Gubernatorial candidate Bill Haslam spoke to the Farragut Chamber at breakfast this morning and, in my opinion, the most interesting thing was what was NOT said.
In a room of 100 people who were given a very generous amount of time to ask questions, guess what: no one asked about guns. Not one single person. They [...]

Filed under: Downtown, Knoxville, Politics | 5 Comments »

Upscale clothier M.S. McClellan has been receiving what its owners describe as “anonymous, hateful, personal and harassing letters” and has sent out an appeal to its customers for help identifying the perpetrator.
In an e-mail sent today to customers, owners of the store, located in the Melrose Place shopping center on Kingston Pike, describe the troubling [...]

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“A Streetcar Named Desire” closed with a matinee at the Clarence Brown Theatre yesterday, capping a run that boasted many sold-out performances and box office revenue that exceeded projections by a comfortable margin.
And last night the theater celebrated its 35th anniversary with a gala at the Foundry that easily exceeded its $35,000 fundraising goal. It [...]

Filed under: Events, Knoxville, Theater | 11 Comments »

Hundreds of happy regulars poured into The Orangery last night in a party mood. The beloved eatery hosted a reception to celebrate its reopening under new management since owner Karen Kendrick retired in March, closing the doors of Knoxville’s highest-end restaurant.
David Kiger, who worked as maitre’d at the establishment for seven years in his 20s, [...]

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It’s a conundrum, John Lansing told members of the Knoxville Area Urban League Young Professionals Monday night. It’s hard as heck to recruit creative, talented employees to Knoxville to work for Scripps Networks. But once they get here, they never want to leave.
Lansing is the president of Scripps Networks. Sounds like the same thing the [...]

Filed under: Events, Knoxville, Media | No Comments »

The setting was idyllic and the weather cooperated for the 24th year in a row Sunday as 450 music and nature lovers gathered at Ijams Nature Center to share a casual outdoor dinner and hear the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra play.
Organizers wisely streamlined the evening this year by shortening the program and holding the live auction [...]

Filed under: Events, Knoxville, Music | 2 Comments »

Wow! There were so many things going on in and around downtown last night, it was impossible to be everywhere I was supposed to be. I teamed up with my friend Susan Brown and here is a sample of a few events we either attended or had someone we know attend. And there were some, such as [...]

Filed under: Downtown, Events, Historic preservation, Knoxville, Politics | 4 Comments »

“I don’t know why these giant white tour buses are outside my door, but I’m getting dang tired of hearing them idle and sigh. This is my home.”
That was the frustrated tweet posted near bedtime on August 28 by CocoHolder, whose real name is Jennifer Holder, a long-time downtown resident and avid Twitterer.
What Holder did not know [...]

Filed under: Downtown, Knoxville, New media, Politics | 7 Comments »

How can a place have a personality? How can a place be organic?
He doesn’t know the answers to that. But Jack Neely knows that Market Square has those qualities.
Neely, Knoxville’s unofficial historian, made those observations Wednesday night at a book-launching party for his new paperback, “Market Square: A History of the Most Democratic Place on [...]

Filed under: Downtown, Historic preservation, Journalism, Knoxville, Media, Music | 2 Comments »

The smell of football is in the air. You can almost feel the excitement building with each passing day. All the orange clothes are being moved to the front of the closet.
But guess what. While everyone is getting ready for football season, the cultural season also is kicking off. And you need to get your tickets now because [...]

Filed under: Events, Knoxville, Music, Theater | No Comments »