Calendar of Events

A Midsummer Night's Dream - July 16, 18, 24, 26, 30, Aug. 1, 7, 9, 13, 15; Hamlet - July 17, 19, 23, 25, 31, Aug. 2, 6, 8, 14, 16 - 7:00 PM nightly - Admission Free

The Tennessee Stage Company will be back on Market Square for our seventh season of Shakespeare On The Square playing at 7:00 pm Thursday through Sunday evenings July 16 - August 16, and featuring two of Shakespeare's most beloved plays, A Midsummer Night's Dream and Hamlet.

A Midsummer Night's Dream will be directed by Amy Hubbard- the Artistic Director of the Actors Co-op - and Hamlet by Tennessee Stage Artistic Director Tom Parkhill.

Played on a rough replica of the new Globe Theatre in London (a reconstruction of Shakespeare's original theatre) the plays will be presented in the timeless style of Elizabethan Theatre presentations.

The Tennessee Stage Company encourages our audience to spend an evening on the Square: do a little shopping, have a nice dinner, see the play and maybe stop into a pub afterward. All of this and more is available on Market Square nightly. So come early and see the Square!

For more information about the Tennessee Stage Company, Shakespeare On The Square or its support guild, BoB (Buddies of the Bard), call 546-4280 or e-mail tennesseestage@bellsouth.net.

576 HWY 360, Vonore, TN 37885
423-884-6246, www.sequoyahmuseum.org

Please join us for a delicious and thirst-quenching musical slugfest! Local bands tune up to do battle for a good cause as the fourth annual Jammin' for Joy pits bands head to head in a wildly entertaining musical competition, accompanied by exquisite food and drink. As the bands perform and celebrity judges score them, unruly but generous audience members are encouraged to increase a band's score by "bribing" the judges. Proceeds support The Joy of Music School's free education programs for disadvantaged kids. Dress: cool and comfy. Music: Hot and bothered! Ticket price includes mouthwatering food, ice cold drinks, hoppin' entertainment, and that special feeling you get when you introduce a child to music! The Bands: Atomic Horns, Slow Blind Hill, The Invaders, and featuring. C. Vaughan Leslie and Boys' Night Out. Emcee and Host: Gary Loe, TV Personality and voice of the Ice Bears. At Lakeside Tavern - on the patio (at Concord Marina), $50 per person; RSVP 865-525-6806

August 1-30 featuring Youth Stone Carving Institute

1050 World's Fair Park Drive, Knoxville, TN 37916. Hours: Tuesday-Thursday 10am-5pm, Friday 10am-8pm, Saturday 10am-5pm, and Sunday 1pm-5pm. FREE. For more information: (865) 525-6101 or www.knoxart.org.

By Ken Ludwig, Directed by Robert Hahn
Cast: Gay Harrison, Krisha Newport, Beverly Harrison, Alicia Sells, Mark Palmer, Erin Glisson, Robert McDonald, III, Gary Mullins
Showtimes: Thursday, Friday, Saturday @ 8:00 pm and Sunday @ 3:00 pm
Tickets: Thursday, Sunday $10; Friday, Saturday $15.
319 N. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37917.  865-544-1999, www.theatreknoxville.com

Five cars with 10 foot nails driven through them will be in the installed in several places throughout the Downtown Knoxville area, West Town Mall area, and Turkey Creek. These sculptures were created by local artists Ronda Phipps and Lucas Henderson. They are traveling around the state of Tennessee for TDOT Governor's Highway Safety Office "100 Days of Heat". Visit www.thewomanofsteel.com or call (865) 599-4421 for more information.

Exhibit of before and after the Creation of the Park; explore artwork depicting Great Smoky Mountains National Park landscapes and life.

(865) 215-8830, www.east-tennessee-history.org

A Midsummer Night's Dream and Hamlet. The two shows will play on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings in Market Square.

For more information: 546-4280, www.tennesseestage.com

The University of Tennessee Downtown Gallery and Three Flights Up Gallery are presenting a juried exhibition of Fine Art Portraiture. "Face It: Contemporary Portraiture" features original artwork by artists from around the country, as well as local main stays. The juried competition was open to artists from all media and backgrounds. Dr. Carl Gombert, Associate Professor of Maryville College was selected as the sole Juror for the exhibition. Gombert's own artwork is largely focused on the genre of portraiture, making him an ideal choice in juror. "Face It: Contemporary Portraiture" includes paintings, drawings, photographs, sculpture, and digital artworks that deal with the human form as their primary subject matter. Often overlooked in a world awash in digital cameras that instantly reproduce a subject's likeness, portraiture is one of arts oldest traditions. The artists selected for this exhibition have found new and interesting ways of relating to their subjects through the process of creating their works. The exhibition, which was organized by Three Flights Up will be hosted by the UT Downtown Gallery in their exhibition space. A reception will held at UT Downtown Gallery on First Friday August 7 from 6-9pm. For information, contact Benjamin McKamey at 864-381-9888 or gallery@threeflightsup.com. UT Downtown Gallery, 106 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. 865-673-0802 or www.ewing-gallery.org/New_Downtown/Index/DT_Index.html.

2931 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919. Gallery Hours: Monday-Friday 9-5, Sunday, 9-12 noon. For more information, visit the Web site or call (865) 523-4176.

A rare display of quilts and coverlets from the Ramsey House collection will be exhibited from July 10 through August 31. The collection includes quilts unique to Tennessee, and pre-Civil War era quilts and coverlets. Additionally, Ramsey House will be receiving as a gift from the Knoxville Committee of Smoky Mountain Quilt Trail a painted square representing the pattern, Twelve Triangles, to be erected this week. Information can be found at www.ramseyhouse.org or by calling 865-546-0745. Ramsey House is located at 2614 Thorn Grove Pike, Knoxville, TN 37914.

In Old Appalachia, the quilt was a necessity-so much so that one mother cut up her boy's only coat to make warm bedding for the family. Patchwork was also a creative outlet for Appalachian women, often confined to lonely farms in isolated areas. It was a labor of love; Ethel Hall spoke for many when she said, "I'd druther quilt than to eat on the hungriest day ever I seen." For these reasons, the practice of making quilts never ceased altogether in this region of the country, says John Rice Irwin in his book on "A People and Their Quilts." Through August 31, regional quilts and their makers will be showcased in Stitches & Stories: Quilts of Appalachia, a special exhibit at the Museum of Appalachia near Norris. Quilts are displayed throughout the Museum; the special exhibit is included with regular admission. Many of the 36 quilts in the exhibit have never been shown publicly. They include exquisite examples of needlework and original design, said Ruby Patterson, a Museum volunteer and quilter who helped put together the exhibit. Several quilts have "humility" blocks, a deliberate flaw added to indicate that only God could make a perfect quilt. But the stories of their makers lend a special touch-and stories are a hallmark of this unique and fascinating place. Visitors can match numbers on quilts throughout the Museum with descriptions in a special brochure, telling pattern name, date, and maker. The craft and gift shop at the Museum features handiwork from regional artisans, including a special group of quilts and quilt-related items. The Museum is located 16 miles north of Knoxville, one mile east of I-75, exit 122. For more information, call 865-494-7680, or visit the website at www.museumofappalachia.org.