Calendar of Events

The simple joys of an old-fashioned Christmas await Museum of Appalachia visitors through December 24th. Recalling times past when Christmas was a simple family holiday, cabins will be decorated in pioneer style with cedar Christmas trees draped in paper chains, popcorn strings, sweet gum and sycamore balls.

Special holiday exhibits include the Children's Display in the Hall of Fame, with toys and furniture made by loving parents and grandparents; and Granny Irwin's traditional Christmas Crazy Quilt. "Christmas in Old Appalachia" runs from December 3 to December 24.

Christmas shoppers may browse the gift shop for unique regionally hand-crafted items or simply rest by the fireside in wooden rockers. Hot, country-style lunches are served daily from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Museum restaurant; home-made holiday desserts are available all day.

The Museum is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day in December except for Christmas Day. It is located 16 miles north of Knoxville, one mile east of I-75, exit 122.

Appalachian Ballet Company presents: The 40th Anniversary season of The Nutcracker
Presented TWO WEEKENDS in TWO VENUES accompanied by the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra.

Knoxville Civic Auditorium
Saturday, December 3rd - 8:00 pm
Sunday December 4th - 2:00 pm
School matinees also available on December 1st and 2nd at 10:00am

AND Clayton Center for the Arts
Saturday, December 10th - 2:00 and 8:00pm

Tickets are on sale at the following locations:
Appalachian Ballet 865.982.8463
Knoxville Tickets 865.656.4444
The Clayton Center for the Arts 865.981.8590

Advance - $36, $31 & $21
At door - $41, $36 & $26
Student and Senior Discount $5 Off
Ask about Group Rates

This 40th anniversary production featuring over 80 dancers and the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra will showcase guest artists Kylie Morton as the Sugarplum Fairy and Aaron Smyth of Australia as the Cavalier. This magical production of The Appalachian Ballet Company's Nutcracker is filled with lavish sets, scenery, costumes, orchestra, choir and dancers. Come enjoy Knoxville's tradition of 40 years and now also playing in Maryville.

By Englebert Humperdinck

Monroe Area School for the Performing Arts / Monroe Area Opera: 423-351-9013, www.masparts.org

The Slocum House Studio Gallery will be hosting some of the areas most talented and interesting artists and craft artisans for a one time show and sale. The Gallery is at the working studio of stone carver, Kathy Slocum. The exhibit is free and family friendly. There will be a very wide range of artwork in many mediums to fit all interests and price ranges. Everything in the gallery is one-of-a-kind making each piece not only a treasure but a gift that passes down through time. Stone carving demonstrations, weather pending.
Participating Artists:
Barb Bewernitz - wood / furnituire
Karen Davis - treen ware / wooden spoons and utensils
Anne Freels - cornshuck creations
York Havercamp - clay / functional
Nan Jacobsohn - clay/ sculpture, tiles
Russ Jacobsohn - wood / rocking horses extraordinaire
Dawn Kunkel - mixed media/ acrylic, pencil, collage
Gay Morton - 'wired up', bottles, baubles and beads
Sheila Rauen - mixed media fabric art
Peter Rose - clay / whimsical animals, functional
Doug Slocum - acrylics
Kathy Slocum - stone, glass
Lisa Ruttan Wolff - stone

Where: Slocum House Studio Gallery - 6722 Long Shadow Way, Knoxville, TN 37918
When: Saturday, December 3 & Sunday, December 4 from 10:00am-5:00pm
How much: Free!
If you have any questions, would like additional images, or need further details, please contact Kathy via email at slonox@comcast.net or via phone at [865] 688.6039.

Marble Springs: 1220 West Gov. John Sevier Highway, Knoxville, TN 37920. Information: 865-573-5508, www.marblesprings.net

A dogwood tree-planting program designed to reverse the trend of dwindling number of
dogwood trees and to make sure our communities have an abundance of healthy, beautiful, blooming trees for generations to come.

Dogwood Arts Festival, 602 S. Gay St, Knoxville, TN 37902. For information: 865-637-4561 www.dogwoodarts.com

Tree orders are being taken now through October 2011.
The trees are bare root and available in pink or white. The cost is $25 per tree or five for $100. The cultivars created by the University of Tennessee have been selected for hardiness against powdery mildew or Anthracnose disease. Also, when planted properly a bare root tree grows at a faster rate and is generally healthier.

The trees will be available for pick up and planting on Saturday, Dec. 3, which coincides with Dogwood Arts' annual Bazillion Blooms community-wide dogwood tree planting day. We encourage you to participate in this effort to restore the dogwood population in East Tennessee by downloading, filling out and returning a dogwood tree order form.

Videos, films, performance, and installation art documentaries. Selected works by UT students in the 4D Arts Program. More details TBA.
Regal Cinemas, Downtown West. Free admission.

Originating mainly in Eastern Europe, klezmer music is documented in early recordings of Jewish immigrants to America as far back as 1895. After a period of decline, an energetic revival of this music beginning in the 1970s spread from New York, Boston and San Francisco to many other parts of the country, including the Knoxville area. Tennessee Schmaltz develops the tradition of Jewish klezmer in America, adding country and bluegrass sounds to the mix of East European wedding tunes, Yiddish theater and music hall, cantorial singing, and popular traditions of the old and new worlds. Their claim to be the only klezmer group in the entire world with a washtub bass remains unchallenged.

Jubilee Community Arts, 1538 Laurel Ave, Knoxville, TN 37916. For information: 865-522-5851, www.jubileearts.org. For tickets: 865-523-7521, www.KnoxTIX.com

The Pope Benedict XVI Schola proudly presents “A (Mostly) Medieval and Renaissance Christmas Concert” at Holy Ghost Church in Knoxville. All proceeds from the concert will benefit the Ladies of Charity of Knoxville, whose primary mission is to serve the poor by providing emergency assistance, food, clothing, housing and medical needs, and infant care. The Schola’s repertory includes ancient carols from Italy, England, France, and Germany as well as sacred polyphony by Renaissance masters such as Palestrina, Tomás Luis de Victoria, and Hans Leo Hassler. Schola members come from churches throughout Knoxville, and the group’s director is Mary C. Weaver. Organist Charles Walden will also perform. Tickets are $10 and may be purchased at the door or online, via Paypal, at www.b16schola.org/christmas2012. Holy Ghost Church is located at 1041 N. Central Street, Knoxville, TN 37917. The Pope Benedict XVI Schola rehearses on Thursday evenings at Holy Ghost Church and welcomes singers ages 16 and up. For more information, visit www.b16schola.org, call 865-437-8620, or e-mail mary@b16schola.org.

Deck the Halls: Adult Class
The University of Tennessee Gardens

Join us for our annual wreath making event. Create a beautify holiday wreath using evergreens, holly, berries, and other winter/holiday materials. Create a wreath for your front door, or mantel and Deck the Halls… Fa la la, la la la, la la la.
$30/member, $35/non-member

Preregistration is required for all
classes. Please contact Derrick
Stowell , educational coordinator,
at 974-7151, or email derrick.
stowell@yahoo.com to register

Deck the halls!
Create a beautiful holiday wreath using evergreens, holly, berries, and other winter and holiday materials.

Saturday, Dec. 3, 2:00 - 4:00 PM. $30/member, $35/non-member
Preregistration is required: Derrick Stowell at 974-7151 or email derrick.stowell@yahoo.com.
UT Gardens, 2431 Joe Johnson Drive, Knoxville

Come learn more about the nature around us through creative writing activities. You'll see the world with new eyes and gain appreciation for beauty in the small things. Free to members, $5 for non-members. Educator: Jennifer Roder. Please call (865) 577-4717, ext. 110 to register.

Ijams Nature Center, 2915 Island Home Ave, Knoxville, TN 37920. Hours: Grounds and trails open during daylight hours. Call for Visitor Center hours. Information: 865-577-4717, www.ijams.org