Calendar of Events

Animal Encounter Village invites guests to make some close personal friends on their next visit to the zoo. The zoo's newest addition features daily animal shows and the chance to come face-to-face with some of the zoo's friendly animal ambassadors.

Elephant Excursions: 11:00 AM Wed
Tortoise Time: 11:00 AM Sat
Penguin Party: 1:00 PM Sat
Giraffe Gathering: 2:30 PM Sat & Sun

10 person limit for each session, $20/person (does not include admission). Knoxville Zoo, 3500 Knoxville Zoo Drive, Knoxville, TN 37914. Open every day except Christmas. For information: 865-637-5331, www.knoxville-zoo.org

In the Loggia Gallery. Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, 576 Parkway, Gatlinburg, TN 37738. For information: 865-436-5860, www.arrowmont.org

Warm weather is here and it's time to GET OUT! The GetOut! series of activities provides fun, recreational experiences to encourage everyone to get out and enjoy the natural resources of our area. Activities are scheduled all summer for anyone interested in beginning or continuing biking, hiking, or paddling. A $10 donation to Legacy Parks Foundation is suggested for each activity. Please register by calling (865) 541-4500.
+ Mountain Biking with Appalachian Mountain Bike Club - Meet in the parking lot of Anderson-South Head Start, 4808 Prospect Road. Helmets are required. Check www.knoxvillecycling.com or call 382-6061 for more information.
June 22 Mead's Quarry, 6:30 pm Pre-registration is encouraged, 541-4500.

+ Paddling with River Sports Sponsored by River Sports Outfitters - Paddle trips perfect for novice paddlers or those wanting to discover new areas to get on the water. Boats can be provided, but bring your own snacks, water, and sunscreen. Children 6 and over are welcome, but each child must be accompanied by an adult. All trips begin at 6 pm, weather permitting. Call 523-0066 for information. Pre-registration is necessary to plan for the proper number of boats, 541-4500 or www.legacyparks.org.
May 25 – Governor Ned McWherter/Riverside Landing, 6 pm
June 1 – The Cove at Concord Park, 6 pm
June 15 – Governor Ned McWherter/Riverside Landing, 6 pm

+ Bike Riding with Mast General Store Sponsored by Mast General Store - Morning bike rides in community parks through the month of June. The rides are for recreational riders, high school age and up. Riders should provide their own bike and must wear a helmet. All rides will begin at 8 am, from the parking lot of the following parks. For more information, please call 546-1336. Pre-registration is encouraged, 541-4500.
June 12 – House Mountain, 8 am
June 19 – Holston Hills Park, 8 am
June 26 – South Knoxville, meet at the Sunsphere in World's Fair Park, 8 am

+ Hiking with Missy Kane Sponsored by Thompson Cancer Survival Center - Missy Kane will lead a series of hikes titled Run From the Sun during the month of June. Each hike will begin with warm-ups and health tips, and hikers will receive sunscreen and visors provided by Thompson Cancer Survival Center. Children 6-16 are welcome, but must be accompanied by an adult. Wear shoes that are comfortable for walking on paved and natural surfaces. These hikes will take place rain or shine. Pre-registration is encouraged, 541-4500.
June 2 – Georgia Marble, 9 am
June 9 – Seven Islands Wildlife Refuge, 9 am
June 16 – House Mountain, 9 am
June 20 – I C King Park, 5 pm
June 23 – River Bluff Trail, 9 am
June 30 – Hastie Park, 9 am
http://www.legacyparks.org/news.html#news1

30 beautifully painted rain barrels will be on display until auctioned at the Knoxville Museum of Art. Voting and bidding open on May 23 and end at 12:00 midnight on July 11. www.waterqualityforum.org

Knoxville Museum of Art, 1050 World's Fair Park Dr, Knoxville, TN 37916. Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 10AM-5PM; Friday, 10AM-8PM; Sunday, 1-5PM. For information: 865-934-2036, www.knoxart.org

Vision, Language, and Influence brings together for the first time the work of three photographers of the American South over a 50-year period. Walker Evans (1903-1976) is represented by incisive images of Alabama sharecroppers stemming from his epic collaboration with James Agee on Let Us Now Praise Famous Men. Eudora Welty (1909-2001) was a Pulitzer Prize-winning Southern writer and photographer who traveled across Mississippi in the 1930s and early 1940s taking photographs and documenting rural and small-town life in her home state. Baldwin Lee (born 1951) is a professor of photography at the University of Tennessee, and a former assistant to Walker Evans. Complementing the 50 or so works by Evans and Welty are more than 30 of Lee’s images of African-American life in the South taken during the 1980s with the support of fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. Vision, Language, and Influence was organized by the Knoxville Museum of Art in collaboration with Baldwin Lee.

Free admission. Hours: Tues-Thurs 10-5; Fri 10-8; Sat 10-5; Sun 1-5. 1050 World’s Fair Park Drive, Knoxville, TN 37916. 865-525-6101, www.knoxart.org, info@knoxart.org

The Knoxville Watercolor Society will host a showing of new paintings by its members at the Fountain City Art Center from May 14 to June 11. There will be an opening reception on May 14 from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM at the Center. The reception is free and open to the public.

In “Student Exhibits,” Mary Secrist’s students’ watercolors will be on display at the same time as the KWS exhibition, a perfect teamup!

213 Hotel Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37918. Information: 865-357-2787, www.fountaincityart.com

An exhibit featuring the work of TVUUC members and friends will be on display at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church. This show displays the TVUUC congregation's wide range of artistic talent and is displayed in the entry exhibit hall at TVUUC. The public is encouraged to share the vision and artistic skill of the TVUUC community. Free and open to the public!

Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church, 2931 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919. Information: 865-523-4176, www.tvuuc.org

With instructor Mary Biggs. Part of the "Diversity in Dance" series.
Sundays.

Circle Modern Dance: 865-524-7615, www.circlemoderndance.com

Many high quality pieces produced in East Tennessee will be on display!

Opening reception May 8, 7-9pm; gallery talk at 6:30 pm.

Oak Ridge Art Center, 201 Badger Avenue, Oak Ridge, TN 37830. Hours: Tuesday-Friday, 9AM-5PM; Saturday-Monday, 1-4PM. For information: 865-482-1441, www.oakridgeartcenter.org

In the Sandra J. Blain Galleries. Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, 576 Parkway, Gatlinburg, TN 37738. For information: 865-436-5860, www.arrowmont.org

KAFCC is pleased to announce a First Friday Opening Reception with artist Candy Finley-Brooks. We invite you to join us Friday, May 7 from 5:30-7:30 to meet multi-talented artist Candy Finley-Brooks and view her new solo exhibit of paintings, drawings and ceramic sculpture.

Knoxville Arts and Fine Crafts Center, 1127 Broadway Suite B, Knoxville, TN 37917. For information: 865-523-1401, www.cityofknoxville.org/recreation/arts

The Bijou Theatre hosts a First Friday reception to kick off a two-month exhibit featuring the works of East Tennessee artist Karol Smith. The reception will be held Friday, May 7, from 5 to 7 p.m. in the upstairs gallery of the U.S. Cellular Stage at he Bijou Theatre. The general public is invited to participate in this reception and First Friday event. The show will be on display throughout the months of May and June for Bijou patrons and visitors to enjoy when the theater is open for performances. Visit www.KnoxBijou.com for a schedule of upcoming events at the Bijou. The content is oil and watercolor paintings, collages and prints. View more of her works for sale at http://www.etsy.com/shop/artbykarolsmith.

Bijou Theatre, 803 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. For information: 865-522-0832, www.knoxbijou.com.