Calendar of Events

1st through 5th Grades. How do animals survive? During this week of camp, we will be exploring some special adaptations of plants and animals. To register call Sarah Brobst, 577-4717, ext. 24 or e-mail: sbrobst@ijams.org.

Ijams Nature Center, 2915 Island Home Ave, Knoxville, TN 37920. Hours: Grounds and trails open during daylight hours. Visitor Center: Monday: by appointment only for tour groups and school trips; Tuesday-Saturday: 9AM-5PM; Sunday: 1-5PM (March 1 - November 30). For information: 865-577-4717, www.ijams.org

Join some of the leading writers of Western fiction and nonfiction for "Redefining the Western," a no-holds-barred debate about how writing about the American West has -- and has not -- changed since the days of Owen Wister, Zane Grey and Teddy Roosevelt. Members of the Western Writers of America will take part in the roundtable discussion, followed by a question-and-answer session at the East Tennessee History Center, Knoxville, TN, 601 South Gay St. Admission is free. The Western Writers of America, founded in 1953, is an organization of more than 600 professional writers devoted to promoting the literature of the American West and to recognizing the best of that literature with the annual presentation of its Spur Awards.

For more information, contact Gay Hurst, 357-3318, gay_hurst@yahoo.com or check out the website for Western Writers of America www.westernwriters.org

7 weeks of camps, June 14 - July 2 and July 12 - August 6
Featuring week long camps in visual arts, crafts, music, dance, model trains, science, hobbies and more for ages preschool through Grade 7. All day or half day camps available for grades 1 through 7 half day for preschool. 9am - 4pm

461 West Outer Drive, Oak Ridge, TN 37830. (865) 482-1074; childrensmuseumofoakridge.org

7 weeks of camps, June 14 - July 2 and July 12 - August 6
Featuring week long camps in visual arts, crafts, music, dance, model trains, science, hobbies and more for ages preschool through Grade 7. All day or half day camps available for grades 1 through 7 half day for preschool. 9am - 4pm

461 West Outer Drive, Oak Ridge, TN 37830. (865) 482-1074; childrensmuseumofoakridge.org

Monday, June 14 — Steve Kaufman, Johnny Bellar, Adam Granger, Joe Collins.
Tuesday, June 15 — Adam Masters, Mary Flower, Rusty Holloway and Jeff Jenkins, Robert Shafer.
Wednesday, June 16— Barbara Lamb, Ivan Rosenberg, Keith Yoder, Jim Pankey.
Thursday, June 17 — Russ Barenberg, Casey Henry, Pat Kirtley, Marcy Marxer.
Friday, June 18 — Pete Huttlinger, Steve Kaufman and Friends, Kamp Kompanions.
Monday, June 21 -- Tyler Grant, Andrew Collins, Mike Clemmer, Richard Starkey, Kathy Barwick.
Tuesday, June 22 -- Gary Davis, Mitch Corbin, Tim May, Rolly Brown, Radim Zenkl.
Wednesday, June 23 -- Carlo Aonzo, Kathy Chiavola, Chris and Sally Jones with Ned Luberecki, Keith Yoder.
Thursday, June 24-- Alan Munde, Roland White & Steve Kaufman, Emory Lester, Mark Cosgrove, Murphy Henry and Casey Henry.
Friday, June 25 -- Beppe Gambetta, Sharon Gilchrist, Steve Kaufman and Friends, Kamp Kompanions.

At Clayton Center for the Arts's R & L Nutt Theatre: 502 East Lamar Alexander Parkway, Maryville, TN 37804. Tickets are available at the Clayton Center Box Office M-F 10AM-6PM or by phone or online: 865-981-8590, www.ClaytonArtsCenter.com

Discover Life In America: All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory captivating illustrations of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park's ecosystems (plants, animals and micro-organisms) AMSE Lobby

American Museum of Science & Energy, 300 S. Tulane Avenue, Oak Ridge, TN 37830. Hours: Monday-Saturday 9AM-5PM; Sunday 1-5PM. For information: 865-576-3200, www.amse.org

A hilarious Tony Award-winning musical tale featuring a quirky yet charming cast of overachievers' vying for the spelling championship of a lifetime. Six adolescent outsiders in the throes of puberty, overseen by grown-ups who barely managed to escape childhood themselves, learn that winning isn't everything and that the spelling bee is the one place where they can stand out and fit in at the same time. Suitable for mature teens and older.

Oak Ridge Playhouse, 227 Broadway in Historic Jackson Square, Oak Ridge, TN 37830. For information and tickets: 865-482-9999, www.orplayhouse.com

Collecting shells has been a pastime of many, young and old, for centuries. It is only when collecting becomes a passion rather than a pastime that the finest examples are sought, and the subject is researched in detail. Such is the case with this collection, one of the country's finest, assembled by local physician Dr. Peter Stimpson. Focusing on six families of marine gastropods - cowries, cones, conchs, harps, volutes, and olives - the collection includes over 1,000 species listed in the "Registry of World Record Size Shells". Dr. Stimpson has made a portion of his collection available for public enjoyment in this exhibition.

1327 Circle Park Drive, Knoxville, TN 37996. Hours: Mon - Sat: 9:00A to 5:00P, Sun: 1:00P to 5:00P. Information: 865-974-2144, http://mcclungmuseum.utk.edu

20 award winning photomicrographs. Dynamic images at the intersection of science and art show the beauty and complexity of life as seen through a light microscope. AMSE Lobby

American Museum of Science & Energy, 300 S. Tulane Avenue, Oak Ridge, TN 37830. Hours: Monday-Saturday 9AM-5PM; Sunday 1-5PM. For information: 865-576-3200, www.amse.org

In this show, you will see the work of two of Hanson Gallery's most talented artists.
Eleanor Miller captures the essence of creation and life in her ethereal landscape
paintings. Greg Decker's eclectic works give us a peek into a mature artist's world,
translated through luminous landscape and figurative paintings and studies.

First Friday celebration: June 4, 5-8 p.m.

Hanson Fine Art & Craft Gallery, 5607 Kingston Pk, Knoxville, TN 37919. Hours: Monday-Friday 10AM-5:30PM; Saturday 10AM-5PM. For information: 865-584-6097, www.hansongallery.com

Hand crafted pocket knives, table and kitchen cutlery, men's gifts and accessories. Each of Santa Fe Stoneworks' collectibles is a unique example of the cutler's art - the quintessential marriage of fine steels with gemstone, shell, mammoth bone, or intricate wood marquetry.

First Friday celebration: June 4, 5-8 p.m.

Hanson Fine Art & Craft Gallery, 5607 Kingston Pk, Knoxville, TN 37919. Hours: Monday-Friday 10AM-5:30PM; Saturday 10AM-5PM. For information: 865-584-6097, www.hansongallery.com

Featuring photos of historic buildings located in Downtown North, an area including sections of Broadway, North Central Street, Old Gray Cemetery, Emory Place, and portions of historic neighborhoods Old North Knoxville and Fourth & Gill.

In the Balcony at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Hours: M-F 9-5. Opening reception Friday, June 4, 5-9 PM. Information: 865-523-8008, www.knoxheritage.org