Calendar of Events
Thursday, July 4, 2024
Asian Culture Center of TN: Tanabata
Category: Festivals, special events, History, heritage and Kids, family
At East TN History Center, 601 S Gay St, Knoxville, TN 37902
https://www.knoxasianfestival.com/events/
Town of Farragut: Independence Day Parade
Category: Festivals, special events, Free event and Kids, family
The Town of Farragut’s annual Independence Day Parade returns at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, July 4. The parade begins on Kingston Pike at Stadium Drive and continues to Boring Road, just east of Farragut Towne Square Shopping Center (former Ingles store site).
Due to the Independence Day Parade, Kingston Pike from Lendon Welch Way to Federal Boulevard will be closed from 8:30 a.m. to approximately noon on Tuesday, July 4. Options for parade detours are as follows: North side - Campbell Station Road to Grigsby Chapel Road to Smith Road to Kingston Pike (going west) or Campbell Station Road to Parkside Drive to Lovell Road (going east). South side - Concord Road to Turkey Creek Road to Virtue Road to Kingston Pike.
Also, S. Campbell Station Road from Kingston Pike to Brooklawn Boulevard and Municipal Center Drive will be closed from 8:30 to 9:15 a.m. for the Farragut Freedom Run.
Farragut Parks & Recreation Department, 865-218-3376.
Mabry-Hazen House: Fourth of July on Mabry's Hill
Category: Culinary arts, food, Festivals, special events, History, heritage, Kids, family and Music
Holiday Celebration
Thursday, July 4, 2024, from 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM
Mabry-Hazen House is hosting an old-fashioned Fourth of July Celebration! Gather with us to celebrate Independence Day, the Declaration of Independence, and our community. Enjoy great views, good food and beer, live music, fun games, great company, and tours of the 1858 historic house museum. Bring your lawn chairs and blankets and spread out on our 7 acres of greenspace near downtown and right off I-40!
Our event recalls the spirit of 19th-century Independence Day celebrations when communities gathered for patriotic revelry and enjoyment. Overlooking downtown Knoxville to the west and the Great Smoky Mountains to the south, historic Mabry's Hill enjoys a spectacular view of the fireworks presented by the City of Knoxville and revelers around the city and county. Take it easy with this laid-back celebration.
IT'S THE PERFECT TIME TO CHILL ON THE HILL!
• Savor delicious local fare from Dia De, Daddy D's, Small Comforts Kitchen, and local ice cream!
• Quench your thirst with beverages from local breweries and Frog Juice Boocherie!
• LIVE MUSIC performed by the New Market Train Wrecks!
• The historic house museum will open for self-guided tours.
• A reading of the Declaration of Independence
• A reading from our new series "Documents from the Unfinished Revolution."
City of Knoxville: Festival on the 4th
Category: Culinary arts, food, Festivals, special events, Free event, Kids, family, Meetup and Music
Knoxville city government officials released details of this year’s Festival on the 4th on Friday. The Independence Day celebration will be held 5-10 p.m. Thursday, July 4, at World’s Fair Park.
The free, family-friendly event will have activities including water wars, axe throwing, mini-golf and paddle boats. Food vendors will be on both the Performance Lawn and Festival Lawn. Entertainment begins at 5 p.m.:
• On the Festival Lawn stage, Knox Vegas DJs will spin tunes 5-6 p.m., and Bary Jolly will perform Jimmy Buffet’s greatest hits 6-7:45 p.m.
• On the Performance Lawn stage, Mike Snodgrass Band will play 6-7:45 p.m.
• In the Tennessee Amphitheatre, the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra will perform its 40th annual Lawson Family Foundation Independence Day Concert at 8 p.m. Video of the KSO's performance will be broadcast on large screens on the Performance and Festival lawns.
• Fireworks will launch from the Henley Bridge at approximately 9:45 p.m.
The Festival on the 4th will be held rain or shine. No alcohol, pets or personal canopies are permitted. People can bring their own water bottles to fill at water stations on the Performance and Festival lawns.
Free parking is available in World’s Fair Park and Blackstock parking lots, and in publicly-owned garages downtown. Additional ADA parking is available in the Fork Kid lot.
https://www.knoxvilletn.gov/government/city_departments_offices/special_events/festival_on_the_4th
Museum of Appalachia: July 4th Anvil Shoot
Category: Festivals, special events, History, heritage, Kids, family and Science, nature
While most Americans celebrate Independence Day with fireworks, the Museum of Appalachia marks the occasion with an old- fashioned “anvil shoot”. Every 4th of July, the Museum uses gunpowder to launch a 200-pound anvil hundreds of feet into the air!
Anvil shoots were once a common way for pioneers to commemorate holidays, elections, and other special occasions. While the tradition of anvil-shooting is nearly obsolete, the Museum has made it a nearly 30-year tradition, striving to keep this piece of history alive for a 21st century audience.
Event Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. with anvil shoots throughout the day.
The anvil shoot is the centerpiece of an all-day celebration that includes a national bell-ringing ceremony, flag procession, live music, southern food, demonstrations from blacksmiths, beekeepers, dulcimer makers, spinners, weavers, rail splitters, and more.
Tickets are available at www.museumofappalachia.org. This event is FREE for Museum Members.
UT Arboretum Society: Butterflies and Their Host Plants
Category: Science, nature and Virtual
Please join UT Arboretum education coordinator, Michelle Campanis, and Stephen Lyn Bales via Zoom for the monthly First Thursday Supper Club virtual presentation, “Butterflies and Their Host Plants.” For July only, this monthly class will be pre-recorded due to the July 4th holiday. It will be sent the first week of July to everyone who registers.
Milkweed is the favorite host plant for monarch butterflies, but for tiger swallowtails it is just a source of nectar. The females of the beloved black and yellow swallowtails seek tuliptrees as their go-to host plant. But what about zebra swallowtails, blue azures, and painted ladies? Nature loves to foster biodiversity where different butterfly species seek a variety of different host plants. Learn which plants you can add to your landscape to help provide forage and habitat for butterflies…and maybe a moth too! The June First Thursday Nature Supper Club presentation is hosted by the UT Arboretum Society. The program is free, but registration is required to receive your Zoom link and the recording. The program will be recorded and sent to all who register. Register at www.utarboretumsociety.org under Programs. Please contact Michelle at mcampani@utk.edu for any questions or registration issues.
James White's Fort: Celebrating July 4
Category: Festivals, special events, Free event and History, heritage
Celebrating the signing of the Declaration of Independence with the Sons, Daughters and Children of the American Revolution. Immediately following there will be a reflagging of COL John Sevier's grave at the Knox County Courthouse.
Westminster Presbyterian Church: Paintings by Lucie Gilot
Category: Exhibitions, visual art and Free event
Exhibition: Paintings by Lucie Gilot
Gestural Portraits and Seasonal Drawings with her sons
Schilling Gallery at Westminster Presbyterian Church
6500 Northshore Dr
(865-584-3957)
www.wpcknox.org
Hours: Monday thru Thursday, 9 AM to 4 PM, Friday 9 AM to noon
Urban Bar and Corner Cafe: Sean Monett exhibition
Category: Exhibitions, visual art and Free event
"The Return of the Curse of the Mummy's Cat's Ghost" by Sean Monett
All throughout July, visit the Urban Bar and Corner Cafe to see new works by Sean Monett, a Knoxville-native illustrator who creates absurd and whimsical cartoons. This show includes drawings of mushrooms, cats, aliens, and more. All works are for sale via cash, which can be paid to your server.
www.seanmonett.com
Instagram.com @nonsensepoetrycomics
Urban Bar is open from 5pm to 2:30am, seven days a week. This venue allows smoking and is limited to those 21 years of age or older. 109 N Central St, Knoxville, TN 37902. Phone: (865) 546-2800 or www.urbanbarknoxville.com
TVUUC Gallery: INDICIA by Jean Hess and Emily Taylor
Category: Exhibitions, visual art and Free event
Reception Friday, June 14, 6:00 to 7:30 pm. Artists’ talks at 6:30 pm.
Free and open to the public
“Indicia” is defined as indications, traces or evidence; something serving as a visible or tangible representation of a fact, quality or feeling. Mixed-media artists Emily Taylor and Jean Hess – long-time friends and colleagues -- make work about recollecting and reconsidering early memories, family history and chaotic life paths. They each gather and playfully experiment with found and natural materials along with traditional art media, aiming to surprise themselves and others.
Jean Hess’ work is in public collections including the Huntsville, Knoxville and Evansville museums of art as well as corporate and private collections. She writes about art, gives classes and opens her Knoxville studio and garden by appointment: www.jeanhess.com
Emily Taylor teaches studio art locally as an adjunct professor and in other workshop formats. She has shown her work locally, regionally and in group shows and private collections. Contact her to visit or come to an open studio in Bearden!
https://www.facebook.com/emilytaylorpaintings/
Instagram:@emilytaylor9515
Gallery hours: 9:30-4:30 Monday through Thursday, 9:00-1:00 Sunday
Art Exhibit at Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church, 2931 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37918
Tri-Star Arts: Outta Time with Joshua Bienko and Lester Merriweather
Category: Exhibitions, visual art and Free event
A two-person show, Outta Time, featuring recent works by artists Joshua Bienko (Knoxville, TN) and Lester Merriweather (Memphis, TN). Curator: Brian R. Jobe.
A preview reception will be held on Friday, June 7, 2024 from 5:00—8:00 pm. Additionally, there will be an artists’ reception on Friday, July 19, 2024 from 5:00—8:00 pm (artists in attendance). There will be an artist talk by Bienko and Merriweather beforehand on July 19 at 3:30pm.
Joshua Bienko (b. 1978, NY) received his MFA from the Lamar Dodd School of Art at the University of Georgia in 2008, and his BFA from the University of Buffalo in 2000. He has exhibited at NADA (NY), Dallas Contemporary (TX), Artpace (TX), Labor Ebertplatz (Köln), Vox Populi (PA), Big Medium (TX), OUTERSPACE (Facebook) and the Guggenheim Museum (in collaboration with YouTube Play Biennial). Most recently he has shown in New York, Portland, Baltimore, Brooklyn and Pittsburgh. He has also curated shows in Brooklyn, Queens, Seattle, and Gainesville and is one of the founding members of the artist-run space Ortega y Gasset Projects in Gowanus, and C for Courtside in Knoxville. He is a 2009 Tanne Foundation recipient, and a Hambidge Residency and V.C.C.A Fellow. Bienko is an Associate Professor in the School of Art at the University of Tennessee, where he teaches Drawing and Painting. “Who’s the G.O.A.T.? Jordan! Or maybe J.M.W. Turner. Yeah, Either Jordan or Turner.”
Lester Julian Merriweather (b. 1978) is a Memphis-based visual artist. He attended the Skowhegan School of Painting & Sculpture. He holds an MFA from Memphis College of Art and a BA from Jackson State University. Merriweather has exhibited extensively throughout the U.S. at various venues such as the Studio Museum (New York, NY), CAM (St. Louis, MO), TOPS Gallery, Crosstown Arts, and Powerhouse (Memphis, TN), Diverseworks (Houston, TX), Stella Jones Gallery (New Orleans, LA), and Atlanta Contemporary (Atlanta, GA). He has also exhibited internationally at the Zacheta National Gallery (Warsaw, Poland). Merriweather served as the first Curatorial Director of the Jones Gallery & the Martha & Robert Fogelman Galleries of Contemporary Art at the University of Memphis from 2010-2016. He worked on the Board of Directors for Number, Inc. independent journal where he created the Art of the South exhibition series. He is a founding member of the ArtsMemphis Artist Advisory Council and the artsAccelerator Grant Panel. He served as the Curatorial Consultant for the PPF Contemporary Art Collection (Memphis, TN). He is Emeritus for the Advisory Panel of TONE Memphis. Merriweather is participating in Multiplicity: Blackness in Contemporary American Collage. Originating at The Frist Art Museum (Nashville, TN), the exhibition travels to The Museum of Fine Arts (Houston, TX) and The Phillips Collection (Washington, D.C.).
Tri-Star Arts at Candoro Marble Building, 4450 Candora Drive, Knoxville, TN 37920. Hours: Tu-Sa 11-5. Information: https://tristararts.org/visit
Tri-Star Arts: Cien Años by Michael Giles
Category: Exhibitions, visual art and Free event
This show is located within the unique architectural space of a narrow wooden stairwell.
A preview reception will be held on Friday, June 7, 2024 from 5:00—8:00 pm. Additionally, there will be another reception on Friday, July 19, 2024 from 5:00—8:00 pm (artist in attendance).
Michael Giles is a Venezuelan-American artist working primarily in painting and drawing. He has exhibited nationally including SITE: Brooklyn (Brooklyn, NY), Core New Art Space (Denver, CO), Channel To Channel (Nashville, TN), William King Museum (Abingdon, VA), Crosstown Arts (Memphis, TN), Walters State Community College, Carson Newman University, and Fluorescent Gallery (Knoxville, TN). Born in Maracaibo, Venezuela, at the age of five he immigrated with his family to Baltimore, OH. He studied as part of the Reciprocal Exchange Program at Edith Cowan University (Perth, Australia, 1996) and received a BFA from The Ohio State University in 2000, and an MFA from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 2007. He is currently an Associate Professor of Art at Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, TN. He lives and works in Knoxville, TN, with his wife and son and various furry animals.
Tri-Star Arts at Candoro Marble Building, 4450 Candora Drive, Knoxville, TN 37920. Hours: Tu-Sa 11-5. Information: https://tristararts.org/visit