Calendar of Events

Please join us for our Volunteer Work Days on the 3rd Saturday of the month. Activities will include brush removal, weeding, and light gardening. Please provide own gloves. Tools will be available.

Dates: May 16, June 20, July 18, August 15, September 19, October 17

2743 Wimpole Avenue, Knoxville, TN. 865-540-8690, www.knoxgarden.com

Visit four private and three public gardens in Knoxville through The Garden Conservancy's Open Days Program, presented in partnership with the Knoxville Botanical Garden & Arboretum. Visitors may begin the tour on both dates at the Knoxville Botanical Garden, located at 2743 Wimpole Avenue in Knoxville, for directions to each private garden. Hours for Saturday's tour are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; hours for Sunday's tour are 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. A portion of the proceeds collected at each garden will benefit the Knoxville Botanical Garden & Arboretum. The Knoxville Botanical Garden & Arboretum serves as the presenting partner of the event. Founded in 2001 on the site of the former Joe N. Howell and C.B. Howell Nurseries, the gardens are situated on a scenic ridge-top with a stunning view of the Smokies and located just five minutes from downtown Knoxville. A magical place with whimsical round stone buildings, stone-sided greenhouses, and secret garden paths and alleys, the gardens feature mature specimens of rare and unusual trees and shrubbery, remnants of the nursery collections, and are surrounded by thousands of feet of romantic stone walls.

In addition to private gardens and the Knoxville Botanical Gardens & Arboretum, the Blount Mansion Garden and University of Tennessee Trial Gardens will also be open to visitors. There is a $5 per person admission fee for each garden, payable by cash or check the day of the event. Children 12 and under are admitted free. Open Days are rain or shine, and no reservations are required. Information: 865-862-8717, www.opendaysprogram.org

Come Celebrate the Music, Dance, Crafts and Arts of the British Isles and Appalachia At Beautiful Rugby, Tennessee.

FEATURED PERFORMERS: SHEILA KAY ADAMS
Renowned Ballad Singer & Storyteller From Western North Carolina
BUTCH HODGKINS & LONESOME COUNTY LINE
Traditional Cumberland Plateau Bluegrass
THE BOYS OF COUNTY NASHVILLE
Lively & Haunting Irish Music & Song at Its Best
Coal Mining Songs & Tales by TONY THOMAS - Old Time Gospel by the JOHNSON SISTERS

Dance around the Maypole…jump up and buck dance…hear great old-time music… tour antique filled buildings….visit with more than 80 crafters and artists… Festival activities are at the restored Victorian village on East Tennessee's Cumberland Plateau. Festival hours Saturday are 10 am – 6 pm; Sunday 10 am - 5 pm EDT.

5517 Rugby Hwy., (State Scenic Hwy 52), Rugby, TN 37733. Information: (423) 628-2441? or www.historicrugby.org

(865) 637-5331, www.knoxville-zoo.org

Tired of the same old Coleus and Geraniums in your containers? Vicki Baumgarter, the gardening goddess known for her appearances on WBIR's "Style" and The Garden Cottage, will teach you basic container design, care and needs to make your potted plants last through the year. She will show you a variety of different plants to combine for sun and shade. You will receive a terra cotta pot as well as a selection of plants to make your own container to bring home with you. All materials will be provided, you just bring an apron and gloves.

$30 for members, $40 for non-members (includes all materials). Stone Wall Gardens (formerly Knoxville Botanical Garden & Arboretum), 2743 Wimpole Avenue, Knoxville, TN. 865-540-8690, chyna@knoxgarden.org

Great Smoky Mountains National Park announced the annual "Cosby in the Park" festival at the Cosby campground in Cocke County, Tenn. This year's event will occur in the campground amphitheater and the picnic area, both located along the Park's Cosby campground entrance road. Free parking for attendees will be provided in campground Loop B. The many planned activities that include cultural demonstrations, traditional music entertainment, hikes, storytelling, and children's games are free to the public. "Cosby in the Park" celebrates the cultural heritage of this part of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, while also showcasing the many recreational opportunities in the area.

During the day, visitors will be treated to traditional music and presentations at the amphitheater. In the picnic area, crafters will demonstrate traditional southern Appalachian skills such as blacksmithing and metal working, quilting, and other folk arts.

The scheduled activities for the day are:
Amphitheater Stage (Allan Goss, Master of Ceremonies):
"10:00 am – 11:00 am Lost Mill String Band "
"11:00 am –11:30 am Introductions/Dedication of Event "
"11:30 am –12 p.m. Duay O'Neil "Under the Apple Trees" presentation "
"12:00 pm – 1:00 pm The Green Family Band "
"1:00 pm – 2:00 pm David McClary and Mountain Strings"
"2:00 pm – 3:00 pm Boogertown Gap"
"3:00 pm – 4:00 pm Curtis and Lynn Osteen"

Hikes:
Nature Trail, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm, 1 mile, moderate. Meet at Amphitheater.
Hike to Ella V. Costner Grave. 1:30 pm – 3:00 p.m., moderate. Meet at Cosby picnic area pavilion.

Picnic Area Activities:
1:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. Exhibit and talk on Ella V. Costner,"The Poet Laureate of the Smokies" Sheila Evans
1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. Introduction to Beekeeping – The Art or Dowsing – Charlie Monday

Ongoing Demonstrations:
Introduction to Beekeeping - Jon and Sherry Holt
Blacksmithing – Clayton Sharp
Quilting – Maria Holloway and Ellen Ogle
Blacksmithing and Blade Making – Len Landrum
"Old Timey Stuff" – Morgan and Matthew Briggs will display items of daily living from the past
Cosby History Exhibit—Judy and Shane McGaha

Children's Activities (Picnic Area)
10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Sack races, old-timey toys, games- Carolyn Templeton, Dianne Goss, Robin Goddard, and Gay Thompson
1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. "Hills and Hollows"—Mountain stories in words and music by Kathy and Mike Gwinn

"Cosby in the Park" is a partnership between Cocke County government, Great Smoky Mountains Association, and the National Park Service. For more information contact the Sugarlands Visitor Center at (865) 436-1291.

This annual outdoor arts and crafts festival is held to raise awareness for the need to protect and preserve the streams and rivers in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and raise funds for more conservation.

For information: (865) 448-9459

10 am-7 pm, Friday-Saturday; 12-5 pm Sunday

Tennessee Artists Association and the Merchants of the Market Place invite you to a Spring Festival. Art and Photography by local artists and children's activities. Event is free. The Market Place is located just west of Cedar Bluff on Kingston Pike. Our website is www.tennartists.org. For information, call 865-693-4292

May 15, doors open at 8pm
The Catalyst presents a multimedia collaboration based on the art of Alex Grey. Featuring Live Paintings by world renowned visionary artists Allyson and Alex Grey and video projections designed and presented by internationally renowned artist, Jonathan Singer. This exhibition is designed as an intermedia audio-visual collaboration. The night opens with Zach Widgren (of UT) live painting with Culture Vulture of Knoxville, TN. Following the opening act, Mz. Imani (resident shaman/CoSM) offers a blessing and introduction of Alex Grey, CoSM and "Art Psalms" (spoken word performance). Musical support for Art Psalms is provided by Haj (Sub Swara, CoSM, NYC) and Mz. Imani and the Rhythm Shamans. Haj will then weave a set of archetypal deep pathways that will take us to meet the collective muse. Free The Robots, turns up the heat, while Alex Grey and Allyson Grey Live Paint onstage, and finally, the night concludes with an outstanding electronic late night set from Designer Drugs. The Catalyst, 125 E. Jackson Ave., Knoxville, TN 37915, 865-363-4784. TICKET PRICE: $28 in advance / $32 @the door. More info: www.cosm.org, www.ihnkenink.com, www.fortune5fifty.com.

May 16, doors open at 7pm - At Knoxville Museum of Art, Alex will present visionary ideas, images and concepts about the future of CoSM, and his personal experience as a contemporary artist. Alex Grey will read from his newest book "Art Psalms", with sonic support by Haj (Sub Swara, CoSM, NYC) and Mz. imani and The Rhythm Shamans. This performance will be followed by a DJ set from Leo 123 of Dark Party and miniTiger&dummy stupid. There will be a booksigning and meet and greet after the performances. Alex Grey is Presented by ihnken and Fortune5Fifty. Tickets available: www.ihnkenink.com Presented by ihnken and Fortune 5 Fifty. $28 in advance / $32 @the door.

Info: Dale Ihnken: 410.215.4638, dihnken@yahoo.com

When: Friday, May 15, 9 p.m. and Saturday, May 16, 9 p.m.

In this 1968 movie, a young woman and her husband move into a swanky New York apartment building. Since it's a movie, they ignore the warnings that the building has a 'history that is somewhat disturbing'. The young couple hook up with a quaint, older pair of tenants who share baked goods and other treats during their increasingly frequent visits. The younger guy (who's name is Guy) hits it big in the theatre and his wife becomes pregnant. Without spoiling the rest of the movie, there are witches, nude romps, a bacchanal sequence and some hallucinatory camera work. It's a classic, creepy movie starring Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes, Ruth Gordon and Sidney Blackmer. Directed by Roman Polanski in his pre flight-to-Europe days.

803 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information: 865-522-0832, www.knoxbijou.com

Thursday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday @ 8:00 pm
Tickets: Thu & Sun: $10 / Fri & Sat: $15

Directed by Jayne Morgan!
Musical direction by Vickie Masters!
Theatre Knoxville Downtown's outrageous take on all things Knoxville. A little song ... a little dance ... a little seltzer down your pants. Who knows what the night will bring? Join us for skits, sketches, parody songs, and other amusements as we poke fun at everything we can think of. Politicians, personalities, current events, local color: it's all fair game. Don't miss it! www.theatreknoxville.com or 865-522-5851

60 original contemporary works by painters and sculptors hailing from around the world. Organized annually and providing a wonderful comparison to 18th- and 19th-century bird art by Catesby, Wilson, and Audobon in the concurrent exhibition "Birds of the Smokies".

1327 Circle Park Drive, Knoxville, TN 37996. Hours: Monday-Saturday, 9-5 and Sunday, 1-5. FREE. For more information: (865) 974-2144, http://mcclungmuseum.utk.edu