Calendar of Events

THE SMOKY MOUNTAIN BLUES SOCIETY proudly presents its line-up for its ever popular “BLUES CRUISE” for the summer of 2015. For five consecutive years, the SMBS has presented monthly warm-weather Sunday afternoon/early evening concerts on the Star of Knoxville Riverboat. These 3 hour musical journeys on the Tennessee River are featuring some of the best local and regional Blues Musicians. The schedule for this year brings a wonderful cross section of Blues stylings and danceable favorites. The bands and dates for 2015 cruises:

Sept. 20, 3-6 PM: Jenna and Her Cool Friends, https://www.facebook.com/coolfriendsblues/, www.jennaandhercoolfriends.com
Oct. 18, 3-6 PM: The Romeo Kings, https://www.facebook.com/pages/Roger-Hay-The-Romeo-Kings/149845911796328/, http://www.reverbnation.com/theromeokings

Cruises depart at 300 Neyland Drive, next to Calhouns downtown Knoxville. Tickets are available at the Tennessee Riverboat Company where you will also board the authentic paddle-wheeler, or by calling 865-525-7827 and online at http://tnriverboat.com/event/blues-cruise/. Advance purchase and Smoky Mountain Blues Society membership tickets receive a discount. SMBS advance purchase $13 - Public advance: $16. SMBS day of: $16 - Public day of : $19. Info: 865-288-0672, sfkrempasky@gmail.com, www.smokymountainblues.org

WITH SPECIAL GUEST JORDAN BRATTON

SoMo is a favorite for R&B fans across the country. His self-titled album reached #2 on both the digital and R&B charts. The singer has also reached Platinum certification on his song “Ride.”

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

Two million books and counting. Since 2005, the community has pulled together to provide free books to children under five in Knox County to prepare them to learn to read and to succeed in school. Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Knox County is gearing up to mail out its two millionth free book this September. To celebrate this milestone, they are calling on the whole community to give back with their imaginations, artistic talents, and some spare change. The “Banks for Books” campaign transforms an ordinary 5 gallon water jug into a themed “piggy bank” and collects change.

The public is invited to view all the “Banks for Books” at the Knoxville Museum of Art from 2-4 p.m. The Imagination Library "Banks for Books” Showcase will include family entertainment, crafts and refreshments, sponsored by Food City. Each participating "Banks for Books" will be able to collect coins through the end of October.

Learn more about Dolly Parton's Imagination Library at www.knoxlib.org/il or by calling (865) 215-8784; www.knoxlib.org/banksforbooks

Knoxville Museum of Art, 1050 World's Fair Park Dr, Knoxville, TN 37916. Information: 865-525-6101, www.knoxart.org

Ensemble recital; Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 "Eroica"
James R. Cox Auditorium, Alumni Memorial Bldg.

UT School of Music: Unless otherwise noted, concerts are FREE and open to the public.
The Alumni Memorial Building is located at 1408 Middle Drive on the UT campus. The Natalie Haslam Music Center is located at 1741 Volunteer Blvd on the UT campus. *For individual or small group performances, please check the web site or call the day of the event for updates or cancellations: 865-974-5678, www.music.utk.edu/events

We have invited the best of the best wedding vendors to help us create a wedding wonderland here at Ijams Nature Center! We'll be introducing you to several wedding ceremony & reception location options, as well as featuring our Preferred Caterers' delicious offerings. The Gilded Gown will have a fashion show at 2:00 & 4:00 showcasing the latest in dreamy dresses. The event is FREE to attend, so brides, bring your friends and enjoy a gorgeous afternoon here at Ijams! We welcomed select Event Planners to come in, with their vendors, and create spaces to inspire!

Simple Bliss Events
Lucy & Ethel's Wedding & Event Planners
At Last Wedding Events
Custom Love Gifts, Events & Print

Brides will receive discounts on rentals for their special day AND free admission to our Sunday Music Series, Jazz at Ijams, featuring Cindi Alpert & The Corduroy Jazz Trio, from 5-8pm that evening.

More events at http://ijams.org/events/. 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

Ijams Nature Center is very proud to present Cindi Alpert & The Corduroy Jazz Trio! Bring blankets and lawn chairs and enjoy an elegant evening under the autumn sky! Don't forget your dancing shoes, you'll surely need them. Gates will open at 4:30 and music begins at 5:30. Tickets are $5 per person and kids under 10 are free. Food trucks will be onsite and beverages will be available for purchase. No coolers or pets please.

More events at http://ijams.org/events/. 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

Something for everyone is what you will find! We are offering our usual fare of antique dealers, food vendors, period demonstrators, music, children’s activities and this year we will be adding a classic car cruise in for the enjoyment of all that attend. Another big addition this year will be an Oktoberfest Beer and Brats Tent. There is plenty of free onsite parking; admission is $5 per person with children 10 and under free.

Hours: Sat. Sept 19, 10am-5pm and Sun. Sept. 20, 11am-4pm. At 2614 Thorngrove Pike, Knoxville, TN 37914. Information: 865-546-0745, www.ramseyhouse.org

Marble Springs State Historic Site is pleased to host a weekend of Living History in celebration of the life and times of the first governor of Tennessee, John Sevier, in commemoration of his 270th birthday and 200th anniversary of his death.

John Sevier Days Living History Weekend will take place Saturday, September 19, from 10:00 AM– 5:00 PM and Sunday, September 20, from 12:00 – 5:00 PM. You can expect to enjoy 18th century demonstrations such as open-hearth cooking; spinning and weaving; blacksmithing; weapons demonstrations, which will showcase period-appropriate firearms; 18th century style militia drills; regional craft demonstrations; historic lectures and more! Food, drinks, and special treats will be available. Details are subject to change.

Please join us with your family and friends and enjoy this early autumn event to kick off a memorable fall season at Marble Springs! Admission for Sevier Days is $5.00 per adult (16+); $3 per child (7-15); 6 and under FREE; Parking is free. All proceeds benefit the mission of preservation and education of the Marble Springs State Historic Site.

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

Knoxville Children’s Theatre will present Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Jr., a musical stage version of the classic 1989 Walt Disney Studios film, specifically adapted for children and families. The play will be performed September 18 through October 4, Thursdays and Fridays at 7 PM; Saturdays at 1 PM and 5 PM; Sundays at 3 PM.

In a magical underwater kingdom, the beautiful young mermaid Ariel longs to leave her ocean home - and her fins - behind and live in the world above. But first she'll have to defy her father King Triton, make a deal with the evil sea witch Ursula, and convince the handsome Prince Eric that she's the girl whose enchanting voice he's been seeking. Many of the favorite songs of the Walt Disney film are brilliantly recreated on stage, such as the Oscar-winning “Under The Sea,” “Part Of Your World,” and “She’s In Love.” The script is based on the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale and the Disney film , written and directed by John Musker and Ron Clements. The script is written by Doug Wright, with music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Howard Ashman & Glenn Slater. The play is produced by special arrangement with Music Theatre International.

KCT will also host a series of "Under The Sea" tea parties to coincide with Saturday 1 PM and Sunday 3 PM performances of Disney's The Little Mermaid Jr. Performances with the tea-party option include September 19, 20, 26, 27; October 3 and 4, as interest and availability dictates. The $25 ticket price includes admission to the performance, as well as food, drinks, crafts and games, all with a special "Under The Sea" theme. Pre-registration is required by calling (865) 208-3677. All tea-party tickets must be pre-paid. Seating is limited.

Knoxville Children's Theatre, 109 E. Churchwell Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37917. Information: 865-208-3677, www.childrenstheatreknoxville.com

The Town of Farragut Arts Council presents decorative artist Barbara Enser as the featured artist for September and October. Located at the Farragut Town Hall, the exhibit highlights her paintings of various birds.

A Niagara Falls, New York, native, Enser's exhibit features bird paintings done in various media - including colored pencil, acrylics and oils - and painted birdhouses. A graduate of State University of New York at Albany, Enser taught high school mathematics at West High School in Knoxville in the 1980s, as well as at schools in Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and North Carolina. She is a member of the Rocky Top Decorative Painters, the Middle Tennessee Decorative Artists and Society of Decorative Painters.

Each month, the work of an artist or group of artists is featured in specially designed cases on the second floor of the rotunda in the Farragut Town Hall. For more information about this exhibit or to access a Featured Artist of the Month application, please contact Lauren Cox at lcox@townoffarragut.org or 966-7057 or visit www.townoffarragut.org/artsandculture.

The Farragut Town Hall is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is located at 11408 Municipal Center Drive directly across from the Farragut Branch Post Office.

The WordPlayers presents Walking Across Egypt, a comedy adapted by Catherine Bush from the novel by Clyde Edgerton. When Mattie Rigsbee discovers a stray dog on her porch, she decides she’s too old to keep it and calls the dogcatcher. Little does she know that the dogcatcher will open her eyes to a world she never knew existed; a world that includes car theft, prison breaks and a delinquent named Wesley who is as desperate for family as she is. Armed with only her mouth-watering cornbread and a deep abiding faith, Mattie is determined to woo Wesley to the side of God and good Southern manners… if she can manage to stay out of jail herself. (Recommended for all audiences)

Performances will be at Erin Presbyterian Church, 200 Lockett Rd. on September 17, 18, 24, 25 at 7:30 p.m. and Sept. 20 & 27 at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $10-$15 and may be purchased on line at www.wordplayers.org or at the door with cash or check. Sept. 17 is Pay What You Can Night. Please call 865.539.2490 for more information.

Steel Magnolias by Robert Harling - in the Sue E. Trotter Black Box Theater at The Arts Center in Athens, Tennessee. A group of gossipy southern ladies in a small–town beauty parlor reveal the deep strength and purposefulness in spirited banter. As the characters move through wedded bliss, the joy of children, and the depths of tragedy, they draw on their underlying strength—and love—which makes them truly touching, funny, and marvelously amiable company in good times and bad. Steel Magnolias is directed by G. David Brown and stars Lacey Starkey as Truvy, Melonie Carideo as M’Lynn, Dianne Griffith as Ouiser, Mary Kennedy as Clairee, Lori Fritts as Annelle, and Sarah Philpott as Shelby.

Show dates are Thursday-Saturday, September 17-19 and 24-26 at 7:30 pm and Sunday, September 20 at 2:00 pm in the Sue E. Trotter Black Box Theater at The Arts Center in Athens, Tennessee. Tickets are $12 adult and $8 student and are on sale now at The Arts Center. Thursday September 24 is “BFF Night” where adult tickets are $10 when two or more are purchased together. To learn more about this or The Arts Center’s other programs visit www.athensartscouncil.org, call 423-745-8781, or drop by The Arts Center at 320 North White Street, Athens, Tennessee.