South Knox Shopper-News 072215

SOUTH KNOX VOL. 23 NO. 29 1

BUZZ Goats are back Kudzu-eating goats and their watchdog arrived at Fort Dickerson yesterday (July 21) and will be there for four to six weeks.

“Goats are a great, nontoxic way to manage kudzu and other invasive vegetation,” said Chad Weth, city public service deputy director.

The city contracts for the goat labor with Whistle Pig Farms of Thorn Hill, Tenn.

Goats are currently being used at Williams Creek for weed control in a partnership between the city and the Tennessee Clean Water Network.

The goats will complement work being done to reconfigure and realign the entrance to Fort Dickerson from Chapman Highway. The project consists of 485 feet of new two-lane roadway that connects to the Woodlawn Pike intersection, creating a safer and more visible street entrance into the park. In addition, intersection improvements have been made to the Woodlawn-Chapman Highway intersection with new pedestrian signals and crosswalks.

The Aslan Foundation purchased the adjacent property (formerly home to G&R Automotive) and has hired CRJA Landscape Architects to perform the landscaping designs on the improved entrance. Additional park features will include the retaining wall façade, a sidewalk on the north side of the new road, tree plantings and a new KAT bus shelter scheduled for completion by the end of the year.

IN THIS ISSUE Interns visit Kern’s At first glance, the old Kern’s Bakery is a mess. Erected in 1931, it is 90,000 square feet on 14 acres – a South Knox landmark on Chapman Highway.

Where most developers might see a great spot for a new Walmart, David Dewhirst sees exposed brick, oak floorboards, and another chance to make Knoxville unique.

➤

July 22, 29, 2015 2013

www.facebook.com/ShopperNewsNow

Soaring at Navitat

Even couch potatoes can do it

By Betsy Pickle

Mayor Madeline Rogero kayaks and has been known to skydive.

So when she got rigged up to check out the Navitat Canopy Tour at Ijams Nature Center, it was a walk in the park.

“It’s not hard when you’ve jumped out of a plane,” she said, unfazed after soaring down the zipline at the ground school training session required before heading out on any of the six Navitat “trails.” She looked like a kid at play after the official opening of Navitat on Thursday.

But what about the rest of us – the many, the not-skinny, the couch potatoes? Do we belong in this daring world of rope, cable and zipline trails filled with obstacles, set high in the trees of Ijams?

I felt it was my duty to find out.

“Not athletically inclined” is a kind way to describe me. But Mary Thom Adams, Ijams’ optimistic development director and assistant executive director, assured me that I could do it.

Benjy Darnell, general manager of Navitat at Ijams, was equally encouraging.

As a quick test, I had to walk a quarter-mile paved trail from the visitor center to the Navitat ground school. Uphill.

Cinched it.

And then the ground school.

Challenge one is getting into the harness. Darnell got me into straps where I didn’t even know I had parts. Easygoing and very patient, he explained what all the straps and gadgets did. Most important, he showed how I could never unhook myself from a cable

Ijams executive director Paul James, Mayors Tim Burchett and Madeline Rogero, backed by other dignitaries, are ready to cut the ribbon, er, drop the rope at the Navitat Treehouse. Photos by Betsy Pickle

while up in the air.

All harnessed in, I climbed a tree ladder to a platform 15ish feet above ground for challenge two. In front of me was a cable attached to a tree a mile away (almost). I had

on my helmet and gloves. I was clicked onto the cable, and my trolley was in position. So why did my feet not want to give up a solid platform for thin air?

“Crouch and go, or just step

off,” said Darnell, helpfully, from the ground. It took a stern talking to myself, but I finally stepped off.

I zipped down the cable. I braked the way Darnell had taught me. I To page 3

City turns attention to Clinch Avenue City crews hope to reopen the Clinch Avenue Viaduct spanning World’s Fair Park on Monday, July 27. It was closed as part of a $2.7 million infrastructure upgrade that will enhance the route for pedestrian and bicycle traffic from the University of Tennessee area to downtown.

The project includes a new pedestrian walkway and canopy that will connect the Knoxville Con-

vention Center with the Holiday Inn Downtown and new Tennessean residential development.

Cranes will be setting in place 70foot and 40-foot sections of the canopy. The work will continue through August, but the bridge will reopen to traffic.

Infrastructure upgrades also include a rejuvenation of the Henley Street pedestrian bridge at Clinch Avenue – covering it with

a frosted-glass roof, replacing the metal cage fencing with perforated metal panels and adding decorative lighting.

Streetscape amenities will be put in on the Clinch Avenue bridge. Three traffic lanes will be reduced to two 10-foot-wide lanes, and 5-foot-wide bicycle lanes will be created on both sides. The sidewalks on the viaduct will be widened, and planter boxes with

landscaping and benches will be installed to make it a better pedestrian and bicycle connector between Fort Sanders, World’s Fair Park and downtown.

Most of the work will be finished by the end of August. The lighting on the Henley Street pedestrian bridge and upgrades to the elevator tower are slated to be completed about a month later.

The interns report on page 6

Teacher incentive pay out for FY16 Sandra Clark writes: “Let’s lose the evaluation rubric, the strategic compensation matrix and the committee that’s reformatting incentive pay. APEX is gone, and it’s not coming back.

“Let’s launch the new year with teachers and kids excited about returning to school, not feeling overwhelming dread.

➤

www.ShopperNewsNow.com |

Read Clark’s column on page 5

7049 Maynardville Pike 37918 (865) 922-4136 NEWS news@ShopperNewsNow.com Sandra Clark | Betsy Pickle ADVERTISING SALES ads@ShopperNewsNow.com Patty Fecco | Tony Cranmore Alice Devall | Beverly Holland

Anne Woodle: lousy politician, splendid human

By Betty Bean Not to say that those who run for office can’t be also good people, but the qualities that made Anne Woodle a crappy politician were the very things that made her a fine human – unswerving fealty to what she believed to be right and an unfettered refusal to compromise her principles, even when she knew that the stands she was taking were incompatible with longevity in office.

Like the time she served on the election commission and refused to vote to hire the candidate for administrator favored by Knox County’s most powerful local Democrat (that would be Joe Armstrong) because she believed another candidate was more qualified. Woodle’s candidate won, but she lost her seat come reappointment time.

And she probably never lost a night’s sleep over it.

Same deal with her single term on the school board. Knox County Schools had run into trouble with the federal government because students who attended

the inequity couldn’t continue. The resulting parental responsibility zones meant no more bus service for families living close to schools, and that city kids living some distance away would ride instead of walk. Woodle voted for the changes and became a one-termer.

That one hurt, but probably more for the vicious racist attacks on her teenaged son, Jason, who is bi-racial, than for anything that happened to her.

Woodle, whose sudden death last week from a catastrophic stroke has left her friends (and there are lots of them) stunned and reeling, was a single parent and loved her son fiercely.

Anne Woodle. Photo provided by North Hills Garden Club And the true fact that can be backed up in court (as Cas Walker used to say) was that schools outside the city limits enjoyed bus ser- Woodle pretty much loved all children. As divice while those who attended schools inside rector of the East Tennessee Children’s Rehathe city limits had to fend for themselves. Since bilitation Center for more than 30 years, it was the county couldn’t afford to pay for bus ser- her job to care for children in fragile health.

During her off hours, she’d turn down dates vice for all, it had to take drastic measures.

The political fallout was severe, even though anybody with two grams of gray matter knew To page 3

We Offer: • Complete inspections, maintenance & repairs for all air conditioning & heating equipment • Money-saving high-efficiency system upgrades!

• FREE ESTIMATES on new equipment • FINANCING through E-Score programs

• Maintenance plans available.

“Cantrell’s Cares” SALES • SERVICE • MAINTENANCE 5715 Old Tazewell Pike • 687-2520 Over 20 years experience

A+ RATING WITH

Heating & Air Conditioning

LASTS AND LASTS AND LASTS.™

2 • JULY 22, 2015 • Shopper news

health & lifestyles

On the road again hip fracture doesn’t stop Knoxville runner It was no fractured fairy tale – the truth hurt all the way to Teresa Williams’ bone.

But when the Knoxville runner broke her right hip during warm-ups last Feb. 3, orthopedic surgeon Dr. Paul Yau of Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center was there to provide a storybook ending.

Just seven weeks after fracturing her hip, Williams, a determined 58-year-old runner with the Knoxville Track Club’s Knox Run group, crossed the 50-yard line at Neyland Stadium to a chorus of cheers, applause, hugs and high- ves.

Never mind that she had actually walked “only” the fourth leg of the Covenant Health Marathon’s four-legged team relay, a distance of 6.5 miles – she did so on a walker decorated with ribbons and balloons and draped with a poster that read: “My hip might be broke BUT NOT my determination or spirit. 7 weeks post surgery.”

“I had to get back. I had to,” said Williams, who had already “run” three 5Ks on her walker in the weeks prior to the Covenant Health relay. “I think there was a reason it happened. I don’t know if the Lord just singled me out that night or for that particular period or what, but as you look at it and watch how people reacted in these races when I was using the walker, they’d say ‘That’s determination!’ or ‘Don’t give up. I like the don’t-giveup attitude.’ I thought, ‘Maybe that’s what it’s about, that people would see that and be inspired.’”

Along the way, photographer Paul E rd captured Williams in the Covenant Health relay on her walker, a shot published along with the race results in the Knoxville News Sentinel. Pleased not only by her own performance but also that of her surgery at Fort Sanders Medical Center, she dropped off a copy of the newspaper at Dr. Yau’s of ce.

“I’m extremely proud of her,” said Dr. Yau. “The fact that I put that much energy into saving someone’s hip and they actually used it for that purpose is extremely rewarding just to know I could make a difference in her life. It’s certainly a routine surgery but it has made an enormous impact on people’s lives. Seeing her in the paper is such a great

Williams uses her walker to cover the 6.5 miles during the Covenant Health relay.

Photo by Paul Efird/News Sentinel

Teresa Williams is back to running 5ks, 8ks, and half marathons, after a fall on February 3 that left her with a fractured hip. Dr. Paul Yau of Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center was able to get her back up and moving in time to do the Covenant Health relay seven weeks later. reward for all those years of training.”

“Now, I have to concede, she is a very motivated individual,” Dr. Yau added. “So she needs to be recognized for her hard work, how much effort she put into rehab – we couldn’t do any of that for her – she had to do the exercises herself, get on her feet, work the muscles and do everything she could to recover from surgery.”

Williams, who has been running mostly 5Ks (3.1 miles) and half-marathons (13.1 miles) for the past ve years, was training for an upcoming race when she broke her hip while doing “side-steps,” a warm-up exercise.

“I don’t know if my leg didn’t pick up right or what, but I went down like a domino.”

The fall resulted in a “clean break” of the ball joint. Fortunately, the fractured bones did not move, enabling Dr. Yau to use three cannulated screws to put the bone together

again rather than replacing the hip.

“When Dr. Yau came in and told me what he was going to do, I said, ‘But I’ve got a halfmarathon in April! What am I going to do?!’

Plus, I had a half-marathon set that Saturday and I knew I couldn’t do it. But he said, ‘You can clearly walk that one.’ And I said, ‘OK. When can I run?’ And he said, ‘In May.’ And I said, ‘that’s do-able. OK.’” The day after surgery, Dr. Yau returned to Williams’ room to introduce the team and how they would be working with her. “He said, ‘This is Teresa Williams, a 58-year-old woman who’s a runner, and she wants to get back into it. The team is going to help you get there.’”

That mission began almost immediately with therapy during her hospital stay and continuing with home health care after she was discharged two days after surgery. In no

time at all, Williams was on her walker and using 5Ks to rehabilitate her hip. By May 16, she had tossed the walker aside and was jogging and walking a half-marathon in Viola, Tenn.

Since then she has run several races, and a nephew who is a cross-country coach tells her that he’ll have her quali ed for the Boston Marathon in two years. “That’s what HE says – I say I don’t have 26 miles in me,” she says with a laugh.

Her times aren’t yet what they once were, but for now, she’s just happy to be jog-walking at every opportunity. On her arms, she wears compression sleeves emblazoned, “One day I won’t be able to do this. Today is not that day.”

“I’m usually crying when I cross the nish line of my half-marathons,” she said.

“I’m just so excited to be able to do it because, who knows? I could’ve been crippled or not able to participate at all. Those sleeves take on a whole new meaning every time I put them on because today is not the day I’m going to say, ‘I can’t do it.’ DNF (Did Not Finish) is not acceptable.’ I don’t train to get DNFs!” Yet, Williams is quick to credit Dr. Yau for those nishes.

“Dr. Yau is a great physician. He really is,” said Williams. “I’ve had some other problems – runners usually have runner’s knee – so I told him about my knees giving me trouble and I wanted to make sure they didn’t do that while I was doing a halfmarathon. So he said he would make sure he took care of them. So, if I have to have anything done, he’s the person I will go to.

I recommend him whenever I can.”

“I like a doctor who listens to what I have to say. Who knows more about their body than yourself?” she added. “Dr. Yau understood how important running was to me. When he saw the picture of me on the walker at the Covenant Marathon, I think he saw how important it was to me to get back. I’ve got to. Those are my friends. Running is my connection to everybody.”

Yau: ‘Saving hips always most desirable option’ It was a simple break and a simple solution.

When Teresa Williams fell and fractured her hip, Dr. Paul Yau saw no need for a total hip replacement.

“She didn’t have a lot of arthritis to begin with, she didn’t have a lot of hip pain beforehand,” said Dr. Yau, the orthopedic surgeon who handled Williams’ surgery at Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center. “There are times where we do hip replacements, but she’s a runner – we don’t advocate a lot of folks Dr. Yau run on hip replacements.

So from the get-go, when I talked to her about her activity level and what she wanted to do after recovery, it was pretty much a no-brainer – just x her hip.”

It took only 20 to 30 minutes for Dr. Yau to repair her fractured ball joint, but Dr. Yau says it took “a lot of years and a lot of training” to

learn the surgical skill required to make a bone repair stable enough to withstand the demands of long-distance running.

“I was proud of her and I was impressed that we could get her up and moving that quick.

We have invested a lot of energy and resources building a comprehensive service line for hip fracture care,” said Dr. Yau, who is chair of FSRMC’s orthopedic department. “We’re trying to be less invasive with surgery; we’re trying to be less stressful with anesthesia, doing surgery in such a way that people can put full weight on the hip right away. I guess it’s the culmination of all the efforts we’ve put into this program, and it’s paid off.”

While some cases leave no other option than total hip replacement, the inter-disciplinary team of physicians, nurses, anesthesiologists, radiologists, and others at FSRMC seek to “save hips” whenever possible, particularly when the patients are younger and still active.

“When we see younger, more athletic individuals, we try to save hips,” said Dr. Yau. “Certainly, there are options to replace hips when they break but sometimes you can save them

in younger individuals, particularly those who want to run. Saving the hips actually allows them to do more and allows them to return to a higher level of function. Saving hips is always the most desirable option because as good as implants are, nothing is as good as what God gave you.”

While hip fractures are most common in the elderly, Dr. Yau says there’s evidence that they are increasing among those in the their 50s and early 60s, largely because of osteoporosis due to diet or genetics. “I’ve had some patients in their early 40s with fractures,” he added. “Some people are just more active. These are young active people trying to do different activities and they break their hips.”

At the same time, Dr. Yau says, being physically t and active should help reduce the risk of fracture. “The more people are active with things like weight-bearing exercise, getting out in the sun (a natural source of Vitamin D), having a good diet – all of this is very helpful for preventing hip fractures,” he said.

Also useful in reducing the risk of hip fracture, said Dr. Yau, is to develop one’s proprio-

ception, or ability to sense the body’s position, motion, and equilibrium. “It can help develop the coordination and placement of the foot when you are trying to be active and putting it in good positions as opposed to at-risk positions,” he said. “These sort of activities develop skills between your brain, your nerves, your muscles and your feet – all those things are very helpful when you are trying to prevent hip fractures.”

Yet another useful tool in reducing falls, he said, is the ancient mind-body practice called Tai-Chi because of the slow, intentional motions used. “The motions where you go backwards are particularly helpful because you can’t see where you are going – you rely on sensation through the foot, through the knee and through the hip and putting those in good positions and developing the ne motor skills that control your leg position, the strength, the coordination of that leg as your move, both forward, backward, sideways and all those different directions. All those things have been shown to reduce the incidence of falls and if you don’t fall, it’s kind of hard to break your hip.”

LET US FIX YOUR FRACTURED HIP! We know that quicker surgical intervention results in better outcomes, fewer complications and a shorter hospital stay.

The Hip Fracture Center at Fort Sanders Regional’s approach incorporates national “best practice” guidelines AND our team of experts to treat your broken hip and get you back on your feet.

For more details about the Hip Fracture Center at Fort Sanders Regional, please call (865) 673-FORT (3678).

0094-0084

FORT SANDERS HIP FRACTURE CENTER

community

SOUTH KNOX Shopper news • JULY 22, 2015 • 3

Bad neighbors

Anne Woodle:

Someone is stealing food from the kids.

Betsy Pickle And not just any food – it’s food they’ve grown themselves.

Staff and volunteers built raised garden beds for the Vestal Boys & Girls Club, based at the South Knoxville Community Center, last year. The colorfully decorated planters boast the painted handprints of about 125 Boys & Girls Club members.

Many of those hands have helped to plant this year’s vegetables, such as lettuce, zucchini, green beans and green peppers.

So imagine their faces when they discovered that someone else had started picking their vegetables.

“They made posters asking people not to steal their vegetables,” says Kara Strouse, Vestal Boys & Girls Club program director.

“Then it rained, and all the posters were ruined.”

Strouse bought pre-designed posters to discourage thievery, but it’s impossible to police the garden, especially after hours. The garden is part of the club’s outdoor learning center on Mayfield Avenue, which is open to the public when the club is closed.

Delivery will be:

■ Central High School classes of 1957-1964 reunion will be held 6-11 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 15, at The Grande Event Center, 5441 Clinton Highway. Info: Benny Easterday, 207-9634.

Fish Wagon To place order call 1-800-643-8439

www.fishwagon.com Like us on facebook

ond Monday of each month at the South Knoxville Community Center) to find out more and help.

In the meantime, at July’s VCO meeting, Ben Epperson from the Knox County Health Department announced that Mary Vestal Greenway could be extended the other direction – all the way to Downtown Vestal. The city has acquired the vacant lot at the corner of Martin Mill Pike and Ogle Avenue, and it would be relatively easy to connect it to Downtown Vestal.

Now, all that’s left is to connect Mary Vestal to Fort Dickerson. And don’t think the VCO isn’t already working on that (with the help of a friend at the Greenways Commission). Stay tuned.

Good neighbors

■ Halls High multiyear reunion: Classes of 1976-1981 will be 6:30 p.m.-midnight Saturday, Sept. 26, Red Gate Farm, 2353 Maynardville Highway, Maynardville.

■ Powell High School Class of 1985, 7-11 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 29, Southern Depot, 306 W. De-

pot Ave. Cost: $35 each or $60 couple; includes dinner, music and cash bar. Make checks to “PHS Class of 85 Reunion Fund.” Mail to: Krista Sapp, P.O. Box 31523, Knoxville, TN 37930.

Info: Stacey Berry, 441-3539.

Additional information at ShopperNewsNow.com.

private banquet room available! for Birthdays, Graduations, Special Events

Mexican Grill & Cantina Hours: M-Th 11am - 10 pm F & Sat 11am - 11pm

4100 Crippen Rd • Halls 377-3675 • Fax 377-3805 4409 Chapman Hwy 577-8881 • Fax 577-8966

mexicanrestaurantknox.com

Come join us for

Live mUsic!

Mondays & Tuesdays 6:30pm - 9:30pm Shopper-News reporter Betsy Pickle shows that even couch potatoes can have fun in the trees at Navitat. Photo by Benjy Darnell impede traffic, and preferably with Darnell holding my hand again.

Navitat tours include a half-hour of ground school and two hours of self-guided adventure. Through July 31, there’s a $10 discount off the regular price of $49 (adult) or $44 (age 7-11) (children 5-6 free with paid adult). Check-in times are 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. MondayThursday, 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

Friday-Saturday and noon5:30 p.m. Sunday.

The schedule changes in August and again in September. Info: navitat.com.

ANY PURCHASE OF: $20 ........... $4.00 OFF $30 ........... $5.00 OFF $40 ........... $6.00 OFF Excludes alcohol.

One coupon per table.

Southeast

Call

TERMITE AND PEST CONTROL Since 1971

925-3700

Rated A+

HOME FOR SALE

COUPON GOOD FOR DINING IN ONLY. (NOT TAKE OUT).

NOT GOOD WITH OTHER SPECIALS. Mexican Grill & Cantina EXPIRES 8/1/15 4100 Crippen Rd • Halls

3.71 acres, level & fenced – Can be small farm. 2,751 sq. ft., 4BR/2BA, eat-in kit, granite countertop, large paladian windows.

Sep DR & LR. Master on main. 1,565 sq. ft. unfinished bsmnt. 3 large decks overlooking huge private back yard. 10 min. to Halls, 15 min. to Mall. Emory Rd., Blaine Tn. $269,900.

Home and Garden Real Estate 865-932-7000

MOLCAJETE FOR TWO

Includes carnitas, choriso, cactus, grilled chicken, grilled steak & shrimp cooked in our red sauce & vegetables.

2 rice & beans, 2 tortillas garnished with cheese.

COUPON GOOD FOR DINING IN ONLY. (NOT TAKE OUT).

NOT GOOD WITH OTHER SPECIALS. Mexican Grill & Cantina EXPIRES 8/1/15 4100 Crippen Rd • Halls

GIFT CERTIFICATES AVAILABLE

QUESA TACOS Four deep-fried tacos filled with beef brisket, our signature cheese, garnished with shredded cabbage & cheese served with pico de gallo mild sauce & sour cream.

Thursday, August 6 Dandridge: 12:30-1:15 Jefferson Farmer’s Co-op Friday, August 7 Knoxville: 8:45-9:30 Knox Farmer’s Co-op Blaine: 10:15-11:00 Blaine Hardware & Feed Halls Crossroads: 11:30-12:15 Knox Farmer’s Co-op Clinton: 1:00-1:45 Anderson Farmer’s Co-op Maryville: 2:45-3:30 Blount Farmer’s Co-op

they learn a lot about the process of bringing food to the table. They don’t even mind having to weed. Any time spent in the garden is fun to them, Richardson says.

“They love it.”

Now that the Vestal Community Organization has succeeded in shepherding the Mary Vestal Park Greenway Extension to completion, the group is ready for another challenge.

Oh, but wait. They still Some plants have been have plans for something big “It sends a bad message ularly disheartening when to the kids: You shouldn’t you consider the work the destroyed during the thefts. at Mary Vestal, something try to do things; people will children have put in during He doesn’t know if the that will involve the whole thievery is the work of one community, just take them from you,” the summer heat. something says B&G Club staffer Stew“We have sprinklers now, person or more. But the im- that’s – very fun, special and art Richardson, who has but they used to carry wa- pact is felt by many. under wraps for now, and Club members use the veg- you should attend the next helped the kids in the gar- ter up there several times a etables in cooking class, and VCO meeting (6 p.m. the secden this summer. It’s partic- day,” says Richardson.

From page 1

FISH DAY

shopping, cookie baking and decorating – that Dahlia and Georgia loved.

“Since our parents live far away, Anne was like their surrogate Tennessee Grandma, who could just love, spoil and enjoy them. Anne read to my kids when they were little, and later started a book club for Dahlia and her friend Maya. My girls consider Anne their dear friend, not just a friend of mine who’s nice to them. She really connected with kids in a way that is rare. We will miss her so much.”

And so will I.

Vestal Boys & Girls Club staffer Stewart Richardson perches next to one area where thieves have taken vegetables – and destroyed plants in the process – in the raised beds. Photo by Betsy Pickle

REUNION NOTES

It’s time to stock your pond!

and social occasions to take a kid to a movie.

Indya Kincannon, who met Woodle in 2004 when Kincannon first ran for school board, is in Europe with her family and had to break the news of Woodle’s death to her young daughters, Dahlia and Georgia.

She describes Woodle as a supporter, mentor and a true friend.

“Anne met my daughters when they were just 6 months old and two, and since day one made them feel special and important.

She created annual rituals – birthday adventures, thrift-

■

Navitat didn’t lose any body parts.

Next was a hike through the woods to the Treehouse.

Built for play, with whimsical elements created by artist Kelly Brown, the twotiered structure is where all the trails start – two easy and one moderate from the lower level, two moderate and one difficult from the upper level.

A f t e r taking a few pictures, I shocked Darnell by i nd ic at i ng that I wanted to go out Benjy Darnell on a trail – “not the whole thing, just partway.”

He led me to the easiest, the “Fish Trail.” The first section looked like your standard movie swinging bridge, only with leaves down below instead of raging rapids or sharp rocks.

This is where being 5 feet tall hurt me. There are thick ropes at waist-height, but they swing and sway. Above are sturdy, taut cables, but they were just barely within my reach. Meanwhile, the bridge’s horizontal pieces were too far apart to straddle, so I had to use the perpendicular slats to get to the horizontals, which meant I was constantly tilting.

The going was slow, and I made it through only one section. But even the paltry distance I covered was a rush. I can’t wait to go back – on a slow day so I don’t

From page 1

$8.00

TAQUITOS GRINGO

two taquitos deep fried with flour tortilla, one stuffed with shredded chicken, one stuffed with shredded beef served with rice, refried beans, lettuce, & sour cream, covered with cheese dip.

$9.00

NOW HIRING HAPPY SERVERS FOR SUMMER. EXCELLENT TIPS!

4 • JULY 22, 2015 • Shopper news

‘Potential’ instead of results Once upon a time, long, long ago, Tennessee called itself Wide Receiver U. The thought lingers. It is now a myth.

Tennessee has an interesting history of catching thrown balls and a current crop of potential standouts blessed with large reputations and many stars from recruiting analysts. Unfortunately, there is more talk than touchdowns. Stats do not measure up to hype.

We don’t really know what the Volunteer rotation of receivers looks like. They live under a black cloud. Two or three are always injured.

Some missed much of last season. Some missed spring practice while rehabbing repairs. One disappeared in a criminal investigation.

Marvin West

Butch Jones had spring practice complaints about dropped passes. Once or twice he exclaimed over his portable public address system, according to reports from Sevierville, that receivers were falling short of expectations. Run the route right. Catch the ball! Block somebody.

No way will the coach give up hope. Tennessee’s football future is based on being able to throw and

catch and run. Mike DeBord is supposed to help make it happen. Linemen are expected to contribute.

On the April morning of the Orange and White game, there was a tent revival of Wide Receiver U talk in the parking lot of Calhoun’s on the River. Under the tent, signing autographs and posing for pictures, were old Vols you should remember – Willie Gault, Anthony Hancock, Joey Kent, Tim McGee, Anthony Miller, Marcus Nash, Peerless Price and Larry Seivers.

Later in the day, at Neyland Stadium, others tried to restore relevance to the name Wide Receiver U. To what degree they succeeded is a matter of opinion.

Marquez North, Josh

Malone, Josh Smith and incoming five-star Preston Williams, when/if he gets well, should be primary weapons. They have the most potential. Jason Croom and Johnathon Johnson can make a significant difference. Von Pearson will be a factor if he makes it back from purgatory.

Interesting that slot receiver Pig Howard was most productive last season. Pro scouts are beginning to think the little guy might play in the big league.

North’s highlight as a Vol was that unbelievable left-handed snag and clutch against his helmet in the 2013 South Carolina game.

It led to the winning field goal.

Malone hasn’t had a

ING SINCE SERV

7

24 Oz. GARLIC POTATO OT TAT TO WEDG WEDGES WED EDGES ES

8

1

$ 49-$ 99

$ OO

4225 Chapman Highway • 573-8000 • Mon-Thur 8-8; Fri & Sat 8-9; Sun 10-6

Prices Effective Wednesday, July 22nd thru Sunday, July 26th, 2015

100% SATISFACTION GUARANTEED! HEAD LETTUCE

BIG VALUE T-BONE OR PORTERHOUSE STEAKS

5

$

BCA T-BONE OR PORTERHOUSE STEAKS . . . .

$

79

99 Lb.

6

¢

Ea.

¢

PINK LADY APPLES . . . . . . . .

Lb.

WHOLE FRYER CHICKENS

79

JALAPENO CHEESE LOAF 16 Oz. Oz. z.

1

$ 49

¢

ASSORTED DRINKS

Lb.

23.5 OZ.

1

3/$

BRAND NAME

COMPARE AT

$ 28

4

EXTREME VALUE PRICING! Assorted Tortillas 16 Oz.

Smoked Turkey Breast

Brand Name Buffalo Sauce

8 Oz. GREAT PRICE

EXTREME VALUE

WOW!

W O W!

12 Oz.

1

1

$ 00

$ 00

2/ 1

$ 00

Brand Name

Assorted Crackers

Deep Dish Pie Shells

Lemon Tea

5.4 Oz.

2 Pk. -16 Oz.

12 Pk. - 16.9 Oz.

BRAND NAME

79

¢

21 Oz. Assorted $ Pie Fillings . .

1

1

$ 99

12 Pk.-16.9 Oz. Assorted Flavored $ Water . . . . . .

2

1

$ 99

SHOP US FIRST! ING SINCE SERV

gan soon after Kippy Brown joined John Majors’ staff in 1982. He helped recruit and refine Miller, McGee, Alvin Harper and Carl Pickens.

The thought matured as six Tennessee receivers became NFL first-round picks.

The Peyton Manning era reinforced the claim and put Kent and Nash in the school record book. Price made it big in the 1998 national championship game.

Robert Meachem, Cedrick Wilson, Donte’ Stallworth, Jermaine Copeland, Jayson Swain, Craig Faulkner, Bret Smith, Cory Fleming – there were several with similar pedigrees.

Justin Hunter and Cordarrelle Patterson fit the form.

Alas and alas, that was then. Now is no more than promising. Maybe. Perhaps.

Could be.

Marvin West invites reader reaction. His address is westwest6@netzero.com.

Bob Whetsel hits the road

WOW!

ASSORTED POOL PRODUCTS

highlight. He had several in high school as No. 5 receiver prospect in the country – 31 senior touchdowns scored four different ways.

His Tennessee freshman numbers were 23 receptions for 231 yards and one touchdown. In the last six games, he caught four passes for 22 yards.

So far, none of the current Vols has rivaled historic greats.

Tennessee got a late start in air ball. There was little of that foolishness in single-wing times. After Doug Dickey created quarterbacks (Dewey Warren comes to mind), Volunteers started building receiving credibility. Johnny Mills and Richmond Flowers caught several passes. Seivers became a two-time AllAmerican.

As I recall, serious talk about Wide Receiver U be-

Family owned company offering extreme value since 1974 WE SPECIALIZE IN LIQUIDATIONS, CLOSEOUTS & IRREGULARS

www.myugo.com

Due to our unique purchasing opportunities, quantities may be limited • So Shop Early for the Best Selection QUANTITY RIGHTS RESERVED • Not all items available in all locations • Items are limited and vary by store and available while quantities last.

Bob Whetsel will soon and greenways. retire as the city’s redevelHe had a front-row seat opment director, and he to the exdoesn’t mind stepping down plosion of before current projects dow ntow n. are completed. Before one The city wraps up, another starts, he doesn’t have to recruit explains. business to the area, he says.

“BusiWhetsel nesses come Wendy to us because the downtown Smith economy is so strong.”

He can’t point to one thing that he’s proudest of, except keeping his job for 23 “The city is an ongoing years. Throughout his time with the city, he’s had peoproject.”

He’s witnessed the be- ple around him who helped ginning − and end − of him accomplish his goals, many projects since be- he says.

“I’m proud that Knoxville coming redevelopment director in 2008. He had no has been a very professionway of knowing the growth ally run city.”

His years of experience he’d witness when he came to Knoxville in 1974 to allow him to take the long teach and coach football view of redevelopment like at Bearden High School. the Cumberland Avenue (Among his players was Tim project. The public is findBurchett, who still calls him ing its way around the construction, he says, but it’s “Coach.”)

Bob and his wife, Me- been a strain on small busilynda, bought a restored nesses. Phase I will be comVictorian on Luttrell Street pleted by the end of the year, in 1980. They bought other shifting construction from homes in the neighborhood west of 22nd Street to east as investment property, and of 22nd to 16th Street for in 1986, he retired from Phase II, he says optimistiteaching to sell real estate. cally.

He’s confident that he’s He eventually met Victor Ashe, who announced leaving the department in his first mayoral campaign competent hands. Dawn from the Whetsels’ front Michelle Foster, the current deputy director, will move porch.

In 1993, Whetsel was into his position, and Anne hired as service director Wallace, now a project manfor the city, and he stayed ager, will become the new in the position for 15 years deputy director.

Whetsel plans to kick until Bill Haslam, during his second term as mayor, off his retirement by bikasked him to come upstairs ing across the country. In to work with him on rede- September, he’ll travel with Dan Duncan to San Diego velopment.

Under Haslam, Whet- to begin a nine-week trek sel’s work was focused on to St. Augustine, Fla., with downtown. When Madeline Adventure Cycling AssociaRogero took the mayoral tion.

Early next year, he and helm, his focus shifted to Melynda, a retired art the South Waterfront.

He’s seen many changes teacher, plan a cruise. Aside since he began working with from travel, he doesn’t have the city. He helped draft the plans, other than managcity’s first snow plan and ing his rental homes in the helped plant 1,000 trees Fourth & Gill area. He defiduring the Ashe adminis- nitely won’t return to real tration. The city has grown estate. “I’ll never put my in square miles and seen the name and number on a sign addition of numerous parks again.”

GOSSIP AND LIES ■ Farragut voters should pay attention. Early voting starts this week and the GOP primary is Aug. 12.

■ Richard Briggs is for Carson.

Zachary mentions Glen Casada, Frank Niceley and Roger Kane as his allies.

■ Karen Carson or Jason Zachary will replace Ryan Haynes in the state House. If history is an indicator, the winner will be there for some time.

■ The University of Tennessee is crucial to Knoxville’s economy. Yet Zachary says the UT board “stiff-armed” citizens by not holding public hearings on the women’s athletics name change.

■ Insure Tennessee is Gov. Bill Haslam’s plan to make health insurance available to some 250,000 working people without insurance. Carson says “yes,” while Zachary says “no.”

■ Both were on WBIR-TV and WATE-TV on Sunday. Both are against a gasoline tax increase; both favor high standards for schools.

government

SOUTH KNOX Shopper news • JULY 22, 2015 • 5

McIntyre confirms:

Performance pay not an option In a phone interview last week, Superintendent Jim McIntyre confirmed that performance-based pay incentives will not be offered to teachers in the upcoming school year. The only exception is for teachers and administrators in Teacher Advancement Program (TAP) schools.

such as Race to the Top. The bonuses earned in the 201415 school year will be paid in November or December, he said, from a $3 million, one-time grant proposed by Mayor Tim Burchett from the county’s fund balance.

The superintendent hopes to have Russell’s plan fully vetted by teachers and the school board prior to implementation midway in the 2016-17 school year. He has put the whole matter Sandra on the school board’s Aug. 5 Clark agenda for discussion.

Knox County is in compliance with state mandates for differentiated pay, McMcIntyre said Rodney Intyre said, because of inRussell, director of human centives for TAP schools, capital strategy, is chairing instructional coaches, lead a group of teachers to re- teachers and retention/rework the old APEX bonus cruitment bonuses for hardformula that was funded to-staff schools.

He said APEX bonuses primarily through grants

Knox County High Schools: Teaching positions gained or lost for 2015-16 ■ Austin East (3)

■ Halls (1)

■ Bearden 2

■ Hardin Valley 1

■ Carter (2)

■ Karns (3)

■ Central 1

■ L&N STEM Academy (1/2)

■ CTE Magnet 2

■ Powell (1)

■ Farragut (3)

■ South-Doyle 2

■ Fulton (1)

■ West 0

■ Gibbs (1/2)

■ Net Loss (7)

were consistently earned in one school year and paid in the next budget year. “In the early years, this was not an issue because (the bonuses) were largely funded by grants. Only recently has it become more of a challenge.”

I believe McIntyre confirmed my analysis piece from last week despite some

of his staff saying the conclusions were incorrect.

To push the envelope, what’s next?

Knox County Schools is broke, with financial obligations outpacing funding.

There’s a chance the district’s reserve fund will dip below the state-required 3 percent this year. (Ah, for the good old days when

Rethinking George Wallace He has considered his name both a curse and a blessing and became acutely aware of this dichotomy when he decided to run for political office nearly five years ago.

Betty Bean “I was on the radio with Ed Brantley and Bob Thomas when Ed, who’s got these bushy eyebrows, leaned in and said my name with a certain amount of disdain: “George Wallace?”

“I said, ‘Well, Ed, not THAT George Wallace.’ ” Nowadays, George C. Wallace (he even shares a middle initial with the late 45th governor of Alabama) doesn’t run into that kind of reaction nearly as often be-

cause he has made a name of his own. The City Council member-at-large, born in 1958, was named after his grandmother, Georgia – “Like the state,” he said.

“Over the years, I’ve had a lot of fun with this name.”

Wallace is the chief operating officer of Coldwell Banker Wallace & Wallace, an 80-year-old real estate firm founded by his father and grandfather. His brother, Jim, is the chief financial officer. The company’s enduring success has made it a pillar of Knoxville’s business community and gave Wallace a head start on his first run for office.

This year, he’s running for re-election unopposed and enjoys broader support than before.

Among his new supporters is former council member Carlene Malone, a longtime neighborhood advocate who has never been a

favorite of the pro-business sector. Malone surprised a lot of people in April when she publicly praised Wallace’s work during a pivotal, called City Council meeting devoted to dissecting the work product of the sign task force, which labored for three years. Wallace cochaired the task force, and Malone said his thoughtful, measured approach won her over. He still sounds amazed by her endorsement.

“She said it publicly. She is very knowledgeable, and I have learned a lot from her – and oh, my gosh, I’ve never had any woman stand up and proclaim her love for me, publicly.”

Wallace, who has a degree in ornamental horticulture and landscape design from UT, said his views on signage regulation evolved during his time on the task force.

“I’m a business owner,

and I have a lot of signs. It was a tough call, but I really care about the way things look. Aesthetics are a big part of economic development, and businesses are attracted to places that Wallace look good.

It’s a complex issue and the more I looked at it, the more I looked at other cities, the more people I talked to, the more I concluded that we can make an improvement.

That feeling just kind of grew. In the end, I think we can make a difference, and over time I think lower signs will improve the appearance of Knoxville.”

The amended sign regulations, which will reduce the height of on-premise signs, were approved 6-3

Mirtes outraises incumbent Campen

The recent release of city candidates’ financial disclosures was not particularly striking except for the Mark Campen-Jennifer Mirtes contest, where she raised more than he did by $1,000.

But they raised less than $3,000 between the two of them.

For an incumbent council member (Campen) to have raised only $350 in June shows Campen is either supremely confident of reelection or he does not think his opponent is a threat.

Last time, Campen was unopposed. He simply has never run a contested race.

He is the quietest member of council and a reliable vote for Mayor Rogero.

Victor Ashe

Mirtes has a clear opportunity to win an election that will not exceed 5,000 voters in November if Campen continues to be invisible. Campen is a likable, serious incumbent who has a campaign style that is modest and under the radar.

Campen failed to attend his colleagues’ receptions over the past two months; they would have been a good place to meet people. He has

THROUGH AUG. 9 Knoxville Watercolor Society exhibit, the Oak Ridge Art Center, 201 Badger Ave, Oak Ridge. Info: 482-1441.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 22 Mindfulness and the Alexander Technique, 10:30 a.m.-12:45 p.m., 313 N. Forest Park Blvd.

Cost: $35. Preregistration required. Info/ registration: Lilly Sutton, 387-7600 or www.

AlexanderTechniqueKnoxville.com.

Tennessee Shines: Bombadil and poet Marianne Worthington, 7 p.m., Boyd’s Jig & Reel, 101 S Central St. Tickets: $10; available online or at the door. Info/tickets: http://jigandreel.ticketleap.com or WDVX.com.

WEDNESDAY-THURSDAY, JULY 22-23 AARP Driver Safety class, noon-4 p.m., O’Connor Senior Center, 611 Winona St. Info/registration: Carolyn Rambo, 382-5822.

THURSDAY, JULY 23 “Kale in December and Carrots in January ... no problem!” 6-7 p.m., Concord UMC, 11020 Roane

not held any event to bring his supporters together. His opponent could beat him if she wages an active campaign on real issues.

On the other hand, Campen might wage a more public campaign. Right now he does not have the funds to do a single mailing.

Three other incumbents running are Finbarr Saunders, Marshall Stair and George Wallace. Wallace is unopposed, and Stair’s opponent, Pete Drew, is not considered credible. Saunders’ major opponent will be Paul Bonovich, but it is unclear how serious this Sequoyah Hills resident will become.

■ Mayor Rogero is sit-

ting on $76,718, which she can spend for most anything except personal use.

Often this is used for travel and dinners plus donations to other campaigns. Since she cannot seek a third term, she may hold on to it for some other office she might seek in the future or have a fund available to do political work when she retires. She can also use it for her favored candidates in the upcoming council contests.

■ Cindy Mitchell’s final City Council meeting as city recorder was last night, July 21. She became an institution and was widely admired. She will be missed.

Her successor is William

Drive. Presented by Extension Master Gardener Marsha Lehman. Free and open to the public. Info: 966-6728.

Knoxville Fire Department visit, 10 a.m., Bearden Branch Library, 100 Golf Club Road. Info: 588-8813.

THURSDAY-SUNDAY, JULY 23-26 “An Evening of Laughter,” Tellico Community Playhouse, 304 Lakeside Plaza, Loudon. Performances: 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday; 1:30 p.m. Sunday. Tickets: $20. Info: www.tellicocommunityplayhouse.org.

FRIDAY, JULY 24 Movie & Popcorn: “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” 11:15 a.m.-1 p.m., Humana Guidance Center, 640 Plaza, 4438 Western Ave. Free and open to the public. Info: 329-8892, TTY: 711.

SATURDAY, JULY 25 Beginning Genealogy, 1-4 p.m., East Tennessee History Center, 601 S. Gay St. Preregistration required.

Info/registration: 215-8809.

“Kale in December and Carrots in January ... no problem!” 10:30 a.m.-noon, Master Gardener Demonstration Garden at All Saints Catholic Church, 620 N. Cedar Bluff Road. Free and open to the pub-

County Commission was demanding then-Superintendent Allen Morgan spend down his “excessive fund balance” before asking for increased funding.)

The just-signed Memorandum of Understanding gives the county’s finance director, Chris Caldwell, unprecedented authority to dabble in school finance and make recommendations.

None of this is good news for teachers or kids.

It portends further cuts to established school programs, such as the horticulture program at Halls High School, which was eliminated last year. Look for CTE/ vocational programs to be hit hardest with academic electives close behind.

Expect class sizes to grow and increased pressure on experienced (and highest paid) teachers to retire.

These challenges require thoughtful analysis and a

spirit of cooperation and trust that’s been lacking.

Let’s start with Rodney Russell, a good guy who works hard. Let’s reconnect him with kids, perhaps in a classroom. With a director of human resources (Kathy Sims) and several assistants, do we really need a director of human capital strategy?

Businesses and families are doing more with less, while Knox County Schools does less with more. Let’s lose the evaluation rubric, the strategic compensation matrix and the committee that’s reformatting incentive pay. APEX is gone, and it’s not coming back.

Our priority should be teacher pay that’s competitive with surrounding counties. Let’s launch the new year with teachers and kids excited about returning to school, not feeling overwhelming dread.

on first reading and were to go before City Council for a second reading vote this week.

Pension reform is another thorny issue City Council has dealt with during Wallace’s first term, and, again, he said his opinion evolved.

“We wrestled with the idea of pulling out the fire and police (who receive enhanced benefits) departments, but I began to appreciate the value of that for retention of employees, and in the end, we came up with a hybrid plan. I never could quite get comfortable with the notion of making it a 401(k), and I helped author a little bit of the hybrid plan.

It’s not so rich but gives them some kind of benefits program, and we raised the vesting period from five to 10 years. I think it was fair; I hope it was.”

Wallace’s name is beginning to be mentioned among the possible contenders to succeed Mayor Madeline Rogero when she leaves of-

fice in four years. He has clearly developed the art of dodging questions about his aspirations.

“I’m flattered when people say that, but I have a business I’m very entwined with, and it would take some untwining and some unraveling for me to run. I don’t know how that would play out, but I’ll say this: “We have a great city, and we have a lot of people to thank for that. We are standing on the shoulders of those who went before us.”

And what about that signature bow tie?

“At first, the reaction to my wearing it was absolutely comical. I remember Victor Ashe telling me, ‘You’d better lose that bow tie.

You’ll never win with that bow tie.’ I said, ‘I like it that it bothers you.’ ” Wallace and his wife, Stephanie, a retired schoolteacher, live in West Knoxville. Their son, Nick, is a public defender in Montgomery, Ala.

Johnson, 31, who starts at the same age Mitchell did over 34 years ago. He will start out at $52,000 a year, which is $24,000 less than Mitchell was making when she retired.

■ Knoxville lost a committed civic activist with the passing of Anne Woodle last week. She served on the school board and openly advocated her causes without worrying about the political fallout.

■ Dawn Michelle Foster, the new director of redevelopment for the city starting Aug. 31, will see her salary jump $15,000 to $115,000 a year plus a car allowance of $5,830 a year. Anne Wallace, who becomes the new deputy to Foster, will see her salary jump another $10,000 to

$85,000 a year.

When announcing promotions and/or new hires, the Rogero team routinely does not mention the salary. This writer will bring that information to you as city residents are footing the bill. The recent promotion of Chris Howley in city engineering did not include his new salary. One expects some pay hike for a promotion, and the public has a right to know.

■ Debate: The West Knox Republican Club will host a debate in Farragut between Karen Carson and Jason Zachary on Thursday, Aug. 6, prior to the Aug. 12 GOP primary, according to Alexander Waters, club president. Time and location have not been determined.

lic. Presented by Extension Master Gardener Marsha Lehman. Info: 215-2340.

Kitten and cat adoption fair, noon-6 p.m., West Town Petsmart adoption center, 214 Morrell Road.

Sponsored by Feral Feline Friends of East Tennessee.

Info: www.feralfelinefriends.org.

Open auditions for new members to Tennessee Children’s Dance Ensemble, 2 p.m., Dancers Studio, 4216 Sutherland Ave. Any Tennessee resident between 8-14 years old is eligible. Prepare one-minute dance composition without music demonstrating modern dance and ballet technique. Info: 584-9636.

Performance, Presence and Poise with the Alexander Technique, 11:45 a.m.-5:15 p.m., 313 N. Forest Park Blvd. Cost: $85. Preregistration with confirmation required. Info/registration: Lilly Sutton, 387-7600 or www.AlexanderTechniqueKnoxville.com.

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

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

SUNDAY, JULY 26 Franklin Monthly Old Harp Singing, 3 p.m., Greeneville Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 210 N. Main St., Greeneville. Free, all invited and tune books provided. Info: Jeff Farr, 423 639-8211.

interns

6 • JULY 22, 2015 • Shopper news

Interns glimpse history

By Shannon Carey

Rain foiled our plans to take Shopper-News interns into the field to work on an archeological dig site with experts from the UT Archeology Research Lab. We were going to see how ground-penetrating radar works and join Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett on a metal-detecting adventure.

Instead, we went back to the lab. As rain drummed on the roof, interns learned about the excavation of the Charlie Hamilton and Maddie Murphy examine a button that Confederate line at Morgan was recovered from a site in Charleston, S. C. Photo by R. White Hill, now the site of UT’s Sorority Village. Mike Angst told interns that written records like journals and letters were important to infound in the field to learn terpreting the finds at MorBy Betty Mengesha The UT Archeology Re- more about the events that gan Hill.

Burchett joined interns search Lab welcomed the took place in our very own for the presentation and Shopper-News interns to Knoxville. spoke about his hobby.

The archeologists search learn a bit about the cultur“No pun intended, but al and environmental his- for several artifacts aging tory of Knoxville. We were from 100 to 1,000 years old. I really dig all this,” joked able to meet Kandi Hollen- They also work to preserve Burchett. back and Mike Angst who the archeological sites for work together to discover future generations, so they all that Knoxville has to of- too can learn about the past. fer. It was surprising to see Whether it’s blazing hot or just how much history could pouring rain, they are out in be dug up in our backyards. the field.

By Charlie Hamilton It is always wonderful to Many parts of Knoxville One interesting fact that have been explored in order hear a person speak so pas- you would might not know to learn about the city’s his- sionately about their job and about Knox County Mayor tory during the American all that comes with it. Even Tm Burchett is that he metal Civil War. Angst explained Mayor Tim Burchett was detects as a hobby. Burchett that they have found rifle lucky enough to hear about met us at our visit at the trenches, gun emplace- the department’s discover- UT. Archeological Research ments, drainage ditches, ies and the history that is Lab, and explained a little and fireplaces that were left involved. The mayor also about this hobby. He told behind during the war. UT shares a passion for history us a story about a man he has been able to research and is looking for his own encountered one day while and use what they have treasures, too! he was metal detecting at

Searching for treasures

Kandi Hollenbech looks over a map with Mayor Tim Burchett and the mayor’s communications manager Michael Grider. Photo by R. White

Then, Angst, Kandi Hol- Charleston. lenbach and Kendy Altizer “This is a big help,” said took interns upstairs to Altizer. “This saves me at help clean artifacts Altizer least two days of work.” brought back from a dig in Volunteers can join in the

artifact cleaning and take in a brown bag lecture every third Friday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. or 1-4 p.m. Info: 974-9647 or keh@utk.edu

‘Cheaper than a psychiatrist’

Preserving the past

By Charlie Hamilton

You know when you go into newer department stores and they all look about the same? In every town and city today in the U.S. you always see a Walmart, Lowes and many other stores and restaurants.

Well, do see anything different about these buildings?

Do they have any unique characteristics, or any stories that they can tell?

Many older buildings are thought to be useless, non-efficient, and way out of style for any newer development. People tear down older buildings so they can build strip malls and big box stores. The Emporium in downtown Knoxville was built in the 1880s and has

been restored for new purposes. The old White Lily flour plant has been restored for new purposes, too.

Now, David Dewhirst, and his team are bring another building back to life.

The old Kern’s Bakery is off Chapman Highway right after you cross the Henley Street bridge. The bakery was built in 1931. Dewhirst plans to do some renovations and repurpose its unique architecture.

The building has a lot of personality and is located next to Knoxville’s Urban Wilderness.

You don’t see many older buildings today, and many of them are fading away every day. It is our job to help preserve the past for future.

Lakeshore Park.

He was just walking around as usual, and a man in a white coat walked up to him, asked him if he was Mayor Burchett, and said “What are you doing?”

Burchett replied that he was metal detecting, and that this was “a cheaper hobby than going to a physiatrist.”

The person in the coat replied, “You are right; I am a physiatrist, and it is cheaper.”

He also told us about some of his finds, too. He said he was digging one day and hit something hard, and he thought it was just an old paint can. He pulled it up, and it was rounded. Turns out it a breast plate from the Civil War. Burchett also explained that he was in a metal detecting club, and told us about some of the finds they have presented to

the club.

You never know what interesting hobbies people might have.

■

Fun at the lab

When you think of archeology what comes in mind?

Do you think about a person in Egypt searching for mummies, and artifacts?

That is one part of archeology, but do you know that you might have artifacts right here in your backyard?

We had the honor of taking a tour throughout the University of Tennessee’s Archeological Research Lab. We met Mike Angst, Senior Archeologist and Kandi Hollenbach. They showed us some of their discoveries on the expedition at Morgan

Hill next to UT campus.

The artifacts and evidence of a Confederate basecamp from the Civil War were remarkable. On our tour we

also got to wash some artifacts from a recent dig site in South Carolina. Thank you, UT archeology team, for our visit at the archeology lab.

Archeology takes patience

By Maddie Ogle Would you believe that historical artifacts have been found in Knoxville, Tenn.? Archeologists from UT’s Archeological Research Lab have found cannonballs, bullets and armor, from the battle of Knoxville near Kingston Pike. They also know, from different shades of clay dirt, where or what something might’ve been.

This is a job that takes patience and time, because if you rush and break an artifact, it could be very challenging to find all the pieces. But once they come back to the lab, they scrub and wash each dirt-covered artifact until it’s clean.

Then, it could take a very long time to track down all the missing pieces. And when it’s done, we have discovered a piece of history!

Matching the pieces

By Maggie Williams Last Tuesday, the interns went to UT’s Archeological Research Lab. We got to clean some artifacts from South Carolina, found by Ph.D. candidate Kendy Altizer.

To clean the artifacts, all you need is some water and a toothbrush.

There were all sorts of

objects, such as animal bones, pottery pieces, buttons and even an intact glass bottle. I found two pieces of pottery that fit together!

We all learned a lot about what you can find in the ground. You can volunteer there to clean artifacts. It was very enlightening and enjoyable.

A shot of the railroad tracks outside the University of Tennessee archeological center on Middlebrook Pike. Photo by Maddie Murphy

‘All the pancakes!’

Kern’s Bakery inspires interns

By Emma Dale At first glance, the old Kern’s Bakery is a mess.

Erected in 1931, it is 90,000 square feet on 14 acres of land. The bakery can no longer serve its original purpose. But where most developers would see a great place to put a new Walmart, David Dewhirst sees exposed brick, oak floorboards, and a chance to make Knoxville unique.

He calls what he and his colleagues do “historic developing.” His group specializes in buildings built long ago. They know how to find the unique elements underneath all of the terrible 1980s office space put over them.

Although Dewhirst admits that a Walmart will probably make more money than anything he would put here, he hopes that young people today will be more interested in buildings with authenticity and “soul.”

“I mean, when you walk into Applebee’s, you never say, ‘Wow! That’s different!’” Dewhirst said.

And Kern’s certainly is different. The bakery is full of peeling pastel jade walls, almost colonial-looking indoor walls and windows, and a particularly eyecatching set of robin’s-egg-

blue stairs. And that’s just the front office.

The actual factory floor, now devoid of all of the hamburger buns Dewhirst says they used to make here, is sitting in semi-darkness.

It looks like something out of a steampunk picture, full of tangled contraptions criss-crossing the ceiling and floor. Surprisingly, about 80 percent of the original machinery has been cleared out. He pointed out the real brick floor and the behemoth oven that another bakery is coming to dismantle and use for another 100 years.

“Things were built to last back then,” said Dewhirst.

Dewhirst plans to capitalize on the nearby Urban Wilderness, a 1,000-acre forest along downtown’s south waterfront — something he’s fiercely proud of and says that one day all Knoxvillians will be as well.

A stacked-stone, 1800’sstyle tunnel on the Kern’s property leads right into the Urban Wilderness. Around 10-11 privately owned and symbiotic businesses will use different parts of the factory for things ranging from bike rentals to brewing beer; there may even be a climbing wall. Dewhirst estimates that the bakery

will cost around $10 million to renovate.

Still, the most amazing thing about the old bakery isn’t what Dewhirst is probably going to turn it into. It’s the way the imaginations of the young people he believes so strongly in run wild at every twist and turn of an abandoned factory.

For the interns as we toured the bakery, a Quonset hut became a wedding chapel, a truck loading dock beIntern Laken Scott enjoys a ride on a dolly, thanks to David Dewhirst. Photo by R. White came an amphitheater, the office above the main floor was suddenly a branchless, industrial treehouse. Some of us even clamored for the giant, dusty old hamburger bun pans he showed us. He handed them out, to be used for varying purposes in high-schoolers’ and middleschoolers’ homes.

“Now I can make all the pancakes!” one of the interns, Zoe Brookshire-Riley, exclaimed with glee.

All of this excitement, and the impromptu game of soccer started with a ball found on the factory floor, proves right what Dewhirst shared with us at the beginning of the tour, “We hope that young people will want to go to a place that looks real and authentic, and not like the strip mall down the Maddie Murphy, Emma Dale, Betty Mengesha and Zoe Brookshire-Risley ride around the old Kerns Bakery building on a dolly. Photo by R. White road … a place with soul.”

weekender

Shopper news • JULY 22, 2015 • 7

Gifted

FRIDAY

By y Carol Ca aro ol Shane Shan ne One of of Knoxville’s K no lee’ most mo creative, innovative, fulfilling arts organizations is very busy right now, enthralling audiences with its current production.

Through the end of this month, the Knoxville Children’s Theatre presents “Bambi: A Life in the Woods.” By all accounts, it’s a roaring success and a very special experience.

As East Tennessee’s leading producer of stage plays for children, KCT counts “Bambi” as its 69th production. The company is also the area’s leading producer of new works, having produced 27 original plays since 2008.

“KCT’s plays are always based closely on a great work of literature,” says executive director Zack Allen, “and our ‘Bambi’ is a faithful adaptation of Felix Salten’s classic children’s book. The play was written by wellknown stage actor and playwright James DeVita, whose plays have been performed all over the country.”

About the similarities between this play and the 1942 Disney movie, Allen says, “The Disney film contained many of the elements of the book but also took many liberties. But both feature the maturation of a young deer into a stag. He makes many friends, including a friendly rabbit, and faces many dangers, mostly posed by humans. There are funny parts, thrilling parts, sad parts and all the emotions that come from living a ‘life in the woods.’ ” The play features 13 actors age 9 to 16.

Zak Terry as Bambi and Elijah Payne as Ronno confer in the Knoxville Children’s Theatre’s current production of “Bambi: A Life in the Woods.” Photo by Janice O. Branson

Zak Terry, an eighth-grader at Bearden Middle School, plays Bambi. Formerly seen as the White Rabbit in “Alice’s Rumpus in Wonderland,” Zak counts “Bambi” as his sixth KCT appearance.

He is the son of Stacy Stewart and Scott Terry.

Ryan Cross plays the Great Prince. He attends ninth grade at Christian Academy of Knoxville, and this is his seventh performance at KCT.

Ryan is the son of Jennifer and Douglas Cross.

Ani Wederitch plays Faline, Bambi’s friend. She is a sixth-grader at Bearden Middle School. This is her third show at KCT, having most recently been seen in “Harriet the Spy.” Ani is the daughter of Jill Werderitch.

Other KCT veterans in this outstanding ensemble cast are Jake Green, a junior at West High and the son of

Jill and Craig Green; Maria Kauffman, daughter of Sarah and Chris Kauffman and a seventh-grader at West Valley Middle School; L&N STEM Academy ninth-grader Lisette Paultre, daughter of Hope and Jimmy Paultre; seventhgrader Elijah Boyd Payne and 10th-grader Kathryn Payne, the son and daughter of Kathy and Sean Payne; Ethan J. Reed, the son of Kerry Reed and a versatile eighth-grader who acts and stage manages; Ava Bradshaw, daughter of Cara and Mike Bradshaw and a fifthgrader at Bluegrass Elementary; and Caroline Dyer, a junior at South-Doyle High School, KCT veteran since 2009, and the daughter of Amie and Scott Dyer.

Making their KCT debuts are Izzy Fenech, a fifth-grader at Northshore Elementary School and the daughter of Tiffany and Jason Fenech, and seventhgrader Abigrace Kimsey, the daughter of Bethany and Troy Kimsey.

The Knoxville Children’s Theatre presents “Bambi: A Life in the Woods” at 7 p.m.

Thursday-Friday, July 2324; 1 and 5 p.m. Saturday, July 25; and 3 p.m. Sunday, July 26. All performances take place at 109 E. Churchwell Ave. in Knoxville. Tickets are $12 per person; an adult and child entering together may be admitted for $20 total. Reservations are strongly recommended. For more info, visit http://knox villechildrenstheatre.com or call 208-3677.

Send story suggestions to news@ shoppernewsnow.com.

Alive After Five: R.J. Mischo with Devan Jones & The Uptown Stomp, 6-8:30 p.m., Knoxville Museum of Art, 1050 World’s Fair Park Drive.

Tickets: $10; $5 for members/students. Info: 9342039.

Midnight Voyage Live: Spoofed Up, 9 p.m., The International, 940 Blackstock Ave. Info: http:// internationalknox.com.

Summer Movie Magic: “Mary Poppins,” 8 p.m., Tennessee Theatre, 604 S. Gay St. Tickets: all Ticketmaster outlets, Tennessee Theatre box office and 800-745-3000.

FRIDAY-SUNDAY “Bambi: Life in the Woods,” 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 or www. knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com.

SATURDAY Golden Dragon Acrobat Show, 7 p.m., Oak Ridge Performing Arts Center, Oak Ridge High School, 1450 Oak Ridge Turnpike. Tickets: $25 adult; $10 for children 12 & under. Info/tickets: www.

KnoxvilleTickets.com or 656-4444.

Summer Soul Jam 2015, 5 p.m., Old City Courtyard, 120 E. Jackson Ave. Bring folding chairs.

Tickets: summersouljam2015.eventbrite.com or AJ’s Lifestyles, 3613 Western Ave. “Writing Booze: A Workshop and Cocktail Class,” 4-7 p.m., Firefly Farms, 195 Tobby Hollow Lane. Instructor: visiting writer Sam Slaughter. Tickets: $45. Info/tickets: www.sundresspublications. com/safta.

SUNDAY Anjelah Johnson Presents Bon Qui Qui, 8 p.m., Bijou Theatre, 803 S. Gay St. Info/tickets: www. knoxbijou.com Knoxville Jazz Orchestra: Jazz Jam at the Emporium, 4-6 p.m., Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay St. Info: 573-3226.

Summer Movie Magic: “Mary Poppins,” 2 p.m., Tennessee Theatre, 604 S. Gay St. Tickets: all Ticketmaster outlets, Tennessee Theatre box office and 800-745-3000.

down Margo and solve some of life’s bigger mysteries.

The cast includes Austin Abrams, Justice Smith and Cara Buono. Jake Schreier (“Robot & Frank”) directed.

Downtown West is opening “Cartel Land,” a big winner in the Sundance Film Festival’s U.S. Documentary competition. Director Matthew Heineman embedded himself in the action as two vigilante groups (one U.S., one Mexican) squared off against Mexican drug cartels to do what governments have failed to do.

Gyllenhaal, Sandler lead new flicks

By Betsy Pickle There are plenty of people in this world who love boxing, but even those who don’t (present company included) usually fall for a good boxing movie. Fingers crossed, that’s the case with “Southpaw,” opening Friday in local theaters.

Jake Gyllenhaal plays a light heavyweight boxer who makes it to the top, only to have everything tragically taken away. He finds his salvation in a rundown gym where a retired fighter turned trainer (Forest Whitaker) gives him hope that he can climb back up and regain the trust of those he loves.

Directed by Antoine Fuqua (“Training Day”),

the R-rated action drama also stars Rachel McAdams, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Naomie Harris and Victor Ortiz.

The way-back machine fires up for “Pixels,” a paean to the 1980s heyday of videogame arcades. In this PG-13 action comedy, aliens mistake video feeds of classic arcade games as a declaration of war, and they at- After champion boxer Billy “The Great” Hope (Jake Gyllenhaal) and his longtime manager, Jor- ■ Diabetes Support Group meeting, 10-11 a.m. Tuesday, tack Earth. dan Mains (Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson), part ways, Billy hits rock bottom in “Southpaw.”

July 28, Humana Guidance Four friends (Adam Center, 640 Plaza, 4438 WestSandler, Kevin James, Peern Ave. Free and open to the ter Dinklage, Josh Gad) the film solves the mystery Krakowski, Dan Aykroyd, Teen Quentin (Nat Wolff) public. Info: 329-8892, TTY: 711. who spent their boyhoods of how Gad, a good 15 years Lainie Kazan and Tom Mc- is left with a mystery when ■ UT Hospice Adult Grief Supsaving the world one quar- younger than the others in Carthy also star for director his friend and neighbor port Group meeting, 5-6:30 ter at a time at the arcades real life, supposedly spent Chris Columbus.

Margo (Cara Delevinge) disp.m. Tuesday, Aug. 4, UT Hosfind themselves doing it for his childhood with the other Another novel by John appears after taking him on pice office, 2270 Sutherland real as the aliens base their three.)

Green (“The Fault in Our an all-night adventure. With Ave. A light supper is served. warfare on arcade-game Michelle Monaghan, Stars”) comes to the big the help of friends, Quentin Info/reservation: Brenda Fletcher, 544-6277. strategies. (Here’s hoping Sean Bean, Brian Cox, Jane screen with “Paper Towns.” follows cryptic clues to track

HEALTH NOTES

Neyland Stadium =

102,455 PEOPLE Shopper News =

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

www.ShopperNewsNow.com wsNow.com Now.com ow.com w.com .com com m

8 • JULY 22, 2015 • Shopper news

y t n u o C x Kno

r a d n e l a School C 6 1 0 2 5 1 20

Aug 10

First half day for students

Sept 7

Labor Day - no school

Sept 28

Inservice day - no school

Oct 12-13

Fall break

Nov 25-27

Thanksgiving break

Dec 21Jan. 4

Winter break

Jan 5

First day back for students

Jan 18

Martin Luther King Jr. Day (no school)

Feb 15

Inservice day - no school

March 1

Inservice day - no school

March 14-18

Spring break

March 25

Good Friday - no school

May 19

Last half day for students

Talk to your neighbors, then talk to me.

Mike Davis, Agent 5336 Millertown Pike Knoxville, TN 37924 Bus: 865-637-8616 www.mikedavisagency.com

See why State Farm insures more drivers than GEICO and Progressive combined. Great service, plus discounts of up to 40 percent.* Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.

CALL FOR QUOTE 24/7. ®

®

www.TnWide.com

BUYING or SELLING?

1001174.1

*Discounts vary by states.

State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company State Farm Indemnity Company, Bloomington, IL

Call Rita Neubert 865-919-4141

Knox Farmer’s Co-op FOR ALL YOUR NEW OR USED CAR AND TRUCK NEEDS!

Behind the stock barn in Halls 3903 Fountain Valley Dr. 922-2115 M-F 8-5 • Sat 8-4 6616 Asheville Hwy. 522-3148 M-F • 8-6 Sat • 8-4

SALES SERVICE

You do not have to be a member to shop at the co-op.

PARTS QUICK LANE 2026 N. Charles Seivers Blvd. • Clinton, TN 37716

457-0704 or 1-800-579-4561 www.rayvarnerford.com

est. 1990

Devoted to the development of technical excellence and artistic enrichment in young dancers for over 25 years.

DANCE BALLLET BALLET TAP JAZZ MODERN CONTEMPORARY BOYS CLASSES

wishes everyone a

Great School Year!

ADULT BALLET FIT CLASS MUSICAL THEATRE

1234 Rocky Hill Road (off Northshore Drive) Knoxville, TN 37919

865-521-1600

865-947-5485

865-992-8050

NOW ENROLLING FOR FALL CLASSES! 865.539.2475

7051 Strawberry Plains Pike Knoxville, TN 37914

600 E. Emory Road Powell, TN 37849

2969 Maynardville Hwy. Maynardville, TN 37807

WWW.STUDIOARTSFORDANCERS.NET

FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION

www.fcbtn.com