Calendar of Events

Thursdays in August at 7 PM. Concerts will be inside the library, in air conditioning and are sponsored by the Blount County Friends of the Library.

The performers will be:
August 4, “EmiSunshine” – This 12-year-old Madisonville, TN, prodigy sings and plays old-time Appalachian music with equal parts Americana, country, gospel and bluegrass. She plays ukulele, guitar, mandolin and xylophone.
August 11, “Wendel Werner & Alan Eleazer” – These long-time East Tennessee friends and professionals will perform a concert of sacred and secular jazz along with spiritual songs.
August 18, “Spencer’s Own” – This Nashville all-vocal band of 5 brothers, performing a family harmony of country with the edginess of rock and popular music, are currently rising stars on the national stage.
August 25, “The Young Fables” – A rising Nashville country duo, The Young Fables, singer Laurel Wright and Wes Lunsford on electric guitar, hail from Blount County.
September 1, “Knoxville Opera Company 2015-16 Season Preview” – Maestro Brian Salesky, Executive Director and Conductor, will be the guest speaker and accompany two Knoxville Opera artists who will preview the coming season’s operas: Gilbert and Sullivan’s comic opera, The Pirates of Penzance, Giacomo Puccini’s La Boheme and Gaetano Donizetti’s Mary, Queen of Scots.

Blount County Public Library, 508 N. Cusick Street, Maryville, TN. Information: 865-982-0981, www.blountlibrary.org

Join the East Tennessee Community Design Center for our Urban Home and Garden Tour Weekend.

The weekend consists of a Premier Party on Thursday August 4th from 5:30-7:30pm at The Holston, and a downtown Knoxville Home and Garden Tour on Friday, August 5th (5:30-8:00pm) and Saturday, August 6th (11:00am-4:00pm) with sign in at the Phoenix Building.

The tour will offer an opportunity to visit amazing downtown Knoxville homes with extraordinary outdoor spaces. All proceeds will benefit the East Tennessee Community Design Center. For full information or to purchase tickets, please visit ETCDC Home Tour webpage.

East Tennessee Community Design Center, 1300 N. Broadway, Knoxville, TN 37917. Information: 865-525-9945, www.etcdc.org

Award-winning author and playwright Lisa Soland will speak on "What the Playwright Can Teach the Writer". At this meeting, Soland will showcase the dramatist’s craft to help writers improve their work. “I will share tips and tactics, articulate conflict, and reveal character through action,” Soland said. “Writer’s dialogue can be stronger, characters more credible, and dramatic conflict more riveting. This is a great opportunity to gather practical advice and help narratives leap off the page.”

The event, which will be open to the public, will begin at 7 p.m. in Central United Methodist Church's Fellowship Hall at 201 E. Third Ave. Attendees should enter off of the large parking lot behind the church. A $2 donation is requested at the door. The building is handicapped accessible. Info: www.KnoxvilleWritersGuild.org

You're invited to an evening with Washington Post reporter and author Dan Zak on Thursday, August 4, at 7 p.m. at the East Tennessee History Center.

Zak will discuss his new book, Almighty: Courage, Resistance, and Existential Peril in the Nuclear Age, which begins in 2012 on the night when a trio of elderly peace activists infiltrated the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge to draw attention to a costly military-industrial complex that stockpiled deadly nukes and drones. The book re-examines the 70-year history of America's nuclear weapons program and worldwide weapons proliferation. Copies of the book will be available for purchase and signature.

Zak is currently a feature writer and general assignment reporter based in the Style Section of the Washington Post. He joined the paper in 2005 after stints as an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a city-desk reporter and obituary writer at The Buffalo News.

The event is free and open to the public. Seating is limited, and advance registration is encouraged. For more information and registration please see www.knoxfriends.org/news-events/dan-zak/. The event is sponsored by Friends of the Knox County Public Library, the Knox County Public Library, Union Ave Books and
the East Tennessee Historical Society.

Thursday, August 4, 2016, 7 p.m.
East Tennessee History Center, 601 South Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37901

Playwright, Author Lisa Soland to Headline Aug. 4 Meeting

Award-winning author and playwright Lisa Soland will speak on "What the Playwright Can Teach the Writer" at the Thursday, Aug. 4 meeting of the Knoxville Writers' Guild.

The meeting is open to the public and will begin at 7 p.m. in Central United Methodist Church's Fellowship Hall at 201 E. Third Ave. Attendees should enter off of the large parking lot behind the church. A $2 donation is welcome at the door with free and accessible parking available.

At this meeting, Soland will showcase the dramatist's craft to help writers improve their work.

Lisa Soland has more than 40 internationally published plays and four children's books. She has produced and/or directed over 80 productions and play readings, 55 of them original. Ms. Soland teaches privately, in the theatre department of Maryville College, and throughout the U.S. Soland is currently writing a one-man play on the life of World War I hero, Sgt. Alvin York, scheduled to open in the fall of 2017 at York's childhood home in Pall Mall, Tenn. For more information on Lisa, visit: www.lisasoland.com

7 p.m. Central United Methodist Church's Fellowship Hall at 201 E. Third Ave.
www.knoxvillewritersguild.org

Featuring recent works by watercolor artist Kate McCullough and glass artist Johnny Glass. An opening reception for the featured artists will begin at 5:30 p.m. on August 5 with complimentary refreshments and music performed by Patrick Mulligan.

KATE MCCULLOUGH – ‘ROUND KNOXVILLE - Kate first studied art at Villa Maria College and SUNY in Buffalo, NY before switching to Interior Design which was her career until 2008. The fine art bug struck again in 2002 when she decided to pick up a brush again. Watercolor was her first choice and she has not looked back since. Kate took courses at the University of Tennessee and then workshops with John Salminen, Sue Archer, Linda Kemp, Linda Baker, Paul Jackson, Don Lake, Don Andrews and Keiko Tanabe. This exhibit will feature scenes from around Knoxville, mostly from the downtown area. My focus is to present these locations as either a place one may not often notice or familiar scenes presented just a little differently. www.katemcculloughwaterart.com

JOHNNY GLASS AND The “Occhi” Windows - Although Johnny Glass is a Knoxville native he began his glass career and training in Los Angeles, CA, where he was first introduced to glass at Santa Monica College. In 2010 Johnny started Glass by Glass LLC on the west coast which grew quickly from a hobby to Johnny’s full time job. In 2013, Johnny decided to expand his market and returned to Knoxville, Tennessee to open Glass by Glass’ east coast mobile hotshop and to finish his education. He spent 3 years at Tennessee Technological University's, Appalachian Center for Crafts, studying under world famous glassblower and teacher, Curtis Brock. He just recently graduated from TTU with honors and a BFA in Glass. Glass by Glass, has made it their mission to bring a new awareness and social practice to the art of glass blowing. Johnny has designed and constructed all of his own studio equipment to be completely mobile. Glass by Glass’s live 2016 glassblowing demonstrations can be seen at many art museums and over 10 craft festivals, in five different states. Johnny’s website is: www.GlassbyGlass.com

Who, What, Where Show Revisited
In celebration of East Tennessee History and in cooperation with the East Tennessee History Center, The Art Market will revisit our "Who, What, Where" show and contest. All artwork must have something to do with either a familiar person of East Tennessee (Who), a Familiar east Tennessee item (What), or a familiar place or landmark in East Tennessee.

Art Market Gallery, 422 S. Gay St, Knoxville, TN 37902. Hours: Tu-Th & Sa 11-6, Fri 11-9, Su 1-6. Information: 865-525-5265, www.artmarketgallery.net or www.Facebook.com/Art.Market.Gallery

Artist Lela E. Buis presents “Whimsical Creatures,” an exhibit of painting and photography, at Knoxville Arts & Fine Crafts Center, August 1, 2016 - October 31, 2016.
Meet and greet with the artist August 19 from 5:30 – 8:00 p.m.

The artist finds that animals have an unusual attraction. They capture her with their colors, their expressions, their activity. Ordinary animals like chickens and cows are a tradition in East Tennessee, especially for anyone who has grown up on a farm, or had grandparents with a farm. This exhibit brings together paintings and photographs from around the area, featuring some of these whimsical creatures and the beautiful countryside of the East Tennessee farm country.

Lela E. Buis was born in Middlesboro, Kentucky, grew up in Tazewell, Tennessee, and lived in Central Florida for a long time. She worked at Kennedy Space Center for about 15 years, and currently lives in Knoxville. She has been drawing and painting since she was a child, and has sold photos and illustrations to a number of books and magazines. In 2015 she had a photograph featured in the Florida State Poets Association Anthology.

The Arts & Fine Crafts Center is located in North Knoxville at 1127B Broadway Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37917. The organization is affiliated with the City of Knoxville Parks and Recreation. Please phone 865-523-1401 for more information on the gallery and arts classes.

Featuring the History of the Fourth & Gill Neighborhood Center!

The Gallery reception and potluck dinner will start at 6:00 on Sunday, August 28th, the presentation starts at 7:00. The program will include a collection of speakers dating back through the forty-year history of the Neighborhood Center as a progressive community space with speakers from the Community Center’s more recent history as the Birdhouse.

Bird Feeder Gallery at The Birdhouse, 800 N. Fourth Ave. Please check the Birdhouse website for open hours to view the exhibition: https://birdhouseknoxville.com/events-calendar/

The East Tennessee Historical Society is pleased to partner with East Tennessee PBS and the Beck Cultural Exchange Center to commemorate the 8th of August as the date traditionally observed as the day on which Andrew Johnson freed his slaves. Although President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation took effect January 1, 1863, it did not apply to Tennessee, since it was no longer in rebellion to the United States government. On August 8, 1863, Andrew Johnson, then military governor of Tennessee, took the personal step to free his slaves, sparking a celebration that spread throughout the region and into other states. It is still observed today in some communities.

August 1-7th, the exhibition, Photo Recollection: 8th of August Jubilee will be on view at the East Tennessee History Center during regular operating hours and for First Friday from 5:00-9:00 p.m. on August 5. The exhibit is composed of photographs by Holly Raney and features celebrations in Newport and Greeneville.

East Tennessee Historical Society, 601 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Museum hours: M-F 9-4, Sa 10-4, Su 1-5. Information: 865-215-8824, www.easttnhistory.org

Zoo Knoxville has declared August 1-7, 2016, as Pokémon GO Week. Players who show the Pokémon GO app on their mobile devices at the ticket window will receive $10 zoo admission for each member of their party to the zoo.

Zoo Knoxville has 15 Pokéstops and three gyms in the park, and to help attendees catch plenty of characters, lures will be dropped throughout each day of the week, with updates on their locations shared on the Zoo Knoxville Twitter feed (@zooknoxville). Zoo Knoxville has plenty of real creatures to admire as well, and visitors are encouraged to take a break from augmented reality to enjoy the zoo’s animals, keeper chats, shows and play areas while they incubate PokéEggs. Safety is always Zoo Knoxville’s top priority, and visitors are asked to keep their Pokémon hunt on the zoo’s public pathways.

Discounted admission for Pokémon GO players and their accompanying guests are good August 1-7, 2016, and valid at time of purchase for same-day admission only. This promotion cannot be combined with any other discount or offer.

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

FCAC will host their first ever all-FCAC Photography Competition, open to all photographers. Juried by Barry Seaton and Clay Thurston with $1,000 to be awarded.

Opening reception on Friday, July 29, 6:30-8:00 PM. Free and open to the public.

Exhibit viewing hours: Tu, Th 9-5; W, F 10-5; Sat 9-1. Fountain City Art Center, 213 Hotel Ave, Knoxville, TN 37918. Information: 865-357-2787, http://www.fountaincityartcenter.com/

By Mark Dunn; directed by Tiffany Tallent. Best described as "Several Horton Foote characters in search of an exit from a Sam Shepard play."

The action of this "Texas tragicomedy" whirls around one disastrous Memorial Day weekend at the Beckle cabin in the Texas hill country. Aubrey, his four daughters, and Great Aunt Tammy gather there for the first time since Mrs. Beckle's death. Nothing goes right. Aunt Tammy is trapped in the bathroom. Daughter Cesca arrives bearing scars from a new round with her abusive husband. Her sister Pidge, on sudden leave from the group home for the emotionally disturbed where she lives, shows up in Cesca's car with Cesca's chloroformed husband locked in the trunk.

The Beckles must pull together or the family will self- destruct. When all is said and done, it is the Beckle family's most alienated member who proves to be the one most invested in her family's happiness.

Theatre Knoxville Downtown, 319 North Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37917. Information & tickets: 865-544-1999, www.theatreknoxville.com