’s Ashley Capps Were there any surprises for you this year—performances that exceeded your expectations or did something different than you thought you were going to see?

The most pleasant surprise for me was the Mill and Mine. Obviously I love that venue, but we made the decision to create concerts in the round. … It blew me away. I think it was a sublime experience, seeing people gathered around the musicians. And the sound was sublime, too, I thought.

I was thrilled with the experience of hearing the music that was presented in [Church Street United Methodist Church and St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral], and I think the audiences were, too. I had been trying to be very thoughtful about what I put where, and in all instances, what I put in those venues exceeded my expectations. I loved, too, being able to have purely acoustic performances in some of those spaces.

Have you looked at the attendance figures?

With guests and everything, it was over 15,000—my guess is probably over the course of the weekend there were 16,000-17,000 people. That’s a big jump over last year, but not a huge jump on a per-day basis. It’s just that we did a fourth full day.

You announced the dates for next year—March 22-25—at the end of this year’s festival. Will you announce more news soon?

I originally thought I was going to make some announcements and put next year’s festival on sale during the festival weekend this year, but ultimately things got really busy, as you might imagine. So we announced the dates but haven’t moved forward. There’s no reason we won’t have things locked down pretty soon, but there’s no reason to let the cat out of the bag yet.

Photo courtesy of AC Entertainment

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ASHLEY CAPPS

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want to play in the Mill and Mine again. In many ways this typifies what my ideal setting for an orchestra performance is—relaxed, people sitting on the floor, people having drinks, people sitting up on the catwalk, a 360-degree experience where people can walk around the side or the back of the orchestra, choose their perspective. Fewer rules.

There’s something that really feeds us as performers, having the audience so close to us and really being on the same level as us. I think there’s loads of potential in this space—we were in the middle of the floor today, but there are so many other possibilities for creating a full-scale multi-sensory orchestral experience in here that I want to explore.

—Knoxville Symphony Orchestra music director Aram Demirjian

You seem to have gotten a handle on some of the capacity issues and long lines from last year.

It seems to have worked out. We had more venues this year, so we were able to divide the audiences, hopefully in a way that made sense and that didn’t cause too many painful conflicts. But that’s the name of the game. It’s one of the interesting challenges of the festival. … None of us has the same experience of life that anyone else has. And no one has the same experience, the same exact experience.

FREDRIC RZEWSKI

BIG EARS: REVIEWS

t’s often mentioned how you can’t see everything at a musical festival, especially one as sprawling as Big Ears, so you just make your choices, hope you like what you see and hear, and try not to think about what you’re missing. I’ve been pretty good at doing that in the past, but this year’s Big Ears is so packed with can’t-miss or once-in-a-lifetime events that I had serious FOMO throughout most of Saturday.

Part of this is because, by day three, I started to make choices based on venue and, for lack of a better explanation, volume and velocity.

Basically I needed to hear some rock music, dance music, or hip-hop.

Certainly multiple days of jazz, improv, and new music have been a dream come true, but the days are long and I kind of just needed a punch in the gut.

—Eric Dawson

t was the biggest, boldest lineup in the history of the fest—now expanded from three days to four.

Despite some appearances from art-centic rock bands (Wilco, Tortoise, Deerhoof) the leash tethering Big Ears to indie-world weirdos has been somewhat loosened. Instead it was a practically headliner-free assortment of contemporary classical, jazz artists and soloists from across the globe.

It would be presumptuous to call classical composers the new rock stars, but this weekend it was definitely hard not to see the edges of genre fraying, the worlds of classical music and popular music blurring, the pretensions of “high art” crumbling as beers clinked in the background.

—Christopher R. Weingarten, rollingstone.com

estival founder Ashley Capps told us that the festival sold the most weekend passes yet this year; there were no overwhelming lines like last year, thanks to two added spaces and better balance in the schedule. But will the festival lineup always be looking back? Will it ever be looking forward? Or does it even matter?

It concerns us as devout Big Ears fans who cannot wait for it yearly, that the crowds are as white as a Trump rally. If programming classic indie bands is what gets the Knoxville locals to buy day passes, why not program classic hip-hop like De La Soul? Are all young jazz musicians white these days? We’d love to see more young composers of color—or just more young composers at all.

—nashvillescene.com

Program Notes | Movies | Gallery

That’s Life Yes, it’s an Alien knockoff—but also a well-crafted one

BY APRIL SNELLINGS

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f Life brings only one thing to the sci-fi/horror table, maybe it’s this: Being an overt Alien knockoff isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Daniel Espinosa’s ice-cold space chiller makes no attempt to hide its reverence for Ridley Scott’s classic—in fact, it leans into it so heavily that the similarities occasionally become savvy creative choices. Life is familiar to a fault, but it’s also a well-crafted, visually ambitious B-movie that gets a lift from great performances and a brazen dose of dead-eyed bleakness. I can think of far worse ways to spend an afternoon.

Being one of the six astronauts on Life’s version of the International Space Station would definitely qualify.

All six are introduced in a dizzying

(and digitally augmented) tracking shot that imagines the ISS as something more akin to an Egyptian tomb than a $200 billion science facility.

Disorienting and claustrophobic, its shadows are already ominous before the crew picks up a vessel containing coveted Martian soil samples—and, to their initial delight, a Martian. At first it’s just a dormant, single-celled organism, but through the judicious application of horror conventions (really—the crew cracks jokes about monster movies as they squirt the amoeba-like critter full of growth medium and zap it with electricity), the mission biologist, Derry (Ariyon Bakare), manages to revive it. The creature, dubbed “Calvin” by the school children who win a Mar-

tian-naming raffle back on Earth, is cute at first, until it objects to Derry’s attempts to interact with it and demonstrates its capabilities in cringe-inducing fashion. One horrific death later, Calvin—now an oozy, skin-crawling cross between an orchid and an octopus—is on the loose, and the astronauts begin to realize that they’re singularly unprepared to deal with him.

Life’s most obvious strength is its cast, which includes Jake Gyllenhaal as a pilot who prefers the vacuum of space to the earthly horrors of war, Rebecca Ferguson as a quick-thinking CDC officer, and Ryan Reynolds as a mouthy mechanic. Thanks to a lengthy, deliberately paced first act and a script that takes itself seriously,

we get to know them a bit before bad things start happening, so there’s an emotional heft to the film that keeps it engaging even when the third act devolves into muddled chaos.

Life also deserves kudos for belaboring a seldom-made point about horror films: Bad decision-making on the part of the characters is not necessarily a result of lazy writing.

Even the smartest people make bad choices in moments of desperation, and just being human puts Life’s astronauts at a severe disadvantage to Calvin. Time and again, they’re undermined by the very qualities that got them to the ISS in the first place.

They’re intelligent, highly trained people trying to think their way through impossible situations, while Calvin operates on nothing but instinct and a will to survive. Even with the most sophisticated technology ever conceived by humans literally at their fingertips, sometimes they simply can’t push buttons fast enough to keep their attacker at bay.

Life also works as a timely counterpoint to the recent trend toward hopeful, upbeat sci-fi. Movies don’t exist in vacuums, and good science fiction, maybe more than any other genre, can feel like a dialogue—not just with viewers, but also with current events and pop culture. Life is the flip side of the shining sci-fi coin, and it is utterly, go-for-broke bleak. Sure, it’s an Alien clone. But it’s an Alien clone framed as a direct response to films like Gravity, Interstellar, and The Martian. There’s no comfort in companionship, no salvation in spirituality. In Life, death is slow, lonely, and inevitable. Hey, maybe alien races hold the keys to life-saving technology and personal redemption.

Or maybe the entire universe just wants to eat us from the inside out.

Ultimately, Life will probably be a victim of its own timeliness. It’s a movie to see right now, in the context of the trend that probably launched it into production and the headlines that make its nihilism feel justified. I can’t imagine we’ll be talking about it this time next year (or this time next month, for that matter), but it’s a mean little monster movie that, at least for the moment, checks a lot of the right boxes.

March 30, 2017 knoxville mercury 25

Program Notes | Movies | Gallery

GAVIN BRYARS

MAGNETIC FIELDS

Photo by Marissa Highfi ll

UP NEXT!

—@fertanish

That Bryars Titanic thing was exploitative crap, unworthy of #BigEarsKnox. I walked out.

Absolutely horrid.

—@RussM

Photo by Tricia Bateman

the extra day didn’t work... #BigEarsKnox still wasn’t long enough

@BigEarsFestival #BigEarsKnox - Planning committee, get right on this: zip line between venues! ;-) Too much good music.

XYLOURIS WHITE

—@bryandowen

Let the record show that @MayorRogero does General Admission, not VIP, seating. @BigEarsFestival #BigEarsKnox #MayorRogero #Knoxville —@ArtWillard

@BigEarsFestival is the antithesis of and antedote to @realDonaldTrump #BigEarsKnox : The only festival in the world where you have to worry about someone at the party wearing the same Necks shirt as you.

—@ArvoPartProject

Photo by Andrew Gresham

—@arrisonkirby

I’ve spent more time in church the last 2 days than I have in the last 2 years.

ROBYN HITCHCOCK

MY BRIGHTEST DIAMOND

THEATRE BOX OFFICE, TICKETMASTER.COM, AND BY PHONE AT 800-745-3000

26 knoxville mercury March 30, 2017

—@ParkerJay

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KNOXBIJOU.COM TICKETS AVAILABLE AT THE TENNESSEE

People at #BigEarsKnox are so nice. I mean, they’re probably really high/drunk but they’re SO NICE!

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—@ArtWillard

Program Notes | Movies | Gallery

SATISFY YOUR SPIRIT

Photo by Andrew Gresham

WU FEI

Roots Music in America

Collected Writings of Joe Wilson EDITED BY FRED BARTENSTEIN Paper, $29.95

HENRY THREADGILL

Photo by Marissa Highfi ll

DEERHOOF

Photo by Tricia Bateman

Photo by Jeff rey Chastain

YASMINE HAMDAN

Lucky Joe’s Namesake

The Extraordinary Life and Observations of Joe Wilson EDITED BY FRED BARTENSTEIN

knoxmercury.com

Paper, $29.95

Find more recaps, full interviews, and photo galleries online.

Journeys into the Mind of the World

A Book of Places RICHARD TILLINGHAST Paper, $24.95

KAITLYN AURELIA SMITH

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DAKHABRAKHA

U T P R E SS .O R G Follow us on Facebook and Twitter

THE UNIV ERSITY OF TENNESSEE PRESS

March 30, 2017 knoxville mercury 27

KILLSWITCH ENGAGE

Thursday, March 30 — Sunday, April 9 SPOTLIGHTS 36 Mark Eitzel

MUSIC Thursday, March 30

FROG AND TOAD’S DIXIE QUARTET • The Crown and Goose

• 8PM • FREE HADLEY KENNARY • Preservation Pub • 8PM • 21 and up.

• FREE WDVX • 12PM • Part of WDVX’s Blue Plate Special, a six-days-a-week live-broadcast lunchtime concert series featuring local, regional, and national Americana, folk, pop, rock, and everything else. • FREE THE LOST FIDDLE STRING BAND • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 6PM • The WDVX 6 O’Clock Swerve is weekly musical trip with talented regional artists featuring live performances and insightful interviews in a living room atmosphere. • FREE JAKOB’S FERRY STRAGGLERS • Sugarlands Distilling Co. (Gatlinburg) • 7PM • FREE ROCK KILLOUGH • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria (Maryville) • 8PM THE BARNYARD STOMPERS • Brackins Blues Club (Maryville) • 8PM THE SOUTHERN FLOYD: A TRIBUTE TO PINK FLOYD • The Open Chord • 8PM • The Southern Floyd is a southern based Pink Floyd tribute, performing a career spanning set of the material that Pink Floyd created from the 60s- to the 90s. • $12-$15

THE SYNISTER CARNIVALE WITH IN SERVICE OF SOUND AND ZERO POINT • The Open Chord • 8PM THE RED DIRT REVELATORS • Brackins Blues Club

Friday, March 31

(Maryville) • 9PM KINCAID • Two Doors Down (Maryville) • 9PM BLAIR CRIMMINS AND THE HOOKERS • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 10PM • Atlanta-based ragtime/Dixieland/gypsy jazz artist Blair Crimmins and his band The Hookers’ new album You Gotta Sell Something! delivers more of their signature sound of supercharged ragtime and swing.

18 and up. • FREE THE BURNIN’ HERMANS • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM • The Burnin’ Hermans specialize in creating unique cover sets that keep your legs moving, your mind wondering, and your soul enlivened. • FREE THE BROCKEFELLERS • Scruffy City Hall • 10PM • 21 and up.

URBAN SOIL WITH STAGOLEE • Preservation Pub • 10PM • 21 and up.

HEADFACE AND THE CONGENITALS • Pilot Light • 10PM • 18 and up. • $5 KILLSWITCH ENGAGE WITH THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA • The International • 7:30PM • Built organically from the most potent components of melodic, heavy and catchy-ashell European death metal and the almost spiritual essence of the most grimy, urgent and forever yearning American hardcore, the brilliantly individual and self-described “Massholes” in Killswitch have come to define a generational shift equal parts inevitable and by design, as cultural earthquakes and uprisings often are. All ages. Visit internationalknox. com. • $25-$100 LEMON SKY • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria (Maryville) • 9PM

EMILY KEENER WITH JOSHUA POWELL AND THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY • WDVX • 12PM • Part of WDVX’s Blue

Saturday, April 1

JACOB DUNCAN WITH MATT NELSON, GARRIT TILLMAN, AND JAKE EDWARD SMITH • Pilot Light • 9PM • 18 and up.

• $5 RELENTLESS BLUES BAND • Barley’s Taproom and

Pizzeria • 10PM • The near legendary local blues-rock band led by Michael Delaney has returned. • FREE JOSHUA POWELL AND THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY • Preservation Pub • 10PM • 21 and up.

BLEEP BLOOP WITH UM. AND ZEPLINN • The Concourse • 9PM • Presented by Midnight Voyage Productions. 18 and up. • $12-$15

Plate Special, a six-days-a-week live-broadcast lunchtime concert series featuring local, regional, and national Americana, folk, pop, rock, and everything else. • FREE ALIVE AFTER FIVE: THE STACY MITCHHART BAND • Knoxville Museum of Art • 6PM • “The Blues Doctor” from Nashville comes to Knoxville to make a house call. • $10-$15 JOSHUA POWELL AND THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY • Sugarlands Distilling Co. (Gatlinburg) • 7PM • FREE 28 knoxville mercury March 30, 2017

LUKE MITCHEM WITH THE WHISKEY GENTRY • WDVX • 12PM • Part of WDVX’s Blue Plate Special, a six-days-a-week live-broadcast lunchtime concert series featuring local, regional, and national Americana, folk, pop, rock, and everything else. • FREE ANDREW SCOTCHIE AND THE RIVER RATS WITH ASHLEIGH CHEVALIER • Sugarlands Distilling Co. (Gatlinburg) • 7PM

• FREE BIG GUN WITH THE AUSTIN CRUM EXPERIENCE • The Shed

at Smoky Mountain Harley-Davidson (Maryville) •

Thursday, March 30

discussion of her masterpiece, Emma. There are more events—film screenings, lectures, and a Regency-period ball—scheduled through April 7.

RICHARD BARTON PINE Oak Ridge High School • 7 p.m. • Free • The renowned American violinist kicks off a weekend collaboration with the Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra with classical takes on classic-rock hits by Black Sabbath, Rush, and Led Zeppelin. Pine appears with the ORSO on Saturday, April 1, and performs a solo recital on Sunday, April 2.

EUGENE CHADBOURNE The Pilot Light • 7 p.m. • $8 • If you’re suffering from Big Ears withdrawal, this Chattanooga native’s set of mind-stretching improvised guitar will help see you through.

Friday, March 31

Tuesday, April 4

KILLSWITCH ENGAGE

RICHARD THOMPSON

The International • 7:30 p.m. • $25-$100 • The masters of Massachusetts metalcore were leaders of the mid-’00s New Wave of American Metal; they may not be the vanguard anymore, but their most recent album, Incarnate, earned creditable reviews.

With the Devil Wears Prada.

Bijou Theatre • 8 p.m. • $29.50-$45 • The British folk-rock pioneer and legendary singer-songwriter’s most recent album, Still, was produced by Jeff Tweedy and includes covers of songs by Chuck Berry, Dale Hawkins, Django Reinhardt, and Duke Ellington. With opener Joan Shelley, fresh off an appearance at last weekend’s Big Ears.

Saturday, April 1

MATT WOODS Open Chord Music • 8 p.m. • $10-$12 • The hard-working, heavy-touring hirsute country-rock troubadour lands in West Knoxville.

Sunday, April 2

AUSTENFEST Lawson McGhee Public Library • 2 p.m. • Free • The University of Tennessee’s week-long celebration of Jane Austen starts with a

Photo by Vincent Dixon

ROBERT LEE WITH ABERNATHY, HAGER, AND MELTON •

March 30 – April 9

7:30PM • A tribute to AC/DC. • $10 MATT WOODS • The Open Chord • 8PM • Woods take cues from Steve Earle, the Drive-By Truckers, and local songwriters like Cruz Contreras, Jeff Barbra, and Scott Miller who pull various strands of folk and country into a pan-Appalachian mix of country and rock. • $10-$12 YOUNG MISTER • Preservation Pub • 8PM • 21 and up. • 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.

THE JUKE JOINT DRIFTERS • Brackins Blues Club (Maryville) • 9PM THE WHISKEY GENTRY WITH FOLK SOUL REVIVAL • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM • Hailing from Atlanta, The Whiskey Gentry has been described as a “toe-tapping, steamrolling kind of band, its fingers picking deep into fields of bluegrass…with a punk-inspired kick drum.” • $5 LIONS • Pilot Light • 10PM • Lions’ music—an emotional, caffeinated mix of twinkly emo, anthemic pop-punk, and technically adept indie rock—promotes constant motion and scream-alongs. • $5 THE HIGH DIVERS • Preservation Pub • 10PM • 21 and up.

JACK’D UP • Two Doors Down (Maryville) • 9PM

Sunday, April 2 SUNDAY JAZZ BRUNCH • Downtown Grill and Brewery •

11AM • Knoxville’s coolest jazz artists perform every Sunday. • FREE EUGENE CHADBOURNE • Pilot Light • 7PM • The idiosyncratic Chadbourne, a legend among avant-garde/experimental guitar fans, returns to the Old City. 18 and up. • $8 MOMMA MOLASSES AND FRIENDS • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 8PM • A devout believer in life’s process, Momma Molasses adopted her name to remind herself to value “slowness”, and place trust in the unfolding journey of experience. Quirky, and effortlessly idiosyncratic, her performances are noted for rambunctious asides and gleeful (though not always graceful) energy. • FREE BREADFOOT WITH ROSSDAFAREYE AND ERIC CALDWELL • Preservation Pub • 9PM • 21 and up.

Monday, April 3 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 ANNE E. DECHANT • WDVX • 12PM • Part of WDVX’s Blue Plate Special, a six-days-a-week live-broadcast lunchtime concert series featuring local, regional, and national Americana, folk, pop, rock, and everything else. • FREE THE 9TH STREET STOMPERS • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM • The 9th Street Stompers are an outfit of well-dressed no-counts chopping on acoustic

JOIN US FOR THE 15TH ANNUAL

instruments and singing about life, death, love, and liquor. • FREE THE JAY BRAGG BAND • Preservation Pub • 10PM

VOLAPALOOZA

MUSIC FESTIVAL PRESENTED BY THE CAMPUS EVENTS BOARD

Tuesday, April 4 SPOOKY FOX WITH JONAH RIDDLE AND CAROLINA EXPRESS

• WDVX • 12PM • Part of WDVX’s Blue Plate Special, a six-days-a-week live-broadcast lunchtime concert series featuring local, regional, and national Americana, folk, pop, rock, and everything else. • FREE LEE DEWYZE WITH SHAYNA LEIGH • The Open Chord • 8PM • A Millennial troubadour, DeWyze’s depth as a songwriter along with his earnest ability to drive home a song with a delicate balance of deep emotion and subtlety, call to mind some of his earliest influences like Simon and Garfunkel, Yusef Islam (Cat Stevens) and Johnny Cash. • $15-$50 THE DANBERRYS • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM • Drawing deep from the traditions of bluegrass, old-time country, blues, and funk/soul, the Danberrys offer inspired songwriting delivered with raw emotion, distinct vocal harmonies, and dynamic, top-notch musicianship. • FREE PAUL MCKENNA • Preservation Pub • 10PM RICHARD THOMPSON • Bijou Theatre • 8PM • “Some songs, you never finish...you let them lie for 20 years, adding a line, changing a verse,” reflects songwriter and guitarist Richard Thompson. Honing his creations ever closer to their initial spark of inception has required a diligent, tireless dedication to his craft of songwriting – and has resulted in an unparalleled career now spanning five decades, from his formative years in seminal folk-rock alchemists Fairport Convention to his acclaimed solo work. • $29.50-$45 MARK EITZEL WITH HOWIE GELB • Pilot Light • 10PM • Hey Mr Ferryman is Mark Eitzel’s first full studio album recorded entirely in London. It features the vivid melodies long associated with Eitzel’s former band American Music Club—which remains a cult favorite to this day—as well as Butler’s distinctive guitar that serves to complement Eitzel’s expressive vocals. • See Spotlight on page 36.

FEATURING

X AMBASSADORS WITH COIN, PELL, & LUKE PELL

AND APPEARANCES BY MOUNTAINS LIKE WAX, ELECTRIC DARLING, AND DJ A-WALL

Wednesday, April 5 CHRIS ACKER AND THE GROWING BOYS WITH FINN MAGILL AND PAUL MCKENNA • WDVX • 12PM • Part of WDVX’s

Blue Plate Special, a six-days-a-week live-broadcast 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 • FREE TENNESSEE SHINES: THE FORLORN STRANGERS • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 7PM • Part of WDVX’s weekly live-broadcast concert series. • $10 THE WOOD BROTHERS WITH NOAM PIKELNY • Bijou Theatre • 8PM • In a career chock full of highlights, The Wood Brothers hold a special place in their hearts for their performances at Levon Helm’s legendary Midnight Ramble. As repeat special guests at Helm’s

WORLD’S FAIR PARK 5:30PM-11PM

TICKETS ON SALE AT KNOXVILLETICKETS.COM

CAMPUS

EVENTS

BOARD

UNIVERSITY HOUSING

RECYCLING

For more information or to arrange disability accommodations, please contact the Center for Student Engagement at (865) 974-5455.

March 30, 2017 knoxville mercury 29

March 30 – April 9

famed Woodstock barn, the trio—guitarist Oliver Wood, bassist Chris Wood, and drummer Jano Rix— developed a cherished friendship with the late icon that transcended simple musical collaboration and left an indelible mark on their songs and their lives. • $23.50 THE TENNESSEE STIFFLEGS • Preservation Pub • 10PM

Thursday, April 6 TIM LEAVY WITH DRIFTWOOD • WDVX • 12PM • Part of

WDVX’s Blue Plate Special, a six-days-a-week live-broadcast lunchtime concert series featuring local, regional, and national Americana, folk, pop, rock, and everything else. • FREE MERLE HAGGARD TRIBUTE • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 6PM • The WDVX 6 O’Clock Swerve is weekly musical trip with talented regional artists featuring live performances and insightful interviews in a living room atmosphere. • FREE I LOVE THE ‘90S TOUR • Knoxville Civic Coliseum • 7:30PM • The inaugural edition of the I Love The ‘90s Tour invites fans to reminisce about the trend-setting decade with some of the most iconic, indelible names in rap, hip hop and R&B, featuring Salt N Pepa, All 4 One, Coolio, Tone LOC, Color Me Badd, Rob Base and Young MC. • $40-$100 KENNY ROGERS WITH LINDA DAVIS • Knoxville Civic Coliseum • 8PM • Rogers has played to millions of fans around the world, performing songs from his long list

of hits which comprise 24 Number Ones including “The Gambler,” “Lucille,” “Coward of the County,” “Lady,” “Islands in the Stream,” “She Believes In Me,” “We’ve Got Tonight,” “Daytime Friends,” “Through The Years,” “You Decorated My Life,” and “Buy Me A Rose.” • $61.50-$108.50 THE DIRTY BOURBON RIVER SHOW • Scruffy City Hall • 8PM • Dirty Bourbon River Show deftly melds sounds that range from hard-edged blues to Lisztian piano driven ballads to New Orleans brass, all into a result that is a sharp blast of humid energy into the musical landscape.

THREE DOG NIGHT • Tennessee Theatre • 8PM • In the years 1969 through 1974, no other group achieved more top 10 hits, moved more records or sold more concert tickets than Three Dog Night. Three Dog Night hits wind through the fabric of pop culture today—songs like “Mama Told Me (Not To Come)”, “Joy to the World”, “Black and White”, “Shambala” and “One” serve to heighten our emotions and crystallize Three Dog Night’s continuing popularity. • $44-$84 DAY AND AGE WITH BLONDE BONES • Pilot Light • 9PM • Depending on the day, Day and Age could be could be pegged as everything from post-punk to hardcore to indie rock, but for the Knoxville band, that’s beside the point. • $5 DRIFTWOOD • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 10PM OF GOOD NATURE • Preservation Pub • 10PM

Friday, April 7 THE DANBERRYS WITH NORA JANE STRUTHERS • WDVX •

12PM • Part of WDVX’s Blue Plate Special, a six-days-a-week live-broadcast 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 • 8PM • FREE THE DISMEMBERED TENNESSEANS • Laurel Theater • 8PM • It was back in 1945 that a group of McCallie students got together and began singing and playing a brand of Bluegrass music that has gone on now for more than 65 years. • $13 THE TEMPER EVANS BAND • Two Doors Down (Maryville) • 9PM DARK STAR ORCHESTRA • The International • 8PM • Performing to critical acclaim worldwide for nearly 19 years and over 2600 shows, Dark Star Orchestra continues the Grateful Dead concert experience. 18 and up. Visit internationalknox.com. • $25-$28 RHYTHM N’ BLOOMS • The Old City • Rhythm N’ Blooms is a festival that’s just as much about the city of Knoxville as it is about music. The festival honors the identity and spirit of our rich East Tennessee history while providing a premium listening environment for top-notch musical performances. Knoxville’s story has always been set to music. Rhythm N’ Blooms highlights that soundtrack and celebrates the

crossroads of this city’s varied music history by showcasing popular national acts alongside the finest musicians East Tennessee has to offer. The 2017 lineup includes Young the Giant, Gogol Bordello, Nikki Lane, Lee Fields and the Expressions, Angeleena Presley, Nora Jane Struthers and the Party Line, the Jon Stickley Trio, Birds of Chicago, Dave Barnes, John Paul White, Cruz Contreras, and more. Visit rhythmnbloomsfest. com/2017-lineup for the full list. • $75-$190

Saturday, April 8 JUSTIN CODY FOX WITH KYLE BLEDSOE • WDVX • 12PM • Part of WDVX’s Blue Plate Special, a six-days-a-week live-broadcast lunchtime concert series featuring local, regional, and national Americana, folk, pop, rock, and everything else. • FREE GREEN RIVER WITH THE BO ASHBY BAND • The Shed at Smoky Mountain Harley-Davidson (Maryville) • 7:30PM • A tribute to Creedence Clearwater Revival. • $10 MOLSKY’S MOUNTAIN DRIFTERS • Laurel Theater • 8PM • One of the most influential fiddlers of the old-time music revival, Bruce Molsky is also a remarkable guitarist, banjoist and singer. His discography includes seven solo albums, from his debut of fiddlers classics, Warring Cats, to his most recent, If It Aint Here When I Get Back. Poor Mans Troubles won a 2001 Indie award for Best Traditional Folk Recording. In the Mountain Drifters Bruce is joined by Allison De Groot on banjo

PRESENTED BY SMOKY MOUNTAIN BREWERY

Bach or Basie?

BREWFEST IS BACK!

Your music, your choice.

SATURDAY JUNE 17, 2017

4-8 PM

DOWNTOWN KNOXVILLE* ALL NET PROCEEDS BENEFIT

CURE DUCHENNE

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Your classical and jazz station.

$45

TICKETS ON SALE NOW!!

*EXCITING NEW LOCATION-700 BLOCK OF GAY ST. NEXT TO BIJOU THEATRE

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FIX THIS BASTARD 30 knoxville mercury March 30, 2017 WUOT_Ad_4.625x5.25_ClassicalJazz_KnoxMerc.indd 2

9/17/16 5:00 PM

March 30 – April 9

and Stash Wyslouch on guitar. • $15 SMOOTH SAILOR • Scruffy City Hall • 9PM EXIT 60 • Two Doors Down (Maryville) • 9PM KITTY WAMPUS • Swifty’s Atomic Bar and Grill • 9:30PM THE OCTOPUS PROJECT • Pilot Light • 9:30PM • $10 TAUK • The Concourse • 10PM • The transcendent instrumental band Tauk seamlessly brings together genres as diverse as melodic rock, fusion, gritty funk, progressive rock, ambient, classic rock, hip hop and jazz. 18 and up. • $12-$15 THE BURNIN’ HERMANS • Preservation Pub • 10PM RHYTHM N’ BLOOMS • The Old City • Rhythm N’ Blooms is a festival that’s just as much about the city of Knoxville as it is about music. The 2017 lineup includes Young the Giant, Gogol Bordello, Nikki Lane, Lee Fields and the Expressions, Angeleena Presley, Nora Jane Struthers and the Party Line, the Jon Stickley Trio, Birds of Chicago, Dave Barnes, John Paul White, Cruz Contreras, and more. Visit rhythmnbloomsfest. com/2017-lineup for the full list. • $75-$190

Sunday, April 9 SUNDAY JAZZ BRUNCH • Downtown Grill and Brewery •

11AM • Knoxville’s coolest jazz artists perform every Sunday. • FREE WONKY TONK • Scruffy City Hall • 10PM RHYTHM N’ BLOOMS • The Old City • Rhythm N’ Blooms is a festival that’s just as much about the city of Knoxville as it is about music. The 2017 lineup includes Young the Giant, Gogol Bordello, Nikki Lane, Lee Fields and the Expressions, Angeleena Presley, Nora Jane Struthers and the Party Line, the Jon Stickley Trio, Birds of Chicago, Dave Barnes, John Paul White, Cruz Contreras, and more. Visit rhythmnbloomsfest. com/2017-lineup for the full list. • $75-$190

OPEN MIC AND SONGWRITER NIGHTS Tuesday, April 4 PRESERVATION PUB SINGER-SONGWRITER NIGHT •

Preservation Pub • 7PM • 21 and up. Visit scruffycity.com.

OLD-TIME JAM SESSION • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 7:15PM • The musicians sit together and pick and strum familiar tunes on fiddles, guitars, and bass. Open to all lovers and players of music. No need to build up the courage to join in. Just grab an instrument off the wall and take a seat. Hosted by Sarah Pirkle. Visit jigandreel.com. • FREE

Wednesday, April 5 TIME WARP TEA ROOM OLD-TIME JAM • Time Warp Tea

Room • 7PM • Regular speed old-time/fiddle jam every Wednesday. All instruments and skill levels welcome.

BRACKINS BLUES JAM • Brackins Blues Club • 9PM • A weekly open session hosted by Tommie John. Visit Facebook.com/BrackinsBlues. • FREE

Thursday, April 6 IRISH MUSIC SESSION • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 7:15PM •

Held on the first and third Thursdays of each month.

Visit jigandreel.com. • FREE BREWHOUSE BLUES JAM • The Open Chord • 8PM • Join Robert Higginbotham and the Smoking Section for the Brewhouse Blues Jam. Bring your instrument, sign up, and join the jammers. We supply drums and a full backline of amps. Sign-ups begin at 7 p.m.

THE EVENT SWEEPING THE NATION IS COMING TO KNOXVILLE!

Sunday, April 9 EPWORTH MONTHLY OLD HARP SHAPE NOTE SINGING • Laurel Theater • 6:30PM • Visit jubileearts.org. • FREE

DJ AND DANCE NIGHTS Friday, March 31 DJ AND DANCE NIGHTS • March 31 • Headroom • The

Concourse • 9PM • With Rudiment, Mark B, and Hydrosphere. 18 and up.

Saturday, April 1 TESTIFY! VINTAGE SOUL AND FUNK DANCE PARTY • Scruffy

City Hall • 10PM • Testify returns with some of the best regional and national DJs and collectors of northern soul, modern soul, funk, r&b, gospel soul and Motown obscurities on original 45 rpm vinyl for your dancing pleasure. With Frankie Sharp (Chicago), Lee Bryant (Lexington), and Knoxville’s Earl Grae and Israel Miller.

• $5 REWIND DANCE NIGHT • The Concourse • 9PM • Dance the night away to hits from the ‘60s, ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s. 18 and up. • $5

CLASSICAL MUSIC Thursday, March 30 RACHEL BARTON PINE • Oak Ridge High School • 7PM •

Pine is an American violinist who made her solo debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at age 10, and was the first American and youngest ever gold medal winner of the International Johann Sebastian Bach Competition. On Thursday, March 30, Pine takes the stage with string players from the Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra to perform popular selections by Led Zeppelin, Rush, AC/DC, Black Sabbath, and more.

Tickets may be purchased online at www.ORCMA.org or by calling (865) 483-5569. • FREE

Friday, March 31 BOYD JONES • Westminster Presbyterian Church • 8PM •

Come enjoy a recital by the prizewinning organist Boyd Jones, of Stetson University! His wide-ranging program includes works of J.S. Bach, Mendelssohn, Hindemith, and William Grant Still, among others.

Admission is free, and a nursery is provided. Visit musicaorgani.org. • FREE

Saturday, April 1 OAK RIDGE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA • Oak Ridge High

School • 7:30PM • The Oak Ridge Civic Music Association is pleased to announce a series of

ALL YOU CARE TO TASTE 60 BEERS/40 BOURBONS pLOTS OF BBQ pTASTING THEATER CLASSES pARTISTS & BREWERANIA pTHE SHRINE OF SWINE pLIVE MUSIC & MUCH MORE!

ADMISSION OPTIONS: VIP Tasting Glass: $49 advance

VALID NOON - 6PM, Includes admission into the event, a souvenir

tasting glass, unlimited beer and bourbon sampling, TWO EXTRA hours of tastes, a collectible lanyard and all live entertainment.

Regular Tasting Glass: $35 advance

VALID 2PM - 6PM, Includes admission into the event, a souvenir

tasting glass, unlimited beer & bourbon sampling, all live entertainment.

Designated Driver Ticket: $25

VALID NOON - 6PM, Includes admission into the event only.

A portion of the proceeds to benefit:

WWW.BEERANDBOURBON.COM Tickets are non-refundable. Show is rain or shine. Please drink responsibly. Advance ticket sales close 05/17/17.

On-site tickets subject to tax.

March 30, 2017 knoxville mercury 31

March 30 – April 9

performances and outreach activities featuring internationally renowned violinist Rachel Barton Pine March 30–April 2. On Saturday, April 1, she will perform Dvorak’s Violin Concerto with the Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra. Led by Maestro Dan Allcott, the orchestra will also perform music by Vaughan Williams, Sibelius, and Smetana. Tickets may be purchased online at www.ORCMA.org or by calling (865) 483-5569. • $25

Sunday, April 2 READY FOR THE WORLD MUSIC SERIES: CHINA • University of

violinist Rachel Barton Pine March 30–April 2. On Sunday, April 2, she will perform “American Partitas,” a recital program of newly commissioned works by David Wallace Bruce Molsky, April Verch, Darol Anger, Billy Childs and Daniel Bernard Roumain partnered with the Bach Partitas for solo violin. Tickets may be purchased online at www.ORCMA.org or by calling (865) 483-5569. • $25

Friday, April 7 SCRUFFY CITY ORCHESTRA: MUSIC AROUND THE WORLD IN EIGHT PIECES • First Baptist Church • 7:30PM • Scruffy

Tennessee Natalie L. Haslam Music Center • 2PM • The University of Tennessee’s Ready for the World Music Series brings renowned artists to perform and talk about musical styles and literature from diverse regions around the world. Visit music.utk.edu/rftw. • FREE

City Orchestra’s spring concert, under the direction of Ace Edewards, will include music from the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. • $5

OAK RIDGE WIND ENSEMBLE AND COMMUNITY BAND: MUSIC OF NORTH AMERICA • Oak Ridge High School • 3:30PM •

KSO POPS SERIES: NATALIE MACMASTER • Knoxville Civic

Featuring music by American composers with trumpet soloist Tim Michaels, vocal soloist Deidre Ford, and the band’s own Dixieland Ensemble. Admission is $5 for adults over age 18. For more information visit www.orcb. org or call 865-482-3568. • $5 RACHEL BARTON PINE • Pollard Technology Conference Center • 3PM • The Oak Ridge Civic Music Association is pleased to announce a series of performances and outreach activities featuring internationally renowned

Saturday, April 8 Auditorium • 8PM • Celtic fiddling and step dancing sensation Natalie MacMaster returns for a high-energy appearance featuring traditional Irish favorites, sizzling folk melodies, and eye-popping virtuosity.”

Sunday, April 9 KSO CHAMBER CLASSICS: TCHAIKOVSKY SERENADE FOR STRINGS • Bijou Theatre • 2:30PM • The KSO Chamber

Classics Series concludes with light-hearted music including Respighi’s Ancient Airs and Dances, Mozart’s

Oboe Concerto and Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings, under the baton of Maestro James Fellenbaum, with KSO Principal Oboist Claire Chenette soloing. • $13.50-$31.50

THEATER AND DANCE Sunday, April 2

In a world of the “Supermom” and a shattering glass ceiling, Caryl Churchill’s play considers the conflicts that come with the pursuit of success and the desire to “have it all.” March 29-April 16 at Clarence Brown Lab Theatre.

Knoxville Children’s Theatre knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com

ARABIAN NIGHTS DANCE SHOW • Mirage • 6:30PM •

Produced by Alexia Productions. Dancers from New York, Alexandria Dancers, plus other local dancers. Visit www. alexia-dance.com or call 865-898-2126. • $12-$15

Saturday, April 8 LUXE: LUSH, UNAPOLOGETIC AND EXTRAORDINARY WOMEN-POWERED PERFORMANCE ART SHOWCASE •

Modern Studio • 8PM • This show highlights luxe women who are living lush, unapologetically, and extraordinarily through dance, spoken word poetry, performance art, and song (all with a bit of burlesque).

The show will entertain, inspire, positively challenge the norms of society and our minds, and show the true beauty in diversity and variety of women (age, culture, size, orientation, gender spectrum, ability, etc.). 18 and up. Visit www.luxeknox.com. • $10-$15

Clarence Brown Theatre clarencebrowntheatre.com

TOP GIRLS • What would you sacrifice to get to the top?

THE MIRACLE WORKER • Trapped in a secret, silent world,

unable to communicate, young Helen Keller is violent, spoiled, almost subhuman, and treated by her family as such. Only Annie Sullivan, a young Irish teacher, realizes there is a mind and spirit inside Helen, waiting to be rescued from the dark and tortured silence.

March 31-April 16. • $12

COMEDY AND SPOKEN WORD Monday, April 3 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, April 4

n e t s u A Fe st AustenFest is a three-day celebration of the work and the Regency world of Jane Austen. www.TennesseeTheatre.com

You are cordially invited to join us for movie screenings, readings, lectures, tea, and a Regency ball.

For more information, go to english.utk.edu/austenfest 32 knoxville mercury March 30, 2017

March 30 – April 9

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 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. Visit einsteinsimplified.com. • FREE

are among the most beloved in English literature. Visit english.utk.edu/austenfest/ for more information. • FREE

Friday, April 7

FESTIVALS

FOR MILES AND MILES • DreamBikes • 6PM • For Miles and Miles is the celebration of the bicycles as a means of empowerment. There will be a photography exhibition, music, food trucks, and many bicycles. The event is a fundraiser for scholarships for Dreambikes teenage employees. Music by Joseph Gillenwater, Spencer Connell, and Sally Buice. • $5 AUSTENFEST • University of Tennessee • 10AM • The UT AuthorFest series presents AustenFest, a three-day celebration of the work and the Regency world of Jane Austen, whose characters including Elizabeth Bennett, Mr. Darcy, Emma Woodhouse, and Catherine Moreland, are among the most beloved in English literature. Visit english.utk.edu/austenfest/ for more information. • FREE RHYTHM N’ BLOOMS • The Old City • Rhythm N’ Blooms is a festival that’s just as much about the city of Knoxville as it is about music. The festival honors the identity and spirit of our rich East Tennessee history while providing a premium listening environment for top-notch musical performances. Knoxville’s story has always been set to music. Rhythm N’ Blooms highlights that soundtrack and celebrates the crossroads of this city’s varied music history by showcasing popular national acts alongside the finest musicians East Tennessee has to offer. The 2017 lineup includes Young the Giant, Gogol Bordello, Nikki Lane, Lee Fields and the Expressions, Angeleena Presley, Nora Jane Struthers and the Party Line, the Jon Stickley Trio, Birds of Chicago, Dave Barnes, John Paul White, Cruz Contreras, and more. Visit rhythmnbloomsfest. com/2017-lineup for the full list. • $75-$190

Sunday, April 2

Saturday, April 8

AUSTENFEST • University of Tennessee • 2PM • The UT

MARBLE CITY COMICCON • Knoxville Expo Center • MCC

AuthorFest series presents AustenFest, a three-day celebration of the work and the Regency world of Jane Austen, whose characters including Elizabeth Bennett, Mr. Darcy, Emma Woodhouse, and Catherine Moreland, are among the most beloved in English literature. Visit english.utk.edu/austenfest/ for more information. • FREE

strives to be Tennessee’s best and truest comic con featuring fandoms of multiple genres. • $15-$99 RHYTHM N’ BLOOMS • The Old City • Rhythm N’ Blooms is a festival that’s just as much about the city of Knoxville as it is about music. The 2017 lineup includes Young the Giant, Gogol Bordello, Nikki Lane, Lee Fields and the Expressions, Angeleena Presley, Nora Jane Struthers and the Party Line, the Jon Stickley Trio, Birds of Chicago, Dave Barnes, John Paul White, Cruz Contreras, and more. Visit rhythmnbloomsfest. com/2017-lineup for the full list. • $75-$190

Thursday, April 6 THE FLYING KARAMAZOV BROTHERS • Clayton Center for

the Arts (Maryville) • 7:30PM • Expect the unexpected with the Flying Karamazov Brothers. The four self-proclaimed eccentric lunatics spice things up with a zany showcase filled with laugh-out-loud comedy, wild theatrics, arcane errata, and astonishing juggling feats. Visit claytonartscenter.com.

Friday, April 7 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 • Knoxville’s exciting monthly fun and sexy variety show. We are classy cabaret, song, dance, comedy and bedazzling burlesque, every First Friday. Visit oohoohrevue.com.

18 and up. • $10

Wednesday, April 5 AUSTENFEST • University of Tennessee • 7PM • The UT

AuthorFest series presents AustenFest, a three-day celebration of the work and the Regency world of Jane Austen, whose characters including Elizabeth Bennett, Mr. Darcy, Emma Woodhouse, and Catherine Moreland, are among the most beloved in English literature. Visit english.utk.edu/austenfest/ for more information. • FREE

Thursday, April 6 AUSTENFEST • University of Tennessee • 3:30PM • The UT

AuthorFest series presents AustenFest, a three-day celebration of the work and the Regency world of Jane Austen, whose characters including Elizabeth Bennett, Mr. Darcy, Emma Woodhouse, and Catherine Moreland,

presented by Regal Entertainment Group, a fun event to benefit the Autism Society of East Tennessee

6:30 to 10:00 p.m.

5210 Kingston Pike

Tickets ickets are $50 (until April 15th, then $55)

and include: Live Music Cajun Shrimp Boil by The Shrimp Dock Complimentary wine, beer, and non-alcoholic beverages Admission to the silent auction VIP tables for 8 available for $750 through April 15th

For tickets, visit www.shrimpboilforautism.com

Sunday, April 9 MARBLE CITY COMICCON • Knoxville Expo Center • MCC

strives to be Tennessee’s best and truest comic con featuring fandoms of multiple genres. • $15-$99 JAZZ IN THE PARK • James Agee Park • 5:30PM • With Swingbooty, Doug Harris, visual artists, Tarot readers, yoga, flow arts, and food and drink. • $3 RHYTHM N’ BLOOMS • The Old City • Rhythm N’ Blooms is a festival that’s just as much about the city of Knoxville as it is about music. The 2017 lineup

All proceeds benefit the Autism Society East Tennessee, a nonprofit that provides support, services, advocacy, education, and public awareness for all individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and their families as well as educators and other professionals throughout 36 East Tennessee counties.

March 30, 2017 knoxville mercury 33

March 30 – April 9

includes Young the Giant, Gogol Bordello, Nikki Lane, Lee Fields and the Expressions, Angeleena Presley, Nora Jane Struthers and the Party Line, the Jon Stickley Trio, Birds of Chicago, Dave Barnes, John Paul White, Cruz Contreras, and more. Visit rhythmnbloomsfest. com/2017-lineup for the full list. • $75-$190

moved to the Nantahala National Forest. Please pre-register with leaders to assist planning. Leaders: Dick Kettelle, rhketelle@comcast.net,and Franklin LaFond, ox97game@aol.com. • FREE

committed to helping adults facing the challenges of autism. Go to https://runnerreg.us/breakthroughautismrunwalk/ to register. • $25-$30

Sunday, April 2

Film Screenings

COVENANT HEALTH KNOXVILLE MARATHON AND HALF-MARATHON • World’s Fair Park • 7:30AM • The

over 24,000 acres of wilderness and wildflower diversity. Typically, we will be able to enjoy dozens of species of wildflowers at this time of year. Hike is 6 miles, rated moderate. Meet at the Oak Ridge Books-a-Million, 310 South Illinois Avenue, at 8:00 am.

Leaders: Billy Heaton, bheaton8@yahoo.com and Lynda Bryan, ellymay2015@aol.com • FREE

Tuesday, April 4 THE GREAT WAR’S PROPAGANDA AND AMERICANISM’ •

Howard H. Baker Center for Public Policy • 12PM • East Tennessee PBS, in partnership with the Howard Baker Jr Center for Public Policy presents an advanced screening of The Great War’s Propaganda and Americanism. This segment looks at the role of propaganda and the erosion of First Amendment rights during World War I. • FREE

Sports and Recreation Saturday, April 1 SMOKY MOUNTAIN HIKING CLUB: APPALACHIAN TRAIL MAINTENANCE • 7AM • Due to uncertainty in the date

for opening Clingman’s Dome Road and the window for chainsaw use in the Park, this work trip has been

Knoxville Marathon is the premier event of the Knoxville Track Club (KTC), a 501c(3) nonprofit located in Knoxville, TN. The event is produced by the KTC, with the help of the City of Knoxville, the University of Tennessee, and the title sponsor, Covenant Health. • $65-$80

Saturday, April 8 SAVE VS. HUNGER • Second Harvest Food Bank • 8AM •

Save vs Hunger is an annual event to raise money for the Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee. It is a celebration of what gamers can give back to the community. Featuring DDAL, PFS, Shadowrun Missions, Call of Chtuhlu, Deadlands, World of Darkness, and more roleplaying games. Also featuring a board game library, mini painting tutorials, and a charity raffle! • $15 BREAKTHROUGH RUN FOR AUTISM 5K • Regal Cinemas Pinnacle Stadium 18 in Turkey Creek • 8:30AM • This 11th annual 5K Run/Walk and 1-Mile Fun Run supports Autism Breakthrough of Knoxville, a non-profit

SMOKY MOUNTAIN HIKING CLUB: FROZEN HEAD WILDFLOWER HIKE • 8AM • Frozen Head State Park encompasses

Sunday, April 9 SAVE VS. HUNGER • Second Harvest Food Bank • 9AM • Save vs Hunger is an annual event to raise money for the Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee. It is a celebration of what gamers can give back to the community. Featuring DDAL, PFS, Shadowrun Missions, Call of Chtuhlu, Deadlands, World of Darkness, and more roleplaying games. Also featuring a board game library, mini painting tutorials, and a charity raffle! • $15 KTC LAKESHORE TRAIL TREK • 9AM • New in 2012 was a well-received steambath of a race that traced a relatively unknown but delightful trail that snakes along the east bank of what used to be the Little Tennessee River southeast of Lenoir City. Visit ktc.org. • $15-$20

hangoutmusicfest.com

PERFORMANCES

APRIL / 6 / 2017 7:30PM

Music Fest 2017 • May 19th - 21st • GulF shores, al

WUTK wants to give YOU

THE FLYING KARAMAZOV BROTHERS

a chance to win

FEB. 15-APRIL 8: Back to Work, mixed-media sculpture by Jackson Martin. MARCH 10-MAY 6: Un//known, new works

by Arrowmont artists in residence. A reception will be held on Friday, April 7, from 6-8 p.m.

Art Market Gallery artmarketgallery.net FEB. 28-MARCH 31: Art Market Gallery members’ Group Show.

Central Collective thecentralcollective.com APRIL 7-30: Boy Howdy, illustrations by Laura Baisden. An opening reception will be held on Friday, April 7, from 7-10 p.m.

Downtown Gallery downtown.utk.edu MARCH 3-31: Film and video art by Kevin Jerome Everson.

East Tennessee History Center easttnhistory.org NOV. 19-APRIL 30: Rock of Ages: East Tennessee’s Marble Industry.

Hangout Music Fest 2017! l Tune to WUTK for your

DRAWing TAKES plAcE ApRil 6!

VISIT US AT:

2016 -2017 SPONSORS

1200 N. CENTRAL STREET

DISCOVER DISCOVER THE ARTS THE ARTS

(HAPPY HOLLER)

US • FOLLOW US • US LIKE US FINDFIND US • FOLLOW US • LIKE

FACEBOOK FACEBOOK

TWITTER TWITTER

DISCOVER ClaytonArtsCenter.com ClaytonArtsCenter.com

Streaming 24.7.365 at WUTKRADIO.COM

FU Y, Y'ALL DON'T L K AN ISSUE OVER 99!

"Nobody leaves the theatre without a big grin."

- Variety

a pair of festival passes to

34 knoxville mercury March 30, 2017

Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts arrowmont.org

2016 - 2017

S E A S O N

chance to qualify. l Register through April 5 at Dead End Barbecue, 3621 Sutherland Avenue.

ART

THE ARTS

CLAYTON CENTER FOR THE ARTS

on the campus of Maryville College 502 E. Lamar Alexander Pkwy. Maryville, TN 37804

BOX OFFICE: 865-981-8590 ClaytonArtsCenter.com

865- 525-9016 TUE-SAT, 12P-7P SUN 1P-5P

March 30 – April 9

Emporium Center for Arts and Culture knoxalliance.com MARCH 3-31: Abingdon Arts Depot Juried Members Exhibition; The Art of Surrealism by Jose Roberto; artwork

by Coral Grace Turner; Vintage Reinventions: Steampunk Creations by Eric Holstine, Jason Lambert, and Jason Edwards; and art by Joe Bracco.

Fluorescent Gallery 627 N. Central St. MARCH 17-30: Artwork by Dapper Bruce Lafitte.

Fountain City Art Center fountaincityartcenter.com THROUGH APRIL 6: Paintings by Aleex Connor. MARCH 10-APRIL 6: Southern Appalachian Nature Photography Society Exhibition and Knoxville Book Arts Guild Exhibition.

Knoxville Museum of Art knoxart.org JAN. 27-APRIL 16: O utside In, new paintings by Jered

Sprecher. FEB. 3-APRIL 16: Virtual Views: Digital Art From the Thoma Foundation. 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 mcclungmuseum.utk.edu FEB. 3-MAY 7: Divine Felines: Cats of Ancient Egypt.

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

Old City Java oldcityjava.com

animal care are welcome. • FREE KTC COVENANT KIDS’ RUN AND 5K • World’s Fair Park • 5:30PM • Part of the Covenant Knoxville Marathon weekend of events. • $15-$35

Sunday, April 2 IJAMS CREATURE FEATURE • Ijams Nature Center • 1PM • Have you met all the animals that call the Ijams Visitor Center home? If not, be sure to stop by every Saturday for a chance to get nose-to-beak with some of our resident furred and feathered ambassadors. This program is free, but donations to support animal care are welcome. • FREE

Wednesday, April 5 IJAMS PRESCHOOL PLAY DATES • Ijams Nature Center • 10AM • Please call (865) 577-4717, ext. 110 to register. • FREE IJAMS LITTLE TYKE HIKE • Ijams Nature Center • 10AM • Please call (865) 577-4717, ext. 110 to register. • FREE

Saturday, April 8 IJAMS CREATURE FEATURE • Ijams Nature Center • 10AM and 2PM • This program is free, but donations to support animal care are welcome. • FREE MARBLE SPRING TREE-PLANTING CELEBRATION • Marble Springs State Historic Site • 10AM • In recognition of Arbor Day, Marble Springs will host a tree planting celebration where participants will first learn how to properly plant and label saplings to meet arboretum qualifications as set by the Tennessee Urban Forestry Council. Please confirm your attendance at info@ marblesprings.net or by calling (865) 573-5508. We will need a name, contact number, and email. For more information please visit our website at www. marblesprings.net, call (865) 573-5508, or email info@ marblesprings.net. • 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 IJAMS FAMILY YOGA HIKE • Ijams Nature Center • 11AM • Recommended for families with kids ages 6 and under. Please call (865) 577-4717, ext. 110 to register. • $7

feature screenings of short documentary films addressing such concerns as community improvements that support good health, expand livability, and leverage new strategies and technology to improve access, equity, and economic competitiveness. Public involvement and input sessions; public speakers will engage on these issues. • FREE CLIFFORD ANDO: “KNOWING THE ROMAN STATE” • University of Tennessee John C. Hodges Library • 3:30PM • Clifford Ando will give a public address at the next installment of the UT Humanities Center 5th Annual Distinguished Lecture Series. His presentation is entitled “Knowing the Roman State: The Epistemics of Sovereignty.” Visit uthumanitiesctr.utk.edu/scholars/ current.php. • FREE CHRISTIANE PAUL: SARAH JANE HARDRATH KRAMER LECTURE • Knoxville Museum of Art • 6PM • Christiane

Paul, associate professor in the School of Media Studies at the New School and adjunct curator of new media arts at the Whitney Museum of American Art will discuss the exciting new directions in digital art represented in the museum’s current exhibition Virtual Views: Digital Art from the Thoma Foundation. • FREE

Saturday, April 1 SATURDAY MORNING PHYSICS • University of Tennessee • 10AM • Antimatter. The Big Bang. Ghostly neutrinos. The public is invited to spend Saturday mornings this spring with the University of Tennessee Department of Physics and Astronomy, learning about intriguing and newsworthy science topics. Saturday Morning Physics will feature physics faculty talking about their areas of expertise and how they pertain to the world around us.

• FREE

Tuesday, April 4 GARRARD CONLEY: ‘BOY ERASED’ • Union Ave Books •

MARCH 5-APRIL 30: Paintings by Shirley Wittman and Lauren Lazarus and blown glass by Johnny Glass.

Sunday, April 9 IJAMS CREATURE FEATURE • Ijams Nature Center • 1PM •

5:30PM • “Boy Erased” is on Pride.com’s 15 Must Read LGBT Books of 2016, Buzzfeed’s Top 18, and Oprah’s Top 10 Memoirs of 2016. The son of a Baptist pastor and deeply embedded in church life in small town Arkansas, as a young man Garrard Conley was terrified and conflicted about his sexuality. By confronting his buried past and the burden of a life lived in shadow, Garrard traces the complex relationships among family, faith, and community It is a beautiful, compassionate memoir about identity, love, and understanding. • FREE

FAMILY AND KIDS’ EVENTS

This program is free, but donations to support animal care are welcome. • FREE

ELLEN DUNHAM-JONES: “RETROFITTING SUBURBIA FOR 21ST-CENTURY CHALLENGES” • Farragut Town Hall • 6PM

LECTURES, READINGS, AND BOOK SIGNINGS

• Ellen Dunham-Jones’ presentation explores how the design of where we live affects public health, economic vitality and sustainability. The event is free, but the public is asked to register by calling 865-215-5170 or by visiting http://tinyurl.com/ WSSPublic-RetrofittingSuburbia. • FREE

MARCH 3-31: New Schema, paintings by Van Walker.

RALA shoprala.com MARCH 3-31: Paintings by Sarah Moore.

Westminster Presbyterian Church wpcknox.org

Saturday, April 1 IJAMS CREATURE FEATURE • Ijams Nature Center • 10AM

and 2PM • Have you met all the animals that call the Ijams Visitor Center home? If not, be sure to stop by every Saturday for a chance to get nose-to-beak with some of our resident furred and feathered ambassadors. This program is free, but donations to support

Thursday, March 30 HEALTH HAPPY SMART PLANNING SYMPOSIUM • Knoxville Chamber • 9AM • Symposium designed to share ideas and facilitate a dialog on the themes of healthier , happier, smarter communities in the region. It will

Wednesday, April 5 ELLEN DUNHAM-JONES: “RETROFITTING SUBURBIA FOR 21ST-CENTURY CHALLENGES” • University of Tennessee Art March 30, 2017 knoxville mercury 35

March 30 – April 9

and Architecture Building • 6PM • Ellen Dunham-Jones’ presentation explores how the design of where we live affects public health, economic vitality and sustainability. The event is free, but the public is asked to register by calling 865-215-5170 or by visiting http://tinyurl.com/ WSSPublic-RetrofittingSuburbia. • FREE

Saturday, April 8 JACK NEELY DOWNTOWN WALKING TOUR • Knoxville Civic

Photo by Mark Holthusen

Mark Eitzel Pilot Light (106 E. Jackson Ave.) • Tuesday, April 4 • 8:30 p.m. • $15 • 18 and up • thepilotlight.com or facebook.com/ markeitzel Mark Eitzel has been pegged as dramatic, Morrisey-esque, and bleak. But to buy into the idea of the former American Music Club frontman as simply a sad troubadour would be selling his songwriting skills short.

His songs may be on the somber side, with lyrics like “I wanna get messed up/And give up/And end up somewhere else” and “Home is a place to rob/Home is alone in the mob/Home is an unheard sob.” But the San Francisco-based singer-songwriter, who was voted Songwriter of the Year by Rolling Stone in 1991, has more to offer than gloomy ballads. Regardless of his songs’ subject matter, it’s his quick wit and sardonic style that shines.

Coliseum • 9AM • Inspired by Knoxville’s Big Ears Festival and Rhythm and Blooms, join us for a walk and talk with historian and author, Jack Neely highlighting downtown Knoxville’s historic theatres and event spaces: the Civic Auditorium and Coliseum, Bijou Theatre, Tennessee Theatre, Tennessee Amphitheater, Scruffy City Hall, The Square Room, The Standard, and The Mill and Mine. • $10 SATURDAY MORNING PHYSICS • University of Tennessee • 10AM • FREE UT COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN 2017 SPRING LECTURE SERIES • Bijou Theatre • 4PM • The University of

Tennessee College of Architecture and Design will host a variety of internationally renowned architects and guest lecturers during the 2017 spring semester. • FREE

Sunday, April 9 ANNE LAMOTT • First Presbyterian Church • 7PM •

Bestselling author Anne Lamott is known for her ability to address issues of faith, family, and community with wit, wisdom, and a touch of irreverence. • $20

CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS Thursday, March 30 GENTLE YOGA AND MEDITATION • Balanced You Studios •

As the leader of the indie-rock trio American Music Club, Eitzel was widely credited as pioneering slowcore, a minimalist genre marked by downbeat, angst-ridden lyrics and hushed arrangements.

Artists including Slowdive, Low, and Sun Kil Moon are also frequently nested under the category.

But while AMC’s muted instrumentation—marked by iridescent acoustic guitar work—was part of the band’s appeal, Eitzel’s ability to weave detailed narratives was revered as one of the defining factors of the group. The band’s last album, The Golden Age, was released in 2008.

Throughout his 10 solo releases, Eitzel’s expressive but delicate voice glides over sharp lyrics that touch on everything from death to drunken disappointments. His latest effort, 2017’s Hey Mr. Ferryman, is his first in three years. The dense album is full of the rich, character-driven storytelling that has made his solo career a success. Developed in partnership with producer (and former Suede guitarist) Bernard Butler, Hey Mr. Ferryman finds Eitzel in top form—his narratives are full of detail and fully developed characters instead of just gloom for gloom’s sake. The album’s arrangements are also more open—Eitzel’s sarcasm is still on full display, but this time, it has a little more room to bite.

Live, Eitzel is known for his heartfelt banter in between songs. He glides through his catalog, sometimes switching from one song to another after just a few seconds. Eitzel’s latest shows are likely to be more of the same, with intimate audiences enjoying an intense connection with singer. (Carey Hodges)

36 knoxville mercury March 30, 2017

12PM • Call 865-577-2021 or email yogaway249@ gmail.com. Donations accepted.

KNOXVILLE CAPOEIRA CLASS • Emporium Center for Arts and Culture • 6PM • Visit capoeiraknoxville.org. • $10 KNOXVILLE PERSONAL TRAINING PILATES • Beaver Creek Cumberland Presbyterian Church • 6:30PM • Every Tuesday and Thursday. First class is free. Call (865) 622-3103 or visit knoxvillepersonaltraining.com. • $4 SEYMOUR FARMERS MARKET GARDENING CLASSES • Seymour Public Library • 7PM • Seymour Farmers Market will again be sponsoring a series of free gardening classes. These classes are fun and informative for both the novice and experienced gardener. Please contact Marjie Richardson at 865-453-0130. The schedule includes: planning a garden (Jan. 26); “It’s Soil, Not Dirt” (Feb. 2); improving your soil (March 30); and heirloom crops (April 6). • FREE BEGINNER ACROYOGA CLASS • Breezeway Yoga Studio • 7:30PM • Each class explores the foundations of the AcroYoga practice. We work closely with spotters, providing a safe and supported environment for newcomers to immerse themselves in the practice.

Come and learn what it means to trust, to let go, to fly, and to play. No partner needed. • $15 BELLY DANCE LEVELS 1 AND 2 • Knox Dance Worx • 8PM • Call (865) 898-2126 or email alexia@alexia-dance. com. • $12 HIKING BASICS • REI • 6PM • Go take a hike—learn about the basics of hiking, from trip planning, essential items, equipment, safety precautions, along with local resources and places to go. • FREE BIKE POLO 101 • DreamBikes • 7PM • Come on out to Dream Bikes and learn about the glorious emerging sport known as Hardcourt Bike Polo! • FREE

Saturday, April 1 NARROW RIDGE YOGA • Narrow Ridge Earth Literacy Center

• 9:30AM • For more information call 865-497-3603 or emailcommunity@narrowridge.org. • FREE

Sunday, April 2 CIRCLE MODERN DANCE BALLET BARRE CLASS • Emporium

Center for Arts and Culture • 1PM • Visit circlemoderndance.com. • $10 CANCER SUPPORT COMMUNITY: KNIT YOUR WAY TO WELLNESS • Cancer Support Community • 1PM • Call

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

CIRCLE MODERN DANCE: MODERN DANCE FOUNDATIONS CLASS • Emporium Center for Arts and Culture • 2PM •

Visit circlemoderndance.com. • $10 WILDFLOWER WALK • Ijams Nature Center • 2PM • Please call (865) 577-4717, ext. 110 to register. • FREE

Monday, April 3 GENTLE YOGA AND MEDITATION • Balanced You Studios •

6PM • Call 865-577-2021 or email yogaway249@gmail. com. Donations accepted.

KNOXVILLE PERSONAL TRAINING BOOT CAMP • Beaver Creek Cumberland Presbyterian Church • 6:30PM • First class is free. Call (865) 622-3103 or visit knoxvillepersonaltraining.com. • $15 MONDAY NIGHT YOGA • Church Street United Methodist Church • 7PM • Contact Micarooni@aol.com with questions. • $5

Tuesday, April 4 GENTLE YOGA AND MEDITATION • Balanced You Studios •

12PM • Call 865-577-2021 or email yogaway249@ gmail.com. Donations accepted.

KNOXVILLE CAPOEIRA CLASS • Emporium Center for Arts and Culture • 6PM • Visit capoeiraknoxville.org. • $10 SHEBOOM!: A WEEKLY DROP-IN DANCE CLASS FOR ALL BODIES • Broadway Academy of Performing Arts • 6PM

• We focus on getting de-stressed and mindful on the moment at hand. • $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 LADY PARTS: KNOXVILLE’S FEMALE BICYCLE MAINTENANCE

March 30 – April 9

CLASS • DreamBikes • 7PM • Lady Parts is an all female

and femme bicycle maintenance class. It is a safe and inclusive space for women to learn about how to fix their bikes. In our second season of courses we are collaborating with DreamBikes Knoxville to teach our classes at their non-profit bike shop. • FREE

who are specialists in windows, flooring, roofing, stained glass, tile, plumbing, electrical, and more. For more information visit knoxheritage.org. • FREE

GENTLE YOGA AND MEDITATION • Balanced You Studios •

12PM • Call 865-577-2021 or email yogaway249@ gmail.com. Donations accepted.

Sunday, April 9

CIRCLE MODERN DANCE OPEN LEVEL BALLET CLASS •

Emporium Center for Arts and Culture • 6:30PM • Visit circlemoderndance.com. • $10

Thursday, April 6

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

CANCER SUPPORT COMMUNITY RESTORATIVE YOGA SERIES

• Cancer Support Community • 3PM • 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 capoeiraknoxville.org. • $10

CIRCLE MODERN DANCE: MODERN DANCE FOUNDATIONS CLASS • Emporium Center for Arts and Culture • 2PM •

Visit circlemoderndance.com. • $10

Buy a qualifying system and choose:

IJAMS GOURD BIRDHOUSE WORKSHOP • Ijams Nature

Center • 2PM • Please call (865) 577-4717, ext. 110 to register. Note: We recommend wearing old clothing that can get dirty. • $25

MEETINGS

• 6PM • Cognitive-Behavioral psychologist Dr. Denise Stillman will discuss the power of our thoughts and teach ways to enlist them as our ally. RSVP. 865-546-4661. All Cancer Support Community programs are offered at no cost to individuals affected by cancer.

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 SEYMOUR FARMERS MARKET GARDENING CLASSES • Seymour Public Library • 7PM • Seymour Farmers Market will again be sponsoring a series of free gardening classes. These classes are fun and informative for both the novice and experienced gardener.

Please contact Marjie Richardson at 865-453-0130. The schedule includes: planning a garden (Jan. 26); “It’s Soil, Not Dirt” (Feb. 2); improving your soil (March 30); and heirloom crops (April 6). • FREE BELLY DANCE LEVELS 1 AND 2 • Knox Dance Worx • 8PM • Call (865) 898-2126 or email alexia@alexia-dance. com. • $12

farragutalanon.org or email FindHope@Farragutalanon.org. • FREE

• 9:30AM • For more information call 865-497-3603 or emailcommunity@narrowridge.org. • FREE KNOX HERITAGE PRESERVATION NETWORK • Knox Heritage • 10AM • The monthly workshops feature guest speakers

It’s Hard to Stop These Great Offers!

Center for Arts and Culture • 1PM • Visit circlemoderndance.com. • $10

CANCER SUPPORT COMMUNITY: THOUGHTS GETTING YOU DOWN? • Thompson Cancer Survival Center (Oak Ridge)

NARROW RIDGE YOGA • Narrow Ridge Earth Literacy Center

Any Season... Any Weather...

CIRCLE MODERN DANCE BALLET BARRE CLASS • Emporium

Thursday, March 30

Saturday, April 8

IN ANY SEASON

THE HEART’S JOURNEY: SACRED CIRCLE DANCE WORKSHOP WITH EVI BECK • Flynn Dance Center • 11AM • As we join

hands to dance in community, we will invoke and honor the many different parts of ourselves. No previous dance experience or partner are needed.

Circle Dance is a means for relaxation, joy, growth, awareness and healing. Also known as Sacred Dance or World Dance, it was birthed at Findhorn, a spiritual community in Scotland. • $50 IJAMS YOGA HIKE • Ijams Nature Center • 1PM • Please call (865) 577-4717, ext. 110 to register. • $12

Wednesday, April 5

UNSTOPABLE

OR

0% APR Financing for 60 Months* Trade-In Allowance of $1,000** Additional financing and trade-in allowance offers available.

AL-ANON • Faith Lutheran Church • 11AM • Visit

ADULT CHILDREN OF ALCOHOLICS/DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILIES • The Birdhouse • 6PM • Contact Laura at

706-621-2238 or lamohendricksll@gmail.com for more information or visit the international ACA website at adultchildren.org. • FREE

Friday, March 31 UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE SCIENCE FORUM • Thompson-

Boling Arena • 12PM • Visit scienceforum.utk.edu. • FREE

Saturday, April 1 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. Visit sosknoxville.org. • FREE AL-ANON • Faith Lutheran Church • 11AM • Visit farragutalanon.org or email FindHope@Farragutalanon.org. • FREE NARROW RIDGE SILENT MEDITATION GATHERING • Narrow Ridge Earth Literacy Center • 11AM • The gatherings are intended to be inclusive of people of all faiths as well as those who do not align themselves with a particular religious denomination. For more information call 865-497-3603 or emailcommunity@ narrowridge.org. • FREE

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.

*The Wells Fargo Home Projects credit card is issued by Wells Fargo Financial Bank, an Equal Housing Lender. Special terms apply to qualifying purchases charged with approved credit. The special terms APR will continue to apply until all qualifying purchases are paid in full. The monthly payment for this purchase will be the amount that will pay for the purchase in full in equal payments during the promotional (special terms) period. The APR for purchases will apply to certain fees such as late payment fee if you use the card for other transactions.

For new accounts, the APR for purchases is 28.99%. If you are charged interest in any billing cycle, the minimum interest charge will be $1.00. This information is accurate as 0f 3/1/2017 and is subject to change. For current information, call us at 1-800-431-5921. Offer expires 5/31/2017.**See your independent Trane dealer for complete eligibility, dates, details and restrictions. Special financing offers OR trade-in allowances from $100 up to $1,000 valid on qualifying systems only. Offers vary by equipment. All sales must be to homeowners in the United States. Void where prohibited.

March 30, 2017 knoxville mercury 37

March 30 – April 9

Sunday, April 2 AL-ANON • Faith Lutheran Church • 11AM • Visit

farragutalanon.org or email FindHope@Farragutalanon.org. • FREE

Tuesday, April 4 AL-ANON • Faith Lutheran Church • 11AM • Visit

farragutalanon.org or email FindHope@Farragutalanon.org. • FREE ATHEISTS SOCIETY OF KNOXVILLE • West Hills Flats and Taps • 5:30PM • Visit meetup.com/KnoxvilleAtheists. • FREE THREE RIVERS! EARTH FIRST! • Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria • 8PM • Call (865) 257-4029 for more information. • FREE

Wednesday, April 5 AL-ANON • Faith Lutheran Church • 11AM • Visit

farragutalanon.org or email FindHope@Farragutalanon.org. • FREE KNOXVILLE CHAPTER OF THE TENNESSEE ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY • University of Tennessee • Meetings are held

the first Wednesday of the month at 6:45 p.m. in Room 118 of the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine. • FREE

Thursday, April 6 AL-ANON • Faith Lutheran Church • 11AM • Visit

farragutalanon.org or email FindHope@Farragutala-

non.org. • FREE

Psychology and Counseling Department. • FREE

CANCER SUPPORT COMMUNITY FAMILY BEREAVEMENT GROUP • Cancer Support Community • 6PM • Call

Saturday, April 8

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 • 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 • Additional information about KWG can be found at KnoxvilleWritersGuild.org.

BLACK LIVES MATTER • The Birdhouse • 7:30PM • Visit blacklivesmatterknoxville.org. • FREE

Friday, April 7 UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE SCIENCE FORUM • Thompson-Boling Arena • 12PM • Visit scienceforum.utk.edu. • FREE LET’S TALK QUAL • Knoxville Public House • 4PM • Ever wanted to chat more about qualitative research outside of the classroom? Here’s your chance. Let’s get out of our silos and talk about thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and practices of QUALitative work. This event is for anyone interested in QUAL and hosted by Lauren Moret, assistant professor in the Educational

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 • Visit farragutalanon.org or email FindHope@Farragutalanon.org. • FREE NARROW RIDGE SILENT MEDITATION GATHERING • Narrow Ridge Earth Literacy Center • 11AM • For more information call 865-497-3603 or emailcommunity@ narrowridge.org. • FREE

works of art for the home and garden, all created by local and regional artists. In partnering with Dogwood Arts, the spirit of Artitude celebrates courage and survivorship through works of art. Held at Cherokee Mills on Sutherland Avenue. • $50

Saturday, April 1 UT SCHOOL OF MUSIC GALA 2017 • 6PM • Join us for a Night

ARTITUDE • 6PM • Artitude is an annual spring event

in the Caribbean full of wonderful music, fine dining, and lively auctions. All contributions from this black tie event will fund scholarships to attract the very best young musicians to the University of Tennessee, thanks to the generous sponsorship of Pilot Flying J. OAK RIDGE PLAYHOUSE MASKAPALOOZA FUNDRAISER • Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge • 6:30PM • Dancing, live auction, mask competition, heavy hors d’oeuvres, cash bar, complimentary wine and beer. $60 per person. RSVP to Linda Hudson by March 15, 2017 at lady.vols.rock@gmail.com or 865.288.3166. • $60 MABRY-HAZEN HOUSE PARK DAY • Mabry-Hazen House • 9AM • Celebrating over 20 successful years, Park Day has attracted volunteers of all ages and abilities bound by their dedication to serving their communities at historic sites nationwide. Additional information about the event can be obtained by visiting www. mabryhazen.com or by calling 865-522-8661. Please RSVP by March 30. • FREE

featuring a silent auction of upcycled and reinvented

FRIENDS OF THE KNOX COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY ANNUAL USED

Sunday, April 9 AL-ANON • Faith Lutheran Church • 11AM • Visit

farragutalanon.org or email FindHope@Farragutalanon.org. • FREE

ETC. Friday, March 31

ADS EQUAL SUPPORT Dawn Coppock, Attorney At Law 865.933.8173 www.dawncoppock.com (for law practice information)

www.goodlawtn.com (for seminar information)

www.celticcatlaw.com (to purchase Coppock On Tennessee Adoption Law, 7th Edition)

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Thanks to all of our advertisers.

Return the favor with your support of them.

March 30 – April 9

BOOK SALE • Chilhowee Park • 10AM • Friends of the Knox

County Public Library will hold its annual used book sale April 1-4. Thousands of carefully selected quality used books will be for sale—most books for adults will be $1-$2. Saturday, April 1, is open only to members of Friends of the Knox County Public Library. • FREE IVAN RACHEFF HOUSE AND GARDENS SPRING PLANT SALE • Ivan Racheff Historic House and Gardens • 9AM • Historic Ivan Racheff House and Gardens, state headquarters of the Tennessee Federation of Garden Clubs, will have its annual Spring Plant Sale. For additional information contact Chairman Evelyn Lorenz at 865-435-4769. • FREE TENNESSEE VALLEY UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH RUMMAGE SALE • Tennessee Valley Unitarian

Universalist Church • 9AM • Our whole building will be transformed into a smorgasbord of oddities, knick-knacks, collectibles, furniture, antiques, household wares, and more. Proceeds from the rummage sale go to support the work of the church to create a welcoming community and transform the world through acts of love and justice. • FREE EAST TENNESSEE PBS ANTIQUE APPRAISAL FAIR • 9AM • Case Antiques will host the East Tennessee PBS Antique Appraisal fair at the Historic Cherokee Mills Building at 2240 Sutherland Avenue. The appraisal fair is open to the public and guests are invited to bring their items including silver, jewelry, pottery, Civil War memorabilia, Native American, paintings, samplers/ textiles, furniture, books and more for appraisal.

SCOTTISH COUNTRY DANCE • Boyd’s Jig and Reel • 4PM • Visit jigandreel.com. • FREE MEAD MONTESSORI RUMMAGE SALE • Mead Montessori School West Campus • 8AM • The Mead Community has pulled together gently used items that may become your new favorite thing. We are selling gently-used children’s clothing and toys, small household items, and outdoor recreational gear. Profits from the sale will go toward replenishing the PTO Hardship Fund. The PTO Hardship Fund is utilized when life’s unexpected events fall upon the Mead community. Events such as birth, death, ilness, job-loss, and other unexpected circumstances that require a little extra community support and care. • FREE

Sunday, April 2 FRIENDS OF THE KNOX COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY ANNUAL USED BOOK SALE • Chilhowee Park • 10AM • Friends of the Knox

County Public Library will hold its annual used book sale April 1-4. Thousands of carefully selected quality used books will be for sale—most books for adults will be $1-$2. Saturday, April 1, is open only to members of Friends of the Knox County Public Library. • FREE KNOXVILLE ACADEMY OF MUSIC PAWS FOR THE CAUSE • Wild Wing Cafe • 1PM • Knoxville Academy of Music is proud to announce their charitable fundraising event ‘Paws for the Cause’ to benefit Smoky Mountain Service Dogs (SMSD), a non-profit organization with a mission to enhance the physical and psychological quality of life for veterans with disabilities by providing custom trained mobility assistance service dogs. Presented by

Knoxville Academy of Music in conjunction with local business sponsors, the Paws for the Cause fundraising extravaganza will feature live performances by Steve Rutledge and The Groove Evolution.

McKay’s

Monday, April 3 FRIENDS OF THE KNOX COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY ANNUAL USED BOOK SALE • Chilhowee Park • 10AM • Friends of

the Knox County Public Library will hold its annual used book sale April 1-4. Thousands of carefully selected quality used books will be for sale—most books for adults will be $1-$2. Saturday, April 1, is open only to members of Friends of the Knox County Public Library. • FREE

Tuesday, April 4 FRIENDS OF THE KNOX COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY ANNUAL USED BOOK SALE • Chilhowee Park • 10AM • Friends of

the Knox County Public Library will hold its annual used book sale April 1-4. Thousands of carefully selected quality used books will be for sale—most books for adults will be $1-$2. Saturday, April 1, is open only to members of Friends of the Knox County Public Library. • FREE POSITIVELY LIVING PEOPLE OF COURAGE LUNCHEON • The Foundry • 11:30AM • Positively Living is bringing Garrard Conley, author of “Boy Erased,” to Knoxville for our second annual People of Courage Luncheon. “Boy Erased” is on Pride.com’s 15 Must Read LGBT Books of 2016, Buzzfeed’s Top 18, and Oprah’s Top 10 Memoirs of 2016. The son of a Baptist pastor and deeply embedded in church life in small town Arkansas, as a young man Garrard Conley was terrified and conflicted about his sexuality. By confronting his buried past and the burden of a life lived in shadow, Garrard traces the complex relationships among family, faith, and community It is a beautiful, compassionate memoir about identity, love, and understanding.

Saturday, April 8 UT ARBORETUM SPRING PLANT SALE • University of

Tennessee Arboretum • 9AM • The University of Tennessee Arboretum Society’s 50th Annual Spring Plant Sale will gather the best of four local nurseries in one location. To learn more about the Arboretum Society, and the UT Arboretum Endowment Fund, go to http://utarboretum.tennessee.edu/arboretum.htm and www.utarboretumsociety.org. • FREE TENNESSEE CONSERVATORY OF FINE ARTS • 9AM • Come and join us for a fun filled day of family fun and shopping. Get your picture made with the Easter Bunny, enjoy a petting zoo and shop a variety of small locally owned businesses including hand crafted furniture, artisan skin and bath products, gourmet food and groceries, make-up, essential oils, clothing for the entire family and more. • FREE NOURISH KNOXVILLE WINTER FARMERS’ MARKET • Central United Methodist Church • 10AM • Visit nourishknoxville.org. • FREE SEND YOUR EVENTS TO CALENDAR@KNOXMERCURY.COM

Bookstore

Record Store

BUY*SELL*TRADE DVD’s, Blue Rays, Books, CDs, Vinyl, Comic Books, All Video Games & Consoles, Electronics, MP3 Players, Collectible Statues & Figures, Musical Instruments, Audiobooks and More!

230 Papermill Place Way, Knoxville TN 37919. www.mckaybooks.com March 30, 2017 knoxville mercury 39

Photos by Dennis Perkins

Home Palate

High Pie Pizzeria Nora rises to fill the emptiness left by North Corner Sandwich Shop

BY DENNIS PERKINS

T

he opening of Pizzeria Nora was bittersweet for some folks who were regular visitors to the flat stretch of North Central Street that’s just down the slope from the north side of the Oak Hill neighborhood.

That’s because the pizzeria emerged from the ashes of what was one of Knoxville’s brightest sandwich beacons: the North Corner Sandwich Shop, which was created by the very amiable David Blevins, who’s also the proprietor of Nora. Like many fans of Blevins’ now fabled Italian subs and grilled “Cheesesters,” I wondered if the new enterprise would rise like a Phoenix or peter out into a wisp of

40 knoxville mercury March 30, 2017

red-sauce-scented smoke.

Since my own vision of the Phoenix is informed by Harry Potter’s valiant healer, Fawkes, the extended analogy is unfair. Still, though Pizzeria Nora may not prove an effective antidote to basilisk venom or a foil to the wiles of the Dark Lord, it is certainly a light in the darkness that is the frontier of Downtown North’s still-wild edges.

The biggest change—well, aside from the demise of those excellent sandwiches (I promise, I’m not bitter)— is that the hours have shifted from day to night. Pizzeria Nora opens at 5:30 p.m. and closes four hours later on

Pizzeria Nora Tuesdays through Saturdays. The space looks the same: sparse, clean, and dominated by a big blue fish hanging on the back wall. Blevins has added some little red candle holders to the bare tables, but décor is not much of a consideration. Even with the candlelight, it’s not the spot for a night of romance—unless, of course, you’re dating someone with a pizza fetish, in which case it may prove a real thrill.

About those pizzas: The crust is “Kind of neo-Neapolitan,” Blevins says, “or New York style, which is just a hand-pulled, thin crust pie. I use a high-protein flour like they do in New York so the crust has some chew. I wanted to do a pizza where people could actually eat the crust.”

Dough geeks will enjoy hearing the details from the source’s mouth (and Blevins likes to talk about his dough—the flour kind, that is), but suffice here to say that Blevins manages a truly toothsome result that does in fact have good chew punctuated by excellent crackle thanks to some air pockets. If you ask nicely, you might get a little bit of Blevins’ olive oil to use as a dip for the crust. But you won’t need it for the bulk of the pie.

Blevins offers just a handful of selections, and that’s a good thing for this lovely little nook—a small space with well-made, but limited, offerings always sounds like a hit to me. There are five 12-inch pizzas on offer, one salad, and one dessert. Pizza options and toppings are few, so don’t come looking

2400 N, Central St. 423-737-0760 FB: PizzaKnoxville Tue.–Sat.: 5:30 p.m.–9:30 p.m.

for anchovies or regular old black olives, and you won’t be able to add bacon, chicken, or artichoke hearts.

And you can’t get the same old, mundane soda that you may expect.

The soda fountain is gone, but there are Blue Sky and Hansen’s sodas, San Pellegrino juice beverages, and pitchers of ice water, too. For $3 you can BYOB, and Blevins has some stemless wine glasses available for you to use.

So if you want a brand-nameheavy experience with endless choices and combos and substitutions, Pizzeria Nora probably ain’t your thing. If you like the idea of one guy, making good pie his way, then drive over that hill, park on the street, and chow down.

My favorite of the pizza lot is the Gino, a straightforward red pie with garlic, oregano, and Pecorino Romano that’s made verdant with a field of cracked Sicilian green olives. At this writing it is a serious salt fest, but Blevins is reworking the pie. My doctor would say that’s a good thing, and while I don’t necessarily enjoy the salt parch, the pizza’s generous landscape of cheese and olives is an essential part of its allure. Piquant and meaty, the olives set off the mild red sauce and pair beautifully with

Home Palate

If you like the idea of one guy, making good pie his way, then drive over that hill, park on the street, and chow down. the bite of some red pepper.

The Nora Special makes for fascinating eating owing to the mix of textures and flavors that give the pie a decadent richness balanced by refreshing flashes of bright acidity.

Ricotta and goat cheese form the base of the pie and provide a creamy and tangy foundation; happily, the goat cheese melds pleasantly with ricotta without being an overwhelming flavor bully. The pizza is dotted with little nuggets of pancetta that are perfectly sized for both a pop of meaty flavor and a pleasant moment of crisp chew in the midst of the rich base. Halves of cherry tomato not only make the Nora Special special to the eyes, these little punches of moisture and freshness also add a lot appeal to the palate.

But flavor wise, it’s the Foongee that dominates my memory. Ever since I turned against my once-beloved cream of mushroom soup, I’ve been wary of the proximity of fungus and creamy things—in this case, Fontina cheese. But this pie takes a major left turn with its inclusion of Peppadew peppers, and their presence—which, honestly, struck me as just plain bizarre—made the Foongee a cordial bite. The signature piquant sweetness of these peppers gives the pie just the right lift to make the cremini and Fontina work while contributing textural interest, too. I shouldn’t have been surprised—my friends John and Ginny always serve Peppadews stuffed with a savory cream cheese concoction as a nibble that almost always spoils my appetite before Christmas dinners.

I didn’t try the salad, which is a mix of greens with feta, Kalamata, and orange supremes under a raspberry

DAVID BLEVINS

vinaigrette. But I did have dessert: buttermilk panna cotta with Fabbri cherries and salty pistachios. Admittedly, it’s a simple offering, but I have to constantly remind myself never to underestimate simplicity.

Fabbri cherries are fleshy, dark, tart-sweet Italian beauties from Emilia-Romagna that are candied in a syrup made from the same kind of cherry, the Amarena. They pack a flavorful wallop that’s perfect for Blevins’ delicate and delicious panna cotta. And as far as pistachios go, I’m a big fan, so I think they go with everything; but here they do, in fact, complete the full flavor profile of the dessert as elements salty, sweet, and sour cohabitate merrily with things crunchy, meaty, and silky. I don’t mind telling you that I ate two.

For the record, the location of the shop apparently causes some trepidation for a handful of eaters—that stretch of Central north of Happy Holler is still developing. Even so, there’s nothing to fear, except, perhaps, over-eating. But if you’re that worried, call ahead and take it to go.

The pizza may even be better after a reheat in a hot home oven.

Pizzeria Nora joins a whole slate of excellent pie providers in our city, which has become, surprisingly, a pizza paradise. I’m not sure where this place ranks in the scheme of things, but the pie, like the place’s vibe, is good.

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Join us Saturday April 29th at Union Ave Books to celebrate Independent Bookstore Day. Door prizes, giveaways, readings, and light refreshments.

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Independent Bookstore Day is a one-day national party that takes place at indie bookstores across the country on the last Saturday in April. Every store is unique and independent, and every party is different. But in addition to authors, live music, cupcakes, scavenger hunts, kids events, art tables, readings, barbecues, contests, and other fun stuff, there are exclusive books and literary items that you can only get on that day. Not before.

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Restless Native | Cartoon | Puzzle

Beating the Odds The gambling nature of old-school journalists

BY CHRIS WOHLWEND

S

oon after I started work at the Knoxville Journal, I was introduced to a game called FarAway. It was simple, easily played during work, and involved absolutely no skill. The cost was $2, plus the price of a 6.5-ounce bottle of Coca-Cola from the vending machine in the composing room. The Cokes, as I recall, were a quarter.

The re-fillable glass bottles had the name of the city where they were initially filled embossed on the bottom. Newer bottles did not have the city’s name—they were blank.

The object was to get the bottle that was from farthest away. A Knoxville bottle was a sure loser; Del

Rio, Texas, a strong contender. If a new player insisted that the game was pure gamble without any redeeming value, a veteran would point out that players were getting an education in geography. Arguments would lead to the large U.S. map on the wall of the newsroom and a tape measure kept solely for such disputes.

Del Rio was almost always a winner, beating Bay City, Mich. by a few miles. Douglas, Ariz. was only beatable by the rare Los Angeles, or by a blank, which was an automatic winner.

Far-Away was not the only gambling in the workplace. During football season, parlay sheets were common. And there was always a punch-

BY MATTHEW FOLTZ-GRAY www.thespiritofthestaircase.com

46 knoxville mercury March 30, 2017

board or two being run by printers.

Usually the payoff was a bottle of whiskey, but occasionally hunting rifles or shotguns were the prizes. I won a deer rifle once, fired it a few times to see how it worked, than ran it off myself.

Other firearms figured into an episode involving a more serious gambler, an occasional late-night visitor to the newsroom. He was known by a nickname and frequented Comer’s poolroom. He also ran his own betting book. I’ll call him Slim here.

Slim was a loud-mouth, cocksure that he knew everything concerning sports and odds and handicapping.

He could be a problem, especially when he had been drinking, and that frequently led to his being thrown out of Comer’s. When that happened, he would sometimes wander into the Journal, where the Associated Press wire machine would be clattering with the latest scores.

The last time I saw Slim had nothing to do with late-night scores, but everything to do with alcohol and his cock-sure attitude.

After leaving work at 2 a.m., a friend and I had stopped at the Krystal on the Strip. Fred was working night police and I was the late-news editor and we wanted an early breakfast. We sat down at the front-window counter so as not to miss anything interesting along Cumberland Avenue. After a couple of bites of egg, I saw an ominous reflection in the glass. Slim was coming in the door behind us. He was wearing a trench coat.

I nudged my companion; we

didn’t turn around, hoping he wouldn’t notice us. Unfortunately, he did. After getting a cup of coffee, Slim came over to tell us how well he was doing with his book, how nobody could best him when it came to sports betting, how nobody at Comer’s knew anything. He was obviously drunk.

Then a police car pulled into the parking lot, its occupant exiting to get his own cup of coffee. Slim took no notice, continuing to loudly regale us with his boasting. Finally, as the cop approached the door, I warned Slim to cool it, that a policeman was coming in. Without turning around, he pulled two revolvers from his trench-coat pockets, one in each hand.

“I’m not scared of him,” he announced.

As Fred and I quickly moved away, Slim laughed and put the guns back in their pockets. By then, we were going out the door, headed to my car, keeping an eye on Slim. When I pulled onto Cumberland, he was coming out the door, too, nonchalantly headed to his car.

“The cop never even noticed him,” Fred said. “I guess the odds were with Slim tonight.”

In retrospect, the odds were with us, too.

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.

Restless Native | Cartoon | Puzzle

CROOKED STREET CROSSWORD

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