Calendar of Events

In celebration of the 40th Anniversary of the 1982 World's Fair, the Museum of East Tennessee History announces the opening of a new, one-of-a-kind exhibition, "You Should've Been There!," in the Rogers-Claussen Feature Gallery from March 19 to October 9, 2022.

The exhibition’s theme is not only a nod to the international exposition’s marketing catchphrase, “You Have Got to Be There! The 1982 World’s Fair!,” but also an acknowledgement that four decades removed, there is a generation of East Tennesseans who were not alive to experience the historic event.

Organized by the East Tennessee Historical Society and the Knox County Public Library, “You Should've Been There!” traces the fair’s development from conception to the pivotal moment when The Wall Street Journal referred to Knoxville as a “scruffy little city” and questioned its ability to host an international event. More than 11,000,000 visitors from around the world were informed and entertained in the various pavilions, exhibitions, and attractions put on by 22 countries and some 50 private organizations. Popular souvenirs were shirts and buttons proclaiming, “The Scruffy Little City Did It!”

The fair’s theme, “Energy Turns the World,” played to the region’s reputation as a technology and science center. For example, it was at the 1982 World’s Fair that users were able to try out a touchscreen for the first time. Elo, a Knoxville-based company, debuted the touchscreen technology, then known as "talk back" computers, in the United States Pavilion. To honor this spirit of innovation, “You Should've Been There!” incorporates engaging touchscreens alongside displays of original fair materials from pickle pins to deely bobbers and everything in between.

To learn more about the exhibition, please visit: https://www.easttnhistory.org/1982worldsfair

"You Should've Been There!" is an official event of the 40th Anniversary of the 1982 World's Fair. To learn more about upcoming commemorative events, please visit: http://www.knoxvilleworldsfair.com.

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

LITTLE FEAT: WAITING FOR COLUMBUS 45TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR with Amy Helm
SATURDAY, MARCH 19, 2022 | 8PM

Tennessee Theatre, 604 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. For information/tickets: 865-684-1200, www.tennesseetheatre.com, www.ticketmaster.com

Ijams Nature Center hosts its 33rd annual Ijams River Rescue on Saturday, March 19 (new date!), from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

This one-day cleanup annually brings together 500-800 volunteers to remove between 10-40 tons of trash from the Tennessee River’s shorelines and its tributary creeks.

“This year’s goal is to tackle between 40-50 sites in Knox, Blount and Loudon counties,” Ijams Volunteer Coordinator Sammy Shorey said. “In 2021, 478 volunteers safely removed more than 15 tons of garbage from 32 sites. That’s really impressive because heavy rain moving through the area caused groups to stop early or even cancel their site’s cleanup,” Shorey said.

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/ijams-river-rescue.

MARCH 19, 2022 11:00AM - 3:00PM
Admission Price: FREE

The Global Asias Community Day is a celebration of Asian arts and culture in connection with the exhibition Global Asias: Contemporary Asian and Asian American Art from the Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation (January 24-April 24, 2022). This free event will feature workshops and performances by members of Knoxville’s Asian community. Visitors of all ages will learn about the history of the Japanese tea ceremony, watch artist demonstrations, and participate in hands-on art-making.

Programs
11:00am – Japanese Green Tea Ceremony 1
11:30am – Kendo Club Deom (Martial Arts)
12:00pm – Nankin Tamasudare performance
12:30pm – Japanese Green Tea Ceremony 2
1:30pm – Japanese Guitar & Japanese Summer Dance
2:30pm – Chinese Dragon Dance

Art Activities: 11am-3pm
Chopstick Art Projects
Origami
Calligraphy
Taiwan Lantern Making
Vietnamese Food Truck

The KMA would like to thank Asian Culture Center of Tennessee for their partnership on this event. https://www.knoxasianfestival.com

Knoxville Museum of Art, 1050 World's Fair Park Dr, Knoxville, TN 37916. Tuesday-Saturday 10 am-5pm, Sunday 1-5 pm, closed Mondays. Information: 865-525-6101, https://knoxart.org/

Join us Saturday, March 19 for our Bluebird Bird of the Year Celebration Day at the park to help educate the public about Bluebirds. FOSI is partnering with Valley Chapter Tennessee Bluebird Society throughout the year, so watch for more announcements of activities and fun facts posted on our Facebook page!
https://www.facebook.com/friendsofsevenislands/

https://www.friendsofsevenislands.com/

March 19, 7:30 PM
Location: Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike, Oak Ridge, TN

The Grammy Award-winning Harlem Quartet advances diversity in classical music while engaging new audiences with varied repertoire that includes works by minority composers. Members of the string quartet are Cuban violinist Ilmar Gavilan, American violinist Melissa White, Puerto Rican violist Jaime Amador, and American cellist Felix Umansky.

FREE attendance for youths 18 and under. General admission seating. Adult $25. Young Adult (19-29) $10. Free admission for chaperones of youth groups of 5 or more. Chaperones must call or email to reserve by 3:00 PM on the Thursday prior to the concert. Tickets for Youths and Adults are available at the door, by phone at (865) 483-5569, or at www.ORCMA.org. Masks and social distancing are required.

Knoxville's very own poet laureate Rhea Carmon will join us for an author talk discussing her newest book of spoken word and poetry, Let The Sun Shine In. At an early age, Rhea Carmon realized the power of positive thinking. Her mother named her RheaSunshine because she always searched for the bright side. At the age of 9, she was paralyzed for months and still found a way to overcome. Through many health issues, she has found the joy in learning and teaching. Believing that every person can achieve their own success and be the best form of themselves each day, Rhea challenges students and staff to return to the joy of learning in order to make school a place we all want to be.

Rhea often says that poetry saved her life. She uses the lifeline that she found to create a connection and safe space for those that she has the pleasure of inspiring with words. She loves finding the beauty in schools and organizations and using it to motivate and inspire audiences.

“Burn with the motivation that only poetry can inspire!”
- RheaSunshine
https://www.rheacarmon.com/

The Bottom, 2340 E Magnolia Ave, Knoxville, TN 37917. Information: thebottomknox@gmail.com, 865-444-5915 or https://www.thebottomknox.com/

Make a cute bowl for all your berries!
$45
Saturday, March 19
1:00pm-4:00pm
Instructor: Amanda Humphreys

Registration Deadline: March 16th
Rinse & serve your berries in style with a berry bowl you made and decorated yourself! Using simple handbuilding techniques, learn how to make a bowl out of a slab of clay, punch holes for water drainage, make handles, and even add small decorative details to give your bowl its own personality! Students of all skill levels are welcome! All materials included. Berry bowl will be glazed and fired by the instructor and available to pick-up at a later date.

https://registration.knoxvilletn.gov/ViewCourseActivityDetails.aspx?id=C13215

March 18-April 1st, Plant Pick Up and Onsite Shopping Friday, April 8

Spring is almost here, and it will soon be time to plant your yard. If you want to buy plants to enhance your garden this spring, visit the UT Arboretum Society’s Annual Spring Plant Sale which will be held online with catalog sales from March 18 through April 1st. Plant pickup is on Friday, April 8 and vendors will have some plants available for in person shopping that day at the UT Arboretum in Oak Ridge. Our plant sales are some of our biggest fundraisers of the year and help support the UT Arboretum’s community education, trail improvements such as our Nature Book Trail, and children’s programs.

For two weeks online you can browse the selection of perennials, trees, and shrubs available from our vendors Tennessee Naturescapes, Riverdale Nursery and East Fork Nursery of Sevierville. The three vendors offer a wonderful selection of plants including unique conifers, both evergreen and native azaleas, hydrangeas, beautyberry, and a wide variety of native pollinator plants to name just a few. Beginning March 18th at 10 am, log on to https://utas-plant-sale.square.site/ to shop and make payment. Online sales will end on April 1st at 5 pm. Payments must be made by credit card online in advance for online purchases. There will be limited sales on site on pickup day but for best selection shop the online sale and then go to visit our vendors to shop onsite after you pick up your order on April 8.

For online orders, you will be provided a link to choose a pick-up time between 9 am and 6 pm on Friday, April 8th at the UT Arboretum, 901 S. Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge. You must schedule a pick-up time Friday April 8. We are not able to hold orders for other pickup dates. Arboretum Society members will have your plant orders ready for pick-up. This is a no contact pick-up system. When you arrive at your scheduled time, you be directed to designated pick up spots and your order will be brought to your car. If you want to check out the onsite sale you will be able to go up to that location after you pick up your order. This is an amazing opportunity which allows the public to shop from your own home.

Though many of our normal day-to-day activities were curtailed for the past two years, one consistent activity has been working in our yards and enjoying the healing qualities of nature. The UT Arboretum Society is grateful to our vendors for making this opportunity possible.

www.utarboretumsociety.org

March 18-27
Tickets are now on sale for this newly revised version of the compelling story of a family in hiding during WWII.

For nearly two years, a young Jewish girl, her parents, and sister hid with another family in a secret attic space, as the Nazis deported the Jews of Holland to their deaths. Anne Frank's luminous spirit shines through in the real-life diary she kept while in seclusion, allowing us to share in the complexities of adolescence - laughing and playing, fighting with her mother, falling in love for the first time - as she comes of age. Transcending the oppressive circumstances and horrors that surround her, she voices her belief, “in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart.” Her story of resilience continues to resonate deeply, making her story as vital today as when her diary first was published.

Seating may become limited due to social distancing requirements, so get your tickets early. Order online today by clicking the button below (or by phone or in person at the Playhouse box office Tuesday-Friday, noon-5:30 PM).

As an added safety measure for our patrons and volunteers, masks will be required at all times while in the building.
SUITABLE FOR GENERAL AUDIENCES

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

March 18, 2022: 12pm-6pm
March 19, 2022: 10am-6pm

PARTICIPATING ARTISTS:

CLAY
Sandra Byrne
Kerry Porche
Rex Redd
Lisa Kurtz

FIBER
Shereen Franklin
Jim Gentry
Melanie Richards
Leedra Scott
LaDonna Sy
Nancy Wagner

GLASS
Larry McLain
Autumn Wilkins

​JEWELRY
Renita Andrews
Sissy Caldwell
Deborah Drake
Janet Edkins
Ilene Kay
Estefania Nance
Chico Osten
Judi Talley

METAL
Robert & Dolores Wells

MIXED MEDIA
Tina Brunetti
Kathleen Janke (Guest Artist)
Lora Williams
​
NATURAL MATERIALS
Amy Nelson

​PHOTOGRAPHY
Clay Thurston

​WOOD
Richard Dwyer
Gordon Fowler
​Randy & Terry Fritchman
Dan Land
William Nance

The Venue at Lenoir City, 7690 Creekwood Park Blvd, Lenoir City, TN 37772
$6 admission. Free parking, handicap accessible
Foothills Craft Guild: 865-470-0669, www.foothillscraftguild.org

March 18th from 5-7pm and March 19th from 10am-1pm
An exhibition of nature-inspired funcational ceramics by Bailey Fritz

Gallery 1010, 100 S. Gay Street, Suite 114, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information: https://gallery1010.utk.edu/