Calendar of Events

THE CEMETERY CLUB
by Ivan Menchell

Three Jewish widows regularly meet once a month for tea before going to visit their husbands’ graves. But when one of the women begins to date again, tensions arise as the other two struggle to let go of the past and move on. With moments of laughter and tears, The Cemetery Club is a touching exploration of friendship that explores the joys and challenges of growing older and finding new love after loss.

PG -13 AUDIENCES

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

FEBRUARY 9-11, 2024 | KNOXVILLE CONVENTION CENTER
701 Henley Street, Knoxville, TN 37902

Friday, February 9th :10:00am – 6:00pm
Saturday, February 10th: 10:00am – 6:00pm
Sunday, February 11th: 10:00am – 4:00pm

From the ground to the gutters, the Dogwood Arts House & Garden Show has something for everyone. Our perennial preview of spring invites guests to leave winter at the door, experience over 10,000 sq. ft. of Grand Gardens, and meet the top vendors in home improvement, interior design, appliances, and more—all under one roof. Find unique art, jewelry, and handmade products from local and regional artists at the Maker Market.

On the How-to Stage, local experts and tastemakers will provide DIY demonstrations, tips on real estate trends, cooking, home improvement, gardening, and much more. Don’t forget the kids! The ORNL Federal Credit Union Creation Station has art activities, character meet & greets, and entertainment for kids of all ages.

Make your house and garden dreams come true!

Dogwood Arts, 123 W. Jackson Ave, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information: 865-637-4561, www.dogwoodarts.com

2/9 • Family Owl Prowl
2/10 • Winter Birding
2/10 • Winter Tree ID: Beginners Workshop
2/10 • Winter Forest Bathing Workshop
2/11 • Self Care Sunday Yoga
2/11 • Fleurish Model Bootcamp

Ijams Nature Center, 2915 Island Home Ave, Knoxville, TN 37920. Visitor Center open daily 10-6; grounds and trails open daily from 8 AM - dusk. Information: 865-577-4717, www.ijams.org

BIG SOMETHING
WITH THE RIES BROTHERS
FRIDAY, FEB 9 | 8PM

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

FLATLAND CAVALRY at the Tennessee Theatre, February 9, 2024, at 8:00PM.

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

The first Dark Market of 2024! The Market is Friday, February 9th at Hi-Wire Brewery, 2020 Barber St, in South Knox from 5:30 pm-9 pm.

Knox Makers: 116 Childress Street, Knoxville, TN 37920. Information:
https://themakercity.org/

Join Beardsley Farms for their yearly winter fundraiser, Snow Day! There will be a soup-off, silent auction, live music, and some surprises in store at the Mill & Mine,
227 W. Depot Avenue, February 9th, 6:00-10:00PM.
We'll have all the usuals: local soup off, silent auction, live music, and surprise treats.

All of the details for Snow Day 2024 are linked in our profile and are on our website (like how to purchase tickets and get yourself a beautifully hand printed Snow Day Poster by @museum_of_infinite_outcomes).

All proceeds go directly to support Beardsley's works towards creating a more equitable food system in Knoxville.

https://www.beardsleyfarm.org/

Fat Friday Mardi Gras!

Presented by Bluegill Productions and The Concourse
5:30 PM Doors | 6:30 PM Show

Admission: advance tickets at www.concourseknox.com
Tickets: $15 + fees Advance | $20 At The Door
Children 12 & under are free
Limited seating available

Information: bluegill.mg8@gmail.com

Nashville Songwriters singing love songs, in the Sparks Hall (St. John’s Lutheran Church, 544 N. Broadway). $15 at the door, seating is limited. Reserve seats at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScuMSDdvOtcyqbsscI14E3YcLLymjIswxfqKyQ12Qu4oNJ2kQ/viewform

Join us for an intimate evening of stories and songs with Nashville Songwriters: John Tirro, Sally Barris, Sam Gay, and Templeton Thompson. Together they have written for Rascal Flatts, LeAnn Rimes, Trisha Yearwood, Lee Ann Womack, Bryan White, Reba McEntire, Little Texas, Diamond Rio, Martina McBride, and many more. Hear the songs as they were originally written, with a voice and a guitar or piano, along with stories of how they came to be. Special focus on love songs, in honor of Valentines Day!

Reserve and pay for up to 8 seats in advance. We will also have tip jars available the night of the event. All of Pastor John's share goes to community outreach events at St. John's. Tickets paid in advance have reserved seating. Tickets paid at the door have first come seating. Any seats not claimed by ten minutes before showtime will be released for standby seating.

https://www.facebook.com/events/272012188982020/

Fat Ham was recently on Broadway, and will be directed by Mychael G. Chinn
Cast: Jaquai Wade Pearson as Tedra, Marshall Weir Mabry, IV as Juicy, Kenneth Herring as Rev/Pap, Neveah Daniel as
Opal, LoRen Seagrave as Tio, Matthew Draughter as Larry, and Brandiss Seward as Rabby.
Design Team: Sophie Smrcka (Scenic/Props), Scott Baron (Lighting), Amoirie Perteet (Sound/Props), and KC Colemon
(Costumes)

Preview: Thursday, February 8th at 7:30pm (Students come FREE with code FATHAM24)
Opening: Friday, February 9th at 7:30pm (Ticket includes food and beverages at the afterparty)
Run: February 8-25 at the Old City Performing Arts Center (111 State Street)
Tickets: https://www.simpletix.com/e/fat-ham-by-james-ijames-tickets-139740

Fat Ham Synopsis
In this delectably comic, Pulitzer Prize-winning reinvention of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, an uproarious family
barbecue instigates a compelling examination of love and loss, pain and joy.

About Mychael G. Chinn (Director)
Mychael is so excited to be making his directing debut at River + Rail! He is a television development executive, most recently at MTV Studios, where he was the point executive on deals with A List talent such as Angela Bassett & Courtney B. Vance, John Leguizamo, and Regina Hall, to name a few. Previously, Mychael was an executive at Lifetime Television, where he helped shepherd over 50 movies to air, including the most successful made for television movie of 2020, The Clark Sisters: The First Ladies of Gospel. He also has worked at prestigious arts organizations such as the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, The New Museum and The Movement Theatre Company. Mychael currently resides in Los Angeles, CA.

About Jaquai Wade Pearson (Tedra)
Jaquai Wade Pearson splits her time between Knoxville, LA, and Dallas, and returns to River & Rail Theatre Company after appearing as Camae in The Mountaintop in February 2023. She is the stepdaughter of Thomas “Tank” Edward Strickland, and a graduate of SMU’s Meadows School of the Arts.

River & Rail Theatre, 111 State Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information: 865-407-0727, www.riverandrailtheatre.com

Work by eight of the region's most prominent Black artists are on display through March 9th. Opening reception is this Saturday, February 3, 1:00 - 4:00. Many of the artists will be in attendance and light Hors D'oeuvres and refreshments will be served. Please join us for this wonderful show!

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

February – March 2024

Sonia Jackson Summers received her Bachelors in College Scholars: Illustration and Writing from The University of Tennessee in 2008. During her time at the University of Tennessee, Sonia cartooned for “The Daily Beacon.”

In 2011, Sonia married and relocated to her husband’s hometown of Birmingham, Alabama, and during that time Sonia was commissioned to participate in Vulcan Park and Museum’s public art project called “Vulcans on Parade.” Sonia’s painted Vulcan statues stand on display in two downtown Birmingham businesses. Sonia has work in the permanent collection of The Joy Gallery in Homewood, Alabama and rotating art at the Blue Phrog Gallery in Montevallo, Alabama.

Since moving back to Knoxville with her husband and kids in 2019, Sonia has broadened her scope to include painting en plein air (live on-site landscape painting), as well as competitive sidewalk chalk art/“Madonnari” festivals and sidewalk chalk art commissions, in addition to her fine art, illustration, and murals. Sonia has a deep appreciation for Impressionism, focusing on bridging the relationship between observation and interpretation, impressionistic capabilities of skill and realistic reaction in rendering. Sonia enjoys public art such as murals and sidewalk chalk for their ability to make art accessible to everyone.

In 2023 Sonia accepted the Fine Arts Teaching position at Chesterton Academy, a new classical high school in Knoxville. She also teaches recreational art classes at Painting with a Twist in Farragut.

Sonia’s art can be seen in sidewalk chalk/madonnari festivals, such as the Dogwood Arts Chalk Walk, through exhibitions with both the Arts and Culture Alliance and Dogwood Arts, and she currently has a mural featured by Dogwood Arts in Strong Alley in downtown Knoxville.

https://knoxbijou.org/community-outreach-2/art-gallery/