Calendar of Events

July 04, 2015 ANIMAL PROGRAM: Ijams Creature Feature
July 04, 2015 ANIMAL PROGRAM: Ijams Creature Feature
July 04, 2015 ANIMAL PROGRAM: Ijams Creature Feature
July 11, 2015 ANIMAL PROGRAM: Ijams Creature Feature
July 11, 2015 ANIMAL PROGRAM: Ijams Creature Feature
July 11, 2015 ANIMAL PROGRAM: Ijams Creature Feature
July 18, 2015 PUBLIC PROGRAM: Wagging Walk
July 18, 2015 ANIMAL PROGRAM: Ijams Creature Feature
July 18, 2015 ANIMAL PROGRAM: Ijams Creature Feature
July 18, 2015 ANIMAL PROGRAM: Ijams Creature Feature
July 19, 2015 IJAMS CREATIVE SERIES: Family Drum Circle
July 25, 2015 ANIMAL PROGRAM: Ijams Creature Feature
July 25, 2015 ANIMAL PROGRAM: Ijams Creature Feature
July 25, 2015 ANIMAL PROGRAM: Ijams Creature Feature

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 Zoo thanks service men and women on Independence Weekend by offering them free admission!

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

On July 4th, James White’s Fort will host a Sons of the Revolution Service. The Service will be in the Courtyard of James White’s Fort to celebrate the 239th Birthday of the United States. Free Admission, but donations will be accepted.

James White's Fort, 205 E. Hill Ave, Knoxville, TN 37915. Information: 865-525-6514, www.jameswhitefort.org

Visitors to the Museum of Appalachia, a Smithsonian Affiliate Museum, will celebrate July 4th with the explosion of sound that pioneers heard thunder through the hills when they celebrated Independence Day. In pioneer days, shooting the anvil was a common practice for celebrating special events. Local blacksmiths would practice this tradition to celebrate the nation’s Independence, Christmas, and even Davy Crockett’s election to the U.S. Congress. Now, shooting the 175 pound anvil, an almost lost tradition, has become a highlight of the Museum's annual July 4th Celebration. Folks as far as 15 miles away have reported hearing the blast, and certainly everyone gathered for the excitement, feels the earth shake under their feet.

Along with a big boom several times during the day, there will be patriotic ceremonies, a flag waving procession led by bagpiper Jesse McCrary, Longhunter camp stories, Appalachian music, and an array of historic demonstrations. At 2pm, a bell-tolling ceremony will occur, coinciding in the National Bell Ringing Ceremony, with over 10,000 bells across the country ringing in unison. Thirteen youngsters will be selected from the audience to ring the bell in honor of the thirteen original colonies. Immediately following, is the Liberty Pole raising ceremony, which commemorates a Colonial American practice signifying dissatisfaction with the English government; an illustration of the spirit of liberty among colonists in the early days of the War for Independence.

Wander the Museum’s Village and see historic demonstrations of clogging, spinning, weaving, blacksmithing, woodcarving, mountain dulcimer making, sassafras tea brewing, cross cut sawing, and cedar rail splitting. Enjoy tasty summertime treats; grilled hamburgers and hot dogs, hand-churned ice cream, cool lemonade, homemade cakes and cookies.

The Museum is open from 9am to 6pm, with special Independence Day activities from 10am-3pm. The extensive village-farm complex includes dozens of historic log structures, display buildings filled with authentic Appalachian artifacts, gardens surrounded by split rail fences, and farm animals, all in a traditional setting. The Hall of Fame offers a portrait of the Appalachian people, both famous and not-so-famous—and these exhibits may be enjoyed in air-conditioned comfort. Admission is charged, but the event is free for Museum members. Memberships provide a year of visits, and, as an official affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, the Museum of Appalachia provides Smithsonian memberships in conjunction with its own program. The Shop at the Museum of Appalachia features handiwork from Appalachian artisans, books authored by regional writers and unique "Made in America" gifts. The Museum's quaint restaurant offers hot country style lunches, fresh‐from‐the‐garden vegetables, and mouth‐watering home-made desserts. Facilities are available for weddings, reunions, meetings and other events.

Museum of Appalachia, 2819 Andersonville Hwy., Clinton, TN 37716 (16 miles north of Knoxville at I-75, exit 122, then one mile east). Open every day except Thanksgiving and Christmas. Information: 865-494-7680, www.museumofappalachia.org

The Knoxville Symphony Orchestra will perform the 31st Annual FREE Pilot Flying J Independence Day Concert at World's Fair Park. This free community concert is open to the public; no tickets are required.

Enjoy patriotic tunes such as the Star Spangled Banner, Armed Forces Salute and recognizable tunes including "Rocky Top," "76 Trombones," music from Disney's Frozen and classics from the Sound of Music. KSO Resident Conductor James Fellenbaum conducts the Orchestra, featuring soloist Katy Wolfe, soprano.

Info: 865-291-3310, www.knoxvillesymphony.com

The Festival on the 4th delivers a wide variety of family fun including entertainment, activities and treats at the City of Knoxville's 4th of July celebration.

When: Begins at 4pm rain or shine. Fireworks start at 9:40pm.
Where: World's Fair Park

Festival goers will be treated to multiple bands on two stages, including the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra's 31st annual Independence Day Concert at 8pm.

Free event. No pets, no alcohol, no personal tents, no canopies.

Free parking at World's Fair and Blackstock Parking Lots, 11th Street, Locust Street, Walnut Street, State Street & Market Square Garages - ADA Parking at Fort Kid Parking Lot.

For complete information, visit http://www.knoxvilletn.gov/government/city_departments_offices/special_events/festival_on_the_4th/
For more information, call the Knoxville Office of Special Events at 865-215-4248.

The "Tennesseans: A Volunteer Legacy" will premier July 4, 2015 on East Tennessee PBS at 7:00PM. The hour-long film is the first documentary to highlight the events, men and women that earned the state its nickname from the Revolutionary War Battle of Kings Mountain to the modern battlefields of today.

It was shot on location across the country featuring nationally recognized military historians, rare films and photographs that tell a story few know about the state's military legacy.

Hooper said he went to the sources to make this film possible, including The Department of Defense who "graciously gave access and permission to their people and resources." He also "ran down private collectors, descendants, national historians, etc." through a statewide effort from Elizabethton to Memphis.

"We're so excited to air this incredible film," said East Tennessee PBS CEO Vickie Lawson. "It truly provides a never-before-seen glimpse into the lives of the individuals who helped shape our state's history."

Funded through a partnership between First Tennessee Bank, Ed Hooper, and Rowland Pictures of Knoxville, this bicentennial story is one of a kind. Hooper had recently premiered his previous film, "Medal of Honor: The History," when he began searching for an underwriter to fund The Tennesseans.

"Tennessee more or less defined the citizen-soldier in U.S. history and the stories of these men and women need to be preserved," said Hooper. "The story behind the "Volunteer" nickname is one of the most remarkable legacies in the nation."

July 4 at 7:00PM.
http://www.easttennesseepbs.org/home/

Celebrate Independence Day the Ijams way! In addition to our regular animal programs, we'll have lots of ways for your family to enjoy the day. We'll surprise you with guided hikes, catching tadpoles in the pond and even digging in the dirt for bugs. You never know what kind of fun our naturalists will dream up, so swing by for a family-friendly day outdoors!

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

Reception, Friday July 3, 5-9PM

The Land Report Collective deals with landscape in fundamental ways and as a foundational reference point. Brown considers the politics of mountaintop removal in his construction of objects and installations. Jobe crafts meeting places for public interaction through the delineation of pathways and works with stacked brick and wood. Jones responds to desert environments with model scale sculpture and stop-motion animation. Kikut incorporates a lifelong interest in the horizon line in a new series of paintings with flat Midwestern landscapes as his muse. Shadwell views landforms from a non-traditional lens creating mountains out of matchbooks and photo-realistically drawing facets of garbage bags and diapers to appear as monumental.

Jason S. Brown
Brian R. Jobe
David L. Jones
Patrick Kikut
Shelby Shadwell

FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC! UT Downtown Gallery, 106 S. Gay St, Knoxville, TN 37902. Hours: Wednesday-Friday: 11AM - 6PM, Saturday: 10AM - 3PM. Information: 865-673-0802, http://web.utk.edu/~downtown

Recent works by painter Diana Dee Sarkar of Knoxville and ceramic artist Eun-Sook Kim of Oak Ridge will be on display at the Art Market Gallery. An opening reception for the featured artists will be held during Downtown Knoxville’s monthly First Friday Art Walk beginning at 5:30 p.m., July 3. There will be complimentary refreshments, and Matt Tillery will perform eclectic blues/rock music from the 1960s to the 2000s as well as original pieces on acoustic guitar.

During 34 years as a physician with a busy practice, Diana Dee Sarkar’s creative outlet, besides playing violin in symphony and competitive ballroom dancing, was painting portraits and landscapes of people and places she encountered while doing volunteer medicine in Third World countries. In 2005, the self taught artist decided to obtain an art education. She studied oil painting at Woodstock School of Art and attended the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art. The Wichita, KS, native earned an MFA in figure painting at the Academy of Art University, where she has continued to study pastel landscape painting with such notables as Gil Dellinger and Susan Ogilvie. Enjoying plein-air painting in several countries, Diana Dee will show pastels featuring varied landscapes of East Tennessee and Georgia.

Eun-Sook Kim received a B.A. in English literature from Ewha Woman’s University in Seoul, Korea. Accepted into a graduate program at University of Tennessee, she moved to Knoxville, married, and resumed her studies after raising her children, earning an M.F.A. in ceramics in the 1990s. Her award-winning work has been in juried shows nationally and internationally, and shown in area solo exhibitions.. She founded and, for many years, directed both the Corner Gallery and the Upstairs Gallery in Oak Ridge. Kim, who also does Chinese brushstroke painting, leads workshops, teaches, and lectures. She belongs to the National Council for Educators of Ceramic Art, the Tennessee Association of Craft Artists, and Foothills Craft Guild. Her work has appeared in ceramics magazines published globally.

Owned and operated by 62 professional regional artists! 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

This is a group show by local artists who are members of the Tennessee Artists Association featuring a variety of works in pastels, watercolors, oils, acrylics and mixed media.

Hours: Monday thru Friday, 9 AM to 4PM
Westminster Presbyterian Church's Schilling Gallery, 6500 S Northshore Dr, Knoxville, TN 37919. Info: (865) 584-3957

Tennessee Artists Association: www.tnartists.org

The Knoxville Watercolor Society will exhibit recent works from its members. Opening reception Saturday June 27, 2015 7:00 – 9:00 and features Gallery Talk at 6:30. For more information about the Knoxville Watercolor Society, membership requirements and to view members' art works go to www.knxvillewatercolorsociety.com.

Oak Ridge Art Center, 201 Badger Avenue, Oak Ridge, TN 37830. Hours: Tu-F 9-5, Sa-M 1-4. Information: 865-482-1441, www.oakridgeartcenter.org