Calendar of Events

Wednesday, May 16 - 2 pm ADULT PROGRAM: How to Make Nature Journals. Come celebrate the beautiful spring weather with a little creative expression. We'll make our own nature journals and then begin to fill them with fun and simple creative writing assignments. $5 for members, $10 for non-members. To register, please call (865) 577-4717, ext. 110. Leader: Jen Roder

Thursday, May 17 - 10 am CHILDREN'S PROGRAM: Nature Preschool - Gettin' Buggy with It. (Ages 4-5) As the weather warms up, the bugs come out and who doesn't love catching these flying friends? We'll discover more about the fascinating world of 6-legged critters as we explore the meadow and pond. Free to members, $15 for non-members. To register, please call (865) 577-4717, ext. 110. Leader: Kara Remington

1 pm CHILDREN'S PROGRAM: Ijams Story Time: Skippyjon Jones. Join Ijams volunteer Lynn Keffer as she reads the 2004 E.B. White Read Aloud Award winning Skippyjon Jones about a Siamese kitten that looks like a Chihuahua written by Judy Schachner. In addition to the book, Lynn will also lead kids in a fun craft. Free, but a donation would be nice. Please call (865) 577-4717, ext. 110 to register.

Friday, May 18 - 7 pm FAMILY PROGRAM: Nightlife Symphony. Who needs violins and trumpets when nature provides some of the most wonderful sounds? Spring brings a chorus of nocturnal crooners like frogs, birds, and insects, so let's see who is out making beautiful music as we explore the park after dark! Free to members, $5 for non-members. To register, please call (865) 577-4717, ext. 110. Leader: Kara Remington and Peg Beute

Saturday, May 19 - 10 am - 3 pm COMMUNITY EVENT: Children's Festival of Reading. Join Ijams educators Sabrina DeVault and Katie Aucott at World's Fair Park for this year's Children's Festival of Reading. Everyone is invited to meet great authors, enjoy captivating storytellers, and listen to toe-tapping music. The fun continues all day long with a mad scientist, a roaming circus, arts & crafts, a bouncy house, and a wagon ride. Free.

1 - 4 pm SPECIAL EVENT: Moving into Nature. You might think you know what Ijams is about, but we have some surprises in store for you. Come discover all the amazing outdoor experiences awaiting you and your family during this special event. Whether you want to dive right in for free canoe and paddleboat rentals, cross over into the magical realm of fairy houses, or hike the trails with our own resident storyteller, this is an outdoor event you won't want to miss! Free.

2 pm FAMILY PROGRAM: Animal Program. Have you met all the animals that call the Ijams Visitor Center home? If not, be sure to stop by every Saturday for a chance to get nose-to-beak with some of our resident furred and feathered ambassadors. Free to members, $2 for non-members. No registration required.

Sunday, May 20 - Have you met all the animals that call the Ijams Visitor Center home? If not, be sure to stop by every Sunday at 2 and 4 pm for a chance to get nose-to-beak with some of our resident furred and feathered ambassadors. Free to members, $2 for non-members. No registration required.


Wednesday, May 23 - 3:30 pm FAMILY PROGRAM: Nature Fun Station. Join us for this terrific new program at Ijams Nature Center! Look for the Nature Fun Station sign to find a fun outdoor learning activity. Whether, we are catching bugs in the meadow or planting flowers in the garden, visitors can join us for a variety of outdoor discoveries. Follow the sign to fun! FREE. No registration required.

Thursday, May 24 - 10 am CHILDREN'S PROGRAM: Wee Ones- May Flowers. (Ages 2-3) Do April showers really bring May flowers? We'll explore the park to see if this saying is true. May is a great time to enjoy time outside, enjoying the colorful world of nature! Free to members, $15 for non-members. To register, please call (865) 577-4717, ext. 110. Leader: Sabrina DeVault

1 pm CHILDREN'S PROGRAM: Story Time: "Slowly, Slowly, Slowly" said the Sloth
Join Ijams volunteer Lynn Keffer as she reads "Slowly, Slowly, Slowly" said the Sloth first published in 2002 by Eric Carle. In addition to the book, Lynn will also lead kids in a fun craft. Free, but a donation would be nice. Please call (865) 577-4717, ext. 110 to register.

Friday, May 25 - 3:30 pm FAMILY PROGRAM: Nature Fun Station. Join us for this terrific new program at Ijams Nature Center! Look for the Nature Fun Station sign to find a fun outdoor learning activity. Whether, we are catching bugs in the meadow or planting flowers in the garden, visitors can join us for a variety of outdoor discoveries. Follow the sign to fun! FREE. No registration required.

Saturday, May 26 - 10 am FAMILY PROGRAM: Guided Canoe Trip. (Ages 8 and up) Enjoy peaceful Mead's Quarry Lake during this guided canoe trip. Ijams and Riversports Outfitters provide all of the equipment. Spaces are limited. $15 for members, $17.50 for non-members. To register: 577-4717 ext. 110. Leader: Stephen Lyn Bales

10 am CHILDREN'S PROGRAM: Wee Ones - May Flowers. (Ages 2-3) Do April showers really bring May flowers? We'll explore the park to see if this saying is true. May is a great time to enjoy time outside, enjoying the colorful world of nature! Free to members, $15 for non-members. To register, please call (865) 577-4717, ext. 110. Leader: Sabrina DeVault

1 pm LIVING CLEAN & GREEN: Urban Wildlife. Have you ever wondered who was rustling around your back porch at night? Then come explore the world of wildlife that might live in your backyard. You'll learn about the critters that share our neighborhoods and even get to meet a few! Free. To register: 577-4717 ext. 110. Leader: Kara Remington

2 pm FAMILY PROGRAM: Animal Program. Have you met all the animals that call the Ijams Visitor Center home? If not, be sure to stop by every Saturday for a chance to get nose-to-beak with some of our resident furred and feathered ambassadors. Free to members, $2 for non-members. No registration required.

Sunday, May 27 - Have you met all the animals that call the Ijams Visitor Center home? If not, be sure to stop by every Sunday at 2 and 4 pm for a chance to get nose-to-beak with some of our resident furred and feathered ambassadors. Free to members, $2 for non-members. No registration required.

Thursday, May 31 - 1 pm CHILDREN'S PROGRAM: Story Time: The Hungry Thing. Join Ijams volunteer Lynn Keffer as she reads The Hungry Thing that teaches phonemic awareness by Jan Slepian and Ann Seidler. In addition to the book, Lynn will also lead kids in a fun craft. Free, but a donation would be nice. 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

Book lovers of all genres are invited this month's meeting of All Over the Page, Lawson McGhee Library's recently formed book club.

April 9 - Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay
Facilitated by Wendy Rogers, Blogger and Librarian, Knox County Public Library

May 14 - The Alienist by Caleb Carr
Facilitated by Kristin Farley, WATE Anchor

June 11 - The Tender Bar by J.R. Moehringer
Facilitated by Matt Shafer Powell, WUOT News Director

At 6:30 PM. Light refreshments will be served.
For more information, please call Jamie Osborn 215-8700

Art in Public Places Knoxville is a monumental installation of large-scale outdoor sculptures by regionally and nationally acclaimed artists. The sculptures enliven downtown Knoxville as well as McGhee Tyson Airport. Awards for the Art in Public Places exhibition will be presented by world-acclaimed sculptor, Allen Peterson. The ceremony will take place at 5:30 p.m. at Nouveau Classics on 128 South Gay Street on April 6.

Most of the Festival’s wide range of arts events, performances, and exhibitions are offered to the public free of charge. For more information, including a complete Festival Calendar of Events and ticket information, visit dogwoodarts.com

Horizons is an installation by noted Icelandic artist Steinunn Thórarinsdóttir. The exhibition includes 12 androgynous, life-sized iron figures in the KMA’s South Garden. Each is unique in pose and expression, and has a polished glass band inserted in its torso. The artist explains this juxtaposition of glass and iron, “The color of the iron signifies their primal quality—as if they are emerging from the earth” while “Glass as a material has a lot of different connotations. It can be fragile, yet dangerous. It can be translucent, or solid . . . It's like water, but also like air.”

Thorarinsdottir has exhibited widely in Europe, Japan, and Australia over the last 30 years, as well as in the United States, where Horizons has been traveling for the past three years. The installation is featured in the documentary Horizons by independent filmmaker Frank Cantor, which won the CINE Special Jury Award in Washington as the best documentary of 2008. Thórarinsdóttir’s work is held by collectors worldwide, and she has been commissioned by both the Icelandic and English governments for major sculptural installations. She has received numerous awards including the Order of the Falcon by the President of Iceland in 2009.

Knoxville Museum of Art, 1050 World's Fair Park Dr, Knoxville, TN 37916. Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 10AM-5PM; Sunday, 1-5PM. Information: 865-525-6101, www.knoxart.org

Tennessee Mountain Writers January Jumpstart workshops - January 13-15, 2013
Tennessee Mountain Writers will present "January Jumpstart XIII" featuring a fiction workshop led by Darnell Arnoult, Writer-in-Residence at Lincoln Memorial University, and a poetry workshop led by Nashville poet Bill Brown. The event, to be held at the Magnuson Hotel in Sweetwater, will open with an informal social hour on Friday evening; workshop sessions will run from 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. on Saturday and from 8:30 - 11:30 a.m. Sunday. Participation is limited to 20 per workshop. The registration fee of $110 includes lunch on Saturday; there will be an optional catered dinner at the hotel Saturday night for an additional $16. For registration information, see www.tmwi.org, or email theorrs@usit.net.

Mondays at 8:00 PM. Contra dancing to live acoustic music. No experience or partner required. $7 fee.

At the Laurel Theatre, 1538 Laurel Ave, Knoxville, TN 37916. Information: 865-386-6627; www.knoxvillecontra.org

In observance of the Civil War’s 150th anniversary, Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center is hosting an exhibition from the Tennessee State Museum, Common People in Uncommon Times: The Civil War in Tennessee. The exhibition focuses on how the war affected the lives of Tennesseans through personal stories of participants whose sagas illustrate a land divided.

The narrative of personal struggle and endurance during the Civil War is presented on 10 graphic panels taken from the State Museum’s collection of photographs and artifacts from the era, as well as from other collections across the state. Each panel portrays a different theme: Confederate leaders, Union leaders, African-Americans, civilian home front, common soldiers, war on the water, reconstruction and commemoration.

Admission to the special exhibition is included in the museum admission price, and free for Heritage Center members. For current hours and admission rates, visit www.gsmheritagecenter.org