Calendar of Events

The Big Ears Festival is further expanding its offering of free public events to include the readings and talks by Nikki Giovanni and Hanif Abdurraqib, scheduled during the festival at the Mill and Mine.

Nikki Giovanni will appear on Saturday, March 26, at 11:00 am
https://bigearsfestival.org/event/nikki-giovanni/

Hanif Abdurraqib will appear on Sunday afternoon, March 27, at 1:00 pm
https://bigearsfestival.org/event/hanif-abdurraqib/

“We’re proud to be hosting two of the most vital and compelling literary voices of our time at this year’s festival,” says Big Ears Founder and Director, Ashley Capps. “Both of these great writers are profound and inspirational thinkers with deeply important observations. We want as many people as possible to hear what they have to say.”

Poet, writer, activist, educator, and Knoxville-native Nikki Giovanni is, of course, a legend whose powerful and original work now spans six decades. Poet, essayist, and cultural critic Hanif Abdurraqib was awarded a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship in 2021 and shortlisted for the National Book Award for his latest, A Little Devil in America: In Praise of Black Performances. Music and art are at the essential core of each writer’s work. Both events are presented in conjunction with the Beck Cultural Center of Knoxville.

More details about these events and others at the Big Ears Festival can be found at www.bigearsfestival.org

Broadway's back and so are we!
At Cherokee Country Club
6 PM cocktails, 7:30 PM dinner
Featuring the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra with conductor Aram Demirjian and after-dinner dancing
Details TBA
https://knoxvillesymphony.com/knoxville-symphony-league/annual-symphony-ball/

In collaboration with Big Ears Festival & the Preservation Hall Jazz Band

On Saturday, March 26th, led by New Orleans’s historic Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Cattywampus Puppet Council will be filling our Knoxville streets and the Big Ears Festival with art, joy, and revelry, and we want you to join us! Our people-powered Krewe du Cattywampus parade will kick-off in the Old City at 1pm and then transition into a Street Party from 2-4pm at the Southern Railway Station featuring local hip-hop and drumming from Good Guy Collective and Drums Up, Guns Down, as well as performances from Pres Hall Jazz Band, Sporty's Brass Band, and other Big Ears artists. We'll also have food trucks, art & play activities for all ages, and more. Both the parade and street party are free and open to the entire community.

Have questions or want to know more about getting your classroom, family, or community group involved? Don't hesitate to reach out via email. You can also visit our website www.cattywampuspuppetcouncil.com for more info.

Visit Farragut will partner with the East Tennessee Bluegrass Association (ETNBA) to provide the first-ever Bluegrass on the Lawn from 3-6 p.m. on Saturday, March 26, at Mayor Ralph McGill Plaza. The event is free.

Guests are encouraged to bring blankets and chairs to enjoy this outdoor jam session. Musicians are welcome to bring acoustic guitars, fiddles, mandolins, basses or dobroes and join in. Bluegrass on the Lawn is weather dependent. Updates pertaining to the weather can be found at www.VisitFarragut.org and on social media.

“I’m really excited for us to be able to offer a live music event at Mayor Ralph McGill Plaza. The Campbell Station Inn is an important link to our past, and bluegrass music is also part of this area’s history, so it will be fun to bring these two things together,” says Tourism Coordinator Karen Tindal. “The Farragut community really loves live music, and I’m happy to be able to provide another opportunity for local performers to showcase their talents.”

More info: www.MLKKnoxville.com
Please make plans to join us in 2022 for another year of celebration and commemoration honoring the life and legacy of the Dream and the Dreamer.

Saturday, March 26
8:30am – 2:00pm
• TEACHER IN-SERVICE TRAINING
Simpson Professional Training Center
The purpose of the MLK Teacher In-Service program is to provide a very special training session for teachers and other professionals that tie in directly with the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Info: http://www.mlkknoxville.com/2022-mlk-events/teacher-in-service-training/

Saturday, March 26 at McClung Museum
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/momentum-dance-lab-performance-tickets-269891902947

This event features a series of specially choreographed dance pieces from Momentum Dance Lab that were inspired by the work of Aboriginal artist, Shane Pickett. You are invited to one of two presentations on:

Saturday, March 26, 2022 at 1p.m.
Saturday, March 26, 2022 at 4p.m.

During the latter part of his career, Pickett started to forgo a brush, instead painting directly with his hands. This was, in part, due to his lifelong struggle with rheumatoid arthritis, but he also wanted a more direct connection with his subject, the landscape. His resulting paintings were groundbreaking, an expressive form of gestural abstraction connected to his culture and spirituality as a Nyoongar person.

Pickett believed that movement and art could express healing of the land and body. This collaboration between dance and Pickett's paintings is a reflection of the restorative power of artistic expression. The performance will take place in the gallery with exhibition, Shane Pickett: Djinong Djina Boodja (Look at the Land that I Have Traveled), currently on view at the McClung Museum.

https://www.momentumdancelab.org/

An mini seminar series, virtual event dedicated to helping you live your healthiest and most fulfilling life, right in the comfort of your own home.

Our speakers are locally recognized health and wellness experts. Whether you are trying to eat healthier, get fit, sleep better, be mindful, get rid of back or knee pain... the Wellness Expo will help you learn actionable steps to living a healthier and happier life.

Instead of hosting this event in person, you now have the opportunity attend it online! We use Zoom, which is very similar to Skype or FaceTime. It's very easy to use, and allows us to connect to you safely, from the comfort of your own home! After you sign up for the expo, we will send you an email with the zoom link a couple days before the big day!

Saturday March 26th | 8:30-1:30pm EST
https://simplypt.com/health-expo

Join us for a reception for Nikki Giovanni following her event at the Mill and Mine with the Big Ears Festival.

Yolande Cornelia “Nikki” Giovanni, Jr., poet, writer, educator, and activist is regarded as one of the most renowned American poets in the world. Born to Jones "Gus" Giovanni and Yolande Cornelia Watson, Sr. in Knoxville in 1943, Giovanni attended Austin High School starting in 1958 and is a member of the class of 1961. Throughout her career, Giovanni’s writing has approached several topics such as racial equality, gender and sexuality, Black culture and identity, and family. Her work has received much acclaim including several NAACP awards as well as the Langston Hughes Medal.

Donors, members, and attendees are encouraged to purchase a Legacy Brick in celebration of our beloved Nikki Giovanni and all her accomplishments.

Limited seating capacity due to the on-going COVID-19 pandemic.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/reception-for-our-beloved-nikki-giovanni-limited-seating-capacity-tickets-301085854897

Beck Cultural Exchange Center: 1927 Dandridge Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37915. Hours: Tu-Sa 10-6. Information: 865-524-8461, www.beckcenter.net

March 26 @ 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
$20.00
Under 14 .. Free Admission (Accompanied by Adult)

Corey and his band blend his stylistic and heartfelt written songs with his most requested songs from many of America’s best known traditional country music hit makers. The CCRS delivers good, clean, family fun and toe tapping music. Something for the entire family to enjoy.

Corey says “Since Sept 2002 We have had a great time making music and enjoying every minute of it. I grew up listening to what many people call “Real Country Music”. Over the years, I have enjoyed covering songs by quite a few of my favorite artists like George Jones, Merle Haggard, Vern Gosdin, Randy Travis, Alan Jackson, George Strait and other country legends. I began writing songs in my teens and quickly realized I simply could not deny my love of writing and singing traditional country music. The Classic Country Roadshow combines my original songs and my most requested covers of classic country hits. I can’t wait to bring this music to your town.” -Corey Zink.

Historic Loudon Theatre: 320 Grove Street, Loudon, TN 37774. Information: 865-458-9020, www.historicloudontheatre.com/

Sat, Mar 26 | 2:00 PM – 6:00 PM at The Bottom, 2340 E Magnolia Ave, Knoxville, TN 37917

Join us for a double book talk with Malaika Adero on A Black Woman Did That & Vice President Kamala Harris: Her Path to the White House.

About Malaika Adero
“I run a boutique book development and literary agency called Adero’s Literary Tribe/ALT, working with individuals and organizations, especially publishers. My clients include Peter Kimani, Morowa Yejide, Marcus Guillory, Jacqueline Bishop and Gillian Royes. Kimani’s novel Dance of the Jakaranda will be published by Akashic Books in February 2017. I’m author of Up South: Stories, Studies and Letters of This Century’s African American Migrations (The New Press 1993) and coauthor of Speak, So You Can Speak Again: The Life of Zora Neale Hurston with Dr. Lucy Hurston (2004 Doubleday). Currently, writing the memoir of Jenifer Lewis (Amistad/Harper Collins) with the actor and star of Blackish. My latest forthcoming solo effort is Recurring Dreams: Revelations and Memory of My Affrilachian Kin (Center Street), a work of nonfiction.”

RSVP at https://www.thebottomknox.com/events-1/malaika-book-event

The play will be performed Thursdays and Fridays at 7 PM, Saturdays at 1 PM and 5 PM, and Sundays at 3 PM.

Knoxville Children’s Theatre, in partnership with the Clayton Foundation will present a live production of Jackie & Me by Steven Dietz and adapted from the book by Dan Gutman.

Ten-year-old Joey Stoshack is a headstrong young boy with a special talent for time travel. When Joey is assigned to write a report on an African American who has made an important contribution to society, he uses his special ability to go back to Brooklyn, New York, in 1947. He meets one of baseball’s greatest players, Jackie Robinson. Joey plans on writing a prize-winning report, but he doesn’t plan on a trip that will forever change his view of history and his definition of courage.

"[Kids] learn about Jackie Robinson, racial discrimination and restraining one's temper to achieve a larger goal. … The show is truthful, fun and filled with worthy life lessons for kids." -Chicagocritic.com

The play is performed by 14 talented young actors, from ages 9 to 18. Joey will be played by Oak Holden, who is making his KCT debut. He will be joined by Elijah Clemes and DeShayla Foley, who will portray Jackie and Rachel Robinson.

The show is directed by guest director Derrick Washington, Jr. who is a former KCT participant.

KCT is East Tennessee’s leading producer of plays for children and families.
Knoxville Children's Theatre, 109 E. Churchwell Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37917. Information: 865-208-3677, www.knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com

Mar 25-27 at 7:30 PM
$4.99 · Paid Online Event

To celebrate the 27th season of Tennessee Stage Company's New Play Festival, we bring you two new table readings and two world premiere full productions-- all of which are available online! "In Loving Memory" was filmed in front of a live audience. Tickets are Pay-What-You-Can of $2.70 and up to commemorate our 27th season.

Join TSC for our New Play Festival's final premiere of the 2022 season with Taylor James Foster's "In Loving Memory". Jimmy is awake--but there is a problem. He doesn't know where he is, who this strange doctor is,... or who that beautiful woman is over there. A blend of sci-fi, rom-com, and horror weave together as James and Eleanor rediscover their memories during scientific research.

There are TWO ways to watch the show!
1) Click on the link here and join us via Facebook Live. The cost of $5 goes directly to the Stage Company.
https://www.facebook.com/events/491595362432322/

2) Visit http://tennesseestage.com/home/upcoming-productions-3/ticketsandevents/ to register for the Zoom directly. There, you can make a donation of any amount (starting at $2.70 + ) via PayPal and receive a link to watch the show any time that weekend.