Calendar of Events

The 10th annual Louie Bluie Music & Arts Festival will be held Saturday, September 24, at Cove Lake State Park in Caryville, Tenn. The event was founded to celebrate the artistic legacy of Tennessee native Howard "Louie Bluie" Armstrong, who spent his childhood years in LaFollette, learning to play music with his family and making art despite a lack of traditional art supplies. With Ted Bogan and Carl Martin, Armstrong played music in the streets, bars and barber shops of downtown Knoxville. In 1929, he recorded songs with the Tennessee Chocolate Drops during the Vocalion recording sessions at the St. James Hotel in downtown Knoxville. When the popularity of stringband music waned, Howard worked as a sign-painter and in the automotive industry in Detroit, but a revival got the fiddler and mandolin master back onto stages across the world into his 90s. When Armstrong died at age 94, The New York Times' obituary called him "the last guardian of a vanishing African-American tradition of string-band music."

For the festival's landmark 10th year, Howard's son Ralphe Armstrong returns as part of the Armstrong Legacy Trio with Ray Kamalay and John Reynolds. Also returning are folk duo Sparky and Rhonda Rucker, who have contributed their songs to every festival, and young Americana singer EmiSunshine. Making their festival debut are the Knox County Jug Stompers, whose old-time sound and repertoire is partially inspired by Howard and other African-American stringbands of the era.

Additional performers will be announced in the coming weeks, including those playing at new stages in the food court area of the festival grounds and inside nearby Rickard Ridge BBQ restaurant.

The festival also includes a Craft Village featuring a juried selection of handmade items; kids' zone with hands-on art activities and an exhibition of art made by local students; an art and quilt show; a food court; and a movie tent.

Admission to the festival is free. However, donations will be accepted at the entrance gates and inside the festival grounds.

Festival information is available at LouieBluie.org.

Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center announces the 10th Annual Blue Ribbon Country Fair, Saturday September 24, 2016 10 am - 5 pm.

This annual celebration of an old-fashioned, country fair features competition, games, music, historic demonstrations, arts and crafts and so much more. Returning favorites include Farmer in the Cove, the Lodge Ladies' Skillet Throw, Catch a Greased Pig, live music and other favorites.

The Townsend Artisan Guild will again be under the big tent leading fairgoers in a craft that can be taken home as a memento of their day at the Blue Ribbon Country Fair.

Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center, 3/4 mile east of traffic light at the Highway 321 and 73 intersection towards the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Townsend, TN. Hours: Monday-Saturday, 10AM-5PM. Information: 865-448-0044, www.gsmheritagecenter.org

The Oak Ridge Civic Music Association is pleased to present the Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra, led by Maestro Dan Allcott, in a performance celebrating the National Parks. The concert will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service with Peter Boyer’s moving narrated work, Ellis Island: The Dream of America. The Grammy-nominated composition features first-person narration of seven immigrants who entered the United States through Ellis Island between 1910-1940. Audience members are invited to enjoy a photo exhibition of the National Parks, curated by the Udall Foundation, in the lobby at intermission and after the concert. Information about Ellis Island will also be available in the lobby. The concert, entitled Pride of Place, is also a celebration of Oak Ridge, especially recognizing the scientists and immigrants who founded this community. The orchestra will premiere new music by East Tennessee composer Mark Harrell, commissioned by the JAZ Fund for Community Giving in celebration of the post-WWII generation of Oak Ridge scientists and their numerous accomplishments. The Oak Ridge High School String Quartet will perform in the lobby before the concert, and patrons are invited to meet members of the Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra at a celebratory reception in the lobby after the performance.

The Oak Ridge Civic Music Association is a proud participant in the Penny4Arts program and offers free admission for students 18 & under to all Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra and Chorus performances. Tickets for adults are $25 and young adults, ages 19-29, are just $10. In addition, for this special concert, adult chaperones accompanying student groups may also receive a free ticket. For more information about this opportunity, please contact the ORCMA office at (865) 483-5569.

Oak Ridge High School Performing Arts Center, 1450 Oak Ridge Turnpike, Oak Ridge, TN 37830. Oak Ridge Civic Music Association: 865-483-5569, www.orcma.org

Learn to fold origami paper cranes!

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

The From Africa to Appalachia Foundation is presenting Gospel Fest III at 4 PM at Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. Park in Morristown. This noteworthy event will feature a variety of choirs and soloists from five area communities. Reverend Bo Simpson of Thorn Hill will serve as the emcee for this free event. Craft vendors, free refreshments and door prizes will all be part of this special inspirational concert event. Door prizes will be given away at the end of the event.

Returning for Gospel Fest III are: the talented and inspiring “Devoted” from Rogersville; “We Five for Christ” from Jonesboro; “Witness” from Kingsport; and “God’s Anointed” from Middlesboro, Kentucky. New to the Gospel Fest this year is Tammi Vega. Other special guests are expected to perform.

Golden Corral of Morristown, along with members of From Africa to Appalachia, will be providing free refreshments while supplies last. Drinks will also be available for purchase. Local craft vendors will be set up at 4:00 pm and the music will begin at 5:00 pm. Bleacher and bench seating will be available or guests may bring their own chairs.

From Africa to Appalachia (FATA) is a community-based organization dedicated to sharing the cultural, creative, and artistic spirit of African-Americans for whom Appalachia is home with the people of Upper East Tennessee. For more information contact FATA secretary Patty Gracey at 423-327-2747. https://www.facebook.com/pages/From-Africa-to-Appalachia-Foundation/531029953662068

Enjoy free admission at Museum of East Tennessee History, The Muse Knoxville, and Women's Basketball Hall of Fame as part of Smithsonian magazine’s annual Museum Day Live! The event represents the commitment of the Smithsonian and other museums to make learning and the spread of knowledge accessible to everyone, giving museums across all 50 states the opportunity to emulate the admission policy of the Smithsonian museums in Washington, D.C.

The Muse Knoxville - Museum Day Hours of Operation: 10:00 am ‐ 5:00 pm
The Muse Knoxville is a children's science museum that offers STEAM (Science Technology Engineering Art and Math) programming and exhibit play spaces. The museum houses a full-dome planetarium and is open to the public daily. With almost 4,000 square feet of exhibit and play space, you are sure to find something that will inspire the love of learning in you!

Museum of East Tennessee History - Museum Day Hours of Operation: 10:00 am ‐ 4:00 pm
History speaks through permanent and changing exhibits that focus on East Tennessee's rich history and heritage. Traveling exhibits from various institutions also highlight special stories from our past.

The Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame - Museum Day Hours of Operation: 10:00 am ‐ 5:00 pm
The Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame is an international museum dedicated to preserving the history of women’s basketball. The Hall of Fame is the only facility of its kind dedicated to all levels of women's basketball in the world.

Visitors who present the Museum Day Live! ticket will gain free entrance for two at participating museums on September 24 for this one day only. One ticket is permitted per household, per email address. The Museum Day Live! ticket can be downloaded at www.smithsonian.com/museumday.

Knoxville Children’s Theatre will present “The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe” a live theatre version of C. S. Lewis’ classic novel and one of his “Chronicles of Narnia,” especially adapted for young people and families. The play will be performed Thursdays and Fridays at 7 PM; Saturdays at 1 PM and 5 PM; Sundays at 3 PM.

The magic and mystery of the Great Lion Aslan and the struggle with the White Witch are what four children find when they inadvertently wander into an old wardrobe and arrive in Narnia. The war in Narnia is consuming the magical animals of Narnia, and only Aslan can bring about peace. C. S. Lewis' "Chronicles of Narnia" are timeless stories of faith, love, caring and giving, and "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe" is the greatest of them. The play is performed by 23 talented young actors, from ages 10 to 16. The role of Aslan will be performed by Jaden Lily Branson. Sydney Reed takes on the challenging role of the White Witch. The four children who find themselves in Narnia are played by Jessica Burks (Susan), Millie Lovett (Lucy), Chase Russell (Edmund), and Ethan Turbyfill (Peter).

Caroline Dyer, a senior at South-Doyle High, will make her directorial debut with this show. Knoxville Children's Theatre, 109 E. Churchwell Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37917. Information: 865-208-3677, www.childrenstheatreknoxville.com.

Held every four years since 1992, Arrowmont’s Utilitarian Clay Symposium enjoys a national reputation within the ceramics community. Celebrating and appreciating the limitless interpretations of the utilitarian clay object, the Symposium attracts those who are interested in practical concerns with making functional objects and more theoretical issues related to the field. Registration for UCVII is currently full. Call 865-436-5860 to be wait listed. http://www.arrowmont.org/visit/events/

Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, 556 Parkway, Gatlinburg, TN 37738. Information: 865-436-5860, www.arrowmont.org

Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts is exhibiting over 200 utilitarian ceramic works by 93 leading artists in the ceramics field. This exhibition is in conjunction with Arrowmont’s Utilitarian Clay VII: Celebrate the Object National Symposium – September 21-24, 2016. The Utilitarian Clay VII Symposium Presenters Exhibition features 32 works by 16 international and national ceramic artists whose work represents some of the most diverse utilitarian work being made today. Presenting artists: Linda Arbuckle, Andy Brayman, Sam Chung, Josh Copus, Chandra DeBuse, Adam Field, Giselle Hicks, Meredith Host, Ole Jensen, Kristen Kieffer, Simon Levin, Robbie Lobell, Peter Pincus, Linda Sikora, Shoko Teruyama and Takeshi Yasuda.

In conjunction with the Symposium, each presenter was asked to bring a favorite pot from home to exhibit and discuss in a round table conversation during the symposium. The Potters Favorite Pots Exhibition will be on display in Arrowmont’s Sandra J. Blain Gift Gallery for the duration of the conference.

Admission is free and open to the public. Gallery hours are Monday - Friday 9am - 5pm and Saturday 10am - 4pm. Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, 556 Parkway, Gatlinburg, TN 37738. Information: 865-436-5860, www.arrowmont.org

In honor of Knoxville’s 225th anniversary, this exhibition explores the city’s heritage as seen through archaeological discoveries in the “Heart of the Valley.” Using historic artifacts unearthed in and around Knoxville, along with historical images, maps, documents, and oral histories, the exhibition tells the story of Knoxville’s development from a frontier settlement to an industrialized city.

Opening reception for members on Fri Sep 16, 5-7 PM.

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

Held in the Frieson Black and Cultural Center with an opening reception on Tuesday, October 4, 5-8 PM.

Curated by Argentinean artist Dina R. Ruta. The purpose of the exhibition is the integration of our Latin culture through the arts. The main objective is to show new Latino college students that our community has a space within the University for them and to show the possibility for cultures to coexist. Two local American artists will also display work.

Information: 865-974-6861, www.multicultural.utk.edu

10th Annual Exhibit and contest of HoLa Hora Latina artist members, celebrating Hispanic Heritage month! Artists include: Angel Blanco, Rafael Casco, Antuco Chicaiza, Maria de la Orden, Daniela Esrequis, Susana Esrequis, Delia Flores, Astrid Galindo, Michael Giles, Miguel Aguilar Gonzalez, Cecilia Stella Martin, Nicole Perez-Camoirano, Hector Saldivar, Graciela Barlesi-Snyder, and Ivan Soto. Information: 865-335-3358, www.holahoralatina.org

On display at the Knoxville Museum of Art, 1050 World's Fair Park Dr, Knoxville, TN 37916. Hours: Tu-Sa 10-5, Su 1-5. Information: 865-525-6101, www.knoxart.org