The Loafer 65

Tn 37690 423-930-7319

All advertisements are accepted and published by the publisher upon the representation that the agency and/or advertiser is authorized to publish the entire contents and subject matter thereof. The agency and/or advertiser will indemnify and save the publisher harmless from any lossof expense resulting from claims or suits based upon contents of any advertisement, including claims or suits for defamation, libel, right of privacy, plagiarism, and copyright infringement. Founder: Bill Williams

Photo by Nunn Photography

Bristol TN/Va

Bristol, TN/VA

WEDNESDAY JAN 4th

Sixteen Stories 7:00pm at Cascade Draft House

THURSDAY JAN 5th

Trevor Meade Music 7:00pm at Cascade Draft House

FRIDAY JAN 6th

Rightous Friendz Band 7:00pm at Cascade Draft House Old Friends 6:00pm at Delta Blues BBQ

SATURDAY Jan 7th

Bobby Clay and the Hillbilly Borachos 7:00pm at Cascade Draft House

Johnson City, Tn

Johnson City, TN

TUESDAY Jan 3rd

Brim & Marci Leal 6:30pm at Rocks Wood Fired Pizza

WEDNESDAY Jan 4th

HB Beverly 6:30pm at Rocks Wood Fired Pizza

Dan Herrell Acoustic 8:00pm at Tulips American Grub And Pub

THURSDAY Jan 5th

Justin Mychals 6:30pm at Rocks Wood Fired Pizza

FRIDAY Jan 6th

Eugene Wolf presents The Book of Mamaw 8:00pm at The Down Home 2HL 8:00pm at Tulips American Grub And Pub

American Dropouts | Necktie Social | The Ruminations 10:00pm at Capones

SATURDAY Jan 7th

Webb Wilder 8:00pm at The Down Home

Dan Herell & The Troubadours 8:00pm at Tulips American Grub And Pub 1134 | Seasons | Blackwater Drowning 10:00pm at Capone’s Kingsport

Kingsport, TN

FRIDAY Jan 6th

Julie Williams & The Hired Guns9:00pm at CJ’s Sports Bar

SATURDAY Jan 7th

Shooter Band 9:00pm at CJ’s Sports Bar

ABINGDON

Abingdon, VA

FRIDAY Jan 6th

Honey Badgers Band 2.0 Don’t Care About Your Dry January 6:00pm at Wolf Hills Brewing

Kara ke

KARAOKE

TUESDAY

TUESDAY

Karaokeat Numan’s-JohnsonCity

Karaoke with Bert & L.A. at Kingsport Moose Lodge 7pm

Karaoke with Absolute Entertainment at The Pub Out Back (The Italian Pizza Pub) - Johnson City 7pm

WEDNESDAY

Trivia

TUESDAY

Wild Wing Café JC- Team Trivia Tuesdays 8:30pm

Johnson City Brewing Company- Trivia Tuesdays

Turn thePage Karaokeat VFWPost 2108 – Johnson City

WEDNESDAY

Karaoke Night at WonderlandLounge andBar

Karaoke w/ Eric Huskins VFW Post 2108 – Johnson City, TN 8pm

Karaokeat Quaker Steak andLube (Bristol, VA) 7pm

Karaoke at Kingsport Moose Lodge 6pm

Karaoke Night at Wonderland Lounge and Bar - Johnson City, TN 9pm

Karaoke at Thunder Valley Tavern 8pm

Karaoke with Ron at Kingsport Moose Lodge 6:30pm

THURSDAY

THURSDAY

KaraokeatZachary’s Steakhouse

Michael’s Krazy Karaoke at StatelineBar & Grill

7pm Aubrey’s Johnson City- Trivia Night 7pm

27 Lions - Trivia Night 7pm

Union Street Taproom - DJ Trivia 6pm

Gypsy Circus Cider Company - Trivia 7:00pm

WEDNESDAY

Karaokew/DJ MarquezTop Shelf Entertainment at WildWings CaféJC

Karaoke with Karaoke with Open Mic Entertainment at Wild Wing Café Johnson City, TN 8pm

Karaokeat Numan’s-JohnsonCity

Karaoke at Numan’s - Johnson City, TN 10pm

KaraokeatJiggy Rays Pizzeria

Karaoke at Jiggy Rays Pizzeria - Johnson City, TN

Abby’s Hell Yeah Karaoke at CJ’s Sports Bar - Kingsport, TN 8pm

Karaokew/Tony &Rod atCJ’s SportsBar 8pm

KaraokeatTipsy Toad(Jonesborough)

Karaoke at Tipsy Toad Tavern - JonesboroughTN

Karaoke w/ Absolute Entertainment at Tulips Grub & Pub 8pm

Open Mic & Karaoke at Wonderland Lounge/Bar N Grill

Tipton Street Pub- Trivia Wednesdays 9pm

Aubrey’s Bristol- Trivia Night 7pm

Johnson City Moose Lodge 1831 - DJ Trivia 7pm

Tipsy Toad (Jonesborough) - Trivia 7pm

Karaoke w/ Absolute Entertainment at Tulips Grub & Pub 7-10

Karaoke at Midnight Oasis - Brtistol, TN

FRIDAY

Karaoke at Sonny's Marina/The French Quarter Restaurant

Karaoke w/ Eric Huskins VFW Post 2108 – Johnson City, TN 8pm

Karaoke at Numan’s – Johnson City, TN 10pm

FRIDAY

Karaokew/ ShaneRouseat Bear’sBar

Karaoke with Absolute Entertainment at Rainbow Asian Cuisine 9pm

Karaokeat KingsportMooseLodge

THURSDAY

Holy Taco & Cantina Trivia Night 9pm

JRH Brewing - Trivia Night 7pm

Mellow Mushroom Johnson City - Mellow Trivia 7pm

MONDAY

Karaokew/Reverb Karaokeat TheCottage 8:30pm

SATURDAY

Turn thePage Karaokeat VFWPost 2108 – Johnson City

KaraokeatElizabethtonVFW

Karaoke w/ Eric Huskins VFW Post 2108 – Johnson City, TN 8pm

Karaoke w/ Absolute Entertainment at Tulips Grub & Pub 8-11

Barley Waters- Trivia Night 7pm

Yee-Haw Brewing- Trivia Mondays 7pm

Karaoke at Numan’s – Johnson City, TN 10pm

Karaokew/ Michael Hawkinsat HolidayInn (Exit 7) – Bristol, VA

Karaokeat Numan’s–JohnsonCity

Karaokeat27Lions (Marion, VA) 9:00pm

Woodstone Deli - DJ Trivia 7pm

Model City Tap House - Live Team Trivia Night 7pm

Look at this cute face of 4 yr old Little Love. She is a super sweet petite little girl and always meowing for attention! Little Love loves chasing tiny toy mice and small balls! She really enjoys being petted (not so much being held) and is an expert in making biscuits !!! Little Love is FIV

her immune system is compromised

is not a good environment for her. She really needs to be in a home environment. Little Love has been spayed, microchipped, current on vaccinations. Bday 3/15/18

Lady is a sweet 12 yr old domestic long haired beauty that loves sitting on your lap, loves being brushed, is very easy to handle and calm natured and look at those whiskers !!! Lady is pretty healthy for an FIV+ cat.

She gets stressed around other cats although maybe with just one, in a calm environment, she might do just fine. Lady has been spayed, current on vaccinations and microchipped.

Planning A Wedding? Something Blue Bridal Fair Connects Brides With Wedding Experts

Planning a wedding? You won’t want to miss the Something Blue Bridal Fair at the historic General Morgan Inn on Saturday, Jan. 7

The special event, which will be held from noon-3 p.m., connects brides with the region’s wedding experts, according to Patricia Bohon, director of sales at the hotel.

“The Something Blue Bridal Fair is a one-stop shop for all things weddings,” Bohon said. “We bring the area’s top pros to one location to help brides plan their storybook weddings.”

Admission is $12 in advance online at Eventbrite or can be purchased at the hotel on the day of the event for $15. “You really save by purchasing early,” Bohon said.

Participating wedding experts, in addition to the General Morgan Inn, include: Greeneville Graze; Bigshow Entertainment; Flowers by Tammy; What the Fluff; Constant Beauty Studio; Property Experts; Cruise Planners; First Horizon Bank; Grand True Value Rental; the Warehouse at Wilson Hill; Southern Belle Bridal & Tuxedo; Creamy Cup; Musicality! Mobile DJ Service; Artistic Printers; Katrina Serene Photography;

Nunn Photography; Rocky Top Smokehouse; and Greeneville Real Estate & Auction.

This is the 13th year that the hotel has hosted the popular wedding show. “Something Blue is a wonderful partnership between the General Morgan Inn and all of the vendors,” Bohon said. “Together, we make the bridal fair a really fun day for brides, grooms, and their families and friends.”

Registered brides receive a swag bag upon entry and are eligible to win door prizes during a drawing at 2:30 p.m. “Our brides are given a bingo card upon entry and then obtain signatures from every participating vendor to be eligible for the drawings,” Bohon said. “We have really nice door prizes this year, including $200 in vendor bucks for five lucky couples.”

Registered brides also are eligible for a drawing to win the grand prize, which Bohon described as “one they’ll all want to win!”

She said she doesn’t want to announce the grand prize until the drawing, but hinted that “it has something to do with the honeymoon.”

For more information on the Something

Blue Bridal Fair, call 423-787-1000. The hotel is located in historic downtown Greeneville at 111 N. Main St.

About the General Morgan Inn:

The General Morgan Inn offers 50 beautifully detailed rooms, a presidential suite and executive apartment in historic Downtown Greeneville. The hotel boasts Brumley’s, an award-winning restaurant with three distinct dining rooms, and a lounge featuring a wide selection of quality cocktails and a Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiasts’ award-winning wine list. The restaurant is currently open for dinner,

Tuesday-Saturday, 5-9 p.m. The hotel also has a Grand Ballroom and Garden Terrace, popular venues for corporate meetings, retreats and weddings.

The hotel, constructed in 1884, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a member of the Historic Hotels of America, the official program for the National Trust for Historic Preservation. For more information on the hotel, located at 111 N. Main St., go to www.generalmorganinn.com or call 423-787-1000.

THINGS TO DO THINGS TO DO

JOHNSON CITY

SATURDAYS

ACOA (adult children of alcoholics) 1:30-3:00pm. Call for info Bill 423-444-6107 or Cheryl 423-262-6149

FRIDAY JAN 6TH

Johnson City Love & Hiking Date For Couples (Self-Guided)

7:00am at Willow Springs Park Weekly YuGiOh Duel Night 6:00pm at CardFox

SATURDAY JAN 7TH

Johnson City Love & Hiking Date For Couples (Self-Guided)

7:00am at Willow Springs Park Trek the Tweestie 1:00pm at Tweetsie Trail Trailhead

SUNDAY JAN 8TH

Johnson City Love & Hiking Date For Couples (Self-Guided)

7:00am at Willow Springs Park

KINGSPORT

THURSDAY JAN 5TH

First Thursday

Shop And Hop 5:00pm at Downtown Kingsport

BRISTOL

THURSDAY JAN 5TH

IBN Biz Lunch 11:30pm at Michael Waltrip Brewing Co.

Teacher's Night Out 4:00pm at Nicewonder Farm & Vineyards

Van Gogh Snowman

Canvas Class 6:00pm at Kil'n Time Ceramic Studio

JONESBOROUGH

TUESDAYS

Jonesborough Storytelling Guild “Stories n’More” Show

7:00pm at The International Storytelling Center

WEDNESDAY JAN 4TH

IBN Biz Lunch 11:30am at The Black Olive

SATURDAY JAN 6TH

Historic Jonesborough Town Tour 1:00pm at Chester Inn State Historic Site

ABINGDON, VA

WEDNESDAY JAN 4TH

Bingo 5:00pm at Abingdon Community Center

FRIDAY JAN 5TH

Movies for Grown-Ups 2:00pm at Washington Co. Public Library

SUNDAY JAN 9TH

Bingo 5:00pm at Abingdon Community Center

To be featured in The Loafer's Things to Do email us at: theloaferonlineprint@gmail.com or call 423-930-7319

COMEDY SHOWCASE

WEDNESDAYS

Comedy Open Mic 7:30pm at Blue Ridge Comedy Club

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 18TH

Samantha Ruddy 8:00pm at Blue Ridge Comedy Club

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 19TH

Samantha Ruddy 8:00pm and 10:00pm at Blue Ridge Comedy Club

(276) 628-5005 x106 or email abuchanan@wkmuseum.org

PUBLIC RECEPTION

A public reception celebrating Big Ugly Hullabaloo: The Work of Eric Drummond Smith will be held in the gallery on Thursday, January 26 from 5:30pm – 7:30pm. For information on exhibitions or events at William King Museum of Art call 276-628-5005 or visit williamkingmuseum.org

Food for New Year’s Day:

1. Ham is often a holiday centerpiece, but pork is specifically thought to bring good luck on New Year's Day.

2. Right alongside the pork is often sauerkraut or some form of cabbage. The strands of cabbage in sauerkraut or coleslaw can symbolize long life, while cabbage can also represent money.

3. Eating black-eyed peas on New Year's Day is time-honored, they're associated with luck.

4. Greens themselves are known to be lucky for New Year's. It's all about the color green, which symbolizes money and prosperity. Also, according to some traditions rooted in the South, greens can be hung by the door to ward off any evil spirits that may come your way.

5. Lentils are a legume that is often served in Italian households, and their legend is rooted in prosperity: The round legumes look like coins.

6. Fish is another common dish, symbolizes good fortune.

7. Noodles - their length symbolizes longevity—so make sure not to break or shorten the noodles during the cooking process.

8. 12 grapes or raisins will bring good fortune for all 12 months of the year

9. Cakes, pastries, cookies and round fruits like clementines are traditionally enjoyed on New Year's Day as their shape signifies that the old year has come to a close and the New Year holds the promise of a fresh start.

10. Cornbread cause it’s the color of Gold.

Beanz Biker Corner Beanz Biker Corner

Happy New Years! Wishing all of you a year full of everything your heart desires. Hold true to yourself, your family and your friends. A new year has begun. Don’t lose hope or your faith. New Years is one of the most widely celebrated holidays globally due to most countries having adopted the Georgian calendar. Many people follow the custom to celebrate at the stroke of midnight following New Year's Eve and make resolutions for the new year. Did you know that New Years was traditionally celebrated on March 25 before the British Calendar Act of 1751 was enacted and adopted by most countries afterward? The early Roman calendar had only ten months. The Gregorian calendar’s ninth through twelfth months were originally the Roman seventh through tenth months, and still retain references to their Latin origins. In 46 B.C.E., the Roman leader Julius Caesar developed the Julian calendar, which became the predominant calendar in the Western world for sixteen centuries. The average Julian calendar year was 365.25 days long. The actual length of a solar year (the length of the Earth’s revolution around the sun), however, was 365.24219 days, and the Julian calendar gained a day every 128 years. To correct for this drift against the solar year, Pope Gregory XIII issued the enclosed papal bull in1582, which shortened the Julian calendar by 0.0075 days, reducing the length of the year from 365.25 days to 365.2425 days. To reset the connection between Easter and the spring equinox for the

new calendar, Pope Gregory advanced the date by ten days. The day after Thursday, October 4, 1582, was Friday, October 15, 1582. Catholic countries immediately adopted Pope Gregory XIII’s new calendar, and over the subsequent centuries, Protestant countries and their colonies. The Parliament of Great Britain adopted the Gregorian calendar through the British Calendar Act of 1751, “An act for regulating the commencement of the year; and for correcting the calendar now in use.” England had twice before attempted to reform the calendar, including under Elizabeth I and with the urging of Sir Isaac Newton in 1699, but proposals were rejected largely due to the calendar’s Catholic origins. The British Calendar Act of 1751 acknowledged that the Julian calendar still in use in Great Britain and its colonies had been found to be inaccurate, and much of Europe had already adopted the revised Gregorian calendar. While the Gregorian calendar stopped the shift, the calendar needed to delete eleven days to return the correlation between the calendar and the spring equinox. While Pope Gregory had reset the calendar by ten days in 1582, by the 1750s it became necessary for the British to delete eleven days. Section I of the British Calendar Act of 1751 provides that Wednesday, September 2, 1752, would be followed by Thursday, September 14, 1752. The act also moved New Year from the traditional date of March 25 to January 1 to match the majority of Europe, as the British calendar year began on March 25. The British Calendar Act of 1751 applied to the various countries and dominions of the crown of Great Britain and spread throughout the world. In North America, this included the American Colonies and British-controlled areas of what became Canada. The Act is still in force as part of Canadian law. Many colonies, such as Massachusetts Bay, reproduced the British law in their own laws. Popular publications, such as Benjamin Franklin’s Poor Richard’s Almanac and The Boston Gazette, gave advice on how to calculate the calendar change, which was made in two steps: December 31, 1751, was followed by January 1, 1752 (the first new year with a January start), then September 2,1752, was followed by September 14, 1752 (dropping eleven days to rebalance the calendar).

of New Year’s traditions intended to bring fortune and prosperity to those who participate. Partygoers carry empty suitcases at midnight in hopes of inducing a year rife with travel. They also bear money in hand to attract financial security and stability in the coming year. In Denmark one of the most popular New Year’s traditions involves smashing plates and old dishes. Danish residents save their unused dinnerware and affectionately shatter them against doors of their families and friends as a way to ward off bad spirits. Other traditions include jumping off chairs at midnight to “leap” into the new year and consuming Kransekage, a wreathshaped cake created using marzipan rings stacked on top of each other with a bottle of wine in the center. The cake is decorated with ornaments and flags. Scotland’s Hogmanay celebration is one of the most rousing celebrations in the world. Hogmanay comprises street entertainment, fire festivals, concerts, street festivals, and more celebratory acts, but is also known for its tradition of “first-footing.” According to the custom, the first person who crosses the threshold of a person’s home should bring a gift of luck. Traditionally, this gift was a coal for the fire or shortbread. The world is psyched-up to welcome the New Year with great enthusiasm. The entire world celebrates the New Year following various traditions of their land. The traditions are followed both religiously and spiritually with a belief that they would bless them with luck and prosperity. With that said, Americans have their own set of traditions that the people reside they follow every New Year. Also, on the last day of the year Americans observe certain traditions with a hope to invite luck into their lives. If you are born American, you must be well-versed with the traditions observed here, but if that is not the case and you belong to some other place and still have interest in knowing the traditions of the land we present here the New Year’s Traditions in America. Explore

the New Year’s traditions followed in America. With champagne glass in hand, fireworks in the sky, tasty dishes to feast on, New Year is going to be a blast undoubtedly. New Year is celebrated in the US very grandly and people come out onto the roads to greet each other and to welcome the New Year together. Very few love to sit at home and enjoy their private space and me-time whilst many love to join the crowds to welcome the New Year. Other than the usual celebrations, Americans have some traditions that they follow very strictly on the New Year’s Eve as well as New Year’s Day. Times Square Ball Drop is quite famous and around two million people gather at the place to view the ball drop right at the midnight. This popular tradition has started way back in 1907 with a ball that weighed 700 pound that slowly comes down to the ground at midnight. At present, the weight of the ball is 11, 875 pounds. This annual tradition observed in America is pretty famous and almost every American dream to witness it in live at least once in their lifetime. Watching the ball drop, people count down the last seconds of the old year to welcome the New Year. Making resolutions has become a part and parcel of New Year traditions. Almost everyone makes resolutions on the occasion of the New Year with a hope to change themselves for good and achieve their goals. Though this is a very commonly seen tradition followed in most parts of the world, the success rate of observing it for the set time is pretty less, these resolutions last no longer than a week or two. Sharing special kiss on New Year’s Eve at midnight. People in the United States believe that sharing a kiss in the midnight shall ward off evil spirit and also prevent loneliness in the next year. Sharing a kiss with my old man is by far my favorite one.

By Anne Hartley

There are many different New Years traditions around the world. In Brazil, the new year is regarded as a time to reflect upon the past and make new resolutions for the coming year. Everyone wears white because the color signifies luck, prosperity, and is meant to ward off bad spirits. Colombia boasts an array

Sponsored By Biker Wear

How Does Your Target Audience Talk to Each Other?

Imagine a conversation between two customers in your store. They’re discussing pricing, quality, if they really need your product, and if your brand morals match theirs. They’relooking to justify a large purchase that they could use, but ultimately could live without.

Couples, partners, and roommates have these conversations all the time. Social media opens the doors for the conversation to include more opinions. It allows people who have had previous experience with your brand to chime

in. Good or bad, these conversations will shape a customer’s purchasing decisions.

Seeing your social media content and branding strategies from the perspective of customers in your store allows you to better understand how to craft a strategy that will resonate and turn into sales. The on the verge customer just needs one reason to tip them into a sale. That reason is in your hands. Make the most of the opportunity.

*Printed in Volume 02 Issue 143, September 14, 2021*

By Wendy Hayden

Baby Steps

Now that we’re on the other side of December 31st, it’s safe to say most of us feel the need to prioritize our health. Between numerous food-focused holidays within weeks of one another over the last 3 months, plus increased opportunities to indulge in alcohol, I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels like my insides are made of high fructose corn syrup and Bisquick. The mistake I make every year like most everyone else is trying to make too many large changes at once and falling off the wagon before February. It’s unrealistic and detrimental to success to attempt a complete life overhaul; the key to lasting change lies in the baby steps. There’s just something about January 1st that brings out the motivation in people. I’m certainly not poo-poo’ing on anyone deciding to better themselves regardless of what the date is, although in my opinion there’s always no time like the present. But if you are feeling particularly inspired to shape up some aspects of your life where you’ve been slipping after the first of the year, I’m proud of you. To be honest, if you’re like 99.9% of the population, there’s probably at least one unhealthy area of your life that could use

improvement, whether it’s mental, physical or financial. I myself have countless opportunities to shape up before I ship out to Destitution Island. But in an effort to not bite off more than I can chew and choke, this year I plan to master the discipline of the details and implement small almost unnoticeable changes which will gradually serve to make greater changes overall.

For example, I would love to entertain the idea of signing up and running a 5k by February, but considering I’ve not been disciplined in my workouts at all as of late, that will be a recipe for disaster and ultimately just make me feel worse about myself because I missed my mark. It seems that setting a goal of just hitting a thousand more steps per day than my current average, every day, until I am consistently walking 10,000+ daily is much easier. A thousand steps is only a half mile, so shooting to build up to the recommended 5 miles a day 0.5 miles at a time doesn’t sound nearly as daunting as jumping off the couch and hitting it all at once. Especially when you consider it only takes roughly 10 minutes to walk 1,000 steps. Break that down how you want, but 10min 10x, 20min 5x, 30min 3.5x, sounds way more achievable than 10,000.

It’s all about speaking to yourself in a way that can trick yourself. The human animal

typically doesn’t like change; biologically speaking, sudden change for our ancestors was never a good thing. Extreme weather fluctuations or a chance encounter with a predator could be deadly to our predecessors and thus has conditioned the same fight or flight response within us all these years later. Consistency is comfort, but unfortunately most growth comes from the uncomfortable moments. So we have to microdose our misery until it’s just another part of our daily minutiae. If your goal is to save $10,000, don’t expect that to happen overnight unless you anticipate a winning lotto ticket. Instead break it all the way down to a daily goal- it’s roughly $27 a day or $192 a week to save $10,000 a year. If you wish to lose weight, set a goal of no more than 0.5lb a week. That number seems insignificantly small, however, that is the recommended amount of weight that equates to real fat loss and not just water weight, aka the kind that lasts. And if you lose 0.5lbs per week, that’s 26lbs in a year! If you want to eat healthier, don’t waste tons of money buying healthy foods if you’re already in the longterm habit of eating poorly. Instead pick one area at a time to master before moving to the next. First replace soda with water, then reduce your sugar, next replace starchy carbs with leafy vegetables, etc. If you

by Kathie Scalf

successfully tackle one task at a time you won’t shock your system into failure with too many changes at once.

I know we all want to have that “New Year, New Me” attitude, but how about instead we aim for “New Year, Better Me” this time? If you give two people the same far-off distant finish line and one of them bursts off with a sprint while the other is taking a leisurely stroll, sure the runner is going to cover more ground up front. But their chances of becoming winded and collapsing are astronomically higher than the person stopping to smell the flowers along the way. It’s great to have big ambitions, but they must be cut up into bite-sized pieces to be palatable. Happy New Year and happy improving!

The Fabelmans

Director Steve Spielberg is responsible for some of the most iconic films in Hollywood history. Who can forget the first time you saw "Jaws" or "E.T."? I know I won't. Spielberg is back in the directors chair with the release of "The Fabelmans", loosely based on his adolescence and his years as a budding film director. His story is told through the fictional character Sammy Fabelman (Gabriel LaBelle) and begins in 1952 in Haddon Township, New Jersey. The film begins with Jewish couple Mitzi (Michelle Williams) and Burt Fabelman (Paul Dano) taking their young son to see his first movie, "The Greatest Show on Earth'', and Sammy is terrified of what he is about to witness. His parents calm him down, and as the movie unfolds, Sammy is dazzled by the experience and as a result of the film's famous train crash scene, requests a model train set for Hanukkah. Sammy creates the film's crash scene with his train set one night, and in order not to destroy his set, Mitzi allows him to film the scene with his dad's 8mm camera so he can watch the crash whenever he wants. As a result of this experience, Sammy begins to film his sisters in various circumstances, and proves to have a creative eye for filmmaking. The family is uprooted when Burt receives a new job, and they soon move to Phoenix, Arizona along

with Burt's best friend Bennie Loewy (Seth Rogen), whom the family calls "Uncle Bennie". The film then moves forward as we see a teenage Sammy continue his filmmaking with his friends who are all Boy Scouts. Sammy begins using post-production effects in his films and this results in a badge for photography.

Pop Life

By Ken Silvers theloaferonlineprint

When the family goes on a camping trip, Sammy films a lot of the trip, and this will later result in a harsh discovery for him. When the family returns home, Mitzi's mother passes, leaving the family, and especially Mitzi, distraught. In order to help cheer Mitzi up, Burt convinces Sammy to edit together the camping trip film so they can all watch it together. Before he can edit the camping footage, the family get a visit from Mitzi's Uncle Boris (Judd Hirsch), a former film worker and lion tamer of all things. Boris leaves his nephew with some words of wisdom of how his passion for filmmaking may affect his family, but encourages Sammy to follow his passion. After his uncle leaves, Sammy begins editing the camping trip footage, only to make a shocking discovery involving his mom. When he shows his mom the footage, he promises to tell no one of what he discovered. Shortly after this shock, the family is uprooted once again, this time to Saratoga, California, with Bennie staying behind in Arizona. As the family is about to leave, Bennie gifts Sammy with a new film camera, as he has witnessed his filmmaking talents. When the family arrives in their new town, Sammy is met with anti-semitic abuse by a few of the students, and hates the new school and town, until he meets fellow student Monica (Chloe East). The two begin dating, and she encourages Sammy to film the school's upcoming Senior Skip Day at the beach. The film is a hit when shown at a school dance, and results in Sammy making peace with one of his tormentors. The rest of the story follows Sammy after high school graduation living and

attending college in Hollywood, where he eventually is able to meet a famous film director John Ford (David Lynch) who provides the budding filmmaker with some wise advice, which leaves Sammy beaming. According to Spielberg he had been thinking of directing a film about his childhood as far back as 1999, but due to how his parents might feel, he decided to present his childhood using a fictional family in order not to make things "too personal". However he decided to present his early life, this film is a winner. Speilberg revealed the film

is very personal, and was a way to bring his mom and dad back. While the film does present the challenges and difficulties the family endured, it also reveals how Spielberg's filmmaking talents developed from age seven to eighteen. All the actors are wonderful, with Willimas flirting with a possible Oscar nomination in the role of Sammy's mom. For those with a love for quality films, I highly recommend "The Fabelmans". Now playing in theaters. (Rated PG-13)

Bristol

PARAMOUNT

Jan 6 Dailey & Vincent

Jan 7 Journeyman-Tribute to Eric Clapton

Feb 2 Ace Frehley

Feb 3 Neko Case

Feb 4 Cash UnchainedTribute to Johnny Cash

Feb 23 Sierra Hull and Justin Moses

Mar 11 Free Fallin’-The Tom Petty Tribute

Apr 1 49 Winchester

Apr 15 Best of the Eagles-Tribute

Apr 29 Ashley McBryde

May 11 Steep Canyon Rangers

May 19 A Brothers RevivalTribute to The Allman Brothers

CAMEO THEATER

Jan 8 Geoff Tate

Feb 11 Lorrie Morgan

Mar 17 John Michael Montgomery

Mar 18 Bad Marriage

Mar 26 Eric Gales

May 10 An Evening with Roger McGuinn

JOHNSON CITY

FREEDOM HALL

Apr 14 Nate Bargatze

Jun 2 Mr. Speed- Kiss Tribute

MARTIN CENTER FOR THE ARTS

Feb 4 The Black Jacket Symphony: Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours

Apr 30 Amy Grant

GREENVILLE

NISWONGER PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

Jan 21 The Isaacs

Jan 27 The Doo Wop Project

Feb 3 Heather Land

Feb 11 I Am He Said

-a Neil Diamond Tribute

Feb 17 Roots & Boots Acoustic tour with Aaron Tippin, Collin Raye and Sammy Kershaw

Mar 4 Resurrection- A Journey Tribute

Mar 11 Jefferson Starship

Mar 31 Gentri (The Gentlemen Trio)

Apr 4 One Night of Queen-performed by Gary Mullen And the Works

CONCERT SCHEDULE CONCERT SCHEDULE

Apr 14 Mark Lowry

Apr 22 Masters of Soul

May 5 Wild World of Animals Free Community Concert Series

May 13 Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives

May 20 Get The Led OutLed Zeppelin Tribute

Knoxville

TENNESSEE THEATRE

Jan 12 Tommy Emmanuel

Jan 26 Kenny Wayne Shepherd

Feb 3 Kevin James

Mar 3 Home Free

Mar 16 Buddy Guy

Apr 26 Ben Folds and a Piano Apr 28 Amy Grant

THOMPSON BOWLING ARENA

Feb 17 Journey and Toto

Feb 18 Cody Johnson featuring Randy Houser

Feb 24 Blake Shelton

Mar 30 Kane Brown Apr 21 Lizzo

Jul 15 Thomas Rhett

Oct 16 Shania Twain

KNOXVILLE CIVIC AUDITORIUM

Feb 2 Scotty McCreery

Feb 4 Fortune Feimster

Feb 17 Heather McMahan

Feb 21 Tedeschi Trucks Band

Mar 3 Zach Williams

Mar 14 Third Eye Blind

Mar 22 Champions of Magic

Apr 20 Casting Crowns

Apr 29 Theresa Caputo

KNOXVILLE CIVIC AUDITORIUM

Feb 16 Whiskey Myers

Apr 15 & 16 Leanne Morgan

BIJOU THEATRE

Jan 21 Drivin & Cryin

Jan 27 Scott Miller and David Childers

Feb 11 Erick Baker

Mar 11 Marc Brossard with Seth Walker

Mar 17 The Mavericks

Mar 23-25 Drew & Ellie Holcomb Apr 7 David Sedaris

Nashville

RYMAN AUDITORIUM

Jan 4 Celebrating the Life of Justin Townes Earl with Steve Earl and the Dukes and friends

Jan 27 Kenny Wayne Shepherd

Jan 30 Mammoth WVH and Alter Bridge

Feb 5 Night Ranger

Feb 6 Paramore (Opry House)

Feb 9 & 10 Blackberry Smoke

Feb 14 Death Cab for Cutie

Feb 20 Bush

Feb 23-25 Tedeschi Trucks Band

Feb 26 Billy Strings

Mar 4 Dawes

Mar 11 & 12 Bobby Weir and Wolf Bros

Mar 18 Buddy Guy

Mar 31 & Apr 1 GOOSE

Apr 7 & 13 Morgan Wade

Apr 8 Leann Rimes

Apr 14 & 15 Lady A

Apr 19 Leann Morgan (Opry House)

Apr 21 David Spade

Apr 27-29 Nickel Creek

May 8-10 John Mellencamp

May 19 Crowded House

May 24 Rick Springfield

Jul 6 Sam Bush

ASCEND AMPHITHEATER

May 11 Koe Wetzel

Jun 23 Walker Hayes

BRIDGESTONE ARENA

Jan 20 Barry Manilow

Feb 9 Andrea Bocelli

Feb 19 TobyMac with Crowder

Feb 24-25 Billy Strings

Mar 1 Carrie Underwood

Mar 31 Kane Brown

Apr 7 Chris Tomlin

May 4 Janet Jackson with Ludacris

NISSAN STADIUM

Apr 15 Luke Combs

May 5-7 Taylor Swift

May 19 Billy Joel and Stevie Nicks

BROOKLYN BOWL

Mar 7 Theory of a Dead Man

Mar 31 Larkin Poe

Apr 6 The Winery Dogs

Apr 14 Queensryche

Asheville

THE ORANGE PEEL

Jan 13 The Breakfast Club

Jan 20 Larkin Poe

Feb 18 Elle King

Feb 25 Paul Thorn

Apr 4 The Winery Dogs

Apr 20 Judah & The Lion

May 12 & 13 Drive By Truckers

May 21 Trae Crowder

Jun 22 Margaret Cho

Cherokee, N.C.:

HARRAH’S CASINO

Jan 7 Styx

Jan 13-15 Jamey Johnson

Feb 3 Rep Speedwagon

Greenville, S.C.

BON SECOURS WELLNESS ARENA

Jan 29 TobyMac, Crowder, Cochren & Company

Feb 16 The Judds featuring Wynonna

Feb 18 Katt Williams

Mar 12 Greta Van Fleet

Mar 18 Kane Brown

Apr 27 Kenny Chesney

Jul 14 Thomas Rhett

Winston Salem North Caroiina

LJVM COLISEUM

Mar 3-4 Billy Strings

Pikeville, Ky

APPALACHIAN WIRELESS ARENS

Mar 8 Theory of a Dead Man and Skillet

Mar 18 Koe Wetzel

Jun 24 Travis Tritt

Myrtle Beach,

House of Blues

S.C

Jan 28 Steel Panther

Feb 25 Big Head Todd and the Monsters

Mar 24 Skid Row and BuckCherry

Mar 25 Eric Johnson

Apr 7 Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox

Resolutions and Wishes for 2023

so many others I have decided to make a list of resolutions. Will I keep to these? Probably not, but I figured if I write them down and print them for all the world to see it may make me a little more likely to not break any of these. Also, for fun, I’ve added some of my hopes for the world in 2023. Here we go!

Stop watching so many old episodes of “Press Your Luck” on YouTube (Will immediately break this as soon as I finish writing this).

Apply for a grant to get funding for my study into convincing McDonald’s to bring back The McDLT (My one true goal in life, the cold side stays cold, and the hot side stays hot. Why did we reject this as a people?).

I hope that we can all come together as one, stand in harmony, and sing a heartfelt rendition of “All I want for Christmas is You” in the middle of April—the most unexpected time. I hope in the coming year we can

finally determine if kale is the superfood that will save us all, or if it’s just merely “fancy spinach.”

I wish that this coming year the city will finally approve my grant to build a giant statue of Alex Trebek in the heart of downtown.

When asked why I wanted to do this, I simply told them “the children of the world.”

I pray, with all my heart, that in 2023 science will finally answer the most pressing question Earth has ever faced. How many licks DOES it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll pop?

Vow to take better care of my body, eat right, and get more exercise (Plans to celebrate my birthday with a sackful of Krystals, driving down the interstate at midnight, blasting Molly Hatchet).

I hope those jerks who keep calling me to sell me insurance and medicare will stop calling my house every five minutes this year.

Batteries Not Included

By Andy Ross theloaferonlineprint @gmail.com

I hope we can normalize that sometimes you want to feel like you’re leaving your mark before you die. Why is it so weird I want Ballad to build the Andy Ross Memorial Radiology Ward while I’m still alive? Seriously? Why is that weird?

This wraps up my hopes and resolutions for 2023, here’s wishing you and yours a happy and healthy new year! See you next week.