Calendar of Events

A Service of Choral Evensong featuring the Parish Youth Choir, Chorister Choir, and Primary Choir, with Tim Ward, director, and Edie Johnson, organ.

Church Street United Methodist Church, 900 Henley St, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information: 865-524-3048, www.churchstreetumc.org

May Day is celebrated around the world as a way to herald the start of the growing season and revel in the spring sunshine! Ijams is the perfect place to honor this age-old tradition as we host our first ever May Day Festival.

This fun filled event will feature gardening vendors, local handmade artists and crafters, music, kids’ activities, and even food and beer! Everything you need to take advantage of this beautiful time of year in Knoxville. So whether you need wonderful plants for your yard, unique pieces of art for your house, or just want a great way to spend the afternoon… Ijams Nature Center’s May Day Festival has something for everyone. We have an all-star line up of amazing vendors for this event. You won't want to miss out.

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

https://www.facebook.com/events/423104657898652/

Book signing with local author Lin Stepp, author of Welcome Back, the newest novel in the Smoky Mountain series.

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

Join us at Sequoyah Birthplace Museum and get a free unique Mother’s Day card in the Cherokee Syllabary. Printing will be done on a portable printing press from Southwestern Community College under the direction of Nantahala School for the Arts Department Chair, Jeff Marley, who is also an enrolled member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indian.

The Museum, located just off Highway 411 on Highway 360 in Vonore, is the state’s only tribally-owned historical site. It was built to honor the Cherokee Sequoyah, who in 1821 created a Syllabary, or way of reading and writing the Cherokee language. For more information call the museum at 423-884-6246. This event is free and open to the public.

Free and open to the public! The theme of the concert is all Gallic related.

Clayton Center for the Arts: 502 East Lamar Alexander Parkway, Maryville, TN 37804. Information: 865-981-8590, www.ClaytonArtsCenter.com

Does the best man always get to the White House? Encore Theatrical Company is inviting audiences to find out when it premieres the second show of its tenth anniversary season, Gore Vidal’s “The Best Man.” This political comedy will open on Friday, April 29 for two weekends only at Walters State Community College in Morristown. The plot of “The Best Man” follows two Presidential candidates in their quest for the White House. William Russell, the ex-Secretary of State, is a wit and scholar with high liberal principles, beloved of the eggheads and suspected by practical politicians. Joseph Cantwell is a ruthless and hard-driving young man, a dirty fighter who will let no scruples stand in the way of his ambitions. And Arthur Hockstader is an ex-President, determined to have the final say in the selection of his party's candidate, and enjoying keeping the candidates guessing whom he will endorse.

“The Best Man” features a cast of 17 actors from around the region. The two presidential candidates are Drew Wilder (making his Encore debut) as Secretary William Russell, along with Bill Conklin as Senator Joseph Cantwell. Performances are scheduled for two weekends only, April 29 through May 8. Evening performances are April 29, 30, May 6, and 7 at 8pm with matinees on May 1, 7, and 8 at 2pm. Tickets are now on sale, and can be purchased online at www.etcplays.org or by calling 423-318-8331.

With quality arts and crafts booths, arts in action, performing arts, culinary arts demonstrations and tastings, and an expanded children’s creation station, several blocks of downtown Knoxville are transformed into a lively street fair for the Dogwood Arts Festival! There will be more than 60 local and regional juried artists exhibiting and selling their original work in mixed media, clay, drawing/pastels, glass, jewelry, leather, metal, painting, photography, sculpture, and wood. In addition to the artist areas in Market Square and Krutch Park extension, enjoy cooking demonstrations, festive food creations, and delicious wine and beer pairings at the Culinary Arts Stage. Live performances all weekend long on the Market Square stage, the Union Avenue pop-up stage, and the Children’s stage. Blooming Boulevard returns to the Dogwood Arts Festival providing unique colorful flower markets filled with live blooming plants, herbs, flowers, and trees.

Join us for a spring celebration of our region’s arts, culture, and natural beauty in the heart of downtown Knoxville!

Times: Friday: 11:00am-9:00pm, Saturday: 10:00am–9:00pm, and Sunday: 11:00am–5:00pm
Dogwood Arts: 865-637-4561 www.dogwoodarts.com

The McClung Museum Store’s annual Spring Sale will be open to the public April 26 - May 6. Christmas merchandise, jewelry, books, and toys are just a few of the items that will be discounted up to 70%! As always, tax is included and all proceeds from the store sales go to support our free educational programming. Hurry in for Spring savings while supplies last.

The Store is open during regular museum hours: Monday–Saturday: 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. and Sunday: 1:00–5:00 p.m

McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture, 1327 Circle Park Dr on the UT campus, Knoxville, TN 37996. Information: 865-974-2144, http://mcclungmuseum.utk.edu

A celebration of film and music, Film Score and the Scruffy City Film Music Festival features live musical performances, music documentaries, music videos, animation, shorts and feature films. Our festival is conveniently located in the epicenter of the Downtown Knoxville Renaissance, on Historic Market Square, where cafes, street musicians, magicians and shops keep our festival company. But the films are the focus. Out of around 400 submissions from all over the world, only fifty were accepted. The highly selective nature of the festival is an attraction, but Michael told me having a music focus is unique for a film festival and that, along with being in a state associated with music brings participants from all over.

Info & tickets: http://www.scruffycityfilmfest.com/

Presenting an Open House with Photographer Dean Rice on April 23, 4:30-7 PM. Showcasing his exhibit, "The Children of Zaatari": an exhibition of photographs of Syrian children living as refugees in Jordan’s Zaatari Camp.

The Golden Roast, 825 Melrose Pl, Knoxville, Tennessee 37916. Information: 865-544-1004

Kathie's third solo exhibition with the gallery, "Along the Way" is a collection of works in oil featuring simple and nostalgic scenes that too often go unnoticed. Kathie’s paintings are timeless interpretations of the atmosphere, light, and story in the landscape around her.

Day in and day out, we spend our time rushing from place to place in anticipation of whatever might be next. In our haste, countless vistas fly past us, hardly glimpsed. Kathie stops for us, beginning an unhindered dialogue with the landscape through the medium of oil paints. Skillful infusions of color, light and shade grant each image a special resonance. Whether a forgotten farmland, an ordinary cityscape, a common food truck or an unnoticed rural home, Kathie introduces us to the common made beautiful along the way. www.KathieOdom.com

An opening reception will be held Friday, April 22 from 5-8 p.m.

The District Gallery, 5113 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919. Hours: M-F 10-5:30, Sa 10-4. Information: 865-200-4452, www.TheDistrictGallery.com

This funny show with the funny name is a hilarious side-splitting take on greed, love, revolution - and musicals! Set in a time when water is worth its weight in gold, a Gotham-like city is facing a 20-year drought that leads to a government-enforced ban on private toilets. As a result, the citizens must use public amenities, regulated by a single malevolent company that profits by charging admission for one of humanity's most basic needs. But those who fail to pay are sentenced to a dreaded penal colony. A hero decides he's had enough, and plans a revolution to lead them all to freedom! An irreverently humorous satire in which no one is safe from scrutiny.

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