SOUTH KNOX VOL. 32 NO. 22 1
BUZZ SoKno forum Not sure if a funny thing will happen on the way, but the South Knoxville Community Forum will take place from 6:30 to 8 p.m. tomorrow (June 4) at Ijams Nature Center. Vice Mayor and City Council member Nick Pavlis, County Commissioner Mike Brown and Board of Education member Amber Rountree will talk with and listen to SoKno residents on issues. The forum, rescheduled from earlier this year, is open to all residents of South Knoxville/South Knox County.
Nicely done, Nicely Principal Tanna Nicely has earned South Knoxville Elementary School a $5,000 grant to encourage youth service. SKES was selected as one of 20 Good Neighbor Innovation Schools/School Districts in the United States. The State Farm program, administered by Youth Service America, had a record number of applications this year. Nicely will attend YSA training later this month in Washington, D.C. During the upcoming school year, she will convene and work with a service-learning team that includes another administrator, students, a guidance counselor, at least five teachers representing different departments or grade levels, parents and community partners. They will use YSA resources to facilitate a service project for a day, a month or a semester/year, including the MLK Day of Service (Jan. 18, 2016) and the Global Youth Service Day (April 2016). In her application, Nicely emphasized that, as a community school, SKES pushes students to take on leadership roles and help form a culture of giving back to the community. This grant follows a $25,000 grant the school received from Comcast for efforts to beautify and clean up the building and campus on Comcast Cares Day.
Budget hearing Knox County Commission has set a budget hearing for 6 p.m. Monday, June 8, at the City County Building. Residents are invited to attend and speak. Mayor Tim Burchett has submitted a balanced budget that does not require a tax increase yet offers a three percent pay increase to general government employees and deputies.
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Danish teen
finds much to enjoy
in South Knox
By Betsy Pickle
Thomas Donbaek will be going home to Denmark with something none of his friends has: East Tennessee-accented English. His year at South-Doyle High School gifted him that, along with a host of new friends, different experiences and a longer hairstyle. His mom, a hairdresser, visited him this spring. “She did not like it,” Donbaek says of his long locks. Donbaek is a second-generation participant in the Education First High School Exchange Year. His father, now in the construction industry, spent a year in Naples, Fla., as a teen. South-Doyle made a positive impression on Donbaek, 17. “Everybody was really, really friendly, really nice to me,” he says in an interview at the South Knoxville Chick-fil-A. He arrived last August and had three days before he had to dive into school. Classes during fall semester were hard because his English wasn’t very good. “I had it in school” in Denmark, he says. But that’s not the same as a real-life application. During the fall, he got involved in Young Life and developed friendships with classmates and other EF exchange students in town. His host parents, Ron and Geni Nery, took him to all the University of Tennessee home football games. Donbaek became a fan.
Thomas Donbaek has had a growth spurt – several inches and 22 pounds – since arriving in Knoxville last August as an exchange student at SouthDoyle High School. Granted, he was already too big for the Chick-fil-A playroom. Photo by Betsy Pickle “We don’t have football in Denmark.” On a previous trip to the United States with his parents, he attended a New York Giants vs. Cleveland Browns game. “I like UT better because people there were more for their team. More loyal. It was a real good atmosphere.” Soccer, not surprisingly, is his sport. He made All District first team and helped lead South-Doyle to a 13-3-1 record. Danish schools don’t have sports, he says. He plays on a club
team back home in Frederikshavn. Donbaek graduated from high school last year – Danish students graduate after sophomore year and then go on to more specialized schools or universities. He would have gone to business school – he wants to be an entrepreneur and work in international business – had he not chosen to do the exchange program. He took four business classes at South-Doyle and also took English, weightlifting, conditioning, U.S. history (his favorite) and multimedia.
Donbaek noted many differences between Denmark and the United States – the size and geography, transportation, costs. He prefers the cuisine of his own country and says they don’t have as many fast-food restaurants, but he enjoyed dining at the Chop House, Gondolier, Cheddar’s Casual Café and Twin Peaks. He’s not impressed with American experiences such as school shootings. “I just think it’s crazy that it happens because it would never happen in Denmark. Like, nobody has guns in Denmark. I think it’s stupid everybody can have guns here.” The politics are also puzzling. “There’s too many rules that don’t make sense. They have so many rules, but they don’t make a few rules that actually work. They make a lot of rules that they hope would work but do not. It’s probably because you can sue everybody for everything here.” After Donbaek leaves town next week, he’ll visit a few more places around the States before going home. He says he’ll miss Knoxville. “I made a lot of friends and family over here,” he says. “It’s going to be very hard to leave. But I’ll definitely come back and visit later on.” EF High School Exchange Year info: Lendelle & Sue Clark, ef_lendelleclark@yahoo.com, 691-0627.
Community Design Center begins 1,000th project By Wendy Smith East Tennessee Community Design Center Executive Director Wayne Blasius is still new to the job, but he was the first to recognize that the organization had reached an important milestone. The nonprofit recently took on its Bruce McCarty 1,000th project. “I thought it was a great opportunity to blow our horn,” he says. The project is for First Tee of Greater Knoxville, a nonprofit foundation that helps young people develop values like honesty, integrity and sportsmanship through golf. The organization plans to use a grant from the United Way to improve its Williams Creek Golf
Course facility on Dandridge Ave. The design center, located in the Greystone Carriage House at 1300 N. Broadway, utilizes volunteer design professionals, and it was a happy coincidence that David Collins of McCarty Holsaple McCarty Architects and Interior Designers was next in line for a project. Bruce McCarty, a founder of McCarty Holsaple McCarty, was also the founder of ETCDC. McCarty, whose design legacy includes the 1982 World’s Fair, the City County Building and several buildings at UT, was president of the local chapter of the American Institute of Architects when he visited community design centers in the Northeast in 1969. His sons and another local architect tagged along. Doug McCarty, the current president of McCarty Holsaple McCarty, was 16 at
the time. The group met with the executive director of the Philadelphia design center, who explained the process of engaging design professionals to help the community. His dad thought it was a great idea, Doug says. After the trip, he initiated the development of Knoxville’s community design center and served on the board for most of the following decade. Doug joined the board around 1982 and is now an emeritus board member. Concept designs created by the ETCDC are used for fundraising and community buy-in, says studio design director Leslie Fawaz. The work for First Tee of Greater Knoxville will include an improved layout for the existing building, which was originally an African-American school for the deaf, as well as the design of a new pavilion and signage.
Fawaz is one of six ETCDC staff members. Another function of the design center is to help communities express their ideas about design. Doug McCarty is especially proud of the role the organization played in the development of the South Knoxville waterfront. The city needed an independent agency to facilitate good communication with affected neighborhoods, and the design center stepped in. Former Executive Director Annette Anderson was successful in that role, he says. “The design center is very good at getting people to sit down at the table and work out problems together.” Bruce McCarty passed away in 2013 at the age of 92. There’s no question that the organization fulfilled his dad’s hopes, Doug McCarty says.
Outspoken teacher gets walking papers; supporters charge retaliation
By Betty Bean Delivering the news to nontenured teachers that they’re not coming back in the fall is one of the last tasks on a principal’s endof-year to-do list. June 15 is the deadline to inform teachers whose contracts will not be renewed. By the end of last week, 33 nontenured teachers had gotten the ax. Fifty-five such contracts were not renewed last year. This number doesn’t include outright firings, retirements, resignations or those who lose their jobs due to funding cuts, nor does it reflect administrative transfers. Nontenured teach-
ers have no appeal rights. The nonrenewal of Christina Graham, a third-year, nontenured kindergarten teacher at Copper Ridge Elementary School, has not only roiled the rural community where she teaches but is drawing statewide attention because Graham is an outspoken critic of overreliance on high-stakes testing, especially the SAT-10, an achievement test recommended, but not required, by the state for kindergartners through third grade, which Knox County has now discontinued. Allegations of retaliation do not come from Graham herself but
Christina Graham
from parents, colleagues and supporters who are upset by principal Kathy Castenir’s decision not to renew Graham’s contract and by her method of informing Graham – out of the blue, and on the last day teachers were required to report to school. Graham’s supporters object to Castenir’s ordering Graham to clear out her room and turn in her keys by the end of the day. Graham’s colleagues pitched in to help her pack up the contents of her classroom, much of which To page 3
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2 • JUNE 3, 2015 • Shopper news
health & lifestyles
‘I’m not hurting’
Lumbar surgery brings relief to anxious Etowah man Just one look at a tiny drop of blood was all it took. After that, it was lights out for Dennis Morgan of Etowah. Seeing his 4-year-old son lying on a gurney after a tonsillectomy with a blood droplet beneath his nose, the 6-foot-5 behemoth of a father fainted straight away, falling across the gurney and pinning his 5-foot-2 wife against the wall. That was more than two decades ago, but Morgan still can get woozy at the sight of blood. So when Dr. Barrett Brown, a neurosurgeon with the Center for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery at Fort Sanders Regional, told him that his spinal stenosis had reached the point where surgery was an option, Morgan readily admits, “I was scared. Real scared.” “You hear so many war stories – bad stories – of spine surgery,” said Morgan, recalling his wife’s own bad experience and tales from friends, relatives and colleagues at the Johns Manville manufacturing plant in Etowah where he works as a machine chief. “I was trying everything in the world to avoid surgery. Now I wish I had gone to Dr. Brown earlier.” “Everything in the world” included topical ointments and creams, over-the-counter pain relievers, heating pads, ice packs, prescription muscle relaxants, chiropractic treatment, TENS unit, steroid injections and physical therapy.
Dennis and Susan Morgan of Etowah are extremely grateful for the care Dennis received at the Center for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery at Fort Sanders Regional. Dennis said he recommends neurosurgeon Dr. Barrett Brown to anyone that asks.
“I don’t really know what I did to it,” Morgan says. “It just started hurting me and bothering me when I would get up in the morning. I couldn’t walk, and the pain went down the back of both legs. It was just a sharp pain at all times. I’ve never had pain in my life like that before. The pain was so bad I was in tears at times.” Eventually, that pain led him to a Knoxville orthopedic surgeon
who ordered an MRI and concluded that Morgan’s spinal stenosis was ripe for surgery. Morgan, however, was not. Instead, his mind flashed back to his childhood when an uncle’s failed surgery left him sleeping on a plywood board. “Just watching him go through that pain was a scary thing,” Morgan said. Then, there was his wife, Susan, who had an extensive recovery period with
her surgery for a herniated disc years ago. Upon the recommendation of two friends at work, Morgan turned to Tennessee Brain & Spine at Fort Sanders Regional in Knoxville. There, Dr. Barrett Brown reviewed the MRI images and concurred with the orthopedic surgeon’s appraisal. Surgery was an option. Convinced, Morgan underwent surgery the next week at Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center. There, Dr. Brown made a three-inch incision into his lower back, retracted the muscle and then proceeded to remove bony overgrowth and worn facet joints and widen nerve openings from the L3-L5 spinal canal to relieve pressure on the nerves. During the surgery, two herniated discs were also discovered and removed. “His was a fairly standard case – spinal stenosis with neurogenic claudication,” said Dr. Brown, noting that the greatest challenge actually comes because Morgan was such a large-framed man. “We did a two-level lumbar laminectomy on him, and I think he’s had good results from it.” Morgan attests to that. “The first step that I took, the pain was gone out of my legs!” said Morgan. “I told my wife, ‘It’s amazing!’ The leg pain was gone and hasn’t been back since.” “When they took him in to sur-
Spinal surgery often last chance to beat pain don’t know what the other patient’s surgery or condition was,” said Dr. Brown. “You can do a technically perfect case but do it on the wrong indication and you are not going to have good results.” A key, said Dr. Brown, is correctly identifying the cause of the problem early on. Surgical treatment for spinal stenosis is considered only after nonsurgical remedies have not provided significant improvement in symptoms and when the benefits of surgery are deemed greater than the potential risks. In some cases, surgery may be an urgent matter due to the development of severe weakness or loss of bowel and bladder function. “We’ve been doing this kind of surgery for a while now, and it’s something we’re comfortable doing,” said Dr. Brown. “I think we have excellent surgical results because we’re selective.” Spinal stenosis, like that which Morgan suffered, is a condition in which the spinal canal narrows and pinches the nerves, resulting in pain and difficulty walking, as well as numbness, tingling, weakness or a heavy, tired feeling in the legs. “It’s more in the middle age to older population because generally it’s degenerative in nature,” said
Back and Leg Pain Neck and Arm Pain
Dr. Brown. “Although it does occur in younger patients occasionally, it generally comes with age and wear and tear on the body.” Because almost everyone develops some degenerative changes with age, it’s not really preventable. “Part of it is genetic – it runs in some families,” said Dr. Brown. “People who do more manual labor, more physical activity over the years, tend to be more prone just like arthritis. There’s not a medication you can take. There’s not a diet or lifestyle change that would guarantee you wouldn’t have or couldn’t develop stenosis.” Because Dennis Morgan had a traditional “open” surgery, he now has a 3-inch scar on his lower back. When possible, however, more and more patients are relying on Fort Sanders’ Center for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery where advances in surgery can significantly limit the incision area, reduce blood loss and speed recovery. For more information about the Center for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery at Fort Sanders Regional, visit fsregional.com/minimallyinvasive or call 865-541-2835.
NEW RELIEF Fort Sanders Center for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery
Back pain, leg pain, neck pain, arm pain… the root of the problem is often a pinched spinal nerve. The good news is that now Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center’s physicians use state-of-the-art minimally invasive techniques to perform spine surgery. Compared with traditional open surgery, minimally invasive surgeries offer patients many advantages, including a smaller incision, less postoperative pain, faster recovery and improved outcome. Non-surgical treatments such as physical therapy and medication should always be tried first. If those don’t help, surgery may be the best option.
Fort Sanders Center for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery Not every one is a candidate for minimally invasive approach to spine surgery. To learn more about minimally invasive spine surgery, please call 541-2835 or visit fsregional.com/ minimallyinvasive.
Center for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery www.fsregional.com/minimallyinvasive 8300-1208
Spine surgery. Those two words once sent shivers down Dennis Morgan. Not anymore, though. Today, Morgan and his wife, Susan, say the surgery he had for lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) at Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center has given him his life back. “The pain had been really hard on him because he’s the type of person who is constantly doing something,” said Susan Morgan. “We do old houses – this is our fourth – everything from tearing down walls, but he got to where he couldn’t do absolutely anything. I’m glad he had it done because it’s just like a miracle for him not to hurt.” “It was such a relief to get it done,” said Dennis Morgan. “I can do what I want now. I’m still careful, but I’ve not had any pain since the surgery.” Neurosurgeon Dr. Barrett Brown of the Center for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery at Fort Sanders Regional has heard such things before. “I see a lot of patients who say they know someone who had a bad back and had surgery or multiple surgeries and they have a bad taste in their mouth about spine surgery although they
gery, he could hardly lay on the gurney,” recalled Susan Morgan. “But when they got him up that afternoon, he looked at me with this look of total surprise on his face, and he said, ‘I don’t hurt! I’m not hurting!’ ” After two nights in the hospital, Morgan was discharged. Initially, he used a walker but quickly graduated to a hiking stick and, later, a cane. Within a week, he was walking without any assistance. After a month doing nothing but walking, he underwent physical therapy and is now back to doing whatever he wants. “It’s a daunting thing to think about surgery on the spine,” said Susan Morgan. “But I think we did the right thing by going to Fort Sanders Regional.” “I KNOW we did,” added Dennis Morgan, who said this was his first time as a patient at Fort Sanders Regional. “The nurses were as good as they could be. Even the food was good. The place was easy to find, the girls in his office are really helpful filling out all the medical paperwork that I have to do, and Dr. Brown is a super nice, down-to-earth guy. He takes time to talk to you and answer your questions. As far as recommending the doctor and the hospital, I’ve recommended him to three people already. I even got some of his business cards and put them on the bulletin board at work just in case.”
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SOUTH KNOX Shopper news • JUNE 3, 2015 • 3
Mary Vestal greenway meets deadline
community
Teamwork made the difference in the end.
Betsy Pickle
The Vestal Community Organization and its supporters fulfilled the requirements of the city challenge grant and its May 29 deadline in completing work on the Mary Vestal Park Greenway project. VCO members surprised even themselves. “We came so much further than our goal,” says Eric Johnson, vice president. Dewhirst Properties charged the VCO a nominal fee for constructing a trail extending from where the existing asphalt ended and ending at an overgrown cement driveway on Maryville Pike. The Dewhirst construction crew – not coincidentally all members of the Appalachian Mountain Bike Club (Randy Conner, Kevin Zirkle and Brian Hann) – laid gravel on the new trail and compacted it. “They did an awesome job of it,” said Johnson. “It was easier for them to do that than what they were anticipating. There were no trees in the way, just easy brush. Because of that, they did a lot of extra work. “They laid a lot of hay material with grass seed in it. They repaired a crack in the cement bridge that they didn’t have to do.” Meanwhile, new VCO president Katherine Johnson met with Ivan Harmon and Scott Moore of the Knox County Sheriff’s Office to see about getting help from work-release crews to remove brush – primarily invasive species – from the
Spending time with family and friends at the Colonial Village spring picnic are (counterclockwise from back left) Jenny Wolf, Kaden Stephens, Brooke Cherry, Robert Stephens, Emily Stephens and Aidrey Stephens. The Colonial Village Neighborhood Association had perfect weather and an all-ages turnout at the picnic pavilion of South Knoxville Church of God. This year’s event included a giveaway of tulips for replanting. trail and along Goose Creek. The crews enthusiastically tackled the job, using gas-powered weed whackers and chain saws. “Their productivity was a lot greater than those of us pulling weeds out with weed wrenches,” Eric Johnson said.
Outspoken teacher she’d bought last year with the proceeds from a summer job at Hobby Lobby. Teachers across Knox County and the state are using Graham’s picture on their Facebook pages to show solidarity, and they are angry because Graham’s evaluation scores were no lower than the “rock solid” three that indicates adequate performance on the state’s five-point scale. Copper Ridge lies in District 7, which is represented by Patti Bounds, who was a career kindergarten teacher
From page 1
before winning election to the school board. She spends one day a week in the schools she represents, and she is familiar with Graham’s work. “Christina is a very good teacher,” Bounds said. “My phone has rung off the wall about this. I’ve gotten emails, phone calls, texts and had conversations with parents and … parents (of former students) who are very concerned.” Also, Bounds said her constituents are upset about the reassignment of Nata-
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THROUGH TUESDAY, JUNE 30 “Precious, Not Parents” campaign, YoungWilliams Animal Center, 3201 Division St. YoungWilliams Animal Center Spay/Neuter Solutions will provide $20 spay and neuter surgeries for puppies and kittens under 6 months of age. Available to all East Tennessee residents. Must mention the “Precious, Not Parents” campaign when making the appointment. Info/appointment: www.young-williams.org or 2156677.
THURSDAY, JUNE 4 An evening of jazz with the Marble City 5 and George Gershwin’s jazz-opera, “Blue Monday,” 8 p.m., The Square Room, 4 Market Square. Presented by the Marble City Opera. East Tennessee Historical Society meeting, 5:30 p.m., The Foundry, 747 World’s Fair Park Drive. Speaker: Dr. Michael E. Birdwell, professor of history at Tennessee Technological University at Cookeville and chair of the Tennessee Great War Commission. Topic: “After They’ve Seen Paree: Tennesseans and the First World War.” Members and the general public are
Members of the Appalachian Mountain Bike Club get revved up about trying to win a $100,000 trail-building grant from Bell Helmets. Most of the discussion at last week’s May meeting was about strategies to encourage votes. AMBC’s trail project (a gravity trail on the Wood Property in the Urban Wilderness) is in contention with two other projects, one in California and one in Wisconsin. Voting ends at midnight June 4. To vote, visit downtowndownhill.com. Photos by Betsy Pickle
After the trail was cleared, gravel was poured on it and then compacted. Photo submitted
The VCO also held workdays called TGIF – Think Greenway, It’s Friday (actually using Saturdays, too) – to finish the job. VCO members got unexpected help from AMBC members, whose experience and work ethic were key to clearing the creek side of the greenway.
“Basically, you can see the entire trail from the road,” said Johnson. “That was the greatest concern from Vestal people; you couldn’t see the trail from the road and you didn’t feel safe.” Already, the creek’s natural beauty has attracted both humans and wildlife
– including a beaver and a pair of mallards. The only remaining step is for the city Parks and Recreation Department to complete the sidewalk along West Blount Avenue to the
newly exposed old driveway. Johnson is hopeful the city will see the project through. “The project has momentum to it, and when you have momentum, people want to get involved.”
sha Patchen, a first-grade teacher Castiner selected to replace Graham. “There are teachers – I don’t know how many – who should be nonrenewed, but it would appear to me that the reason Christina has resonated so loudly is the perception that it’s retaliatory.” Bounds said she wonders about Superintendent James McIntyre’s insistence that he leaves such personnel decisions to principals. “The principals have no autonomy to run their schools but have the ultimate authority to let teachers go. I’m perplexed. Everything else is so micromanaged.”
Bounds said McIntyre told her that requiring Graham to clean out her room in one day was the way this situation should be handled. McIntyre said this to the Shopper-News: “Unfortunately, school principals sometimes have to make hard decisions regarding personnel and teaching assignments based on the changing needs of students and the school. I believe those difficult determinations are best made by the principal at the school level. “I will be discussing these particular personnel
decisions with the principal … to ensure that I fully understand the circumstances and rationale. Asking a teacher to clean out their classroom by the end of the day certainly seems like a very tight timeline, but I am not aware of Knox County Schools protocols not being followed.” McIntyre denied that Graham was targeted for retaliation. “I have also assured the parents and stakeholders who have inquired that we do not make personnel decisions based on teachers speaking their mind at public meetings,” he said.
Bounds said she has grave doubts about many of the nonrenewals and cited a study called “The Irreplaceables: Understanding the Real Crisis in America’s Urban Schools,” as reported in “Maximizing Performance: Creating a Culture of Educational Excellence,” a book District 5 school board member Karen Carson presented to her colleagues: “In an average school, when a high performing teacher leaves the school has a one in six chance of replacing that teacher with a high performer. In a low performing school, the chances drop to one in 11.”
welcome. Tickets: $40. Info/reservations: 215-8883 or www.eastTNhistory.org. Knoxville Writers’ Guild meeting, 7 p.m., Laurel Theater, 1538 Laurel Ave. Novelist and screenwriter Shannon Burke will read from his newest book, “Into the Savage Country.” Open to the public. $2 donation requested at the door. “Let’s Go Back to the Hop” sock hop, 7-10 p.m., Sarah Simpson Professional Development and Technical Center, 801 Tipton Ave. Featuring Four Dots and a Dash doo-wop group. Tickets: $40. Includes admission, photo package, sock-hop food and a $10 credit toward silent auction. Proceeds benefit Knox County Museum of Education. Info: http:/knoxschools.org/museum.
FRIDAY, JUNE 5 Art & Architecture Tour: Cripple Creek Crawl, 5:30 p.m. Guided tour of the Old City and Cripple Creek with Jack Neely. Includes stops at historic buildings featured in winning photographs and reception. Tickets: $45. RSVP by June 3. Info/RSVP: Hollie, 523-8008 or hcook@knoxheritage.org. Reception for Richard J. LeFevre’s Civil War Series, 5-9 p.m., UT Downtown Gallery, 106 S. Gay St. Free and open to the public. Info: 673-0802. “Through the Lens: Botanical Photography of Alan S. Heilman” exhibit opens at UT’s McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture, 1327 Circle Park Drive. Museum admission is free. Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 1-5 p.m. on Sundays. Info:www. mcclungmuseum.utk.edu.
and 5 p.m. Saturdays; 3 p.m. Sunday. Info/tickets: 208-3677, knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com, info@ childrenstheatreknoxville.com.
SATURDAY, JUNE 6 Statehood Day celebration, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Blount Mansion, 200 W. Hill Ave. Free admission. Info: 5252375, www.blountmansion.org. Statehood Day celebration, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., James White’s Fort, 205 E. Hill Ave. Free admission, donations appreciated. Info: 525-6514, www.jameswhitefort.org. Statehood Day celebration, noon, Ramsey House, 2614 Thorn Grove Pike. Includes Vintage Baseball games. Info: 546-0745, www.ramseyhouse.org. Statehood Day celebration, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Mabry-Hazen House, 1711 Dandridge Ave. Free admission. Info: 522-8661, www.mabryhazen.com. Statehood Day celebration, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Westwood, 425 Kingston Pike. Info: 523-8008, www. historicwestwood.org.
SUNDAY, JUNE 7 Vegetarian Society of East Tennessee meeting, 4-6 p.m., Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church, 2931 Kingston Pike. Speaker: Dr. Crystal Whitten of the Southern Adventist University. Topic: “Twenty Plants You Need to Eat for Longer Life and Better Health.” Free but donations accepted at the door. Potluck supper follows. Info: bobgrimac@gmail.com or 546-5643.
FRIDAY-SUNDAY, JUNE 5-21
MONDAY, JUNE 8
“The Hobbit” presented by the Knoxville Children’s Theatre, 109 E. Churchwell Ave. Performances: 7 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays; 1
All Over the Page: “The Art Forger,” 6:30 p.m., Lawson McGhee Library, 500 W. Church Ave. Info: 2158750.
4 • JUNE 3, 2015 • Shopper news
Coach Serrano is trapped This is a cruel story. Dave Serrano, Tennessee baseball coach, is trapped, damned if he does or doesn’t. If he works the phones from dawn to midnight, chases around the country until his budget is drained, recruits like a madman and signs the best high school players, he loses. On draft day, major league baseball picks his pocket. If he leans back in his office chair, props his feet on the desk, watches the SEC Network and takes what he can get, he loses. Texas A&M, Florida and maybe Alabama and LSU will have better players because of geography. There is no logical
Marvin West
explanation for Vanderbilt success. Strange how this Serrano plight has developed. Dave was once a very successful coach back home in California, in the Big West Conference. He led Cal-Irvine and Cal State Fullerton to the College World Series. That’s how he got the Tennessee job, a dream come true with a $450,000 salary plus a share of camp profits and
adidas sales. Before that, Serrano was a very effective UT assistant coach, 1995-96, when Rod Delmonico was in charge. The Volunteers, big winners, made their first trip to Omaha in 44 years. Dave returned to his roots but his heart stayed here. He said Big Orange Country was where he always wanted to be. He applied for the head job in 2007 but athletic director Mike Hamilton, better known for firing a football legend and hiring unusual replacements, chose Todd Raleigh as baseball coach. He failed and went away with a 108-113 record. Serrano applied again
New hope for old homes
Last Tuesday was a dark day for historic preservation in Knoxville, but at least it had a silver lining. The Christenberry House at 3222 Kingston Pike was torn down by new owners John and Paula Chesworth, who say it would’ve been too expensive to restore the home after a decade of neglect. The loss of the 1914 Craftsman leaves a gap in a row of historic homes that includes Crescent Bend, the H.L. Dulin House and Bleak House. The timing of the destruction was likely chosen to precede City Council’s approval, on second reading, of an ordinance that requires a 60-day waiting period for a demolition permit for historic structures. The waiting period will give the city and preservation group Knox Heritage the chance to work with owners to find ways to save historic buildings.
Wendy Smith
Knox Heritage Executive Director Kim Trent recalls that much of the 500 block of Gay Street was scheduled to be demolished for a new movie theater until Mayor Bill Haslam put a 45-day delay on demolition in 2005. During the delay, a design solution was found that saved the historic buildings. “That block would not look like it does today if we had not been given 45 days,” Trent says. The goal is for property owners to make money while historic buildings are saved. But solutions can’t be found if there’s no time to
talk, she says. Fortunately, there will now be more time to talk about the Paul Howard House at 2921 N. Broadway. The 1910 Craftsman was home to two city council members, a Knox County trustee and a Knoxville city manager. It has twice been recognized by Knox Heritage for the quality care provided by previous owners Mr. and Mrs. Paul Howard. A big-box developer has offered the highest price on the home. North Knoxville neighbors have created an online fund drive to raise money to purchase it. While Trent was heartbroken to see the Christenberry House destroyed, she was delighted by the public outpouring of outrage on Knox Heritage’s website. There’s been a cultural shift in the way the community regards historic properties, she says. “People are just sick of
in 2011 and Hamilton liked him better. Mike was in the process of hiring Dave when Mike found it expedient to accept a golden parachute and fly to safety. Interim AD Joan Cronan completed negotiations. That was a few minutes before Dave Hart got the keys to the kingdom. Year 4 was supposed to be a very good baseball season. It wasn’t. The end, enhanced by three late victories, was 24-26. Serrano said it was a slap-down experience, humbling, that he realizes he must make philosophical adjustments. He has always had faith in pitching and defense. He’ll try to do something about
his offense, last in the SEC in hits and runs. Key assistant Greg Bergeron has resigned. Serrano can make adjustments but there isn’t time to start over. He has one year to go on his contract. The coach won’t know what he has to work with until after the upcoming draft and the period of meditation when players weigh money offers against the joys of college and value of a degree. Top high school talent uses scholarships to leverage more zeros. The Vols are almost certain to lose some signees. College juniors say now or next year. Tennessee shortstop A.J. Simcox, outfielder Christin Stewart and pitcher-first baseman Andrew Lee are likely to have that choice.
Serrano’s Volunteers have been a major disappointment. The four-year record is 101-110. It is 39-78 against SEC competition. Peak performance has been squeezing into the bottom of the league tournament. A return to Omaha and the national event? Can’t see it from here. It would take a Hubble. This is a sad development. I remember how pleased, yes, excited, Dave was when introduced as the new coach of the Volunteers. He talked about what a special place this is. He said something I have always believed: “There’s no reason in the world that we can’t be successful in all sports.” Make a wish. Maybe it can still happen in baseball.
the destruction.” The new ordinance was created to catch properties that aren’t protected by a historic or neighborhood conservation overlay, says Kaye Graybeal, historic preservation planner for Knoxville-Knox County Metropolitan Planning Commission. Properties that are associated with a significant person or event, or represent a particular
type of architecture, or provide historical information, fall into this category. The Howard House fits nicely into this category. The Christenberry House used to. The amended city code won’t keep owners from knocking down their historic buildings. But it forces them to take some time to consider whether they want to embrace the community’s
current passion for preserving our heritage or go against the flow. “It was a sad day for Knoxville,” says Second District City Council member Duane Grieve of the day the Christenberry House came down. It was there in the morning and gone by the time he drove home. Thankfully, the day had a silver lining that might save other historic properties.
Marvin West invites reader reaction. His address is westwest6@netzero.com.
Preorders underway for rain barrels, compost bins Knox County has joined the Water Quality Forum, the city of Knoxville and the town of Farragut to sponsor a rain barrel and compost bin sale. Preorders will be taken through Sunday, June 14. Pick up is 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, June 20, at Walgreens, 7523 Kingston Pike at the corner of Morrell Road and Kingston Pike. A limited number of extras will be available the day of the sale.
“This program is an important step in offering an inexpensive option to help our residents save money and understand the significance of water conservation,” said Amy Mann with the Water Quality Forum. “We are committed to protecting our water quality and managing the damaging effects of stormwater runoff. The use of compost bins and rain barrels will provide residents the tools they need to conserve soil
and water resources at home.” The rain barrels and compost bins offered through this program are made of 100 percent recycled plastic and manufactured in the United States. Rain barrels capture rainwater from roof tops by connecting to the gutter downspout. Water collected by the rain barrels can be used for gardens, lawns, and washing cars or pets. Info: rainbarrelprogram.org or 865-215-5283.
“I love my new foster family!”
Katarina needs a home! Katarina
Foster-Parenting/ Foster-to-Adopt Class, June 16
Most children dream of dollhouses, big trucks, roller coasters and birthday parties. But some dream of shelter, safety, family, and
love
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is a beautiful, long haired calico female cat about 10-months-old. She is super friendly and affectionate. She loves everyone as soon as she meets them. She is playful and active. She gets along with other cats as long as they are not “in-your-face” type cats. She loves to play with toys and is never bored. She likes to be held and to snuggle.
Adopt a new friend! Thumper
is a cute Japanese bob tail mix, white tabby female cat about 2-years-old. She only has a stub of a tail. She wags her tail in circles to express herself. She loves everyone as soon as she meets them. She is playful and entertaining but not wildly so. She loves to play with toys and is never bored. She likes to be held and to snuggle.
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If interested in these cuties, please contact:
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Peaceful Kingdom 579-5164 Space donated by
government
Shopper news • JUNE 3, 2015 • 5
Whiteside sentence leaves victim’s family
‘a certain kind of peace’
Five years and eight months after Troy Whiteside shot the unarmed Stacey Sudderth 13 times in an East Knoxville parking lot and claimed self-defense, he was clapped into handcuffs and led off to jail to await transport to state prison.
Betty Bean If there are any positives he can take from a stay in Knox County’s Roger G. Wilson Detention Center, it may be his opportunity to spend quality time with an old friend and former boss, ex-trustee Mike Lowe, who is doing seven months for offenses that include paying “phantom” employees, several under the same job title as Whiteside, who worked as an outside auditor/delinquent tax collector from 2000 to 2004 before strik-
ing it rich in Oak Ridge as a contractor with the federal government. If GOP VIPs keep getting busted, Sheriff Jimmy “J.J.” Jones may have to build an executive suite and provide a subscription to the Wall Street Journal. But there’s no humor in this matter for the families involved, nor for citizens who watched elected judges and an attorney general beg off the case, citing conflict of interest. They feel that the justice delivered was too little and too late. Last Thursday morning, more than a dozen of Sudderth’s relatives gathered outside the attorney general’s office in the City County Building. The sentencing, scheduled for 10:30 a.m., was put back until noon, a minor setback in a saga that included at least a dozen postponements and street talk that Whiteside would never see a day behind bars. Downstairs, Whiteside waited outside the court-
room with his wife, Jacqueline, and their two sons. Finally, a victim-witness coordinator came to take the Sudderth family to be briefed about what was about to happen. He asked if they were ready to go to court. “Been ready,” Sudderth’s nephew said, drawing grim, knowing laughs. After a while, everybody filed into the courtroom to wait for Senior Judge Jon Kerry Blackwood, who has become the go-to guy for Knox County cases deemed too hot for our local judiciary to handle. There was no mystery in what was to happen – Whiteside, indicted for first-degree murder, would plead guilty to voluntary manslaughter (15 years) and reckless endangerment (six years). The sentences will run consecutively, and he must serve seven years and five months before becoming eligible for release. Jacqueline Whiteside dis-
solved into tears when her husband entered his plea and was led off to be booked. Members of Sudderth’s family cried, too. They said they felt for her but think the sentence negotiated between Third District Attorney General Dan Armstrong and defense lawyer Greg Isaacs is too lenient. Armstrong, elected in 2014, inherited the case from his predecessor, who drew the short straw in 2009. Many political watchers cynically predicted Whiteside would ultimately never serve time, despite having shot Sudderth to tatters, mostly in the back. Lynn Porter, the mother of Sudderth’s daughter Amber, said she’s working on forgiveness but will be keeping an eye on the parole board (something she already knows too much about, as the victim of a violent home invasion and rape in 1998). “I’ve reached a certain kind of peace,” she said.
Republicans shine at fundraiser Republicans rule. You knew it when you read eight featured speakers on the program at the Union County Lincoln Reagan Day Dinner. Thank goodness for the roast beef and mashed potatoes from Anderson Farms Catering from Corryton. On a night of much bull, Anderson’s was the best. It’s hard to hear eight honorable speakers without rating them. So here is one Republican’s take on Keaton (stellar singer Keaton Roach) and the Eight White Guys. Best wit: Tim Burchett. Slinging “d a d g u m mits” dare we say liberally, Burchett drew heavy applause by calling for an elected Burchett schools superintendent and a voucher for veterans to choose their doctor (rather than travel to VA hospitals for treatment). He railed against a Congress that “campaigns against welfare but goes to Washington and votes for corporate welfare.” There will never be enough money for government. “Dadgummit, don’t give the government any more money. People say, ‘Tim, don’t you want us to pay our taxes?’ And I say, ‘yes.’ The Bible says to render unto Caesar, but I say don’t give Caesar a penny extra. Just what he needs.”
Sandra Clark
Burchett said the Republicans need to find a presidential nominee like Ronald Reagan: “He won because he stood for something.” Tough on crime: Jared Effler. The newly elected attorney general told the partisan crowd that he’s kept two campaign promises. He’s ended plea-bargaining for makers of methamphetamines and he’s opened a full-time office with a professional staff in each of the district’s five counties. “I’m personally involved in trying every murder case.” Killer bills: Sen. Frank Niceley discussed his bill to legalize killing wild animals “in self-defense.” A few years back, Niceley sponsored a bill to legalize horsemeat factories. Now he’s sponsoring a “lifetime gun carry bill,” which basically means what it says. No more pesky renewals. And he touts the Legislature’s “killing common core,” a national standard of education objectives. “We made them teach cursive writing and a year of Tennessee history,” he said. “None of that fits in common core.” Dilemma dude: That’s got to be U.S. Rep. Chuck
Fleischmann, now starting his third term. He has a problem shared by all whose district includes a federal facility. He rails against big government, while announcing funds for ORNL and the Chickamauga Lock near Chattanooga. Brevity: Ryan Haynes, the former Knox County legislator who had won election as state GOP chair just days earlier. “We’re Haynes got to start electing people like us,” he said. “The average guy can’t get ahead in crony capitalism. … It starts with stopping Hillary Clinton (big applause). We must pray for our country, work hard in the next election and make sure you continue to vote.”
Party boy: State Rep. Dennis Powers toes the party line. In less than five minutes he endorsed the Defense of Marriage law and the return of coal mining. He said legislators are “making UT and all branches of higher education have an event on Veterans Day.” Powers is vice chair of the GOP Caucus. “Of 99 members, 73 are Republicans.” Homeboy: Andrew Merritt, field rep for Fleischmann, introduced his boss. Merritt is a Union County native and youthful face of the county’s GOP. Banana pudding: It was a good time for dessert when state Rep. Jerry Sexton rose to speak. He won a primary in which massive out-of-state money punished longtime Rep. Dennis “Coach” Roach, who had voted against using tax money for vouchers to private schools.
GOSSIP AND LIES ■ Jeb Bush is the probable Republican nominee for president. He’s got the name, the money and the nationwide connections. And he’s smarter than George W. ■ Maybe Poppa Bush can dust off Dick Cheney to help. ■ With Hillary Clinton the likely Democratic nominee, get set for a Clinton-Bush rematch. ■ Early prediction: A different outcome for the second Clinton-Bush joust.
■ Bill Dunn reflected the extreme fatigue of legislators recently when he said, “I’m what’s left of Bill Dunn.” ■ Year-round campaigns have arrived. Residents of Dunn’s and Rep. Eddie Smith’s districts received giant post cards from an outfit called Tennesseans for Student Success. ■ Frank Cagle was right. These special interests don’t spend gobs of money because they like kids. Beware!
Catching up with the Rukeysers Two weeks ago having dinner with Joan and our daughter, Martha, at Ichiban Asian Cuisine restaurant on Northshore Drive, I saw longtime friends Bill and Elizabeth Rukeyser dining three tables away (their granddaughter is a server at Ichiban). Elizabeth Rukeyser was commissioner of mental health under Gov. Don Sundquist. The Rukeysers live on Rudder Lane in West Knox County. Going over to their table, I learned that Elizabeth, 71, was in Nepal almost in the center of the earthquake on April 25 after having completed a nine-day trek with her daughter Lisa Burn in the Annapurna region. And what a story she had to tell. She was perhaps the only Knoxvillian to be in Pokhara when the earthquake occurred. She was having lunch with her guide and family at their home when the earthquake hit and everything started shaking. They immediately ran out of the house, which suffered major cracks in the walls but did not collapse. She returned to the Baraki Hotel where she had been staying. The aftershocks continued to hit the hotel, and while guests could return to their rooms, during the middle of the night they exited to sleep in tents on the lawn of the hotel due to aftershocks. In fact, the water in the swimming pool continued to roll back and forth long after the above-ground shocks had ended. Rukeyser is an avid trekker having done 13 treks over many years in Nepal. Her immediate issues were to e-mail her husband to let him know she was safe and then to get to Kathmandu to catch her scheduled flight out on Dragon Air to Hong Kong on April 30. She was able to e-mail Bill successfully during the 15 minutes that Internet connections continued in Pokhara before being cut off. It was uncertain if the road from Pokhara to Kathmandu was open, as flights had been canceled and a bus had run off the road, killing several passengers. Her guide found her a driver, and on April 29 they set out to Kathmandu for a seven-hour drive to the Shangri-La Hotel, which was open but operating without a kitchen and serving meals of rice and beans when they arrived safely.
Victor Ashe
The next challenge was to determine if Dragon Air was operating. Fortunately, the airline had continued its flights and her flight on April 30 left with her confirmed seat honored. She arrived the next morning in Hong Kong where she stayed a few days before flying to New York where she met her husband. Rukeyser is planning to return to Nepal in November for her 14th trek. She is an intrepid and fearless traveler who is easily admired. ■ Bob Coker, director of E-911, may not be long for 911 employment as Mayor Madeline Rogero expressed her “surprise” over personnel issues. That is code for either “I am less than pleased” or “I don’t know what is going on here.” Rogero can influence four votes on the board: herself, her police and fire chiefs and Brad Anders, who is a city police officer and County Commission chair. He has already voiced criticism of Coker. Rogero is determined to attend 911 meetings faithfully now and speak whenever she can. If Coker departs, Rogero can play a role in picking the new director as she did with MPC. Will the process be public or closed as MPC was? ■ The departure of Mark Cate as chief of staff to Gov. Haslam is not a total surprise as the job is an exhausting one and Cate’s relations with the Legislature have been rocky of late. Haslam can now retool and start afresh with legislative relations. ■ Council member Marshall Stair is having a kickoff reception for his re-election campaign 5:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday, June 18, at the home of his brother, Caesar Stair IV, and Megan Stair at 131 E. Scott St. Public invited. ■ Margie Nichols says UT will soon replace the missing Peyton Manning Pass street signs at Phillip Fulmer Drive and Volunteer Boulevard. Nichols says the new signs will have tamperproof bolts to make their removal more difficult. Peyton Manning Pass is now a UT street.
Welcome Home to Blue Harbor
Formerly Wellsprings of Powell and Wellsprings of Raintree, Blue Harbor is proud to re-introduce these two beautiful senior communities. Blue Harbor offers assisted living and memory care. Please stop by for a visit, or call for further information regarding our senior services. We’d love to welcome you home to Blue Harbor.
Memory Care 865-229-6044 7545 Thunder Lane Powell, TN 37849
Assisted Living/ Memory Care 865-229-6157 555 Rain Forest Road Knoxville, TN 37923
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kids
6 • JUNE 3, 2015 • SOUTH KNOX Shopper news
Alvis & Lowe Auction Co. (no relation to principal Lana Shelton-Lowe) hosted a staff auction. Teachers were able to bid on gift cards, locally-made pottery and more. Funds raised go to the Dogwood PTO.
Dogwood’s fifth-grade teaching team is beach ready.
Wrapping it up at Dogwood Dogwood Elementary School instructional assistants cut loose after organizing an end-of-the-year celebration barbecue for the rest of the staff.
Dogwood kindergartner LaKari Hill heads out of school with her mom and a new book. Big Brothers Big Sisters of East Tennessee donated books so that students could take a book home for the summer. Photos submitted
New Hopewell fun
Teaching assistant Cheryl Mitchell and principal Patricia Moore deliver the two bicycles given away on New New Hopewell Elementary School kindergarten through second-grade students present the music program “Bring on SPRING.” Hopewell’s 5th Grade Day. Physical education teacher Hunter Watson cheers them on. Photos submitted
business State ranks high in exports By Bonny C. Millard One out of every five jobs in Tennessee is linked to trade, ranking the state 16th in the nation, U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn said. Blackburn, who represents the 7th Congressional District, spoke to the Rotary Club of Knoxville while she was in town visiting TVA and other locations. Blackburn is the vice chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. “We have a very hefty trade economy,” she said, including the top exports of medical equipment, motor vehicle parts and automobiles. Tennessee has other important exports such as entertainment and intellectual properties through companies such as Scripps Network Interactive and Jewelry TV, both headquartered here, and agricultural products. Almost 829, 500 jobs statewide and 11.1 percent of the state’s GNP come from trade, she said. Blackburn addressed the Trade Promotion Authority and said the House is working to “slow track” trade agreements, which would require congressional approval, rather than allowing the president to authorize them in what is commonly referred to as “fast tracking.” “It would force the issue of trade agreements back to Congress. … If something is not in the proper balance,
then we have the right to say no. It does not give the president the ability to move forward unilaterally as he is approaching trade. We think this is a significant Blackburn step.” Blackburn said another issue that is important for Americans is security in a broad sense, including national, economic and retirement. “People feel like a rug has been jerked out from under them, and we’ve seen this since 2008. People are right to say what are we going to do about it.” One of the best ways to do this is to get national debt under control through a balanced budget amendment and zero-based budgeting, she said.
Dan Murphy heads KCDC board of directors
New boat Mark Walker, Capt. Matt Jenkins and Chief Russ Frazier, M.D., cut the ribbon on a new stateof-the-art water ambulance. “We’d like to thank the Lange Foundation for funding this craft and Concord Marina manager Jeff Bisch, who generously donated a slip close to parking and the fuel pumps to make our job easier. This is historically the busiest waterrescue season we’ve had so far, and we’ll be on duty 24/7.”
Knoxville Volunteer Emergency Water Rescue Squad Capt. Matt Jenkins appears to be getting good-natured ribbing from Mark Walker to the delight of fellow team members during the christening of a new 24-foot rescue boat at Concord Marina on Saturday, May 23. Pictured from left are Mark Walker, Capt. Matt Jenkins, Shelby Lowe; back, Eric Romines, Michael Norman, Dustin Dolen, Tom Sayres, Jimmy Rhodes, Chief Russ Frazier, M.D., and Josh Rhodes.
Knox County school board Resident commissioner secretary. Other board members including a stint as chair. Phyllis Patrick, adminisKCDC’s board oversees are: John Winemiller, partp r o g r a m s ner at the law firm Merchant Knoxville’s Community Jac que trative asDevelopment Corporation line Arthur, sistant at provided by & Gould; David Hutchins, (KCDC) has new officers general Evergreen the agency, architect and president of following its annual board manager of Presby tei n c l u d i n g Hutchins Associates P.C.; meeting. the commurian Mina f f o r d a b l e Lisa Wagoner, supervisor public hous- of health services for Knox Dan Murphy, a UT pronity-owned istries Inc., fessor of accounting spefood cowill serve as ing admin- County Schools; and Dr. cializing in federal taxation, operative t r e a s u r e r. i s t r a t i o n , John Turner, retired senior will serve as chair. AppointThree RivArt Cate, r e de velop - vice president of education, ed by Mayor Madeline Rog- Murphy ers Market, Arthur KCDC ex- Patrick ment and training and diversity at the ecutive dirental assis- Tennessee Valley Authority. ero in 2013, he previously was named rector and CEO, was elected tance. served two terms on the vice chair.
weekender
Shopper news • JUNE 3, 2015 • 7
Side by side
FRIDAY, JUNE 5
By Carol Shane
Richard Jolley. Tommie Rush. Peter Rose. These artists are widely known local luminaries in visual art and pottery, and lately they’ve been very busy gearing up for a show. But this time their work will be shown alongside that of some extraordinary young artists. Kids who’ve been apprenticing with these masters for months. It’s all part of the Community School of the Arts’ annual Side-By-Side exhibition and auction, in partnership with Bennett Galleries. CSA’s executive director, Jennifer Willard, is herself a visual artist specializing in mixed media. Every year at this time she and her staff are hanging and labeling the art and taking care of a thousand-and-one details in preparation for Friday night’s auction, which is the school’s biggest fundraiser. “We are so grateful to the visual artists in our community who have mentored CSA students and made long-term commitments to our program,” she says. “They are not only amazingly talented artists but also gifted teachers who have shown again and again that they can make a difference in the lives of their students.” This year there’s more excitement than usual. The Community School of the Arts’ Side-By-Side Visual Arts Apprentice Program has been chosen for recognition as a 2015 National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Finalist by the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities and its partner agencies – the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities. “We reviewed 335 nominations from 50 states and the District of Columbia,” wrote the four group leaders to Willard. “Your program’s selection as one of 50 finalists distinguishes it as one of the top arts- and humanities-
■ An evening of jazz with the Marble City 5 and George Gershwin’s jazz-opera, “Blue Monday,” 8 p.m., the Square Room, 4 Market Square. Presented by the Marble City Opera. ■ 11th annual Bob Dylan’s Birthday Bash, 5:30 p.m., Market Square, 60 Market Square. Presented by WDVX. Featuring: Maggie Longmire, Will Horton & Friends, Four Leaf Peat, Dixieghost, the Will Boyd Group, Exit 65 and Hector Qirko, with Dana Paul and Steve Horton.
FRIDAY-SUNDAY, JUNE 5-7 ■ Fanboy Expo Knoxville Comic Con, Knoxville Convention Center, 701 Henley St. Hours: noon-7 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday.
Siblings Isaiah and Kaitlyn Mobley work with renowned glass artist Richard Jolley and his assistant Tyler Olsen as part of the Community School of the Arts’ Side-By-Side apprentice program. Photos by Jenn Sudaria
based programs in the country.” A national jury is reviewing SideBy-Side’s application for one of the awards, and the result will be announced this month. “If we win, I’m going to the White House myself!” Willard declares, laughing. CSA’s Side-By-Side Visual Arts Apprentice Program is in its 16th year. Students who qualify – they must be in grades 5-12 and have a minimum of two years of classroom instruction in visual arts at the school – are paired with professional artists in their studios for a period of four to six months each year. The kids have the opportunity to witness, participate in and experience firsthand every aspect of the creative process under professional tutelage. In many cases, these pairings result in long-term working partnerships over the course of several years. Much forethought goes into these pairings. Among the considerations are: degree of difficulty of each medium; age, experience and interests
of the student; and personality, family situation, special educational and/or behavioral needs of the student. Apprenticeships culminate each year in a full-scale art exhibition, where student and professional works are displayed – yes, side by side – at Bennett Galleries and Company, 5308 Kingston Pike. On the show’s final night, the works are auctioned off and the proceeds go to benefit the school. In addition to the artists already mentioned, works by Bill Capshaw, Tina Curry, Don Dudenbostel, Susana Esrequis, Marcia Goldenstein, Ashton Ludden, Chris McAdoo, Robin Surber, Cynthia Tollefsrud and their apprentices will be available for viewing and purchasing. Bennett Galleries and the Community School of the Arts present Sideby-Side, June 1-5, with reception and silent auction this Friday night from 5 to 8 p.m. For more info, call Bennett Galleries at 584-6791 or visit http:// www.csaknox.org. Send story suggestions to news@shoppernewsnow. com.
Kevin Dillon, Jerry Ferrara, Adrian Grenier, Jeremy Piven, Kevin Connolly and Emmanuelle Chriqui make the leap from HBO to the big screen in “Entourage.”
■ “Les Misérables,” Carousel Theater, 1714 Andy Holt Ave. Presented by the Tennessee Valley Players. Performances: 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 3 p.m. Sunday. Info/tickets: 201-5913, www.tennesseevalleyplayers.org. ■ “Steel Magnolias,” Theatre Knoxville Downtown, 319 N. Gay St. Performances: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 3 p.m. Sunday. Info/tickets: 544-1999, info@theatreknoxville.com, www.theatreknoxville.com. ■ “The Hobbit” presented by the Knoxville Children’s Theatre, 109 E. Churchwell Ave. Performances: 7 p.m. Friday; 1 and 5 p.m. Saturday; 3 p.m. Sunday. Info/ tickets: 208-3677, knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com, info@ childrenstheatreknoxville.com.
SATURDAY, JUNE 6 ■ Art on Main, Maynardville’s annual arts event, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., downtown Maynardville. Events include: live music, crafters and artists vendors, kids’ area and special guest “Nancy” cartoonist Guy Gilchrist. ■ America Loves Bacon Festival, 1-7 p.m., World’s Fair Park, 1060 World’s Fair Park Drive. Event rescheduled from March; activities remain the same; all tickets will be honored. Info: http://americalovesbacon.com. ■ Gay Men’s Chorus, 8 p.m., Bijou Theatre, 803 S. Gay St. Info/ tickets: www.knoxbijou.com ■ Vintage Baseball, noon, Historic Ramsey House, 2614 Thorn Grove Pike. Doubleheader featuring Nashville Maroons vs. Holstons and Chattanooga Lightfoots vs. Emmett Machinists. Free admission. Info: 546-0745, www.ramseyhouse.org/ calendar-2/.
SATURDAY-SUNDAY, JUNE 6-7 ■ “Xterra Knoxville,” Ijams Nature Center Mead’s Quarry, 2915 Island Home Ave. Hosted by Dirty Bird Events. Trail race, 9 a.m. Saturday; Triathlon, 8 a.m. Sunday. Proceeds go to Ijams Nature Center to help keep the trails beautiful, waterways clean and nature untouched. Info/to register: http:// dirtybirdevents.com.
Summer is here. ‘Entourage’ hits the big screen deskbound CIA analyst who volunteers to go undercover to take down a diabolical arms dealer (Rose Byrne). Jude Law, Jason Statham, Morena Baccarin, Will Yun Lee, Bobby Cannavale and Allison Janney also star in the action-comedy written and directed by Paul Feig (“The Heat,” “Bridesmaids”). It’s rated R for language throughout, violence, and some sexual content including brief graphic nudity. Also opening Friday is “Insidious: Chapter 3.” In this prequel, a renowned psychic refuses a teenager’s plea to help her contact her dead mother because of events from the psychic’s own childhood. After a demon violently attacks the teen, the psychic agrees to assist. Dermot Mulroney, Stefanie Scott and Lin Shaye star for director Leigh Whannell (“Saw,” “Insidious”). The horror film is rated PG-13.
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By Betsy Pickle “Entourage” fans, your wait is over. The big-screen version of the popular HBO series hits theaters today. Movie star Vince (Adrian Grenier) and his boys – Eric (Kevin Connolly), Johnny Drama (Kevin Dillon) and Turtle (Jerry Ferrara) – get up to new adventures along with super agent-turned-studio head Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven). Picking up shortly after the series story ended, “Entourage” raises the stakes for all the leads. Vince wants to take the next step and direct. Ari wants to support his former client and greenlight his movie. Eric is facing impending fatherhood. Drama thinks he has found his big break. Turtle has made a successful business move. Billy Bob Thornton plays a Texas oil baron financing Vince’s movie, and Haley Joel Osment plays his funloving son. UFC fighter Ronda Rousey plays herself. Perrey Reeves, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Debi Mazar, Rex Lee and Constance Zimmer are back from the series, and there are tons of celebrity cameos. Directed by series creator Doug Ellin, “Entourage” is rated R for pervasive language, strong sexual content, nudity and some drug use. Melissa McCarthy puts a comic spin on the secretagent biz in “Spy,” opening Friday. McCarthy plays a
8 • JUNE 3, 2015 • Shopper news
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