Someone who wakes up every day thinking about how to get more retail businesses to locate in downtown Knoxville. That’s what some folks think we need.
The other school of thought, though, is more like, “If we build it, they will come.” Don’t spend money on a dedicated recruiter, but rather spend money making downtown even [...]

Filed under: Downtown, Events, Historic preservation, Knoxville, Politics | 10 Comments »

That was the instruction from Robert Loest, a nationally known investment adviser and downtown Knoxville resident, who was one of the organizers of the first annual “Strollstice” last night.
More than 50 people gathered at the Market House bell on Market Square to pick up candles and parade through Market Square, down Gay Street and other [...]

Filed under: Downtown, Events | 5 Comments »

More than150 folks donned “Rosy’s Diner” baseball caps and filed into the ballroom of the Crowne Plaza hotel Friday night for a laugh-filled celebration of News Sentinel editorial cartoonist Charlie Daniel’s 80th birthday.
Rosy’s Diner is a staple location for much of the action that takes place in Daniel’s cartoons. Good sport Donna Colburn of the News Sentinel put [...]

Filed under: Downtown, Events, Journalism, Knoxville, Media, Politics | 4 Comments »

If you believe, as I do, that more cookies equal less grumpiness, you should consider hosting a cookie exchange. We have done it for seven years and each year the cookies get better and better. From time to time during a particularly busy holiday season, we suggest that we might skip a year. But the outcry [...]

Filed under: Events, Knoxville | 9 Comments »

“Good communities don’t just happen,” Patrick Birmingham told area leaders last week. “This is a great community because the people in this room have worked hard to make it great.”
 
Birmingham is the new publisher of the Knoxville News Sentinel. Bruce Hartmann, the former publisher who recently was promoted to a larger role in the News [...]

Filed under: Downtown, Events, Journalism, Knoxville, Media, Public Relations | No Comments »

A lot has been happening since the Blue Streak reported on several local controversies. Here are a few quick updates:

You might remember this story from July. It involves a dispute at Kendrick Place condos over a pear tree growing on the property line between Kendrick Place and the Masonic Lodge on Locust Street. Some residents [...]

Filed under: Art, Downtown, Events, Knoxville | 1 Comment »

We thought we’d run to Nashville for a few days over Thanksgiving. But it was almost as if we had never left home.
We went to see some live music at The Rutledge, which Nashville’s Rage Magazine describes as “one of the most eye and ear pleasing venues in the entire Southeast.” Guess who was playing: Christabel [...]

Filed under: Art, Knoxville, Music | 5 Comments »