Bewitching evening benefits Jazz Orchestra

Posted on October 24, 2025 by Cynthia Moxley

“Evening Under the Stars” lived up to its name this year!

The Knoxville Jazz Orchestra’s signature fundraiser each year is called “Evening Under the Stars.” What made this year’s event different was that it actually was under the stars! They got rid of the big tent that usually is pitched on supporter Sherri Lee’s garage apron to accommodate the scores of attendees.

This year, the Jazz Orchestra played and people danced and dined al fresco and it was delightful! Rain plan was to move the whole shebang to Bistro by the Tracks in Bearden. Glad that wasn’t necessary because the night truly was magical. Continue reading →

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Design Center finds perfect party spot at Garden

Posted on October 21, 2025 by Cynthia Moxley

Duane Grieve, executive director of the East Tennessee Community Design Center, and Sharon Moore, executive director of the Knoxville Botanical Garden and Arboretum, welcome guests to the sprawling “Celebration of Design 2025” event at the Garden.

Some non-profit organizations stick to the same routine every year for their signature fundraisers. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” as the saying goes.

The Evergreen Ball benefiting Friends of the Smokies is always at Cherokee Country Club. Knox Heritage habitually holds its Preservation Awards event at the Mill & Mine. And the Volunteer Ministry Center‘s “Wine and Shine” party is consistently at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in downtown Knoxville. You get the idea.

But the East Tennessee Community Design Center takes another approach. They choose a different location each year for the “Celebration of Design” event. Alan and I have been to it at locations as diverse as Ijams Nature Center, the Knoxville Museum of Art, and the Tennessee Amphitheater at World’s Fair Park. That last one, held a few years ago, was memorable because we literally had to run out of the venue near the end as a severe lightning storm unexpectedly blew in. It prompted the bars and the silent auction to immediately close as an announcement ordered everyone to leave at once! 

This year, the signature event was held last week at Knoxville Botanical Garden and Arboretum. And, let me tell you, they took advantage of nearly every type of space the Garden has to offer. And, to our relief, the weather was great. We didn’t have to run for our lives! Continue reading →

Filed under: Events, Historic preservation | 4 Comments

Girl Scouts rally to recover from ruinous year

Posted on October 16, 2025 by Cynthia Moxley

Lynne Fugate, CEO of the Girl Scouts Council of the Southern Appalachians, delivered sobering — but yet hopeful — news.

The local council of the Girl Scouts has experienced its toughest year in the organization’s history due to Hurricane Helene which devastated communities in our area last fall. But if an enthusiastic (and festive) gathering of supporters earlier this week is any indication, the beloved non-profit should be on the mend soon.

 “Hurricane Helene devastated communities in our Council footprint,” Lynne Fugate, CEO of Girl Scouts Council of the Southern Appalachians, told supporters at Wednesday’s luncheon at the Press Room event center.

“Families lost belongings, homes, pets, and loved ones. Entire neighborhoods were swept away. And Girl Scouts was a part of that story. Troops were displaced. Supplies stored in church basements were washed out in the floods.”

In addition, she said that recruitment season — “normally the lifeblood of our fall” — was interrupted as families understandably focused on survival, not troop meetings. Continue reading →

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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 →

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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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