The Loafer April 4th by The Loafer

theloaferonline.com | April 4, 2017

on the cover

GEOCACHING

Volume 31 • Issue #18 Publisher Luci Tate Editor Graphic Arts Director Don Sprinkle Cover Design Bill May

Contributing Staff Jim Kelly Andy Ross Ken Silvers Mark Marquette Brian Bishop Daniel Worley Jason Worley Langley Shazor Distribution Jerry Hanger Teresa Hanger Published by Pulse Publishing, LLC., P.O. Box 3238, Johnson City, TN 37602 Phone: 423/283-4324 FAX - 423/283-4369 www.theloaferonline.com info@theloaferonline.com e-mail: editorial@theloaferonline.com adcopy@theloaferonline.com All advertisements are accepted and published by the publisher upon the representation that the agency and/ or advertiser is authorized to publish the entire contents and subject matter thereof. The agency and/or advertiser will indemnify and save the publisher harmless from any loss of expense resulting from claims or suits based upon contents of any advertisement, including claims or suits for defamation, libel, right of privacy, plagiarism, and copyright infringement.

Founder: Bill Williams Let’s Get Social!

columns & reviews

Office Coordinator Amanda Lane

10 Batteries Not Included The Film is Strong with This One 16 Stargazer Leap Into Spring Time Stargazing 17 Skies This Week 18 Pop Life Life 20 Appalachian Wanderers State Natural Areas Celebration Week 22 Mountain Movers The Lesa Singleton Horne Interview 23 The Casual Word Desired 24 Puzzle Page 27 Kelly’s Place A Few Random Reflections about TINKERTECHNO

your week’s line-up

Advertising Dave Carter Patti Barr Shawn Hale Paul Kavanaugh Julie Noecker

4 Do You GeoCache? 5 Members Gallery Exhibit 6 'Palette-able' Suspense 7 Easter EGG-stravaganzas 8 #Parkies 9 Woolly Day @ Rocky Mount 11 The Jeff Little Trio @ Carter Family 12 Love Canon @ Holston River Brewing 13 The Gibson Brothers @ NPAC 14 Spotlight 19 Crimes of the Heart 21 Charlotte's Web 21 Corazón Latino Festival 23 The Billies Return 25 Pets Of The Week 26 Things To Do

theloaferonline.com | April 4, 2017

Do You GeoCache?

theloaferonline.com | April 4, 2017

by Luci Tate

Raising two boys isn’t always easy. Finding something for two boys to do with their mother that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg is even more difficult. We stumbled upon GeoCaching through a friend and decided to give it a try. We were hooked. My boys, their cousins, my sisters and family members and friends would join us on our adventures to hunt these treasures abound. What is geocaching you ask?

eocaching is an increasingly popular, inclusive, fun and healthy pastime for individuals of all ages. It is also great for groups like families, friends, classes and youth groups working as teams. The sport combines technology with adventure and nature, a combination that some people didn't think was possible. The basic core consists of using a hand held GPS receiver unit to guide you to a destination, where a hidden container (or "cache") is stored. We use our phone. Once found, you log your visit in an included logbook, and optionally trade one of the many contained "goodies" (or swag as we call it) for one of your own. Geocaching is real-world, outdoor treasure hunting game using GPS enabling devices. Participants navigate to a specific set of GPS coordinates and then attempt to find the geocache (container) hidden at that location. Geocaching started in 2010 by a man named Dave Ulmer, a computer consultant who wanted to test the accuracy of GPS by hiding a navigation target in the woods. He called the idea “Great American GPS Stash Hunt”. The idea was simple: Hide a container out in the woods and note the coordinates with a GPS unit. The finder would then have to located the container with only the use of his or her GPS receiver. The rules for the finder were simple. “Take some stuff, leave some stuff.” On May 3rd he placed his own container, a black bucket, in the woods near Beavercreek, Oregon. Along with a logbook and pencil, he left prize items including videos, books, software and a slingshot. He shared the waypoint of his “stash” with the online community. And there we have it. So started this mass treasure hunt. The name GeoCachiing originated by Matt Sum who was on the hunt for Mr. Ulmers treasure box. The prefix geo, for Earth, was used to describe the global nature of the activity. Caching, from the word cache, has two different meanings, which makes it very appropriate for the activity. A french word invented in 1797, the original definition referred to a hiding place someone would use to temporarily store items. The word cache stirs up visions of pioneers, gold miners, and even pirates. Today the word is still even used in the news to describe hidden weapons locations. The second use of cache has more recently been used in technology. Memory cache is computer storage that is used to quickly retrieve frequently used information. Your web browser, for example, stores images on disk so you don't have to retrieve the same image every time you visit similar pages. The combination of Earth, hiding, and technology made geocaching an excellent term for the activity.

The Smiley faces are caches we have found. The green micro boxes we still need to find. This is just in the vicinity of The Loafer office. How many do you have around your home/office?

So you might ask yourself, “where do I begin to hunt for these treasures placed all around the tri cities area and beyond, globally?” First you will need to download the app onto your smart phone and create a login.

At its simplest level, geocaching requires these 8 steps: 1. Register for a free Basic Membership. (this is what we use and find many caches throughout the area.) 2. Visit the "Hide & Seek a Cache" page. 3. Enter your postal code and click "search." 4. Choose any geocache from the list and click on its name. 5. Enter the coordinates of the geocache into your GPS Device. 6. Use your GPS device to assist you in finding the hidden geocache. 7. Sign the logbook and return the geocache to its original location. 8. Share your geocaching stories and photos online. There are many other levels to the game. You can find out more in great detail by visiting www.geocaching.com You’ll be surprised at all the many hidden treasures (Caches) that are right in your backdoor and you never knew. As the weather warms up, go enjoy the outdoors and get your geocaching on. Who knows, we just might run in to you. Do you geocache?

ers caveng . t The S n Hull found a h t y son Cit n Tate, Devo n h o J in la ocache rson Tate, Dy a First ge 2010 – mphausen, C on Ka Camer

The Arts Depot will present artwork created by four area artists in the Member’s Showcase Gallery. The exhibiting artists are Sue Branham and Brenda Ratliff both from Grundy, VA; Mary Talbott from Big Rock, VA and the Barbara “Jake” Wilson from Unicoi, TN. The member’s exhibit continues through Saturday, June 10.

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rundy, VA artist, Sue Branham began art training while in college preparing to be a teacher. Painting became a hobby during her teaching career, however upon retirement she has enjoyed continuing her art education at area colleges and workshops. Her medium of choice is watercolor but recently began working in acrylics painting mostly landscapes, seascapes and florals.

Meet-the-Artists Reception Thursday, April 6th 6-8 pm

ary Talbott is a retired biology and earth sciences teacher from Big Rock, VA. Mary received most of her formal art education at area colleges and workshops. Her exhibit will consist of watercolors with an emphasis on plants and scenery resulting from her interest in nature. Recently Talbott has produced woven pictures made from two paintings if the same or different subjects. Mary has exhibited work at the Appalachian Arts Center, Southwest Virginia Community College, Virginia Highlands Festival’s Juried fine arts exhibition and the Booth Center in Grundy, VA.

Arts Depot Members Gallery Exhibit Opens April 5

arbara “Jake” Wilson has had an appreciation of the colors, shapes and beauty around her all of her life. Her earliest memory, at the age of three, was the discovery of tiny flowers blooming along a dirt path where she was born and raised, "up the holler" in the hills of East Tennessee. Through the years she attended art classes in Connecticut and North Carolina. After moving back to Tennessee in 1999 her love of watercolor accelerated under the teaching of Urban Bird. “Jake” works in watercolor and, no matter what her subject matter is, her themes always include the exploration of light and dark. She renda Flynn Ratliff earned signs her name "Jake" a nickname her B.S. degree in fine art given her by her father. from ETSU and earned a Master’s degree in education at the University of Virginia. Brenda was inspired by her father’s flower business, to create paintings of all of the beauty surrounding her every day. She paints bold, vibrant and dramatic paintings and says she “likes to push the limits of acrylics” by having saturated, strong colors and quirky little details.” She takes everyday objects and portrays them in dramatic and extraordinary ways.

theloaferonline.com | April 4, 2017

Members Gallery Exhibit

theloaferonline.com | April 4, 2017

‘Palette-able’ Suspense Dreams, discovery propel printmaker to create; Free artist talk Thursday at ETSU

Visual artist Oscar Gillespie works without plan, from intuition, dreams, quirks of nature and life events, allowing a narrative for a piece to flow naturally out of the moment, or at least, his day. Each of his works – whether the process is metal-plate engraving, monotypes or intaglio – keeps him in exquisite suspense until the very end.

illespie will discuss his intuitive style and process – and “how ideas begin and grow over time in an artist’s career” – at East Tennessee State University on Thursday, April 6, in an artist talk at 7:30 p.m. in Ball Hall Auditorium, Room 127. A Q&A and reception will follow. In addition to the free talk and reception, the art educator will lead a workshop in engraving for ETSU Art & Design students while on campus. Gillespie’s own artistic Zen began developing when he was growing up in Northern Arizona and roaming his grandfather’s farm “where there was a wonderful menagerie of all sorts of beasts and fowl.” He wanted “to capture them in some way without harming them or caging them.” That fascination with the natural world, he says, drives his work – whether the inspiration comes from reality, reverie, rituals or dreams that morph “into magical beings.” As an undergraduate in art at Northern Arizona University, his fancy was captured – in an artist workshop with Andrew Rush – by the “odd” burin tool and making cuts in a copper plate. He subsequently changed his major to printmaking and earned his BFA in printmaking at NAU and an MFA from Arizona State University. The burin just became an extension of his hand and his penchant for drawing continued, just on differing surfaces.

Since 1974, he has shown his work in more than 300 solo, group, invitational and juried exhibitions. His work may be found in more than 60 public collections, including the Fogg Museum, Harvard; The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; the Denver Art Museum; the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis; the Nelson-Atkins Museum, Kansas City; the New York Public Library; the Plains Museum, Fargo, North Dakota; and the National Museum of Posnan, Poland. “I’ve known Oscar since the 1980s,” says Mary B. Martin School of the Arts Director and art faculty member Anita DeAngelis. “Oscar works primarily in engraving, and engraving is a skill set that is difficult to master. His engravings are absolutely stunning, so it’s not surprising that his work is in many artists’ portfolios and he is much in demand. Students and faculty at ETSU asked us to bring him back, so we are thrilled to be able to do that.” While his work has been shared around the world and is taken seriously by artists and art experts, Gillespie says his pieces often start with a giggle. He encourages artists to employ their sense of fun or a tease of the senses to incite a mental and creative journey of discovery. For more information on Gillespie, visit www.oscarjaygillespie.com. For information about the artist talk or ETSU Mary B. Martin School of the Arts, visit www.etsu.edu/martin or call 423-439-TKTS (8587).

Hop over to Main Street Jonesborough for the Annual Easter Eggstravaganza event on Saturday, April 8 from 1 – 3 p.m.

aking place throughout downtown, there will be lots of fun, free activities including face painting, children’s crafts, pictures with the Easter bunny, Easter petting zoo, meet the princesses, touch-a-truck and more. Also enjoy free popcorn and cotton candy provided by area sponsors to make the day even sweeter. This year you can also shop the Easter Market on the Plaza of the Storytelling Center for some great spring decorations and items for Easter baskets starting at 11 a.m. Make sure you stick around for the egg hunt with 4,000 candy and toy filled eggs to be found. Jimmy Neil Smith Park, located behind the Storytelling Center will be separated into 4 areas for various age groups. This event is for children 12 and under and is brought to you by Main Street Jonesborough and Jonesborough Parks and Recreation along with the following sponsors: Johnson City Power Board, Walgreen’s, Food City, Greater Eastern Credit Union, Jonesborough Kiwanis Club, McKinney Center for the Arts and the Jonesborough Repertory Theatre. The Hunt for the Golden Egg will start just after the egg hunt, which is a scavenger egg hunt throughout downtown. Clue sheets can be picked up at The Lollipop Shop starting at 3:30 pm. For more information on this or any events in Jonesborough, please visit Main Street Jonesborough on Facebook or call 423-753-1010.

State Street, Bristol, TN

Pancake breakfast, pictures with the Easter Bunny, specialty Easter baskets and a bake sale to benefit Bristol's only slidingscale childcare center.

WCA Bristol will host its 14th annual Easter Eggstravaganza Saturday, April 8 from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at 106 State Street in Bristol, Tenn. Join the YWCA for a fun-filled morning complete with a pancake breakfast, pictures with the Easter Bunny, and other fun activities. Bring the family, sample sweet treats at the bake sale, and peruse handmade crafts. Specialty themed Easter baskets will also be on sale. The pancake breakfast and pictures with the Easter Bunny will be available from 9 to 11 a.m.; Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for children under 10. Reservations are required for breakfast and can be made by calling the YWCA at 423.968.9444. All proceeds from this event benefit the YWCA Children's Center. The YWCA Children's Center is Bristol's only slidingscale childcare facility, it is licensed by the state of Tennessee, and has been 3- STAR rated since 2000 when the rating system began.

theloaferonline.com | April 4, 2017

Downtown Jonesborough

Easter Eggstravaganzas

theloaferonline.com | April 4, 2017

#Parkies

To Nominate Bristol to receive park grant

April is Earth Month and the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) is collaborating with The Walt Disney Company, including Disney Citizenship, Disney/ABC Television Group, and ESPN, to revitalize parks across the U.S. for a third year. The city that receives the most nominations will receive a $20,000 grant to improve a local park.

ocal parks make Bristol a better place to live, shaping so many of our lives. Parks are essential to our city’s health and wellbeing. They provide safe places to be active and enjoy nature; they also help preserve the environment and bring people together. That is why from April 1 to April 30 Bristol, Tennessee residents will have the opportunity to nominate our city to receive $20,000 in grant funding to make improvements at a local park. By visiting NRPA.org/BeInspired, park supporters can nominate our city. At the end of April, the city with the most nominations will receive the grant funding. New this year, everyone who nominates a city will be entered into a drawing for a tablet outfitted for the outdoors. “We are so eager to get the word out that Bristol is in the running for this grant. We have so many people who visit our parks each year and feel so strongly about them

that I believe they will actively participate in the program,” said Terry Napier, Director of Parks and Recreation. NRPA Director of Conservation, Lori Robertson said, “Supporting local parks is essential to the health and vitality of communities everywhere. That’s why we are proud to collaborate with The Walt Disney Company to help fund critical park improvement projects for communities in need. We encourage everyone to join us in giving back to the places that shape so much of our lives by voting in this year’s Meet Me at the Park campaign.” This Earth Month, Bristol can show what parks mean to our community by nominating our great city. Encourage your friends and family to nominate our city by taking a selfie in your favorite park and using the hashtags #MeetMeAtThePark, #Parkies, and #BeInspired on social posts. For more information, and to nominate your city, visit NRPA.org/BeInspired.

dmission is $5 for everyone aged 5 and up. Members of Rocky Mount Museum receive free admission. Group rates available with reservation. Visitors will be able to purchase an additional craft ticket for naturally dyeing an egg for $2 per person. Four Cotswold lambs have been born so far this spring, with five more ewes expecting (These lambs are available for photo/ video opportunities). As in years past, Rocky Mount will have a contest to name these lambs for children 12 or younger. Submissions can be made at Rocky Mount and will be taken through April 14th. The newborn lambs are always a hit at Woolly Day; children will have opportunities throughout the day to meet and pet the lambs. Rocky Mount's Woolly Day is an opportunity for visitors to experience the spring activities of the early settlers of Tennessee. Wool processing is featured during this event. Rocky Mount's flock of sheep will be sheared throughout the day using hand shears. This is a great opportunity for children to get a close look, and even pet sheep, feel their wool and learn how it would be made into clothing. Visitors will be given the opportunity to wash the freshly sheared wool, use wool cards to straighten the fibers, and see how it is spun into yarn, and woven into cloth. Other demonstrations include hearth-side cooking, gardening and 18th century toys. Living History Tours of the Cobb House and buildings will be given throughout the day. For more information call 423-538-7396 or 888-538-1791 or email us at info@rockymountmuseum.com.

theloaferonline.com | April 4, 2017

Woolly Day

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Rocky Mount State Historic Site will present its annual "Woolly Day" on April 8th from 11-5. Woolly Day is Rocky Mount's spring event which features hand shearing of its flock of Cotswold sheep, wool processing techniques of the 18th century and other spring activities on a frontier farm.

theloaferonline.com | April 4, 2017

The Film is Strong with This One If you’ve read my column with any regularity, if you’ve even interacted with me in actual life, then you’re most likely aware that I like movies and music. A lot. They are two of the biggest sources of joy in my life. I’ve talked of my origins with music a lot in these pages before, but I’ve never talked much about how my taste in film formed. If there is a common link between the two it’s that they’ve both been so prominent in my life I can’t quite trace the moment I became all about them.

Batteries Not Included

By Andy Ross aross@ theloaferonline.com

hat I do know with certainty is that it became clear at an early age that music and movies were things I was going to be into. I watched an old home movie a few months ago where I’m all of three and my mother can be heard remarking “When he gets up he doesn’t want to potty or anything, he wants to listen to music.” Now I don’t have any idea what the first movie I saw was. I do know that it would have been before I saw my first movie in a theater, I was not quite the first generation to grow up with home video, but I was perhaps in the first to grow up with access to films readily. What sticks out in my mind are two years in particular that form the rock bed of my movie world, 1989 and 1992. In 1989 I saw my first movie in a theater. I can recall vividly sitting in screening room one at the Capri Twin on the Andrew Johnson Highway in Greeneville, watching “Ghostbusters 2.” I did something that day that became something of a ritual for me when I would go to the movies as a kid. I’d always make a point to look back at the projection booth and watch the strip of film going through the machine. One doesn’t quite get that experience anymore with the rise of digital projection. 1989 was also significant as that was the year Tim Burton’s “Batman” came out. “Batman” was one of the first films I was obsessed over, as Batman was my life. I had already fallen in love with the Adam West series by the time the film came out. You see I would watch a VHS of “Batman” while wearing Batman shoes, socks, pants, shirt, then go play with my Batman action figures in my bedroom. A bedroom that had a huge poster of Michael Keaton as Batman on the wall, Batman bed sheets, Batman bed spread, and a custom Batman chair that my Godparents had made for me. I watched Batman on VHS so much that the Diet Coke on the start of the tape—featuring Alfred—will be forever seared in my memory “Just look for a black car, this black car will be rather difficult to miss.” That movie, and my love of Batman, fueled what would be two big films of the following years for me, both childhood staples. 1990’s “Dick Tracy” and 1991’s highly underrated “The

Rocketeer.” Visual feasts of imaginative fun, all taken from comic book source material. These were not the only movies I watched at this time, there was Disney films peppered into the mix, “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” another favorite, cementing Rick Moranis as a childhood icon. 1989 out of the way, what about 1992? 1992 is the year that changed my life. I would see two of my most beloved films for the first time that year. One of these films would send me off on a path that has informed so much I have done in my life. Not only as a film fan, but in my writing career, and even in real world events I’ve been fortunate to be involved in. 1992 was the year I saw my first classic film. Another vivid memory, I was sitting on the floor on the living room at home, watching TV. It was on the channel A&E, back when used to be an Arts and Entertainment channel. I heard an announcer say “Coming up next the classic comedy ‘Duck Soup!’” This puzzled me. “‘Duck Soup?’ What on earth could a movie called ‘Duck Soup’ be about?” I watched the movie, and howled with laughter. Now I had seen Three Stooges shorts and Looney Tunes on TV before, but this was my first real classic film. The Marx Brothers made a huge impact on me. Watching Groucho throw lines around, breaking the fourth wall. Harpo acting like a strange, hyper clown, and Chico generally being just pure chaos. I was so taken by The Marx Brothers that for Halloween 1992 I went as Groucho. Other than kick the door open to classic film for me, what The Marx Brothers did was feed my desire for discovery. Once my Grandmother told me they had other movies in the world, I had to see them. This desire to see as many Marx Brothers movies as I could get my hands on caused me to wander into the classic section on the Friday ritual that oversaw my life right through high school. That ritual was going to the place that served as my film school, a video store—Popcorn Video—still in business after all these years and in the face of streaming. The rules were simple. I could rent two movies, two games, or one game and one movie. As long as it was PG-13—with some discretion from my mother—anything was game. So once I had wandered down the classics and all the Marx Brothers movies, I saw there was more to see. In short, Marx Brothers led to Abbott and Costello which led to MGM musicals, which led to Cary Grant, and so on and so on. Hitchcock was omni present, as I had been watching “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” on Nick at Nite as a kid, even though it would be a few years before I saw one of his films. The other great life changer for my entire family in 1992 is that my grandfather died of lung cancer. My dad’s mom, Max, plays a role in my filmdom, and— in a most weird way—his cancer does too. When it was clear he was becoming sick, efforts were made to spend a great deal of time together. We rented a condo in Gatlinburg for a few days, and one night he was sitting on the front of a bed watching a movie. I sat next to him and asked what he was watching. It was “A View to a Kill” Roger Moore’s last James Bond movie. “This is a spy movie, Andy” he said, “About a guy named James Bond.” I asked if he was a good guy and my grandfather replied “Yeah, he saves the world from bad guys.” It would take a few years for me to get back to Bond, but this is a memory I treasure. As his condition worsened, my grandfather

was sent to a hospital in Ohio for treatment. We went to visit him, and what I recall most clearly is that his room had a TV on a crane that could be moved to about anywhere around the bed. Knowing that I was a kid and not really sure what all was going on, Dada—as I called him—told me “Lower the TV to the floor and watch whatever you want, Andy.” I did, and began to flip around the local stations. I was already a board game player at this stage in my life, with Clue my favorite. Once again a TV announcer said “Up next the motion picture Clue!” I was blown away someone made a movie based on my favorite board game. “Clue” is now my favorite movie. We lost my grandfather later that year, but these are memories I wouldn’t trade for anything. These two things help build the house where my deep love of film lives. My desire to see movies every weekend with trips to popcorn video, off set by my mother guiding me and giving me the occasional suggestion now and then. “Oh, you like those Pink Panther cartoons on TV, you should see the movies” she said, giving me a life long love of Peter Sellers. “You liked Willy Wonka right? You should see Young Frankenstein” giving me a lifelong love of both Gene Wilder and Mel Brooks. “There’s a movie coming on TV I really want you to watch with me, I think you’d like it.” The film was “The Ghost and Mr. Chicken” and to this day I can’t see a container of Bon-Ami in a store and not think of the movie (“Do CALM and MURDER go together!?). I was always fascinated by Comedy as a kid, wanting to make people laugh and watch as much of it as I could. That, in another strange way, led me to find one of my favorite directors, the great Billy Wilder. I found Wilder through Carol Burnett. I loved watching the reruns of sketches from her show that made the rounds on Cable TV in the ‘90s. I was particularly struck by her parody of “Sunset Boulevard,” her over the top “Nora Desmond” character. I had to see what she was parodying, and that led to Mr. Wilder being in my life. Even then, as much as I watched contemporary films and loved them, there was something about the classics that just struck me a way the other films didn’t. I sometimes wonder what I would be like if I hadn’t had this life long, passionate love for movies. I can’t imagine I’d be anything like I am now. Movies are a central part of the core of my being. My love for them is why I like to talk about them in this column, to tell you what’s coming out on blu-ray. It’s such a beautiful world and it should be shared. We live in a time where any film you want is practically at your fingertips. My life, simply put, would be worse off without movies—particularly the classics I love so dearly. That love led to watching TCM, meeting friends who love TCM, and having a whole roster of people in my life who love this stuff as much as I do. Friends who are just the most delightful people you could ever hope to know (shout out to all the friends in my life, you’re weird, wonderful, and beautiful people). So what would Andy Ross be without movies? Well, as you’ve just read—and I hope you didn’t find this column too indulgent—I really wouldn’t be “Andy Ross.” A series of still pictures, moving at 24 frames per second, connecting us to people, family, and other humans. If that’s not magic, then I don’t know what is. See you next week.

otshot rockabilly pianist Jeff Little comes from Boone, North Carolina, in the heart of the Blue Ridge, where he grew up surrounded by music. Jeff began to play piano at age five. His family owned a music store, and musicians of all persuasions dropped by to play a few tunes with the kid, which helps account for Jeff's mastery of a range of styles. National Council for the Traditional Arts: “With few exceptions, the piano does not play a prominent part in Americana or traditional music, and is rarely the lead instrument. But Jeff Little is an exception – and a remarkable one. His distinctive style, much influenced by the flatpicked guitar tradition, is breathtaking in its speed, precision, and clarity.” National Public Radio, PBS, National Council for the Traditional Arts, American Piano Masters Series, the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, and the American Folk Festival are just a few of the venues that have featured Jeff’s music. He has also performed internationally – including concerts in Sri Lanka, Oman, Tanzania, and France. Performing with Jeff will be Steve Lewis on guitar and Josh Scott on upright bass. Steve (from Todd, NC) is one of the most respected acoustic musicians in the country. Well-known for his flat picking on guitar and his mastery of the five string banjo, Steve has won many championships for his guitar and banjo playing. Some of the prestigious events include the Walnut Valley Nationals, Merelefest, the Galax Old Time Fiddlers Convention, Renofest, and the Wayne Henderson Guitar Competition. Steve is also a two-time national champion on the banjo as well. Josh Scott rounds out the trio. From Fleetwood, NC, Josh is considered to be one of the most talented upright bass players. He has been featured on stage and in the studio with many critically acclaimed artists of acoustic and Americana music. For a concert unlike any other you’ll ever experience, don’t miss the Jeff Little Trio at the Carter Family Fold. Jeff has performed at the Fold many times, but this will mark his second concert with his new group – the Jeff Little Trio. Bring along your family and friends. Pack up your dancing shoes and join us for an evening of down-home, fun, family entertainment. For more information, go to http://jefflittle.net. For further information on the center, go to http://www. carterfamilyfold.org. For recorded information on shows coming up at the Fold, call 276-386-6054.

theloaferonline.com | April 4, 2017

The Jeff Little Trio At Carter Family Fold

Saturday, April 8th, 2017, at 7:30 p.m. the Carter Family Fold in Hiltons, Virginia, will present a concert by an old time band – the Jeff Little Trio. Concert admission is $10 for adults, $2 for children 6 to 11, under age 6 free.

At Holston River Brewing

theloaferonline.com | April 4, 2017

Love Canon

Love Canon, an immensely popular regional band out of the Roanoke area, is visiting The Tri Cities on Saturday, playing at Holston River Brewing Company on the Volunteer Parkway. A perfect description was provided by Peter McElhinney of Style Weekly.

ove Canon doesn't cover the music of the '80s as much as kidnap it and take it on a bluegrass-tinged joyride. There's no shortage of clever musical reenactors giving the first generation of MTV an ironic makeover: a fool's errand, given that the music already was soaked in postmodern irony. By contrast, Love Canon refreshes and extends the originals with affectionate humor and effortless virtuosity. The players — including Old School Freight Train's Jesse Harper and Darrell Muller, Virginia Commonwealth University guitar and banjo master Adam Larrabee, Mandolin Virtuoso Andy Thacker, and dobro Jedi Jay Starling — add layers of depth to the still-appealing pop hooks. They romp on throwaway classics such as ZZ Top's "Legs" and "She Blinded Me With Science." On their excellent version of "The Boys of Summer," the folk instrumentation adds a traditional context to the time-capsule lyrics. After blazing through other uptempo material, they shift to a slow burn on "Girls Just Want to Have Fun." It's an unlikely choice for an all-male band, but they strip the song down to its bittersweet, feminist heart. Tickets are $15 in advance and $22 at the door.

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Love that all the arts and entertainment for our area are located in a fun free magazine." Christina C.

The Gibson Brothers Bringing Bluegrass to NPAC

theloaferonline.com | March 28, 2017

Two time IBMA Entertainer of the Year, The Gibson Brothers, will take the stage at NPAC on Saturday, April 8 at 7:30 PM.

ith accolades including the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Entertainer of the Year, Song of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, and Album of the Year, the Gibson Brothers truly need no introduction in the bluegrass world. Yet even though they’re "bluegrass superstars" (New York Times), there are still plenty of people outside the worlds of bluegrass and acoustic music who are not yet familiar with their music. Born on a northern New York dairy farm, they began on banjo and guitar in middle school. Their dad, Kelley, owned a banjo, a fiddle and a guitar, and offered them lessons under the condition that they not quit. And while they did, indeed, stick to the music firmly planted in farm and family, the brothers expanded outward from there, from the Earl Scruggs lesson book to listening to Don Williams, to Ricky Skaggs with Emmylou Harris — an important intersection of country and bluegrass — and to the revelatory inspiration of Flatt & Scruggs Live at Carnegie Hall. The Gibson Brothers will be performing popular favorites and will include numbers from their new album, In the Ground. Leigh Gibson said, “As time goes by, we tend to lean on our original material more and more, singing fewer covers or traditional standards. Folks ask for songs like “Farm Of Yesterday” and “They Called It Music.” These have become our standards. And the new record, In The Ground, will be showcased heavily during the performance. It’s completely written by us.” If you love bluegrass, don’t miss The Gibson Brothers at the Niswonger Performing Arts Center (NPAC) in historic downtown Greeneville, TN on Saturday, April 8th at 7:30 PM. Tickets are $25 for orchestra seating, $20 for mezzanine level seating, and $15 for balcony

seats. Tickets may be purchased online at www.npacgreeneville.com, in person at the NPAC box office, or by calling 423-638-1679. This performance is sponsored by Smoky Mountain Living. NPAC offers online seat selection with no processing or delivery fees. There is a $1.50 ticketing fee per ticket regardless of purchase method. The box office hours are Monday through Friday, 10 AM until 5 PM. The 1150 seat performing arts center is located adjacent to the campus of Greeneville High School. For venue information, and to purchase tickets, please visit www.npacgreeneville.com.

Spotlight

theloaferonline.com | April 4, 2017

- TUESDAY - Apr. 4th -

If you or your band are playing in the upcoming week and would like to be in The Spotlight, call in advance to (423) 283-4324 or go online to: theloaferonline.com. Due to last minute cancellations or changes, please call the location to confirm.

- FRIDAY - Apr. 7th -

- SATURDAY - Apr. 8th -

Downtown Country Jiggy Ray’s Pizzeria

Jam with Richard Shulman Wellington’s Restaurant

Jeff Little Trio Carter Family Fold

Sista Otis Acoustic Coffeehouse

Nightshift Band Lion’s Club

Nice Couch Bone Fire Smokehouse

Kids Our Age Johnson City Senior Center

Paramount Chamber Players Paramount Center for the Arts

Jerry Pierce & the Nightlife Band Johnson City Senior Center

Victor Lawson w/ Boogie Chillin’ Country Club Bar & Grill

Ryan Ward Sleepy Owl Brewery

Suthern Boyz CJ’s Sports Bar

Live Music Bone Fire Smokehouse

The Diamonds Rock’s Wood Fired Pizza & Grill

Sullivan Street Country Club Bar & Grill

Love Canon Holston River Brewing Company

James Meadows Holston River Brewing Company

Joe Williams Acoustic Coffeehouse

Jason Keiser / Waiting for Eternity Acoustic Coffeehouse

Rusty Steel and Quarter Bounce 50fifty Sports Tavern

- WEDNESDAY - Apr. 5th He Is Legend w/A Fleeting Farewell The Hideaway Railway Express 50Fifty Sports Tavern Open Mic The Willow Tree Coffeehouse & Music Room Open Mic Jiggy Ray’s Pizzeria Charlie Hagar Music Acoustic Coffeehouse

- THURSDAY - Apr. 6th Stray Birds Down Home Live Music Bone Fire Smokehouse Smokehouse Crickets Model City Tap House Nostalgia Duo Rock’s Wood Fired Pizza & Grill Andrew Finn Magill w/ The Paul McKenna Band Taylor Marie Acoustic Coffeehouse

- FRIDAY - Apr. 7th -

- SATURDAY - Apr. 8th -

- SUNDAY - Apr. 9th -

Double Shott JJ’s Sports Bar

Andy Farrell Bone Fire Smokehouse

Beth Snapp Down Home

Cranston Dean / Sister Ivy Acoustic Coffeehouse

Shooter Country Club of Bristol Nightshift Band Buffalo Ruritan

Shooter Elizabethton Elks Lodge

The Whiskey Sticks The Damascus Brewery

Driftwood The Willow Tree Coffeehouse & Music Room

Western Centuries Birthplace of Country Music Museum

My New Favorites Studio Brew

Appalachian Strings David Thompson’s Produce

Fritz and Company Bristol Station Brews & Taproom

Sundown Band Willoughby Ruritan

Parker Millsap Down Home

Ashley Jordan Holiday Inn

- MONDAY - Apr. 10th Open Mic Acoustic Coffeehouse Open Mic Rock’s Wood Fired Pizza & Grill

for show time & more details, visit

theloaferonline.com

Rock’s Wood Fired Pizza & Grill 3119 Bristol Hwy. Johnson City 423-262-0444

Bone Fire Smokehouse at the Hardware 260 W Main St Abingdon VA 276-623-0037

Holiday Inn (Exit 7) 3005 Linden Dr. Bristol VA 276-466-4100

Sonny’s Marina & Café 109 One Street Gray, TN 423-282-9440

CJ’S Sports Bar 516 Morelock St. Kingsport 423-390-1361 Country Club Bar & Grill 3080 W State St Bristol 423-844-0400

Holston River Brewing Company 2621 Volunteer Pkwy Bristol TN Model City Tap House 324 E Market St. Kingsport 423-765-0875

Thursday, Apr. 6th • Acoustic Coffeehouse

KARAOKE

Karaoke w/ Tina and West at Dawg House Tavern Karaoke At Numan’s - Johnson City TN *********************** WEDNESDAY Karaoke w/ Southern Sounds Karaoke at American Legion 8pm Karaoke w/ DJ Marquez & Open Mic Entertainment at Holston River Brewing Company Karaoke w/ Absolute Entertainment at Smokey Bones - Johnson City TN Turn the Page Karaoke At VFW Post 2108 - Johnson City TN *********************** THURSDAY Karaoke w/ Absolute Entertainment at Macado’s - Kingsport Karaoke At Numan’s - Johnson City TN Karaoke w/ Absolute Entertainment at New Beginning’s Karaoke at Jiggy Rays Pizzaria ***********************

FRIDAY Karaoke w/ Southern Sounds Karaoke at Sportsman’s Bar & Grill 9pm Karaoke at Kingsport Moose Lodge Karaoke w/ Reverb Karaoke at The Cottage 8:30 pm Turn the Page Karaoke at VFW Post 2108 - Johnson City TN Karaoke at CJ’s Sports Bar Karaoke at BoBo’s - Damascus VA Karaoke At Elizabethton VFW - Elizabethton TN Karaoke w/ DJ Marques At Holiday Inn (Exit 7) - Bristol VA Karaoke w/ Absolute Entertainment at Moe’s Original BBQ Karaoke At Numan’s - Johnson City TN *********************** SATURDAY Karaoke at The Horseshoe Lounge Karaoke at Kingsport Moose Lodge Turn the Page Karaoke at VFW Post 2108 - Johnson City TN Karaoke w/ Absolute Entertainment At Macado’s - Kingsport Karaoke At Numan’s - Johnson City TN ***********************

15 theloaferonline.com | April 4, 2017

Country Club of Bristol 6045 Old Jonesboro Rd. Bristol 423-652-1700

Andrew Finn Magill w/ The Paul McKenna Band

SPOTLIGHT DIRECTORY

Acoustic Coffeehouse 415 W Walnut St. Johnson City 423-434-9872

theloaferonline.com | April 4, 2017

Leap Into Spring Time Stargazing

Stargazer

By Mark Marquette since 1996 stargazermarq@ gmail.com

Spring is the time of year when I first got serious about learning the constellations and using a small telescope. That was many moons ago. But little has changed in learning one’s way around the night sky.

t takes ambition and desire, a star map and a red flashlight, and, of course, a fairly dark sky. And no matter what kind of telescope you may own, learning to use it the best you can will maybe inspire you to own a better instrument in the future. Even the cheapest department store telescopes are much better than those used by pioneers like Galileo 400 years ago! The warmer nights of Spring make it more comfortable to stargaze, and you can recline on a lawn chair or even the hood of your car if you drive to a dark site like a lake or mountain site. To help you identify the stars and their patterns, amateur astronomers use a “planisphere.” This is a cardboard or plastic wheel of the constellations that can be is moved to match the date and time to see the seasonal constellations. Most book stores and some nature centers (like Bays Mt. in Kingsport) sell the popular planisphere—a tool used by stargazers for centuries. Also to familiarize you with the constellations, the library is filled with beginner books on stargazing, and free star maps are available on line—just check out Skymaps.com. It’s always good to prepare a stargazing night during the daytime, familiarizing yourself with what’s up in the night and figuring out some celestial targets to hunt down. That’s some of the fun of stargazing, hunting down the treasures of the night by star-hopping around to your target. Once outside, it is important to allow about 15 minutes for your eyes to adapt to the dark— you’ll be amazed at how much more you’ll see. Your pupils open up wider to let more starlight inside your eyes. This is just like turning out the bedroom lights—at first you think the room is dark but in a few minutes you see everything on the walls and furniture in great detail. How do you read those star charts in the dark? That’s where the red flashlight comes in… the red does not dilate your eye pupils and maintains your night vision, critical to seeing celestial objects the best we can. Use red nail polish covering light bulbs or red cellophane—and of course there many red flashlights on the astronomy marketplace.

Stargazing during this transition time from winter to spring has some of the most prominent and easy to identify constellations. The new group of spring constellations is rising in the east while the winter ones are saying goodbye in the west. Winter star patterns like Taurus, Orion, Canis Major and Minor, and the twins Gemini are all setting in the west one by one after 9 pm. The Spring constellations of Leo, Bootes and Virgo are taking over while the hindquarters of the Great Bear, Ursa Major, is high in the north— the Big Dipper. Follow that curve of the Big Dipper’s handle to the bright, orange star Arcturus, and continue the curve to brilliant white Spica. The old astronomy axiom is “Arc to Arcturus and speed on to Spica!” Arcturus is at the base of a kite-shaped pattern of stars named after an ancient hero called Bootes (Boo-O-tez), and the stars also align like a giant ice cream cone. Spica is the only bright star in the large constellation celebrating Virgo the Virgin Maiden. But above Spica all this Spring and Summer is the yellowish planet Jupiter! High above the eastern horizon after 9 p.m. is the mighty lion of the skies, Leo. His lion’s mane looks like a backward question mark, dotted by the bright star Regulus. The hindquarters of the lion are three stars forming a right triangle. Below this triangle and under the lion’s belly are several distant galaxies that are

easy to see even with binoculars if you know where to look. These are the “faint fuzzies” that serious amateur astronomers hunt down among the stars of the constellations. Galaxies, globular clusters and gaseous nebulae are among the faint fuzzies. Most look like irregular grey patches of light—much like dust balls under a bed. In the 18th Century, the great French astronomer Charles Messier was an avid comet hunter, but he kept coming across objects that looked like a faint, fuzzy comet, but they didn’t move. So Messier catalogued more than 100 of these celestial objects in the mid 170os. This became the famous Messier Catalog of 105 deep sky objects, a starting point for amateur astronomers to cut their teeth in exploring the Universe. But there are a lot more Messier Objects to see in the spring skies with a telescope. Any telescope—even a cheap department store one like I started out with. Springtime is “galaxy time” when dozens of these stellar islands are visible that are on the Messier list. Leo the Lion has two groups of galaxies: M-105, M-96 and M-96 are clustered together in the lion’s belly, and M-66 and M-65 are below the hindquarters triangle of stars. In Ursa Major is the famous Whirlpool Galaxy, M-101, and a huge concentration of galaxies in a cluster. And sprawling Virgo has a few easy Messier targets, but contains thousands and thousands seen in professional photos in the giant Virgo Cluster of galaxies. We see all these galaxies this time of year because the position of Earth in its orbit has us looking away from our Milky Way and into the cosmos. Therefore we see the millions of galaxies beyond ours. The night sky is filled with the treasures of our Universe, and they are yours to find—no matter how trivial you might think your telescope is. The important thing is to use any telescope the best you can, pushing its limits…as it might lead in the future to a more serious instrument. Try a little Spring stargazing. You just might get the astronomy bug, leading to a life-time of enjoyment chasing down the “faint fuzzy” gems of our night sky.

he Moon is on its way this week to full phase next Tuesday, and that sets the stage for the date of the Christian celebration of Easter Sunday. That holy holiday fluctuates because of a formula adopted in the 16th Century: Easter is the first Sunday after the first Full Moon that occurs after the first day of Spring! That sets up the April 16 Easter Sunday—on of the latest dates it can occur.

high. Today there are about 713 communications satellites orbiting 17 Earth, giving everyone who subscribes their fill of 24-hours of radio and television programming including news, sports, movies, and everybody’s favorite—infomercials! Friday, April 7 Have late night plans this weekend? Look up to the sky after 10 pm and your eyes will certainly be drawn to the brightest “star” in the sky—the planet Jupiter! The King of our Solar System, it is easily the brightest thing in the sky besides the Sun, Moon and Venus.

Saturday, April 8 Remember Venus in the evening sky all Winter—well, where has it gone? To the morning sky! And early birds will see the planet rising Tuesday, April 4 around 6:30 am EDT and hugging the eastern horizon in the morning On this 1930 date in space history the American Interplanetary Society twilight. was formed by three science fiction writers. Four years later, renamed the American Rocket Society, it was pioneering liquid fueled rocket tests, and Sunday, April 9 gaining popularity among those followers of rocket pioneer Robert Goddard. Darkness keeps getting later and later, and that’s a joy for gardeners, By 1959, there were 21,000 members, all eager to see mankind reach for the sports buffs and park lovers. But it’s just longer to wait for the stars to stars. come out! It doesn’t get dark until after 8:30 pm DST, great to tee-up an after-work round of golf—while stargazers wait for the stars to shine. Wednesday, April 5 On this 1991 date in space history, Space Shuttle Atlantis was launched Monday, April 10 with one of NASA’s great space observatories, the Compton Gamma Ray Looking north and you’ll see the most recognized star pattern of Observatory. The 18-ton satellite with four telescopes made important all—the Big Dipper. These seven stars are actually the hindquarters discoveries for nine years before being de-orbited in June 2000. of a much bigger constellation, Ursa Major the Big Bear. Looking this direction is to look away and outside our Galaxy into the depths of Thursday, April 6 our Universe and untold millions of other galaxies. The handle of the On this 1965 date in space history, the first communications satellite was Big Dipper will “arc” you to the bright, orange star, Arcturus in Bootes. launched. Intelsat 1 was nicknamed “Early Bird,” and sent the first live images Continue that curve and you’ll run by Virgo’s brightest star Spica, with between America and England from its geosynchronous orbit, 22,500 miles planet Jupiter above.

theloaferonline.com | April 4, 2017

THIS WEEK

SKIES

Celestial events in the skies for the week of April 4 - 10, 2017 as compiled for The Loafer by Mark D. Marquette.

LIFE

theloaferonline.com | April 4, 2017

(Rated R) 3 1/2 aliens (out of 4)

Pop Life

By Ken Silvers ksilvers@ theloaferonline.com

I love movies set in outer space. From "Star Wars" to "Gravity", I am ready to take a cinematic flight anytime. The latest film set among the stars is "Life" starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Rebecca Ferguson, and Ryan Reynolds.

he story involves a sixmember crew aboard the International Space Station awaiting the return of a space probe which will contain a soil sample from Mars. When the probe arrives the crew will study the soil sample to see if they can prove the existence of extraterrestrial life. When the probe is successfully captured by pilot Rory Adams (Reynolds), British biologist Hugh Derry (Hiroyuki Sanada) begins his study of the soil sample. Hugh extracts a single cell from the sample, and eventually is able to revive the organism with an adjustment to the atmosphere and glucose. Is the awakening of an unknown organism necessarily a good thing? According to most sci-fi movies, no. Nevertheless, our biologist continues his experiments on the the organism he describes as all brain, all muscle and all eye. The description doesn't sound good to me. When the living organism is revealed to those back on Earth, a school child nicknames the life form Calvin. Meanwhile, back on the Station, Hugh continues to experiments on the newly named Calvin, to disastrous results. I could have told them reviving the organism was not a good idea. Calvin becomes hostile and immediately begins

efforts to wipe out the crew in order to survive. The senior medical officer on the station, Dr. David Jordan (Gyllenhaal) works with other member of the crew, including Quarantine Office Dr. Miranda North (Ferguson) to devise a way to kill the creature. Let me interject, this

creature at first appears to be a see-through star fish at first, but eventually morphs into a nasty alien creature one would expect in this film genre. The battle between Calvin and the humans escalates to the point of no return, as the creature is determined to survive. The story definitely brings home the point that discovering life on other planets is not necessarily a good thing. The film has a plot twist I was not expecting, which resulted in more tension to the already tense proceedings. I also enjoyed the surprise ending which could lead to a sequel if the film manages to make enough profit. I also enjoyed the fact the movie had me thinking of the blockbuster "Alien" film series, which led to even more enjoyment of this effort. The actors all do a fine job, with Gyllenhaal leading the effort with his usual outstanding performance. Reynolds, as usual, provided comedic relief, even during some very thrilling moments. Unfortunately many of the characters don't survive to the end of the film, and I will not reveal which ones do, other than to say the alien is smart for good reason. Director Daniel Espinosa ("Safe House"), does a wonderful job keeping the film moving at a brisk pace, and provides plenty of opportunity for the co-stars, as well as the other featured actors, to shine. The special effects, as expected are spectacular, and scenes of the Space Station above Earth are often breathtaking. If you enjoy films of this ilk, then be sure to head to your local theater, strap in, and take flight with the enjoyable sci-fi/horror film "Life".

he Northeast State Community College Department of Theatre invites you to its production of Crimes of the Heart beginning April 6 through April 15. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the New York Drama Critics Circle Award, playwright Beth Henleyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Southern Gothic screwball comedy deals out family cruelty with equal parts irreverence and poignancy. Crimes of the Heart wades neck deep into the tumultuous lives of the MaGrath sisters of Hazelhurst, Mississippi. Eldest sister Lenny is celebrating her 30th birthday while contemplating her unmarried status. To make matters worse, her youngest sister Babe is awaiting trial for shooting her husband. Middle sister Meg has returned home from Los Angeles after a failed singing career and is struggling to recover from a nervous breakdown. Facing down these troubles, unstable relatives, and simmering tensions from the past, the sisters must come together to survive. Touching, tragic, and wacky, Crimes of the Heart is a darkly comic family feud of epic proportions. The play is presented by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc., New York. Performance dates are April 6, 7, 8, 13, 14, and 15 at 7:30 p.m., and one matinee performance at 2:00 p.m. on April 9. All performances are being staged in the Wellmont Regional Center for the Performing Arts Theatre at the Collegeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Blountville campus, 2425 Highway 75. For information or to purchase tickets call the Northeast State Box Office at 423.354.5169 or visit www.NortheastState.edu/Tickets. For general questions about the productions or the Theatre Department contact emsloan@northeaststate.edu or 423.354.2479.

19 theloaferonline.com | April 4, 2017

Crimes of the Heart

Northeast State Theatre presents

Three eccentric sisters. A husband with a bullet wound. A lawyer with a vendetta. This 30th birthday celebration should be one to remember.

theloaferonline.com | April 4, 2017

State Natural Areas Celebration Week Our beautiful state of Tennessee is home to some of the most diverse landscapes in the east. Spanning ten distinctly different regions, the geology, geography, flora, and fauna of the state are almost unmatched in terms of diversification. Windswept peaks along the Unaka Mountains frame the eastern edge of the Ridge and Valley province, birthplace of the mighty Tennessee River. The broad tableland of the Cumberland Plateau serves to divide the Tennessee Valley from the Central Basin, home to our capital city of Nashville. The Tennessee River once again crosses the state as it cuts through the rolling hills western uplands. These finally rolling knobs finally give way to the flatlands of the coastal and Mississippi alluvial plains in the far western reaches of the state

Appalachian Wanderers

By Jason & Daniel Worley jdworley@ theloaferonline.com

For more information on the state natural areas system as well as a full schedule of events during this week’s celebration, please visit the following website. www.tennessee.gov/environment/article/na-na-events

From atop House Mountain, hikers can see all the way to the Great Smoky Mountains to the Cumberland Plateau.

ithin each of these geographic provinces are unique habitats home to amazing creatures, many rare, endangered, or endemic to that locale. Cedar barrens dot the prairies of Middle Tennessee, with several also being found along the ridges near our end of the state as well. Lush cove forests and grassy balds are favorite features of our eastern highlands, home to the greatest variety of trees found anywhere in the continental United States. In the shallows of Reelfoot Lake, bald cypress groves give the area an aura of allurement as well as mystery. Many of our treasured areas are protected by state or federal lands in the form of national parks, state parks, and national forests. Wildlife refuges and management areas also provide a safe haven for the plant and animals which share the land with us. What about those areas which may be too small, are relatively unknown, or which need the protection a park provides but has a fragile ecosystem that would be damaged by the development of park infrastructure? That’s where our state natural areas come in. Created in 1971 by the passage of the Natural Areas Preservation Act, our state currently boasts eighty-five state natural areas. The majority of these are on the Cumberland Plateau and throughout Middle Tennessee, but there are plenty of parks on either end of the Volunteer State as well. The primary purpose of these areas are to protect unique geologic formations, threatened or scarce plant communities, and vital wildlife habitats. The final goal is to have a park representing every distinctive natural community that can be found within the region. A handful of these natural jewels have been covered in past issues of The Loafer. Ozone Falls provides breathtaking views of its namesake waterfall and will serve as a destination point along the Cumberland Trail. Closer to home, Bays Mountain Park is also registered as a state natural area and is probably more developed than most others. Others in our area include Hampton Cove

in the highlands of Unicoi County, Watauga River Bluffs near Elizabethton, and Morril’s Cave in Bluff City. This week serves as the Tennessee State Natural Areas Celebration Week, an annual celebration of these wonderful but often unappreciated parks. Between April 1st and the 9th, residents and visitors alike are encouraged to drop by one of these parks to reconnect with nature. Guided hikes, walks, and other special programs will be conducted by park rangers and staff that are free for all to attend! If you can’t make it to one of these remarkable excursions, we highly encourage you to still put aside some time to visit. Whether you have the time to embark on a weekend backpacking trip or just pause for an hour of meditation alongside a stream, it will be time well spent. If you are open to suggestions, we have a couple of recommendations for this week. Watauga River Bluffs State Natural Area is on the smaller side at fifty acres but has a beautiful hiking trail which meanders along the river’s edge. Take your time to enjoy the sounds of the water rushing by on its way to Boone Lake. Fishing is allowed and easily accessible from the trail itself. Keep your eyes open for the extremely rare Carolina pink, which should be blooming this time of year. If you’re up for a bit more adventure, you might want to venture over to Bays Mountain Park or further to House Mountain. Located near northeast of Knoxville, the peak is the highest point in Knox County and provides great views of both the Cumberland Plateau and the Great Smokies as well. 5.8 miles of trails allow for a great day of hiking. Two smaller nature trails make great family walks as they venture out from the main parking area, while the Mountain and West Overlook Trails are a real grind for even experienced hikers. The views from both overlooks and along the Crest Trail are well worth it. We’re sure you could spend hours sitting on the rocks just like us, soaking in the sun and enjoying the breezes which often course over the mountain.

Charlotte's Web

downtown Johnson City

Corazón Latino Festival

he story, written by E.B. White and adapted by Joseph Robinette, tells the story of a pig named Wilbur and his friendship with Charlotte, a barn spider. When Wilbur is in danger of being slaughtered by the farmer, Charlotte writes messages praising Wilbur in her web to persuade the farmer to let him live. The “Charlotte’s Web” cast features ETSU student Jessica Vest as Charlotte and Charles Clark as Wilbur, along with Rachel Lawson, Tyler Mitchell, Vianna Isbister, Jonathon Bolden, Luke Walker, Nifemi Moronkeji, Eulalah Prater, Whitney Bates, Taylor Hutchison, Aimee Robinson, Gracie Fulghum, Chelsea Josey and Andrew Barnes. The show is directed by ETSU faculty member Cara Harker, with Raven Ramirez as stage manager, Reagan James as assistant stage manager, Delbert Hall

as scenic designer, Melissa Shafer as lighting designer, Erin Teaster as lighting technician, Dustin Lawson as costume designer, Karen Brewster as costume design advisor, Taylor Hutchison as properties master, Courtney Spencer as audio technician, Zach Olsen as technical director, Audrey Hammonds, Tyler McMurray and Grace Arrowood as wardrobe assistants, Richard Jackson and Isaline Humphreys as carpenters and Beth Skinner as costume shop supervisor. The show will feature aerial dance elements as well as live Old Time music and is appropriate for the entire family. Some performances are already sold out. Tickets are $5 for youth, students, and ETSU faculty and staff (with ID) and $10 for general admission. To purchase tickets, visit http://www.etsu.edu/cas/ comm_perform/theatre/boxoffice.php or call 423-439-6524.

East Tennessee State University’s Language and Culture Resource Center is hosting the 8th annual Corazón Latino Festival in downtown Johnson City.

he free festival, which will take place from 6-10 p.m. on East Main Street, celebrates the vibrant Latino culture in an evening packed with fun activities, tasty food, live music and more. This year, festival leaders are highlighting the connection between the Latino and Appalachian communities in the area. In addition to the ETSU’s Student Government Association providing $4,500 for the festival, several individual colleges and departments will take part in the event. They include: • The Department of Art and Design will showcase Latino roots and culture in the exhibit, “NI DE AQUÍ NI DE ALLÁ” (Neither from Here Nor from There) at Tipton Art Gallery in downtown. • The Hispanic American Student Community Alliance will provide face-painting, piñatas and coloring for children in the ChicoZone. • Bluegrass students in the Department of Appalachian Studies will perform with a mariachi and bluegrass fusion band. • Service learning students of Spanish will serve as cultural ambassadors, educating festival goers about the culture and traditions of Latino countries. Others partnering to put on this year’s festival include the City of Johnson City, the Downtown Merchants Association, the Washington County Health Department, the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, Little City Roller Girls and Main Street Pizza.

21 theloaferonline.com | April 4, 2017

ETSU Theatre and Dance program to present

The heartwarming classic “Charlotte’s Web” will be presented by East Tennessee State University’s Division of Theatre and Dance in the Bud Frank Theatre. Performance dates are Sunday, April 9, at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., April 10-12 (Monday – Wednesday), at 10 a.m. and Thursday, April 13, at 7 p.m.

theloaferonline.com | April 4, 2017

Lesa Singleton Horne The Interview

ere is a question and I want you to answers as quick as you can. Are you ready? Ok, name a song you sing the wrong lyrics to, but just think it is better that way? For me the song is “Don’t bring me down” by ELO. The lyrics say “groos” repeatedly. I have always sung “Bruce” instead. That is completely thanks to the encouragement of my cousin/sister Lesa. Add to that the fine art of baloney samiches and picking on siblings, and you begin to know how close we have always been. She is great, she is successful and her life could have turned our much differently if she had not been such a strong woman. She will disagree when she reads this, but it won’t be my first noogie. Meet Lesa, then you can decide for yourself.

Mountain Movers

By Brian Bishop bbishop@ theloaferonline.com

BRIAN: Well, gotta say it seems way too easy to interview you since we grew up so close. But, for those who don’t know you, what was it like growing up in Kingsport from your point of view and how did it shape you? LESA: First, thanks for interviewing me. I don’t feel like my story is anything extraordinary but I am glad to share it. I really didn’t think about things in terms of “Kingsport” in general while I was growing up. I was wrapped up in dealing with my own life. My parents divorced when I was very young and I moved here with my mom. My dad lived in Salisbury Maryland with some of my siblings, so I always felt like they were off living some wonderful life that I was missing out on. My mom is the most wonderful and loving person that you can imagine, but she remarried into a situation that was very troubled and I was exposed to some pretty rough times at home. I do have to say the people in this area have always been kind and understanding beyond what could be expected if I had lived anywhere else. If I hadn’t grown up here, it would have turned out very differently. BRIAN: You could have moved away and done anything in the world, but you have always wanted to stay here. What is it about this area and the people here that kept this as home in your mind? LESA: I married my high school sweetheart and we had a daughter. I guess it happens with a lot of young couples, but we ended up divorced and I was suddenly a single mom for all intents and purposes. That was devastating to me in so many ways and I had to try to deal with all of the anxiety and depression that came along with it. I know there are lots of other women, and men for that matter, who deal with those issues and I want to tell them not to try and go through it alone. Through it all, I had my family and friends here since I had lived here my entire life. I could not imagine going through those years without the support of my inner circle. Even people having a hard time are at an

advantage if they live here because there are people who always seem to want to help. BRIAN: Family is a fundamental building block and people in our region put a major emphasis on it. What has family meant to you and what are some of those values you are passing along to the next generation?

LESA: Obviously I want to pass along plenty of things NOT to do. But with that being said, I have a granddaughter who is the most precious little thing in the entire world in my eyes. I am so proud of her and also proud of my daughter for the mother she has become. I like to tell myself I have had something to do with that. I have not always been perfect and I never will be, but watching the next generation of my family play out in front of me every day gives me a lot to smile about knowing that I have enabled them down a path to be successful and happy. I am passing along that God is great and, with everything in his hands, there is no limit to what is possible for his plan in their lives. BRIAN: You mention faith because it is another building block of who we are. How

has faith shaped your life and does it guide you in your day-to-day? LESA: Through the rough times in my life, I never really seemed to understand what it meant to be in true relationship and dependence upon God. It has only been the last few years that I have realized what a true relationship with God means and it has been absolutely life-changing. God has blessed me beyond belief with my business, my wonderful husband, Greg, and my granddaughter, Lily. Faith, once I rediscovered and embraced it, has been a game changer. My faith is my day-to-day. BRIAN: Last and most certainly not least, you are truly an exceptional entrepreneur. Décor Exchange started with a concept and has continued to grow and thrive. Tell those who aren’t familiar a little of the background story and how they can find out more to check you out. LESA: I had grown up with a love for yard sales, flea markets and thrift stores. I had begun to think of how it would be to have all of the nicer things in one location. That's how decor Exchange was born in 2004. I started out in a 1500 sq. ft storefront with no idea what a huge demand there was for a home furnishings consignment business in this area. People are able to sell their finer furniture and home decor in a beautiful and welcoming showroom and buyers can browse the thousands of items on display in the over 11000 sq. ft facility. We will be adding close to 3000 more square feet in the upcoming months. I have been blessed with the most wonderful employees, customers and consignors. I made so many lifetime friends. People tell me Decor Exchange is "therapy" for them. Our phone number is (423)246-4663. Our email is decorexchange@gmail.com and people can find us at facebook.com/decorexchangekpt. I tell people to come and see us, we have that unique piece you have been searching for! Thanks again and God bless!

By Langley Shazor Follow Langley at TheCasualWord

Watching our grandchildren Still holding hands Because there is nothing We don't share A love To be envied Due to its pure nature A lifetime of trials Keeps fastening us tighter That love that binds Holds Secures I long for that love And I will attain it That love That loves me back

Peyton Dianna Epperson lives in Bristol, VA. Her writing is prominently influenced by heartbreak, sparking internal revelations and painful truths. Her works are almost always written in real-time, with words hitting the page as she experiences them. Her breathing was unsteady and her chest was tight She neglected plans because peace of mind was neglecting her She still cried over a heart incapable of holding all the love she so willingly poured out, Especially incapable of returning it Chills covered her body as she finally swallowed And tears glossed eyes that she did not recognize Her shoulders quaked and she held her breath, Her head dropped She forced her fingers through golden waves

And became weak as “you are always going to be this way” flooded her mind A mirror was a window for looking at a stranger, For watching brown eyes that couldn’t be her own, For watching a quivering lip that couldn’t belong to her, For watching a shattered heart almost purposely run from healing Because pain was better than numbness, Something is better than nothing, And continuing to feel something that’s over Was easier Than not feeling at all

23 theloaferonline.com | April 4, 2017

Desired The Casual Word

I want to be in love That kind of love That makes breathing hard Listening to her voice Gives me chills Seeing her face Grants my heart peace Loving her The only task I have to be concerned with Giving her my essence An exchange Few will ever experience That love That reminds me if my grandparents And their parents before This courtship Lays the foundation For a future That leaves us sitting In rocking chairs

theloaferonline.com | April 4, 2017

Answers on page 26

Fritz is a 2 to 3 year old male Terrier mix. This cute feller was found on the side of the road. He is being neutered and wil be up to date on all vaccines. Please help turn his life around and give him a loving home!

Bandit is a 2 year old mix. He is neutered and up to date on all vaccines. Very sweet dog and ready for his forever home!

The Bridge Home has an ongoing aluminum can can collection in front of the shelter at 2061 Hwy 75 in Blountville,TN 37617. The cans are collected by a volunteer and the money from the aluminum goes towards badly needed food and supplies for the animals The Bridge Home No Kill Animal Rescue has started a pet food pantry for people that have had financial hardships because of job loss or medical problems and are struggling to feed their pet. They can come by the shelter and get cat or dog food to get through the tough time. Donations can be sent to The Bridge Home Shelter PO Box 654 Blountville, TN 37617 Every animal in their care is spayed or neutered and fully vaccinated before being adopted. Being a non profit the shelter is funded entirely by membership dues and private donations. They always need volunteers or monetary donations.

Other always needed items:pet food, cat litter & cat toys dog treats & dog toys,paper towels, cleaners, office supplies,Purina weight circles. Phone: 423-239-5237 Hours are Mon-Fri 12pm-6pm Sat 12pm-3pm and Sun 2pm-4pm. Website is www. bridgehomerescue@gmail.com or like them on Facebook: www. Facebook.com/bridgehome

theloaferonline.com | April 4, 2017

PETS

OF THE WEEK

theloaferonline.com | April 4, 2017

THINGS TO DO Easter Celebration Bring your family for an inspiring performance through music and dance on Saturday, April 8. Tri-Cities Talent will present "Rise Up", an Easter Celebration, at Kingsport's Renaissance Center Theater, 1200 Center St, at 3:00pm and 7:00pm. Special guests include National Dance Champions, former Male Vocalist of the Year at VBGCMA, Marcus Messamore, and the Showbiz Dance Company, which has performed its own show on the Disney Stage. Tickets are $10 at the door. •••••••••••••••••••••••••• BunnyHop 5K set for April 15 State of Franklin Healthcare Associates and LIFEWTR will host the BunnyHop 5K on Saturday, April 15, at Founders Park beginning at 8:30 a.m. The event is powered by the Blue Plum Organization and will be followed by a Community Easter Egg Hunt, also at Founders Park, sponsored by Munsey Memorial United Methodist Church. The entry fee for the 5K is $20 per person in advance and $25 on the day of the race. Kids 12 and under can participate in all events at no cost, and the first 50 kids at the race will receive bunny ears. Participants who are 13 years and older and pre-register will receive a T-shirt. Awards will be given for the top overall winners (male and female), top masters (over 40) male and female, and top three male and female in the following age brackets: 10 and under; 1114; 15-19; 20-29; 30-39; 40-49; 5059; 60-69; and 70 and over. The Easter egg hunt is free and open to the community and will also occur at Founders Park beginning at the amphitheatre at 10:30 a.m. Children 12 and under are invited to bring their baskets to use to collect eggs. The egg hunt will be divided into age

at the Quad on the ETSU main campus. Walk-up registration is available at 10 a.m., but runners and walkers are encouraged to register online in advance. Cost to participate in the 5K race is $20. Cost to participate in the one-mile walk is $15. Awards will be given for the top overall male and female runner, for the top male and female from each age group, and for the best costume. To register or donate, visit www. parentprojectmd.org/ETSU.

groups. Online 5K registration, which closes April 13, can be completed at www.athlinks.com/event/ bunny-hop-5k-kids-dash-196147. A course map is also available at this link. Public parking is available in the Pavillion lot and at Munsey Church. •••••••••••••••••••••••••• Founders Park is located at 226 Commerce St. For ETSU at Kingsport Allandale to more information, contact hold Spring Yard Sale East Tennessee State University blueplumdirector@gmail.com. at Kingsport Allandale will hold •••••••••••••••••••••••••• its Spring Yard Sale on Friday, April 7, from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m., in Essential Oils program the parking lot at 1501 University at Gray Library Are you interested in learning Blvd., near Allandale Mansion. more about the benefits of using ETSU at Kingsport Student essential oils? Kelli Bray with Service organization sponsors Young Living Essential Oils will this event and invites members give a presentation about the oils of the community to participate. and their benefits on Saturday, Spaces are available for a $10 April 8 at 12:30 p.m., at the Gray fee to accommodate individuals who wish to sell items or for Library. The program is free and open to commercial representatives who the public. For more information, wish to promote businesses. Those who wish to reserve space call the library at 423-477-1550. •••••••••••••••••••••••••• must do so by Thursday, March ETSU to host 5K to raise money, 30, by contacting Debbie Marsh, awareness of most fatal genetic whose information is listed below. Spaces include one table and disorder among children one parking space. Spaces with East Tennessee State University’s rental tables are $10 each. Pre-Health Living-Learning Community will host a 5K run and one-mile fun walk on Saturday, April 8. The event will raise money for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a fatal inherited neuromuscular disorder that causes progressive muscle weakness and degeneration. Although there is currently no cure, promising discoveries in gene therapy are being evaluated. Dubbed “Garrett’s Hero RunETSU,” the 5K is being hosted in honor of a young, superheroadoring boy named Garrett who has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Participants are encouraged to come dressed as their favorite superhero. The race will begin at 11 a.m.

Donations of money, used books and miscellaneous items are welcome and can be dropped off at the ETSU at Kingsport Allandale main office Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Proceeds from the sale go to the Megan Smith Scholarship Fund and to date have assisted seven students. A resident of Church Hill, Smith was a 2008 graduate of Volunteer High School and had just completed her freshman year at ETSU at Kingsport Allandale at the time of her death in 2009. For further information, contact Marsh at 423-392-8004 or email her at marshd@etsu.edu. •••••••••••••••••••••••••• Friday Night Dance to feature Jerry Pierce Citizens are invited to put on their dancing shoes and join Senior Services on April 7 for a Friday Night Dance featuring Jerry Pierce and the Nightlife Band. The dance will be held at Memorial Park Community Center, 510 Bert St., from 7-10 p.m. and is open to ages 50 and older. Admission is $5 per person; Silver Sneakers® discount is available for eligible members. Please register in person at the MPCC Senior Services desk. For more information, call 423-4346237. ••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Flashlight Easter Egg Hunt Memorial Park Community Center, 510 Bert St., invites children ages 3-12 to a Flashlight Easter Egg Hunt on Thursday, April 13. Festivities begin at 6:30 p.m. with games and photos with the Easter Bunny followed by the hunt at 8 p.m. A separate hunt will take place for ages 5 and younger. Participants are asked to bring their own flashlights. This special event is free and sponsored by the Knoxville TVA Credit Union. For more information, please call 423-434-5749. •••••••••••••••••••••••••• Bingo For Books All ages are invited to the Johnson City Public Library Jones Meeting Room on Monday, April 10 at 6:00 p.m. to play Bingo and win books. If planning on attending this free event, please RSVP to the Facebook event on the library’s Facebook page. This event is part of the library’s National Library Week programming to celebrate the role of libraries in communities. To learn more about this and other upcoming events, visit the library’s events calendar at www.jcpl.net, like the library’s Facebook page, or follow the library on Twitter or Instagram. For more information about this program or other Youth Services programs, please call 423-4344458.

Cryptogram: After a certain number of years our faces become our biographies. We get to be responsible for our faces. Drop Quote: "No exile at the South Pole or on the summit of Mont Blanc separates us more effectively from others than the practice of a hidden vice."

A FEW RANDOM REFLECTIONS ABOUT TINKERTECHNO Hugo Ball, one of the more infamous representatives of the early twentieth century European anti-movement called Dada, advised us to “be thoroughly new and inventive [and to] rewrite life every day.” Sage advice indeed from one of my anti-heroes.If you want to learn more about Dada, or are now wondering what in the heck it is, I advise you to read Jed Rasula’s wondrous new book, DESTRUCTION WAS MY BEATRICE: DADA AND THE UNMAKING OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY. Should be required reading for the times in which we now live.

Kelly’s Place

By Jim Kelly since 1989 jkelly@ theloaferonline.com

or some reason, I thought about Ball’s quote when I was reading about a fascinating new crowdfunded German company called dadamachines (without a capital D), the brainchild of Johannes Lohbihler, and dedicated to turning the world of everyday objects into rhythm machines. Donald Bell terms this pursuit “tinkertechno.” According to a piece written by Peter Kirn for CDM, “it seems that a friendly little niche of electronic music making is poised to open up for robotic instruments.” And this very interesting little slice of technology enables us to “bang stuff with it!” In fact, datamachines wants us become accustomed to a world turned into a big rhythm machine. At this point I am reminded of a column I wrote sometime back about a company that was thinking about turning our clothing into rhythm machines. Don’t know if that idea ever saw the light of day.

a routing station for electronic signals that transform a wide array of little motorized objects into drummers that bang out rhythms on the objects to which they are attached. Imagine, if you will, a percussion section composed of pots and pans, water-filled glasses, plates, drumheads, tabletops, and other objects found around the house and at work. Yes, I know we have all banged out rhythms on tabletops, pots and pans, glasses, and what have you. But dadamachines, which are robots, can take the rhythmic inpulses we output from our mobile devices or keyboards and set in motion an array of little devices that in turn play the rhythms by striking physical objects (which can include drums). In other words, I can send signals from a smartphone, tablet, laptop computer, or electronic keyboard via the dadamachines interface and surround myself with a rhythm sections made up of physical objects around my house or office. Sounds pretty neat, doesn’t it? Don’t

And how does all this stuff work? Here’s what Kirn has to say about it: “If you think of a hardware controller as a way of turning physical input into digital music, this really is a glimpse of what happens when you make digital music into physical output.” What this really means is that dadamachines will “allow you to do real-world percussion with objects of different sizes, shapes, and orientations. Some produce sound by bouncing materials off a speaker; some sit atop objects and hit them.” So what we have is a little box with several inputs and outputs that is used as

take my word for it, however Take a look at some of the YouTube videos that will turn up when you enter “dadamachines” into the search box. Actually, the idea behind this new company (which at the time of this writing had apparently reached its funding goal and is now all set to start producing its products) is not really all that new. Mechanical “toys” that play music have been around for years, but the closest counterpart to what Lohbihler is doing was introduced on theatre pipe organs in the early twentieth century. Theatre pipe

organs were designed to accompany silent movies and featured stops that imitated orchestral instruments. Percussion sounds were often produced from a section called a “toy counter” that sent electrical signals from the organ’s keys to drumsticks and xylophone mallets. This ingenious device allowed an organist to be a real percussionist and organist at the same time. “Tinkertechno” takes this same idea and uses MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface, which has been in existence since the early 1980s) to accomplish the same result in a clever combination of digital and analog processes. I can’t wait to play my keyboard and a set of pots and pans at the same time. Maybe we should consider this a retro take on the often-cited “Internet of Things” that is quickly becoming a vital part of our world. I guess anything is possible in a world where microwave ovens can be used to spy on us. A Circuit Breaker article by James Vincent summarizes all this by saying that “Dadamachines are essentially mechanical beaters controlled by MIDI. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes; from little jackhammers as long as your thumb, to larger arms capable of wielding drumsticks and mallets. A control panel named the Automat acts s a central hub, with MIDI outputs that connect the beaters and hammers to hardware or software of your choice.” Of course, this means that the little black Automat box can organize your household objects into a personal and very inventive rhythm section to do your bidding. Not only will this be interesting to hear but also a delight to see. According to the website, you should be able to buy your own dadamachine sometime this Fall. Let the rhythm begin.Needless to say, I am looking forward to how all this will be incorporated into pop music. Perhaps we will soon be listening to the new Tinkertechno channel on Sirius Radio. See you next week.

theloaferonline.com | April 4, 2017