SOUTH KNOX VOL. 2 NO. O 22 1
NEIGHBORHOOD BUZZ
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IN THIS ISSUE
Call him Al
Move over, Bill Nye. Knoxville has its own science guy, and he’s amazing. And awesome. “Amazingly Awesome Science with Dr. Al Hazari” is the name of the “act” put together by Hazari, a chemistry professor at the University of Tennessee. He’s taking his show on the road this summer, visiting Knox County’s libraries to share his passion and get kids excited about science.
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Read Betsy Pickle on page 3
Take the talent! We shall soon see the difference in football talent and experience. Beginning on the last Sunday in August and continuing for three months, Tennessee will present a case study for the comparison of superior athletic ability and jungle warfare survival.
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Last Sunday, state Rep. Gloria Johnson threw herself a multipurpose birthday/fundraiser/ ice-cream social in Edgewood Park, near the heart of North Knoxville, which is no longer the geographic heart of the 13th House District. But it’s where she lives, and it’s where the former chair of the Knox County Democratic Party must win heavily in November if she is to get a second term. Read Betty Bean on page 4
Elder Law gets new office Amelia Crotwell launched Elder Law of East Tennessee in 2010 and moved the firm into one of Knoxville’s landmark historic buildings, the William S. Caswell House at 428 E. Scott Avenue, facing Hall of Fame Boulevard, earlier this year. She says she couldn’t be more satisfied.
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July June29, 2, 2013 2014
Summer tradition
Carnival spreads excitement about VBS choices By Betsy Pickle
For churches, Vacation Bible School is about sharing the good news of Jesus Christ, especially with children. For the South Knoxville Coalition of Churches, the Vacation Bible School Carnival is about sharing the news about the choices the community has in VBS programs. The coalition’s third annual VBS Carnival will be held from 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday, June 8, at Colonial Heights United Methodist Church, 6321 Chapman Highway. The five churches in the SKCC – Colonial Heights, Gloria Dei Lutheran and Graystone, Lake Forest and New Prospect Presbyterian – are all participating in the carnival. Each church will have its own booth offering information about its summer VBS program, as well as a craft or game. “The kids can go around and see what each Vacation Bible School is going to be,” says John Brewster, pastor of Colonial Heights and facilitator of the coalition. There are also organized games, bounce houses and a blow-up obstacle course during the afternoon of “free family fun.” Refreshments will be offered. The schools are a mix of nationally franchised and local programs. Graystone is doing Workshop of Wonders, while New Prospect
Children enjoy participating at Colonial Heights United Methodist Church’s 2013 Vacation Bible School. and Lake Forest are combining to present Son Treasure Island. Colonial Heights is offering Weird Animals, and Gloria Dei has a selfcreated program. The carnival is “a way to make our Vacation Bible Schools more visible,” says Brewster, noting that more than 100 children attended last year. “You can go to all of them, or you can pick and choose the dates that go best with your summer activities.” Pooling resources just makes sense, he says. “If one church wanted to do a carnival, it’s expensive, but if five
churches do it, it’s affordable.” The coalition was formed about three years ago, with both pastors and laypersons representing the churches in an informal structure. “It started with the idea of doing things together, especially to promote some of the South Knoxville churches that might not be able to do the kinds of big publicity things that other groups could do and to invite the community to come and get to know each of the churches,” says Brewster, who has been at Colonial Heights for two years. One of the first events planned
Photo submitted
was the VBS carnival. The SKCC has also gotten involved with the food pantry at Vestal United Methodist Church and for Mardi Gras this year held a dinner and music event that raised $1,000 for the household pantry at Montgomery Village. “We thought that that was a success and highlighted a valuable ministry in our community with the Montgomery Village ministry,” says Brewster. The group is considering joining the Family Promise program in To page 3
Read Marvin West on page 5
Expect a battle
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See Betty Bean’s story on page 8
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Educators bow out early; cite ‘attack on teachers’ By Betty Bean When Stan Kelly and Peggy Leland retired two weeks ago, 45 years of teaching experience at Central High School walked out the door with them. “I kept asking Stan, ‘Are we really old enough to be doing this?’ ” said Leland, a resident of the Island Home community in South Knxoville who taught art at Central for 20 years and directed her students in creating high-profi le projects like the huge banners hanging in the school commons. “In my mind, I just thought this was a chance to expose kids who had never had a chance to experience the visual arts to the great artists. Later, I started another project to do framed pictures in the hallways. I hope someone continues it,” Leland said. “Most of the time, you just know when it’s time,” said Kelly, who spent 25 years teaching history and was one of a dwindling handful of educators left there who were also Central High School alumni. And he says he worked at Central much longer than his teaching tenure. “While I was at UT, Mr. (Dan) Boring let me work as a janitor here, and after that Mr. (Rex) Stooksbury. Then I was a student teacher here and came here for my first and only teaching job. It all adds up to about 37 years,” Kelly said. His father, the late Cecil Kelly, spent many years as principal of Fountain City Elementary School and was later a member of the
Central High School lost 45 years of teaching experience with the early retirement of teachers Stan Kelly and Peggy Leland. Leland’s art students produced the banner behind them. Photo by Betty Bean school board. His mother, Polly, was a kindergarten teacher. “We saw a young man at church yesterday; Mama had him in kindergarten, Dad had him in elementary school and I had him at Central. It’s that community connection,” Kelly said. Leland nodded. “That’s what I have loved so much about Central,” said Leland, who grew up in Oak Ridge, where everybody was from somewhere else. “There just wasn’t that longterm connection.” Kelly is 60, Leland 62. They don’t seem tired. Kelly’s going to do a lot of hiking and kayaking this summer and enjoy the luxury of fall travel, for the first time. Leland is going to spend the summer
working in her studio and traveling to Italy and will start a parttime job in the fall. So why are they leaving early? “I do not believe in a lot of things that are being done – the overly zealous emphasis on data, on test scores – it is an outright attack on teachers,” Leland said. “I’ve always been evaluated by people who have never taught art. Teaching art cannot be compared to an academic class.” Kelly agreed: “Teaching cannot be compared to a business. We’re doing so much wrong in education. It’s bad for teachers and horrible for kids. But teachers are easy to push around. We see these cycles come and go, and we sit back and
let them happen. This time, it finally broke us.” Kelly said the emphasis on four-year graduation rates (a Race to the Top requirement) is creating grade inflation that damages academic integrity. “A couple of years ago, I was teaching an economics course that is required for graduation. I was asked to turn in the names of kids in danger of failing, and I gave them the name of one boy who never got above a 40 on a test. Two weeks later, he walked across the stage and graduated.” Surprised, Kelly learned the student had been placed in a lastminute, accelerated cram session aimed at making him graduationeligible. But as much as they disagree with today’s test-and-assess business model, they don’t regret their career choice. “I’m leaving a little earlier than I intended, but I’ve known so many great kids. I ran into a kid yesterday that I gave a scholarship to, and I was tickled to death to see him. I’ve taught kids of my kids,” Kelly said. Leland, for whom teaching high school art was the fourth career (she’d worked in planning at UT, at TVA in regional arts and at the TVA Credit Union in staff development), says she has no regrets. “I thought I’d stay longer, but I’m happy. I’m glad this was my fourth career. But staying would mean going along with these current policies, and I just can’t do that anymore.”
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2 • JUNE 2, 2014 • Shopper news
health & lifestyles
Local hospital honored again for quality achievement award for stroke care For the second straight year, Fort Sanders Regional has received the Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold-Plus Quality Achievement Award for implementing specific quality improvement measures outlined by the American Heart Association/ American Stroke Association for the treatment of stroke patients. Get With The Guidelines-Stroke helps hospitals provide the most up-to-date, research-based guidelines with the goal of speeding recovery and reducing death and disability for stroke patients. Fort Sanders Regional earned the award by meeting specific quality achievement measures for the rapid diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients at a set level for a designated period. These measures include aggressive use of medications and risk-reduction therapies aimed at reducing death and disability and improving the lives of stroke patients. “Fort Sanders Regional is dedicated to improving the quality of stroke care and The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines-Stroke helps us achieve that goal,” said Fort Sanders Stroke Coordinator Nancy Noble. “With this award, our hospital demonstrates our commitment to ensure that our
Dr. Elizabeth Hull (emergency medicine), Dr. Keith Woodward (neurointerventional radiology), Nancy Noble (stroke coordinator) and Dr. Paul Peterson (neurosurgery) celebrate receipt of the AHA/ASA Gold Plus Award for Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center. Fort Sanders is a Joint Commission certified Comprehensive Stroke Center. patients receive care based on internation“We are pleased to recognize Fort Sandally-respected clinical guidelines.” ers Regional for their commitment and ded-
ication to stroke care,” said Deepak L. Bhatt, M.D., M.P.H., national chairman of the Get With The Guidelines steering committee and Executive Director of Interventional Cardiovascular Programs at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. “Studies have shown that hospitals that consistently follow Get With The Guidelines quality improvement measures can reduce patients’ length of stays and 30-day readmission rates and reduce disparity gaps in care.” The guidelines also help in implementing prevention measures, which include educating stroke patients to manage their risk factors and to be aware of warning signs for stroke, and ensuring they take their medications properly. Fort Sanders Regional makes customized patient education materials available upon discharge, based on the patients’ individual risk profiles. According to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, stroke is the No. 4 cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the United States. On average, someone suffers a stroke every 40 seconds; someone dies of a stroke every four minutes; and 795,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year.
Recognize the signs of a stroke FAST! The early symptoms of stroke are often overlooked or ignored. If you suspect that you or a loved one is having a stroke, think FAST:
F – FACE: Look at your face. Is one side sagging? A – ARMS: Hold out your arms. Is one arm lower than the other or harder to hold in place? S – SPEECH: Is your speech slurred or garbled? T – TIME: Time is critical when trying to minimize the effects of stroke.
Call 911 and get to a hospital as quickly as possible. And be sure your hospital is a stroke-ready, Comprehensive Stroke Center, like Fort Sanders Regional.
Quick thinking saves stroke victim’s life During a stroke, every second counts. Ellen Sullivan of Richland, Miss., knew time was important on March 13, when her husband, Bert Sullivan, suddenly had several symptoms of a stroke. He had one previously in 2001, so she knew it was crucial to get him to a hospital quickly. A stroke, often called a “brain attack,” is when a blood vessel in the brain becomes blocked or ruptures. The Sullivans were visiting with family in a Sevierville hotel. They were sitting down to breakfast when Bert’s speech became confused. “And then I saw his face start to droop. I knew he was having a stroke,” Ellen Sullivan said. “My sister-in-law went to call 911, and the ambulance arrived quickly, and of course they saw he was having a stroke, too,” she said. Emergency personnel took Sullivan to Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center. As a Comprehensive Stroke Center, Fort Sanders has stroke experts on call 24 hours a day and advanced technology and physicians who can remove blood clots or repair bleeds. “The young man who drove the ambulance was so good, we practically floated to the hospital,” said Ellen Sullivan. “They took care of Bert and me, and let me know what was going on.” About 87 percent of strokes are caused by blood clots. If a clot is diagnosed within the first three hours, it can be treated with a powerful clot-busting medication with tPA (tissue plasminogen activator). While many people do not seek treatment during the time window (for example,
if their stroke occurs during the night), Sullivan was fortunate that his stroke happened while he was awake and that his family called for help. Sullivan received tPA. He was also taken to Fort Sanders’ neuro-interventional suite. There, neuroradiologist Dr. Eric Nyberg and diagnostic radiologist Dr. Scott Wegryn removed the blot clot in a minimally invasive procedure called brain angioplasty. “This is a good example of an interdisciplinary team working to provide care,” said Dr. James Hora, a neurologist at Fort Sanders who also saw Sullivan. “The emergency room physician recognized the stroke. The interventional radiologist recorded the clot on the CT angiogram. We got called and confirmed the stroke and discussed the options with Mr. Sullivan and his family, and we made a decision all of us together. Off he went to the neuro-interventional suite, and he did very well,” said Hora. Ellen Sullivan said all her husband’s treatments were finished within two hours. “We were there at 9:10 a.m. and I’d say they were done with everything at 11 a.m.,” she said. “Dr. Nyberg came into the waiting room, and he was so good about letting us know what was going on. He talked on the phone with my son who is a nurse in Mississippi. I thought that was going above and beyond the call of duty.” Ellen Sullivan said she received a warm welcome at Fort Sanders. “The people there were so nice to me,”
Bert and Ellen Sullivan celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary with their grandchildren. The Mississippi residents found themselves at Fort Sanders Regional when visiting East Tennessee in March. Bert Sullivan received life-saving care after suffering a stroke and is now back home and undergoing therapy.
said Ellen Sullivan. “Bert got the best of care, and the two young ladies working the desk really took care of us. Even the man cleaning the floor offered us cookies from his church. He said they were made with love for all of us.” Bert Sullivan was able to go home to Mississippi in record time. “They thought it was going to be two weeks, then it was one week. Well we were out of there in four days!” said Ellen Sullivan. “I feel like Bert got the best care and they saved his life with their efficiency and
speed. They worked so well together.” Today, Sullivan is undergoing speech and physical therapy near his home and is making steady improvement from his stroke, Ellen Sullivan said. “We’re just praying for complete recovery. This was a very emotional, bad time,” she said. “But at Fort Sanders you felt the comfort that you do when you’re at home.” For more information on the stroke services available at Fort Sanders, please visit www. fsregional.com/stroke or call 673-FORT.
COMPREHENSIVE STROKE CENTER:
FORT SANDERS REGIONAL Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center is the only facility in our region to hold a Comprehensive 6WURNH &HQWHU FHUWL¿ FDWLRQ IURP 7KH -RLQW Commission, as well as multiple CARF* Accreditations for stroke rehabilitation. Comprehensive stroke care ~ from diagnosis to treatment to rehabiliation. That’s Regional Excellence!
www.fsregional.com * Commission on the Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities
SOUTH KNOX Shopper news • JUNE 2, 2014 • 3
Jesse Davis completes an electrical circuit with Dr. Al Hazari.
Chemistry professor Al Hazari gets his enthralled audience to connect with science at the Howard Pinkston Branch Library in the Bonny Kate community. Photos by Betsy Pickle
You can call him Al Move over, Bill Nye. Knoxville has its own science guy, and he’s amazing. And awesome. “Amazingly Awesome Science with Dr. Al Hazari” is the name of the “act” put together by Hazari, a chemistry professor at the University of Tennessee. He’s taking his show on the road this summer, visiting Knox County’s libraries to share his passion and get kids excited about science. What the program notes and library website don’t tell you is how entertaining Hazari is. Adult guests will learn probably as much as the youngsters, and they’ll definitely get more of his humorous references. (He doesn’t like to call them jokes, but he provides a steady supply.) Wearing a tie-dyed lab coat and colorful safety goggles, Hazari set up shop at the Howard Pinkston Branch Library last week and kept a full house of youngsters – from wee ones to rising middle-schoolers – mesmerized. He enlisted audience members – both kids and moms – as assistants and intentionally misspoke their names as a running joke. After explaining the different states of matter, he asked the kids if they’d done any science that day. Most didn’t think so, but he picked out some of the
Betsy Pickle
everyday actions they must have performed and linked them to fields of science such as chemistry, physics and biology. Knowing that you can’t go wrong with test tubes, beakers, cylinders, colorful liquids, dry ice and floating ping-pong balls, Hazari put on a crowd-pleasing show that brought science to life. He made diapers seem funny and electricity seem magical. He illustrated density with patriotic colors. He instructed his listeners to make “elephant ears” to protect their ears from the “booms” that he created. He made water disappear and explained what polymers are. He talked about Isaac Newton and gravity, air pressure and solving problems not violently but beautifully. He showed how to create a bee’s buzz. He explained how kids could make water change color – emphasizing safety and adult supervision, and he showed them how to create words using the periodic table of elements.
He warned that building a volcano and growing moldy bread are not suitable as science projects. (The old-faithful volcano isn’t science because science requires the repetition of experiments to measure results, and the moldy bread is just gross.) Hazari noticed that his magic wand seemed to be missing and accused Harry Potter of stealing it before making his point. “None of these things is magic,” he said. “You can do it.” Hazari has several more dates at libraries this summer, including 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, June 3, at Powell, Thursday, June 5, at Sequoyah and Friday, June 6, at Lawson McGhee. He will perform at 1 p.m. Monday, July 7, at the South Knoxville Branch Library. ■
Mule Skinners get to the heart
Among the many talented musicians who live in South Knoxville, the ones you may see most frequently playing at SoKno events are the Mill Creek Mule Skinners. They’re everywhere, and they always get to the heart of traditional bluegrass music. Primarily a quartet, they play at 1:30 p.m. every Tuesday at the South Knoxville Senior Center. Their 90-minute set consists primarily of old-time blue-
grass, but the gregarious group also chats a bit during the session – not necessarily to the audience – and their banter can be quite amusing. Bassist and vocalist Sara Baskin says banjo player/ vocalist Raymond Bellamy came up with the band’s name. His father was a mule skinner. “A mule skinner doesn’t skin mules; he trades them,” she explains. The other regulars are fiddler Perry Cooper and guitarist/vocalist Gordon Jett. Guitarist/vocalist Eddie Ellis frequently sits in with them. Last Tuesday’s set included chestnuts such as “Madeline’s Waltz,” “Smoky Mountain Rag,” “Cricket on the Hearth,” “Whistlin’ Rufus,” “Ashland Breakdown” and “Katy Daley.” The latter includes a reference to a favorite drink in old-time Appalachia. One of the guys commented that he liked that song more each time he played it. “I don’t like the song, but I like the mountain dew,” Bellamy cracked. The musicians aren’t afraid to tackle songs they don’t know that well, such as the old gospel number “Angel Band.” The retirees play for community and church events, including fundraisers. They’ll play any chance they get. They once played for a wedding at the Museum of Appalachia. “We about froze, but it was fun,” said Baskin.
Warren Smith uses science to move a ketchup pack inside a bottle of liquid under the direction of Al Hazari.
Using a metal nut in a balloon, Al Hazari puts the “buzz” in the bee held by Skylar Cogar.
Summer tradition which churches alternately host homeless families. “That’s something that we desire to do, but it’s a lot of work,” says Brewster. The coalition welcomes more churches but hasn’t had a chance to pursue members. “A lot of pastors have changed at our churches,” he says. “It wasn’t till this year that it’s solidified around leadership that’s
From page 1 been more constant.” For more information about the coalition, contact Brewster at Colonial Heights, 577-2727 or pastor@colonialheightsumc.org.
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The Mill Creek Mule Skinners – Sara Baskin, Gordon Jett (back to camera), Perry Cooper and Raymond Bellamy – entertain at the South Knoxville Senior Center.
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4 • JUNE 2, 2014 • Shopper news
Ivan Harmon considers race for mayor If there was any doubt that Mayor Rogero is seeking reelection, it ended with invitations being sent out for a $250 suggested donation for a fundraiser on Wednesday, June 11, at the Kingston Pike home of former Rogero deputy Eddie Mannis.
reelection, the open seat for mayor in 2019 will likely draw several serious candidates including more than one now serving on City Council. All City Council candidates running in 2017 and 2019 will be new as no current council member will be eligible to run in those years. ■ House Speaker John Boehner, who is Victor third in line to the presiAshe dency after the president and vice president, was in Knoxville May 24 as the main guest for U.S. Rep. The event has a 70-perJimmy Duncan’s fundson host committee of both raiser at the Pete and Cindi Democrats and RepubliDeBusk home on Cunningcans. It is an impressive ham Road. Afterward, he group, although it does and Duncan had dinner at include several persons who the popular family-owned do business with the city. Litton’s in Fountain City, Light hors d’oeuvres and where he had one of Knoxwine will be served, accord- ville’s best hamburgers. ing to the invitation. All They ate in the back of the current council members restaurant, so most patrons have been invited by Mandid not realize Boehner was nis via email to be guests at there. the event (meaning they do ■ The UT proposal for not have to pay). the historic Williams House Mannis, who owns Pres- on Lyons View Pike to be tige Cleaners, recently released for a 50- or 99-year placed the roof on his house period may be the best after living downtown, sell- possible outcome in terms ing his condo to TVA CEO of saving the house. The Bill Johnson and moving significant sticking point back to his West Knoxwill be finding a person or ville home. His showcase persons willing to spend $3 gardens have been open to million-plus to renovate the the public several times. Staub-designed house plus Mannis hosted a fundraiser the UT Board of Trustees for Rogero in 2011. signing off on it. Not many It is smart politics by people fit that profile. Rogero to hold such an After spending that large event 15 months ahead of a sum, are they willing for the September 2015 mayoral it to revert to the University primary. It shows her inten- at some future point? Good tions to seek a second and news is that there is posifinal term (not that there tive movement to rescue was any doubt). It allows her the house from neglect. But to showcase broad-based this story is far from being support for her candidacy concluded. through her host commit■ City Council memtee and thus encourage ber Marshall Stair is some credible rivals who moving to North Knoxville may want to be mayor to in a few months to a home defer their plans until 2019. he is purchasing on East It also replenishes her Anderson Avenue. Stair campaign bank account and currently lives downtown on lets people know she will be Market Street. His new home well-funded. is a 1900 Colonial that labor At present she does from the neighborhood has not have an announced helped restore, according to opponent although former the sign in the front yard. county commissioner, city More can be found on it at school board member and www.facebook.com/theAncity council member Ivan dersonProject.ONK, which Harmon has said he is clearly shows how much considering it. Harmon was hard labor went into rescuan unsuccessful mayoral ing this house. His purchase candidate in 1995 and 2011. and occupancy of the house He did not make the runoff shows strong personal combetween Rogero and Mark mitment to historic preserPadgett in 2011. He says, “I vation and neighborhood am not going to let her run revitalization. unopposed. I will decide by As an at-large member August or September. I am Stair is not required to live in good health.” in any particular district. No incumbent mayor or The other at-large memcouncil member has lost bers live in West Knox. All reelection to a second term three are up for reelection since term limits were imin 2015, along with council posed. Assuming Rogero’s member Mark Campen.
Eddie Smith and Lanna Keck Smith at Honor Fountain City Day. Gloria Johnson (at top) poses with family at her birthday bash in Edgewood Park. At left are her nephew and his wife, Spencer and Stephanie Rouser; on the right are her brother and sister-in-law, Chuck and Sheri Johnson, and their son, Landen; Gloria’s mom (center) is Nell Johnson. Photo by Patricia Williams
Expect a battle in the fighting 13th Last Sunday, state Rep. Gloria Johnson threw herself a multipurpose birthday/fundraiser/ ice-cream social in Edgewood Park, near the heart of North Knoxville, which is no longer the geographic heart of the 13th House District. But it’s where she lives, and it’s where the former chair of the Knox County Democratic Party must win heavily in November if she is to get a second term. The 13th has been sending Democrats to Nashville for more than 50 years, with the exception of the brief tenure of Republican Joe Burchfield, who won a special election in 1989 over the widow of the late Ted Ray Miller to serve out the second year of the term vacated by the death of the incumbent. Burchfield was promptly defeated in 1990 by Harry Tindell, who remained in office until 2012 despite numerous attempts to oust him by candidates with ties to conservative Re-
Betty Bean publicans Stacey Campfield and Bill Dunn. Tindell, a fiscal conservative who specialized in government finances, became an important cog in the power structure of a House dominated by Democrats and was the favorite Democrat of a lot of Republicans. Over the years, he survived the gradual GOP takeover of the House unscathed. The Republican takeover was completed with the wave election of 2010, which gave the GOP the power to redraw House district lines. By 2012, the 13th District had been stretched south and west with the addition of Bonny Kate, Mount Olive and Sequoyah Hills. Privately, Republicans maintained that it could have been worse, but for their re-
spect for Tindell, who nonetheless bowed out in 2012. Common wisdom was that the Republicans would take the seat, but Johnson, a special-education teacher fresh off a 2011 run for state Senate that nobody expected her to win against Republican Becky Duncan Massey (she mostly ran because no other Democrat volunteered to take the bayonet in the breadbasket), took the House seat with a strong election-day showing in the North Knoxville wards, where demographics skew older and more sympathetic to the labor, education and civil-rights issues that are her strengths. This year, two Republicans will go at it in the primary – the heavily selffinanced Jason Emert, a Farragut High School graduate and former Blount County resident who moved to Sequoyah Hills a year ago and has a recently acquired law degree from the University of Miami and a penchant for
shooting himself in the foot, and Eddie Smith, an arranger of church music and Inskip resident who grew up in Alice Bell and is married to former Miss Tennessee Lanna Keck and has ties to Bill Dunn (who is now a committee chair and wields power commensurate to that which Tindell enjoyed when his party ruled Capitol Hill). It will be ugly. Smith will be heavily outspent by Emert but should win the primary. And the November battle with Johnson, who will have the support of a legion of ticked-off teachers, will be epic. Note: A photo accompanying last week’s column about a campaign reception for Chancellor Daryl Fansler identified his colleague, Chancellor Mike Moyers, as a Fansler “supporter.” Moyers says he was merely in attendance at the reception and the Fansler sticker he was wearing was a nametag.
Bigfoot and Yeti and mayors, oh my! Satire alert! Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett’s embrace of the legendary Bigfoot has sparked a rivalry with his city counterpart, Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero.
County Building yesterday,” Rogero said, “but it was just Burchett’s communications guy, Michael Grider.” Rogero later apologized for bashing Grider with the Louisville Slugger she uses for the annual City-County softball game. Not to be outdone, BurLarry chett has been trolling Van countywide for Bigfoot with Guilder his Nikon camera. “Thought I had the rascal cornered last Thursday evening outside Wright’s “I proclaim June 2 Yeti Cafeteria,” Burchett said. Day in Knoxville,” Rogero “I want to say publicly how recently announced. “We sorry I am for smashing don’t need no stinkin’ Big- Michael Grider in the head with my tripod. Get well foot in our fair city.” “That’s a danged politi- soon, Big Sexy!” Interest in the Bigfootcal maneuver,” Burchett responded, “trying to distract Yeti rivalry has spread becity folks from the tax in- yond the mayors’ offices. crease. Besides, everybody “I smell opportunity,” knows Bigfoot would make said Knox County Commissioner Amy Broyles. “Tourspaghetti of the Yeti.” Rogero disagrees, and ist dollars could make up for says she is personally lead- the property-tax increase ing the hunt for the Yeti in we didn’t get – again.” Broyles says she will bring downtown Knoxville. “I thought I spotted it on resolutions before County the sixth floor of the City Commission and City Coun-
cil proposing the purchase of specially equipped patrol cars to be manned 24/7 by sheriff’s deputies and city police officers. “I’m volunteering to ride shotgun,” Broyles said. “And when the Safety Center is completed we’ll have the perfect place to house and display the critters.” Other commissioners expressed support for Broyles’ idea. Richard Briggs, who will claim the local record for most honorifics if elected to the state Senate this fall, sees merit in the proposal. “Can I fit Commissioner Colonel Senator-elect Dr. Richard Briggs on a standard business card? Is that the question? Snaring Bigfoot or the Yeti will be a snap, by comparison,” Briggs said. Commissioner Jeff Ownby has also signed on to the Broyles initiative. “I’m very interested, I guess you’d say bi-curious, about both those big fellows,” Ownby said. In Nashville, even Gov.
Bill Haslam is taking notes. “If the electric chair is cruel and inhuman, how about a date with old Bigfoot for condemned prisoners?” Haslam mused. “Put ’em in a steel cage, let ’em rassle, invite the public, closed-circuit television, the works!” the governor crowed before being nudged away by several aides. Out west, Farragut Mayor Ralph McGill took little note of the Burchett-Rogero contretemps. “We have very strict codes in Farragut,” McGill said. “Hairy monsters have no place in this town unless they play for the high school football team or guard our liquor taxes.” Should Bigfoot or the Yeti slip into Farragut, he added, they would be “cited on sight.” UPDATE: After his release from the hospital, Michael Grider was cited by a Farragut codes-enforcement official who subsequently apologized for the mistake in identity.
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Shopper news • JUNE 2, 2014 • 5
Talent or experience? Take your pick
We shall soon see the difference in football talent and experience. Beginning on the last Sunday in August and continuing for three months, Tennessee will present a case study for the comparison of superior athletic ability and jungle warfare survival. Butch Jones has assembled a bright, young cast of highly regarded prospects. Alas, the foundation of his brick-by-brick building program is thin. There just aren’t many Volunteers who have enjoyed learning experiences against Southeastern Conference foes. That’s double trouble. There haven’t been many winning games to enjoy, and there are too few seniors.
Marvin West
Back when freshmen were not allowed to play because of perceived immaturity and sophomores were considered generally inadequate, the late, great Robert R. Neyland said college teams could expect to lose one game for each underclassman in the starting lineup. Thankfully that philosophy is no longer applicable. There aren’t enough games. Now is an OK time to guess which Tennessee
freshmen might be in the opening lineup against Utah State. Offensive tackle Coleman Thomas, tight end Ethen Wolf and corner Emmanuel Moseley are best bets. Wide receiver Josh Malone appears ready enough. Tailback Jalen Hurd is not far behind. At least two incoming missiles will try to take a safety spot. A rookie could become a starting linebacker. I suppose it is possible that a freshman could be a defensive tackle. Another rookie might emerge as kicker. Sophomores? They are everywhere. Neyland would shudder. In trying to compare the values of talent and experience, consider this: Coaches can intensify practice to a
level that is somewhat similar to “experience.” There is no way to fake talent. You are or are not athletic. You can or can’t run fast. Reaction time is excellent or less. You can jump or you can’t. OK, that doesn’t matter as much if you are a big, strong lineman. Talent can be enhanced with improved technique, but it is really hard to teach speed. Coach Jones knew what he was getting into when he took the Tennessee job. As soon as he analyzed the roster, he saw that his second season would likely be more challenging than his first. He inherited experienced linemen on both sides of the ball, but they would soon be gone. He couldn’t be sure that Tiny would go
but he did. I remember when the coach said: “I knew right away that we were in trouble in Year 2 in terms of depth and experience. We had to make a commitment in recruiting.” Did they ever! Butch and his people recruited one of the finest classes in the country. As is almost always the case, most new Vols are very young. The truth is that Jones still doesn’t know what his defense will look like until the summer freshmen are integrated into the program. There is powerful incoming potential among linebackers and defensive backs, but it is too early to forecast what Derek Barnett, Dewayne Hendrix,
A busy June: Nesting Around A d th these parts, t the th h month of June is about the busiest time of the year, at least in the bird world. All those nice calm birds that spent the winter munching seeds at our feeders have had a big dose of hormones kick in. They’ve been joined by dozens of migrant species like hummingbirds, house wrens, swallows and vireos, jostling for both groceries and housing opportunities.
Dr. Bob Collier
The neighborhood is full of drama, with such familiar characters as supermoms, absentee dads and overworked parents trying to cope with fussy, demanding kids. Of course, we’re not talking reality shows here, we’re into actual life in the June bird world. The name of the game is nesting. The object of the game is to produce as many new baby birds in as short a time as possible. Nesting includes building a place, laying some eggs, sitting on them till they hatch (the process called incubation by the biologists) and then feeding those hatchlings from dawn to dark till they go from helpless little blobs to independent, flying crea-
tures. This all takes place in a late-May-to-June frenzy of activity covering two or three weeks and is often followed up with a second round of the same stuff, producing a second, and sometimes, here in the South, a third brood. At our house we are presently hosting (or putting up with) nests of Carolina wrens (back porch – they tried hard for the garage), cardinals (crepe myrtle bush just outside my desk window; momma bird gives me a scolding every time I sit at my desk) and phoebes (on a shelf I built for them last year, under my shedroof overhang). And then the bluebirds and the house wrens are in constant disputes over who gets which nest box this year. The blue jays, instead of being loud and raucous, are skulking around the yard, quietly gathering food, a sure sign of a nest with babies, and the blue-gray gnatcatchers are just finishing up their first brood and are starting on their second. Bird nests come in a vast array of shapes and sizes. They range from the tiny hummingbird nest woven from cobwebs and lichens, to the massive hundredpound-plus pile of sticks constructed by our bald eagles. The artistry ranges from the carefully woven baskets of the orioles and vireos, to the precise, mud-
worms, spiders, insects. As many as they can find, constantly foraging, day after day. People have watched and counted the feeding trips parents make to their nests, and some number in the hundreds per day. This is interesting and fun to watch, but think also of the millions of grubs eating your lawn, and caterpillars eating your garden and trees, and gnats and mosquitoes tormenting you, that are gathered each spring and fed to growing birds, that would otherwise be eating us people out of house and home! There is no way we could ever keep up. Just like in the average American neighborhood, the arrangements for rearing a family vary from one house-
hold to another, only with the birds it’s determined by the species. For example, our good old American robins mostly cooperate in the enterprise, with the male bird helping the female build her nest, then keeping a watchful eye on things while she incubates the eggs for 12 to 14 days. The dad then joins the mom in the monumental task of stuffing hundreds of worms and caterpillars into the ever-open hungry mouths till the babies are off the nest and on their way. The opposite end of that spectrum is the hummingbird family. The male rubythroated hummingbirds select a territory each spring that offers good nesting sites and an adequate food supply. A female comes along and chooses a male based
ZooMobile will be on hand. Plus there’s a new “kids’ zone” with all kinds of fun and the Knoxville Zoo’s Zoo- games and activities. Info: www.abbygibson.org/. Fund for Kids. Last year’s Walk & Wag was an absolute blast. You ■ Don’t try to help won’t find better, happier, those fledglings more caring people on the On my daily walks, I can’t planet. This year there are contests, demonstrations by the Knox County Sheriff’s K-9 unit, music, food, prize drawings and a scavenger hunt. The Knoxville Zoo
help noticing an awful lot of scruffy baby birds floundering in the underbrush. Sometimes we’ll spot a baby bunny. Are these infants in trouble? They aren’t. Just keep your distance (and your dog inside or on
lined cups of the robins, to the half-dozen twigs thrown together by the mourning doves. The killdeers don’t even bother – they just plunk their eggs down on a driveway or in a parking lot somewhere and call it a nest. After the nests are built and eggs laid, then comes the easy part – incubation. The average length of time to hatching for our smaller songbirds is about 11 days. Ah, but then – feeding. Bird parents face one common sight all day long every day – a nest full of big, wide-open, hungry mouths. Baby birds must have protein to develop properly, and even species that usually eat seeds feed their growing youngsters protein. This means caterpillars,
News for animal lovers Human Animal Bond in Tennessee (HABIT) is holding a free meeting for those interested in becoming volunteers tonight (June 2) at 6:30 in room A118 at the UT College of Veterinary Medicine, 2407 River Drive. Parking is available in Lot 66 behind the veterinary college.
Carol Zinavage
Carol’s Corner HABIT promotes the bond between people and animals, sponsoring animal-assisted therapy programs for all ages in many different settings, including nursing and retirement homes, assisted-living centers, hospitals, physical rehabilitation centers and area schools. Info: www.vet.utk. edu/habit/. ■
Walk the waggers
The Abby Gibson Memorial Foundation will hold its third annual Walk & Wag event Saturday, June 7, at
Victor Ashe Park. Presented by PetSafe, the dog-friendly event is 10 a.m.-1 p.m. with early-registration check-in and day-of-event registration starting at 9 a.m. Proceeds will benefit the Abby Gibson Veterinary Medicine Scholarship Endowment at UTCVM, HABIT, HALT (Humans and Animals Learning Together,)
E ER CRUIS V I R P I R ROUND T ingston 170 beautiful mile Knoxville/K 2nd ugh & overnight, trip with lock thro t. , July & Augus weekend in June June 14! ay” First trip is for father’s d y p p a h y p p “Make Pa ble rm. h meals & d it w a e 5 7 2 $ -3407 - 865-765 m o c l. a c v na
Charles Mosley and Michael Sawyers can do. There is evolution to come. Jones says there is no way around playing some rookies in the defensive front. “That’s just where we are. And, as we know, this is an unforgiving league when it comes to the line of scrimmage.” Coaching tip based on many years of observation: If you really must make a choice, take talent over experience. There will be mistakes. There will also be more big plays. NFL scouts prove that point each spring. They sometimes recommend basketball players. Marvin West invites reader reaction. His address is westwest6@netzero.com.
upon the quality of territory he oversees. They mate, and then that’s it for the father. Away he goes, and the female then builds the nest, lays the eggs and sits on them, with brief breaks for a bite to eat. When they hatch, super-mom finds all the food and feeds the two babies by herself. What’s really amazing is that she will often mate and start a second nest by herself, while finishing up with the first one! Certainly something for the neighbors to watch and talk about over the back fence. But all this June activity is not just programmed into the birds for our entertainment. Mother Nature has worked things out so that on average, over the years, we will end up with about the same total number of birds each season. And it’s not easy being a baby bird. Weather such as cold snaps and storms, disease and predators, especially outdoor house cats, wipe out millions each year. Many first-year birds fail to make it back to their nesting grounds on that first migration. And so to replace all those losses, plus losing parent birds annually as well, there has to be a goodsized batch of replacement birds each year. It’s a huge job, and it takes a lot of trips to the nest with your mouth full of worms. But it seems to be a system that’s worked out well through the eons. Just be glad that kids don’t grow that fast. Imagine what jeans and sneakers would cost.
a short leash) and let the parents of these fledglings do what they know is best for their babies, says Janet Pezzi, a licensed veterinary medical technician with the Avian, Exotics and Zoological Medicine and Surgery service at the UT Veterinary Medical Center.
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kids
6 • JUNE 2, 2014 • SOUTH KNOX Shopper news
Fourth-graders Sydney Lee and Lilly Snead show off their painted faces at the SKES spring picnic.
Students from third through fifth grade follow the direction of music teacher Melissa Johnson at South Knoxville Elementary School’s Spring Concert. Photos by Betsy Pickle
Soloist Matthew Fields settles back among his peers after belting out “Let It Go” from “Frozen.”
Kindergartners Daniel Benjamin and Douglas Chambers are all smiles after playing in a bounce house at the picnic.
SKES Musical Mash-up By Betsy Pickle
First-grader Ashlyn Lawson and 2nd-grader Connor Hudgins compare their Wacky Hair Day ’dos after enjoying snacks with their mentors at South Knoxville Elementary.
South Knoxville Elementary School’s Spring Concert had it all, at least chronologically. Performing songs from the early 1900s all the way to 2013, students – split into K-second and thirdfifth – enchanted parents, friends and teachers. Solo-
ists Natalie Washam and Matthew Fields blew everyone away with their performances, but the biggest cheers came for principal Muncie Harbin (who’s retiring at the end of this school year) when she gamely tried to follow the students in the Principal Muncie Harbin, energetically anticipating her end-ofsteps to “Las Raspa.” term retirement, joins students as they dance to “Las Raspa.”
Busy finish for South Knox Elementary By Betsy Pickle South Knoxville Elementary stayed busy right till the end of the school year. The Spring Concert had it all, at least chronologically. Performing songs from the early 1900s all the way to 2013, students – split into Ksecond and third-fifth – enchanted parents, friends and teachers at the May 8 event. Soloists Natalie Washam and Matthew Fields blew everyone away with their performances, but the big-
gest cheers came for retiring principal Muncie Harbin when she gamely tried to follow the students in the steps to “Las Raspa.” On May 14, the school had an appreciation tea and awards ceremony to recognize the volunteers and students involved in the Kids’ Hope mentoring program, coordinated by Big Brothers Big Sisters through First Baptist Church of Knoxville. Fourth-graders reprised a couple of songs
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from the spring concert as entertainment. On May 20, the school picnic wrapped up the year with plenty of sunshine and fun. After munching on hot dogs, cookies and apples, students were free to enjoy bounce houses, nail and face painting, corn hole and the playground equipment. Special guests included parents, mentors and some nesting birds in a bush that Principal Muncie Harbin, left, and Kids’ Hope coordinator Carol Linger, right, recognize 5thwere proudly but quietly graders Jinneyfer Delgado, Ciera Moore and Damijah Gourley, who are rising out of the mentordisplayed to visitors. ing program at South Knoxville Elementary School.
Knoxville Day Aglow Lighthouse outreach meeting, 9:30-11:30 a.m., New Covenant Fellowship Church, 6828 Central Ave. Pike. Speaker: Patty Johnson. Bring dish to share if possible. Beverages and child care provided. Info: Diane Shelby, 687-3687. Einstein Simplified Comedy Improv troop performance, 8 p.m., Scruffy City Hall on Market Square. Free admission.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 4
Leonardo Silaghi: 3 Paintings exhibit, Knoxville Museum of Art, 1050 World’s Fair Park. Presenting sponsor is Emerson Process Management. Info: Angela Thomas, 934-2034, or www.knoxart.org.
Movie Party: “Despicable Me 2” (PG, 98 min.), 3 p.m., Lawson McGhee Library, 500 W. Church Ave. Info: 215-8750. “Founding Spirits: George Washington and the Beginnings of the American Whiskey Industry” Brown Bag lecture by Dr. Dennis J. Pogue, noon, East Tennessee History Center, 601 S. Gay St. Free and open to the public. Info: 215-8824 or www.EastTNHistory.org.
MONDAY, JUNE 2
THURSDAY, JUNE 5
AARP Driver Safety class, 8 a.m.-4 p.m., South Knoxville Senior Center, 6729 Martel Lane. Into/to register: Carolyn Rambo, 584-9964.
Knoxville Writers’ Guild meeting, 7 p.m., Laurel Theater, corner of Laurel Avenue and 16th Street. Speaker: News Sentinel columnist Sam Venable. Open to the public. A $2 donation is requested at the door. Info: www.knoxvillewritersguild.org. Amazingly Awesome Science with Dr. Al Hazari, 10:30 a.m., Sequoyah Branch Library, 1140 Southgate Road. Info: 525-1541. Fizz! Boom! Read! Renaissance, 11 a.m., Bearden Branch Library, 100 Golf Club Road. For ages 5-11. Info: 588-8813.
THROUGH SUNDAY, JULY 27
TUESDAY, JUNE 3 UT Hospice Adult Grief Support Group meeting, 5-6:30 p.m., UT Hospice office, 2270 Sutherland Ave. A light supper is served. Info/reservation: Brenda Fletcher, 544-6277. Summer Library Club presents magician Michael Messing, 1 p.m., South Knoxville Branch Library, 4500 Chapman Highway. Info: 573-1772. Sparky and Rhonda Rucker share stories and songs, 2 p.m., Cedar Bluff Branch Library, 9045 Cross Park Drive. Info: 470-7033.
FRIDAY, JUNE 6 “Frankly Speaking about Lung Cancer,” noon-1:30 p.m., Tennova Health Care, North Knoxville
Medical Center, Sister Elizabeth Assembly Room 1st Floor, 7565 Dannaher Drive, Powell. Speaker: Hesamm Gharavi, MD, of Tennessee Cancer Specialists. Light lunch provided. RSVP: 546-4661. Opening Reception for new exhibition by Depot Artists Association, 5-9 p.m., the Balcony at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay St. Complimentary hors d’oeuvres provided by The Melting Pot and music by Pistol Creek Catch of the Day. Info: 523-7543 or www.knoxalliance. com. Amazingly Awesome Science with Dr. Al Hazari, 10:30 a.m., Lawson McGhee Library, 500 W. Church Ave. Info: 215-8750.
FRIDAY-SUNDAY, JUNE 6-22 “Disney’s Aladdin” presented by Knoxville Children’s Theatre, 109 E. Churchwell Ave. Performances: 7 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays; 1 and 5 p.m. Saturdays; 3 p.m. Sundays. Info/reservations: 208-3677 or www. knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com.
SATURDAY, JUNE 7 Cades Cove tour with Bill Landry, 9 a.m., departing from the Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center in Townsend. Tickets: $50; includes light snacks and a cold beverage. Reservations required: 448-8838. Saturday Stories and Songs: Laurie Fisher, 11 a.m., Lawson McGhee Library, 500 W. Church Ave. Info: 215-8750. Hard Knox Roller Girls in roller derby doubleheader, 6 p.m., Knoxville Civic Coliseum, 500 Howard Baker Ave. Brawlers vs Smoky Mountain Roller Girls; All Stars vs Vette City Rollergirls. Tickets: $12 at the door, $10 in advance. Info: www.hardknoxrollergirls.com. Beginning Genealogy, 1 p.m., East Tennessee History Center, 601 S. Gay St. Preregistration required. Info/to register: 215-8809.
Shopper news • JUNE 2, 2014 • 7
NEWS FROM EMERALD YOUTH FOUNDATION OF KNOXVILLE
Thomasiah Agnew, left, Lucia Vasquez and drama camp director Mary Johnson perform in the play, “Talent Town, Tennessee,” during JustLead Camp Week last summer.
Emerald Youth Foundation offers
AmeriCorps members serve with Emerald Youth this summer Thirty-six AmeriCorps members have begun a summer term with JustLead, Emerald Youth Foundation’s neighborhood-based program for urban youth. They will lead young people in a variety of health and educational programs this summer, and of course, have lots of fun with the kids. AmeriCorps, a program of the U.S. Corporation for National and Community Service, engages more than 80,000
Americans in intensive service each year at nonprofits, schools, public agencies, and community and faith-based groups across the country. If interested in Emerald Youth’s AmeriCorps program, contact Rachel Davis at rdavis@emeraldyouth.org. Emerald Youth is recruiting this summer for parttime school year AmeriCorps positions, to begin in August.
Knoxville Force soccer games make ideal summer entertainment
Ava Garrett, 8, a rising third-grader at Halls Elementary School, got the thrill of her life the evening of May 10. During pregame ceremonies at Regal Soccer Stadium, before the Knoxville Force sparred with the Nashville FC, Ava and her Emerald Youth soccer teammates got to walk onto the field with the Force players. The children formed a “V” for the adult team to walk through. They stood on the field with the Force as the introduction and announcements were made and the crowd sang the national anthem. Then the game roared into play. Ava, who stood with goalkeeper Marcel Barwanietz, is eager to go to another Force game. She said she loved watching the adult players up close. “It was fun to watch them play. Not on TV, but in real life,” she said. Her EY soccer teammate Ella Marie Reyes, 8, said she liked watching the adults execute difficult moves. “I want to see how competitive teams are and how aggressive you have to be,” added Ella, a rising fourth-grader at Beaumont Elementary. Ava and Ella said they think all Knoxville children and youth who play soccer will enjoy the games of both men and women,
tionship common in cities with a professional soccer team. Emerald Force looks forward to strengthening its soccer program, which now includes about 300 children playing on academy teams and at least five club teams this fall. Knoxville Force will continue to grow as a regional team in the National Premier Soccer League. Schedules and ticket info at www.knoxvilleforce.com.
Knoxville Force player Travis Bolton, Emerald Force players Julio Rico and Nevaeh Harness, and Paige Hoffman of the women’s Force team. Knoxville’s semi-pro soccer teams. Returning title sponsors this year include ORNL Federal Credit Union (for the men) and Pro2Serve (for the women). The games are ideal, summer night outings for families and are played at beautiful Regal Soccer Stadium on the University of Tennessee campus. The next home game of the Force will be Friday, June 6, at 7:30 p.m., when they take on the Atlanta Silverbacks Reserves. Since its inception in 2011, the Knoxville Force has enjoyed a positive association with Emerald Youth. Recently, the relationship between Emerald Youth’s soccer program and Knox-
ville Soccer LLC, owner of the both Force teams, became more formal. In April, the two organizations began a merger to become one club. “This partnership will allow us to advance our commitment to bringing a higher level of the world’s most popular sport, soccer, to Knoxville in a manner that should have a major positive impact on our area’s urban youth. We are extremely pleased to be able to work with Emerald Youth Foundation,” said Dr. Barry Goss, president of Knoxville Soccer LLC. Emerald Youth’s soccer program will now be known as the Emerald Force Soccer Club, a junior club to the Knoxville Force. It is a rela-
moving to We’re NORTH
Vacation times often hold a hidden barb for inner city children and teens. Higher rates of poverty and unemployment, greater numbers of single-parent households and a smaller stock of recreational facilities in the central city mean that urban kids seldom go on the vacations they see advertised. Many children simply spend the days roaming their neighborhoods or staying at home alone. Emerald Youth offers a range of programming in a safe place. The organization also supports youth spiritually and helps them stay sharp academically, including preparing them for college. Through JustLead, its neighborhood-based ministry, Emerald offers daytime and evening programming, via a network of urban churches and faith-based organizations. The newest is Laurel Church of Christ at 3457 Kingston Pike which is offering a day camp this summer for interested children who are rising second through eighth graders. A highlight is JustLead
WEST 10512 Lexington Dr., Ste. 500 Knoxville, TN 37932 865.218.WEST (218.9378) • FAX 865.342.6628
Camp Week, June 1620, when more than 200 children will choose one themed-day camp, ranging from outdoor adventures to gardening or dance. The entire week is generously sponsored by Variety of Eastern Tennessee and concludes with a daylong trip to Knoxville Zoo – an alwayspopular event. “Our intention behind JustLead Camp Week is to expose kids to something they really enjoy. We also want to provide camp options the kids might not otherwise have access to or be able to participate in,” said Emerald Youth staff member Kent Stanger. Other events will include a middle school trip to Carowinds Amusement Park in Charlotte, N.C, and opportunities for high school students to visit colleges, learn about careers, and enjoy hiking and tubing. “We have a heavy emphasis on the out-of-doors and relationship-building. We use the summer and the weather while we’ve got it,” Stanger said.
Swimmers race to summer season The U.S. Centers for DisEmerald Youth’s sumease Control and Prevenmer swim team – the Emertion have found that Afriald Force – has a lineup of can-American children ages swimmers raring to go. 5-14 are almost three times New head coach Justin more likely to drown than Baxter is the former swim white children. coach at Bearden High But programs like EmerSchool. ald’s are creating a differ“We are looking forward ence. Last year, several Emto a good season. We expect erald swimmers went on to to have stronger swimmers swim in the fall and winter this year,” said Dwayne with the Tennessee AquatSanders, Emerald Youth ics competitive swim club. sports director. “Justin Emerald leads more than thinks we can win a meet or two. We have at least four Swimmer A.J. Humphries at a 200 children to swim lessons each fall, spring and swimmers now who swim meet last summer. summer. Presently, kids are year-round.” As a competitive sport taking lessons through the Emerald’s team can acfor kids, swimming receives Learn to Swim program at commodate 50 swimmers. Emerald Force has a high marks: it is low-injury, the YWCA. At the Ed Cothren pool, schedule of four regu- promotes fitness and helps lar meets plus the Smoky prevent obesity, which af- where the team practices, Mountain Invitational Meet flicts about 40 percent of urban children are gainJuly 13 and the City Swim urban Knoxville youth. It is ing proficiency with every also an ideal lifelong sport. stroke. Meet July 25.
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7049 Maynardville Hwy. Knoxville, TN 37918 865.922.4136 • FAX 865.922.5275
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business
8 • JUNE 2, 2014 • SOUTH KNOX Shopper news
Choosing a cookie at The Village Bakery
says she is excited now that they have another employee whose name is also Tina. Now when someone says “Tina did it,” guess who gets the blame. The Village Bakery’s No. 1 seller is definitely Thumbprint cookies. While I was there, several people came in to pick up a dozen or two. Thumbprints are just one of
a huge variety of cookies. I took home a box of “one of each” so I could decide what would become my favorite. Don’t even attempt to pick a favorite. Each bite left me more confused and saying, “OK – now I think this one is the best!” Cakes are an important part of the bakery’s business. All cakes are “made from scratch” and decorated to order. Whether you need a wedding cake or are celebrating a birthday or any other special occasion, call Tina and James at 5779616. They are experts on decorating and will create a delicious and beautiful cake. Tina’s brother and his wife have become the official apple peelers for the Apple Stack Cakes. Fortunately for customers, this delicious cake is offered year round. It is so good, people outside of the area are having it shipped to them. The Village Bakery is open weekdays 9-5 and Saturdays 8-2. Check out some of their creations on their Facebook page. While you are there, take time to check out the signs and pictures. My favorite picture was James, at age 5, rolling out dough. My favorite sign: “Every time I say the word diet, I wash my mouth out with chocolate.”
Business and Professional Association will meet at 8 a.m. Wednesday, June 4, at New Harvest Park Community Center with breakfast sponsored by Legends at Oak Grove Apartment Homes. The guest speaker will be Mike North, dean of the Strawberry Plains Campus of Pellissippi State Community College. Potential members and interested business people are
invited to find out what the east side buzz is all about. Powell Business and Professional Association will meet at 11:45 a.m. Tuesday, June 10, at Jubilee Banquet Facility. The president is Sage Kohler. Halls Business and Professional Association will meet at noon Tuesday, June 17, at Beaver Brook Country Club. The president is Bob Crye.
Next time you’re on Chapman Highway, roll the windows down and inhale. The delicious aroma wafting through the air is probably coming from The Village Bakery.
Nancy Whittaker
Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero gives the keynote address at Honor Fountain City Day. Photo by S. Clark
Riding the buzz Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero is riding the buzz. On Monday, the mayor spoke of the momentum around Knoxville. “A budget is not just a financial document,” she said in Fountain City Park. “It’s about our vision for our city. It is where we set our priorities and invest in the future that we want to see. She drew loud applause from the neighborhood crowd when she mentioned her budget includes $250,000 to make a “longterm solution” to the algae problems at Fountain City Lake. On Tuesday, she secured passage of her budget and its accompanying 34-cent property tax increase. The vote wasn’t even close. On Wednesday, we learned of a fund-raiser set for Wednesday, June 11, at
Sandra Clark
the Kingston Pike home of Eddie Mannis, owner of Prestige Cleaners. It’s a $250 ticket with a 70-person host committee of Democrats and Republicans. Rogero is running for reelection, and I’m not betting against her. We’ve always known Rogero was smart. Now we’re learning that she’s tough enough to fight and survive in the quagmire known as city politics. She’s a Democrat, which could limit her options for higher office. But she’s sure riding high on the buzz of progress, energy
In the past month, several people randomly mentioned this iconic business. As soon as I learned about the large variety of cookies, I knew this would be a fun and tempting story. Tina Shelton grew up in an Oak Ridge bakery and learned many tricks of the trade. She fell in love with the creative process and knew this would be her life’s work. Theodore McMahan opened The Village Bakery in 1980. Tina became the owner in 1988. Her son, James, following in his mother’s footsteps, also grew up in the bakery. Located at 6202 Chapman Highway, Tina and James are very proud that they own the oldest bakery in Knoxville. James is a UT graduate with a communications degree with a concentration and optimism for the city. People forget that the late U.S. Rep. John Duncan secured victory in his first election to Congress on the buzz created by urban renewal, construction of the Civic Coliseum and a massive annexation that nearly doubled the size of the city. Well, and he had a little help from Mose Lobetti and friends.
James Shelton has mastered the art of The Village Bakery’s most popular cookie, Thumbprints, with help from his mom, Tina. Photo by Nancy Whittaker on advertising. After graduation, Tina mentioned she might retire and sell the bakery. James didn’t want that to happen so he jumped in. Now the mother and son duo spend 8-9 hours a day together. Their relationship is full of teasing and could almost become a stand-up comedy act. Tina ■
Quotable
Justice Sharon Lee, a lifelong Democrat who was appointed to the state Supreme Court by Democratic Gov. Phil Bredesen: “Well, I’m troubled by the partisan attack on our judicial system,” Lee said. “Politics has no place in the courtroom.” ■
Upcoming East
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New office for Elder Care of East Tennessee By Betty Bean
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142,000 HOMES North office: 7049 Maynardville Pike Knoxville, TN 37918 (865) 922-4136 Fax: 922-5275 West office: 10512 Lexington Drive • Suite 500 Knoxville, TN 37932 (865) 218-WEST (9378) Fax: 342-6628
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Four years ago, Amelia Crotwell took a leap of faith and left the Farragut law firm where she had built a successful practice to strike out on her own in a whole new direction. During the course of her work, she had taken the case of an elderly woman with dementia who had been swindled. Crotwell found that she enjoyed the process of helping make her client whole, so she started taking similar cases and gradually began developing an elder law practice. She launched Elder Law of East Tennessee in 2010 and moved the firm into one of Knoxville’s landmark historic buildings, the William S. Caswell House at 428 E. Scott Avenue, facing Hall of Fame Boulevard, earlier this year. She is a Certified Elder Law Attorney (CELA) through the National Elder Law Foundation and the Tennessee Commission on Continuing Legal Education and Specialization. She says she couldn’t be more satisfied. “I have never looked back,” she said. “I am very fulfilled, professionally and personally. I spend an hour and a half with clients and get embraced as they leave the building. That didn’t happen when I was doing divorces – well, hardly ever.” Crotwell started out with a part-time social worker and a part-time paralegal as her only support staff. Now Elder Law of East Tennessee has two attorneys, two social workers, a law clerk, an office manager, a public benefits specialist, a public information/marketing specialist, a law clerk , an events coordinator and a support staffer/runner, and isn’t like
Staff attorney Sarah E. C. Malia, administrative assistant June Hudson, elder care coordinator Connie Taylor, Amelia Crotwell, elder care coordinator Renee DeLapp, public benefits specialist Allison Bradley, law clerk Patrick Womack, events coordinator Malinda Taylor, support staffer Brianna Eddins. most other law firms. “People call and get an appointment to speak, free of charge, with one of our social workers. That’s a way for them, and for us, to find out if we are a good fit. If we are, we’ll invite them in for a consultation that can last for up to two hours. We’ll talk about more than they expect to talk about – their living situation, their health, their finances, their objectives and their worries and fears,” Crotwell said. “If we’re retained, we will come up with an action plan for them, and we’ll hold their hand and walk them through it. We also do a lot of teaching.” The firm charges a flat initial fee with an initial payment and a smaller annual fee thereafter. For their money, clients get all the services the office has to offer and a Life Care Plan, which Crotwell describes as a holistic approach to addressing legal, long-term care and public benefits issues for people with chronic or progressive illnesses, including aging. “We use a team approach – from a legal perspective, from a public benefits perspective and from a social work perspective – our goal is to help people find
practical solutions to the challenges of aging, to help clients save money and to help them get the care they need,” Crotwell said. The Caswell house is a sturdy brick American Foursquare, built in 1915 by William S. Caswell, who had served as a courier in the Civil War for his father, a brigadier general in the Confederate army. Caswell became one of Knoxville’s most prosperous real estate developers and donated the land that became Caswell Park. Crotwell describes herself as an Air Force brat who lived all around the country and ended up spending her high school years in Oak Ridge. She is a graduate of UT where she earned an undergraduate degree in English and a law degree. She has done a great deal of volunteer work and was a board member and later president of CASA of East Tennessee, an organization that assists abused children. During any free time she can grab, she likes to kayaking, hiking, bicycling and doing yoga, frequently accompanied by “Bug,” the beagle mix she rescued from the woods one cold winter day.