Calendar of Events

Now in its second year, Take Action! Big and Small Ways to Save the Planet is a four-week conservation series that focuses on the many different ways you can have a positive impact on the planet. Classes, workshops and other activities will show you how to conserve natural resources and reduce your carbon footprint. Cleanup events and volunteer workdays will help you care for the place we all call home. This year’s lineup is going to be fun!

February 15 Volunteer Workday: Invasive Plant Removal (Noon-3 p.m.)
February 16 Conservation Conversations: Docuseries and Discussion (2-5 p.m.)
February 21 Parents’ Night Out (6:30-8 p.m.)
February 22 Household Hazardous Waste Recycling Event (10 a.m.-1 p.m.)
February 25 Sustainable Adulting: Sew It, Don’t Throw it! (6-8 p.m.)
February 29 Fifth Annual Weed Wrangle Knoxville (9 a.m.-Noon)
February 29 Family Hootenanny (6-9 p.m.)
March 7 Outdoor Gear Swap and Bike Collection Event (9 a.m.-Noon)
March 7 Citizen Science Kick-Off (1-5 p.m.)
March 8 Slow Foods Potluck: On the Local Level (5-8 p.m.)
March 10 Sustainable Adulting: Everything You Thought You Knew About Recycling (6-7:30 p.m.)
March 14 Volunteer Workday: Grayson Subaru Preserve (Noon-3 p.m.)
March 15 Ijams Seed Swap (1-4 p.m.)
March 15 Family Pollinator Garden Workshop (1:30- 2:30 p.m.)

Details on each event at https://ijams.org/take-action-big-and-small-ways-to-save-the-planet/

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

Knoxville Opera is excited to present Romeo and Juliet this Valentine’s Day weekend at the Tennessee Theatre. After an absence of eight years, Charles Gounod’s opera about one of the most beloved stories of all time returns to the stage Friday, February 14 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, February 16 at 2:30 p.m. Thrilling, romantic music, glorious singing, and dramatic scenery and lighting is the recipe for an unforgettable theatrical and emotional experience. Performances are presented in French with projected English translations.

This presentation of Shakespeare’s tale of the star-crossed lovers includes dramatic readings from the original play in English by Clarence Brown Theatre artists including Director Calvin MacLean. Making their Knoxville Opera debuts in leading roles are:
• soprano Yulan Piao (Juliet), 1st Place winner at both the Vienna Summer Music Festival and Verismo Opera competitions
• tenor Mackenzie Whitney (Romeo), who has recently sung leading roles with the opera companies of San Diego, Madison, Pensacola, and Annapolis
• baritone Bryan James Myer (Mercutio), veteran of opera companies from Hawaii to New York City

Also making debuts are current UT School of Music students Cornelia Lotito as Stephano and Wayd Odle as Tybalt. Rounding out the cast is former Metropolitan Opera bass Andrew Wentzel (Friar Laurence) professor of voice at UT.

The production, generously sponsored by The Sood Family, will be staged by the distinguished director Laura Alley, whose career has included major productions at San Francisco Opera, New York City Opera, and many other companies from coast to coast. In the pit, Maestro Brian Salesky will conduct the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra.

Adult tickets, starting at $25, may be purchased online at www.KnoxvilleOpera.com, or by calling the Box Office at (865) 524-0795 ext. 1, Monday through Friday, 10:00–5:00. Student tickets, starting at $15, may be purchased by calling the Box Office. Students are also invited to attend the final rehearsal without charge on February 12 at 6:30 (accompanying adulsts pay $5 cash at the door). A limited number of free student tickets to the performances may be reserved in advance by completing the following link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/freestudenttix. One ticket per student; no specific seating requests.

The Dogwood Arts House & Garden Show is returning to the Knoxville Convention Center. Dogwood's perennial preview of spring invites guests to leave winter at the door, experience over 10,000 sq. ft. of grand gardens, and meet with the top vendors in home improvement, interior design, appliances, and more–all under one roof.

Inspiring lectures from local tastemakers and experts from HGTV.com, Blackberry Farm, and Biltmore Estate will entertain guests all weekend long. And don’t forget the kids! Sesame Street is celebrating its 50th Birthday at the Show with character meet & greets featuring Big Bird, Elmo, Cookie Monster and Abby Cadabby.

From the ground to the gutters, the Dogwood Arts House & Garden Show has something for everyone.

Hours: Friday: 10 AM - 7 PM, Saturday: 10 AM - 7 PM, Sunday: 10 AM - 5 PM

For more information, visit www.dogwoodarts.com or call 865-637-4561.

ERICK BAKER - VALENTINE'S DAY WEEKEND
FEB 14 & 15 • TWO SHOWS
http://www.erickbaker.com

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

Moon Taxi at The Mill & Mine
Knoxville, TN
227 W. DEPOT AVE KNOXVILLE, TN 37917

TWO NIGHTS - Valentine's Day Weekend
February 14 with The Revelries
February 15 with Future Thieves
Doors 7pm | Music 8pm

*Patrons under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.
This is a standing room only venue.*

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

After fifty-seven years of making some of the most beautiful music in the world, The Chieftains are as fresh and relevant as when they first began. The six-time Grammy Award winners are highly recognized for reinventing traditional Irish music on a contemporary and International scale. Their ability to transcend musical boundaries to blend tradition with modern music Them hailed as one of the most renowned and revered musical groups to this day.

As cultural ambassadors, their performances have been linked with seminal historic events. The Chieftains were the first Western musicians to perform on the Great Wall of China, participating in Roger Water’s “The Wall” performance in Berlin in 1990. Also, they were the first ensemble to perform a concert in the Capitol Building in Washington DC. In 2010, their experimental collaborations extended to out of this world, when Paddy Moloney’s whistle and Matt Molloy’s flute travelled with NASA astronaut, Cady Coleman, to the international space station.

Although their early following was purely a folk audience, the range and variation of their music and accompanying musicians quickly captured a much broader audience, elevating their status to the likeness of fellow Irish band, U2.

The Chieftains are never afraid to shock purists and pushing genre boundaries and the trappings of fame have not altered The Chieftains’ love of, and loyalty to, their roots. They are as comfortable playing spontaneous Irish sessions as they are headlining a concert at Carnegie Hall. After fifty years of making some of the most beautiful music in the world, The Chieftains’ music remains as fresh and relevant as when they first began. Come see them perform at what will be a memorable evening of music, song and dance.

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

With Stina Nesbit & Sam Adams Band

Alive After Five is a unique live music series that takes place in the smoke-free, casually elegant setting of the Ann and Steve Bailey Hall in the Knoxville Museum of Art. There is a live band on stage, seating at tables, two cash bars, food from area restaurants, free freshly popped popcorn, and free parking. Audience members can enjoy listening to music, dancing, and browsing the museum’s art galleries. Admission is $15 for general and $10 for museum members and college students with ID. Ages 17 and under are admitted free.

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

This joyful and exuberant, yet ultimately touching, comedy focuses on three women at crossroads in their lives—the Wild sisters of Winedale, Virginia—Fanny and Willa and their frustratingly quirky sister-in-law, Johnnie Faye. This feisty and fun-loving trio has supported and cheered one another through life’s highs and lows through the years, including the early demise of two of their husbands. And they really need each other now as Fanny experiences a hilariously inappropriate reaction to her 60th birthday while Willa is so stressed out from her nursing job she resorts to vodka and speed-knitting to cope and Johnnie Faye, determined to put her year of fraught widowhood behind her, desperately tries to find a man—preferably a man with a house since hers is somewhere at the bottom of a Florida sinkhole. These women’s lives are further upended by the responsibility of caring for their free-spirited, ailing aunt and the realization that they are drowning under loads of family keepsakes and possessions nobody wants—especially them! With equal doses of hilarity and heart, these extraordinary women come up with delightful and surprisingly unorthodox ways to clear the clutter from their lives, their homes and their relationships so they can move their lives forward. Together they prove it’s never too late to take another one of life’s paths for a grand new adventure. This Jones Hope Wooten comedy is guaranteed to drive you wild with laughter—and motivate you to keep hounding the kids to please take that stack of quilts and Granny’s Christmas china!

The Lyric Theatre company invites you to this memorable evening with a talented local cast. Individual general admission tickets are $40 each (open seating at tables of 10), while intimate tables for 2 are available for $100 (quantity limited). http://www.lyrictheatrecompany.org/

At the THE VENUE ​AT LENOIR CITY, 7690 Creekwood Park Boulevard, ​Lenoir City, TN 37772
Catered by Loudon High School Culinary Arts Department
Dinner at 7:00 pm, Curtain Time 8:00 pm

DATE: Friday, February 14, 8:30 - 11:15 PM
VENUE: Brickyard, 4928 Homberg Drive, Knoxville, TN 37919
DOOR: $5.00

A night of gypsy swing… SWINGBOOTY will be performing featuring vocalist Jen Wolery. Come enjoy the music, full bar, and complete dinner menu. https://www.facebook.com/events/167639057904105

VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIdRaga94Uw

"When Swingbooty performs, it's not just a night of hot gypsy jazz, it's an experience."
–Wayne Bledsoe, Knoxville News Sentinel

6-7:30 PM at Vienna Coffee House, 212 College St, Maryville, TN.

Entertainment presented by Professional Storytellers Fred Goddard, Sheri Liles, Delmas Franklin, who are members of Smoky Mountain Storytellers Association. Coffee and desserts available. Free Parking. Donations greatly appreciated.

Smoky Mountain Storytellers Association: 865-429-1783, https://www.facebook.com/SmokyMountainStorytellersAssoc/, www.smokymountaintellers.org

In the Galleries
February 8 through March 22, 2020

Artists Reception: Saturday, February 8, from 7 to 9 PM
Gallery Talk: 6:30 PM

The event is free and open to the public.

Oak Ridge Art Center, 201 Badger Avenue, Oak Ridge, TN 37830. Hours: Tu-F 9-5, Sa-M 1-4. Information: 865-482-1441, www.oakridgeartcenter.org

First Friday Reception: February 7, 5:30 – 9 p.m.

Step out for love and paint the town crimson. Come and discover gift ideas various members of The Art Market Gallery created in wild and glorious red.

Art Market Gallery, 422 S. Gay St, Knoxville, TN 37902. Hours: Tu-Sa 11-6, Su 1-6. Information: 865-525-5265, www.artmarketgallery.net