Calendar of Events

The Winter Solstice is fast approaching. This time of rest and renewal is an appropriate time to reflect on the year that is coming to a close, connect with our bodies in a deep way, and experience the silence that this season offers.

Karl Hess will be leading a retreat with Daniel Webb during the Winter Solstice December 18th – 20th! Karl and Daniel know each other through yoga and Reiki circles and share a love for energy and metaphysical work. They have co-led Reiki shares and together have over 25 years of experience in the healing arts.

The retreat will offer tai chi and yoga, guided meditation, mindful shares and listening, Reiki introduction and practice, and a fire ceremony by the river on Saturday evening (weather permitting).

The Winter Solstice Retreat will be held at Well Being Conference Center nestled in the Cumberland Mountains of Northeastern Tennessee approximately 1 1/4 hours north of Knoxville. A view from the hilltop offers panoramic views with Kentucky and Virginia in the distance. The Powell River surrounds the 160 acre property for 2 1/2 miles. Canoeing and kayaking are included, if desired.

Patty and Don, co-Directors and the on-site caretakers of Well Being Conference Center, will provide delicious, gluten-free, non-vegetarian meals with vegetarian option(s) available at each meal. The retreat will begin with supper on Friday evening December 18th and end with lunch on Sunday December 20th. The cabins are very affordable and comfortable with multiple accommodation options. Please see the Cabin Rentals for further details about the cabins. The setting is abundant with birds, deer and other wildlife; it is an opportunity to experience true solitude on this extraordinarily quiet and peaceful land; and the conference building (where most events and all meals will take place) is very supportive of a meditative and healing event such as this Winter Solstice Retreat.

Karl and Daniel will share their love of movement, meditation, and mindfulness practices. Experience a weekend of exploration and enjoyment!

Cost ranges from $110-$260 (depending on accommodations) which includes three meals a day, lodging and use of the conference center and grounds. If you choose to come just for the day on Saturday, the cost for meals and facilities will be $75. The teaching itself will be donation-based.

Reiki Level I Certification will be offered as a separate class Sunday afternoon for $99.

If you have any questions about the retreat program feel free to contact Karl at (865) 208-9206 or karlalanhess@gmail.com. To find out more about accommodations you may contact Patty@WellBeingCC.org or call Patty at 423-626-9000.

29th Annual Clayton Holiday Concert: An Appalachian Christmas
The KSO and special guests, including the Knoxville Choral Society, GO! Contemporary Dance Works and local folk musicians celebrate the spirit of the season with "An Appalachian Christmas." This concert features your favorite holiday songs and carols, beloved music of the Appalachian region, and even an appearance by Santa himself! Sponsored by Clayton Bank, Clayton Homes and Clayton Volvo.

PERFORMANCES: Friday, December 18th, 7:30pm
Saturday, December 19th, 3:00pm & 7:30pm
Sunday, December 20th, 3:00pm

At the Knoxville Civic Auditorium and Coliseum, 500 Howard Baker Jr Blvd, Knoxville, TN 37915. Tickets and information: 865-291-3310, www.knoxvillesymphony.com

Departs from Market Square at 7pm

Fun, free bike parade through Downtown Knoxville, 4th & Gill, and Old North Knoxville. Decorate your bike with lights, garland, and decorations. Costumes are also encouraged. The route is 5 miles long and takes less than an hour. Free bike safety checks and judging for the decorating contests begin at 6pm. Click here for more information: http://www.ibikeknx.com/tourdelights

Information: City of Knoxville Special Events, 865-215-4248, http://www.knoxvilletn.gov/government/city_departments_offices/special_events/christmas_in_the_city/

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18, TOUR DE LIGHTS!
Hosted by: City of Knoxville and I Bike KNX
Contact: kelley.segars@knoxtrans.org or 865-215-3815
Dec 18, 2015 - 6:00PM, ride at 7:00PM
Market Square
60 Market Square, Knoxville, TN

Join us for this fun, free bike parade through downtown, 4th & Gill and Old North Knoxville. Participants are encouraged to get creative with lights, costumes and decorations. Free bike safety checks and judging for the decorating contest begin at 6 p.m.

Hot cocoa and treats are available thanks to Mast General Store and Three Rivers Market. The route is about 5 miles long and takes less than an hour. The pace is casual. All streets will be completely closed to traffic for the event.

http://www.ibikeknx.com/tourdelights

December 17th, 18th and 19th at the Laurel Theater

An anticipated solstice celebration of movement and creativity in Knoxville. This unique performance brings together local choreographers, dancers, and musicians for an unforgettable community arts experience. Audiences will enjoy exciting new contemporary dance works accompanied by live music set amidst the warm ambiance of the Historic Laurel Theater.

At the Historic Laurel Theater, 1538 Laurel Ave., Knoxville, TN 37916. Information: 865-309-5309, http://www.circlemoderndance.com

Folk art paintings of Tennessee Volunteer football legends by WILL JOHNSON are on display at Pioneer House. ALL VOL: KNOX COUNTY WARRIORS of the GRIDIRON paintings will be on view & for sale!

Pioneer House of Letterpress, 413 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Info: julie@pioneer-house.com

Part of the 2015-2016 Broadway at the Tennessee Theatre season!

A brand new production of THE SOUND OF MUSIC, directed by three-time Tony Award® winner Jack O’Brien, will tour North America beginning September 2015. This lavish new production will launch at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles, under the auspices of the Center Theatre Group, and will then tour North America for multiple seasons, playing multi-week and week-long engagements.

THE SOUND OF MUSIC features music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, suggested by The Trapp Family Singers by Maria Augusta Trapp. This new production is directed by Jack O’Brien (credits include: Hairspray, The Full Monty, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Coast of Utopia), and choreographed by Danny Mefford (Broadway’s Fun Home, The Bridges of Madison County and Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson). The design and production team is comprised of Douglas Schmidt, Set Design (Tony Award® nominee: 42nd Street, Into the Woods); Jane Greenwood, Costume Design (2014 recipient of Special Tony Award ® for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre), Natasha Katz, Lighting Design (Four-time Tony Award® winner: Once, Aida, The Coast of Utopia, The Glass Menagerie) and Ken Travis, Sound Design (Aladdin, Newsies, Memphis).

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

Popcorn balls and paper chains… fruits and nuts in their stockings … carols by the fire... a cedar tree cut in the nearby woods- that’s the Christmas most rural Appalachian children knew. And it's the Christmas we recreate each year throughout the Museum village at our special.... Join us as we recreate a meaningful holiday of simpler times. Traditional trees and hand-made decorations, typical of austere pioneer days, transform the Museum’s authentic log buildings.

Wander through the village and marvel at the simple treasures of their settlement days. In the one-room, dirt-floored “Dan'l Boone” cabin, strings of popcorn and cotton bolls circle a dormant tree; Paper chains and other ornaments trim the tree in the Little Tater Valley Schoolhouse. Sweet gum and sycamore balls are strung throughout the Mark Twain Family Cabin, and a traditional silver star tops a native red cedar Christmas tree in the turn-of-the-century Peters Homestead House. Apples, nuts, homemade toys, and oranges fill stockings hung in the cabins. Pick up some stocking stuffers in the Museum Gift and Antique Shop, which features everything from hand-crafted ornaments, locally made muscadine and moonshine jellies, and beautiful pottery, along with baskets, quilts, and plenty of Appalachian specialties. Or just come and enjoy a homemade southern country lunch in front of the warm fireplace. You'll want to make Christmas in Old Appalachia part of your family's annual holiday tradition!

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 Arts & Culture Alliance proudly presents its 2015 Members Show, the largest annual exhibition of local artists in the Greater Knoxville area. The fresh mix of two- and three-dimensional works created within the last two years encompasses a wide variety of media such as oil, acrylic, watercolor, pastel, mixed media, photography, fine craft, sculpture, ceramics, fiber, and more from regional artists who are all individual members of the Arts & Culture Alliance, which serves and supports a diverse community of artists, arts organizations, and cultural institutions. Membership is open to all, and information may be found at www.knoxalliance.com/join.html. Most of the works in the 2015 Members Show are for sale and may be purchased through the close of the exhibition as holiday gifts.

The exhibition will be on display throughout the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, in downtown Knoxville from December 4, 2015 – January 29, 2016. An opening reception will take place as part of First Friday activities on December 4 from 5:00-9:00 PM.

Gallery hours for the 2015 Members Show are Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM and Sundays, December 6 & 20 and January 3 & 17, 3:30-6:30 PM. Additional special hours are posted at www.theemporiumcenter.com/visit.html. Please note, the Emporium will be closed December 24 – January 1 for the holidays. For more information, please contact the Arts & Culture Alliance at (865) 523-7543 or visit www.knoxalliance.com.

Artist reception: Fri Dec 4, 5-9 PM
Closing reception Friday, January 29, 5-7pm

The UT Downtown Gallery is pleased to announce an exhibition of editorial cartoons by Knoxville News Sentinel cartoonist Charlie Daniel. The exhibition will feature a large selection of “Rosy’s Diner” cartoons as well as a variety of subjects and themes from the past two decades. Charlie Daniel came to Knoxville in 1958 as the editorial cartoonist for The Knoxville Journal. He moved to the Knoxville News Sentinel in January 1992 and has been the editorial cartoonist here ever since.

Free admission! UT Downtown Gallery, 106 S. Gay St, Knoxville, TN 37902. Hours: W-F 11-6, Sat 10-3. The gallery will be closed from December 24 - January 2 for the holidays. Information: 865-673-0802, http://web.utk.edu/~downtown

Opening reception Friday, December 4, 6:30-8:30pm

Works by Jessie Van der Laan in conjunction with Rose Center's Holiday Open House. Food, fun, and music!

Hours are 9-5, M-F through December 18. Please call ahead for holiday schedule after Dec. 18.

The Rose Center, 442 West Second North St., Morristown, TN, 37814. Information: 423-581-4330, www.rosecenter.org

Feast Your Eyes. An ART exhibit ALL about FOOD! Artists reflect on food as it pervades our lives, from the profound to the mundane.

Opening Reception and Awards Night will be held on "FIRST" Friday December 4, 5-9pm. It is suggested that all guests for the reception bring one can of food for donation to a local food bank.

To view the show afterward the regular gallery hours are be 11-7pm Thursday, Friday, Saturday and 11-3pm Sunday. Please note: we will be open Christmas Eve until 3 PM and closed Christmas Day.

Broadway Studios and Gallery, 1127 Broadway St, Knoxville, TN 37917. Information: www.BroadwayStudiosAndGallery.com