Calendar of Events

The series will include varied musical genres: country, Americana/bluegrass, Scottish tunes, aires and waltzes and opera. All concerts will begin at 7 p.m. on Thursday evenings in August. They are free and indoors in air conditioned comfort in the library’s main gallery! All performances in this annual series are sponsored by the Blount County Friends of the Library.

+ August 7: Erin Ott is a 10-year-old country singer who claimed two awards—Female Vocalist of the Year and Female Entertainer of the Year in her age category--at the North American Country Music International's (NACMAI) Country Music Week 2014 in Pigeon Forge.

+ August 14: Ma Crow and the Lady Slippers. This all-female Bluegrass/Americana/Mountain-Music band from Cincinnati, Ohio, is a 3-time nominee for the Cincinnati Entertainment Awards.

+ August 21: The Good Thymes Ceilidh Band. In 2008, The Good Thymes Ceilidh (kay-lee) Band formed from members of the Knoxville Scottish Music Club. They play fiery Scottish tunes along with lovely aires and waltzes.

+ August 28, Knoxville Opera Company. Two opera singers, Kevin Doherty, baritone, and Sarah Fitch, mezzosoprano, will preview the coming season’s Knoxville Opera Company operas. Maestro Brian Salesky, Executive Director and Conductor of Knoxville Opera, will be the guest speaker and accompanist.

Blount County Public Library: 508 N Cusick St, Maryville, TN 37804, (865) 982-0981, www.blountlibrary.org

Johnny Beehner puts on a very funny show. He can be heard on XM/ Sirius Satellite radio, he’s been on the Bob and Tom nationally syndicated radio show multiple times, and he is constantly traveling from city to city across the country making people laugh.

With a stong background in improvisational theater throughout all of college, including training at Chicago’s prestigious Second City, Johnny brings a very unique show to the stage. His shows have been described as “silly,” “smart,” “fun,” and “hilarious.” Johnny centers himself as the butt of most of his jokes with tales of growing up an awkward, tall, skinny middle child in a huge family. Whether it’s at a college, a private event, or a comedy club, Johnny’s clean and clever style of comedy is sure to keep the audience laughing.

TICKET PRICES: $8 FOR GENERAL ADMISSION, $10 FOR PREFERRED SEATING ONLINE!
All tickets via phone or at the door are $2 more per ticket!
All tickets go up $2 on the day of the show.
View picture, web site link, and video at www.SideSplittersComedy.com

The Square Room Dinner Theatre will present Neil Simon’s perennial summer hit “Barefoot in the Park,” taking the stage on August 7 and 8. Doors Open At 6:00, Food orders by 6:30, Show starts at 7:30. Advance: $45

The Square Room: 4 Market Square, Behind Café 4, Knoxville, Tennessee-Eastern 37902, www.thesquareroom.com

Grammy award winning Trumpeter, Chris Botti, plays with a uniquely expressive sound and soaring musical imagination. A string of successful albums and compilations have established him as one of the world's largest selling jazz instrumentalists.

Tennessee Theatre, 604 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. For information/tickets: 865-684-1200, www.tennesseetheatre.com, www.ticketmaster.com

Award-winning author Elizabeth Gentry will speak about 'place' and how it informed her dark fairy tale "Housebound" at the Knoxville Writers' Guild's August program.

Gentry’s debut novel "Housebound" was published in 2013 by &NOW Books - an imprint of Lake Forest College Press that supports innovative literature - and distributed by Northwestern University Press. The novel was awarded the 2012 Madeleine P. Plonsker Emerging Writer Award, which was judged by novelist and fairy tale advocate Kate Bernheimer, who also wrote an introduction for the book. Originally from Asheville, NC, Elizabeth lives in Knoxville, Tenn., where she works as writing specialist for the University of Tennessee College of Law and teaches for the English Department. She received an MFA in fiction writing from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Knoxville Writer’s Guild: Meetings take place at the Laurel Theater, 1538 Laurel Avenue. The building is handicapped accessible. The public is invited to attend. A $2 donation is requested at the door. www.knoxvillewritersguild.org

WUOT fans, it's time to party! Mark your calendar and plan to join us for WUOT's annual open house Thursday, Aug. 7, from 4 to 7 p.m.!

You'll get to listen to live music performed by Melony Dodson, Todd Steed and Bob Deck, and Kelle Jolly; join (silently!) Brandon Hollingsworth in the studio while he hosts All Things Considered; enjoy a fun WUOT-themed caricature from talented Asheville artist Brian Vasilik; sample delicious treats from Holly's Eventful Dining, Magpies and The Tomato Head; meet our award-winning news staff and see how stories are chosen and produced; test WUOT's microphones and we'll send you the recording; get a behind-the-scenes tour of the station; explore WUOT with a station treasure hunt and more.

We hope you'll join us for the fun-and feel free to bring other public radio fans!

WUOT: 209 Communications Bldg., Knoxville, TN 37996-0322 | 865-974-5375 | wuot@utk.edu

Barbara Rogers, who is Co-President of the Art Guild at Fairfield Glade, is Artist of the Month of August at the Plateau Creative Arts Center. Barb is dedicated to the medium of colored pencil. Her compositions reveal her desire to capture the interactions between colors, light, shadows, textures, and reflections. Photography is, also, another interest for Barb, and she uses assortments of photographs to create the ultimate colored pencil piece. Visitors can view this exhibit at the PCAC, 451 Lakeview Drive (off Peavine), Fairfield Glade Monday through Saturday 9 am – 4 pm Closed Sunday. The show will run through August 30.

Bob Patterson, Director of the Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center and Don M. Alexander, Cades Cove Heritage Tour Manager announced the 2014 Cades Cove Heritage Tours schedule of specialty tours.

Advance reservations are required.
Limit of 17 guests per tour.
Call 865-448-8838 for reservations.

Kim Delozier, Author, naturalist and former Park Ranger will point out and discuss wildlife while you search for Bears in the GSM National Park or Elk in Cattaloochee.

The 3 1/2 - 4 hour Bear Tour is $50 per person and will depart from the Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center at 9:30 am on the following Saturday August 2, 9 and 16:

The 7 - 8 hour Elk Tour to Cattaloochee is $75 per person and will depart from the Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center at 2:30 pm on Saturday September 13

The Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center is a not for profit museum
and is located between the traffic light and the national park entrance,
on scenic Highway 73.
For more information, please call 865-448-0044

“First Edition: Copper Additions” is the title of collaborative work by mixed-media artist Lynnda Tenpenny and copper jeweler Kathy Bradley, which will be on display at the Art Market Gallery for the month of August. An opening reception for this featured exhibition will be held during Downtown Knoxville’s monthly First Friday Art Walk.

Art Market Gallery, 422 S. Gay St, Knoxville, TN 37902. Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 11AM-6PM, Sunday 1-5PM. Information: 865-525-5265, www.artmarketgallery.net

Bliss Home is pleased to present Knoxville artist, Kate Moore, for August's First Friday. Bliss Home, located at 29 Market Square, will host an opening reception on Friday, August 1st from 6pm to 9pm. Complimentary Steamboat Sandwiches will be provided and Kate's art will be featured for the month of August.

Starting with a simple love for crayons, Kate decided from a young age she needed to build her life around art. Kate grew into an artist by exploring different mediums, and dabbling in painting and drawing, until she found her own voice as an artist in graphic design. From custom wedding invitations to small business branding, Kate has spent the last six years perfecting her graphic design skills at her studio, Kate Moore Creative, located on the 100 block of Gay Street.

Kate's August exhibit features a fun collection of words and color that will make viewers smile for two reasons. Not only will Kate's fun art bring a smile to viewers' faces, each purchase of Kate's art will provide ONE MEAL to a hungry tummy in East Tennessee, through the efforts of Second Harvest Food Bank.

Bliss Home, 29 Market Square, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information: 865-329-8868, www.shopinbliss.com

The Arts & Culture Alliance is pleased to present a new exhibition entitled “A Visual Experience” by Art Group 21, featuring original watercolor, oil, acrylic, pencil, pastel, mixed media, collage, and more by 21 local artists. The exhibition will be displayed in the main gallery of the Emporium Center in downtown Knoxville from August 1-30, 2014. A public reception will take place as part of First Friday activities on Friday, August 1, from 5:00-9:00 PM with complimentary hors d’oeuvres provided by Qdoba Mexican Grill and Jason’s Deli. The First Friday reception also features a flamenco dance performance by Pasión Flamenco from 6:00-6:45 PM and a Jazz Jam Session hosted by Vance Thompson and Friends from 7:00-9:00 PM, both in the Black Box Theatre.

Artists featured in the exhibition include: Mary Ann Aken, Paula Browning, Bonnie Cadotte, Lana Daverman, Genie Even, Pat Fitzgerald, Jean Gregory, Suzanne Jack, Barbara Johnson, Judy Jorden, Carol LaBudde, Elaine Marcel-Culbert, Ina Sue Marlin, Susan Miller, Brenda Mills, Emilia Pickett, Janice Pybas, Betsy Spooner, Fran Thie, and Sue B. Thomas.

“A Visual Experience” will be on display at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street. Gallery hours are Monday-Friday 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM and Saturday 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM. For more information, please contact the Arts & Culture Alliance at (865) 523-7543, or visit the Web site at www.knoxalliance.com.

The Arts & Culture Alliance is pleased to present a new exhibition of photography entitled “Opposites Attract” by local artists Tom Owens and Marianne Woodside. Inspiration for the exhibition grew out of conversations at the Golden Roast coffee shop on the UT campus. Over the past several years, Owens and Woodside have shared ideas about art, critiqued one another’s images, and marveled over the serendipity involved in photography. While their styles contrast, they appreciate the way the black & white, bold color, and texture all invite the viewer into various spaces and times. The exhibition will be displayed in the Balcony gallery of the Emporium Center in downtown Knoxville from August 1-30, 2014. A public reception will take place as part of First Friday activities on Friday, August 1, from 5:00-9:00 PM with complimentary hors d’oeuvres provided by The Melting Pot. The First Friday reception also features a flamenco dance performance by Pasión Flamenco from 6:00-6:45 PM and a Jazz Jam Session hosted by Vance Thompson and Friends from 7:00-9:00 PM, both in the Black Box Theatre.

Tom Owens lives in Knoxville and has been taking pictures for work and fun for more than 45 years. He became interested photography in 1968 while learning from a friend, Don Dudenbostel, who worked for the Daily Beacon. He began working at The University of Tennessee in 1985, and in 1999, he became Director of the Video and Photography Center which is part of the Office of Communications and Marketing. One aspect of his photography is the element of surprise involved with the work; you don’t know how things might turn out just looking in the viewfinder. The images in this exhibition mostly focus on patterns, reflections, textures and shadows in architecture and nature; with some pictures of interesting people. When not at work or out taking pictures, Owens enjoys hiking, reading, and running.

Marianne Woodside resides in Knoxville and teaches at the University of Tennessee in Counselor Education. She loves the outdoors; the natural beauty of East Tennessee provides inspiration for living in the moment and seeking a calm and peaceful approach to life. She translates this into her photography as she integrates light, shadows, reflections, color, and shapes to form digital images of both nature and the man-made in naturalistic and informal settings. The images range from the realistic to the abstract. Woodside shows and sells her work locally.

“Opposites Attract” will be on display at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street. Gallery hours are Monday-Friday 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM and Saturday 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM. For more information, please contact the Arts & Culture Alliance at (865) 523-7543, or visit the Web site at www.knoxalliance.com.