McMinn Life Winter/Holiday 2023 by Bingham Group

PROFESSIONAL INSTALLATION • QUALITY FLOORING • EXPERT ASSISTANCE

DAVID’S ABBEY CARPET & FLOORING GETS MOST OF ITS TILE FROM RIGHT HERE IN TENNESSEE. MEET THEIR LOCAL MANUFACTURERS. LANDMARK Founded in 2013, in Mount Pleasant, TN, Landmark is a 100% American ceramic company, specialized in the production and marketing of high-quality porcelain for every possible architectural, residential or commercial use. MILESTONE Florim USA in Clarksville, TN, which makes MileStone tiles, is one of the largest floor and wall porcelain tile manufacturing plants in North America. They source raw materials within a 500-mile radius of the facility, achieving local independence and strength in the manufacturing process.

DEL CONCA Headquartered in Loudon, TN, The Del Conca Group is one of the most important industrial entities in the Italian ceramic tile industry

WONDER PORCELAIN Wonder Porcelain, an American porcelain tile manufacturer based in Lebanon, Tennessee, was founded in 2015 as a wholly owned subsidiary of one of the largest and most successful tile companies in the world. From this start-up beginning, they blazed a path forward with a portfolio of products featuring technically advanced finishes, large format sizes and fashionable designs.

CROSSVILLE Based in—surprise, surprise—Crossville, TN, they are America’s leading manufacturer of porcelain tile, and they offer a variety of glass and natural stone tile for interior and exterior floors, walls, and countertops. Made in the United States, these innovative tile products are sustainable and expertly designed to last a lifetime.

FREE ESTIMATES • INCREDIBLE SELECTION • PERSONALIZED SERVICE

STONEPEAK Nestled in the hills of Tennessee's Smoky Mountains, is a company with a uniquely American character that honors the time-proven tradition of fine Italian porcelain ceramics. Anniversary

David'sAbbey C A R P E T & F L O O R I N G David’s y Carpet & Floors Abbe

Design DIFFERENT BY

David’s Abbey Carpet & Floor has been owned and operated by David Hayes since 1973. He and his experienced and knowledgeable staff are committed to providing customers with superior quality products and installations, from start to finish.

David’s daughter, Barbie Moore, and son, Mike Hayes continue in there father’s footsteps to drive their business with a commitment to maintaining their business tradition of excellence for years to come.

DAVID’S ABBEY CARPET & FLOORS NOW HAS THREE LOCATIONS—ONE IN FARRAGUT, PIGEON FORGE AND NOW

David’s Abbey Carpet & Floors take pride in MARYVILLE. THEY OFFER A COMPLETE SELECTION OF FLOORING FROM THE INDUSTRY'S LEADING MANUFACTURERS

giving back to the East Tennessee area. Their

employee charity fund has contributed INCLUDING CARPET, HARDWOOD, CERAMIC TILE, NATURAL STONES, LAMINATE, VINYL, AND AREAderived RUG S. local organizations and charities to over forty

MADE IN THE UNITED STATES

since 1998. David’s Abbey Carpet & Floors is committed to serving the community.

David Hayes, Owner

All of their exclusive carpet brands are manufactured with pride in the United States, and much of their tile is manufactured locally right here in Tennessee. They also come with a Lifetime Warranty on their broadloom carpet collections from Infinity, Alexander Smith, American Showcase, Legendary Beauty, and Pet Defense. David’s Abbey is one of the largest carpet and flooring stores in East Tennessee.

EXPERIENCED INTERIOR DESIGNERS Still making up your mind about what you want for your new floors or feeling overwhelmed by their incredible selection? David’s Abbey has six experienced and certified interior designers with 89 years of collective experience. They hold specialized certifications in all aspects of flooring. These designers can help you choose the perfect floor, walls, showers, backsplashes, etc. for your lifestyle and budget. All their consultations and measurements are free! KNOXVILLE

PIGEON FORGE

MARYVILLE

10853 Kingston Pike Knoxville, Tennessee

259 Old Mill Avenue Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

1719 King Circle Maryville, Tennessee

865-777-0661

865-453-3287

865-233-6250

www.davidsabbeycarpet.com

Shop

HolidayDeals Kristy Barton

www.mcminnlife.com

GAYLE FISHER MASTER GARDENER

Contents

POINSETTIAS

features

KASEY MOORE, EARL HENRY, and the USS Indianapolis: A Wartime Odyssey Aboard the Most Important Ship in American History

6 MISTLETOE 8

Mare Island AND THE BOMBS

CYLK COZART Knoxville Actor Cylk Cozart's Long Road To Success

THE NATIONAL

Gingerbread Competition

departments 4 From The Publisher 9

Veterans Services Office

The Nostalgic 20 Athens City Letter Christmas Décor Of Patricia Cansler 24 Athens Art Center

40 Happenings

INGLES TABLE RECIPES

HAPPY

Holidays

Photo by Jerry Denham

PUBLISHER

Life

The Bingham Group President Lisa Atkins Bingham

From thePublisher

Wow it was a great year. We want to thank everyone in this issue that donated to

the Balloon Festival. We multiplied your donations for the Boys and Girls Club. We use every ounce of goodwill we can gather to barter or buy festival expenses at a discount. Thank you to the community for getting behind us. From Sloan's Store donating their billboard, Mason's Appliances loaning a freezer to all the big and small sponsors - you are the ones that make it happen. Giving is the best feeling of all - anytime of year.!

$206,000 TOTAL RAISED

This issue of our little magazine showcases a woman who takes Christmas decorating to the next level. Patricia Cansler takes us on a tour of her beautiful—and nostalgic— Christmas house. Next, meet local actor Cylk Cozart who has starred alongside some of the biggest names in Hollywood. A NEW SERIES Finally, discover the little-known history of some East Tennesseans who helped change the course of World War II. Join Knoxvillians Kasey Moore and Earl Henry for a wartime odyssey aboard the USS Indianapolis, the most important ship in American history. This is the first story in a series to honor our Veterans and Defense workers. It is the most festive season of all, so put up the Christmas tree and hang up the lights— it may be cold outside, but our hearts and hearths are warm because it’s the time of year we celebrate our Savior’s birth! As always, please visit our advertisers, thank them for supporting our magazines and the community. We hope you have a wonderful Christmas this year.

LisaAtkinsBingham President of The Bingham Group & Publisher of Farragut, Monroe & McMinn Life 4

McMINN LIFE HOLIDAY/WINTER 2023

Graphic Designers Cris Littleton Jason Bowers Kathryn Bingham Contributing Writers Matt Hollingsworth Nancy Dalton Barbara Davis Gayle Fisher Judy Lavoie Contributing Photographers The Moonshine Fliers Sid Beaty Khristy Barton Advertising Sales Christi Wampler Tel: 865.523.5999 christi@binghamgroup.com Subscription or Editorial Inquiries

Tel: 865.523.5999 www.monroelife.com

The Bingham Group, Inc. 11921 Kingston Pike, Suite 201 Knoxville, Tennessee 37934 www.binghamgroup.com www.monroelife.com www.mcminnlife.com www.farragutlife.com

Volume 2, 2015

The Olde Farm Golf Tournament Invitation

A magazine for the people of Farragut, West Knoxville & surrounding communities.

Seasonal Culinary Inspirations Truffle Ricotta Cheese Recipe With Chef Deron Little

KIPPY BROWN Behind The Scenes With

Seattle Seahawks Coach Kippy Brown And His Amazing Life Story

THE MUSCADINE FESTIVAL &

HOT AIR 20 BALLOONS

Tsali Notch Vineyard The Largest Muscadine Vineyard In The State Is Also The Prettiest!

DR. HAROLD BLACK

One Of The First African-Americans To Attend The University Of Georgia

Farragut_Summer_2015.indd 1

8/25/15 10:27 AM

Publications

YEARS OF BRANDING EXPERIENCE

YEARS OF IN-HOUSE TELEVISION PRODUCTION

Cedar Springs

Mission Hall, 350 Feet, Exhibit

CUSTOM MAGAZINES A YEAR

300

T E N N E S S E E

HUNTING & TRAPPING GUIDE

LOCAL AND NATIONAL ADDY AWARDS

EFFECTIVE AUGUST 1, 2015 - JULY 31, 2016

» New White-Tailed Deer Buck Bag Limit: see page 25 » Hunter/Landowner Permission Card: see page 67 » New Hunter Education Field Day Exemption: see page 12

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Includes 2016 Spring Turkey Season

Hunting Guide

Custom Cobalt Magazine

NATIONAL BROADCAST TELLY AWARDS

State of Tennessee: Anti-Meth Campaign W W W . B I N G H A M G R O U P . C O M • TEL: 865.523.5999 • 11921 KINGSTON PIKE • KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE 37934

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Poinsettia

f you are like me, you either buy or are given a poinsettia each year at Christmas. When I was younger, I remember them being a shorter plant. Now since the florist and green house industry has figured out how to grow, stake and protect plants during shipment they are more graceful. In Mexico they grow shrub size around 4 feet tall.

McMINN LIFE HOLIDAY/WINTER 2023

Poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherima) is a perennial native to south-central Mexico, an area where they have tropical weather year-round. The poinsettia is a flower that is associated with Christmas around the world. Joel Roberto Poinsett introduced poinsettias to the United States in 1825. Poinsett was the U.S. ambassador to Mexico and sent some of the plants to his hot-

house in South Carolina. Poinsettias now represent over 85% of the potted plant sales during the holiday season. The beautiful red, pink, or white of the poinsettia is not the flower but leaves that are modified and called bracts. During most of the year these bracts are green. When the environmental conditions are right the bracts turn colors. The actual flowers are located at

fortunately putting this plant out of its misery. If you don’t own a poinsettia yet they are available everywhere in grocery stores, big box stores, home improvement and the flea markets. The following guidelines will help you when purchasing a poinsettia. 1) Choose a plant with dark green foliage down to the soil line. 2) Look for bracts (modified leaves) that are completely colored. 3) Stay away from plants with fallen or yellowed leaves. 4) Don’t buy plants that are drooping or wilting (even if they are on the 75% off sale table). 5) Check the soil. If it is wet but the plant is wilted, this could be an indication of root rot. 6) Check the poinsettia’s maturity. Look at the true flowers, the little buds, which are located at the top of the colored bracts. These flowers should be green or red tipped and fresh looking so the bloom will hold longer than if yellow. The last problem is getting your new plants to the car. Poinsettias do catch cold. Keep them out of chilling winds and temperatures below 50 degrees. If it’s a cold day have the plants sleeved or covered when traveling from the store to the car and again into the house. Most stores are leaving the plastic sleeve on so this makes moving them easier. the center of the “blooms” and are tiny, budlike and usually yellow or green in color. When we choose wisely and follow the growing conditions for the poinsettia, we can have a plant that lasts into March and April. Usually, mine don’t make it that long. I did have one that lived outside all summer, but one rainy Saturday morning in November, my dog accidentally broke the top out

Now that we’ve bought them and got them home safely, we need to unwrap and place them in a sunny window. Make sure that they don’t touch the cold glass. Keep poinsettias away from warm or cold drafts. Ideally poinsettias require daytime temperatures of 60 to 70 degrees and nighttime temperatures around 55 degrees. High temperatures will shorten the plant’s life. Check the soil daily.

Remove or punch holes if you are leaving it wrapped in the foil as this will enable water drainage. You’ve probably heard the old wives tale that poinsettias are poisonous. They’re not. When I had two or three children crawling around at Christmas poinsettia leaf salads were regular fare for the children, cat, and dog. A child would need to eat at least 500 leaves before even a stomachache would occur. If a poinsettia stem gets broken or if you’re creating a flower arrangement you will need to quickly burn the stem ends with a match or candle to stop the milky flow and then place it in your fresh arrangement. Enjoy this wonderful holiday season.

GayleFisher MASTER GARDENER

HOLIDAY/WINTER 2023 McMINN LIFE

Later, the eighteenth-century English credited it with a certain magical appeal and invented the kissing ball.

Mistletoe Mistletoe is especially interesting botanically because it is a partial parasite (a "hemiparasite"). As a parasitic plant, it grows on the branches or trunk of a tree and actually sends out roots that penetrate into the tree and take up nutrients. But mistletoe is also capable of growing on its own; like other plants it can produce its own food by photosynthesis. The mistletoe that is commonly used as a Christmas decoration (Phoradendron flavescens) is native to North America and grows as a parasite on trees from New Jersey to Florida.

Imagine Burl Ives singing “Ho-Ho- the mistletoe, hung where you can see. Some body waits for you . ... Kiss her once for me.” The name mistletoe comes from two Anglo Saxon words 'Mistel' (which means dung) and 'tan' (which means) twig or stick. So you could translate Mistletoe as 'poo on a stick'! Not exactly romantic is it?

McMINN LIFE HOLIDAY/WINTER 2023

In the Middle Ages and later, branches of mistletoe were hung from ceilings to ward off evil spirits. In Europe they were placed over house and stable doors to prevent the entrance of witches. It was also believed that the oak mistletoe could extinguish fire. Kissing under the mistletoe is first found associated with the Greek festival of Saturnalia and later with primitive marriage rites. In Scandinavia, mistletoe was considered a plant of peace, under which enemies could declare a truce or warring spouses used it to kiss and make-up.

GayleFisher

I have oak mistletoe growing here on the farm. It is spread by birds eating the seeds and apparently pooping them in the very tip-top of the tree. I never see mistletoe growing on lower branches. Since I am not willing or capable of climbing a tree, this leaves a gun, bow and arrow or a bucket truck to bring down this Christmas tradition. My son-in-law, who is a good shot, said he would get me some. He wasn’t gone long and with only one shot returned with an enormous branch by my standards. This branch of Mistletoe is 2ft by 3ft. In the past years when collecting this plant for Christmas decorating, my options were always small sprigs around 4 to 8 inches in size. If you have acquired fresh mistletoe keep it cool until you are ready to use it. An outside unheated building is best like a shed or garage. You can mist it with cold water if it looks a bit dry. Basically if these simple instructions are followed you can expect your mistletoe to keep looking fresh for up to a month. I have my prize branch twirling in the wind on my front porch; another small piece is hanging under a doorway inside, waiting for couples to come kiss under the dung. Now, for more singing, hit it Burl. “Oh, by golly have a holly, jolly Christmas this year!” MASTER GARDENER

The East Tennesseans Who Helped End World War II By: Matt Hollingworth

USS

Indianapolis 1945

n July, 1945, the USS Indianapolis delivered the most powerful weapon that had ever

been created—the atomic bomb that would be dropped on Hiroshima. Four days later,

the Indianapolis was sunk by a Japanese submarine, killing 879 of the ship’s 1,195 crewmen, the greatest loss of life from a single ship in US history. Several of these crewmen were from East Tennessee, including Lt. Commander Kasey Moore and Lt. Commander Earl Henry from Knoxville. This is their story.

McMINN LIFE HOLIDAY/WINTER 2023

EAST TENNESSEANS

LIEUTENANT COMMANDER

Earl Henry

LIEUTENANT COMMANDER

Kyle Campbell Moore

t is unknown if Moore and Henry were close friends, but they did know each other before their assignment on the Indianapolis. Twelve years earlier, Moore had written an article about Henry in the Knoxville Sunday Journal, discussing Henry’s interest in taxidermy. The article notes that Henry planned on becoming a dentist and feared he would have to give up this hobby as, “People don't want a dentist who has been handling birds working on their teeth.” Instead, Henry planned to take up bird painting, a hobby he would continue for the rest of his life. While the relationship between Moore and Henry is unknown, given that they were both officers of the same rank and were from the same town, it’s easy to imagine they may have been friends. Earl Henry joined the Naval reserve in 1940 before the United States entered the war. In late October of 1941, he married his wife, Jane. On December 7th, the “date which will live in infamy,” his parents threw a party to celebrate the marriage. The last person to arrive at the party announced that he’d just heard on the radio that the Japanese had attacked Pearl Harbor.

Last photo of officers of the USS Indianapolis before leaving California with the A bomb. Left to right front: Commander Johns Hopkins Janney, Captain Charles McVay, Commander Joe Flynn, Commander. Glen F. DeGrave. Back: Lieutenant Commander C. M. Christiansen, Lieutenant Commander Kasey Moore, Lieutenant Commander Dr. L. Haynes, Lieutenant Commander Earl Henry, Lieutenant Commander Charles Hayes

Two months later, Earl Henry went on active duty. He would spend much of the war at Parris Island, South Carolina, and later at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, but after about 15 months at the academy, Earl Henry volunteered for sea duty, believing that he should take his turn. On July 25, 1944, he joined the USS Indianapolis as the ship’s dentist, a year and a day before the ship’s fateful delivery of the atomic bomb. Meanwhile, Kasey Moore entered the Navy reserve the day after Pearl Harbor. At the time, he was planning marriage with his long-time girlfriend, Katherine. However, those plans were put on hold by the war. Originally, he was given a safe assignment as a Navy Public Relations Officer in Nashville, but just days before he was supposed to leave, he announced to Katherine that he had applied for sea duty. She was stunned. “You are thirty-three years old!” she said. “You don’t have to do that!”

Katherine’s book, Good-bye Indy Maru, records his response: “I don’t want my grandchildren to ask some day, ‘What did you do in the great war, Grandfather?’ I don’t want to say ‘I fought the war with a typewriter in Nashville, Tennessee.’” In the end, Kasey and Katherine would marry on July 23rd, 1942, just a week before Kasey left to join the crew of the Indianapolis. Over the course of the war, Kasey would enjoy precious little time during shore leaves with his wife and his daughter, Mary, from his previous marriage. Each moment withthem was priceless.

HOLIDAY/WINTER 2023 McMINN LIFE

Left to Right: LCDR. K. C. Moore, damage control officer in special-made life jacket. The picture Earl Henry received of his wife and newborn son. Earl Henry. Earl and Jane Henry at dinner, Jane is pregant in this picture. Love letter on the back of the cardinal painting.

Kasey Moore loved his family very much, but soon he fell in love with the Indianapolis as well. Katherine had even begun referring to it as the “other woman.” “When I’m with her,” Kasey told Katherine once, referring to the Indianapolis, “the pain of my separation from you is bearable. When I’m with you, my heart is filled with joy and I wonder how I can ever leave you; but when I’m with her, she fills my mind. She is always there. You do understand, don’t you?” Katherine later wrote, “I did understand, but I was always wary of her.” Earl Henry was still painting birds at this time, but he’d slowed down after boarding the Indianapolis. Only two of Earl’s paintings from this time survive. One piece he mailed to his wife, Jane, as a birthday gift. A message scribbled on the back reads: “Happy Birthday, Jane- baby—I love you! Your sassy husband, Earl.” Sassy was one of his favorite words, and it is sprinkled throughout his many letters to her. The other painting, dubbed “American Eagle in the Pacific” depicts a bald eagle clutching a bleeding serpent, an American flag waving in the background.

McMINN LIFE HOLIDAY/WINTER 2023

During one shore leave, Jane became pregnant with their son, who they would name Earl Henry, Jr. Earl Jr., never met his father who died just over a month after his birth, but he knows more about him than many people who grew up with their dads. Earl Jr. has countless letters and postcards from his dad’s time in the war. He described what he’d put together about his father’s personality: “He was very obviously serious about birding, about dentistry, about family, but I don’t think he took himself overly-seriously. I think he had a lighthearted personality.” In place of his bird paintings, Earl, Sr. began working on a painstakingly detailed model of the Indianapolis as a gift for his son. During one shore leave, Lt. Kasey Moore showed the model to his wife, Katherine, when she got to come aboard the ship. In her book, Katherine recalled, “The model of the INDY was the most beautiful thing I ever saw. It was about six feet long and perfect in every detail-rivets—‘life lines’ along the rails of dental silver, a tiny bell, the copper screen in the spud-locker door, gun turrets—everything that was top-side. The ship had been made of dental plastic and was as hard as tooth fillings. A peg in the bottom attached it to a base of polished teak.” Since they both were from Knoxville, Katherine Moore offered to take the model home to Henry’s parents, but “Earl only smiled and shook his head,” saying that he’d take it himself when it was complete. In the end, the model would sink with the real Indianapolis. Perhaps it’s still within the wreckage, 18,000 feet beneath the ocean surface. Years later, Earl Jr. would look through the many surviving pictures taken aboard the Indianapolis for any photographs of the model, but he has never found one.

Around February, 1945, Kasey began having strange, foreboding feelings. In a letter to his wife, he wrote, “Several times of late I have seen you in the moonpath. You are always dressed in black and crying uncontrollably. You hold out your arms to me—and then disappear—” On March 31, 1945, the Indianapolis was struck by a Japanese plane in a kamikaze attack. In their book, “Indianapolis", authors Lynn Vincent and Sara Vladic describe the scene: “The blast shook Indy with seismic force... All over the ship, men fell against bulkheads or to their knees, doused in showers of grime and dust. Gear tore loose and clattered to the deck. The force of the blast ruptured portions of the deck, jacked others up at angles, buckled framing, and wrinkled Indy’s skin like the corrugated roof on a shed.” Nine men died in the explosion, and Earl Henry had to identify them by their dental records. Meanwhile, Kasey Moore, as the ship’s damage control officer in charge of hull integrity, examined the gaping wound the kamikaze strike had left in their hull. The ship limped back to Mare Island, California, for repairs, and the crew were given well-deserved shore leave.

Earl Henry travelled home while Kasey sent word to Katherine and his daughter Mary who quickly booked passage by train to join him. During this time, Kasey worked night and day repairing the Indianapolis, trying to fix it as quickly as possible, although there didn’t seem to be any particular rush. In the end, he would finish repairs just in time for the ship to be chosen to carry the atomic bomb, forever securing a place in history for the ship he loved. If he hadn’t finished in time, a different, slower ship might have been chosen, and perhaps the bomb would have never made it past the armies of lurking Japanese submarines and warships. No One Aboard The Ship Knew The Identity Of The Mysterious Cargo They Were Given, But They Made The Delivery On July 26. That day, Earl Henry received a letter from his wife with pictures of his newborn son. She had given birth prematurely, just five days after shore leave ended and Earl had had to return to the ship. Earl showed the pictures to everyone he could, and he sent a response beginning, “Baby angel, those two wonderful pictures came today, and I am delighted as can be over them!”

In that letter, on the back of his officer calling card, he wrote a note to his newborn son: “To Earl Jr.—if I make as good a Dad as your mother does a mother, you’ll be O.K. Love, Earl.” These pictures were the only time he ever saw his son in this life. Four days later, the Indianapolis was struck by a torpedo from a Japanese submarine. So dire was the situation that even Lt. Commander Moore, for whom the Indianapolis was “the other woman,” asked the captain if he wanted to abandon ship. The Indianapolis sank in just 12 minutes, and due to the secrecy of their mission, it took four days for the survivors to be rescued. Many would die in the water, but Earl Henry Sr. and Kasey Moore likely didn’t even make it that far. While their fates aren’t known with certainty, one fellow crewman believed Henry died in the initial explosion while reclining in his bunk. Moore was last seen in the mess hall, unwinding a fire hose in an attempt to save his beloved ship.

On August 15, Jane Henry received a telegram informing her that her husband was missing in action. As she wept, the church bells began to ring followed by shouts of joy, because right at that moment, news had arrived of Japan’s surrender. Their wedding celebration had occurred the day Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, and now Jane had learned of her husband’s death on the exact day Japan surrendered. Their marriage history had traced the timeline of the war. For Katherine and Mary, the news was equally bitter. Mary’s biological mother, Kasey’s first wife, had abandoned her years ago, and now she’d lost her father too. Katherine’s marriage had been cut tragically short, and

her husband was now buried within the ship he so loved. But their loss was not without purpose. Kasey Moore and Earl Henry are heroes who helped hasten the end of one of the bloodiest wars ever fought. Without the bomb, America would have been forced to stage a land invasion of Japan that would have cost hundreds of thousands of American lives. The author of this article is the grandson of a man who fought in the Pacific Theater, who could have easily died in such an invasion. I may never have been born without the bravery of Knoxvillians Kasey Moore and Earl Henry. For that, I am forever grateful.

The Manhattan Project was a top-secret program to make the first atomic bombs during World War II. Its results had profound impacts on history: the subsequent nuclear arms race has radically changed the political world order in ways that are still evident today.

ENJOY THESE STORIES? YOU CAN FIND MORE AT THE NATONAL WWII MUSEUM WEBSITE:

USS INDIANAPOLIS MEMORIAL

At the north end of Canal Walk in Indianapolis, IN, you’ll find the national memorial for the USS Indianapolis, which was torpedoed and sunk by Imperial Japanese Navy submarine I-58 on July 30,1945. The memorial was formally dedicated in 1995, 50 years after the sinking.

www.nationalww2museum. org/war/podcasts/best-my-abilitypodcast/season-1-archive/episode6-883-killed

The memorial commemorates the 1,195 crewmen, of which only 316 survived the sinking, dehydration, exposure, and shark attacks. The death toll of 879 was the largest single disaster at sea in U.S. Navy history.

www.nationalww2museum. org/war/articles/surviving-sinking-uss-indianapolis

McMINN LIFE HOLIDAY/WINTER 2023

This article was written by former Mare Island Museum Librarian Barbara Davis and it first appeared in the museum’s newsletter in 2013.

Mare Island And The Bombs On 14 February 1945 The USS Indianapolis had just rejoined Adm. Marc A. Mitscher’s fast carrier task force which was planning an attack on Tokyo to cover the invasion of Iwo Jima. After participating in that raid and another on Kyushu, Indianapolis was sent to Okinawa where she spent seven days pouring 8 inch shells onto the beach defenses. American ships were constantly being bombarded and the Indianapolis shot down six planes and damaged two others. But on 31 March her luck ran out and the ship’s lookouts spotted a Japanese fighter headed toward the bridge. The ship immediately began firing, but it was too late. The enemy pilot, before crashing into the water on the port side of the ship, was able to launch his 500 lb. bomb from a height of 25 feet and it went through the deck, into the mess hall, down into the berthing compartment and through the fuel tanks before crashing through the keel and exploding in the water underneath the ship. Two huge holes were torn in the keel and flooded nearby compartments. Nine crewmen lost their lives and 29 were injured. Listing to port she headed to a salvage ship for emergency repairs, but it was discovered that her propeller shafts were damaged, her fuel tanks were leaking and her water distilling equipment was inoperative. She was sent across the Pacific under her own power to Mare Island for more extensive repairs than could be accomplished at a forward operating base. She arrived at Mare Island on 1 May 1945. Expecting to be here about four months,

Capt, Charles B. McVay, a third-generation Navy man, had his new wife join him and many of the other men got leave and went home to see their families. While at Mare Island there was a major turnover in personnel, many of them new sailors and some “90 Day Wonders” (officers) were also assigned to the ship. McVay was more than a little concerned about the inexperience of this crew. Would they be ready when the ship was scheduled to sail? Work on the ship commenced and while here she received a new port quarter, new radio and radar equipment and new fire control mechanisms. When the repairs were completed, she was to be sent out for a week of sea trials to make sure she was ready to return to duty. Meanwhile in another corner of Mare Island Naval Shipyard in an inconspicuous building labeled 627A, another mission was taking place. Mare Island had been chosen by the scientists at Alamogordo to pack the parts for the A-bombs for shipment to Tinian Island. MINSY was selected because of its success in packing cargo for the South Pacific without it being damaged in shipment, but more importantly, without damage from humidity. The A-bomb components had been flown from New Mexico to Hamilton Field in Novato, CA, just across San Pablo Bay from MINSY. For that voyage, an irreplaceable part of the shipment was packed

in a 15 foot crate and kept under the watchful eyes of two Army officers, Major Robert Furman, an engineer, and Capt. James Nolan, a radiologist, both of whom were identified as “artillery officers.” After off-loading the components were brought to Bldg. 627A. Project Alberta was the code name for the transporting of the materiel to Tinian Island and it is believed that Mare Island was involved in two parts of this project. One was the Bronx Shipments which were the irreplaceable parts of the bombs and were sent on the Indianapolis. These included a uranium projectile which would be shot from the “gun” at a “target” piece of uranium (flown to Tinian from Wendover Field in Utah) which would create the critical mass and cause the explosion, as well as the fifteen foot crate previously alluded to. The other part of the project was the Bowery Shipments and these were the replaceable parts of the bombs such as special lenses and the “pumpkins.” Pumpkins were high explosive bombs in the exact shape of the Fat Man bombs which were to be used to train the crews and get them used to the ballistics of dropping these bombs. The pumpkins had been designed by the Manhattan Project as non-nuclear

replications of Fat Man bombs. (Only one uranium bomb was built because of the difficulty and time required to manufacture enough of the fissile uranium for Little Boy type bombs.) A total of 486 pumpkins were built, some live and some inert. They were used by the crews and bombardiers training at Wendover, as well as the crews flying from Tinian Island who were using live, high explosives versions. 49 were dropped on Japanese cities, one went into the ocean and two were on aborted missions. The Tinian crews had the restriction that they could not drop the high explosive pumpkins on Hiroshima, Nagasaki or any of the other cities which were determined to be possible targets for the actual A-bomb. There is speculation that they were called pumpkins because they were painted a pumpkin orange. However, all existing photos show them painted with the same primer as all other bombs. Items packed as part of the Bowery Shipment were likely shipped out of Port Chicago, a support unit of Mare Island, after they had been lightered there from MINSY. Eventually Mare Island packed five shipments which went to Tinian by water. The first two batches were critiqued upon arrival at Tinian. A lieutenant was flown 5500 miles from Tinian to San Francisco in order to directly inform the supervisors at Mare Island of the condition of the shipments upon arrival on Tinian. Batches three, four and five were most important, in fact so important, that those first two had been for practice only. Meanwhile the work on the Indianapolis was accelerated by around –the-clock work by shipyard workers. Four

months of work were completed in two and half. Capt McVay was told he had one day to complete his shakedown cruise, not a week. For some unknown reason 2500 life jackets were put aboard during re-supply, more than twice the number required. It would later turn out to be a blessing. She sailed out on 14 July and returned on 15 July. On her return McVay was told to report to San Francisco and meet with two officers – Admiral William Purnell and Captain William (Deak) Parsons, the associate director of the Manhattan Project and the man who supervised the shipments from Project Alberta at Mare Island. Parsons briefed McVay that he was carrying a secret cargo and it would have a major impact on the war effort. He said to McVay, “ You will sail at high speed to Tinian where your cargo will be taken off by others. You will not be told what the cargo is, but it is to be guarded even after the life of your vessel. If the ship goes down, save the cargo at all costs, in a lifeboat if necessary. And every day you save on your voyage will cut the length of the war by just that much.” McVay was then sent back to Mare Island to bring his ship to Hunter’s Point Shipyard in San Francisco where the cargo would be loaded. Once again Maj. Furman and Capt. Nolan accompanied the cargo. They thought the ship looked magnificent, but had not been told that it had long been speculated that her center of gravity was too high and she would capsize almost immediately if she took a clean torpedo hit. Their accommodations were like being on a luxury cruise as they were berthed in the flag lieutenant’s

cabin where the bucket, with half the fissile uranium in the US worth $300 million, had been bolted to the floor. The 15 foot long crate, with all the screws countersunk and sealed carefully with red wax so no one could attempt to open it, was lashed to the deck and guarded by a Marine guard at each corner 24 hours a day. The Marines were told it was “ live ammunition duty” which meant each of their guns had a live round in it to shoot anyone who tried to tamper with the crate. Speculation among the crew was rampant some thought it was a secret rocket, others that it was Rita Hayworth’s underwear and still others were betting it was gold bullion to bribe the Japanese to end the war. It actually carried the integral components of Little Boy. Eventually McVay sent for Nolan, who explained to the captain that he was not an artillery officer but a medical officer, and he could assure the captain that cargo did not contain anything that would be dangerous to the crew or the ship. (The “target” uranium was being flown to Tinian and without it there could be no “explosion.”) The Indianapolis set sail the morning of 16 July at 0830 with an intermediate stop at Pearl Harbor for refueling. Averaging over 29 knots for the first stage (a record) she got to Hawaii on 19 July. Five hours after arriving she set sail for Tinian 3300 miles away and arrived there on 26 July where her cargo was offloaded. Indianapolis was then ordered to Guam. She arrived on 27 July and received orders to head to Leyte in the Philippines for two weeks of training prior to joining Task Force 95 which would be a major element in the invasion of Japan scheduled for 1 November. Before leaving Guam on 28 July, McVay requested an escort. The request was denied.

On 30 July the Indianapolis was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine. In less than twelve minutes she capsized and sank. Many of those extra lifejackets ended up floating and were used by men in the water. Many men were horribly burned or had broken bones and died within hours of sinking. But the worst was yet to come – within hours sharks appeared and their numbers would increase over the next five days. It is believed that sharks killed at least 200 sailors. At Leyte on 1 August, no one noticed that the Indianapolis had not arrived. Had someone noticed - searches would have occurred within a day of the sinking, but no one went looking. On the fourth day, 2 August, just by chance, a Navy pilot on a routine anti-submarine patrol noticed the men in the water. He radioed their position and soon planes arrived. The crews threw out their own life-saving gear to the men in the water and then watched in horror as more sharks arrived and attacked the men.

Eventually a PBY Catalina flying boat made an unauthorized landing in the open sea and while receiving information from planes flying overhead was able to pluck 56 sailors, some near death, from the water. They had to wait for surface ships to arrive for medical care and the PBY was eventually sunk as she was unable to fly again. By 3 August, 321 men had been plucked from an area of several hundred miles. Capt. McVay and his group were among the last to be rescued. Four of the men died; there were 317 survivors from a crew of 1196. To add insult to injury, Capt McVay was courtmartialed and found guilty for hazarding his ship by failing to zig-zag, though the Japanese submarine commander testified it would have made no difference if he had. His punishment was to lose 100 places in grade, making promotion impossible. He remained in the Navy until 1949, but never again served aboard a ship. Burdened by the death of his wife, the death of his favorite grandson and hate letters from

families of crew members who had died, he committed suicide in November 1968 by shooting himself on the front steps of his home in Connecticut. At the first crew reunion his former crewmen told him they wanted to clear his name. His response was “I got what the regulations called for – I got what I deserved.” However, they continued to fight for years to have his record cleared. Finally, in 2000, Congress passed a joint resolution acknowledging the wrongful conviction of Capt McVay. Though the resolution was signed by President Clinton, only the Navy could exonerate him. On 13 July 2001, the Secretary of the Navy, Gordon R. England, took that action. The Navy also awarded a citation to the Indianapolis and her crew for having successfully delivered the A-bomb components to Tinian.

USS Indianapolis preparing to leave Tinian after delivering atomic bomb components.

Congressional Gold Medal On July 30, 2020, the United States Congress awarded the Congressional Gold Medal—its highest civilian honor—to the Final Crew of the USS Indianapolis CA 35 during a ceremony at the Indiana War Memorial. The virtual ceremony was held on the 75th anniversary of the loss of the vessel. After the sinking, the crew “fought to stay alert, to look after each other — literally to hold on for dear life,’' “Those who perished in the water gave our nation the ultimate sacrifice ... but the true legacy of the Indianapolis was secured before those torpedoes struck,’' Senator Mitch McConnell said. “Her crew turned the tide of the war. So to her crew members who are still standing watch: Your Congress and your nation say thank you.”

HOLIDAY/WINTER 2023 McMINN LIFE

Stay Cozy in the Friendly City

ith winter just around the corner, WAthens is the perfect place to stay cozy this season. The Friendly City has plenty of community events that will keep you entertained without having to travel far. From holiday markets, heritage school, to live music and entertainment, there’s something for everyone in Athens.

Take a stroll through the Historic Downtown area and explore the many shops and all their offerings and restaurants. Grandma’s Gingerbread Bakery is one of the newest dining options downtown where you can enjoy a specialty coffee, pastry, or breakfast/lunch. Seize the opportunity to explore outdoor activities like the When Walls Talk downtown walking tour or hiking along the Eureka Trail and any of the local parks. On a special note, Athens Regional

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Park’s Pond will be re-stocked with trout after January 4, 2024. For those looking for a more cultural experience, there are plenty of art galleries and the McMinn County Living Heritage Museum and the Swift Museum to visit. The Arts Center, E. G. Fisher Public Library, Muriel S. Mayfield Art Gallery, and Fuller’s Frame Shop have rotating art displays for the public to enjoy all year round. Plus, Athens is home to some great local talent. The Arts Center will be hosting music by the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, Jazzy Little Christmas, and ‘64-71’: The Music of a Changing World Set 2. Athens Community Theatre is the longestrunning amateur theatre troupe in the region! Watch the Hot Comb, Honey, and The Sound of Music performances right here at the Arts Center. The Friendly City will be hosting great holiday events that you will not want to miss. Bells will be ringing: The Jimmy Liner Memorial Christmas Parade lights up downtown on December 4. The Mayfield Dairy Farms Visitor Center hosts a very special Milk & Cookies with Santa

and Maggie on December 7. There’s no better place to have milk and cookies than from the best in the business! The E. G. Fisher Public Library hosts their annual Search for Santa in the Wetlands on December 22, where families will find clues throughout the wetlands leading to Santa. Another annual tradition at the library is their Noon Year’s Eve Party on December 29. We don’t need the little ones up until midnight when we can celebrate at noon! Let Athens warm your heart this winter. Celebrate our city with all it has to offer!

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HOLIDAY/WINTER 2023 McMINN LIFE

2022 GRAND PRIZE WINNER Ann Bailey, for her entry “When Dreams Have Wings.”

Adult Second Place Winner Tiny Farm Bakers, "Merry Mountain Mayhem"

Adult Third Place Winner Tiny Farm Bakers, "Merry Mountain Mayhem" 4945 COON DOG CEMETERY RD, CHEROKEE, ALABAMA 35616

Child Second Place "The Christmas Chapel" Team Tinker THE NATIONAL

Gingerbread Competition AT THE GROVE PARK INN NOVEMBER 27 - JANUARY 2 It all began with a small group of gingerbread houses built by community members in 1992 as another way to celebrate the holiday season with no plans to continue the following year. There was no possible way to know that more than two decades later The Omni Grove Park Inn National Gingerbread House Competition™ would be one of the nation’s most celebrated and competitive holiday events. The official 2023 Gingerbread display begins on Monday, November 27, 2023 and will continue through Tuesday, January 2, 2024. “The 12 Days of Gingerbread” presents one of the Top 12 finalists, per day, on the hotel’s Facebook and Instagram channels from December 1-12, 2023. Tune in via Facebook (@omnigroveparkinn) & Instagram (@omnigrovepark).

Child Third Place "Mrs. Claus' Fairies" Glitter Girls

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Merry Christmas

THESE RECIPES ARE BROUGHT TO YOU BY INGLES, STARTED IN 1963 BY ROBERT P. INGLE AND COMMITTED TO THE COMMUNITIES THEY SERVE.

McMINN LIFE HOLIDAY/WINTER 2023

CINNAMON SUGAR ALMONDS by Clark and Suzy Neal.

GINGERBREAD MEN COOKIES By Sarah Elizabeth Ingredients:

Ingredients:

3 cups flour 2 teaspoons McCormick Ginger, Ground 1 teaspoon McCormick Cinnamon, Ground 1 teaspoon Clabber Girl baking soda 1/4 teaspoon McCormick Nutmeg, Ground 1/4 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) Cabot butter, softened 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar 1/2 cup molasses 1 egg 1 teaspoon McCormick Pure Vanilla Extract

2 large egg whites 1 Tbsp vanilla extract 5 cups of whole almonds 1 cup Dixie Crystals light brown sugar 1 cup Dixie Crystals granulated pure cane sugar 1 Tsp cinnamon 1/4 Tsp cayenne pepper 1/2 Tsp salt

Directions:

Mix flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg and salt in large bowl. Set aside. Beat butter and brown sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add molasses, egg, and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until well mixed. Press dough into a thick flat disk. Wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. Preheat oven to 350 °F. Roll out dough to 1/4-inch thickness on lightly floured work surface. Cut into gingerbread men shapes with 5-inch cookie cutter. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges of cookies are set and just begin to brown. Cool on baking sheets 1 to 2 minutes. Remove to wire racks; cool completely. Decorate cooled cookies as desired. Store cookies in an airtight container up to 5 days. www.ingles-markets.com/recipes/gingerbread-men-cookies

Directions: Preheat oven to 250 °. Line a sheet pan with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Whisk egg whites and vanilla in a large bowl until frothy. Add almonds, toss to coat. Stir in brown sugar, white sugar, cinnamon, cayenne and salt into almonds until combined. Spread on prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven, stirring every 15 minutes, until coating is very dry, 75 to 90 minutes. Cool completely, then store in alright container. www.ingles-markets.com/recipes/ cinnamon-sugar-almonds

HOLIDAY/WINTER 2023 McMINN LIFE

AUTUMN CHOWDER by Chef Bruce Brown

Ingredients

KODIAK CAKES STAINED GLASS COOKIES by: Jasmin Queen

Ingredients: 2 cups buttermilk flapjack and waffle mix 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1/4 cup milk 4Tbsp shortening 1 cup sugar 1 egg 1tsp vanilla extract Hard candy Directions: Preheat oven to 350 °. In the bowl of an electric mixer cream together shortening and sugar until well combined. Mix in the egg then blend in vanilla. With mixer set on low speed slowly add in Kodiak Cakes mix, flour, and milk; mix until well combined. Scrape dough out and roll dough out onto a floured surface (about 1/5-inch thick). Cut out as many large shapes (I like stars and snowflakes) as possible using a cookie cutter. Transfer cut shapes to baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Cut a smaller shape (same shape as larger) from the center of each and remove. Re-roll remaining dough and continue cutting shapes. Unwrap and separate hard candy into each color then place in separate small reseable bags. Crush into bits using a meat mallet, cut end of bag. Fill cut out centers about 3/4 of the way with crushed hard candy. Bake cookies until set and candy center has melted, about 12-14 minutes. Let cool on baking sheet until the candy has hardened. Repeat process with remaining dough. Store in an airtight container. www.ingles-markets.com/recipes/stained-glass-cookies

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4 cups sweet potatoes, peeled and diced 2 Tbsp bacon grease or vegetable oil 1 cup celery, diced 1 cup yellow onion, diced 8oz. andouille sausage, cut into half wheels 2 cups yellow corn kernels 2 cups cooked white beans (Great Northern or Navy) 2 tsp each: ground black pepper, diced oregano 1tsp each: salt, diced thyme 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes 1 cup all purpose flour 4 cups water 8 cups whole milk Directions: Cover diced sweet potatoes with salted water in stock pot. Bring to a low boil, simmer for ten minutes then drain. In the stock pot over medium highheat, melt the grease. Add the sausage and begin to brown, stirring occasionally. Add the celery and onions, cooking until vegetables are softened, about three minutes. Remove from heat and add the corn, drained sweet potatoes, white beans, all spices and the flour, stirring to coat all ingredients. Replace back on the heat and add the water, stirring until beginning to boil. Reduce the heat to medium low before adding the milk. Stir and warm the chowder, not allowing it to boil again. Simmer for at least twenty minutes before serving with crackers or crusty bread. www.ingles-markets.com/ recipes/autumn-chowder

APPLE CRANBERRY STUFFED PORK CHOPS by: Steve Woronoff

Instructions:

2 Tbs butter, divided 1/4 yellow onion, minced 2 stalks celery, finely chopped 1/4 cup dried cranberries 1 granny smith apple, peeled, cored, and diced 1 tsp kosher salt

5 pork chops, each about 8oz and 1 inch thick 1 cup apple juice 1 Tbsp corn starch 2 Tbsp brown sugar 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Holiday Green Beans by: Kelli Smith & Erin Barnett

Ingredients

Directions:

1 (16 oz.) bag frozen Laura Lynn whole green beans 3 tbsp. butter 2 tsp. minced garlic 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped 1/2 cup dried cranberries 2 tsp. lemon juice 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled 1 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350 °. Using a Dutch oven, melt 1 Tbsp butter over medium heat. Add minced onion and cook until they just begin to turn brown. Remove the Dutch oven from the heat and stir in celery, apple, and cranberries. Season with salt. Pour mixture into a bowl and allow to cool. While the apple-cranberry mix is cooling, place a pork chop on a flat cutting surface and with the sharp knife cut a pocket lengthwise into the chop. Repeat with each pork chop. Stuff the chops with the apple cranberry mix. Next, melt the remaining 1 Tbsp butter in the Dutch oven over medium heat. Pan fry the chops in butter for 2 minutes on each side. Cover the Dutch oven and place in the oven for 45 minutes. While the chops are in the oven, in a small bowl, stir together apple juice, cornstarch, and brown sugar. After you have removed the baked pork chops, place the Dutch oven on the stove over medium-high heat. Pour in the apple juice mixture, bring to a simmer, and reduce by half, stirring frequently. Season with black pepper. Serve with the apple glaze poured over the stuffed pork chops.

Bring a pot of water to a boil and add green beans. Cook until tender, then drain. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat and add garlic. Let cook for one minute. Add green beans to skillet for one minute. Add cranberries, walnuts and lemon juice. Season with salt. Remove from heat. Add feta cheese. Serve warm.

www.ingles-markets.com/recipes/stuffed-pork-chops

www.ingles-markets.com/recipes/ holiday-green-beans

Instructions:

HOLIDAY/WINTER 2023 McMINN LIFE

COQUITO (LITTLE COCONUT)

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Coquito (Little Coconut) is a part of a Puerto Rican Holiday Celebration. It’s great over ice, with coffee or tea, and even with hot chocolate. It also makes a great gift and will last for up to 6 months in the refrigerator because there’s no eggs. 12 oz. can unsweetened full-fat coconut milk 14 oz. can sweetened condensed coconut milk* 2 cups cream of coconut (the kind you use for piña coladas)

1/4 tsp. cinnamon 1/8 tsp. nutmeg 1 tsp. real vanilla 12 oz. Puerto Rican white rum coconut whipped cream, garnish cinnamon sticks and nutmeg, garnish

*If you can’t find sweetened condensed coconut milk, make your own. Add 2 (14 oz.) cans of full-fat coconut milk and 1/2 cup of demerara sugar to a saucepan. Bring to boil and the simmer for 45 min, stirring often, until it’s reduced by half. Combine all the milks, spices, and rum into a blender. Blendcheese on a very blend and break up balls any solid pieces of coconut milk. This holiday treelow wasspeed made to from premade cheese and decorated with fresh parsley, Refrigerate until well chilled. yellow & Red peppers, pine nuts, and pistachios. We’ve placed a cheddar star on top. This goes great with crackers or a fresh baked baguette from the Ingles bakery. https://www.ingles-markets.com/recipes/coquito

McMINN LIFE HOLIDAY/WINTER 2023

Our Ournew newwebsite websiteisisthe thebest best place place to to keep keep upwith witharticles articlesand andstories stories between between issues issues up soyou younever nevermiss missaabeat beat of of what’s what’s going going so onininour ourcommunity. community.No No matter matter ifif you’re you’re on usingaaphone, phone,tablet, tablet,or or desktop, desktop, our our new new using websiteisisfully fullyoptimized optimized to to make make reading reading website ourcontent contentas aseasy easyas aspossible. possible. our Wealso alsopublish publishfull fullversions versions of of our our print print We magazinesonline onlinethe thesame same day day they’re they’re magazines beingdelivered deliveredto tohomes! homes! being Seeall allthe thedelicious deliciousrecipes recipes from from current current See andpast pastissues issuescomplete complete with with step step by by and stepinstructions instructionsand and an an integrated integrated step shoppinglist! list! shopping Needto toScale Scale aa Recipe? Recipe? Need No problem! Our online recipe system No problem! Our online recipe system allows you to choose how many servings allows you to choose how many servings you want and it automatically adjusts the you want and it automatically adjusts the needed ingredients and shopping list! needed ingredients and shopping list!

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PATRICIA CANSLER’S

Nostalgic Holiday House By: Matt Hollingworth

oung Patricia Cansler and her eight siblings play together, chasing each other up hills and making roads in the dirt to play “cars.” On the porch, their momma cranked the handle on their wringer washing machine. When night came and it grew cold, they helped her carry the wet clothes inside, laying them by the wood heater. For a bath, they carried spring water up to their aluminum tub, and at night they packed into beds so heavy laden with quilts they could hardly move. Some people keep their memories in their hearts. Others keep their memories all around them. Today, many years later, Patricia lives in Vonore where her husband runs a successful construction company. They have many children and grandchildren, and Patricia’s memories of her childhood, all those years ago, are still precious to her, and you can see it in the way she decorates. “We never had much, but we had plenty,” Patricia reminisced.

Stepping into Patricia’s house is like stepping back in time. The primitive country décor is reminiscent of simpler times. It is a house of memories—both new and old—a monument to a long and joyous life. “I don’t like nothing fancy,” she said of her décor. “The older the better.”

McMINN LIFE HOLIDAY/WINTER 2023

This rustic cabinet was a gift from Patricia’s sister-in-law. Some of the snowmen on the cabinet, she’s had since her children—now in their thirties—were young. “I don’t throw nothing away when it comes to stuff like that,” Patricia said. They are precious memories. Treasures. The Christmas tree to the side is decorated with fake snow and red barriers. Her grandchildren love it. Each year, they count how many trees she has up, sometimes as many as thirteen. The trees remind her of going through the woods with her family as a child, looking for a Christmas tree. Her mother always let them put it up early because they enjoyed it so much—sometimes so early that the tree would dry out before Christmas and they’d have to get another one.

Patricia’s husband found this vintage Hoosier cabinet at a yard sale. It’s nearly-identical to one Patricia’s family owned growing up. With the paint faded, he asked her if she wanted it redone, but she said no. She loved the worn look. The Christmas trees on either side—two of nine trees she put up for the holidays last year— reflect the primitive design aesthetic she has chosen for her home. Enamel tables like this were all people had when Patricia was growing up, she explained. People didn’t have much wooden furniture unless they made it themselves. Patricia found this table at an antique store a few years after buying the Hoosier cabinet and loved how well they matched. “The whole room is just a memory of my grandmother’s house with her enamel,” she said. While she doesn’t know the table’s previous owners, the ware on the table shows it’s been used for many meals. Patricia likes to imagine that they were happy ones. “I look at it, and it takes me right back to my Momma’s,” she said.

HOLIDAY/WINTER 2023 McMINN LIFE

Everything in this pantry cabinet, Patricia canned herself, just as her mom taught her to do all those years ago. “We love things simple,” she said of her décor. “We don’t care for anything fancy.” Every decoration reminds her of the coziness and love of her childhood home. Every day, Patricia and her family make new memories, but they will never forget the old ones.

HOLIDAY/WINTER 2023 McMINN LIFE

By Matt Hollingworth

CYLK COZART All-Star Actor From Knoxville Tennesse In 1972, when Cylk Cozart was 12 years old, he wrote out a plan for his life: • Play professional basketball for ten years • Become an actor for ten years and win an academy award • Direct movies for ten years and win an academy award. “I think I even spelled ‘professional’ right,” Cylk quips.

Cylk, who is black, responded, “Coach, I’ve never even had a girlfriend.” Mentally, he added, even if I was dating a white girl, so what? “We don’t mix here,” the coach said. “We’re going to go take a vote downstairs, and if one player doesn’t want you to play, you’re not going to play.” Cylk was good friends with his teammates, and every player voted to keep him on the team—except for one Freshman. His friends tried to stand up for him, but it was too late: the coach had already decided. In the end, he would still get to play his Senior year, but he had to switch schools to Loudon and play on their team instead. Nevertheless, he didn’t let this discourage him, believing he was good enough to get a scholarship and play in college.

Cozart's Mom, Mrs. Bettie Ruth Cozart

Cylk grew up in Knoxville in the 70s and attended Karns High School where he was captain of the basketball team despite being two years younger than his classmates, having skipped two grades. His life plan seemed to be on track until one day in his Senior year when his coach came to him and said, “We heard you’re dating a white girl.”

McMINN LIFE HOLIDAY/WINTER 2023

He ended up going to Montreat-Anderson College, but not long after, he was injured trying out for the NBA summer program. “I thought it was the end of the word,” Cylk says. He had been playing alongside other talented teammates and doing well, but suddenly, all that was taken from him. Yet he didn’t let this beat him either. He continues, “But then I licked my wounds and went to Miami and while I was on the beach, I met some models.” From there, he became part of the modeling industry, hoping that a director would see him in a magazine and hire him to act. His first goal seemed impossible, but the second two were still in reach.

Calvin “Cylk” Cozart, whose name means “Running Water,” was born of a Cherokee mother and a black father in the hills of Tennessee. With good looks and undeniable honest charm, Mr. Cozart has acted in over twenty television shows, including “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air;” “Saved By The Bell;” and “Walker, Texas Ranger.” Cylk has appeared in over forty films and is famously known for “White Men Can’t Jump,” “Eraser,” “Three to Tango” and “Conspiracy Theory.” His combined films have grossed well over one billion dollars at the box office.

HOLIDAY/WINTER 2023 McMINN LIFE

When they left, Ron turned to Cylk and said, “I don’t know what these guys were doing growing up, but it wasn’t playing basketball.” Eventually, Ron found the perfect man to star alongside Cylk—Woody Harrelson, who was just becoming popular for his role on the TV show ‘Cheers.’ He did a script reading with Cylk which went phenomenally well, and for one glorious week, it seemed like they would be the co-stars of the film. Then one day, Ron called Cylk asking him to dinner. When they sat down together, Ron said, “It’s not going to work out.” “What’s not going to work out?” Cylk asked. “The studio is not going to use you and Woody.” On February 1, 2022 – Congressman Tim Burchett requested the American flag be flown over the United States Capitol in Cylk Cozart's honor, to recognize the impact of his professional and philanthropic successes, and for how much he has given back to the communities across the world as a whole. In 2022, Cylk was also awarded the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award from President Joe Biden.

Eventually, he moved to Hollywood and, unsure how to break into the film industry, he started attending the Hollywood YMCA where many big-name actors went. He met people like Denzel Washington and George Clooney. While Cylk was no longer able to play basketball professionally, he was still able to play well against the people there. He quickly made friends with these stars and with director Ron Shelton who would become his mentor. Seeing his interest in acting, Denzel Washington landed Cylk a small part playing a reporter in his movie Ricochet. Denzel even got a trailer for Cylk to stay in on set. He couldn’t believe it. He was a no-name actor and suddenly he was friends with major stars and staying on set in his own trailer. One day during lunch, Denzel came to Cylk and said, “All right, a script came through the pike called ‘White Men Can’t Jump.’”

McMINN LIFE HOLIDAY/WINTER 2023

Cylk laughed and said, “I hope that’s a comedy.” “Yeah, it is, but the director is brilliant. He wrote it for me, but I ain’t doing nothing like that. I’m getting ready to play Malcom X after this. But you—you can ball and you can act. They ain’t going to find many actors that can play ball at that level… You’re the only one I can even think of.” And just like that, Cylk was auditioning for one of the leads in a multi-million-dollar movie, and when he arrived for the audition, he was shocked to find Ron Shelton, his friend from the gym, in the director’s chair. Cylk hadn’t even known Ron was a director before this. The audition went well, and Cylk was called back for a second reading, this time with Tom Cruise and Keanu Reeves, two of the biggest stars in the world at that time. Afterward, they went outside to shoot some hoops which didn’t go quite as well as Ron had hoped.

“But I thought…” “Woody is a fifth star, fifth lead on a TV show. He doesn’t have a film queue. The studio is very uncomfortable putting $30 million on a fifth star on a TV show and a no-name lead.” Cylk’s heart went to his stomach. “So what are we going to do?” Ron explained that the studio was forcing him to give the leading black role to Wesley Snipes with whom they had a three-picture deal. “This should be your film,” Ron said. “I’ve fought for you, and I’ve done everything I can.” Cylk wanted to ask how the studio could do this to him, but he buried those feelings and said, “Ron, I appreciate you fighting for me.” Ron responded, “Here’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to rewrite the script. I’m going to add a character, and you’re going to be one of the stars of it.” “That’s what we did,” Cylk tells me. “I ended

up being one of the leads, and it was the biggest movie I’ve ever done, and it kicked off my career.” While he was no longer in the starring role, Cylk was still thrilled to play a major character in the film. His charm and improv skills shined as he acted alongside Woody Harrilson and Wesley Snipes. Cylk went on to act in other movies like “16 Blocks,” “Eagle Eye,” and “Conspiracy Theory” with Mel Gibson, Julia Roberts, and Patrick Stewart. He got to spend a lot of time with them, and he says that they were all very good people. In one scene, Julia Roberts was supposed to knock him out with the butt of a gun, and she was terrified that she’d accidentally hurt him. Cylk assured her that he’d be fine, but when they filmed the scene, she hit him hard enough to actually knock him unconscious! She was very sorry, but at least it made the scene all the more realistic. In 2022, he also completed his second goal of becoming a director with his documentary “Inherit the Land,” which tells the story of two wealthy white sisters in the South at the turn of the 20th century, who in their will, leave their property to a black man and his daughter who grew up in their home. Unfortunately, their will was challenged by the sisters’ cousins, but fortunately, the black heirs were able to triumph. Over his career, he has won numerous awards. In 2022, Representative Burchett arranged for a flag to be flown over the Capitol Building in Cylk’s honor for his birthday. “I could have given up a long time ago,” Cylk said. “But you learn more, I think, when you have to go through things. It forces you, mentally and physically, to find a way to do it.”

INHERIT THE LAND The documentary is based on the book by Gene Stowe set at the turn of the 20th century in Marvin, NC. The film was named Best Historical Documentary at the Hollywood Weekly film festival in Beverly Hills, California in 2022.

CYLK BLENDED TENNESSEE WHISKEY Co-owned by actor Cylk Cozart and sports and business consultant Rick Clark, this whiskey is made at Old Tennessee Distilling Co. in Kodak, Tennessee. It's a blend of 4 year old bourbon and whiskey distilled with corn grown in the state's eastern foothills.

It’s been a long road, but he’s accomplished great things.

HOLIDAY/WINTER 2023 McMINN LIFE

Holiday HAPPENINGS MCMINN COUNTY

ANNUAL OPEN EXHIBITION

KNOXVILLE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA HOLIDAY CONCERT

January 5th through February 19th The Arts Center 320 North White Street Athens, TN, 37303

December 5 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. The Auditorium at Athens City Middle School 200 Keith Lane Athens, TN, 37303

AthensArtsCouncil.org

The beloved visit from Knoxville Symphony is back by popular demand. This program features Classical selections and popular seasonal tunes. AthensArtsCouncil.org

January 12 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The Arts Center 320 North White Street Athens, TN, 37303

JIMMY LINER MEMORIAL CHRISTMAS PARADE

A perennial favorite back in the Black Box for the first time since 2019, “Jazzy” helps us ring in the Holiday season with sacred choral music and secular songs performed by small groups and soloists.

Celebrate the music of a period that shaped generations of music featuring vocalists and our house band, September Song. Rights, liberties, wars and freedom. Voices found, voices shouting! This concert celebrates the music that carried the world with a little bit of love yeah, yeah, yeah! The selection of songs from the era will be performed by regional vocalists. The setlist includes songs from a variety of genres and includes songs made popular by performers such as Marvin Gaye, Elton John, Carole King, The Allman Brothers, James Taylor, Aretha Franklin, Neil Young and the Bee Gees, to name a few.

AthensArtsCouncil.org

Facebook.com/AthensTNChamber

December 8th through 10th The Arts Center 320 North White Street Athens, TN, 37303

McMINN LIFE HOLIDAY/WINTER 2023

December 4th 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Main Street at The Lite House 3 West College Street Athens, TN 37303

HERITAGE SCHOOL: JAPANESE CALLIGRAPHY AND ORIGAMI

November 29th 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. 522 West Madison Avenue Athens, TN 37303 A VERY MERRY ETOWAH CHRISTMAS

December 2nd 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. L&N Depot Museum 727 Tennessee Avenue South Etowah, TN 37331 A Very Merry Etowah Christmas is a Christmas Festival in the heart of Etowah that you do not want to miss!

Are you interested in learning about cultural traditions from countries around the world? This program will feature two Japanese traditions of calligraphy and origami. Learn the basics of calligraphy and create your own origami figures to take home!

MCMINN COUNTY RESCUE SQUAD: CHRISTMAS TOY & FOOD DRIVE

McMinnRescue.org

February 2nd 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. The Arts Center 320 North White Street Athens, TN, 37303

CHRISTMAS AT THE DEPOT

There will be something for everyone. For more information, please call the Niota Water Department at 568-2579 or Niota City Hall at 568-2584.

AthensArtsCouncil.org

RED SHOE GALA

February 11th and 12th The Arts Center 320 North White Street Athens, TN, 37303 We need a six men (young adult to adult) and two women (young adult) of a variety of backgrounds. Anyone who wants to help with the production in any capacity should attend the auditions.

December 1st 7 p.m. Downtown Sweetwater

TELLICO’S DOWNHOME CHRISTMAS MARKET

November 25 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Downtown Tellico Plains Shop for all of your favorite gifts with a local flare from our hometown vendors during Shop Small Saturday.

December 9th 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 201 E. Main Street Niota, TN

This piece is a conversation about Black hair—its history, evolution, and influence on identity. ACT Show tickets go on sale 4-6 weeks before Opening Night.

AUDITIONS: BILOXI BLUES

SWEETWATER CHRISTMAS PARADE 2023

LivingHeritageMuseum.org

Through December 4th 10 North White Street 221 East Washington Avenue

HOT COMB, HONEY?

MONROE COUNTY

December 9th 6:30 p.m. St. Mary’s Catholic Church 1291 Madison Avenue Athens, TN

November 25th 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Various Locations in Downtown Sweetwater

Please join us for an inspiring evening or purpose and unity. Our esteemed keynote speakers are Angela and Billy Brock. This elegant evening supports the children in our community by raising money for CASA!

This morning, enjoy a Santa breakfast, the Shop Small Saturday giveaway, and pet photos with Santa. Our main starts at 5. Ride our carousal, take a kids’ train ride or a carrage ride for families, and see a live nativity with actual camels and donkeys.

CASACorridor.org

SweetwaterMainStreet.com

HOLIDAY/WINTER 2023 McMINN LIFE

MADISONVILLE CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL ON THE SQUARE

December 9th 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Downtown Madisonville Come gather in Downtown Madisonville as the community lights up the town and kicks off the holiday season. You can expect magical memories to be made all day long as you stroll the square and experience this Christmas wonderland. Eat, drink, shop, play, and be merry while you wait for the Christmas parade finale hosted by the Madisonville Kiwanis. See the photos of Christmas Festivals’ past to get a glimpse of what you might find. But just like those gifts on Christmas morning, you might find some new surprises each year! Facebook.com/events/976722723531931 LIVE NATIVITY

December 2nd 4 to 8 p.m. The Charles Hall Museum 229 Cherohala Skyway Tellico Plains, TN 37385

JINGLE BELL SHOP

December 3rd 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Historic Downtown Sweetwater

December 3rd 2 p.m. Sweetwater Depot Visitors Center

Enjoy Sunday Funday on Sweetwater Main Street for this newly added event, The Jingle Bell Shop! Enjoy the always popular cookie crawl, special sales, food trucks, photos with Santa Claus.

Wear your pajamas to the train car where the conductor will read you the story of the Polar Express. Get your picture taken with Santa and other characters.

SweetwaterMainStreet.com

18TH CENTURY CHRISTMAS GARRISON

TELLICO PLAINS CHRISTMAS CANDLELIGHT WALK

Join Campfire Ministries for a free event that celebrates the birth of Jesus. Free Hot dogs, drinks, s’mores and refreshments will be provided by area churches and Campfire Ministries! There will be kids crafts, story times, live Christian Christmas music and a live nativity with animals. Organizers encourage our visitors to take a short walk to downtown Tellico Plains and experience a Candlelight Walk in historic Town Square! Call Chris Maney at 423-519-6275 for more information or to participate.

December 2nd 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Fort Loudoun State Historic Area

December 2nd 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Downtown Tellico Plains

Bring in the holiday season and celebrate Christmas as soldiers did during the French and Indian War. Throughout the day demonstrations will be taking place, such as cooking, laundering, blacksmithing, and artillery drills. There is also a Christmas church service with Parson John and wassail tasting. The evening portion begins at the Visitor’s Center at 6:00 P.M. and includes a candlelight tour.

Come join us in Tellico Plains, TN for the Christmas event of the year! Our downtown merchants will be opening up their shops for their annual open house. The luminaries throughout downtown will guide you through the perfect old fashioned Christmas experience. Santa and the Grinch will also both be here! This is a family event you do not want to miss!

CharlesHallMuseum.com

Facebook.com/FortLoudounStateHistoricArea

VisitMonroeTN.com

McMINN LIFE HOLIDAY/WINTER 2023

FARRAGUT

VETERAN’S RECEPTION AND “A DAY OF INFAMY” PRESENTATION

December 4th 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Farragut Community Center 239 Jamestowne Boulevard Farragut, TN 37934 Join historian Frank Galbraith for a history lesson as he brings World War II history to life with his “Day of Infamy” presentation. VisitFarragut.org/events FARRAGUT CHRISTMAS PARADE AND CHRISTMAS VILLAGE

December 10th Christmas Village: 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Parade: 4 p.m. Farragut High, Middle, and Intermediate School Campuses Celebrate the Christmas season at the Farragut Parade and Christmas Village! farragutchristmasparade.com

CELEBRATE THE SEASON

LIGHT THE PARK

November 30th 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Farragut Community Center 239 Jamestowne Blvd. Knoxville, TN 37934

November 21st through January 1st 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Kingston Pike & N Campbell Station Road Farragut, TN 37934

This festive evening is will put a holiday smile on everyone’s face. Come out to the Farragut Community center for an evening of cookie decorating, crafts, and a holiday movie. Kids can even share their wish lists with Santa and will receive a free photo.

From dusk to 10 p.m. nightly, the holiday lights will be on along Campbell Station Road from the I-40 commuter lot to the Campbell Station Inn Plaza at the intersection of Campbell Station Road and Kingston Pike. Enjoy strolling through the park, mailing letters to Santa and checking out the daily giveaways from local businesses and groups.

VisitFarragut.org/events

HOLIDAY/WINTER 2023 McMINN LIFE

KNOXVILLE

SLEIGH THE PEPPERMINT TRAIL

November 24th through January 7th Downtown Knoxville

FANTASY OF TREES

November 22nd through 26th Knoxville Convention Center 701 Henley Street Knoxville, TN 37902 East Tennessee Children’s Hospital Fantasy of Trees presented by Axle Logistics is returning in 2023, and will be the holiday event you don’t want to miss. The annual event is the hospital’s largest fundraiser, attracting nearly 60,000 people during the week of Thanksgiving. Travel through a forest of more than 350 beautifully designed trees, holiday accessories, store front windows, door designs, table centerpieces and an Adopt-a-Tree forest decorated by local school children. All priced to sell.

Follow the trail of peppermints on the sidewalks of Downtown Knoxville to discover all sorts of treats featuring the favorite redand-white candy. From candy cane coffees at morning brunch to craft cocktails sipped by candlelight, you’ll find peppermint treats round almost every corner – along with plenty of gingerbread, cinnamon, cranberry, apple spice, and other holiday flavors. Plus, boutiques and gift shops feature peppermintthemed t-shirts, scented soaps, candles, and all kinds of holiday surprises.

WIVK CHRISTMAS PARADE

December 1st 7 p.m. Gay Street Join us for everyone’s favorite parade, the WIVK Christmas Parade! Bands, dancers, lighted floats, characters and Santa Claus parade down Gay Street and brings fun holiday spirit to all! WIVK.com

DowntownKnoxville.org/holiday/ peppermint

THE ELF ON THE SHELF® ADVENTURE

November 24th through January 7th Downtown Knoxville

VisitKnoxville.com/events REGAL CELEBRATION OF LIGHTS

November 24th 5:15 p.m. to 9 p.m. Krutch Park 504 Market Street Knoxville, TN 37902

Santa is sending Scout Elves to Downtown Knoxville for a magical scavenger hunt in more than two dozen downtown businesses! And Saint Nick has granted these special elves permission to remain in Knoxville from Friday, November 24, 2023 to Sunday, January 7, 2024.

Join us for the lighting of our 42-foot tall Mickey Mallonee Christmas in the City Tree in Krutch Park Extension. Enjoy live music with Mikki Norwood Band at 5:15pm with the lighting of the tree ceremony starting at 6pm, free activities, photos with Santa and more!

You can pick up a North Pole Pass at Mast General Store or Knoxville Visitors Center to guide you through the adventure. The first 5,000 participants will receive a holiday stamp to self-stamp their passes. Or you can download a North Pole Pass online.

VisitKnoxville.com/events

DowntownKnoxville.org/holiday/elf

KNOXVILLE’S HOLIDAYS ON ICE

November 24th through January 3rd Market Square 18 Market Square Knoxville , TN 37902 Whether with family, friends, or on a date, you’ll love skating in the heart of Downtown Knoxville in Market Square! Join us at Holidays on Ice presented by Home Federal Bank to make memories that will last long after the holidays are over. KnoxvilleTN.gov

December 2nd 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Rothchild Catering & Conference Center 8807 Kingston Pike Knoxville, TN 37923 Veterans Heritage Site Foundation is proud to host the 2023 Veterans Holiday Bash! This event is a fundraiser for the United Veterans Council Veterans Breakfast Program. This is an adult event, no children under 18! VeteransHeritagesite.org

January 27th Jacob Building 3301 East Magnolia Avenue Knoxville, TN 37914 ChocolateFest offers a day full of sweets and gifts from area chocolatiers, bakeries, restaurants, caterers, and various other nonfood type vendors! Get the VIP treatment with a tasting ticket! MyChocolateFest.com

GATLINBURG

CHEROKEE CAVERNS PRESENTS CHRISTMAS IN THE CAVE 2023

December 1st through 3rd December 8th through 10th December 15th through 17th 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Historic Cherokee Caverns 8524 Oak Ridge Hwy Knoxville, TN 37931 Come join us for this Family Fun Tradition in Knoxville, TN. Everyone is welcome as we celebrate a little bit of Christmas Magic! Stroll along the cave path among the Stalactites and Stalagmites with thousands of twinkling Christmas lights and scenes! HistoricCherokeeCaverns.com

December 31st 8 p.m. to 12 a.m. World’s Fair Park 963 Worlds Fair Park Drive Knoxville, TN 37916 Bring in 2024 with your friends and family at World’s Fair Park with food trucks, free activities including a silent disco at 8:30pm, DJ music with Knox Vegas DJs on the main stage starting at 8pm, live music K-Town starting at 9:30pm-11:55pm with the Ball drop from the Sunsphere at Midnight.

GATLINBURG WINTER MAGIC KICKOFF AND CHILI COOKOFF

November 9th 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. 120 Historic Nature Trail Gatlinburg, TN 37738

Plan an evening enjoying the lights and restaurants in Downtown Knoxville, ice skating at Holidays on Ice will be open until 9pm and then take the short walk over to World’s Fair Park to continue your evening.

Celebrate the kickoff of Gatlinburg’s Winter Magic at the 34th Chili Cookoff presented by Bush’s Chili Beans. Offering mouth-watering recipes of homemade chili ranging from mild and delightful to wild and adventurous. Festivalgoers will enjoy free, live entertainment offered throughout the event.

KnoxvilleTN.gov

Gatlinburg.com/events

HOLIDAY/WINTER 2023 McMINN LIFE

NEW YEARS EVE FIREWORKS SHOW AND BALL DROP

NEW YEAR’S EVE LIGHTS OF WONDER

December 31st 115 Historic Nature Trail Gatlinburg, TN 37738

December 31st 10 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. 765 Parkway, Gatlinburg, 37738

On Airport Road at the Parkway – For the 36th straight year, the Space Needle area at traffic light #8 comes alive at the stroke of midnight with a fabulous fireworks show. Features family-friendly entertainment.

The city of Gatlinburg is getting ready to have its fireworks display from the top of the Gatlinburg Space Needle this New Year’s Eve! To get the very best, and most unique view, of the fireworks in (and above) town, you need to get your VIP “NYE Lights of Wonder” tickets for an exclusive fireworks viewing on top of the SkyPark’s mountain and SkyBridge. From the SkyBridge, you will be vieiwing the fireworks from 500 feet above Gatlinburg and roughly 100 feet above the Space Needle’s firework’s launchpad. View the fireworks from the best spot in town, enjoy the Lights Over Gatlinburg lights afterhours at the SkyPark, AND come back to visit the SkyPark as many times as you want!

Visitors are encouraged to arrive early to take advantage of the celebration specials offered by many Gatlinburg restaurants and businesses. Live music begins at 10 p.m. at the base of the Space Needle on Historic Nature Trail/Airport Rd. Gatlinburg.com/events

December 1st 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.

GATLINBURG WINTER MAGIC CELEBRATION

More than 60,000 people come to view the award winning parade featuring lighted floats, marching bands, giant balloons and of course Santa Claus! The parade route runs through the middle of downtown Gatlinburg.

Downtown Gatlinburg For more than 30 years, Gatlinburg has celebrated Winterfest with millions of twinkling lights on festive holiday displays throughout the city. Soak up the spirit of the season from the comfort of your own vehicle and take a memorable journey on the exciting Gatlinburg Winter Magic Lights Tour. Gatlinburg.com/events

FANTASY OF LIGHTS CHRISTMAS PARADE

McMINN LIFE HOLIDAY/WINTER 2023

Beginning at 7:30 p.m. from Baskins Creek Bypass and East Parkway, a spectacular parade line-up of balloons, floats decorated by local businesses and community groups, and high school marching bands, spans through downtown before ending at traffic light #10. Spectators are encouraged to arrive early on parade day. Gatlinburg.com/events

GatlinburgSkyPark.com WINTER MAGIC TUNES AND TALES

November 24th through 25th and December 1st, 2nd, 8th, 9th, 15th, and 16th 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. Smoky Mountain Tunes & Tales returns this winter to entertain Gatlinburg visitors! Tunes & Tales is street performance festival featuring costumed musical performers, dancers, and storytellers portraying characters from time periods as far back as the 1800s.

SEVIERVILLE

PIGEON FORGE

ANDERSON COUNTY A CLINTON CHRISTMAS STROLL

November 25th Downtown Clinton DOLLYWOOD’S SMOKY MOUNTAIN CHRISTMAS

November 11th through January 6th Dollywood Pigeon Forge, TN November 17th through December 31st Soaky Mountain Waterpark See the gorgeous light show synched to Christmas music. ShadrackChristmas.com

CHATANOOGA

Christmas is a magical time at Dollywood. Enjoy Smoky Mountain Christmas, an awardwinning festival known for being the best across America. This year, there will be more lights & shows, a themed area, and all of the classics that you know and love.

You’ve never experienced a Christmas walking tour until you’ve experienced this one. Join us for a Live Nativity, photos with Santa, crafts, and more! Churches will have their choirs singing, and we’ll have wassail and Christmas ornaments for sale. Bring the family and kick off the Christmas season. AdventureAnderson.com

Enjoy Glacier Ridge, showcasing a 50 foot video motion Christmas tree that illuminates the park. In addition, classic shows and productions such as It’s a Wonderful Life, the Parade of Many Colors, and more will return. Dollywood.com

CLINTON CHRISTMAS PARADE

December 2nd 6 p.m. Market Street Clinton, TN 37716 Clinton’s Christmas Parade through our Historic District is always a must see. The parade starts at 6:00pm so make sure you find your seat along the parade route early!

ROCK CITY’S ENGHANTED GARDEN OF LIGHTS

HistoricDowntownClinton.org

November 17th through December 23rd December 25th through 31st 1400 Patten Road Lookout Mountain, GA 30750

NEW YEARS FIREWORKS AT THE ISLAND

Celebrate 29 years of holiday tradition at Rock City’s award-winning Enchanted Garden of Lights — where joy, wonder, and magic await!

December 31 The Island Pigeon Forge, TN

Warm your heart during this nighttime, family tradition as you walk through Rock City Gardens’ winter wonderland. Located a quick drive from downtown Chattanooga, this magical Christmas lights experience is one of Chattanooga’s memorable winter events.

Join us at The Island in Pigeon Forge as we countdown to 2024 with a dazzling midnight fireworks production! The Island is once again hosting the annual New Year’s Eve FREE Concert featuring headliner, Stephen Goff and The Royals!

Two great events! The Holiday Market (10am - 5pm) will have street vendors, food trucks and sales in the brick and mortar shops. The Cookie Crawl (1pm -4pm) will have Santa & Mrs. Clause, the Grinch and free cookies!!

SeeRockCity.com

IslandInPigeonForge.com/new-years-eve/

AdventureAnderson.com

HOLIDAY MARKET AND COOKIE CRAWL

December 9th 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Downtown Clinton

HOLIDAY/WINTER 2023 McMINN LIFE

JOIN THE MOVEMENT WE CAN’T FIX THE LITTER PROBLEM OVERNIGHT, BUT WE SHOULD ALL DO OUR PART TO HELP STOP LITTERING.

DID YOU KNOW? AT ANY GIVEN TIME IN THE STATE, THERE ARE 100 MILLION PIECES OF LITTER ON TENNESSEE’S ROADWAYS. Keep McMinn Beautiful - Do your part to help pick it up!

KEEP McMINN BEAUTIFUL 6 E. Madison Avenue • Athens, TN 37303

Years Of First For The Women In East Tennesse First Breast Center In Tennessee

First In-Office Biopsies

First Mobile Mammography Program

First Multidisciplinary Breast Tumor Conference

First Dedicated Breast MRI

Forty Years Of Earlier Detection To Save Lives! The Knoville Comprehensive Breast Center is grateful to have been able to serve East Tennessee for 40 years! Dr. Kamilia Kozlowski and staff have always been the leader when it comes to innovative treatment for breast cancer.

First Digital Hologic Mammography

No-Compression Breast CT at KCBC

First Cryoablation of Breast Cancers

The Knoxville Comprehensive Breast Center (KCBC) is the first in the United States to bring the future of breast imaging to East Tennessee. This exciting new FDA approved technology is 3D breast imaging, but better because patients no longer have to suffer from the inevitable “compression” that is inherent with traditional and 3D mammography.

First Custom Breast Prosthetics

“This new technology is the biggest breakthrough in breast imaging. It gets rid of the most common complaint patients have,” says KCBC physician and founder, Dr. Kamila Kozlowski, “and provides a wealth of information that isn’t available in mammography.”

FIrst No-Compression Breast CT

The Breast CT is the latest advancement in breast imaging. It gives physicians the ability to see behind structures in the breast that naturally get squeezed with 2D and 3D mammography, and patients get the same low dose radiation as they would with mammograms.

SERVICES ONLY AVAILABLE AT KCBC

“This will become the gold standard of early detection in the years to come and women won’t have to worry about compression,” says Dr. Kozlowski. “We are proud to continue the tradition of bringing the latest and greatest advancements in early detection to the women of East Tennessee.”

No-Compression Breast CT Cryoablation of Breast Cancers Custom Forms for Survivors 1400 Dowell Springs Blvd. Suite 200 • Knoxville, TN 37909 • www.knoxvillebreastcenter.com WHEN YOU NEED ANSWERS, OR IT'S TIME FOR YOUR ANNUAL, CALL 865-584-0291