Calendar of Events

Come sing shape note music from East Tennessee's own seven shape song book "The New Harp of Columbia."
Free, all are welcome, no experience required and loaner books are available.
Sunday, Oct. 8, 6:30-8:00PM at the Laurel Theater, 1538 Laurel Ave, Knoxville, TN 37916.
Please visit www.oldharp.org for more information or call Claudia Dean at 865 673 5822.

Art in the Valley is a Southern Fine Arts and Craft Festival that celebrates the handmade arts of the southeast. This one-day festival on Sunday, October 8, 2017, is a juried event which is open to any artist living in the southern region of the US. All proceeds will benefit Tennessee Craft East.

More details TBA!

At Ijams Nature Center - 2915 Island Home Ave. Knoxville, TN 37920. https://www.facebook.com/events/247638765722556/

Trae Crowder (The Liberal Redneck), Drew Morgan and Corey Ryan Forrester are stand-up comedy and writing partners. The trio has been touring nationally to sold out clubs and theatres in support of their best-selling book, Liberal Redneck Manifesto: Draggin Dixie Outta the Dark.

This year’s tour, wellRED: From Dixie With Love, is about celebrating everything great about the South and telling stories from a place of love. It’s about dancing to country music at a gay wedding. It’s about loving your neighbor whether you have the same religion, skin color, or sexual preference, as long as they cheer for the same college football team (Go Vols!). It is about leaving behind bigotry, but remembering the fried okra.

Do you love all people, but also love blowing shit up? Do you often wish a mother f*cker would? Well, this show is for you.

Trae, Corey and Drew have been featured guests on The View (ABC), Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO), Nightline (ABC), Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell (MSNBC), CNN Tonight with Don Lemon and various programs on MTV, MSNBC, CNN, BBC, Fusion, NPR and SiriusXM. They also co-host their own topical weekly podcast recorded on the road, wellRED podcast, which has reached over 1.5 Million downloads internationally.

Trae Crowder’s series of "Liberal Redneck" viral videos have been watch by over 115 Million people on Facebook and YouTube. He is also a regular video contributor in partnership with ATTN: and formerly, The New York Daily News.

For more information please visit: wellREDcomedy.com

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

Get ready to rock, Knoxville! Hard rock band Breaking Benjamin returns to K-Town for an unplugged and intimate night at The Mill & Mine later this fall

The Mill & Mine, 227 W. Depot Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37917. Tickets/information: http://themillandmine.com

Each Second Sunday of the month at 2pm, docents offer free guided tours of Higher Ground, Currents, and traveling exhibitions to the public. In order to reach a broader audience the KMA offers Spanish speaking tours once a month at 3pm. From 1-4pm there will also be art activities for all ages!

Knoxville Museum of Art, 1050 World's Fair Park Dr, Knoxville, TN 37916. Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 10AM-5PM, Sunday, 1-5PM. Information: 865-525-6101, www.knoxart.org

22nd anniversary of Ramsey House and opening of new Visitor Center! Open to all.

At Historic Ramsey House, 2614 Thorngrove Pike, Knoxville, TN 37914. Information: 865-546-0745, www.ramseyhouse.org

SMBS Sponsored Concert - John Primer, BMA Nominee - 2017
Door Admission- $10 at Barley's Taproom, 128 W. Broadway, Maryville, TN

Chicago Blues Legend! As the bandleader and lead guitarist for Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, Magic Slim & The Teardrops, John Primer's virtuosity as a blues musician was forged by legends. John started playing on Maxwell Street, the birthplace of Chicago blues and soon became the house bandleader at the infamous Theresa's Lounge for seven years alongside Sammy Lawhorn, Junior Wells, James Cotton and others. Having played or recorded with a who's who of blues greats including Gary Clark Jr., Derek Trucks, Johnny Winter, and Buddy Guy to name a few, John Primer's personal accolades, including Lifetime Achievement Awards, reflect his countless contributions to the history of the blues. There are very few blues fans, critics or musicians who will deny the fact that John Primer is the real deal. YOU CAN'T PAINT THE BLUES WITHOUT THE PRIMER!

Smoky Mountain Blues Society: http://smokymountainblues.org/wp/

The streets of Downtown, Newport TN will be filled with people, food, crafts and entertainment as an East Tennessee tradition continues! This highly anticipated annual event promises to provide the crowd with a weekend to remember! Come enjoy the enticing aromas of all your favorite festival foods, from fresh squeezed lemonade, corn dogs, spiral taters to funnel cakes and deep fried desserts. As always, we have a wonderful line up for entertainment, so bring your favorite lawn chair, pick out a spot at the entertainment stage and let our performers provide some toe’ tappin tunes. And then on Sunday, traditional gospel will fill the air.

Newport AMVETS Post 75 will again graciously coordinate the opening ceremonies at the start of the festival. We appreciate our men and women from all military branches who sacrifice for the livelihood of others. What a better way to show our appreciation to those folks than to open with a ceremony in their honor! The ceremony will begin at 9:30am on the Broadway side of the courthouse lawn. We welcome you to attend and show your appreciation to our military.

As you stroll through the streets of downtown Newport, you will have opportunity to purchase many wares of local and regional crafters. Everything from coveted cookbooks full of recipes from some of the best cooks around, oil paintings, pencil drawings, children’s toys, face painting, décor, and many other handmade items will be on display. When you have wrapped up your shopping, let the kids stop by the Kiddie Land, located off the food court, and hop in the bounce house, enjoy a fast ride down one of the slides, joust your friend, and play some ball. Armbands will be available for an endless time of fun for your children. Bible Believer’s Cowboy Church will once again offer horse rides. Children and adults will be able to get a view of the festival by train; Kiwanis of Newport Train that is! When you depart your train excursion, helicopter rides for children will be available from the Kiwanis of Newport also.

We can’t forget some of the most beautiful sites you’ll see at the Newport Harvest Street Festival. It’s all the lovely ladies and babies that come to strut their stuff at the beauty pageants. Children up to 16 years of age will compete in pageants according to their age bracket. The Miss Newport Harvest Festival pageant, for females ages 16-21 years old, will be held on the lawn on Saturday.

And don’t forget ole-timey activities around the Courthouse. East Tennessee Overhill Intertribal descendants, Pastor Jimmy Morrow, Smoky Mountain Rock and Gem Club, Wade Lane and more will be taking you back in time.

The Cocke County Partnership is a service-based organization consisting of the Newport/Cocke County Economic Development Commission, the Newport/Cocke County Chamber of Commerce and the Newport/Cocke County Tourism Council. For more information: 423-623-7201 or lramsey@cockecountypartnership.com; www.newportcockecountychamber.com; visit the Newport Harvest Street Festival page on Facebook!

Showtimes
Sat Oct 7, 2017 | 1:00PM
Sat Oct 7, 2017 | 4:00PM
Sun Oct 8, 2017 | 2:00PM

During their two weeks together in the desert, the mysterious and regal Little Prince tells a world-weary Aviator about his adventures through the galaxy, including how he met the Lamplighter, the Businessman, and the Geographer; and about his strained relationship with a very special flower on his own tiny planet. From each experience the Little Prince gained a unique insight, which he in turn shares with the Aviator: "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly. What is essential is invisible to the eye." Ultimately, the Little Prince and the Aviator return home—each with a new understanding of how to laugh, cry, and love again.

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

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone™ - In Concert Featuring the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra

The Harry Potter™ film series is one of those once-in-a-lifetime cultural phenomena that continues to delight millions of fans around the world. The concert will feature the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra performing every note from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone™. Audiences will be able to relive the magic of the film in high-definition on a giant screen while hearing the orchestra perform John Williams’ unforgettable score.

October 7, 7:30 PM and October 8, 1:30 PM

Click here to purchase tickets via Ticketmaster.com: http://www.ticketmaster.com/venueartist/222320/2271881

This regional daytime family-friendly costume-play event is being produced by Darkhorse Entertainment, LLC, and will be held at the Tennessee Medieval Faire site in Harriman. Patrons will feel transported to the fictional town of Port Royale in the Tortugas, circa 1700-1800’s.

Patrons are encouraged to dress in costume and enter the Costume Contest to win a prize. There will be two categories, ages 5-12 and 13+, and winners will be decided by audience applause. New this year is the Pirate Gong Show where patrons are encouraged to share their talents onstage. Also new is the Trail of Doom, a 7-10 minute walk in the woods with humorous pirate displays and interactive characters. Other free activities include porthole (corn hole), volleyball, tetherball, stocks, and steel drum. There will be other games to play for $1 each and a treasure hunt for $2. Professional entertainment will include Irish, Celtic, Pirate, and Caribbean music by The Muckers, Three of The Lost Boys, Henry Culpeper, Patrick Compton, and PanEZ Steelband. Interactive comedy shows will include Einstein Simplified (performing as Blackbeard Simplified), 3 RRR’s, and Fools Gold Pyrates. There will also be Children’s Shows, the Governor’s Variety Show, and Kombat Kroquet performed by interactive street characters. On Saturday patrons will be invited to participate in a maypole dance led by Lark in the Morn English Country Dancers. An entertainment schedule will be available online as well as at the entrance. Merchants will help create the village by selling custom crafts, festival food, and cold beverages (including beer--21+ years with valid ID). Vendor applications are available on the festival website under the vendor tab.

The Pirate Fest will be held on October 7 & 8, from 11am-6pm ET--rain or shine. Ticket prices are $16 for ages 13+, $8 for ages 5-12, and will be free for ages 4 and under. Parking is free, and tickets may be purchased with cash or credit at the ticket house on show days. Patrons are encouraged to bring cash for their convenience. The festival is located at 550 Fiske Road, Harriman, TN (about 1 mile Southeast of Hwy 27). Festival rules exclude sharp weapons or loaded guns (stage weapons must be sheathed and zip-tied), pets (service animals only), outside food or drinks, visibly intoxicated persons, and onsite patron camping. For a list of local accommodations, please visit www.roanetourism.com/stay/list/. For more information, please visit www.TNPirateFest.com, call 865-248-8414, or “Like” them on Facebook.

Sundress Academy for the Arts is excited to announce its first writing retreat for veterans on October 7-8, 2017. This two-day retreat at SAFTA's Firefly Farms is for military veterans and current service members and will be a space for creativity, writing exercises, discussions on ways to write about trauma, advice on publishing, and more. This weekend will be an opportunity to express shared experiences and learn to write your story for a non-military audience.

A weekend pass includes one-on-one and group instruction, writing supplies, food, drinks, and all on-site amenities for $75. Tents, sleeping bags, and other camping equipment are available to rent.

The event will be open to people of all backgrounds and experience levels and will provide an opportunity to work with talented, published fiction writers and poets.

We have two full scholarships available for the retreat as well as limited partial scholarships for those with financial need. To apply for a scholarship, send a brief statement on why you would like to attend this workshop and an optional packet of
no more than (8) pages of creative writing to Erin Elizabeth Smith at erin@sundresspublications.com no later than
September 15th, 2017. Scholarship recipients will be announced shorty thereafter.

Space at this workshop is limited to 15 people, so reserve your place today at: https://squareup.com/store/sundresspublications/item/veterans-writing-retreat.

Sundress Academy for the Arts: 195 Tobby Hollow Ln, Knoxville, TN 37931, 865-560-6106, www.sundresspublications.com/safta