Calendar of Events

January 11, 6-9 PM: Cold Country Road - Waterfront Bar and Grill - Maryville
January 12, 7-10 PM: First Snow - Quaker Steak and Lube - Sevierville
January 14, 6-9 PM: Whimsical City - Original Copper Cellar
January 18, 6-9 PM: White Flowers - Gibby's Dining & Drinks (inside Holiday Inn)
January 19, 6-9 PM: Blue Willow - Le Noir Restaurant - Lenoir City
January 25, 6-9 PM: **SPECIAL EVENT** Birch Tree Wine Glasses - Blue Coast Grill
January 26, 6-9 PM: Apples - KaTom Restaurant Supply - Kodak
January 27, 6-9 PM: Silent Snowfall - Carolina Ale House
January 28, 6-9 PM: A Touch of Winter - Tellico Village Yacht Club - Loudon
January 28, 6-9 PM: Local Brew - Casual Pint - Farragut
January 30, 5-9 PM: **SPECIAL EVENT** Paint Your Pet - Off Leash K9 Training - Alcoa ($45)

Classes are $35 unless otherwise noted. Wine & Canvas: Knoxville, TN, 865-356-9179, http://www.wineandcanvas.com/knoxville-tn.html

jJoin us for a morning out as our museum educator leads engaging gallery tours for parents and caregivers and their young ones. Crying and wiggly babies welcome! This month we explore freshwater mussels.

The event is free, but limited, and all attendees must register to attend online. Registration opens a month in advance and closes the day before the tour. http://mcclungmuseum.utk.edu/events/stroller-tour-2016-01-11/

McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture, 1327 Circle Park Dr on the UT campus, Knoxville, TN 37996. Hours: Monday-Saturday, 9AM-5PM, Sunday, 1-5PM. Information: 865-974-2144, http://mcclungmuseum.utk.edu

Last Train to Nibroc by Arlene Hutton

Christmas, 1940. A soldier. A schoolteacher. A train. All aboard for a surprising and engaging portrait of two young people searching for happiness and navigating the mysteries of courtship. How does “fate” work its hand in it all? Or is it the hand of God? This love story will take you on a sweet journey of the heart.

At The Square Room, 4 Market Square, Knoxville. 7:30 pm (doors open at 7:00 pm). Free Admission. For more information, please contact The WordPlayers, 865.539.2490, www.wordplayers.org.

Opening reception January 8, 6 PM. The first 20 attendees will receive a complimentary print! 20% of all sale proceeds will benefit the Sevier County Food Ministry.

Ronda and her family moved to Sevierville from New Jersey. She works in mixed media and her pieces cover many subjects and styles.

Held at Armada Bar, 116 S. Central Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information: 865-801-1036 or www.facebook.com/twistedstixartstudio

The Arts & Culture Alliance of Greater Knoxville and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Commission are pleased to present the second annual Gallery of Arts Tribute. This juried exhibition, developed to recognize local artists and honor the life and times of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., will be displayed at the Emporium Center. Works included in the exhibition will feature African and African American artists in the Greater Knoxville area as well as works that pertain to the themes of Unity, Community, Love, Reconciliation, Social Justice, and Civil Rights. “The Emporium is delighted to be included in this distinguished and important event,” says Liza Zenni, Executive Director of the Arts & Culture Alliance. “We look forward to seeing the work that will honor Dr. King and his legacy.”

The exhibition will be on display in the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, in downtown Knoxville. An opening reception will take place on Friday, January 8, from 6:00-8:00 PM with complimentary hors d’oeuvres. Gallery hours are Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM and Sunday, January 17, 3:30-6:30 PM. Please note, the Emporium will be closed Monday, January 18, for the holiday. For more information, please contact the Arts & Culture Alliance at (865) 523-7543 or visit www.knoxalliance.com.

Emily's paintings and sketches will be on display in the Hallway Gallery for the entire month of January. To see more of her work go to: https://www.facebook.com/emilytaylorpaintings

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

Contra dancing to live acoustic music. No experience or partner required. Dances are held every Monday night at 8:00 PM. Call: 865-599-9621.

At the Laurel Theater, 1538 Laurel Ave, Knoxville, TN 37916. For information: 865-522-5851, www.jubileearts.org.

Bliss Home, located at 29 Market Square, will host an opening reception on Friday, February 5th, from 6pm to 9pm. Complimentary treats from Wild Love Bakehouse will be provided and Starr's art will be featured for the month of February.

Ocean Starr Cline was born in San Francisco and raised in Alabama on an 11 acre farm. She moved to Knoxville almost 10 years ago after finishing her BA and MA in English Literature at the University of Montevallo in Montevallo, Alabama. After arriving in Knoxville, she immediately began showing and selling her work on Gay Street as well as Gatlinburg, in addition to her nationwide internet based sales. Cline is a self taught full-time artist. She has been painting for over 20 years. Her inspirations come directly from her experience living on a farm in the country and her education in English Literature. Many of her paintings are heavily textured, which causes them to change through the day as the light passes through a room. Cline's January exhibit focuses on ideas of identity and the mix between the faces we would show to the world and the ones we hide even from ourselves. https://www.etsy.com/shop/OceanStarr

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

Art exhibit featuring work by Nick DeFord and Kate McCullough at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church.
Free and open to the public. Opening reception Dec. 18 from 6 to 7:30 p.m.; artists' talks at 6:30 p.m.

Nick DeFord is an artist, educator, and arts administrator who resides in Knoxville, TN. He received his MFA from Arizona State University, and a MS and BFA from the University of Tennessee. He exhibits nationally, with recent exhibitions at the University of Mississippi, Vanderbilt University, Lindenwood University and the William King Museum in Virginia. He has had artwork or writing published in Surface Design Journal, Elephant Magazine, Hayden Ferry Review, and Willow Springs. He has upcoming exhibitions and lectures at Coastal Carolina University and Eastern Carolina University. Currently, Nick is the Program Director at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Tennessee. This series is the culmination of a multi-year effort that examines the confusion and abstraction of text and language. DeFord manipulates words in his fiber arts as well as in his poetry.

Kate McCullough began painting in watercolor about 12 years ago after a 35-year hiatus from art. Initially her studies at Villa Maria College and SUNY College at Buffalo included general design, art history, and oil and acrylic painting. When she returned to painting she decided that watercolor was a medium that she would like to explore, and she has not looked back. She started with courses with Marcia Goldenstein and Whitney Leland at the University of Tennessee and then moved on to workshops at Arrowmont with Don Lake and Sue Archer, Kanuga with Linda Baker and Don Andrews, Cheap Joe's with Linda Kemp, Gibson County with John Salminen, and a couple of workshops with Paul Jackson. She presently teaches two watercolor classes at the Fountain City Art Center and is the president of the Knoxville Watercolor Society and a member of the Art Market Gallery, The Tennessee Watercolor Society, and Fountain City Art Guild.

Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church, 2931 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919. Gallery hours: M-Th 9-5, Su 10:30-1. Information: 865-523-4176, www.tvuuc.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.

Knoxville Zoo is offering “Buy One, Get One Free” admission tickets Dec. 1, 2015, through Feb. 29, 2016, during Kroger BOGO Days.

“It may come as a bit of a surprise to our guests, but winter is a great time to visit the zoo,” said Lisa New, President and CEO of Knoxville Zoo. “We’re lucky to have many days of mild weather, and most of our animals enjoy being out and active on those days. Our red pandas and river otters are especially lively this time of year.” On days when the temperature drops below 40 degrees, some animals will be moved indoors, but visitors can still see many favorites, including elephants, gorillas, penguins, chimpanzees and reptiles, in their indoor viewing areas. A December trip to the zoo may even include a visit with Santa Claus, too, when the Pilot Flying J Wee Play Adventure indoor play area hosts Santa’s Village. Santa’s Village will offer visits and photo opportunities with Santa as well as holiday-themed crafts Dec. 3 through 6 and 10 through 14 from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. each day. Half-price admission tickets can be purchased at the zoo ticket window during regular zoo hours and online at knoxvillezoo.org. Discounted admission tickets must be used by Feb. 29, 2016, and cannot be combined with any other promotion, discount, or coupon.

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

Returns for 10th season with expanded schedule! Locally owned Home Federal Bank joins its love of downtown Knoxville and Christmas this winter through its continued role as presenting sponsor for the City of Knoxville’s Holidays on Ice. Knoxville’s only open-air ice rink opens to the public on Friday, Nov. 27. This year marks the 10th season for the ice rink on Market Square. In celebration of its anniversary and based on popular demand, the rink is extending its season by 15 days. “This is an exciting time for Holidays on Ice,” City of Knoxville Director of Special Events Judith Foltz said. “For the first time in many years, the rink will be completely open air. We’re removing the tent, enhancing the rink with overhead lighting and extending the season by 15 days.” In 2014, the rink hosted 19,000 skaters and 20,000 spectators. For more information including operating hours and admission rates, visit http://www.knoxvillesholidaysonice.com.

For information on Christmas in the City: City of Knoxville Special Events, 865-215-4248,
http://www.knoxvilletn.gov/government/city_departments_offices/special_events/christmas_in_the_city/