Calendar of Events

Alive with colorful characters and action-filled scenes, this play for young audiences reveals Huck as a clever, lovable boy who is baffled by the greed, hypocrisy and absurdity of society. His conscience troubles him about what is wrong and what is right, and on a long journey down the Mississippi, he embarks on an adventurous tale of excitement and suspense that is delightfully sprinkled with Mark Twain's homespun humor.
March 29-30, Junior Playhouse.

Purchase tickets online 24 hours a day: www.orplayhouse.com.
Purchase by phone or at box office: 865 482 9999, 12:00-5:30PM Mon.-Sat. during performance weeks.

The Spring Series of "Alive After Five" at the Knoxville Museum of Art premiers with the Brad Walker Orchestra, who perform the music made famous by Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Harry James, and more. Bandleader and trombonist, Brad Walker, started playing trombone at the age of eight and began playing professionally at sixteen in local jazz and Dixieland groups. Later on, he played with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, led by Buddy Morrow, and also the Ray Anthony Orchestra. In 2003, he founded the Brad Walker Orchestra, a 15-piece big band consisting of five saxophones, three trombones, three trumpets, bass, piano, drums and female vocalist. The BWO musicians have performed with the Glenn Miller Orchestra, Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, Ray Anthony, Ray Charles, Chet Atkins, Frank Sinatra, Andy Williams, Liberace and more. Vocalist Valerie Duke, former lead female vocalist of the world famous Glenn Miller Orchestra, is one of the top big band vocalists on the scene today, performing the songs made famous by the big band greats such as Rosemary Clooney, Judy Garland, Helen O’Connell, Peggy Lee and many others.

Alive After Five is a unique live music series presented on thirty or more Fridays per year in four seasonal series. The programs take place in the smoke-free, casually elegant setting of the Great Hall in the Knoxville Museum of Art. There is a live band on stage, seating at tables, two cash bars, food from area restaurants, free freshly popped popcorn, free parking, and a licensed therapeutic masseuse available. Audience members can enjoy listening to music, dancing, and browsing the museum’s art galleries. Admission to the spring series premier of Alive After Five is $10 for general admission and $6 for museum members and college students with ID. Ages 17 and under are admitted free.

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

East Tennessee’s own award-winning radio station WDVX, in conjunction with their supporting organization The Knoxville Americana Music Foundation, announces the second installment of their hot new concert series, WDVX World Class Bluegrass. On Friday, March 29, at 8:00PM accomplished mandolin player Doyle Lawson backed by his bluegrass gospel band, Quicksilver, headline the night’s world-class performances, along with Ralph II (son of the one and only Ralph Stanley), whose band features longtime WDVX radio personality Alex Leach on banjo and guitar.

Friday March 29, 2013. Doors at 7 p.m. Show at 8 p.m.
The US Cellular Stage at the Historic Bijou Theatre in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee.
Tickets are $21.50 in advance and $26.50 at the doors. Advance tickets are available at the Tennessee Theatre box office, all Tickets Unlimited outlets, Monday thru Saturday at the WDVX Blue Plate Special at the Knoxville Visitor Center, by phone at 865-656-4444, and online at KnoxBijou.com.
WDVX will record the live performances from this show and the others in the series with plans to rebroadcast them on WDVX 89.9 and 102.9 FM and on the web at WDVX.com.

ROGER HURRICANE WILSON joins EG KIGHT for a one-of-a-kind Blues NIGHT benefiting SECOND HARVEST OF EAST TENNESSEE. They will bring 4 decades of blues stylings to RELIX VARIETY THEATRE in Knoxville on Friday March 29th beginning at 8:00pm! They has many East Tennessee followers from their work with the Athens Arts Council, appearances at WDVX’s Blue Plate Special and ALIVE AFTER 5 at the Knoxville Museum of Art and their appearances at Brackins on Broadway in Maryville. Patrons will also receive 1 chance to win a very special “prize package” with each nonperishable food item they wish to donate to the barrels for 2nd Harvest that evening’s BLUES FOR FOOD!

Camp WILD is for grades 1-5. It runs Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. It's a great way to have fun and learn about the terrific animals at Knoxville Zoo at the same time. Campers will also help make enrichment treats for several of our animals and watch them being enjoyed.

Knoxville Zoo, 3500 Knoxville Zoo Drive, Knoxville, TN 37914. Open every day except Christmas. Information: 865-637-5331, www.knoxville-zoo.org

Knoxville Zoo appreciates the support their Knox County neighbors give them throughout the year. To say “thank you”, the zoo is offering Knox County residents a special spring break discount on zoo admission from March 25th through 29th.

With the purchase of one regular priced general admission ticket, residents of Knox County can purchase a second ticket for half-price beginning Monday, March 25th through Friday, March 29th simply by providing proof of residence in Knox County. Limit one discount per transaction. This discount cannot be combined with any other promotion or discount and is valid for Knox County residents between the dates of March 25-29, 2013. Offer available only for tickets purchased at Knoxville Zoo’s ticket office.

Knoxville Zoo is Knoxville’s largest year-round attraction. Located off exit 392 from Interstate 40, the zoo is open every day except Christmas Day. Knoxville Zoo is nationally accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and is committed to the highest standards in animal care and well-being, ethics, conservation, and education. Currently, the zoo is open Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 9:30 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. Admission and ticket sales stop one-hour before the zoo closes. Next-day admission is free after 3 p.m. For more information, please call 865.637.5331 ext. 300 or visit www.knoxvillezoo.org.

Saturday, March 23
10 a.m.HIKE-A-THON: Dog Walk with Alan Williams. WVLT's news anchor Alan Williams is one of Knoxville's most familiar faces. Join Alan and his canine friends as they explore Ijams Nature Center, one of Knox County's dog-walking hot spots! Open to all ages.
11a.m. HIKE-A-THON: Babies in Backpacks Hike with Jennifer. Grab your littlest hikers and join educator Jennifer Roder (and baby makes two) on the trails. This hike is designed for babies in backpacks and carriers; strollers are not recommended since we will not be on paved trails. Recommended for families with children under age 2.
2 p.m. HIKE-A-THON: History Hike with Paul and Jack Neely. Ijams Nature Center evolved from humble beginnings during the early twentieth century into a natural showplace known as the Bird Sanctuary. Join Ijams' Executive Director, Paul James, and Metro Pulse writer, Jack Neely, as they share tails of Knoxville's past. Recommended for ages 10 and up.
3 p.m. Family Program: Wildflower Hike at Hastie Park. Discover the colors of spring during this wildflower walk at William Hastie Natural Area, part of Knoxville's Urban Wilderness. You'll accompany wildflower enthusiasts, Bob and Lynne Davis as they share their love and knowledge of spring wildflowers. This program is free to members and $5 for non-members. Please call 865-577-4717, ext. 110 to register. Leaders: Bob and Lynne Davis with Stephen Lyn Bales.

Monday, March 25
9 a.m. -- 4 p.m. Ijams Spring Break Camp. Join us and explore the exciting things that spring has to offer at Ijams Nature Center. You'll never know what we'll do each day... we may explore the quarries, stomp through the creek, or even meet a few of our animal ambassadors. Be prepared to get a little wet and a little dirty. Fun is mandatory and hilarity is recommended! Cost: $140/week for members and $160/week for non-members; $40/day for members or $50/day for non-members. Camp attendees can choose to attend individual days or all week. Extended care is available from 8-9 am in the morning and 4-5 pm in the afternoon for an additional fee of $10 per child per hour. Campers should bring a sack lunch and 2 snacks each day. Please call 865-577-4717, ext. 130 to register.
10 a.m. HIKE-A-THON: Discovery Hike at Ijams with Samantha. Lace up your hiking boots and discover the wonders of wildflowers, animals, and trees at Ijams Nature Center. Open to all ages.
4 p.m.: Nature Fun Station. Join us each Monday afternoon for a different Nature Fun Station. You never know what kind of outdoor fun we'll be digging up each week. These programs are FREE and no registration is required.

Tuesday, March 26
9 a.m. -- 4 p.m. Ijams Spring Break Camp. Join us and explore the exciting things that spring has to offer at Ijams Nature Center. You'll never know what we'll do each day... we may explore the quarries, stomp through the creek, or even meet a few of our animal ambassadors. Be prepared to get a little wet and a little dirty. Fun is mandatory and hilarity is recommended! Cost: $140/week for members and $160/week for non-members; $40/day for members or $50/day for non-members. Camp attendees can choose to attend individual days or all week. Extended care is available from 8-9 am in the morning and 4-5 pm in the afternoon for an additional fee of $10 per child per hour. Campers should bring a sack lunch and 2 snacks each day. Please call 865-577-4717, ext. 130 to register.

Wednesday, March 27
9 a.m. -- 4 p.m. Ijams Spring Break Camp. Join us and explore the exciting things that spring has to offer at Ijams Nature Center. You'll never know what we'll do each day... we may explore the quarries, stomp through the creek, or even meet a few of our animal ambassadors. Be prepared to get a little wet and a little dirty. Fun is mandatory and hilarity is recommended! Cost: $140/week for members and $160/week for non-members; $40/day for members or $50/day for non-members. Camp attendees can choose to attend individual days or all week. Extended care is available from 8-9 am in the morning and 4-5 pm in the afternoon for an additional fee of $10 per child per hour. Campers should bring a sack lunch and 2 snacks each day. Please call 865-577-4717, ext. 130 to register.
10 a.m. HIKE-A-THON: Up and Over Hike with Sarah. Educator Sarah Brobst will lead intrepid hikers up Tharp Trace, Ijams Nature Center's most strenuous trail, which makes a one-mile loop around Mead's Quarry Lake. Due to the level of difficulty of this trail, this hike is not recommended for small children.
6 p.m. HIKE-A-THON: Hiker's Happy Hour with Sabrina. See Ijams Nature Center in a whole new light! Everything changes after dark... the trails, the trees, and the entire park. Be part of the Ijams nightlife as we enjoy cocktails and snacks before exploring the trails. Recommended for ages 21 and up. ($20 for non-members; $15 for members)

Thursday, March 28
9 a.m. -- 4 p.m. Ijams Spring Break Camp. Join us and explore the exciting things that spring has to offer at Ijams Nature Center. You'll never know what we'll do each day... we may explore the quarries, stomp through the creek, or even meet a few of our animal ambassadors. Be prepared to get a little wet and a little dirty. Fun is mandatory and hilarity is recommended! Cost: $140/week for members and $160/week for non-members; $40/day for members or $50/day for non-members. Camp attendees can choose to attend individual days or all week. Extended care is available from 8-9 am in the morning and 4-5 pm in the afternoon for an additional fee of $10 per child per hour. Campers should bring a sack lunch and 2 snacks each day. Please call 865-577-4717, ext. 130 to register.
10 a.m. HIKE-A-THON: Little Tikes Hike with Sarah. Bring your little ones out to explore, dig, run and play. Each week has a different theme. Recommended for families with children aged 2-5.
2 p.m. HIKE-A-THON: Ijams Explorers Hike with Sabrina. Even if you have been to Ijams before, you never know what you'll find on each new visit; each trip is a new experience! Open to all ages.
4 p.m. Backyard Birds FeederWatch. Project FeederWatch is a winter-long survey of birds that visit feeders at backyards, nature centers, community areas, and other locales in North America. FeederWatch data help scientists track bird populations. Join us each Thursday in March as we visit the feeders around Ijams Nature Center to identify and count the visiting bird species. At the end, we'll submit our bird counts to help with this research project. This program is FREE and registration is not required.

Friday, March 29
The Visitor Center will be closed for Good Friday. Be sure to stop by and enjoy the trails!

Saturday, March 30
1 p.m. Living Clean & Green: Gardening Up. Vertical gardening is a trend that is on the rise among those with a green thumb. A boon for those with space demonstrations, this technique can be used on any blank wall or bare fence that needs beautifying. You can tend edibles, annuals, even perennials with these vertical gardening ideas - all of which inspire high hopes for the season ahead. Join Ijams green thumb Peg Beute for tips on how to use wooden pallets, re-purposed display racks and other containers to achieve a terrific new look in your yard. This program is FREE to the public; please call 865-577-4717, ext. 110 to register.
1 p.m. Geology of Ijams and Quarries. Do you want to learn more about the stories that soil and stones have to tell? Then join geology expert Harry Moore as he shares the tales of earth's rocky path to the present. We'll explore the rocks and quarries of Ijams Nature Center, in search of clues to our geologic past. Come early and meet hike leader, geologist and author Harry Moore (He'll have books to sell). Free to members, $5 for non-members. Please call (865) 577-4717, ext. 110 to register.

HIKE-A-THON: Closing Events
5 p.m. HIKE-A-THON: Closing Hike
6 p.m. HIKE-A-THON: Closing Ceremony
7-10 p.m. HIKE-A-THON: Hikers Ball. After a full month of hiking, it's time to scrape the mud off your boots and kick up your heels at the Hiker's Ball! This event will feature hors d'oeuvres, cocktails, and live music from The Bearded. Party attire is optional, but hiking boots are mandatory!

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

The Knoxville Museum of Art presents Tradition Redefined: The Larry and Brenda Thompson Collection of African-American Art March 22 through June 16, 2013.

Larry and Brenda Thompson have amassed a remarkable collection of art by African Americans from around the nation. The strength of the Thompson’s collecting process lies in their considered attention to artists who have typically not been recognized in the traditional narratives of African American art.

In addition to acknowledged “masters,” the Thompsons have collected works by artists who have been labeled “emerging,” “unknown,” “outsider,” “eccentric,” “vernacular,” “regional” and more. The result is a collection that redefines the landscape of American art, offering a more in-depth, inclusive understanding of African American artists and their aesthetic and social concerns.

Knoxville Museum of Art is located in downtown Knoxville at 1050 World’s Fair Park and is open to the public Tuesday through Saturday 10 am–5 pm, and Sunday 1 pm-5 pm. Admission and parking are free.

Directed by Dennis E. Perkins. In rural Virginia, Jesse is struggling with finding his place in the world. He draws and dreams of becoming something special. Leslie, the new girl from the city and the ultimate outsider, opens a world of imagination, art and literature for him. Together they create Terabithia, a fantasy kingdom where they are safe from those who don’t understand them. Their friendship grows as Jesse’s world expands. When tragedy strikes, the strength which Jesse gained in Terabithia takes him forward on his own and lets him share the magic of his dreams.

Friday 3/22 at 7 PM
Saturday 3/23 at 1 PM
Saturday 3/23 at 5 PM
Sunday 3/24 at 3 PM
Thursday 3/28 at 7 PM
Friday 3/29 at 7 PM
Saturday 3/30 at 1 PM
Saturday 3/30 at 5 PM
Thursday 4/4 at 7 PM
Friday 4/5 at 7 PM
Saturday 4/6 at 1 PM
Saturday 4/6 at 5 PM
Sunday 4/7 at 3 PM

Knoxville Children's Theatre, 800 Tyson Street, Knoxville, TN 37917. Information: 865-599-5284, www.childrenstheatreknoxville.com. Reservations: tickets@childrenstheatreknoxville.com

Art exhibits featuring students, faculty and visiting artists are regular occurrences at Pellissippi State Community College. So, too, are photography-related events showcasing the works of guest photographers. New this year is an exhibit that focuses solely on the work of Pellissippi State’s Photography students. The March 18-29 event is free and open to the public.

Gallery guests have the chance to explore images captured by Pellissippi State students in their travels near and far, in vivid color and in subtle black-and-white. Students who pursue the art of photography at Pellissippi State do so through the Photography concentration in the Media Technologies program. The degree program’s other three concentrations are Communication Graphics Technology, Video Production Technology and Web Technology.

The exhibit is one of the events that make up Pellissippi State’s arts series, “The Arts at Pellissippi State.” The series brings to the community cultural activities ranging from music and theatre to international celebrations, lectures, and the fine arts.

An opening reception, also free and open to the public, takes place March 21, 3-6 p.m. The Student Photography Exhibit and opening reception take place in the gallery of the Bagwell Center for Media and Art at Pellissippi State’s Hardin Valley Campus. Regular exhibit hours are Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-6:30 p.m. For additional information about the exhibit or “The Arts at Pellissippi State,” call (865) 694-6400 or visit www.pstcc.edu/arts.

Tennessee Stage Company Presents its 16th Annual NEW PLAY FESTIVAL & World Premiere Production of Harrison Young’s ONLINE FIGHTING. ONLINE FIGHTING is an action-comedy about two video gamers rekindling a feud. What starts off as fun and games online quickly becomes a battle of jealousy and revenge offline -- especially once loved ones are involved. While deadly serious, to them, the feud is a laugh out loud roller coaster ride to the audience.

Performances are: Thursday – Saturday evenings at 8:00 pm | Sunday afternoons at 3:00 pm
*Opening night, March 15, 2013 will include a post show playwright’s reception to honor Harrison Young and will feature a special price of $ 20.00.

At Theatre Knoxville Downtown, 131 N. Gay Street, Knoxville. Tickets are on sale now. Call (865) 546-4280 for tickets & reservations. General Admission is $15, Students and Senior Citizens $12. www.tennesseestage.com

As their time at Arrowmont School of Arts & Crafts draws to a close, artists Heather Ashworth, Jason Burnett, Erin Castellan, Ashley Gilreath and David Katz share a collection of new work developed during their 11-month stay on campus.

The Annual Artists-in-Residence Exhibition opens with a gallery reception on Saturday, March 9, from 6 to 9 p.m. in Blain Galleries. The exhibition will be on display from March 9 through May 4, and both the reception and exhibition are free and open to the public. This year’s Residents will exhibit works that include functional wood furniture, whimsical pottery, ceramic installations, embroidered paintings, metalsmithing and enameling.

Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts
556 Parkway, Gatlinburg, TN 37738
865.436.5860