South Knox Shopper-News 021815

SOUTH KNOX VOL. 32 NO. 71

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February July 29, 18, 2013 2014

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NEIGHBORHOOD BUZZ

Bonny Kate

Kiwanis event Northside Kiwanis Club will host a Pancake Jamboree and Bake Sale from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21, at St. John’s Lutheran Church, 544 N. Broadway.

Tickets at $4 ($10 per family, up to four) are available from Northside Kiwanis members or at the door. All proceeds go to support the service activities of the Northside Kiwanis Club. Info: Tom Mattingly, 414-6218.

GOP reorganization The Knox County Republican Party will hold its biannual reorganization with precinct meetings at the polling places at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 26, unless otherwise scheduled by the precinct chair.

Delegates elected at the precincts will meet for the county convention at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 7, at The Crown College in Powell. Info: Ruthie Kuhlman, chair.

IN THIS ISSUE Snow mode Shopper-News was composed a bit earlier than usual this week because of the potential for snow. We skipped our final proof-reading, so if you see errors, please call or email and we will correct. Also check for updates on our website, ShopperNewsNow.com

Marvin West Sports columnist Marvin West looks at Tennessee’s new offensive coordinator, Mike DeBord, and his fit in maintaining “the best staff in America.”

That’s what Butch promised when he was hired. No reason for him to back down, writes West. His column is on page 4.

Betsy Pickle Read Knoxville’s best movie critic’s take on this year’s Oscars, and match wits with a professtional.

Check out Weekender, inside.

Betty Bean Tyler Harber: Ace political reporter Betty Bean was writing about this youthful politico some 14 years ago and she’s kept up with him ever since.

Now he’s probably heading to jail after last week’s guilty plea in U.S. District Court in Virginia. Bean looks back and ahead with “The Rise and Fall of Tyler Harber.” Inside.

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By Betsy Pickle Bonnie Kate Elementary School’s gym probably saw more calories burned during the annual Father-Daughter Dance than at any other event this year.

The energy level was topped only by the sweetness of the scene last Thursday night: dads beaming at their little girls as they slowdanced and twirling the breathless princesses through the air on more upbeat tunes.

Moms got a little bit of the dancing action, but mostly they stood to the side and took pictures of the dancing duos.

Some of the Bonny Kate students abandoned their parents in favor of snaking their way through the crowd in a chain or dancing wildly together. No matter what style they chose, they all seemed to be the happiest girls on earth.

Andres Robledo and his daughter, firstgrader Natalia, wow onlookers as they follow the beat at the Bonny Kate Elementary Father-Daughter Dance. Photo by Betsy Pickle

More photos on page 3

Pavlis, Brown and Rountree plan South Knox forum A trio of elected officials representing South Knoxville and South Knox County will hold a community forum to encourage constituents to offer their comments and suggestions.

Vice Mayor Nick Pavlis, who is also the City Council member for District 1; County Commissioner Mike Brown; and Amber Rountree, who was elected to the

Knox County Board of Education last fall, will convene a “State of South Knox” meeting at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 26, at Flenniken Landing, 115 Flenniken Ave. Danny Gray of the South Woodlawn Neighborhood Association will serve as moderator for the 90-minute meeting.

Brown said in a press release that this is the first time elected

officials from the city, county and schools have held such a forum, and he said he hopes “constituents take the time to come out for a chat.”

He noted that budget time is drawing near and that this would be good time for public input.

Pavlis described the forum as bringing “government to the people.”

“This is an awesome opportunity for our constituents to hear our vision for the district and to ask us questions about what matters to them most.”

“South Knox is all about community,” Rountree said. “In order for our community to flourish, we must all work together on the same team.”

The pros and cons of a balanced school calendar

By Wendy Smith Bearden High School students and parents didn’t lament the possible loss of long, leisurely summers during principal John Bartlett’s discussion of Knox County Schools’ proposed balanced calendar.

There was little reaction, aside from a few questions about specifics, to the idea that the 20162017 school calendar could have two-week fall, winter and spring breaks and an eight-week summer break.

There would still be 180 instructional days.

Bartlett began the discussion by reminding students and parents, who attended the evening meeting to discuss scheduling as well as a balanced calendar, that nothing is set in stone.

“This is a conversation that is just starting and nobody has decided anything yet.”

Other local school systems, like Maryville, Alcoa and Oak Ridge, are already on balanced calendars. The school calendar should be structured around needs of

students, and the current calendar, with a 53-day summer break, was set up to meet the needs of an agrarian society. Not many students are hauling hay anymore, Bartlett said.

The balanced calendar is intended to provide more continuous learning. Remediation would be offered during the first week of fall and spring breaks, which would give struggling students the opportunity to catch up.

A shorter summer break would also reduce summer learning loss, which most affects students who spend summers at home watching television and playing video games.

Less time spent reading and interacting with adults results in learning loss, which leaves teachers playing catch-up for the first two weeks of fall semester, he said.

But studies comparing the academic success of students on traditional and balanced calendars have been inconclusive, especially for students who are engaged during the summer months. Another challenge would be changing the

mindset of parents who grew up with long summer breaks and want their kids to have the same experience.

A balanced calendar wouldn’t affect school athletics programs, and teams would continue to practice during fall John Bartlett and spring breaks.

Bartlett conjectured that childcare centers would adjust to meet the needs of a balanced calendar.

He emphasized that Bearden’s block scheduling wouldn’t necessarily change due to conversion to a balanced calendar.

Bearden has four classes each semester, and students receive a full credit for each one, as opposed to six or seven classes each day for a full year.

But a balanced calendar could cost more than a traditional calendar due to the expense of transporting students during the remediation periods built into fall and spring breaks. If funds currently

spent on transporting students for summer remediation can be shifted, there may be no added expense, he said.

Block scheduling also costs more than traditional scheduling, and since school budgets are fi xed, it might be reconsidered at some point. Bartlett emphasized that block scheduling will continue at Bearden for the foreseeable future.

If the county switches to a balanced calendar, students would be allowed to miss a few days of school in order to attend Governor’s school, he said.

School would start a week early, and graduation would be bumped back a week.

Mark Wilkerson, whose daughter is a rising sophomore, said that he needed more information before he could form an opinion about a balanced calendar, but that it was presented positively.

He’s strongly in favor of block scheduling, which he thinks helps students understand the rigor of a college course load.

“That part has got to stay.”

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health & lifestyles

He gained ‘friends for life,’ after life-threatening infection In 2013, Chris Taylor, now 45, was working as a probation parole officer in Claiborne County, driving more than an hour each way to his home in Mascot, Tenn.

“I was getting up at 5 a.m. to be there by 7 and getting home at 8 o’clock at night. I was so tired from working and driving,” Taylor said. “Probably looking back on it, I was more fatigued than I thought I was.”

That fatigue caught up with him after he mowed his lawn in late May of 2013. He awoke the next morning with his left foot swollen and painful.

“I treated it like gout for a week, and then on June 1, I got what I thought was a back spasm. I was in so much pain I went to the emergency room at Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center,” Taylor said.

The staff took a blood sample and found Taylor had an infection of Staphylococcus bacteria, commonly known as “Staph,” not only in his left foot, but around the base of his spine where he’d had a previous surgery. The infection was life-threatening.

“I was in kidney and liver failure. They told me I would have died in a few days,” said Taylor.

Strong antibiotics were not successful in battling the infection, so Dr. G. Douglas Schuchmann performed two surgeries to remove the infection from Taylor’s left foot.

Taylor spent about four weeks at Fort Sanders, then another six weeks at Patricia Neal Rehabilitation Center. He was a resident there for six weeks and an outpatient for about a year.

“Everyone at Fort Sanders and Patricia Neal has been amazing.

I hadn’t spent a whole lot of time in hospitals, but they were all real nice to me. I wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else,” said Taylor. “They called me the ‘mayor of Four-East,’ I was there so long.”

After Taylor was released from inpatient care at Patri-

After six weeks of inpatient care and a year of outpatient treatment at Patricia Neal Rehabilitation Center, Chris Taylor celebrated his “graduation” from rehab with staff. Taylor’s experience encouraged him to return with his three daughters to PNRC and hand out cards to patients on Christmas Eve. Now, thanks to his treatment from the Wound Care Center and HBO Therapy at Fort Sanders Regional, along with PNRC, Taylor is getting back to his old self, including playing drums at church.

cia Neal Rehabilitation Center, he received hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy to speed healing of his foot and strong antibiotics to treat his spinal infection.

Five times each week, Taylor was wheeled to the HBO therapy center to spend an hour in a body-sized oxygen tube.

“I’m extremely claustrophobic,” said Taylor. “So the first day, I freaked out, and they called Dr. Schuchmann. He came in and he took me by the hand and said, ‘Chris, it’s going to be OK. I need you to do this.’

Like my grandfather was talking to me. He said, ‘I’ll be here when you get out.’ And when I got out, he was standing right there.”

Over the course of weeks, Taylor’s wounds slowly got better.

“They thought I would be in a wheelchair the rest of my life, but I kept progressing,” he said.

“Patricia Neal Rehabilitation Center tried to prepare me for life being a paraplegic, and they did a great job of that, learning to use my upper body to get in and out of the chair. But my hard head wouldn’t believe it. After outpatient therapy for almost a year, I’ve gotten to where I walk with a cane, and around the house I walk without it,” he said.

“I have three girls to walk down the aisle at some point!” said Taylor. “I may never run any marathons, but I’ve been playing drums at my church. My goal is to continue to improve.

“I’d like to thank everyone at Fort Sanders, the HBO therapy team and Patricia Neal Rehabilitation Center. They are amazing people with amazing hearts.

They are people that I’ll probably be friends with for life. I’d recommend them to anyone. In my mind it’s the best place in East Tennessee for care.”

For more information about the services offered at Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center, go to fsregional.com.

Skin substitutes help wound healing

G. Douglas Schuchmann, MD

The body’s ability to heal itself is remarkable. Most of the time, cuts and tears in the skin will heal within four weeks, even if they leave a scar.

However, many factors can inhibit healing. Poor oxygen flow, bacterial infections, age and sex hormones, stress, diabetes, obesity, medications, alcoholism, smoking, and nutrition can each inhibit the body’s ability to heal wounds.

Fort Sanders Wound Treatment Center offers a number of therapies for patients whose wounds do

not heal on their own. One of them, a new “skin substitute,” can provide a healing barrier for the skin.

Called EpiFix, it’s a biological product, meaning it’s made from live human tissue. In this case, it’s human amniotic membrane from real human placentas. They are chosen from women who are healthy, then the membranes are separated, processed, sterilized and freeze-dried for medical use.

“It’s collagen, so it provides a framework for wound healing, plus the amniotic membrane is not re-

jected by the body like most other tissues. It has immunosuppressant properties,” said Dr. G. Douglas Schuchmann, a surgeon and medical director of the Fort Sanders Wound Treatment Center.

The center has been using EpiFix for about three months with impressive results, Schuchmann said.

“It can be put on easily in the clinic,” he said. “It’s almost like a piece of tape. You activate it with saline and it just sticks down, so it’s a very simple and painless ap-

plication. And it just really increases healing times.

“We’re pretty excited about it,” said Schuchmann. “It’s not a new product per se, but we are getting a better feel for it.”

A number of biological tissues are used for below the knee, but EpiFix can be used anywhere on the body, Schuchmann said.

“Whether it’s applied in surgery or at Fort Sanders Wound Treatment Center, EpiFix is probably the best of the biologics and most helpful for our patients,” he said.

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SOUTH KNOX Shopper news • FEBRUARY 18, 2014 • 3

Bonny Kate

From page 1

Dave Baumgartner, owner of the new Dunkin’ Donuts on Chapman Highway, hosts Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett, Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero, Knoxville Vice-Mayor Nick Pavlis, City Council member Duane Grieve and Tanna Nicely, principal of South Knoxville Elementary School. Photos by Betsy Pickle

SoKno runs on Dunkin’

By Betsy Pickle The famed coffee slightly edged out the delicious donuts at the cash register last Tuesday morning, but the main items on the menu were simply hanging out with friends and getting to know the new business, one of several Dunkin’ Donuts locations operated by Bluemont Group.

Dave Baumgartner of Bluemont and general manager Audra Hull took earlybird guests on a behind-thescenes tour – “where the magic happens” – to see how the donuts come to life. The kitchen design is the latest for Dunkin’ franchises, with the option of loading donut trays in the sales case from the back as well as the front.

The restaurant’s private conference room with a board table and big-screen monitor for presentations is available to patrons at no charge.

Residents from throughout South Knoxville attended, and everyone seemed to have a good time chatting with the mayors.

Baumgartner says there will be an official Knoxville Chamber ribbon-cutting at 9 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 26, at the restaurant, which “turned on the lights and opened the doors” on Dec. 27. While Bluemont Group has several locations already, with more coming soon (including one on Broadway), Baumgartner says he’s excited about the South Knoxville site.

“I’m all about South Knoxville redevelopment.”

■

Vestal memories

Vestival wants to include you as it celebrates its 15th anniversary this spring.

The family-friendly festival will take place from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, May 9, at Candoro Marble, 4450 Candora Ave. Along with games, dancing, food and music, Vestival plans to incorporate the rich history of Vestal into the celebration.

Chelsea Voelker of Place Based Productions is seeking “stories, images and anecdotes of the past” for the project, particularly from those whose relatives were “connected to the industries that birthed the area: Candoro Marble Co., Vestal Lumber Co., the fertilizer plant, the woolen mills, etc.”

Voelker notes that Vestal

Foster grandparents needed as mentors The Foster Grandparent Program is looking for adults age 55 or older to serve 20 hours per week mentoring and tutoring young people in public schools and other nonprofit settings. Qualified volunteers receive a tax-free stipend and mileage reimbursement. Training will begin Monday, March 2.

Info: 524-2786.

Scott Porter and daughter Kelly, a fourth-grader, show style as they cross the dance floor. Photos by Betsy Pickle

Peggy Loflin of Lake Forest, Mayor Madeline Rogero, Mooreland Heights Elementary School principal Roy Miller and Dave Gartner of Lake Forest are ready to face the cold after fortifying themselves with coffee and donuts. is losing many of its longtime residents who have shared stories of the old days through the years, including the beloved Dobber Doyle, who died in December.

His memories included Friday and Saturday boxing nights at a vacant lot across from Candoro where 200 people would show up to watch bouts illuminated by a single light bulb, and boxers had to share the same two pairs of gloves, passing them on as the next match was about to begin.

Contributions should be submitted by March 20 if possible.

Family photos, old letters and other memorabilia can be photocopied so that donors can keep the originals.

Arrangements can be

Tennessee Shines Radio Show moves to Old City Tennessee Shines Radio Show will mark its third anniversary with a new location and new weekday beginning Wednesday, March 4, at Boyd’s Jig & Reel, a restaurant and music venue located in the historic Old City.

The hour-long, live radio show begins at 7 p.m. and includes headline musical performers, special guests and readings by local and

General manager Audra Hull instructs Tanna Nicely, principal of South Knoxville Elementary School, on how to decorate a donut.

regional spoken word artists. Tickets will be available at the door beginning at 6 p.m. Admission is $10.

Tennessee Shines can be heard in Knoxville and surrounding areas on 89.9 FM, 93.9 FM and 102.9 FM, and online at www.wdvx.com.

Past shows are available for on-demand streaming for two weeks after the broadcast.

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made to record those who wish to provide oral histories.

To provide content or for more information, contact Voelker at: placebasedproductions@gmail.com, 1920 Goff Road, Knoxville, TN 37920, 307-0800 or 3079971.

■

If the weather outside is frightful The South Knoxville Alli-

ance’s litter pick-up planned for this Saturday may fall victim to winter weather.

Cleanup chair Carl Hensley says the group is keeping an eye on the forecast, which at press time called for a wintry mix on Saturday.

The final decision will be announced on SKA’s Facebook page (search for KTown South).

The rain (or snow) date will be Saturday, Feb. 28.

Glen Morse and first-grader Kate have a tight connection at the dance.

COMMUNITY NOTES ■ Colonial Village Neighborhood Association. Info: Terry Caruthers, 579-5702, t_caruthers@hotmail.com.

■ Knoxville Tri-County Lions Club meets 7 p.m. each second and fourth Monday, Connie’s Kitchen, 10231 Chapman Highway, Seymour. Info: https://www.facebook.com/TriCountyLions/info.

■ Lake Forest Neighborhood Association. Info: Molly Gilbert, 2091820 or mollygilbert@yahoo.com.

■ Old Sevier Community Group meets 7 p.m. each third Thursday (except December), South Knoxville Elementary School library, 801 Sevier Ave. Info: Gary E. Deitsch, 573-7355 or garyedeitsch@ bellsouth.net.

■ South of the River Democrats (9th District) meet 6:30 p.m. each third Monday, South Knoxville Community Center, 522 Maryville Pike. Info: Jim Sessions, jim.sessions@comcast.net or 573-0655.

Ken Lister holds granddaughter Jesse. Lister also partnered with granddaughters Patti and Emi during the evening.

GOSPEL SINGING

New Beverly is proud to announce a great day of gospel singing with the awesome family group

■ South Haven Neighborhood Association meets 10 a.m. each third Saturday, Hillcrest UMC, 1615 Price Ave. Info: Pat Harmon, 591-3958.

■ South Woodlawn Neighborhood Association. Info: Shelley Conklin, 686-6789.

The Washams

■ Vestal Community Organization meets 6 p.m. each second Monday, South Knoxville Community Center, 522 Old Maryville Pike. Info: Newman Seay, 577-4593.

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4 • FEBRUARY 18, 2015 • Shopper news master technician as teacher.

Old friend Mike DeBord is a line coach. He does bring a lifetime of experience and boost in his career. Butch future may think that is OK. warm compatibility.

“Comfort” is a bigger has returned the favor, res- It isn’t. cuing Mike from oblivion I have no concerns about word in Butch’s vocabulary and adding the encourage- DeBord as offensive coordi- than in mine. I thought Marvin ment of a $500,000 salary. nator. He may even be great, “comfort” was part of the West We have been told that as soon as he catches up 2014 problem.

The coaching staff was this enhances the status with what is going on. quo, that little or nothing I am amazed that Butch more comfortable with Juswill change about the Jones is passing him off as a quar- tin Worley at quarterback offense. I don’t believe that. terback coach. His first and because he was a better Jones group can sell. This is The Vols need more touch- last fling at that assign- practice player, had a betthe year to see how it does at downs. They need to be able ment was the mid-1980s at ter grasp of the offense, was developing talent. to gain a yard now and then, Fort Hays State. Quarter- less likely to make mistakes Fans should accept when they absolutely must back coach of those famous and would stick to plans. It DeBord as a loyalty hire. have one. Maybe DeBord names at Michigan (Tom didn’t seem to matter that This was payback. It is OK to can coach a power forma- Brady, Brian Griese, etc.) he couldn’t run the read option. scratch your head and won- tion. He once did. was Stan Parrish.

It hurts to say what I’ve der, but no bickering. Butch Offense did not come Based on last season’s arhas already said he knows easy for Tennessee the past gument that Joshua Dobbs been thinking, that there what’s best for the Vols. two seasons. It finished needed considerable im- would have been no bowl Butch worked for Mike 104th and 93rd in national provement on fundamentals game had Worley survived. long, long ago at Central rankings. The Vols were and the current dilemma of Justin would have deserved Michigan. Together they 69th in red zone touchdown three freshmen posing as a medal for true grit and produced a 12-34 record. percentage in 2014. Those quarterback depth, it would everlasting respect for raw DeBord did give Jones a big perfectly relaxed about the seem that Jones needed a courage, but no way does

Happy time, good fit, comfort zone The late Al McGuire used “seashells and balloons” to describe good times. The way things are with Tennessee football, you can add rainbows and free ice cream.

Recruiting success remains the talk of the town.

The new offensive coordinator is said to be a precise fit.

Butch Jones is really comfortable. Everybody that matters is some degree of happy. New titles and raises helped.

For lack of contrary information, I assume Mike DeBord is the correct step in maintaining “the best staff in America.” That’s what Butch promised when he was hired. No reason for him to back down.

I will concede that the

The rise and fall of Tyler Harber ured I was out to get him. It wouldn’t have taken a political savant to figure that out, because I loved to crack bad jokes about the escapades of Sun Tzu-quoting undergraduates being unleashed on the world by UT’s political science department.

Betty The last time I heard Bean from Tyler was Nov. 12, 2014, when he sent me an email asking me to come up I’d taken a couple of to D.C. to interview him. He pokes at him as the new en- said the Department of Jusfant terrible of local politics, tice was focusing on Repuband one night when Joe met lican consultants who were me at a blues bar in the Old running super PACs: “I’ve trusted you to write City to drop off some camthe truth before. Can I pay paign literature, he mentioned that Tyler was wait- for you to come up here to meet me once more? One ing for him in the car.

My recollection is that more interview,” he wrote.

“I need an impartial, he couldn’t get into the bar because he wasn’t 21 yet, but reasonable, no BS-telling Joe recently told me that Ty- of why I’m going to federal ler thought it better to wait prison for calling Obama a in the car because he fig- criminal repeatedly on naMy first encounter with Tyler Harber was in 2001 when he was working in Joe Bailey’s first city council campaign.

tional television. Are you up for a story with as much complexity as the series you wrote about me previously?

“Sooner rather than later.

DoJ is pushing hard and I can’t hold them off too much longer. You’ve been the journalist I’ve trusted.

Plus this is going to be a national story. I wanted to give you first dibs.

“Let me know. I know this is a very f’d-up request.

But in the end of my political career, I’d much prefer that you write my ‘epitaph’ than the Times, Post or any other rag inside the beltway.

“Let me know.

“Best regards, Tyler” Flabbergasted, I e-mailed him back, asking him to call me. He never responded.

Ragsdale

Harber’s situation became brutally clear last

week when the news broke that he’d pleaded guilty to illegally coordinating a political campaign with a super PAC he’d created, directing more than $300,000 to the campaign and diverting $138,000 of that to a company run by his mother.

The news brought back a flood of memories – Mike Ragsdale’s 2002 county executive campaign kickoff at the L&N Station to the tune of the Beatles’ “Here comes the sun.”

And there he was – Tyler Harber – fi xing to embark on the long-term project of helping Ragsdale become governor.

When Ragsdale was sworn in, Tyler got a nebulous job on the sixth floor.

Later he was transferred to the county probation office, supposedly monitoring prisoners’ ankle bracelets.

A lot of us guffawed at that, because we spotted him doing stuff like chauffeuring the mayor here and there

LOCAL Businesses

trust,

and skulking around meetings keeping tabs on errant county commissioners who weren’t toeing the Ragsdale line.

Over time, recalcitrant commissioners began to complain that they were being threatened with reelection problems if they didn’t get with the program.

Specifically, they said that they were being told that the mayor would sic the ruthless boy genius on them if they didn’t straighten up. Occasionally Tyler got caught misbehaving in public and would get his knuckles rapped.

It all came to a head in 2006 when GOP county chair Chad Tindell refused to turn over a mailing list to the Ragsdale re-election campaign that he’d complied during the previous presidential election. Tyler, who was somehow privy to Tindell’s email password, printed out Tindell’s email correspondence and passed

Tennessee upset South Carolina without Joshua Dobbs.

Now we know and understand.

This, indeed, looks like the beginning of seashells and balloons for Tennessee football. There is reason for optimism.

The Lyle Allen Jones Reconstruction Company has done the preliminary brick work. His method has merit. There will be no more 7-6s.

Spring practice, even in relative secret, figures to be exciting. Already there is chatter about the Orange and White game. And an SEC East title! Some can barely wait. Go Vols!

I hope the new coach can help the team win. If the Vols make it to Atlanta, that might mean top 10 in the polls. Call it to my attention when it happens. That will be the real comfort zone.

it on to Ragsdale and his body man Mike Arms.

Threats, intimidation and car chases ensured. Tyler departed for Washington.

But he was heard from one more time.

Washington

Shortly after Ragsdale’s less than impressive 2006 re-election victory, an anonymous blog post asked, “Missing me now?”

“Tyler,” I thought.

After tracking him down, I spent a weekend in Washington interviewing Tyler, and the result was a threepart Shopper-News series detailing the work he had done in the service of Mike Ragsdale. (The trip was solely at my expense, reimbursed in part by the Shopper.)

The interview included a description of his bogus probation job, a detailed account of attempting to To next page

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Shopper news • FEBRUARY 18, 2015 • 5

Campaign aims to keep babies off drugs We’ve produced many exceptional things in East Tennessee – Mountain Dew, hydroelectric power and the 1982 World’s Fair, to name a few.

Wendy Smith

The quick death of Insure Tennessee Deborah Huddleston and Karen Pershing of the Metropolitan Drug Commission display Born Drug-Free in Tennessee materials. The initiative aims to raise awareness about babies being born addicted to drugs. Photo by Wendy Smith

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that this region also cranks out something that should make us all shudder: drug dependent newborns. The Tennessee Department of Health’s 16-county East Tennessee region produced a whopping 27 percent of the state’s 973 Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) babies in 2014. Knox County alone produced 10.6 percent of the total number, which continues to rise.

These babies are sick because they are addicted to drugs ingested by their addicted mothers. The babies, and their moms, are the sad fallout of the region’s over-prescription of opiates. Addiction to prescription drugs is something that can happen to anyone, says Carla Saunders, a neonatal nurse practitioner at East Tennessee Children’s Hospital.

“This is not an addictunder-the-bridge problem.

This is a person-sitting-nextto-you-in-church problem.”

Agencies from across the region, including the nonprofit Metropolitan Drug Commission and East Tennessee Children’s Hospital, partnered with the East Tennessee NAS Task Force to kick off the Born DrugFree Tennessee education initiative last week.

The goal of the program is to raise awareness about babies being born exposed to prescription and other drugs. Education is aimed at medical providers, women who are pregnant or at risk of becoming pregnant, and their families.

Karen Pershing, executive director of the Metropolitan Drug Commission, says the problem stems from lack of communication. Last week, 29 OB/GYN doctors, nurse practitioners, nurses and nursing students participated in Born Drug-

Free Tennessee training.

Through role-play, the medical providers learned how to talk to women about addiction. It’s not something they’re comfortable asking about, she says.

Pregnant women also need education. They think pain pills are safe because doctors prescribe them, and access points are everywhere. Knox County has 35 registered pain clinics.

Those who recognize that they are addicted, or even dependent, face enormous challenges. They get sick if they quit taking pills, and replacement therapies, like methadone, are also harmful to babies. Information on the Born Drug-Free Tennessee website can help addicted women make changes and move forward with their lives, Saunders says.

Prescriptions for pain pills rose in response to the under-treatment of pain in the late 1990s and early 2000s. At the time, no one

Tyler Harber

realized how addictive the drugs were, she says. Even now, large prescriptions aren’t uncommon.

“There’s no need for opiates to the degree that doctors are prescribing them.”

Despite the number of NAS babies, Saunders has hope. A lot of people are looking for ways to help.

Pershing hopes to see the number of NAS babies born in Knox County drop 20 percent by 2016. It’s a lofty goal, but she thinks it’s possible through education. The Born Drug-Free Tennessee message is being spread via the Internet, radio, television, posters and brochures, and her voice. She’s happy to speak to community groups about the work of the Metropolitan Drug Commission – substance abuse prevention – and she always mentions the smallest victims of drug abuse.

“I always bring up the babies.” Info: www. borndrugfreetn.com

From previous page

derail a referendum on Ragsdale’s county wheel tax proposal and a recounting of an attempt to access confidential medical records of political foes, plus lots of intimidation of other elected officials.

It was explosive stuff, and although Ragsdale compelled department heads and other employees to sign sworn statements

government

disavowing Tyler’s allegations, nothing he told me in that marathon interview has ever been proven false.

Nothing.

Unlikely as it would have seemed in 2001, Tyler Harber became a valued friend and source to me over the years. I watched his rise through the Republican firmament – “Elections and Campaigns” magazine

named him a Rising Star in 2012 – and he was making regular appearances as a commentator on Fox News.

Last October, his refusal to join in on Fox’s wholesale bashing of Muslims was widely reported on other news outlets.

He and his wife, who is carving a niche for herself as a “military romance” author (who knew there was such

a genre?), are the parents of two cute little kids. I was impressed by his personal and professional growth over the years since he was Mike Ragsdale’s dirty tricks specialist. Then it all came crashing down.

This morning, I read that “Elections and Campaigns” has revoked his Rising Star award. And sentencing is set for May.

Recently I wrote the odds favored Gov. Haslam getting Medicaid expansion passed in the special legislative session. Little did I think that it would fail so overwhelmingly in less than 48 hours at the hands of fellow Republicans.

Never has a major initiative from the governor been scuttled so quickly and decisively. What happened?

There are many theories and all have some element of truth. But based on my own 15 years in the Legislature, there seems to be several factors.

First, the governor erred in calling a special session instead of letting Insure Tennessee be considered in the regular session. Weeks were needed to pull together a majority in both House and Senate, if it could be done. In hindsight, it probably would have failed in the regular session too, but not so spectacularly.

Second, the governor never had an accurate count of lawmakers showing a majority in favor. Whatever count he had was not close and was based on hope, not reality. He believed that his plan was so logical and so different from Obamacare that it would prevail after all the facts were outlined, combined with strong business community support.

The votes simply were not there to pass the plan.

Third, there were early warning signs of deep trouble when both speakers (Republicans, too) declined to endorse the plan. Then the Senate majority leader refused to sponsor the plan. Then there was not a written agreement with the Obama Administration. Then the House GOP caucus chair said he was opposed.

Victor Ashe

Fourth, extensive lobbying by hospital executives who spoke of the fiscal plight facing hospitals when top leadership’s pay, even at the medium and smaller hospitals, often exceeds $250.000 and in some cases reaches $600,000 hardly indicated a financial crisis. Only TVA is more tone deaf when it comes to paying outrageously high salaries to the top folks.

Erlanger in Chattanooga recently handed out over $1 million in bonuses to top personnel. This was not the governor’s doing but he got caught in the crossfire.

Fifth, the governor would have been well advised to have discussed this during his re-election campaign last fall. Then he could have said voters knew of it and backed it. He denied himself a mandate on the issue he did not raise.

The high point of the session was Haslam’s address which was as articulate a speech as he has ever given and came from the heart. It simply did not register with members who had already decided to vote “no” on an extension of Obamacare and bigger government.

The governor will and should move on. This Legislature probably will not act on this until a new President takes office on Jan. 20, 2017. While its failure is a setback and embarrassing, it is not the end of the world and Haslam has four more years to lead the state in an exceptional manner.

Hopson and allies to take helm of teachers’ association

By Betty Bean Asked what’s first when she takes over as president of the Knox County Education Association July 1, Lauren Hopson didn’t hesitate: “Increase membership and give teachers a voice.”

This shouldn’t surprise anyone who has observed the Halls third grade teacher since her “Tired Teacher” speech at the October 2013 school board forum.

Being president of KCEA is full-time, so Hopson will be taking a leave of absence from teaching.

If there was a KCEA election surprise, it’s the slate of officers who will enter with her. Members of SPEAK

(Students, Parents, Educations Across Knox), the organization she and others put together last year at the beginning of what came to be known as the teacher rebellion, got elected as well. So Amy Cate will become Hopson vice president; Linda Holtzclaw, secretary; Julie Smalling, high school executive board rep and Mark Taylor middle school executive board rep.

Dave Gorman and Sherry Morgan were elected to the

Anti-Aging

team that interviews candidates for public office.

Here is how Amy Cate describes their platform: “We are for truth and honesty in education – not smoke and mirrors of false promises from the educational reformers… This is 2015 and managing teachers through fear and intimidation is not acceptable. … We pride ourselves in being seekers of truth, but we are far from being radical. I promise!”

Hopson likes being part of a team: “It is a strange feeling to be excited and scared to death at the same time.

My biggest fear was getting elected without the rest of them there to help me.”

One of the first issues she wants to address is helping teachers re-establish some control over their professional lives.

“Over the last five days, I’ve had two days of planning time. We’re supposed to have it every day. Technically, under Tennessee law, I get 2.5 hours per week, which works out to 45 minutes a day.”

Instead, she has been required to attend a technology meeting and a PLC (professional learning community) meeting.

“What we’re supposed to be doing is do grade-level planning, identifying kids who need help; but usually,

we just look at test data.

Pretty much there isn’t anything I can do in a PLC meeting that is more important than planning for my students the next day. Last year, we asked for PLCs to be done monthly rather than weekly. If I worked at a TAP school, I’d have a cluster meeting – you don’t have to think long at all to figure out what those are called.”

And that’s just for starters.

Hopson, who is from Greeneville, started her professional life armed with degrees in psychology and sociology. She worked with troubled kids at a residential treatment center for

several years. In 2000, she went back to the University of Tennessee on a Lyndhurst fellowship, earned a master’s in education, and went to work for Knox County Schools.

She describes herself as generally conservative, but motivated into the political arena by learning of the plight of two friends, whom she describes as “amazing teachers, who, because of one test, had their jobs threatened. Now, they are both teachers of the year at their respective schools – and they’ll probably never talk to you because they don’t want that kind of attention.”

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6 • FEBRUARY 18, 2014 • Shopper news

Patricia Arquette plays the mom of Ellar Coltrane in “Boyhood,” nominated for six Academy Awards.

Pickle picks the Oscars The bookies aren’t as busy as with the Super Bowl, and the list isn’t as long as the Grammys, but the 87th Academy Awards, airing this Sunday night on ABC, should draw one of the biggest TV crowds of the year.

Controversy always intrigues an audience, and “American Sniper” – nominated for six Oscars – has stoked one fire after another. Between the critics’ pans and the divide between viewers, Clint Eastwood’s omission from the best director nominations, the real-life debate over Chris Kyle’s achievements during wartime and the real-life trial now deciding the fate of Kyle’s killer, “American Sniper” has become the most interesting subplot of the Oscars.

It may even be more interesting than the show itself. Nominated for Best Picture along with “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance),” “Boyhood,” “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” “The Imitation Game,” “Selma,” “The Theory of Everything” and “Whiplash,” “American Sniper” isn’t seen as a contender.

The race is between “Boyhood” and “Birdman.”

As clever and well-made as “Birdman” is, nothing is cleverer or better made this year than “Boyhood.” “Boyhood” pushes the boundaries of filmmaking in dozens of ways, and its gamble results in a beautiful, compelling story.

Best Actor (female): Nominees are Marion Co-

Betsy Pickle

tillard, “Two Days, One Night”; Felicity Jones, “The Theory of Everything”; Julianne Moore, “Still Alice”; Rosamund Pike, “Gone Girl”; Reese Witherspoon, “Wild.”

This is a fantastic lineup, but the only name that counts is Moore’s. This is her third nomination for lead – she’s also been nominated twice for supporting.

Hollywood loves her; the public loves her. She’s getting the gold.

Best Actor (male): Steve Carell, “Foxcatcher”; Bradley Cooper, “American Sniper”; Benedict Cumberbatch, “The Imitation Game”; Michael Keaton, “Birdman”; Eddie Redmayne, “The Theory of Everything.”

It’s a phenomenal field, but an old favorite is poised to win. While this is only the first nomination for Keaton, he is a talented and beloved star seemingly making a comeback in an “arty” film about an actor making a comeback. Life will imitate art.

Best Supporting Actor (female): Patricia Arquette, “Boyhood”; Laura Dern, “Wild”; Keira Knightley, “The Imitation Game”; Emma Stone, “Birdman”; Meryl Streep, “Into the Woods.”

This worthy list also has a frontrunner, and – amazingly – it isn’t Streep, who

already has one supporting and two lead Oscars from 18 previous nominations. Early accolades have overwhelmingly favored Arquette, whose work in “Boyhood” is complex and controlled. The journeyman star will finally get her due.

Best Supporting Actor (male): Robert Duvall, “The Judge”; Ethan Hawke, “Boyhood”; Edward Norton, “Birdman”; Mark Ruffalo, “Foxcatcher”; J.K. Simmons, “Whiplash.”

This may be the most suspenseful race of all the major categories. Each nominee is impressive, but the two generating the most excitement are Ruffalo and Simmons. Ruffalo was nominated previously for “The Kids Are All Right,” and he’s terrific in “Foxcatcher.”

Simmons is a newbie in the Oscar world, but the man has done everything from the creepiest of convicts to the most lovable of father figures. His tough-guy act in “Whiplash” is a sight to behold, and Oscar voters will want to reward him here for a lifetime of greatness.

Best Director: Alejandro G. Inarritu, “Birdman”; Richard Linklater, “Boyhood”; Bennet Miller, “Foxcatcher”; Wes Anderson, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”; Morten Tyldum, “The Imitation Game.”

Not a weak spot here, but only one spent 12 years making a film that turned out to be a masterpiece.

Can’t wait to see Richard Linklater – the man who directed the classic “Dazed and Confused” – pick up the Oscar for “Boyhood.”

Coach Jim White (Kevin Costner) encourages his team in “McFarland, USA.”

Oscar alternatives

By Betsy Pickle

The Oscars may be drawing the bulk of attention from movie lovers this weekend, but theaters have to keep selling popcorn.

Three films are opening in wide release Friday.

Kevin Costner continues what feels like a comeback with “McFarland, USA.” With “Black or White” still getting love at the box office, Costner piles on with this inspirational film based on a true story.

Costner plays Jim White, a disgraced high-school football coach who winds up in a small town in California, teaching P.E. and science in a primarily Hispanic school.

As he and his family try to deal with culture shock,

he notices that several boys at school are exceptionally fast runners, and he recruits them for a crosscountry team.

Scoffed at by their betterfunded competitors, the team trains hard and heads for a finale that won’t be a surprise for anyone who’s ever seen an inspirational sports movie. Maria Bello also stars in the film directed by Niki Caro (“Whale Rider”).

The hot tub and many of the cast members are back, but not John Cusack in “Hot Tub Time Machine 2,” the sequel to the 2010 hit.

The characters seek out the mysterious hot tub once more to go back in time when one of their own is shot. Adam Scott, Rob

Corddry, Clark Duke, Craig Robinson, Chevy Chase, Thomas Lennon and Gillian Jacobs star for director Steve Pink, also returning.

“The DUFF” delves into high-school life and a twist on “Mean Girls.”

A high school senior decides not to take it when she discovers that the student body has labeled her the DUFF – Designated Ugly Fat Friend – to her more attractive friends.

She tries to reinvent herself and upend the social pecking order at her school, starting with taking down the queen bee.

Mae Whitman, Bella Thorne, Robbie Amell, Nick Eversman, Ken Jeong and Allison Janney star for director Ari Sandel.

weekender

Shopper news • FEBRUARY 18, 2014 • 7

FRIDAY-SUNDAY

Did you know k th thatt Knoxville is home to 21 museums? And here’s some startling info: according to the website moretoknoxville.com, their total annual attendance exceeds that of all UT home football games combined.

■ Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey presents “Built To Amaze” at the Knoxville Civic Coliseum, 500 Howard Baker Jr. Ave. Showtimes: 7 p.m. Friday; 11 a.m., 3 p.m., 7 p.m.

Saturday; 3 p.m. Sunday. Info/tickets: Coliseum Box Office, 215-8999.

FRIDAY ■ Antonin Dvořák’s “Stabat Mater” performance by the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, 7:30 p.m., Tennessee Theatre, 604 S. Gay St. Part of the Moxley Carmichael Masterworks Series. Tickets: KnoxvilleTickets.com, 656-4444; KSO box office: 291-3310.

Carol Shane

SATURDAY That’s a lot of art lovers!

The big kahuna, of course, is the Knoxville Museum of Art. It’s home to not only a world-class collection of visual art, but the wildly popular Alive After Five concert series, as well as the brilliant KSO Concertmaster Series of classical concerts.

Right now is a great time to visit the museum, what with the changeable weather and often gloomy skies. Is it spring? Still winter? Who knows? Put away the gardening tools and canoe for a few more weeks, anyway, and find beauty and intrigue inside the KMA. Three local artists – two painters and one mixedmedia sculptor – are currently featured in “Contemporary Focus,” an annual exhibition designed to serve as a vital means of recognizing, supporting, and documenting the development of contemporary art in East Tennessee.

Each year, the exhibition series features the work of artists who are living and making art in this region, and who are exploring issues relevant to the larger world of contemporary art.

■ The Black Jacket Symphony performs The Beatles’ “Abbey Road,” 8 p.m., Bijou Theater, 803 S. Gay St. Tickets: $27.50 plus applicable service fees. Info/tickets: http://www. knoxbijou.com.

SUNDAY Painter Karla Wozniak’s 2014 “Mountain Building,” currently on display at the KMA of KMA

Painter Karla Wozniak holds degrees in painting from Yale University and Rhode Island School of Design, including participation in RISD’s European Honors Program in Rome, Italy. Her paintings have been exhibited all over the U.S. and in Germany. She is currently an assistant professor of painting at the University of Tennessee’s School of Art. Anyone who enjoys the daring and vibrant use of color will love Wozniak’s densely patterned, exuberant works. She’s a modernday Fauve, referring to a group of early-20th-century French Impressionist painters who used vivid palettes. Wozniak draws inspiration from nature as well as the urban landscape.

The other featured painter, Mira Gerard, is chair and associate professor in the department of art & design at East Tennessee State University.

From the KMA website: “Mira Gerard’s shadowy, expansive figure paintings integrate subject matter from her own video recordings and found imagery in ways that blur the boundaries between dream and reality.”

Gerard’s ghostly figures are sometimes gently intercepted by objects, as if they’re made of air. Faces are obscured, backgrounds are multi-layered, gauzy, swirling.

On her website, Gerard states, “I make paintings of the figure as a way to understand desire, which functions in my work in

Photo courtesy

part as a fantasy about being both subject and maker.”

Mixed-media sculptor Caroline Covington’s aim is often to provoke and unsettle. She produces “works that explore notions of displacement, mortality and chance,” according to the KMA website. In addition to her studio practice, Covington is assistant professor of sculpture at Chattanooga State Community College.

Covington says, “My current work exposes the anxieties and apprehensions felt towards the myths of the past and the uncertainties of the future through interactive installations incorporating found and fabricated objects, performance, video and monumental structures. As view-

■ “Hollywood’s Night Out” presented by Young Variety at Regal Entertainment Group’s Riviera 8 Downtown. Watch the Oscar’s live on Regal’s big screen. Doors open 7 p.m. Tickets: $35. Tickets: Fandango Online or the Regal Riviera Box Office.

Proceeds go to Variety of Eastern Tennessee’s Kids on the Go! Program. Info: Variety of Eastern Tennessee on Facebook.

■ Knoxville Symphony Youth Orchestra Winter Concerts: 4:30 p.m. featuring four of the five Youth Orchestras and 7 p.m. featuring the top Youth Orchestra with solos by the Concerto Competition winners 8th grader Autumn Arsenault, piano and Farragut High School sophomore Jerry Zhou, cello; Tennessee Theatre, 604 S. Gay St. Free admission.

■ Young Pianist Series Concert featuring Steven Lin, 2:30 p.m., Sandra G. Powell Recital Hall, Natalie L. Haslam Music Center, 1741 Volunteer Blvd. UT campus. Tickets at the door or online: students free, $25 adults. Info/tickets: 408-8083 or www.youngpianistseries.com.

ers consider the work and the narratives therein, a sense of dread stirs both memories and premonitions, fueling fears and disrupting intimacy.”

So, some uncomfortable feelings may arise. But what better place to explore and expand than in an art museum?

“Contemporary Focus” runs through April 19 at the Knoxville Museum of Art, just off 11th Street at 1050 World’s Fair Park. For more information, including other current exhibits, visit knoxart.org or call 525-6101.

Send story suggestions to news@ shoppernewsnow.com.

Plate it

Bistro by the Tracks I love seafood, so seeing a type I have never tried before on the menu at Bistro by the Tracks made my dinner selection an easy one.

Grilled cobia turned out to be a firm and meaty fish with such a delicious and mild flavor that I cleaned my plate in no time.

Cobia, according to some quick Internet research, is sometimes called black kingfish or black salmon, which is something of a mystery as it isn’t anything like kingfish or salmon and

Mystery Diner

The cobia at Bistro by the Tracks is served with Anson Mills’ Farro Verde – another menu item that sent me to the Internet – and pickled vegetables, thinly sliced radishes, isn’t black. It’s a saltwater lemon and arugula. Farro fish, and most of the sup- is simply an Italian name ply for restaurants comes for emmer wheat. It has from aqua-farms. Cobia’s a slightly nutty taste, can mild flavor makes it a chef’s have a smoky flavor and is favorite at high-end restau- cooked soft, but still with rants. a slight crunch. It is rather

like risotto, but not as soft.

The sauce is the perfect complement to the whole dish. The key is starting at the top layer and making sure your fork goes all the way to the bottom of the plate, getting a little of every component into each bite.

Just eat it. The combination of the cobia, the tang of the pickled vegetables and the farro verde will make

The firm and delicious cobia is the star of this dish at Bistro by the Tracks. Photo by Mystery Diner

this one of your favorite dishes. If you love seafood, you’ll go back to Bistro by the Tracks for this one.

Bistro by the Tracks, 215 Brookview Centre Way, is located off Northshore

Drive in the center behind Walgreens and the former TGI Friday’s restaurant. Go now, and then return for lunch when they open their beautiful patio.

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8 • FEBRUARY 18, 2015 • SOUTH KNOX Shopper news Patterson Air Force Base.

Two years later, she became a training curriculum specialist at the base.

When her husband retired from the Air Force in 2006, the family moved to South Knoxville.

New Hopewell names Carter Teacher of the Year

By Betsy Pickle New Hopewell Elementary School has named Lee Ann Carter Teacher of the Year.

A Doyle High School graduate, Carter earned an associate degree in Bible from Johnson Bible College and a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education from Kentucky Wesleyan

College. She earned her master’s of education from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio.

Carter began her career teaching kindergarten in Kentucky. She later did substitute teaching and taught preschool and first grade in Missouri while her husband, Todd, was stationed at Whiteman Air Force Base.

Soon afterward, she was offered a full-time position at New Hopewell, teaching first and second grades for several years before settling in first grade alone.

Her current and past service includes the Leader-

ship Team, Family Engagement, Arts 360 coordinator and Mentoring Team.

Lee Ann and Todd have been married for 25 years and have two daughters, Hayle and Abby.

Lee Ann Carter When the Carters moved to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, she was licensed by the base to do family child care in her home. She was nominated several times and in 1999 won Family Child Care Provider of the Year for Wright-

Louise Hargis of the Knoxville Zoo shows Madeline to students at Sarah Moore Greene. Photo by Destiny Woods

Skink alert!

Madeline, a prehensile tailed skink, is a 29-year resident of the Knoxville Zoo. Photo by Xavier Hill

At the Bonny Kate father-daughter dance are first-grader Brooklyn Jolly, left, and kindergartner Caroline Berry can barely hold still long enough to pose with fathers Tony Jolly, left, and Jeff Berry. Photo by Betsy Pickle

School board sets mid-month workshop

Newspaper club gets zoo visit Louise Conrad Hargis No. brought a reptile in a cooler What does it eat? to last week’s newspaper Kale and carrots. club at Sarah Moore Greene.

Who are her predators?

It was Madeline, a prehenOwls, hawks and eagles. sile tailed skink.

“She smells with her The reporters touched tongue,” said Hargis. the lizard and asked good Reporters commented on questions: the skink’s long fingers (five Does it change colors? per hand) and her tail which

The Knox County Board of Education will hold its mid-month work session at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 18, in its boardroom on the first floor of the Andrew Johnson Building, 912 S. Gay Street.

The full agenda and supporting documentation are available on the Board of Education page of the Knox

County Schools website. be viewed on the website or Supporting documents may downloaded in a PDF form.

Textbooks available for public review Parents and community members who wish to review math textbooks and instructional materials proposed for use in the Knox County Schools during the 2015-2016 school year can view the selections at the Sarah Simpson Professional Development Center, 801 Tipton Ave., through Feb. 20.

functions “like another hand,” according to Hargis.

Someone asked how Hargis got her job at the zoo.

“I majored in ecology and biodiversity in college, but what helped most was my summers spent working as a camp counselor.”

– S. Clark

“I love my new foster family!”

A.J. Tierney gives feedback to the cast of “Alice’s Rumpus in Wonderland.” The Knoxville Children’s Theatre production opens this Friday. Photo by Wendy Smith

West High student directs ‘Alice’ adaptation

By Wendy Smith

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A.J. Tierney was in third grade when she saw a production of “Peter Pan” and said, “I want to do that.” Her parents immediately began sending her on auditions, and over the next couple of years, she appeared in plays at the Black Box Theater in Bearden and the Bijou Theatre.

Looking back, A.J. thinks “Peter Pan” made her want to fly, not act. But after appearing in 12 different productions and now directing at the Knoxville Children’s Theatre, it’s clear that she’s capable of doing both.

Whether or not it was what she intended, acting came naturally to her.

“I was that loud kid no one knew what to do with.

No one ever told me to go bigger.”

The West High School junior directs “Alice’s Rumpus in Wonderland,” which opens Friday, Feb. 20. She was given the opportunity after interning for a year with the children’s theater, located at 109 E. Churchwell Avenue.

As an intern, she experienced every aspect of backstage work, from props to stage management. She

also choreographed several wordless sequences when she co-directed last fall’s production of “Hound of the Baskervilles.”

She was initially nervous about directing the young cast because some of them are almost like siblings.

She’s known some since the fourth grade, and was concerned that they wouldn’t see her as an authority figure.

But they’ve behaved so professionally that it hasn’t been an issue, she says.

The leadership skills A.J. learned as an intern have helped. One of her responsibilities as stage manager was discipline, and she learned how to correct gently with phrases like, “I’m disappointed in you.”

She loves having the opportunity to direct.

“I’ve always sat in the audience during shows and thought, ‘This is what I’d do.’ So it’s cool to have the power to do that.”

She compares directing with being an artist, or painter. As an artist, she has numerous tools, or geniuses, at her disposal, she says. In addition to 18 hardworking actors, her work is supported by a talented

crew of costumers and set designers. She’s also backed up by the theater’s executive director, Zack Allen.

He wrote the adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland” and “Alice Through the LookingGlass,” but it was A.J.’s idea to set the play in New York City during the Roaring 1920s.

“Think of the parallels of the craziness of New York and Wonderland,” she says.

The play begins at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in 1925 when Alice loses Harry Houdini’s white rabbit.

While chasing the rabbit, she finds herself in the hotel elevator, which takes her down to Wonderland.

As much as she’s enjoyed directing, acting is A.J.’s first love. She plans to pursue acting in college, and since she expects to spend much of her senior year auditioning, “Alice’s Rumpus in Wonderland” may be the end of an era for her.

“I wanted to put a stamp on something before I left,” she says.

Performances are Feb. 20, 21, 22, 26, 27 and 28, and March 1, 5, 6, 7 and 8.

Info: 208-3677 or knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com

business

Shopper news • FEBRUARY 18, 2015 • 9

Dalton Collision: Gold Class Shop Let’s face it. There are businesses that you hope you’ll never need to visit.

But when you are faced with repairing your vehicle after a collision, you want a place with excellent qualifications. Dalton Collision fills the bill – and then some.

Jerry Dalton was in the fiberglass repair division at Sea Ray Boats, but soon he was also working on cars.

It wasn’t long before his customers also needed collision repair, so he and wife Donna opened Dalton Collision in a garage in 1991.

In 1998, the business relocated to the current building at 355 Rutledge Pike near Blaine. With 8,600 square feet, it appeared the building would have plenty of space. However, in the typical Dalton fashion of growth and progress, an additional 4,000 square feet is being built adjacent to the current location and is scheduled for completion in March.

The new space will include a dedicated aluminum room. With stricter government standards for fuel economy, manufacturers are being required to reduce the weight of cars and trucks. Aluminum reduces the weight of the average vehicle by 700 pounds. The

Nancy Whittaker

Daltons want to stay one step ahead of the future needs of consumers. New Ford F150s are currently made of aluminum. Dalton Collision has already been aluminum certified for Ford, as well as for Nissan, Infinity, Honda, Acura, General Motors and Chrysler.

Certifications are important to Jerry and Donna.

The Daltons require all 16 employees to stay current on the latest technology.

Local and regional training has resulted in Dalton Collision being designated as an I-CAR (Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair) Gold Class Shop for 16 years, the longest of any shop in the state of Tennessee, according to Jerry.

Some insurance companies require collision repair to be done by a Gold Class Shop.

Blueprinting the car – taking a car apart and looking for hidden damages

Elite Realty staff: (seated) owner Andy Mason, Realtor Aaron Newman; (standing) owner Karen Bradshaw, Realtors Shirley Jones and Tausha Price. Not pictured: Donna Beasley, Terri Rose. Photo submitted

Elite Realty marks 22 years Elite Realty is celebrating 22 years of service to the community. Co-owners Andy Mason and Karen Bradshaw held a Knoxville Area Association of Realtors (KAAR) awards luncheon Feb. 10 to acknowledge the accomplishments of Award of Excellence recipients for 2014.

Awards given: Andy Mason – Diamond; Shirley Jones, Tausha Price, Aaron Newman and Terri Rose –

Gold; Donna Beasley – Silver.

“We are not a big corporation. People come to us because they feel they get more personal attention,” said Bradshaw. “We feel blessed that the community has supported us through the years. Without them we wouldn’t be here.”

Elite Realty handles commercial, land and residential sales. Info: 110 Legacy View Way, 947-5000.

– is one reason Jerry says insurance companies refer people to Dalton Collision.

“Quality work with a faster turn-around time is what sets us apart. I put my money back in the business to insure I have the best tools and equipment and latest technology,” says Jerry.

Currently they are averaging repairs on 20 vehicles per week.

Dalton Collision is also certified with in-network Certified VIP Collision Care Repair Services. “We are locally owned and operated but also part of a national chain of shops,” explains

Jerry. Among other benefits, Jerry says this guarantees repairs nationally with a lifetime warranty. When repairs are completed at Dalton Collision, they are guaranteed by the network, so customers can move out of state and still be assured of their warranty if there are any issues in the future.

Dalton Collision is open Monday through Friday from 7:30 to 5:30 for all services and on Saturdays from 9 to noon for estimates and drop-offs. Collision repair is available for all makes and models. Info: www.dalton- Donna and Jerry Dalton have spent over 20 years building their successful business. Photo by Nancy Whittaker collision.com or 933-9818.

News from Knoxville’s Community Development Corporation (KCDC)

Bowling finds purpose in writing

By Alvin Nance Margaret Bowling, 86, is proof that you are never too old to find your passion. She published her first novel two years ago and completed her second, “Mountain Glory,” last year.

The Northgate Terrace resident has been invited to bring her newest novel to the KCDC board of commissioners meeting when every commissioner will be given a book purchased by Knoxville’s Community Development Corporation.

In just a few months, Bowling already has sold more than 100 books, even though she never picked up a pen to write until she retired and began crafting stories in spiral notebooks.

Both novels center on ancestors who lived in Scott County in a small community called Norma in the late 1800s. The first book, “Mountain Refuge,” focuses on the childhood and early life of her great-grandfa-

Terri Evans (left) and Alvin Nance (right) have their copies of “Mountain Glory” signed by author Margaret Bowling at a book signing at Northgate Terrace. ther, Will Wilson. The 254page sequel follows Wilson as he raises his children and also tells the story of the Wilson family’s friends and neighbors. This book is about twice as long as Bowling’s first effort.

Bowling said the second book was fun to write, because she had reached the

point where she was writing about people she knew firsthand, such as her grandmother, Nancy Wilson, who is a child in this book.

Publishing was the hardest part of the process. She wrote “Mountain Glory” in a few months, but it took nearly two years to publish.

Her hard work paid off, be-

cause both books now are available on Amazon in both print and digital forms.

Bowling has received a great response from Scott County folks. To her, that’s the best part of writing this book.

“I’m meeting a lot of new people,” Bowling said. “I never dreamed I’d have so many friends.”

Bowling has lived at Northgate Terrace for more than 25 years and has certainly been one of our most engaging residents.

“We are very proud to have a published author,” said Terri Evans, Northgate Terrace senior asset manager. “KCDC staff and residents are eagerly awaiting the next edition to see what happens next to Will Wilson and his family.”

They won’t have to wait long. Bowling says she’s already well on her way in writing her third novel.

Alvin Nance is executive director and CEO of KCDC.

We believe you deserve exceptional care.

Free tax assistance available versalist Church, 616 Fretz Road: 5-8 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays through April 14.

Documents needed include: Social Security card and birthday for each person on the return; taxpayer photo ID; original W-2s, 1099Rs, SSA1099s, etc., for all income; proof of health insurance – a new requirement. Optional documents: last year’s return, proof of account for direct deposit and expenses for deductions.

Info: www.irs.gov.

SOUTH KNOX SENIOR CENTER ■ Wednesday, Feb. 18: 7:30 a.m. free swim; 8:30 a.m. guitar lessons; 9 a.m. painting; 10 a.m. quilting; 11 a.m. Water Peeps; noon bridge.

■ Thursday, Feb. 19: 7:30 a.m. free swim; 9 a.m. water aerobics, South Knox Opry; 10 a.m. Water Pilates; 12:15 p.m. ballroom dance; 1 p.m. Rook, water aerobics; 1:30 p.m. line dance; 2 p.m. Water Pilates.

■ Friday, Feb. 20: 7:30 a.m. free swim; 8:45 a.m. advanced senior cardio fitness; 9 a.m. water aerobics; 10 a.m. yoga; 11 a.m. SAIL exercise, cards, water peeps; 1 p.m. water

aerobics, beginning art.

■ Monday, Feb. 23: 7:30 a.m. free swim; 9 a.m. Taxaide, water aerobics; 10 a.m. Water Pilates; 11 a.m. quilting, Water Peeps; 1 p.m. bridge, water aerobics, Gospel singing/potluck lunch.

■ Tuesday, Feb. 24: 7:30 a.m. free swim; 8:45 a.m. Senior Cardio Fitness, dulcimer lessons; 9 a.m. water aerobics; 10 a.m. crafts/beading, SAIL exercises; 11 a.m. Tai Chi I; 12:30 p.m. Tai Chi II; 1 p.m. water aerobics; 2 p.m. Water Pilates, yoga.

■ Info: 573-5843.

That’s why we commit to excellence – every patient, every time. And strive to achieve the highest level of quality service in primary care.

We’ve coupled our clinical expertise with the strength of one of the nation’s highest performing health networks, Covenant Health.

What does this partnership mean to you? Access to an extensive network of specialists, the latest medicines, the newest technologies and advanced treatments.

Now accepting new patients.

Call for your appointment today.

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(865) 632-5885 7564 Mountain Grove Drive • Knoxville, TN 37920 7 www.smgcare.com

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Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, which offers free tax preparation by certified volunteers to low-to moderateincome families and households, is available at three locations.

Goodwill, 5307 Kingston Pike: 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturdays, through April 15.

Farragut Town Hall, 11408 Municipal Center Drive: 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Fridays through April 10.

Westside Unitarian Uni-

10 • FEBRUARY 18, 2015 • SOUTH KNOX Shopper news

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THROUGH SATURDAY, FEB. 28 “Buy One, Get One Free” admission tickets available for Knoxville Zoo. Tickets can be purchased at the zoo ticket window during regular zoo hours.

Info: 637-5331, ext. 300 or knoxvillezoo.org.

CLO Arts Academy for Kids art exhibition, Knoxville Museum of Art, 1050 World’s Fair Park. Presented by the Knox County Public Defender’s Community Law Office (CLO). Features art work by children ages kindergarten through fifth grade.

Free admission to the Great Smoky Mountain Heritage Center in Townsend, near the entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The museum is open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and is closed on Sunday. Info: www.gsmheritagecenter.org.

THROUGH SUNDAY, MARCH 8 Call for entries for the next “Arts in the Airport,” a juried exhibition to run April 16 to Oct. 7 at McGhee Tyson Airport. Info/applications: www.knoxalliance. com/airport_entry.html or send an SASE to Suzanne Cada, Arts & Culture Alliance, PO Box 2506, Knoxville, TN 37901.

THROUGH FRIDAY, MARCH 27 Call for local authors of children’s books for “Farragut Book Fest for Children” to be held 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, April 11, at Founders Park at Campbell Station. $25 fee includes tent, table, two chairs and lunch at the event; authors will supply their books, decorations and signage. No fee: bring own set-up materials, which must include a tent fitting a 10'x10' space. Info/to register: www.townoffarragut.org/ register and click the Programs tab; Farragut Town Hall, 11408 Municipal Center Drive; 966-7057.

THROUGH FRIDAY, APRIL 10 Tickets available for Rhythm N’ Blooms music festival, on stages set exclusively along downtown Knoxville’s Jackson Avenue. Features first-timers, chart-climbers and highly lauded acts from varied musical backgrounds. Info/tickets: www. rhythmnbloomsfest.com.

THROUGH MAY 20 Applications accepted for the Great Smoky Mountains Trout Adventure Camp for middle school girls and boys, sponsored by the Tennessee Council of Trout Unlimited to be held June 15-20 at Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont (GSMIT) in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Info/applications: http://www.tntroutadventure.org.

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 18 Books Sandwiched In: “Lose Your Mother: A Journey along the Atlantic Slave Route,” noon, East Tennessee History Center, East Tennessee History Center, 601 S. Gay St. Info: Info: 215-8801.

Robert Earl Keen with The Doyle & Debbie Show, 8 p.m., Bijou Theater, 803 S. Gay St. Info/tickets: http://www.ticketmaster.com; http://www.knoxbijou. com.

THURSDAY, FEB. 19 Antonin Dvořák’s “Stabat Mater” performance by the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, 7:30 p.m., Tennessee Theatre, 604 S. Gay St. Part of the Moxley Carmichael Masterworks Series. Tickets: KnoxvilleTickets.com, 656-4444; KSO box office: 2913310.

Free preview screening of “American Denial,” 6 p.m., Scruffy City Hall in Market Square.

Presented by East Tennessee PBS. Info: http://www. easttennesseepbs.org/news-and-events/communitycinema/.

“Read the Packet: a key factor for successful seed starting,” 3:15-4 p.m., Humana Guidance Center, 4438 Western Ave. Presented by Knox County Master Gardeners. Free and open to the public. Info: 329-8892.

THURSDAYS-SATURDAYS, FEB. 19-28 “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” presented by the Tellico Community Players, 7:30 p.m., Tellico Community Playhouse, 304 Lakeside Plaza, Loudon.

Additional performance: 3 p.m. Feb. 28. Tickets: $20; available at Village Salon, Salon Anew and The Tellico Village Yacht Club in Loudon and Kahite Pub & Grille in Vonore; or at the door. Info: http:// tellicocommunityplayhouse.org.

THURSDAY, FEB. 19-SUNDAY, MARCH 8 Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” Clarence Brown Theatre Mainstage.

Performances: 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays. “Deaf Night at the Theatre,” 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 3. Tickets:

box office, 974-5161; Tickets Unlimited, 656-4444; www.clarencebrowntheatre.com. Info: www. clarencebrowntheatre.com or Clarence Brown Theatre on Facebook.

FRIDAY, FEB. 20 Alive After Five concert: Wallace Coleman Band, 6-8:30 p.m., Knoxville Museum of Art, 1050 World’s Fair Park Drive. Tickets: $10; $5 for members/students.

Info: 934-2039.

Opening reception for Ewing Gallery Student Art Competition, 7-9 p.m., Ewing Gallery of Art & Architecture, 1715 Volunteer Blvd. On exhibit through March 1.

Info: 974-3200, www.ewing-gallery.utk.edu.

FRIDAY-SUNDAY, FEB. 20-22 46th Jubilee Festival, Laurel Theater, 1538 Laurel Ave. Featuring old styles of fiddle, banjo, string bands, sacred music, early country and historical ballads and Epworth Old Harp Singing. Concerts, 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday; Old Harp Singing and potluck, 10 a.m.

Sunday. Cost: Friday or Saturday, $12, some discounts apply; Sunday singing and dinner, free. Info/tickets: www.jubileearts.org.

Urban Gypsy Trunk Show Pop Up Event, Paulk+Co, 510 Williams St. Hours: 1-8 p.m. Friday, noon-8 p.m. Saturday, 1-6 p.m. Sunday. Info: http:// www.urbangypsytrunkshow.com/#about.

SATURDAY, FEB. 21 All you can eat pancake breakfast, 8:30-10 p.m., Chili’s, 6635 Clinton Highway. Tickets: adults, $5; children 4-6, $2; children under 3, free. All proceeds benefit Christus Victor Early Childhood Development Center education program.

Little Free Library Workshop, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Center for Creative Minds, 23 Emory Place. Hosted by A1LabArts. To register: Donna, donnamoore32@mac. com. Info: www.a1labarts.org.

Northside Kiwanis Club Pancake Jamboree And Bake Sale, 7 a.m.-2 p.m., St. John’s Lutheran Church, 544 N. Broadway. Tickets: $4 each or $10/family (up to four) available at the door. Info: Tom Mattingly, 414-6218.

Nourish Knoxville’s Winter Market, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Central UMC, 201 Third Ave. Features pastureraised meats, eggs, winter produce, honey, baked goods, artisan foods, handmade items, food trucks and other vendors from the Market Square Farmers Market.

“Our First Ladies of the United States,” 2-3 p.m., Farragut Branch Library, 417 N. Campbell Station Road. Program by Elizabeth Nelson, manager of the Fountain City Branch library. Free and open to the public. Info: 777-1750.

“Read the Packet: a key factor for successful seed starting,” 10:30 a.m.-noon, All Saints Catholic Church, 620 N. Cedar Bluff Road. Presented by Knox County Master Gardeners. Free and open to the public.

Info: 215-2340.

Saturday Stories and Songs: Brianna Hanson, 11 a.m., Cedar Bluff Branch Library, 9045 Cross Park Drive. Info: 470-7033.

Saturday Stories and Songs: Georgi Schmitt, 11 a.m., Lawson McGhee Library, 500 W. Church Ave. Info: 215-8750.

Tennessee Stage Company New Play Festival Readings: “American Farce,” 2:30 p.m., Bearden Branch Library, 100 Golf Club Road. Info: 588-8813.

SUNDAY, FEB. 22 “Fostering Dreams Toward Future Success,” a free event in honor of Black History Month, 2 p.m., Farragut Folklife Museum, Farragut Town Hall, 11408 Municipal Center Drive. Speakers include Dr. Jacob Salvage, president of Knoxville College, and Shirley Clowney, collector and historian on black inventors.

Info: www.townoffarragut.org/museum; www.facebook. com/farragutfolklifemuseum; or Julia Barham, julia. barham@townoffarragut.org or 966-7057.

McClung Museum Civil War Lecture series: “Brownlow’s Whig and Rebel Ventilator: How Not to Heal the Wounds,” 2 p.m., McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture, 1327 Circle Park Drive. Free and open to the public. Info: http://mcclungmuseum.utk. edu.

MONDAY, FEB. 23

com, myquiltplace.com/profile/monicaschmidt.

“Savvy Social Security Planning: What Baby Boomers Need to Know to Maximize Retirement Income” non-credit course. 6:30-8:30 p.m., Pellissippi State Community College Blount County campus Full schedule of class times and locations: www.pstcc.edu/ bcs. Info: 539-7167.

Winter Choral Concert featuring Karns and Heritage high school choirs, 7 p.m., Clayton Performing Arts Center on Pellissippi State Community College Hardin Valley Campus, 10915 Hardin Valley Road. Also includes singing by Pellissippi State’s Concert Chorale and Variations Ensemble. Info: 694-6400 or visit www. pstcc.edu/arts.

TUESDAY AND THURSDAY, FEB. 24, 26 AAA Driver Improvement Course, 5:30-9:30 p.m., AAA Knoxville office, 100 W. Fifth Ave. Must attend both nights. Preregistration required. Info/to register: Kate, 862-9254, or Stephanie, 862-9252.

TUESDAYS, FEB. 24-MARCH 31 Yoga class, 9-10 a.m., Farragut Town Hall community room, 11408 Municipal Center Drive. Instructor: Betty Kalister. Cost: $60. Registration/payment deadline: Tuesday, Feb. 24. Info/to register: 218-3375, www. townoffarragut.org/register or at Farragut Town Hall.

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 25 AAA Driver Improvement Course, 5:30-9:30 p.m., AAA Knoxville office, 100 W. Fifth Ave. Must preregister. Info/to register: Kate, 862-9254, or Stephanie, 862-9252.

African-American Read-In, a recitation celebrating the works of African-American authors, all day, Pellissippi State Community College Division Street campus. Info: www.pstcc.edu/diversity or 694-6400.

Knoxville Writers’ Group meeting, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Naples Italian Restaurant, 5500 Kingston Pike.

Program: UT Professor Emeritus Dr. Bruce Wheeler will talk about “Knoxville, Tennessee – A Mountain City in the New South.” Lunch: $12. RSVP by Monday, Feb. 23: 983-3740.

Performance Salon, 7-10 p.m., Remedy Coffee, 125 W. Jackson Ave. Features: Yissy Garcia and her band from Cuba. Presented by Carpetbag Theatre and Arts & Culture Alliance. Cover charge: $5. Info: Joe Tolbert, 806-0451 or thejoet@gmail.com.

STAR Junior Volunteer Training, 5-7 p.m., Shangri-La Therapeutic Academy of Riding, 11800 Highway 11E, Lenoir City. For ages 10-12. Horse experience not necessary. Info: Melissa, 988-4711 or www. rideatstar.org.

THURSDAY, FEB. 26 Caribbean Festival, 5:30-8 p.m., Goins Administration Building at Pellissippi State Community College Hardin Valley campus, 10915 Hardin Valley Road.

Features performances by the Carib Sounds Steel Band and the Caribbean Dancers of Atlanta; Caribbean foods, including jerk chicken and rice and beans. Info: www. pstcc.edu/diversity or 694-6400.

“Savvy Social Security Planning: What Baby Boomers Need to Know to Maximize Retirement Income” non-credit course. 6:30-8:30 p.m., Pellissippi State Community College Blount County campus. Full schedule of class times and locations: www.pstcc.edu/ bcs. Info: 539-7167.

Yissy Garcia in concert, 7 p.m., Knoxville Museum of Art, 1050 World’s Fair Park. Tickets: $15; museum members, students and seniors $10. Info/tickets: www.

KnoxTIX.com or 523-7521.

FRIDAY, FEB. 27 Alive After Five concert: Devan Jones & The Uptown Stomp with special guest Robinella, 6-8:30 p.m., Knoxville Museum of Art, 1050 World’s Fair Park Drive.

Tickets: $10; $5 for members/students. Info: 934-2039.

Dirk Powell and Riley Baugus, 8 p.m., Laurel Theater, 1538 Laurel Ave. Tickets: $15, some discounts available. Info/tickets: www.jubileearts.org.

Doc Rock 2015, 8 p.m.-midnight, on two stages: NV Nightclub, 125 E. Jackson Ave. and The Bowery.

Doors open at 7. Ultimate battle of physician bands.

Presented by Knoxville Academy of Medicine Alliance.

Bands include: Second Opinion, Remedy, Patriot Rising, Funk and Awesome, STD-Spinal Tappin’ Docs; South River Trail. Info: https://www.facebook.com/ DocRockForHealth/timeline.

“Read the Packet: a key factor for successful seed starting,” 1-2 p.m., Davis Family YMCA, 12133 S. Northshore Drive. Presented by the Knox County Master Gardeners. Free; open to the public. Info: 777-9622 Technology 101: Smartphones and Tablets, 12:30-2 p.m., Humana Guidance Center, 640 Plaza, Ancestry in Detail, 1-3 p.m., East Tennessee His4438 Western Ave. Free; open to the public. Info: 329tory Center, 601 S. Gay St. Preregistration, a valid email 8892, TTY: 711. address, good Internet searching capabilities required.

West Knox Book Club: “Defending Jacob,” 10 a.m., Bearden Branch Library, 100 Golf Club Road. Info: 588- Registration begins Feb. 17. Info/to register: 215-8809.

Dialogue workshop, noon, Remedy Coffee, 125 W. 8813.

Jackson Ave. Instructor: Pamela Schoenewaldt. Sponsored by the Knoxville Writers’ Guild. Cost: $35 for KWG members, $40 for nonmembers. Info/to register: www.knoxvillewritersguild.org or send check to KWG Workshops, P.O. Box 10326, Knoxville TN 37939-0326.

Zumba class, 6:30-7:30 p.m., Farragut Town Historic Hauntings VIP session, 5:30 p.m., Hall community room, 11408 Municipal Center Drive.

Ramsey House, 2614 Thorn Grove Pike. The results of Instructor: Karen McKinney. Cost: $45. Registration/ the paranormal investigation by Haunted Knoxville payment deadline: Monday, Feb. 23. Info/to register: Ghost Tour’s J-Adam Smith and video by Patrick 218-3375, www.townoffarragut.org/register or at FarWatson of Mapletree Productions. VIP admission: $35;. ragut Town Hall.

Additional tours: $25. All proceeds benefit Historic Ramsey House. Info/reservations: 546-0745; judy@ ramseyhouse.org; Kathy@ramseyhouse.org.

“Pottery for Entertaining” pottery show and sale, Computer Workshops: Word 2007 II, 5:30 p.m., 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Tellico Village Yacht Club, 100 Sequoyah East Tennessee History Center, 601 S. Gay St. Requires Road, Loudon. Features handmade pottery and clay art “Word 2007 Basics” or equivalent skills. Info/to register: of Terra Madre: Women in Clay. Free and open to the 215-8700. public.

Log Cabin Quilt Block Class, 9:30 a.m.-12:30 Saturday Stories and Songs: Kindermusik, p.m., Hobby Lobby at Turkey Creek. Cost: $24. Info: 11 a.m., Cedar Bluff Branch Library, 9045 Cross Park Drive. Info: 470-7033.

Monica Schmidt, 406-3971, monicaschmidt.tn@gmail.

SATURDAY, FEB. 28

MONDAYS, FEB. 23-MARCH 30

TUESDAY, FEB. 24