Marilyn Monroe greeted guests as we arrived Sunday evening at Dawn and Richard Ford’s house for the Academy Awards party. When the door opened, “Ryan Sequins” appeared with a microphone to interview everyone on the red carpet that had been rolled out. That pretty much set the stage for the evening.
The folks gathered were members [...]

Filed under: Art, Knoxville, Media | 1 Comment »

The smallest public TV station in the country is in Cookeville, TN.
In some parts of Alaska, the public TV station is the only TV station on the air.
Public TV reaches 99 percent of the United States.

These were just a few of the facts that Public Broadcasting Service CEO Paula Kerger shared with about 60 folks [...]

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Former University of Tennessee football coach Johnny Majors was guest of honor Sunday at one of the Knoxville Symphony League’s “Elegant Dining” dinners and I, for one, was surprised and touched by some of what he had to say. He and his wife, Mary Lynn, have just returned from a trip to South Africa and [...]

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Last year, I went to this great event by myself and had a really fun time. This year, my husband Alan went too and after experiencing it — and seeing the dancers’ outfits — he’s ready to buy tickets for next year! And our neighbor, Bart, who joined us, says he’s ready to sign up [...]

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I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait until Restaurant Week! That is a first-ever event in Knoxville set for Feb. 27 through March 4. During that time, about 30 high-profile Knoxville restaurants will offer fixed price meals — three courses for either $25 or $35 — and donate $5 per meal to Second [...]

Filed under: Business, Downtown, Events, Knoxville, Media, Public Relations | 8 Comments »

Some of us were trying to schedule a small meeting at the Knoxville Convention Center a couple of weeks ago and the only available space there was the office of Mary Bogert, the center’s general manager. “I apologize, but every single room in the building is in use,” Bogert explained. “It’s a good problem to [...]

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When Jim Haslam was just getting started in the gas station business more than 50 years ago, his average station sold about $12,000 worth of gasoline, cigarettes, motor oil, soft drinks and food per month. Today, the average Pilot Flying J Travel Center grosses more than $3.7 million per month and sells, as Haslam puts [...]

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In Luke 4:4, Jesus says, “It is written. Man cannot live by bread alone.” John B. Waters Jr. would add, “Unless it’s cornbread!”
Mr. Waters, the well-known Sevierville lawyer and former chairman of the Tennessee Valley Authority Board of Directors, has published a charming little essay on the subject of cornbread. He mailed it to several [...]

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Well, they’re not wimps, that’s for sure!
Nineteen great (and brave) guys offered themselves up for auction last night to raise money for Friends of Literacy. “Guys That Give,” the first annual bachelor auction for Friends, was a rip-roaring success. All the guys were “sold” to very competitive ladies for prices up to $500. Each bachelor came with [...]

Filed under: Events, Knoxville, Media | 9 Comments »

OK. OK. I heard some grumbling because I “didn’t show enough ball gowns” in my two reports on the gubernatorial inauguration last month. So I decided to make it up to you.
In Knoxville, the Evergreen Ball is arguably the dressiest of all the local fundraisers. Held at Cherokee Country Club (more on that later), it [...]

Filed under: Events, Knoxville, Music | 9 Comments »