Calendar of Events

September 19-21: Fall Used Book Sale, Central United Methodist Church
Thursday, 3:00-7:00 (Members Only)
Friday, 10:00-5:00
Saturday, 10:00-5:00

Since 1970 Friends has donated over $1M to the Knox County Public Library. Our used book shop and book sales raised nearly $98,000 in FY 2023. Some of the library programs currently receiving support from Friends of the Library include the new Storybook Trails program, the Children’s Festival of Reading, Summer Library Club, and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Knox County.
https://www.knoxfriends.org/book-sales/

Thursday, September 19, 2024, at 7:30 p.m. | TICKETS
Friday, September 20, 2024, at 7:30 p.m. | TICKETS
Tennessee Theatre

The Knoxville Symphony’s MoxCar Marketing + Communications Masterworks Series welcomes back East Tennessee audiences with renewed, triumphant energy in a program that features Ortiz’s magical “Kauyumari,” Gershwin’s dazzling, jazz-influenced Concerto in F and Beethoven’s bracing Fifth Symphony, whose unmistakable four-note opening motif embarks listeners on a journey from turmoil to triumph.

Aram Demirjian, conductor
Natasha Paremski, piano

GABRIELA ORTIZ: Kauyumari
GEORGE GERSHWIN: Concerto in F
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 5

Knoxville Symphony Orchestra: 865-291-3310, www.knoxvillesymphony.com

Local Voices: Author Talks at the Historic Ramsey House is a year-long event that will spotlight a different author each month, providing attendees with a unique opportunity to explore the diverse talents shaping the region's literary landscape. Attendees can expect engaging presentations, discussions, and Q&A sessions with featured authors, providing an enriching experience for writers and book lovers of all ages. Admission to all events is free, and the entire community is invited to join in celebrating the power of storytelling.

Historic Ramsey House, 2614 Thorngrove Pike, Knoxville, TN 37914. Information: 865-546-0745, www.ramseyhouse.org

Join us on Market Square, located in the heart of Downtown Knoxville, for free concerts during the summer of 2024!

Concerts on the Square presented by Comcast will feature a variety of Jazz music on Tuesdays in May, June & September from 7 p.m.-9 p.m. and a variety of music genres on the Third Thursdays in the months of May-September.

Variety Thursdays 7 p.m.-9 p.m.

Enjoy Square Dancing on Market Square! You will be able to learn how to Square Dance and dance the night away. Bring your friends, family or meet someone new at the event and enjoy the Do Si Do and Promenade and so much more!

Free parking is available in all City owned garages after 6pm. Market Square Garage, Locust Street Garage, State Street Garage, and Langley Garage are the closest to Market Square. https://www.knoxvilletn.gov/government/city_departments_offices/special_events/concerts_on_the_square

Stay informed about the bands performing and any weather-related cancellations by checking the City of Knoxville Special Events Facebook page at www.facebook.com/CityofKnoxvilleSpecialEvents.

Cat Power Sings Dylan: The 1966 Royal Albert Hall Concert, Thursday, September 19, 8:00 PM, at the Bijou Theatre.

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

Thursday, September 19, 2024 6:00 PM

Get groovy with the Appalachian Ballet Company as they open their season with contemporary dance works performed to music from Generation X (1965-1980). Join us for dinner on the plaza before enjoying an evening of dance! Performance only tickets are also available.

The Clayton Center for the Arts – Ronald and Lynda Nutt Theatre

https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/79959143/blue-jeansxballet-maryville-the-clayton-center-for-the-arts-ronald-and-lynda-nutt-theatre

The Black Power Rangers are a group of sharp, insightful, Black comedians from the South. Their revolving and growling lineup has been making audiences laugh since 2022. They are embarking on their third tour this fall and will be at The Bottom on September 19th. Come laugh as they effortlessly weave social commentary with pop culture for a uniquely hilarious show. Featuring stand-up from Wills Maxwell Jr. (Wilmington, NC), Jordan Centry (Charlotte, NC), Richard Douglas Jones (Memphis, TN), and Brandi Augustus (Knoxville, TN). This is a show you can't miss!

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

Jubilee Community Arts is a benefitting participant in this year's Square on the Square square dance on Market Square in Downtown Knoxville on Thursday, September 19 at 7 pm. Stan Sharp will call a beginner friendly square dance on Market Square with the Spring Lizards performing. The event is free but donations to Jubilee Community Arts will be accepted and information about our coming events available.

The mission of Jubilee Community Arts is to promote, preserve and present the performing arts of the Southern region and to nurture the cultural milieu responsible for the birth and evolution of these and related art forms.

Jubilee Community Arts at the Laurel Theater (865) 522-5851
www.jubileearts.org

Union Ave Books is excited to present Dr. Gilya Schmidt for Hazzan Mordecai Gustav Heiser: An Artist, His Art, and the Cantor Tradition in America. This event will take place on Thursday, September 19th at 6pm at our bookstore. This is a free event. Please RSVP here: https://www.unionavebooks.com/event/author-event-dr-gilya-gerda-schmidt

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
GILYA GERDA SCHMIDT is professor emerita of Religious Studies and director emerita of the Fern and Manfred Steinfeld Program in Judaic Studies at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Her most recent book is Süssen Is Now Free of Jews: World War II, the Holocaust, and Rural Judaism.

ABOUT THE BOOK
When Gilya Gerda Schmidt met him in 1986, Cantor Heiser had spent forty-six of his eighty-one years as a US citizen and was well-acquainted with mourning. Heiser had assumed the cantorate at Congregation B’nai Israel in the East End of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1942. A master of the cantor’s art, he was renowned for his style, elegant choir and service arrangements, and rich, dolesome voice, which seemed to pass effortlessly into hearers’ hearts.

But this book is more than a memorial to Heiser. Schmidt melds decades of archival research, conservation efforts, family interviews, and trips to Jerusalem and Berlin into a critical reconstruction of the life and vision of Hazzan Mordecai Gustav Heiser in the multiple contexts that shaped him. Coming of age in Berlin in the afterglow of the Second German Empire meant that young Gustav had tasted European Jewish culture in a rare state of refinement and modernity. But by January 30, 1940, when he reached New York with his wife, Elly, and two-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Judith, Cantor Heiser had lost nearly all of his living family relations to the extermination programs of the German Reich, after narrowly surviving a brief incarceration at Sachsenhausen.

While Cantor Heiser’s art was steeped in nineteenth-century tradition, Schmidt contends that Heiser’s music was a powerful affirmation of Jewish life in the twentieth century. In a final chapter, Schmidt describes his influence on the American cantorate and American culture and society.

https://utpress.org/title/hazzan-mordecai-gustav-heiser/
https://www.unionavebooks.com/event/launch-party-emily-b-riddle

September 19, 2024
Carl Gombert: Radiant Geometry
Club at Tellico Village

Art Guild Meeting in the top floor of The Tellico Village Yacht Club, 100 Sequoyah Road
Loudon, TN 37774, at 10 AM; Coffee at 9:45.

Join us to hear Carl's presentation of how (and why) he makes big sparkly mixed media mandalas! A mandala is typically composed of circles with repeating symmetrical shapes. They often symbolize balance, harmony, or unity and represent that everything in the universe is connected.

Carl Gombert was born in Brimfield, Ohio, in 1959. He started taking painting lessons at the age of 14 with money he earned delivering newspapers. He completed a BFA in drawing from the University of Akron and an MFA in painting from Kent State University. He worked as a stagehand before earning a PhD in interdisciplinary fine arts at Texas Tech University. He has exhibited in more than 350 locales across the United States and abroad and his work is in numerous museum and university collections. Since 1993 he has taught painting, drawing, and art history at Maryville College.
Website: gombertart.com/

Art Guild of Tellico Village, 128 Saligugi Way, Loudon, TN 37774. Info: agtv.president@gmail.com or www.tellicoartguild.com

Join us for a special evening as we dive into the rich history of the Birdhouse with a captivating mini-documentary, masterfully crafted by Jarius Bush with mentee Auna Goode in collaboration with Knoxville Community Media on September 19, 5:30-7:30 PM.
This special event will feature:
Inspiring Talks: Hear firsthand from key figures who have shaped the Birdhouse's storied past.
Refreshments & Drinks: Enjoy light bites and beverages as you mingle and celebrate.
Don’t miss this chance to honor a cherished landmark and connect with its vibrant history. We can’t wait to see you there!

Birdhouse Neighborhood Center https://www.fourthandgill.org/birdhouse-neighborhood-center
800 N 4th Ave
Knoxville, TN 37917-6705

Looking for a unique way to explore nature and learn about a forgotten piece of American history? Join us for National Pawpaw Day at Seven Islands State Birding Park on Thursday, September 19, 2024, from 5:00 PM to 7:30 PM.

The pawpaw, the largest fruit native to North America, once played a significant role in our nation's history. But why has it become America's Forgotten Fruit? This event offers a chance to discover the fascinating story behind the pawpaw and its relevance in today’s world. Registered guests can check in at the Bluebird Barn anytime between 5:00 PM and 7:30 PM, where you’ll have the opportunity to watch an educational video that explores the history and unique characteristics of the pawpaw tree. Afterward, you’re invited to take a walk along the ADA-accessible trail leading to the island, where Ranger Clare will be waiting at the pawpaw patch. Here’s what you can look forward to:

• Pawpaw Treats: Sample delicious treats made from this unique fruit.
• Crafts and Activities: Engage in fun, pawpaw-themed crafts for all ages.
• Foraging Opportunity: Registered guests can forage for pawpaws and take a few home!

Make sure to wear comfortable shoes and come prepared to walk approximately 2 miles along the paved path. If inclement weather forces us to cancel the event, you will receive an email notification within 4 hours of the scheduled start time.
Don’t miss this chance to celebrate National Pawpaw Day and learn all about America’s Forgotten Fruit—we hope to see you there! https://reserve.tnstateparks.com/register/national-pawpaw-day-2024