Calendar of Events

1st and 2nd Grades. We'll look over, under, through, and on top of everything we can find to discover how many tiny creatures exist at Ijams. Join us and become an expert at all things tiny. To register call Sarah Brobst, 865-577-4717, 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

The Martha H. Ashe Garden will be officially dedicated on Monday morning, June 28, 2010 at 11:00am, at the Knoxville Botanical Garden & Arboretum, located at 2743 Wimpole Avenue in East Knoxville. You are cordially invited to attend. The Garden is named in memory of the late Martha Ashe, noted gardener, civic leader and businesswoman as well as mother of former Mayor and Ambassador Victor Ashe. Mrs. Ashe was born in 1912 in LaFollette, TN. She was married to the late Robert L. Ashe and had four children; Lawrence, Victor, Gregory, and Victor II. An avid gardener, Ashe was president of the Knoxville Garden Club and later the Jupiter Island Garden Club of Hobe Sound, Florida. She was the first woman to serve on the Board of Trustees at Carson Newman College. Active in numerous efforts to beautify and improve Knoxville, Ashe was also the first woman ever elected to the Tennessee State Senate from Knox County. Elected in 1974, she was also the first Republican woman to serve in the Senate in Tennessee and was the first public affairs director of WBIR TV in Knoxville. Martha H. Ashe died on August 6, 2004. Ambassador Ashe will be present for the dedication and unveiling of the plaque of this beautiful garden. Speakers will be R. Lawrence Ashe, Jr. (son), Victor Ashe (son), and Martha E. Ashe (granddaughter). The Martha H. Ashe garden was designed and originally used by the late Joe N. Howell as a display garden to showcase the diversity of plant material he used in his landscapes. The stone walls surrounding the garden were some of the first built by the Howell landscape crew, dating to the early 1930's. The basic layout and many of the more mature specimens were planted by Joe Howell over thirty years ago and are now reaching maturity.

A few of the unique plants featured in the Garden are a pair of large Japanese Tree Lilacs (syringa reticulata), a Snowball Viburnum (Viburnum macophylla) that has been trained as an espalier, Allegany Serviceberry (Amelanchier laevis), a large China Fir (Cunninghmia lanceolata) and several Blue Atlas Cedars (Cedrus atalantica). The entire garden is watched over by a majestic Southern Red Oak (Quercus falcate) that measures 15 feet around.

To RSVP for the event, please email danielle@knoxgarden.org or call 865-862-8717

Reception June 25, 6:30-8:30 PM. Open to all artists and is both juried and judged with 10 or more monetary prizes in 2-D and 3-D categories. This year’s show was judged and juried by Adam Alfrey, Curator of Exhibits for the East TN Historical Society, the McClung Historical Collection, and the Knoxville Public Library.

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

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

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

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

Department of Energy Facilities Public Bus Tour with guide commentary, Monday through Friday, except government holidays (July 5 & 6). Tour participants can register at AMSE beginning at 9 am. Must be U.S. citizen 10 years of age and up. Photo ID required. Seating limited. First come, first served. Off the bus stops include Y-12 New Hope Visitor Center; Spallation Neutron Source Lobby and Graphite Reactor, both at Oak Ridge National Laboratory; and K-25 Overlook. No advance reservations. Some restrictions apply.

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