Calendar of Events

Playing 18 characters on a bare stage, veteran actor Mark Cabus brings to the Playhouse his acclaimed one-man stage version of Charles Dickens’ classic tale of transformation and redemption. Kevin Nance, former theatre critic for The Tennessean wrote, “Cabus delivers a tour de force, acting out all the parts in Charles Dickens’ Holiday classic and making it seem as if that’s the only way it should be done.” This special one-night-only performance event is “one of the smallest yet most sensational shows of the year. Don’t miss it.”

Oak Ridge Playhouse, 227 Broadway, Oak Ridge, TN 37830. Information and tickets: 865-482-9999, www.orplayhouse.com

The Punch Brothers are made up of five individually talented and successful men who came together to build a band around their common love for bluegrass.

Bijou Theatre, 803 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information/tickets: 865-522-0832, www.knoxbijou.com, www.ticketmaster.com

Union Ave Books announces:
Thursday, December 19th at 6 pm The Southern Writers book Group discusses Ghost Rider by Sharon McCrumb

Union Ave Books, 517 Union Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information: 865-951-2180, www.unionavebooks.com

Knoxville Zoo is hosting an out-of-this world holiday event. Star Wars characters will be meeting guests and posing for holiday photos in the festively decorated Pilot Flying J Wee Play Adventure building. Favorite “Star Wars” characters will be at the zoo during the event, including that jolly old Jedi Darth Vader, who will be appearing from 10:00 a.m. until noon.

Star Wars characters are from the MidSouth Garrison of the 501st Legion, a worldwide Star Wars costuming organization comprised of and operated by Star Wars fans and the preferred Imperial costuming group of Lucasfilm Ltd, creator of the “Star Wars” film franchise. The Star Wars Holiday event is included with general zoo admission. Knoxville Zoo is currently offering buy one, get one free admission tickets during Kroger Bogo Days now through February 29, 2016.

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

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

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

Hosted by Nourish Knoxville and Market Square Farmers.

Join us for the first Market Square Holiday Market of the season! Nourish Knoxville continues the holiday tradition of shopping local this year with its festive Market Square Holiday Market, to be held Saturdays, December 5, 12 and 19. The Market Square Holiday Market is open 12 to 6 p.m. with farm vendors selling until 3 p.m. near the Market Square stage, and craft vendors and food trucks open until 6 p.m. on Union Avenue adjacent to Market Square and along Market Street. Farm vendors will offer many root crops, hearty greens, greenhouse-grown vegetables/herbs, meat, honey, eggs, winter squash and more. Prepared foods—which also make great gifts—include hot sauce, granola, candy, jams, salsas, baked goods and pasta.

The Holiday Market includes many of the artisan craft vendors who vend during the year, in addition to several who “pop up” just for the holiday season. They offer up handmade pottery, unique jewelry, hand-woven scarves and wraps, creative home décor, as well as locally raised poinsettias, greenery and seasonal wreaths. https://www.facebook.com/events/1200037256689708/

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