Knoxville Symphony League pulls off small miracle; Diner au Blanc et Noir succeeds despite windy storm

Posted on September 30, 2025 by Cynthia Moxley

Kim Cunningham, left, is the president of the Knoxville Symphony League and was in charge of rallying the troops to make a great success out of a set of challenging circumstances. Other League members, from left: Saundra Daniels, Linda Royston, and Cathy Briscoe.

Those of us involved with the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra know that the (mostly) women of the Knoxville Symphony League are capable of producing a wide variety of events under sometimes challenging circumstances.

But a little over a week ago, I really thought the talented and determined group may have met its match. A scant couple of hours before the long-planned outdoor dinner party called “Diner au Blanc et Noir” was to start in the yard of a historic home on Black Oak Ridge in north Knoxville, a violent storm tore through the area. Continue reading →

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Knox Heritage picks top preservationists at fun soiree

Posted on September 25, 2025 by Cynthia Moxley

Doug and Jane McCarty. He’s chairman emeritus of McCarty Holsaple McCarty.

McCarty Holsaple McCarty (MHM) took the “Preservationists of the Year” award recently at the Scruffy City Soiree, a rollicking party in Knoxville’s Old City hosted by the area’s leading preservation organization, Knox Heritage. 

“From the restoration of the Tennessee Theatre to the adaptive reuse of St. Mary’s Hospital as the City of Knoxville’s Public Safety Complex, MHM’s work reflects a deep respect for the past paired with a vision for the future,” Knox Heritage said in explaining the architectural company’s selection.

The firm currently is leading multiple restorations, including that of the Sanitary Laundry Building on Broadway, which will become MHM’s new office  when it is completed. “With a portfolio spanning 60 years, MHM continues to shape the region through thoughtful preservation, adaptive reuse, and design excellence,” Knox Heritage said.

The “Soiree,” held at the Mill & Mine, itself a historic property, provided a cocktail hour, a delicious dinner, the awards program, and dancing to one of my favorite bands, The Tennessee Sheiks. Continue reading →

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Tremont raises spirits — and $310K — at Marblegate

Posted on September 16, 2025 by Cynthia Moxley

It’s always great to see Jim and Michell Clayton. I’ve known Jim more than 40 years. I covered him as a reporter and he was my first client when I started Moxley Communications, the precursor of Moxley Carmichael and now MoxCar Marketing + Communications.

Another successful “Tremont Celebration at Marblegate Farm” last month raised more than $310,000 to continue the non-profit’s mission of providing experiential environmental education. The fundraising dinner and auction at the beautiful Friendsville, Tenn,, farm of Bill and Donna Cobble was a sellout, as usual.

This relaxed and convivial evening with its long cocktail hour and relaxed outdoor vibe always provides an opportunity to catch up with our Blount and Sevier County friends as well as our Knoxville buddies. Since Alan is on the board of the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont, we bought a table of 10 and hired a driver in a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter to take us safely there and back. As usual, the ride was almost as much fun as the event!

A big announcement at this year’s soiree was that Tremont has achieved its goal to raise enough money to fund a $5 million endowment. That endowment will provide scholarships that will allow hundreds of students to personally experience and learn about the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Continue reading →

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“An Enchanted Evening” lives up to its billing!

Posted on August 28, 2025 by Cynthia Moxley

The group started with cocktails and a tour of the garden where Adrian and Larsen Jay grow vegetables and flowers. Larsen said tending the garden is his “therapy.”

I have to say the description of the auction item that a group of Knoxville Symphony supporters went in together to bid on was very apt. “An Enchanted Evening,” the program at the Symphony Ball said.

It truly did turn out to be magical this past Sunday night when 20 of us gathered to redeem the item. It entailed dinner provided by Joseph Lenn, Knoxville’s only James Beard Award-winning chef, and his great staff at J.C. Holdway at the beautiful Bearden-area home of Symphony Board member Adrian Jay, her husband Larsen, and two sons, Alexander and Henry. Bonus was a short pre-dinner recital by KSO Conductor Aram Demirjian, Concertmaster Will Shaub, and pianist Andrew Duncan. Continue reading →

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Larsen Jay’s message resounds with downtown crowd

Posted on August 15, 2025 by Cynthia Moxley

Mayoral candidate Larsen Jay with popular Knoxville caterer Holly Hambright at a reception in downtown Knoxville on Tuesday.

Besides being an excellent candidate for Knox County Mayor next year, I appreciate Larsen Jay for another important reason: he’s a great excuse for a really fun party!

Alan and I — with the support of an impressive host committee — held a “Meet & Greet” gathering for him earlier this week at our condo in the J.C. Penney building on Gay Street. We had a fun, mostly downtown-centric crowd and got a chance to hear first-hand why he thinks he is the best candidate for the position.

A member of Knox County Commission for the past seven years, Jay is an accomplished businessman and community supporter. “The Mayor of Knox County is essentially the CEO of the county,” said my husband, Alan Carmichael, in his introduction of the candidate. “And Larsen is an experienced and successful CEO.”

For his part, Jay said he would focus on fiscal responsibility if he is elected next year, as well as infrastructure improvement, public safety, and economic development. A Republican, Jay said his family is one of Tennessee’s “First Families,” having lived in the Volunteer State for seven generations. Continue reading →

Filed under: Knoxville, Politics | 5 Comments

Wine & Shine: great fun for a great cause

Posted on July 31, 2025 by Cynthia Moxley

The cause was serious, but the mood was festive at the Wine & Shine event which raised $60,000 for Volunteer Ministry Center. From left, Megan Venable, Benny Smith, and Gay Lyons yuck it up!

Volunteer Ministry Center had another sold-out Don Sproles Wine & Shine fundraiser to support the ongoing operations of the “housing first” program that combats homelessness in our community. 

Although the event, which features both a wine tasting and a moonshine tasting, is always entertaining, the cause is super serious. Every year more than 9,000 individuals access homeless services in Knoxville. As a downtown dweller, I see the problem every day. But it’s not just an urban problem anymore. You see apparently unhoused people all over town now — from Bearden to deep west Knoxville and the other suburbs.

Volunteer Ministry Center’s philosophy is that people need to be provided with housing before they can address the problems that caused them to be in that situation in the first place, whether it’s mental health or substance misuse.

The Wine & Shine event, in its 13th year, is named in honor of the late restaurateur Don Sproles who, along with his wife, Karen, founded the popular Lunchbox cafes. Don was a longtime board member and supporter of Volunteer Ministry Center. Continue reading →

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Bijou Jubilee: a legend and a big blowout

Posted on July 28, 2025 by Cynthia Moxley

Rocking out to the tunes of the Knoxville Opera Gospel Choir at the street party prior to the Mavis Staples concert. From left, Bryson Walker, Pamela Moss-Mize, and Becky Fuller.

We knew we would see a good concert when we planned to attend the Bijou Theatre‘s Jubilee fundraiser recently featuring legendary blues and gospel singer Mavis Staples. But I had no idea how moving the experience would be. 

Staples, who was 85 when she performed at the event (she’s since turned 86), had to sit down from time to time in a chair provided on stage, but her voice was still strong and her big personality really captured the evening. 

Staples is the youngest and only surviving member of the famous Staple Singers, a band made up of her father and her siblings, in addition to Mavis. You may recognize some of their best-known tunes which include “Uncloudy Day,”  “I’ll Take You There,”  “Let’s Do It Again,” and “You Are Not Alone,” which she released on her own.

She has won three Grammy Awards, plus the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. She was named one of the “100 Greatest Singers of All Time” by Rolling Stone in 2008 and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame(1999)  and the Gospel Music Hall of Fame (2018).  Continue reading →

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Friends honor Earlene Teaster as she leaves historic post

Posted on July 23, 2025 by Cynthia Moxley

U.S. Congresswoman Diana Harshbarger embraced Earlene Teaster at her retirement party last month.

I don’t think anyone knew how much it meant to me to be invited last month to the big blowout at LeConte Center in Pigeon Forge for Earlene Teaster‘s retirement from her long tenure as Pigeon Forge city manager.

I first met her in 1979 when I was a wet-behind-the ears cub reporter in Sevier County and she was the city recorder for Pigeon Forge. She was kind to me as I covered Pigeon Forge City Commission meetings for the Gatlinburg Press and Sevier County News-Record, which today are published together as The Mountain Press. I admit I was a little intimidated by her confidence. She was an old hat at it, having first gone to work for Pigeon Forge in 1962, the same year the city was incorporated.

In 1980, I moved on to report for The Knoxville Journal. And Earlene Teaster was named city manager of Pigeon Forge, making her the first female city manager in Tennessee. When she retired on June 30, she also had the distinction of being the longest-serving city manager in Tennessee. Continue reading →

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Downtown Home Tour takeaway: more choices than ever

Posted on July 15, 2025 by Cynthia Moxley

The viewing porch at Yardley Flats is one of the new additions to the amenities available with downtown Knoxville living.

Every year when the Blue Streak reports on the Downtown Home Tour — whether when it was sponsored by the City People organization or its current sponsor, East Tennessee Historical Society — the thing that’s been most striking is the diversity of options available in downtown living. 

Well, this year that concept was taken to a whole new level with the addition of the 233 apartments available at Yardley Flats, located in the two high-rise buildings on the east side of Covenant Health Park, the new home of the Knoxville Smokies baseball team and One Knoxville, the soccer club. Continue reading →

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Fascinating downtown home tour; but a little bad news

Posted on July 14, 2025 by Cynthia Moxley

Condo owner Susan Brown, left, and her friend Jacque Hawks welcomed guests to Susan’s stunning condo on the second floor of Regas Square during the VIP reception.

There’s good news and bad news from this year’s Downtown Home Tour, an inside look at some real life condominiums and apartments in several of Knoxville’s most notable buildings sponsored by the East Tennessee Historical Society.

The good news is that the home tour, held last month, was fascinating, featuring a wide range of beautiful residences. It was so good, in fact, that the Blue Streak will have two posts about it — this one featuring the opening party and two condos, and another one tomorrow with the rest of the homes. That post will spotlight perhaps the most interesting stop: the new Yardley Flats apartments at Covenant Health Park.

OK. Here’s the bad news. Unless another non-profit or other organization picks it up, this will be the last year for the tour.  Continue reading →

Filed under: Downtown, Events, Knoxville | 6 Comments