Just another Thursday night in K-town

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 the Twestival held at the Knoxville Zoo, that we just had to bag.

Laura Bower and Lucille Griffo at Intro Knox

Laura Bower and Lucille Griffo at Intro Knox

What a great problem to have. And on a rainy Thursday night, at that! Love this town! (But you already knew that.)

It looked like about 60 or 70 folks who showed up at the East Tennessee History Center for the kick-off reception of  Introduction Knoxville, the sort of “Leadership Knoxville Light” that is an immersion course in all things Knoxville.  It is designed for newcomers to our community, but a lot of old-time residents sign up for it each year just to reacquaint themselves with the many different aspects of our hometown.

Then it was on to Four Market Square for Nucleus Knoxville, the group of young-ish self-proclaimed “emerging leaders.” It’s a group I aged out of several years ago but still drop in on from time to time. The speaker last night was Regal’s Mike Campbell. The speakers are a draw for sure, but I swear most of the folks go for the before and after gathering and imbibing. I know I always did.

At Nucleus, from left: Robert Cathey, Kim Henry, Jennifer Holder, Liz Nother, Jill Van Beke and Jeff Christiansen

At Nucleus, from left: Robert Cathey, Kim Henry, Jennifer Holder, Liz Nother, Jill Van Beke and Jeff Christiansen

More Nucleoids, from left: Whit Addicks, Nick Myers, Chris Van Beke and Booth Kammann

More Nucleoids, from left: Whit Addicks, Nick Myers, Chris Van Beke and Booth Kammann

Over on World’s Fair Park under a large tent was a Knox Heritage event I was supposed to attend. My friend Gay Lyons provided these photos. She said the torrential rainfall at the beginning of the evening did nothing to dampen spirits. HGTV prez Jim Samples was the keynote speaker and told how impressed he is with downtown and Market Square, in particular. He also said Knox Heritage’s efforts to preserve our historic treasurers contribute a great deal – not only to his own life, but to his company’s ability to attract and retain great employees. The Black Lilies performed.

At the Knox Heritage event, from left: John Sanders, Shane Patrick, Brandon and Ashley Pace, Marshall Stair and Cruz Contreras

At the Knox Heritage event, from left: John Sanders, Shane Patrick, Brandon and Ashley Pace, Marshall Stair and Cruz Contreras

More Knox Heritage fans, from left: Tracy and David Dewhirst, Dan and Lisa Duncan, John Craig, Hillari Dowdle and Coury Tourzyn

More Knox Heritage fans, from left: Tracy and David Dewhirst, Dan and Lisa Duncan, John Craig, Hillari Dowdle and Coury Tourzyn

Over at the Crowne Plaza, Alan, my sweet hubby, represented us at the fundraising “extravaganza” – yes, that’s what the invitation said – for Lincoln Memorial University’s new law school. Our friend Lynn Duncan was in charge of the event and her husband, Congressman Jimmy Duncan, provided a video-taped message. He had to be in Washington and couldn’t attend, but he obviously has a strong interest – the law school is named for him. An auction featuring a diamond necklace, a stay in Jim and Natalie Haslam’s vacation home and many other fab items was deemed a big success. Jack E. Williams provided this photo for The Blue Streak.

At the LMU fundraiser, from left: Robert Watson, Pete DeBusk, Dean, Lynn Duncan and Justice Gary Wade

At the LMU fundraiser, from left: Robert Watson, Pete DeBusk, Dean Sydney Beckman, Lynn Duncan and Justice Gary Wade

Whew! We ended the evening with nightcaps at the Bistro where folks from several of the other events also convened briefly. It was nice to have our tiny little condo downtown within walking distance. Need I say it again? Why not? I love this town!

Filed under: Downtown, Events, Historic preservation, Knoxville, Politics. Bookmark the permalink.

4 Responses to Just another Thursday night in K-town

  1. John Craig, on September 11th, 2009 at 6:48 pm said:

    Thanks to all who chose the fresh air and sideways rain over tamer indoor events. We had a great time and thanked some outstanding sponsors of Knox Heritage’s historic preservation activities.

  2. Gay Lyons, on September 12th, 2009 at 12:07 pm said:

    For those of us still figuring out how to attend 5 events simultaneously, thank goodness for the Blue Streak. It’s almost as good as being there.

  3. Cynthia Moxley, on September 12th, 2009 at 3:35 pm said:

    Thanks to you for your assistance, Gay! Can’t be everywhere at once without friends in far-flung places.

  4. Scott Brooks, on September 14th, 2009 at 8:30 am said:

    Great seeing you at Intro Knox! Just have Bob do the photos and play by play from Twestival and you have the entire night covered!

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