Calendar of Events

FREE and open to the public.

At the Cox Auditorium, Alumni Memorial Bldg., 1408 Middle Drive on the UT campus. Please check the web site or call the day of the event for updates or cancellations: 865-974-5678, www.music.utk.edu/events

By Connie Ray & Alan Bailey. Country holiday songs blend with traditional favorites, including handbells and Christmas ornaments. A joyful, funny, touching, and heartwarming show! Playing for the 11th season.

Crossville, TN. Information: 931-484-5000; www.ccplayhouse.com

By Joe Masteroff, Jerry Bock, and Sheldon Harnick. A romantic musical comedy about anonymous pen pals who are co-workers in a gift shop and unknowingly fall in love.

Crossville, TN. Information: 931-484-5000; www.ccplayhouse.com

The exhibition includes more than 40 works Bates produced in response to Hurricane Katrina and the devastation it brought to the Gulf Coast. His iconic images capture in dramatic fashion destroyed property and displaced people, as well as the emotional devastation in the wake of this event. Many of the paintings are monumental in scale, including The Storm, a triptych that measures 21 feet in width. In this series, Bates’ paintings affirm both horror and life and serve as powerful reminders of the ability of art to represent the spectrum of human experience.

Bates, a well-known Texas artist who has long chronicled the people and places along the Gulf Coast, is based in Dallas. His work has been presented around the country in solo exhibitions at major galleries and in numerous important group shows.

The Knoxville Museum of Art is the only venue in the eastern United States hosting this exhibition, which is organized by the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City, Missouri.

A members-only preview party is scheduled for Thursday, October 28 from 5:30 – 7:30pm and will include a gallery talk by the artist.

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

Market Square Trick-or-Treating
5-7 p.m., Friday, October 29 - A number of Market Square vendors will host trick-or-treating for children. Participating businesses will have a jack o lantern in front of their business. Kids and families are encouraged to trick-or-treat the square and then head to the 100 Block of Gay Street for the Nightmare on Gay Street event.

A Nightmare on Gay Street
5:30 - 10 p.m., Friday, October 29 - The 100 Block of Gay Street and Slamdot will host a monstrous event for the whole family featuring trick-or-treating, a costume contest, ghost stories, Halloween games, creepy critters from Ijams Nature Center, and live performances by We Have a Tradition and Momentum Dance Lab. For more information, visit www.nightmareongaystreet.com.

Halloween on the Plaza
4:45 - 8 pm, Sunday Oct 31 - Enjoy more trick or treating, entertainment and games for the kids at the Mary Costa Plaza, at the Knoxville Civic Coliseum. For more information on Halloween on the Plaza, visit http://www.cityofknoxville.org/Press_Releases/Content/2010/0820.asp.

by Gale Fury Childs; Adapted from The Story of Opal – The Journal of an Understanding Heart by Opal Whiteley. Based on the childhood diary of naturalist Opal Whiteley, the play tells the magical story of a young girl in the Cascade woodlands in early twentieth century Oregon. Surrounded by singing creeks, talking trees, and invisible fairies, Opal’s story charms and educates. Studio Series: Performances will take place in the Lab Theatre. Great for young audiences!

1714 Andy Holt Avenue on the UT Campus, Knoxville, TN 37996. For information: 865-974-5161, www.clarencebrowntheatre.org

Thursday-Saturday at 7:30 PM and Sunday at 2 PM

It’s 1961 and all of Maryville, Tennessee is abuzz at it prepares for its annual event, "A Hillbilly Homecoming." You won't want to miss a minute of the parade, the fireworks and, of course, the Miss Belle of the Smokies pageant because all your friends and family will be there! So join us for a toe-tapping, belly-laughing romp as we laugh, love and remember this little slice of Americana in the heart of Blount County. It's a celebration of the times, the event and oh, that hair!

Tickets are $10. Clayton Center for the Arts: 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

By Lerner & Lowe. The magic and beauty of the Scottish Highlands form a backdrop for the enchanting story of a magical village that only appears for one day every hundred years.

Crossville, TN. Information: 931-484-5000; www.ccplayhouse.com

October 21, 22 and 28-30 at 7:30 PM
October 24 and 31 at 2:30 PM

Saturday, October 30, 7:30 PM – This performance is part of the Penny Performance program for Knox County students ages 5-18. Visit www.penny4arts.com for more information.

The WordPlayers, Performed at The WordPlayers' Theatre at Middlebrook Christian Ministries, 1540 Robinson Rd. at Middlebrook Pike, Knoxville, TN 37923. For information: 865-539-2490, www.wordplayers.org

Interested in learning what role Jewish community members Sam and Virginia Morrison played in Elvis Presley’s career? (Hint: It happened on Market Square.) Ever wonder what Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “New Deal” would have been called if one of Knoxville’s Jewish community leaders, Max Friedman, had not spoken up? Curious about what distinguishes the Jewish Congregation of Oak Ridge as unique in American history?

The story of Jewish immigration to Tennessee and how those who came here embraced the culture they found is the subject of this touring exhibition from the Tennessee State Museum. It follows the Tennessee Jewish experience from the 1770s, when the first Jews immigrated to upper East Tennessee to escape religious persecution in Europe. The exhibition then guides visitors through more than 200 years of history by way of compelling stories and images that illustrate the development of Jewish communities across the state; in East Tennessee, congregations located in Knoxville, Oak Ridge, Chattanooga, and Blountville are featured. The exhibition also explores how Jews were able to preserve their religious and cultural heritage while at the same time embracing and supporting the culture found in Tennessee.

East Tennessee Historical Society, 601 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Museum hours: Monday-Friday: 9AM-4PM; Saturday: 10AM-4PM; Sunday: 1-5PM. For information: 865-215-8824, www.easttnhistory.org

Celebrating the Human Form. 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

Based on the novel by Roald Dahl. In fairy tales, witches always wear silly black hats. And black cloaks. And they ride on broomsticks. But this is not a fairy tale. This play is about REAL witches. REAL witches dress in ordinary clothes and look very much like ordinary women. They live in ordinary houses, and they work in ordinary jobs. That is why they are so hard to catch.

Performances: October 15 through 31, 2010. Located at 800 Tyson Street, Knoxville, TN 37917. Information: 865-599-5284, www.childrenstheatreknoxville.com, info@childrenstheatreknoxville.com.