The Loafer September 5th by The Loafer

theloaferonline.com | September 5, 2017

on the cover

Volume 31 • Issue #40

Editor Graphic Arts Director Don Sprinkle Cover Design Bill May Advertising Patti Barr Paul Kavanaugh Janie Jarvis

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 lossof 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

18 Stargazer See Magnificent Saturn! 19 Skies This Week 22 Batteries Not Included Freebie & The Bean 24 Pop Life The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature 29 Appalachian Wanderers American Roller Coast 30 Mountain Movers The Alan Novak Interview 32 The Casual Word Day 18 34 Puzzle Page 37 Kelly’s Place Look What Alfred Hitchcock Made Taylor Swift Do

your week’s line-up

Pubs -NGrubs

Publisher Luci Tate

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Pubs -N- Grubs The Bobs Farewell Tour Pubs -N- Grubs Shot on Film Pubs -N-Grubs Musical Minds Meet at ETSU Pubs -N- Grubs 9/11 Remembrance James Meadows @ HRBC JCSO Kicks Off Concert Season The Electric Kool-Aid Dada Fest Hot Bike Tour Seven to the Sea plays Johnson City Jonesborough Welcomes Hannah Harvey Spotlight Simple Elegance Bridal Show Ghost, Ghost Haunts Barter Theatre Warbirds at TRI Pets Of The Week Things To Do

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& k n i r Ea t , D Acoustic Coffeehouse

on’t forget about this little joint near ETSU Campus on Walnut Street. Acoustic Coffeehouse boasts live music, cold beer in an open minded atmosphere. You can find them serving breakfast, lunch and dinner and also offer vegetarian and vegan menu.

recipes and old-time cooking techniques. Try the 100% AllBeef hotdogs with homemade chili. The hand-formed burgers are cooked retro-style in a cast iron skillet. Scratch-made soup beans & cornbread are available every day. Specials include the signature meatloaf on Mondays, one-of-a-kind fried tacos on Tuesdays or the Blue-Plate Special on Thursday! Hand dipped milkshakes, ice cream floats, made-to-order banana pudding, and old-fashioned pies & desserts round out the delectable offerings. Come for the history, stay for the food!

Bristol Station The Brooklyn Grill

Brews and Taproom

he “Continental Traveler” at Bristol Station. Bristol Station Brews and Taproom is proud to be the first craft brewery in downtown Bristol, and they promote a fun and relaxed atmosphere. They boast an impressive variety of award-winning brews in their ever-changing beer menu. An example of this would be the just released “Continental Traveler”, the result of an impromptu hop trade with another local brewer. In the trade, they acquired a supply of Japanese hops that they just had to do something with. They mixed them with hops from Germany, New Zealand and America to create a citrus-forward IPA. This beer has a great body with a smooth and delicious head, complex but highly drinkable. Hops in the aroma, lemon zest on the first taste, malty middle and a nice long citrus finish. I am not normally a big IPA fan, but this one is really good. Decided to go for a second! Come try out their variety – you’ll find something you’re sure to like.

Broad Street

ldest Retro Diner on State Street Retro Diners are all the rage these days, and if Broad Street is any indication, rightly so! When you walk in, the first thing that grabs your attention is their 45-foot lunch counter, a real throwback to yesteryear! Their real, homemade menu is classic comfort food made from scratch using family

pscale and Fantastic. Out on Euclid, just before it meets State Street, is a wonderful dining establishment that has long had an excellent reputation, The Brooklyn Grill. I sat down with Karl Harris, the chef and proprietor (along with his lovely wife Laura) to find out some of his secrets. He has a different take on many traditional dishes. For example, his popular Fried Mozzarella appetizer. His twist is that he uses egg roll wraps, fills them with mozzarella, deep fries them and finally tops them with his own homemade marina sauce. Marvelous! Another great example is his Salmon Rockefeller. You might not think Salmon when you think Rockefeller, but once you try this you will! He bakes a filet of salmon, tops it with Parmesan dream spinach and cashews and serves it piping hot. A dish to die for! Whether for lunch or dinner, The Brooklyn Grill is always a treat. See for yourself!

Bone Fire

Smokehouse

riginally founded in Kingsport by Doug Beatty in 2007, Bone Fire Smokehouse has been operating in Abingdon, Virginia, in the former Withers Hardware Store building, since 2012. At Bone Fire Smokehouse, they take great pride in the ability to provide delicious smoked meats paired with unique, high country side dishes at an affordable price. In addition to the food, Bone Fire Smokehouse is noted for its

vintage hardware store home, and the outstanding regional and national musicians they bring to their stage. Bone Fire was last year's Regional Winner of Best BBQ by "Virginia Living Magazine." Bone Fire was also awarded the honor of "Best Ribs in America" by "Regis and Kelly" in 2009. Go see for yourself next time you find yourself nearby!

J Franks

hef’s Show Tables at J Frank. J Frank, the outstanding upscale restaurant on 6th Street just west of Anderson, has some unique offerings. Their Chef’s Show Tables feature 4 or 5 course meals prepared by their excellent kitchen staff under the direction of Executive Chef and Proprietor Jason Vanover. These selections offer the dining patron several different options for each course, ranging from lamb to seafood to wonderful filets. The appetizers, salads and side dishes are all designed to perfectly accompany your entrée. Then to top it all off, select one of their scrumptious desserts. Oh, by the way, if you’re looking for the perfect Sunday brunch, this is the place! I guarantee your first visit won’t be your last!

Larry's Diner

True Original. Many places call themselves a diner, but few come as close to the original meaning of the word as Larry’s, located next to the flea market on the Bristol Highway. Breakfast, lunch or dinner all feature traditional diner offerings with their own twist on them. Take the meatloaf for example. Prepared on premises using top quality ground beef, tomatoes and their own blend of spices, it is mouthwatering – and comes with your choice of sides, one of which, their unique mac & cheese, is a crowd favorite. Or their best-selling steak and cheese sub. This one has chopped sirloin, swiss cheese and any combination of toppings your heart desires, all on a tasty 8-inch sub bun. Personally, I enjoy breakfast there as I love their biscuits and gravy, prepared with an extra dose of love from Brenda in the kitchen. Give Larry’s a try, you won’t be disappointed!

Check out their ads for location and hours!

TheBobsonFarewellTour The Kingsport Office of Cultural Arts and Engage Kingsport are pleased to present The Bobs in concert on their farewell tour.

n addition to the concert, The Bobs will be conducting an outreach session with members of the Dobyns-Bennett High School Acapella Groups. After more than 35 years together, The Bobs will be stepping away from the microphones. Described as ‘Manhattan Transfer meets Monty Python or Robin Williams meets Bobby McFerrin… J.S. Bach meets Jimi Hendrix’, The Bobs are a quartet of Grammy-nominated vocal acrobats. This band without instruments has been delivering the classics, breaking all the rules and clear-cutting their own unique path in the world of vocal music for over three decades, playing everywhere from Lincoln Center to Berlin’s Passionskirche. “Hosting The Bobs and having them meet with some of our acapella students is very exciting,” said Bonnie Macdonald, director for Kingsport's office of cultural arts. “They are the best at what they do, and this will not only be a great concert, but a learning opportunity as well.” The Bobs will perform Tuesday, September 12 at 7 p.m. The concert will be held at the DB Little Theatre on the campus of Dobyns-Bennett High School. Prior to the concert, the student outreach session with members of the DB High School Acapella groups will take place from 1 p.m. – 3 p.m. Tickets are $15 for general admission and $10 for students. Special pricing is available for groups of 10 or more. To purchase your tickets or for more information call 423-392-8414. Tickets may also be purchased online at www. EngageKingsport.com.

theloaferonline.com | September 5, 2017

Kingsport to host

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Los Amigos

os Amigos is you’re authentic Mexican food stop. This family oriented restaurant has a great selection of fresh Mexican food. Good for large groups of all ages. Don’t forget to ask about their catering menu while youre dining in or carrying out.

Mid City Grill

et saucy tonight at their place or yours. Either way you can dine in or carry out at this unique burger joint. They deliver allll night long. If you choose to dine in, don’t forget to bring your beer or wine of choice with you. Their menu varies from juicy burgers to fried pickles and everything in between.

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Mona Lisa's Gelato & Cafe

ona Lisa's Gelato & Cafe' is a Tennessee Corporation owned and operated by Steve and Sheridan Nice. Sheridan is a classically trained chef who studied at the prestigious La Varenne Ecole de Cuisine in Paris and the Culinary Institute of America in Napa, California. MLG & C is committed to producing the finest all natural Soups served with house-baked Ciabatta Rolls, Organic Salads, Gluten-Free Thai Noodle Bowls, Veggie Burgers, Grilled Sandwiches (Panini) served on house-baked Focaccia Flatbread, Daily Specials, and Artisan Gelato. Mona Lisa's sources the healthiest ingredients, Organic and GMO-Free where possible, and has its own large Organic Garden to supply much of the Vegetables, Tomatoes, Greens and Legumes used in our recipes. Mona Lisa's has been named one of the Top Ten Best Restaurants in Johnson City by The Culture Trip for three years in a row.

Machiavelli's

he good folks at Machiavelli’s are proud of their pizza offerings – and rightly so. They start with their unique thin crusts, made from scratch right on premises. But then, you get your choice of three different sauces, also made from scratch. They offer the traditional red sauce as well as a delicious white sauce and a pesto. Now come the toppings – practically anything your heart desires. They have over 40 different toppings that you can choose from, all prepared fresh right on site. Machiavelli’s is just around the corner on 5th street in Tennessee, just up from State Street. I encourage you to visit and give their pizza (or any of their other mouthwatering entrees) a try.

Numan's

he same location for 24 years, Numan's is a downtown favorite. Orginally named Chucky Trading Company Billiards Center, owners Daniel and Janis Numan renamed it to Numans's 2 years later. Oldest daughter Jenora Perkins, the Kitchen Manager, offers a full menu of great food including the same mexican food that The Chucky Trading Company Restaurant became so well known for, which Dan and Jan owned on the Nolichuckey River for 17 years from 1980 to 1977. Recently voted #9 of the Top Ten Sports Bars in TN by BESTTHINGSTN.COM. General Manager is their youngest daughter, Janine Broyles.

Check out their ads for location and hours!

Johnson City exhibit highlights the work of film photographers around the world

he Film Shooters Collective (FSC) is proud to announce the opening event for “Shot on Film” on Sunday, September 10th from 1 to 4 pm at The Willow Tree Coffeehouse and Music Room at 216 E. Main St. in Johnson City. “Shot on Film,” curated by Johnson City-based film photographer Ruby Berry, is a film photography exhibit featuring the work of 50 FSC member-artists from all over the world. FSC came into being in 2012 as a space for analog (film) photographers to share experience, information and work in an open and inclusive community. The collective’s 120 members regularly share their work via the group’s website and weekly curated “photo streams.” The Johnson City exhibit is one of three FSC events that will be taking place simultaneously during the month of September. “Black and White,” curated by the staff of Blue Moon Camera in Portland, Oregon features work by 27 analog photographers from around the world printed in the Blue Moon Camera silver gelatin darkroom, one the world's last remaining optical printing labs. In England, an FSC member-curated exhibit entitled “The Photographic Portrait” will open on September 8th at FazendaUK in London, featuring some of the best work by FSC artists in the genre of Photo: Tracey Bos and Chad Walters (USA) film portraiture. “Shot on Film” is hosted by The Willow Tree Coffeehouse and Music Room and will be on display from September 8-30, 2017. The opening event on Sunday, September 10th from 1 to 4 pm will be a great time to view the art, meet some of the artists, and learn how they work -- all while enjoying live music by Scotty Melton, Michael Cody, and Rob Russell. Light refreshments and the wonderful comfort of the The Willow Tree will also be provided. Admission is free to the public. For more information about the “Shot on Film” exhibit contact curator Ruby Berry (ruby@lostartphotography.com, 423-612-7576) or The Willow Tree Coffeehouse and Music Room (teri@thewillowtreejc.com). Learn more about the FSC by visiting their website at www.filmshooterscollective.com or subscribing to their Facebook feed (www.facebook.com/FilmShootersCollective).

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Shot on Film

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Phil's Dream Pit

f there is one food that the South can claim ownership to its barbecue. I'm not saying that people outside of the South are incapable of making good barbecue, but there's a distinct something in the air around here that just makes it work. The beauty of this is that us southerners are not in the drought when it comes to finding a BBQ joint. Now, this puts someone owning a ‘Q joint in an exciting position. When, so few of them are sub-par, what does one do to stand out? When you can hit on any number of barbecue restaurants, and, find perfect slabs of heaven in each, how do you stand out from the crowd? Ask anyone that's ever been to Phil's Dream Pit in Kingsport; and, they can tell you.

Rock's Wood Fired Pizza

top by and enjoy some delicious hand crafted food in their convenient location off the Bristol Highway in Johnson City. You’ll enjoy their spacious patio with a beautiful stone fireplace as well as their casual, elegant atmosphere. Try one of their signature wood fired pizzas, hand ground burgers or fish n chips. Rock’s also has twenty craft and domestic beers on tap, always rotating! Stop and give them a visit. You’ll be glad you did.

Shanghai Chinese Restaurant

he place to go for Chinese in Bristol. There is a wonderful spot just up from 7th street on the Virginia side of State Street. I am of course referring to Shanghai Chinese Restaurant, a place that is considerably larger than it looks from the outside. You’ll be happy to discover that in addition to all the great food, they also serve mixed drinks, beer and wine. Currently, the hottest dish on the menu is the aptly named Generous Chicken. I can’t really say what the combination of sauces are, just know it is absolutely wonderful. Other must-have menu items are the perfectly prepared spring rolls and their signature hot and sour soup. There is something to please everyone on the extensive menu, so head on over for a dose of top notch Chinese cooking.

Stateline Bar and Grill

nique Approach to BBQ at Stateline. Stateline Bar and Grill is one of the more venerable establishments on State Street. Long a go-to place for good food and delicious adult beverages, the proprietors tell me that they are especially proud of their BBQ. To begin with, they have their own proprietary dry rub that they use as they smoke all of their meat on premises. The homemade sauce, a bit of a Memphis-style with a tang of sweetness, is really what takes this from delicious to out of this world. It is made right on premises too, and they also make it available on their wings and brisket. Add in all the fixins, also all homemade, and you have the perfect BBQ meal right in front of you. The menu has many other offerings, so multiple trips to Stateline should be in your future!

Southern Churn

he Cure for the Common Sweet Tooth. Everyone gets the craving for something sweet now and then. All you have to do to satisfy yours is visit the Southern Churn on the Virginia side of State Street, right downtown. You’ll be hard-pressed to make a decision once you encounter virtually every type of candy imaginable, from retro to new age. But I recommend that before you decide, check out the fudge. It must be good because in the last three years they have sold over 18,000 pounds of it – to every corner of the world. It’s all homemade right on premises. They tell me that the secret is to always use real ingredients, no shortcuts. They have over 30 varieties available of fudge at any one time, many of them quite unique. Stop by, try a couple and handle that craving!

Check out their ads for location and hours!

Musical Minds Meet at ETSU Wind Whisperers of India to merge regions, rhythms, spirits

In a time of vast divisions of thought, Wind Whisperers of India seeks to align and mesh cultures, rhythms, regions and hearts.

usic is one field that binds everyone together,” says Vinod “V.R.” Venkataraman, a professional mridangam player and artistic director at The Music Circle in Los Angeles. “I am trying to introduce the music in a manner where integration happens between communities, between cultures, between people and between colors.” Venkataraman, a Bombay native who came to America in 1986, has brought together four Wind Whisperers for a one-of-a-kind concert on Sunday, Sept. 10 – a musical “meeting of the minds” – at East Tennessee State University’s Martha Street Culp Auditorium. “These musicians have not performed as an ensemble even once …” says Venkataraman, who organizes many musical mergers for The Music Circle. “If we get to travel together on the flight, in the car, in the airport, on the tarmac … we are composing and playing the music right there. The people sitting beside us have a blast because

we are composing and playing the music [for the concert] right there.” The Mary B. Martin School of the Arts-sponsored Sept. 10 concert, starting at 6 p.m., will feature a unique mixture of musical styles from the North and South of India, Eastern and Western continents, the analytical/mathematical and creative aspects of Indian music as well as ancient, contemporary and even electrified techniques. Joining drummer Venkataraman will be award-winning Indian artists Ronu Majumdar, “India’s ace flautist,” on Bansuri flute and “veena whiz kid” Rajhesh Vaidhya on the stringed saraswati veena or chordophone. Harshad Kanetkar, tabla soloist and accompanist, will round out this Wind Whisperers ensemble. The Bansuri (bamboo) flute and saraswati veena are ancient Indian instruments, the flute from the North and the veena – named after Goddess of Education Saraswati – from the South. The répartée between these two

MUSICAL

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Studio Brew

couple blocks up from State Street in Virginia on Moore Street is the erstwhile Studio Brew, a popular dining and drinking establishment. This local favorite is known for new twists on craft beers. Master brewer Erich Allen tells us they are re-releasing a previous favorite, Casino Roy-Ale made with 007 hops. Erich says it won’t make you James Bond but maybe Roger Moore! Give this one a try! Another new offering is his smoked glass bourbon barrel series beer. He actually smokes the glass using Applewood, lets it sit for a minute, then fills it with the beer. Talk about a unique taste! Another new concoction is his “Smoking Pistols at Dawn”, a unique beer infused cocktail with a very interesting smoky flavor. A visit to Studio Brew should definitely be in your short-range plans!

Whiskey Rebellion

evolutionary Plates and Pours. Fresh perspective and variety are the hallmarks of the excellent, rotating menu at Whiskey Rebellion on State Street next door to the Paramount Theatre. You might think that their over-the-top selection of fine whiskeys would be the main attraction, but their food offerings actually surpass it. Their ever-changing menu has a unique perspective on Southern cuisine. They source as much as possible locally and create some of the most mouth-watering dishes you’ll ever have the pleasure of devouring. Steaks are naturally one of the features, but the various seafood offerings and other expertly prepared dishes make this a menu to be envied. Stop by and let the friendly and knowledgeable staff guide you through cocktails and dinner – an experience you won’t soon forget but will want to repeat often.

Woodstone Deli

oodstone Deli now serves breakfast 7 days a week You might be wondering about the new look & feel that Woodstone Deli has acquired. This family owned and operated Deli, by Naomi Quillen, has made it her mission to make sure Woodstone Deli continues to offer all the great food her patrons desire. Most all items are homemade including the sauces and dressings and offer daily specials. You will still experience the same familiar face, and possibly some new ones. Woodstone Deli has a smoke free, kid friendly atmosphere for you to enjoy. Join them every Friday in September for their karaoke contest. There are winners each week with a final cash prize of $500.00. Runner ups will also receive cash prizes. Stop by and say Hello.

Check out their ads for location and hours!

9/11 Remembrance & Patriot Day Celebration

he Kings Mountain, Post 24 American Legion, in conjunction with the City of Johnson City, Johnson City Police Department, Johnson City Fire Department and Washington CountyJohnson City EMS, will host a 9/11 Remembrance & Patriot Day Celebration. The event will begin at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 11, 2017, in the amphitheater at Memorial Park Community Center, 510 Bert St. (Amphitheater is behind MPCC, on East Main Street side.) The event is intended to remember the courage of those first responders (Police, Firefighters and EMS) as well as the military members and civilians who lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001. All organizations, businesses and citizens are invited to attend and participate in this event to remember and give thanks.

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James Meadows at Holston River Brewing Company

ames Meadows is not unfamiliar to entertainment lovers in the Tri Cities region. The country artist out of Abingdon, who style himself as Journey with a twang, has been a popular draw for some time now. But did you know he has had his latest recording released nationally? Indeed he has. It is titled Carolina Moon, and the cover has a very nice picture of the man himself. He’ll be playing Friday night at the Brewery, and cover is only $5. For that you will be able to hear much of his new album and many of his good favorites. If the weather is nice, you can sit outside under the Tennessee moon; otherwise, go inside for Carolina Moon! Should be a fun evening. If you can’t get to the Brewery until Saturday, don’t despair. Sucker Punch, a very fine group of musicians playing a wide variety of music takes the main stage. Again, cover is only $5. Head on out to the Brewery this weekend for some wonderful music and some great beer and food. See you there!

long with the Johnson City Symphony Orchestra, the Academy of Strings and Science Hill High School ROTC will be on hand. JCSO is in its 49th concert season. This season’s theme is “Aspects of Love.” Dr. Robert Seebacher, Music Director and Conductor for JCSO, says this season we “will explore many musical expressions of love. We will experience the profoundly deep affection found in Wagner’s operas, the charm and delight of Mozart, and the romantic grandeur of Beethoven, Tchaikovsky and Mussorgsky.” Our list of concerts for the season and ticket information can be found at www. jcsymphony.com. The September 10 concert is sponsored by media sponsor, Johnson City Press. Bring a blanket or chair and picnic basket, and enjoy this popular annual event. Visit www.jcsymphony.com or call the Symphony office at 423-926-8742for more information.

Dada Cabaret will return to its “debaucherous” roots in a tribute to the adventurous spirit of the Beat Generation in “The Electric KoolAid Dada Fest” on Saturday, Sept. 9, at 7:30 p.m. at the Acoustic Coffeehouse Next Door, 415 W. Walnut St.

illed as “A Dada Adventure Like Never Before,” the program features East Tennessee State University Department of Music faculty members Dr. Heather Killmeyer (oboe), Dr. Stephanie Frye (tuba) and Dr. Alan Stevens (tenor), along with local writer and pianist Andrew Ford (narrator). “For quite some time, we’ve been planning a ‘choose your own adventure’ type of show, and we are finally making it happen,” Killmeyer said. “The narration will feature a group of young women, who happen to be characters from past Dada shows, embarking on an adventure. Our writer, Andy (Ford), has prepared a series of possible events along the way, to be determined by audience vote. The storyline will also make reference to past Dada Cabaret shows, so it should be quite rewarding for return audiences. We’re very excited about it.” Dada Cabaret is inspired by literary nonsense; transgressive cinema, which uses shock value and humor; the early 20th century artistic movement of Dadaism, which illustrated absurdity through paintings of purposeless machines and collages of discarded materials; and the avant-garde movement, which featured experimental, innovative art that went beyond what was accepted as the norm. This experimental ensemble seeks to push the boundaries of classical music and transcend the divide between audience and performer. Admission is $5. The program is intended for mature audiences only. For more information, call the ETSU Department of Music at 423-439-4276.

theloaferonline.com | March 28, 2017

Join us as we kick off our concert season with our annual free outdoor pops concert at Winged Deer Park in Johnson City on September 10 at 6:00 pm for a rousing, music-filled evening by the lake.

The Electric Kool-Aid Dada Fest

Allegiance and Devotion

Unique ensemble to present

Johnson City Symphony Orchestra Presents

theloaferonline.com | September 5, 2017

GEICO Motorcycle

HOT BIKE TOUR

A can’t miss motorcycle event coming to Johnson City, TN.

or one special weekend, Friday, September 8 to Sunday, as part of the ride-in bike show, awards, giveaways, and take part in all September 10, Downtown Johnson City’s Main Street the activities. Plus, see and vote on the Hot Bike, Baggers and Street transforms into a motorcycle oasis as part of a national Chopper Bike Build-Off as top builders show off their creations built tour. It’s the GEICO motorcycle HOT BIKE Tour, with all roads for the tour. Live music, contests, motorcycle street team stunt show, bringing editors, photographers, top pro builders, thousands of pin stripers, vendors and more will also be on hand all weekend. riders from all over, live music by The Dirty Soul Revival, and more. Pro Builder Build-Off, Stunt Shows, Ride In-Bike Show, Thousands Spectators are FREE and can take part as the pages of Hot Bike come of Motorcycles, Live Bands, Vendors, Giveaways, Pinstriper, Contests to life. Motorcyclists can register on site as “one-dayers” courtesy of and more. The latest information may be found at www.hotbike. Smith Brothers Harley-Davidson and HOT BIKE, and join the editors com/tour.

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Seven to the Sea Plays Johnson City

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On Saturday, September 9, Seven to the Sea brings their unique brand of Celtic and Americana music to The Acoustic Coffeehouse. The duo, which features Travis Johnson on lead vocals and guitar, and Tom Saffell on banjo and whistle, is currently on tour, promoting their latest CD, Above and Below: Part 1. The two-hour show begins at 8:00 PM.

ravis and Tom have toured previously, opening for big acts like Alison Krauss, The Allman Brothers, 3 Dog Night, and others. In 2016, the duo appeared on Music City Roots. The current tour gives the band a chance to play songs and tunes from their new CD. As Travis puts it, “we’re incredibly excited by the reception the new music is getting. You create something in the studio, and you think it’s good, but it really doesn’t breathe until you share it with folks in a live setting.” “Recording is hard work,” says Tom. “Our reward for that work is playing the songs live. Musically, it’s what we live for.” Tom Saffell has an extensive background in Bluegrass music. He was a regular performer at the world-famous Station Inn. In order to realize his compositional ideas, Tom designed and plays an eight-string banjo, which usually prompts more than one audience member to start counting strings and asking questions.

“

Travis Johnson came from the world of pop music. However, for much of the time he was playing in rock bands, Travis also played acoustic guitar, focusing on the music of the British Isles. With Seven to the Sea, he plays several instruments, guitars in various tunings, Irish bouzouki, and bodhran, a type of frame drum unique to Ireland. Seven to the Sea is based in Nashville. The band had its beginnings in Music City’s small but passionate Celtic music scene, which featured a mix of talented musicians who frequently played together informally and moved somewhat fluidly from group to group. Travis and Tom met in one such band, and later worked together in the studio. It was during these sessions that the idea for Seven to the Sea was born.

The Loafer... THE place to look for info on events in the Tri-Cities!" Ash W.

Hannah Harvey

he Blountville native was recruited into storytelling at an early age, no doubt in part due to her family’s proximity to Jonesborough. “I remember when the Folktellers, Barbara Freeman and Connie Regan (now Connie Regan-Blake), came to my elementary school,” Harvey says. “This was when they were first becoming professional storytellers and making a name for themselves. I remember sitting there with the whole school in our gymnasium and just being transfixed. “It was one of those pivotal moments where you see the possibilities of what you can do,” she continues. “You see two people performing a story and captivating hundreds of children. We were all held there and suspended in the same story. And we all are traveling to this different place. I thought, my goodness, the power of just—'just'—a story. That shaped my education goals, the questions I asked of culture and of life as I grew up, and my later graduate studies. It shaped how I understood the world around me, and how I understand it now." Harvey had in fact been a storytelling aficionado even before that formative experience, having attended her first National Storytelling Festival around the tender age of seven. “My mother took me,” she recalls. “I stood up on the hay bales and I told stories.” Little did she know that, as an adult, she’d be commanding her own tent filled with thousands of people listening just as attentively

Tennessee’s own Hannah Harvey will soon be featured at the International Storytelling Center (ISC) as its upcoming storyteller in residence. as she did years ago. During Harvey’s weeklong residency, the storyteller plans to share a variety of folk tales, personal stories, and pieces based on other people’s true stories. She’ll perform daily September 12 – 16, Tuesday through Saturday, beginning at 2 p.m. Tickets are just $12 for adults and $11 for seniors, students, and children under 18 for all performances. Purchasing tickets in advance is highly recommended. Harvey’s live performances are part of ISC’s Storytelling Live! series, a signature program that runs annually. The 2017 season will conclude in October. Ticketholders for all events, including matinee concerts, can present their ticket stubs for a 10 percent discount on sameday dining at JJ’s Eatery and Ice Cream or Main Street Café, two popular eateries in Jonesborough. For six months of the year, Storytelling Live! brings a different storyteller to Jonesborough each week. Information about all performers, as well as a detailed schedule, is available at www. storytellingcenter.net. The International Storytelling Center is open 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday. For more information about Storytelling Live! or to make a group reservation, call (800) 952-8392 ext. 222 or (423) 913-1276.

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Jonesborough Welcomes

theloaferonline.com | September 5, 2017

See Magnificent Saturn! “There has yet been no greater visual survey of a planetary system in the outer solar system than Cassini's imaging of the bodies in the Saturn environment. The enchanting beauty and visual clarity of our images have earned the attention and admiration of people all over the world, and our scientific discoveries, some of them quite startling, have revolutionized our understanding of everything Saturnian.” Cassini Imaging Central Laboratory for Operations (CICLOPS)

Stargazer

By Mark Marquette since 1996 stargazermarq@ gmail.com

ike a circus barker luring people into the big tent, the ringed planet Saturn is center of attention these clear nights of late Summer 2017. And Saturn is about to go viral on the Internet when NASA’s $3 billion Cassini spacecraft commits a hari-kari suicide plunge in the planet’s atmosphere, ending a fantastic 13-year mission. After 293 orbits of Saturn from all angles— the last 26 in the gap between the gaseous planet and rings!—Cassini is ending an incredible mission. The fatal plunge is a standard maneuver for orbiting, planetary spacecraft to prohibit any possible contamination of any moons with Earth germs should it crash there. You can see Saturn with your own eyes high in the south between Scorpius and Sagittarius, in the constellation Ophiuchus. The yellow hue is a contrast to the red star Antares to the right in Scorpius. Binoculars don’t have enough power, but a telescope at even low power will show the rings as “handles” on each side of the yellowish globe—at least that’s what Galileo said when he saw Saturn in his primitive telescope in 1610. If you have haven’t seen Saturn in a telescope, you will never forget your first time. Jaws usually drop. Youngsters shriek. Some adults even question that the telescope is pointed at a photograph of the sixth planet. Indeed, Saturn is one of the few celestial objects that look like the astrophotos. There is nothing through a telescope quite like Saturn. That’s why amateur astronomers, like myself, never tire of seeing this ringed world at every opportunity. Saturn is the symbol of astronomy. And there is certainly more to Saturn that meets the eye. Like the catalog of images from Cassini, all on their Ciclops.org website. Many are astonishing works of art as the rings, moons and planet are captured in various juxtapositions.

The Cassini spacecraft is named after the late 17th Century Italian astronomer Giovanni Cassini, who first pointed a telescope powerful enough to see the black division in the rings that bears his name. The Cassini division is easily seen in most backyard telescopes at around 150-power. Also seen in a telescope are several of Saturn’s moons, including the bright, starlike Titan, the largest moon in the solar system. Saturn is the second largest planet in the solar system at 74,900 miles in diameter. It is rapidly spinning around once in less than 11 hours, flattening the poles, giving Saturn a noticeable squashed look in a telescope. Like giant Jupiter (88,000 miles), and smaller Uranus and Neptune (each about 32,000 miles), Saturn is enshrouded in super-cool gases like nitrogen, methane and ammonia. Their cores are a mystery— maybe solid metals, but most likely liquid metallic hydrogen that creates a wicked electromagnetic system around these gas giants. Despite being so huge, Saturn has a density less than that of liquid water. One of the first facts a youngster learns in school about Saturn is the planet would float on water!

The rings of Saturn are incredibly thin. They are 170,000 miles from tip to tip, but less than 10 miles thick. That is the thickness of a quarter, stretched 10 miles across! Looking like the grooves of an old, vinyl phonograph record, the rings are thousands of ringlets composed of billions of ice and rock chunks ranging in size from boulders to gravel to sand. Dust is raised in changing radial patterns above and below certain portions of the rings. Saturn has about 63 moons, only 13 of which are larger than 30 miles in diameter. A key factor to the glorious rings may be dozens of small moons that are gravitational shepherds of the system of rubble. Up to five of Saturn’s moons are seen in a backyard telescope. And they change position night after night. Looking at Saturn is never tiresome, as the subtle cloud features on the planet also change throughout the night. If a stargaze is planned when Saturn is in the sky, don’t miss it! And watch the final hours of Cassini as it plunges into the Saturn atmosphere on Sept. 15, live on the Cassini websites and Facebook and other astronomy sources on the world-wide web.

he month of September was the seventh in the old Roman calendar that began with March. Thus, the Latin numbers septem, octo, nova and dice obviously denoted the order of the year. Then July came from Julius Caesar and August from Augustus Caesar, and the rest is still part of our history

Tuesday, September 5 Station for its first permanent crew in November 2000. Also “launched” on this Monday was Last Quarter Moon, leaving the evenings dark. date in 1966 was the sci-fi television show “Star Trek.” Golden Jupiter and white Spica team up in the evening twilight all week, and they are all but below the horizon by 8:30 pm. Saturday, September 9 On this 1994 STS-64 Discovery was launched with six astronauts on an 11-day Wednesday, September 6 mission of engineering and science experiments. And in 2006, Atlantis was Saturn is directly south at 9 pm, situated in the 13th constellation launched with six astronauts on a hard-hat mission to the International Space of the Zodiac, Ophiuchus the Serpent Handler. The fake science Station. The six-day mission was packed with three space walks that installed a of astrology does not recognize Ophiuchus (pronounced Oh-FEW- port side truss and two solar panels. u-cus) as a member of the Zodiac. But there it is, the classical fifth planet of horoscopes for millennia, smack dab between Scorpius Sunday, September 10 to the right and Sagittarius to the left. The gibbous Moon rises just before midnight, so that leaves plenty of time to trace the Summer constellations. Directly overhead is the Summer Triangle of Deneb Thursday, September 7 (north side), Vega (middle) and Altair (south side). Yes, it’s still Summer until Friday, On this 1995 date in space history, STS-69 launched Space Shuttle Sept. 22 at 4:02 pm! Endeavour for 11days of science and practice on construction techniques for the International Space Station. Five years later Monday, September 11 construction was underway in orbit. On this 1997 date in space history, Mars Global Surveyor began orbiting the Red Planet. Its mission ended in November 2006 after nine years in orbit, scouting Friday, September 8 landing sites and mapping the planet. Currently there six active Mars orbiters: On this 2000 date in space history, STS-106 Atlantis was launched Odyssey, NASA, since 2001; Mars Express, European Space Agency, 2003; Mars from Cape Kennedy, Florida. A crew of seven brought up supplies Reconnaissance Orbiter, NASA, 2006; Mangalyaan, India, 2014; MAVEN, NASA, and readied the first two segments of the International Space 2015; and ExoMars, ESA and Russia, 2016.

19 theloaferonline.com | September 5, 2017

THIS WEEK

SKIES

Celestial events in the skies for the week of Sept. 5-11, 2017 as compiled for The Loafer by Mark D. Marquette.

Spotlight

theloaferonline.com | September 5, 2017

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.

- THURSDAY - September 7th -

- TUESDAY - September 5th -

- SATURDAY - September 9th -

Stemwinder Rock’s Wood Fired Pizza & Grill

Broke-N-Busted Woodstone Deli

Blue Cactus Gypsy Circus Cider Company

Old Movie Night Bears Bar

Shooter Band Los Amigo’s

Billy Crawford Holiday Inn

Open Talent Night Bears Bar

Retroville Painter Creek Marina

- WEDNESDAY -September 6th Jason Ellis Wild Wing Cafe

- FRIDAY - September 8th -

Doug MacLeod Down Home

Steve Rutledge & the Groove Evolution Wild Wing Cafe

Jimmy Fitch Lukes Pizza

Tuatha Dea Capone’s

Java Jam Session Acoustic Coffeehouse

Indighost / Us, If / The Kindest People The Hideaway

Bike Night Bears Bar

Sugar Lime Blue Studio Brew

- THURSDAY - September 7th The Force Field Sleepy Owl Brewery Shooter Band Los Amigo’s Jam w/ Maureen Renihan Wellington’s Restaurant Latrelle Yee Haw Brewing Company Mike Farris Birthplace of Country Music Museum Anthony Mangrum at Zachary’s Steakhouse Dennis Coffey Art in the Heart Gallery Ryan Ward Moe’s Original BBQ Southern Countrymen Band Bristol Downtown Mural Shades of Refinement Quaker Steak & Lube Blacktop Mojo Capone’s Slim Pickens Band Bristol Public Library Live Music Bone Fire Smokehouse General Sheppard Blackbird Bakery Jesse Taylor Acoustic Coffeehouse State of Affairs Mocel City Tap House Nostalgia Duo Rock’s Wood Fired Pizza & Grill

Texas Hippie Coalition 50Fifty Sports Tavern My New Favorites Music on the Square The Green Fingers / Sulphur Springs String Dippers Founders After 5 Railway Express Painter Creek Marina Shades of Refinement Ma & Pa’s Restaurant The Royal Hounds O’Mainnin’s Pub David Robert, King/Searra Jade Acoustic Coffeehouse

Sundown Band Willoughby Ruritan David Caberet, Seven of the Sea, Patrick Comen w/ Renee Wahl Acoustic Coffeehouse The Diamonds Rock’s Wood Fired Pizza & Grill The Dusty Travelers Woodstone Deli Rock & Roll Freakshow Los Amigo’s Sucker Punch Holston River Brewing Company The New Conspirators Bristol Station Brews & Taproom Jigsaw Jane Country Club Bar & Grill Junkyard Dogz Bears Bar Benny Wilson, Asylum Suite, Wyldeheart The Town of Gate City The Bosses Marker 2 Grille @ Lakeview Marina

- SUNDAY - September 10th -

James Meadows Holston River Brewing Company

Ivy Road Marker 2 Grill @ Lakeview Marina

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

Big Sandy Bone Fire Smokehouse

Smokehouse Crickets Marker 2 Grille @ Lakeview Marina

Johnson CIty Symphony Orchestra Winged Deer Park Lakeside Concert Series

- SATURDAY - September 9th Weedeaters / Navajo Witch / Bones of Mary The Hideaway Melissa Reaves The Willow Tree Coffeehouse & Music Room 7 Mile Mushroom Bone Fire Smokehouse

Wind Whisperers of India ETSU DP Culp University Center Matt Ward Acoustic Coffeehouse

- TUESDAY - September 12th The Bobs DB Little Theatre

Fireball Mail Down Home Shooter Band Show Palace Southern Countrymen Band Buffalo Ruritan Waka Flacka Flame ETSU Mini Dome

for show time & more details, visit

theloaferonline.com

Country Club Bar & Grill 3080 W State St Bristol 423-844-0400

Model City Tap House 324 E Market St. Kingsport 423-765-0875

Bear's Bar 4460 Highway 421 Bristol TN 423-502-1975

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

Quaker Steak & Lube 629 State St. Bristol VA 276-644-9464

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

Holston River Brewing Company 2623 Volunteer Pkwy Bristol TN

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

CJ’S Sports Bar 516 Morelock St. Kingsport 423-390-1361

Lakeview Marina 474 Lakeside Dock Drive Kingsport

KARAOKE

TUESDAY Karaoke w/ Tina and West at Dawg House Tavern Karaoke w/ Absolute Entertainment at Logans Karaoke w/ Marques at Painter Creek Marina Karaoke with Top shelf Entertainment at Boomershine’s Karaoke at Numan’s - Johnson City TN *********************** WEDNESDAY Karaoke w/ Southern Sounds Karaoke at American Legion 8pm Karaoke at CJ’s Sports Bar Karaoke w/ DJ Marquez & Top Shelf Entertainment at Holston River Brewing Company Karaoke w/ DJ Brad & Top Shelf Entertainment at Quaker Steak & Lube 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 CJ’s Sports Bar Karaoke w/ Marques at Painter Creek Marina Karaoke at Numan’s - Johnson City TN Karaoke w/ Absolute Entertainment at New Beginning’s Karaoke at Jiggy Rays Pizzaria ***********************

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

FRIDAY Karaoke w/ Southern Sounds Karaoke at Sportsman’s Bar & Grill 9pm Karaoke w/ Absolute Entertainment at Los Amigos - Kingsport Karaoke w/ Shane Rouse at Bear’s Bar 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 w/ Toddzilla at Sportsmans Pub Karaoke at CJ’s Sports Bar Karaoke w/ DJ Brad & Top Shelf Entertainment at BoBo’s - Damascus VA Karaoke at Elizabethton VFW Karaoke w/ DJ Marquez & Top Shelf Entertainment at Holiday Inn (Exit 7) - Bristol VA Karaoke at Numan’s - Johnson City TN *********************** SATURDAY Karaoke at The Horseshoe Lounge Karaoke w/ Toddzilla at Sportsmans Pub 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 ***********************

21 theloaferonline.com | September 5, 2017

SPOTLIGHT DIRECTORY

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

theloaferonline.com | September 5, 2017

Freebie & The Bean

My friends over at Warner Archive were nice enough to send me a copy of their new blu-ray release of the 1974 action-comedy “Freebie and The Bean.”

Batteries Not Included

By Andy Ross aross@ theloaferonline.com

he film, directed by Richard Rush, stars James can and Alan Arkin, with TVs Loretta Swit and Valerie Harper in supporting roles. The film is very much in the same vein as other early ‘70s action cop films like “Bullitt” and “The French Connection” only amping up the comedic sides of both of those stories. In many ways what “Freebie and The Bean” did was set the template for the buddy cop film that would be seen so often in the following decade. Taking place in San Francisco, Freebie (Cann) and his partner Bean (Arkin) are a pair of cops who are determined to bust a big racketeer—the film opens with the two going through his garbage in the trunk of their cop car. Just as they are getting close to busting the crime lord, they learn a rival gang out of Detroit has put out a hit on the guy. Trying to figure out a way to keep him safe from getting killed before they can nab him, our duo arrest him for indecent exposure, after seeing him zip up his fly in a public park. “Freebie and The Bean” is very much in tone with what I like to call the “Hey we can get away with stuff!” cycle of filmmaking from the early ‘70s. With the production code fully in the grave by the end of the '60s, filmmakers started to say “to hell with it” a lot more in their moviemaking. It’s also a requirement of many big budget films from this time to have naked people, swearing, and

BATTERIES continued on page 32

Bridal Show Soon-to-be married couples and their guests are invited to the Simple Elegance Bridal Show hosted by Simple Elegance Tennessee Photography on September 10 from 12pm to 3pm at the Jonesborough Visitors Center in Jonesborough TN.

Festivals

Got an event coming up?

Events

Send it to The Loafer! info@theloaferonline.com

Concerts

Exhibits

ebruary's show was successful and so much fun; many people asked us to do a Fall show, so we are excited to add a second show this year," said Mathew Wooten owner of Simple Elegance Tennessee." As always, we want the bridal show to be informative and fun, so we have activities that brides and grooms-to-be will find different from other bridal shows." At the show, brides will be able to finalize plans for their special day all in one place, or just gather ideas. Many of Tri-Cities preferred wedding vendors will be exhibiting their goods and servicesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;venues, bakers, caterers, photographers, florists, DJs, and more. During the Simple Elegance Bridal Show, many door prizes will be given to attendees, and tote bags with over $600 in savings and gifts are waiting for the first 50 brides-to-be in attendance. One lucky soon-to-be married couple will win the grand prize, a wedding cake from Another Touch Bakery because a wedding just isn't a wedding without the cake! "Also, we are donating 25% of the proceeds from the fall show to the American Cancer Society," Wooten said. Tickets for the Simple Elegance Bridal Show are $6.00 at the door or guests can pre-register online at simpleelegancebridalshow. com to save $2.00 per person and double their chances to win the grand prize. More information about the show, including the latest list of participating vendors, is online at simpleelegancebridalshow.com or you can call 423.930.8215. The Simple Elegance Bridal Show will be held on September 10, 2017. The event is connecting couples with highly regarded local wedding professionals who are ready help make their wedding dreams come true while staying within their budget.

theloaferonline.com | September 5, 2017

Simple Elegance

theloaferonline.com | September 5, 2017

Pop Life

By Ken Silvers ksilvers@ theloaferonline.com

If anyone saw a purple squirrel in real life, it would be all over social media and have a special page dedicated to the nut lover. Until the aforementioned happens, if ever, we have an animated purple squirrel to ponder in the current CGI animated film "Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature."

(Rated PG) 3D and standard formats. 2 1/2 nuts (out of 4)

he film is the sequel to the 2014 original, and again features Will Arnett voicing Surly the purple squirrel. The film features Surly and his assorted squirrel, dog, mole, groundhog, chipmunk, and rat friends. Speaking of rats, Surly's best friend is a mute rat named Buddy, and during the film we learn how the two become BFF's. The plot of the sequel involves Surly and his friends having found paradise in a condemned nut shop, where there are snacks galore, leaving them with no need to forage in the city park in which they reside. However, when an unexpected accident occurs in the Nut Shop, Surly and his friends are forced

to head back to the park where they used to forage for food. As if the accident with the Nut Shop isn't enough, the mayor of the city in which they reside, Percival J. Muldoon (Bobby Moynihan), a cross between Boss Hogg from the old "Dukes of Hazzard" series and Donald Trump, decides there are several locations in the city which are not making a profit, so he decides to raze the park where Surly and company live and build an amusement park. After a harrowing escape from the park's destruction, Surly, Buddy and his friends take cover where they can and devise a plan, with the help from some new mice friends, who are experts in the martial arts, to take back their park by destroying the new Liberty Land. In fact, the leader of the mice colony, Mr. Feng, is voiced by Jackie Chan, which is a perfect choice for the character. Soon all the animals who made the park their home, are attacking the rickety Liberty Land park, and chaos ensues. It should come as no shock the animals eventually bring down the amusement park, and play a pivotal role in dishing out justice to the opportunist Mayor Muldoon. As with most animated films you have the standard character types, i.e. the hero, the comedic relief, the bumbling sidekick, the romantic interest, and of course, the villain. In addition to the vocal talents of the aforementioned Arnett and Chan, other voices in the film include Katherine Heigl, Gabriel Iglesias,and Maya Rudolph. So needless to say, the characters are in excellent hands. The film features plenty of comedic moments, many of which come courtesy of the Muldoon character and his spoiled daughter Heather (Isabela Moner), who can scream and pout to perfection. The simple story of friendship and survival is a good one for kids, and thanks to the witty dialogue in the film, can also be enjoyed by adults. With a fun script, and enjoyable characters, "Nut Job 2": Nutty by Nature" provides a fun time at the theater for kids and adults of all ages. Now if I could just discover a purple squirrel!

The original work “Ghost, Ghost, Come Out Tonight” by playwright Catherine Bush will be performed at Barter Stage II beginning Sept. 7. Bush is one of Barter patrons’ favorite playwrights being known for recent Barter works of “The Road to Appomattox” and “The Three Musketeers.”

eaturing actors Justin Tyler Lewis, Sarah Van Deusen, Katherine Lyle and Josh Levinson, “Ghost, Ghost Come Out Tonight” is the newest murder mystery of the fall season at Barter. Can a ghost commit murder? When Ian and Liz Crowell find a body on their property they will have to ask themselves this and more. Will they be able to uncover the truth, or will they become the next victims? “Think about the way your body reacts when you are being told a scary story: you lean forward, not wanting to miss a detail. You allow yourself to be put under the spell of the story, until the big scare comes where you jump back and, finally, burst into laughter! And that’s the moment, I think, that makes us love scary stories,” said “Ghost, Ghost, Come Out Tonight” Director Nicholas Piper. “That feeling of release

and relief when we realize we’ve lived through it, and of course, we’re going to make it out alive.” Reserve your ticket early, with tickets for every show starting at $20. Call the Barter Theatre Box Office at 276-628-3991 for more information, or book online at bartertheatre.com. Barter Theatre, the nation’s longest running professional theatre, is located in Abingdon, Virginia. The theatre opened in 1933 during the Great Depression. Founder Robert Porterfield offered patrons admission to the theatre by bartering food and livestock. Barter Theatre was designated as the state theatre of Virginia in 1946. It exists today as one of the last year-round professional resident repertory theaters remaining in the United States. Barter Theatre is funded in part by The Virginia Commission for the Arts and The National Endowment for the Arts.

theloaferonline.com | September 5, 2017

Ghost, Ghost, Come Out Tonight Haunts Barter Theatre

theloaferonline.com | September 5, 2017

Warbirds at TRI Warbirds are coming to Tri-Cities Airport September 1217. The event will be held at Tri-City Aviation, the general aviation terminal at Tri-Cities Airport.

vent goers can view aircraft, browse through aviation displays, and learn more about aviation in the Tri-Cities area. Parking and admission to the displays are free and open to the public. The B-17 Flying Fortress WWII bomber, nick-named “The Sentimental Journey” will be on display from Tuesday, Sept. 12 through Sunday, Sept. 17. Ground tours of the inside of the B-17 may be purchased at the door. Aviation enthusiasts can even fly in the B-17 on a Living History Flight during the weekend. Reservations are required. Individuals may register at www.azcaf.org or (602) 448-9415. The P-51 “Mustang” fighter, other aircraft of interest and area food trucks arrive Sept. 16-17. Professional vintage photo sessions with the P-51 are available. Photo opportunities include: family pictures, $25 pictures with the P-51 and your own Mustang car, $50; and 1940’s pin-up style pictures, $100 (includes professional hair and make-up done on-site). Reservations are required. Call photographer Jymmi Davis, (423) 967-2256, to schedule a photo session. The photo sessions serve as the main scholarship fundraiser for the Appalachian Aviatrixes, the local chapter of the International Organization of Women pilots, the Ninety-Nines (501 c3). Scholarships are awarded to local women allowing them to pursue pilot certificates and ratings. To further introduce women to aviation, two introductory flight lessons for women 16 and older are being raffled. Each lesson includes a one-hour of flight and one-hour of ground training with a flight instructor. Tickets are $1 and may be purchased at the event. Parental permission is required for anyone under 18. Event coordinator, Meagan Harr, is a recent aviation scholarship winner. “This scholarship has made a significant impact on my aviation goals. I want to pay it forward to the aviation community by helping other women benefit from scholarships. In addition to our local scholarships, the Ninety-Nines offer many International scholarships, like the “Fly Now Award”. Each year approximately 50 women are awarded scholarships for up to $6000 toward their private pilot certificate.”

theloaferonline.com | September 5, 2017

MUSICAL

continued from page 9

instruments and musicians is called “jugalbandi,” Venkataraman says, an ancient art form of duet between different instruments and styles. Separately, these musicians have performed the worldround with renowned artists including Ravi Shankar, George Harrison, Paul McCartney, Bela Fleck, Larry Coryell and Philip Glass. Legendary guitarist Ry Cooder called Majumdar the “Dr. Feelgood of Indian Flute,” while Vaidhya is known for his blistering speed and use of electric and amplified instruments. Majumdar is a Grammy nominee who has also recorded extensively for Bollywood artists; Vaidhya has contributed music for a number of cinematic and documentary projects; and Kanetkar’s recordings include solo works and music fusing Eastern and Western traditions. Venkataraman, who teaches applied mathematics and neurology at California State-Long Beach when not performing, was enticed to America and mentored by Dr. Robert E. Brown, known as “the Godfather of World Music in the U.S.” Venkataraman also has performed at ETSU in the past, as a guest of the Department of Music and friend Dr. Alison Deadman, who met the drummer while they both were attending UCLA. Mary B. Martin School of the Arts found a date in the Whisperers’ brief U.S. tour at Deadman’s suggestion. “We are always trying to work with our faculty on campus as much as possible, and this is a good example of how that can work,” says School of the Arts Director Anita DeAngelis. “Dr. Deadman teaches international music in some of her courses … and when she learned that these musicians were planning a tour in the U.S. and asked if we were interested, I said, ‘Yes. We are!’ ” The combination of a lively South Indian community in the area, as well as many people from the area who don’t have any experience with this kind of music – in addition to the university’s concerted interest in multicultural education – made Wind Whisperers a good choice for the campus venue, DeAngelis and Deadman say. “So, this is a wonderful opportunity for people to broaden their horizons, be curious,” says Deadman, professor of Music History. “It’s also an opportunity to hopefully meet the musicians. They would love to answer questions. You’re able to talk to them about, ‘What is that instrument?’ or ‘What was that sound?’ It’s also a wonderful opportunity for anyone interested in improvisation to see how people in other cultures improvise.” Indian music is mostly improvised, Venkataraman says. “Improvisation is very common in Indian music because of the technique of teaching that we adopt,” he explains. “Going back many years, Indian music is an art form that is taught from teacher to student with no written notation.

You learn the music just from being in the home of your teacher or your guru.” Whether the Whisperers get to “rehearse” in the airport or not, their U.S. tour concerts will each have a slightly different mix of musicians and will be a traditional Indian musical meeting of the minds – or what in America is called a jam session. “These guys are going to come up on stage,” Venkataraman says. “We [the drummers] will just give them the time signature and they will do everything they possibly can, mathematically speaking, to bring it back to the head with absolute precision and perfection, because the mathematics is an exact science in Indian music.” As a mathematician, though, Venkataraman does have a plan. “I have written and choreographed the music in such a way that it blends into a nice ensemble with the drums from both North and South India, and instrumentation from both North and South,” V.R. says. “I take a scale that is common to both languages and I compose the music in a very particular scale and I hand it over to the musicians and give them the opportunity to improvise. So, they actually bounce off their own energy that they create on stage.” While for the drummers, it is all mathematical – eight beat cycle with 32 pulses or a five-beat cycle with 50 pulses – the audience only experiences the magic – and the love – of the multicultural musical conversation. “Music brings that together in multiple manners,” he says. “It is the part of healing that needs to happen. Therefore, my one statement to everybody is: Understand the music, understand the humanity behind it ... Love will conquer all. Music is the medium to bring that love together among human beings.” For more on these musicians, visit http://www. ronumajumdar.com, http://rajheshvaidhya.net, http://www.harshadkanetkar.com and http://www. musiccircle.org. For more information about ETSU’s Mary B. Martin School of the Arts or to purchase tickets, visit www.etsu. edu/martin or call 423-439-TKTS (8587).

Who doesn't love a good rollercoaster ride? That sense of anticipation (or dread) as your train clanks up the steep incline towards that inevitable drop into the abyss.

Appalachian Wanderers

By Jason & Daniel Worley jdworley@ theloaferonline.com

he feeling of butterflies in your stomach as you soar over the first hill and feel yourself pulling away from your seat, free as the wind. Those intense g forces that crush your body as the train whips through inversion after mind-numbing inversion. Whether it's the rattling, rickety sensation only offered by the more traditional wooden coasters, or those uniquely-named inversions such as boomerangs and jo-jo rolls found on modern coasters of steel, the majority of Americans love to have a good scream on these thrill machines. What? We didn’t see you raise your hand when we asked our first question? Well, we hope you won't be too mad at us, because this issue is all about Cedar Point, the Rollercoaster Capital of America! A sprawling park perched on a small Lake Erie peninsula, Cedar Point covers three hundred and sixty-four acres and is home to no less than sixteen rollercoasters! It has received dozens of prestigious awards over the years and introduced the world to many new types of rollercoasters. Like many of America's older amusement parks, Cedar Point got its start as a small picnic and pleasure park in the late 1800’s. A dance floor, beer garden, and bowling alley soon gave way to more traditional amusement rides, and the first rollercoaster opened at the park all the way back in 1891. This original coaster stood a mere twenty-five feet tall and raced at a thrilling speed of ten miles an hour. After this, the park expanded rapidly throughout the early 1900s. While it did fall on hard times during the years of the Great Depression and World War II, it managed to stay afloat and avoided the wrecking ball that demolished so many of the era’s amusement parks. Today, Cedar Point is the second-oldest amusement park in the country and by far one of the largest. It currently boasts over seventy rides in addition to its impressive rollercoaster line-up. Visitors also can enjoy the thrilling slides and refreshing waters of Cedar Point Shores Waterpark or the beach located on Lake Erie. A full-service marina, several on-site restaurants, three hotels, and an indoor waterpark resort round out the rest of the park's offerings, allowing visitors to plan an entire vacation around this world class park. Just like you would when planning a Disneyworld vacation, it's very important to make a plan of action before visiting the park. It can be overwhelming when you first go through the turnstiles and realize how much there is to do, so plan what attractions you must include in your itinerary. Just like Disney, Cedar Point sees record-breaking crowds throughout the summer months, and it’s not uncommon for lines to stretch three hours or more for the more popular rides. Two full days are a minimum if you intend to see everything the park has to offer. If you want to enjoy the waterpark, spend some time on Lake Erie, or check out some of the other attractions in the Sandusky area, we would recommend a long weekend or four days. When you first arrive at Cedar Point, you have several options for parking. The main entrance offers a great sense of arrival with the imposing

Gatekeeper wing coaster flying over the gate, but you may want to skip the crowds and drive to the smaller parking lot located behind the park. This is normally used for the waterpark and sometimes can open later in the morning, so we recommend calling ahead to find out what hour it opens. Parking in the back can allow more time to ride the truly epic coasters which are clustered more towards the back of the park before the crowds disperse from the front gate. Remember also that visitors who are staying in a Cedar Point hotel or purchase the Platinum Pass are allowed early entry to ride some of the park’s select rollercoasters a full hour before normal visitors enter. If you look at a map of the park, it is laid out somewhat in a figure eight shape. This makes it easy to make two large loops and hit most of the attractions. Unlike theme parks, most of Cedar Point is not divided up into lands. Instead, there are several long midways that are separated from each other and anchored by an iconic coaster, such as the Top Thrill Dragster. The one exception to this rule is Frontier Town and Frontier Trail, much of which may remind you of Dollywood’s Craftman’s Valley. This was by far our favorite part of the park. Wide paths meander under tall shade trees and past authentic cabins where you can make and purchase handcrafts. A wonderful petting zoo and two water rides make this a favorite area for families as well. Of course, how could we finish this article without mentioning the rollercoasters for which Cedar Point is so famous? There are historic icons such as the Blue Streak, an out-and-back coaster built in the 1960’s, kiddie coasters such as the Woodstock Express, and record-breakers such as Magnum XL 200, the world’s first hypercoaster. Then there are the scream machines which truly make the park a world-wide icon. Millennium Force, a gigacoaster which was the first coaster ever to top three hundred feet, dominates the area in front of Frontier Trail. Over a mile of sleek blue track snakes its way over much of the peninsula and leaves riders dizzy from the positive g’s. Valravn opened just last year as the tallest dive coaster in the world. The car dangles riders over two hundred feet in the air before dropping them straight down. Gatekeeper is the longest wing coaster in the world, Raptor whips riders through six inversions, and Wicked Twister launches riders forwards and backwards along two twisted vertical spires. Our favorite two coasters were Maverick and Top Thrill Dragster. Maverick, themed to a wild bucking bronco, definitely feels like one. Two launches at seventy miles an hour, a beyond vertical drop, and nonstop twists and turns make it appear on almost every coaster enthusiasts’ top ten lists. Top Thrill Dragster stands over four hundred feet high, making it the first coaster to ever be dubbed a stratacoaster. The launch from a standstill to one hundred and twenty miles an hour takes even the most hardened coaster veteran by surprise, as does the straight down drop back to earth afterward. It is quite possibly the zenith of humanity’s search to create the most thrilling ride.

theloaferonline.com | September 5, 2017

American Roller Coast

theloaferonline.com | September 5, 2017

Alan Novak: The Interview If you have been in this area for any length of time, you have heard this guy on the radio. Alan Novak and I met many years ago working in radio. I was blessed with the opportunity to be one of his DJ’s when he was program director of WKOS and when he eventually left to work for Wellmont, I was given his

Mountain Movers

By Brian Bishop bbishop@ theloaferonline.com

position and some really big shoes to try and fill. The guy is a gifted performer and was a great boss to work for. These days he is proud to rank himself in terms of how well he does as a dad and husband. Meet a rock solid guy who I am proud to call my friend. Ladies and gentlemen, Alan Novak.

BRIAN: Thanks for taking time to do this interview with me. I know you are one busy guy! Start us off at the beginning, where did you grow up? And can you talk a little about what that was like? ALAN: Born in Pittsburgh but grew up most of my life in Northern Virginia, outside of DC. My dad worked for the federal government so we ended up there. DC was a great place to grow up back in the 80s. It was still a growing town but hadn’t exploded with all the traffic and urban sprawl you find there now. I was your typical suburban 1980’s kid who loved rock music, MTV and sported a mullet which is even funnier now because I am bald. Sorry no pictures to share! BRIAN: You and I met when I first started in radio way back too many years to talk about, but let’s just say late 90’s? We were both much younger men back then and trying to figure everything out. You don’t go around bragging, but for those who don’t know, you are super talented in radio and could have gone anywhere in the country to work. What was it about this region and these people that made you choose to stay here and put down roots? ALAN: Well I appreciate you saying that. I’ve always had the gift of gab and spontaneity, so I guess it served me well. I always thought I would end up in radio or TV. Growing up FM radio was a huge part of my life and I wanted to be a part of it. It’s funny how kids today are attracted to Snap Chat and Instagram. We didn’t have that. So listening to Top 40 and sports radio was my way to feel a connection to the world. The DJs were the big celebrities in town and they were so cool that I wanted to be them. And I feel like I was on that pathway, not far along, but I could have got there. I ended up here in the TriCities and felt like I was forging that path and this would be just a stop along the way. I was happy with where I was professionally but personally there was a tremendous void. As much as I wanted to succeed, I also had a strong desire to be married and have a family. And as it is most times, love hits you when you are not expecting it. I met my wife Jan while we both worked at the radio station. I fell head

over heels. And to this day, I absolutely adore her over 15 years later. She was born and raised here and as our relationship grew, I started to feel more of a connection to this region and started loving it as much as she did. Though I grew up in the DC suburbs, I went to school at West Virginia University. I loved Morgantown’s size, the people there and the culture. It’s very similar to here. So I met this fantastic woman, I’m in an area that I enjoy and I start thinking that maybe this is where I am supposed be. BRIAN: Speaking of roots, you and I talk kids sports a lot for good reason! I know you have always been about family. Why is that so important to you? ALAN: Family is everything. I grew up in a wonderful home. My parents provided me a great blueprint on how it should work. There are challenges but life is full of them. It’s those challenges you maneuver through that help build a stronger family unit. My wife

MOVERS

continued on page 33

theloaferonline.com | September 5, 2017

Day 18 The Casual Word

By Langley Shazor Follow Langley at TheCasualWord

If I stay to pray in silence Searching out for understanding I suppose I would be able to glean it seems any meaning One that would and should assist me Why then at a whim do I only skim the surface When I willingly wept through the tears of fears of vulnerability Confronted my innermost demons Swayed past and slayed those which stood seemingly impervious All to stand in a void Staring into this emptiness A lackluster filibuster whose campaign ended in a stalemate And so I wait For a voice to make the choice to return my plea To observe the nerve it took to be here And no longer let me sit In silence

BATTERIES continued from page 22 violence. There’s all three in “Freebie and The Bean.” The film was supposed to be a straight cop action drama, but once Arkin and Caan began improvising around with the characters, a tone of humor emerged, changing the dynamics of the film. A new 2K scan of the film’s interpositive was made by Warner Brothers’ Motion Picture Imaging facility—a highly respected facility in the industry for digital restoration. The film’s 2.4:1 aspect ration is rendered faithfully. The grain is right of a film of the era, but the colors a bit muted and some shots are soft looking. This is more due to the way “Freebie and The Bean” was photographed, rather than shoddy mastering work. A lot of films from this time were starting to drop the “Sharp, Hollywood Gloss" look, bringing realism to the screen. The film looks great for what it is, but it’s not a disc you’d use to show off your home theater set up. The sound is a sharp DTS-HD MA 2.0 English Mono track, the only bonus features are the film’s theatrical trailer. “Freebie and The Bean” is an OK film, very much locked in its time. I’m sure it has its fans. It’s not terrible, but it wasn’t quite as much fun as I initially expected. Alan Arkin is great in the film—has he ever been bad on screen? But some of the comedic stuff clashes with the film trying to be a gritty, ‘70s cop drama. It’s a little uneven, but I can see why audiences flocked to the film in 1974, making it a box office smash. So much of early ‘70s filmmaking has a lot of envelope pushing and genre bending. This film very much sets the tone for a lot of action cop buddy comedies that would come ten years later. Warner Archive has done a fine job bringing “Freebie and The Bean” to blu-ray. See you next week.

continued from page 30

Jan had a daughter from a previous marriage, Stacy. I had never been a father before so on the day I got married, I instantly became a husband and a dad to a 10 year old girl. Talk about a challenge! But it’s been such a blessing to watch her grow into a successful young woman and now I get to walk her down the aisle at her upcoming wedding. And along the way, Jan and I had a son, Benjamin. I love being involved in his life from academics to sports. I often tell people that I get more enjoyment watching him play sports than I ever did playing. Honestly having a family is the reason that I left radio. I was working so much and on weekends that I started missing my kids’ events. I didn’t want to miss a soccer game or a birthday party because I had to work. BRIAN: We can’t talk about this region and the people without talking about faith. I know your faith is very important to you. How does faith play into your daily routine at work and home? ALAN: Faith’s a big part of our lives. I came from a very spiritual family growing up. I started to waver somewhat during college and into my 20’s. But it was my wife Jan who helped to steer me back to church and to bible study. I’m so grateful for her guidance. She only worked at the radio station for a short time. I am convinced that God put her there so that we could meet. Sorry just not a coincidence. Everyone is so busy but it’s so important to find time for prayer or reflection. So I make time. God doesn’t care when and where. He wants a relationship with you. Many times I am at my desk or driving and just stop, take a minute or two and pray. BRIAN: And after all of these years, you and I get to work together from time to time and it is always great to get to do that. You serve a unique and important role within Wellmont Health System. Tell folks a little about that and how they can learn more. ALAN: I am a Physician Relations Manager for Wellmont Health System. I really love what I do. I work to market and promote Wellmont physicians and services to referring doctors in the area. For instance a new cardiologist or surgeon comes to our area. I will take this new doctor around to all the referring physicians and introduce them. My hope is that through these face-to-face introductions that the PCP, their nurses and staffs will start to refer patients to the new doctor. I really love it when someone in an office says how they enjoyed putting a name with a face. It is also exciting for me to assist in some small way a new physician to get their practice up and running. I also take great joy in being that Wellmont liaison for referring offices. They know that if any issue, concern or compliment for Wellmont occurs that they can count on me to help. I tell them that I may not be able to answer all their questions, but I am confident that if I can’t, I can find someone who can.

33 theloaferonline.com | September 5, 2017

MOVERS

theloaferonline.com | September 5, 2017

Answers on page 36

Charlie is an 8 month old male. He is neutered and up to date on all vaccines. He is a very sweet and loving cat! Please consider giving him his furever home!

There are so many adorable and sweet kitties at the shelter. They will all be spayed and neutered and up to date on all vaccines. Please come visit and see all the cuties!

he 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 12pm3pm and Sun 2pm-4pm. Website is www. bridgehomerescue@gmail.com or like them on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/ bridgehome

theloaferonline.com | September 5, 2017

PETS

OF THE WEEK

theloaferonline.com | September 5, 2017

THINGS TO DO Blood Drive Marsh Regional Blood Center will conduct public blood drives at the area locations. Visit http:// tinyurl.com/n4aujx9 to find a location near you. In addition to scheduled blood drives, donors are welcome at Marsh Regional’s collection centers: 111 W. Stone Drive, Suite 300, Kingsport, 2428 Knob Creek Road, Johnson City and 1996 W. State St., Bristol. For more information about scheduling a blood drive at a local business, church, school or community organization, please call 423-408-7500, 423-652-0014 or 276-679-4669 or visit www. marshblood.com. •••••••••••••••••••••••••• The Casual Word Adult Creative Writing Class Join us for a free, fun, engaging, and different look into writing. In this class, we will not focus on structure, form, or rules, but on the freedom of writing. It is the goal of this class to open the mind to its full creative potential by allowing participants to write what they want, how they want to write it. Sessions will be student lead; we will engage in topics and subjects that are of interest to the students. The atmosphere is casual and jovial. This class is designed for all those 18 and up who wish to try their hand at creative writing. Thursdays @ 6:00 p.m. Jones Creativity Center. Bristol Public Library. •••••••••••••••••••••••••• JC Community Drum Circle The Johnson City Community Drum Circle meets every Wednesday evening (April – October), 7pm - 8:30pm, inside the Farmers’ Market Pavilion next to Found-

ers Park. Everyone is welcome to attend and participate. Come drum, hoop/holler, dance, or just relax and take in the scene, no experience or “talent” necessary. There are shared instruments and of course you can bring your own drums or percussion. It's all improvised, so there are no mistakes. We just smile and keep playing. Bring your own seating! •••••••••••••••••••••••••• Stress Clinic Community Acupuncture Enjoy a de-stressing and pain relieving thirty minute seated acupuncture session in the Art Gallery of The Renaissance Center in Kingsport. Hosted by Acupuncture Associates, come and get your painless acupuncture and get your nervous system strengthened! $40 (plus get a $20 bonus voucher to apply toward your next visit). Join us EVERY THIRD THURSDAY 12-3pm. For infomations, call 423-239-7044. •••••••••••••••••••••••••• Off The Couch Tri-Cities Ladies Only Social Activities Group For bi, lesbian or straight ladies. The goal of this group is to get you off the couch and out of the house so you can have fun going to various activities, meet new people and make friends. Activities include live music, open mic night, drum circle, storytelling, social/ coffee hour, comedy, bingo, billiards, sporting events, theatre and karaoke. Locations for activities can take place in different areas throughout the tri cities. Johnson City- The Willow Tree Coffeehouse, The Down Home, Founders Park, JC Community Theatre, Acoustic Coffeehouse, Yee-Haw Brewing Company, 50fifty Sports Tavern Bristol- Border Bash, Quaker Steak and Lube, Studio Brew,

Bristol Station Brews & Taproom Kingsport- , Rush Street Neighborhood Grill, Gypsy Circus Cider Company, Sleepy Owl Brewery Possible singers/groups: Wise Old River, Yarn, Amythyst Kiah, Annabelle's Curse, If Birds Could Fly, Beth Snapp, The Black Lillies, The SteelDrivers, Megan Jean and the Klay Family Band, Bill and the Belles, Sang Sarah, Indighost, The Steel Wheels, The Dustbowl Revival, The Get Right Band, The Ragbirds, Underhill Rose, Dangermuffin, Folk Soul Revival, The Jake Quillen Band, The Whiskey Gentry, and The Way Down Wanderers. To join visit: http://tinyurl.com/ y8utzb4r. Any problems with signing up on Meetup send an email to offthecouchladiessocialgroup@gmail.com. ••••••••••••••••••••••••••

is three years. Applicants should be interested in community affairs and must be city residents. Applications are available at the Municipal and Safety Building, 601 E. Main St., and can be faxed or mailed by calling 423-434-6009. To complete an application online, please visit www.johnsoncitytn. org/boards. Applications will be accepted through Sept. 22. For additional information regarding the Health and Education Facilities Board, please contact Sheri Keenan at 423-434-6009 •••••••••••••••••••••••••• Benefit Concert for Bluff City Rescue Squad Woodmen Life Chapter 1150 Tennessee Football Tailgate Party 2 pm til 8 pm Saturday, September 9th. Piney/Bluff Little League Field. Bluff City TN. Tickets $10 per adult, 8 and under free. Local Pizza Plus – Woodmen Life, Bristol, TN. Contact Mark Vance 423914-8557 or Jerry Malone (423) 538-6434

Volunteer Needed The Johnson City Board of Commissioners will consider one appointment to the Health and Education Facilities Board. This board meets on an as-needed basis and •••••••••••••••••••••••••• aids medical and educational facilities in obtaining tax-free loans Super Spooky Saturday as allowed by a combination fed- Memorial Park Community Ceneral and state statutes. Each term ter, 510 Bert St., will host this

year’s Super Spooky Saturday on Oct. 21 from 5-9 p.m. Families will enjoy carnival games, an inflatable obstacle course, marshmallow roasting, hayrides, face painting, a haunted house and many more surprises. For more information, please call 423-434-5749. •••••••••••••••••••••••••• Cutest Pooch Dog Show Join us Saturday, September 30th @ 2pm for a fun, familyfriendly dog show. The 6th Annual Lakebridge's Cutest Pooch Dog Show is a benefit for the Washington County/Johnson City Animal Shelter. Every friendly dog and his/her human companion may enter the contest by making a donation of money or items the shelter can use. Must bring a copy of current shot records. The first 25 to register will receive a gift bag. For more information contact the Lakebridge Activity Department at: 423-975-0095 ext. 308 or email: Activities@lakebridgeawc.com Lakebridge A Waters Community, 115 Woodlawn Dr, Johnson City, TN 37604

Cryptogram: By all means marry. If you get a good wife you will become happy, and if you get a bad one you will become a philosopher. DropQuote: "Every exaggeration of the truth once detected by others destroys our credibility and makes all that we do and say suspect."

Made Taylor Swift Do

The rotund figure of Alfred Hitchcock looms large in the history of film, and this past two weeks has seen a resurgence in his popularity, thirty-seven years after his death. Let’s begin with a quote from a movie that was made in homage to the master’s Psycho (1960).

I Kelly’s Place

By Jim Kelly since 1989 jkelly@ theloaferonline.com

n 1986 Tony Perkins directed Psycho III, and once again reprised his role as the infamous Norman Bates. In an imaginary conversation with his long-dead mother, Bates, after committing another rather grisly murder under “Mother’s” influence, screams out “You! You made me do this, your tainted blood in me!” It didn’t take long for some Hitchcock aficionados to flood the internet with theories about the debt Taylor Swift’s new song, “Look What You Made Me Do,” owes to the Master of Suspense. F o r instance, I suspect Swift found inspiration for her new song in the aforementioned quote, as well as for “Bad Blood,” a track on her ubiquitous “1989” album. Most of the current Swift-Hitchcock theories are derived from the “Look What You Made Me Do (Lyric Video)” that has broken some YouTube records. This video, rather unashamedly, recalls the edgy graphics created by Saul Bass for Hitchcock’s 1958 movie, “Vertigo.” In fact, the video’s style is identical to that of Bass, right down to his color scheme and typography. In a Vox.com piece, Alissa Wilkinson points out that the new video evokes not only “Vertigo,” but also the more recent David Fincher treatment of Gillian Flynn’s novel GONE GIRL. Both movies deal with two very assertive blonde women who undergo identity transformations, while engaging in some rather bizarre revenge tactics on the men who try to manipulate them. This identity shape-shifting is a major theme in most of Hitchcock’s fifty-two movies. Hitchcock was particularly fond of blondes, and perhaps Swift identifies with some of them, including Grace Kelly, Eva Marie Saint, Kim Novak, Janet Leigh, and Tippi Hedren. As Wilkinson tells us, Swift’s “bloody noir-like video nods to Vertigo and the lyrics hint at Gone Girl, but the song draws on a trope that’s much bigger than any of them: the formerly innocent woman who’s made herself smarter and stronger than her enemies, and is about to reemerge with a knife. (That Taylor Swift, Vertigo’s Kim Novak, and Gone Girl’s Rosamund Pike all play convincingly icy blondes is not coincidental.” Although Wilkinson doesn’t mention Bass’ work in designing the graphics for two other movies, Anatomy Of A Murder, and Spartacus, both are done in the same style; interestingly enough, Anatomy Of A Murder could function very well as the subtitle for Swift’s ingenious song (which is, by her own admission, based on the rhythmic pattern of Right Said Fred’s 1992 dance hit “I’m Too Sexy.”) The plot thickens, doesn’t it?

After viewing this video more times than I should have, I came up with my own list of movie references that may or may not have influenced Swift. The video, as Wilkinson points out, recalls not only Hitchcock but also many other film noir and suspense/horror movies that feature questionable characters, and dark streets and highways full of danger and intrigue. The tombstone with a black bird that reminds me of a scene from Hitchcock’s The Birds, for some strange reason also recalls the very fake tombstone that plays a central role in Ed Wood’s atrocious-yet-lovable 1956 “masterpiece”, Plan 9 From Outer Space. This so-bad-it’s-good movie is also known as Grave Robbers From Outer Space (a reference perhaps to Swift being robbed of her identity by her enemies?). The black-and-white road trip recalls for me the ill-fated journey Marion Crane took from Phoenix to Bates Motel in Psycho, and the image of the shadowy woman walking down a rain-soaked street is nearly identical to a famous scene from Val Lewton’s 1940s shocker Cat People--a movie also about identity transformation and revenge. The repeating lyric “I Don’t Trust Nobody And Nobody Trusts Me” could serve as a summary of many Hitchcock movies. Last but not least is what I consider a reference to Hitchcock’s Dial M For Murder--the eerie phone conversation from the song and the video. Trying to identify Hitchcockian influences in movies has become a cottage industry. As Frank P. Tomasula points out in one of my favorite books of essays, AFTER HITCHCOCK: INFLUENCE, IMITATION, AND INTERTEXTUALITY, the “plots, characters, and cinematic style of Hitchcock’s films have been borrowed, plagiarized, spoofed, incorporated into, and used as intertext in many of the world’s best (and some its worst) movies.” And now, thanks to Taylor Swift, we can include popular music in this honored tradition. I must confess--to borrow a title from yet another Hitchcock movie, I Confess--that I prefer the new “pop” Taylor Swift to the older (and now, by her own admission, dead) “country” Taylor Swift. And, needless to say, I am looking forward to listening to “Reputation” when it becomes available in November, and then setting to work to find more pop culture references in its style and lyrics. Ms. Swift’s has indeed made a worthy transformation, while reinventing herself as a modern-day Hitchcockian femme fatale. We can only regret that the Master of Suspense is not around to cast her in his latest movie. And now look what I’ve made you do--you’ve read my entire column, and for this I am very grateful. See you next week.

theloaferonline.com | September 5, 2017

Look What Alfred Hitchcock

theloaferonline.com | September 5, 2017

NIGHT OUT in

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theloaferonline.com | September 5, 2017