Weather gods bless Symphony’s outdoor event this year

Posted on October 2, 2026 by Cynthia Moxley

Lyle Irish has the right idea!

The best thing about events held at the lovely Ridgefield Manor in Knoxville’s Fountain City neighborhood is not only the charming 1914 house itself, but the stunning views of Knoxville and the Great Smoky Mountains the sprawling yard provides.

That’s why the Knoxville Symphony League holds its signature “Diner au Blanc et Noir” dinner and music event outside there. But, that decision has probably put a few gray hairs on the heads of League members as they anticipate all manner of weather that can roll through the highest point in Knoxville on the selected late summer evening of the event.

Last year’s date brought wind and rain that stopped just minutes before the party started. This year, the threat returned, although, thankfully, it passed a little earlier in the afternoon giving hosts and volunteers a wee more breathing room.

Ron Hall and Robert York own Ridgefield Manor, the Charles Barber-designed home built by Charles J. and Anna Gay McClung as a summer residence. They generously allow the Symphony League and other civic groups to stage events there. This one was two weeks ago. Continue reading →

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A bash for history — and a darn good time!

Posted on September 29, 2026 by Cynthia Moxley

From left, Jeffrey DeAlejandro, Christine Cloninger, and Jeffrey Nash. DeAlejandro and Nash are with The Courtland Group, honored as Preservationists of the Year. Nash is the founder. Cloninger is executive director of Knox Heritage.

When out-of-towners visit Knoxville, they invariably remark about how “charming” our city is. It doesn’t matter if they are from Nashville, New York, or Europe! I hear it tons of times during the Big Ears Festival, for example, and it always makes me proud.

The truth is that a large part of Knoxville’s charm is the preservation, reuse, and repurposing of our historic buildings. And the organization that is largely to credit for that is Knox Heritage, which not only identifies historic properties that are in danger of being lost, but lobbies for and publicizes the buildings.

The Scruffy City Soiree is Knox Heritage’s largest fundraiser each year and, in addition to raising money, it honors “The Preservationist of the Year.” This year the honor went to The Courtland Group. “The Courtland Group is a preservation-focused real estate development and investment company dedicated to revitalizing historic buildings and underutilized urban neighborhoods throughout East Tennessee,” a statement from Knox Heritage said. Continue reading →

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Jim Haslam, “greatest letterman,” honored with statue

Posted on September 22, 2026 by Cynthia Moxley

Jim Haslam seems to approve of the statue of him that was unveiled Friday at the University of Tennessee. He and his late wife, Natalie, are among the largest donors to the University of Tennessee. The college of business at UT is named for him; and the college of music is named for her.

Jim Haslam says that everything he has accomplished in his 95 years on this Earth started on the football field at the University of Tennessee.

Haslam was honored with the unveiling of a statue of his likeness Friday afternoon on the University of Tennessee campus. Crafted by renowned sculptor Brian Hanlon, it stands in front of the north entrance to the Neyland-Thompson Sports Center.

“We lived our whole life in the stadium,” said Haslam, who was a starter on the offensive line of the 1951 national championship team and captain of the 1952 football team. “I learned there that you have to surround yourself with good people. So many good things that have happened to me started on that football field.”

Haslam was a high school football star in St. Petersburg, Fla., before coming to UT in 1948 and becoming the first person in his family to graduate from college.

The temperature on Friday afternoon was near 90, but thanks to the foresight of UT planners, a huge white tent with fans pointing inward from all directions made it feel almost comfortable. And another tip of the hat to the organizers who, despite having five speakers, kept the formal ceremony to 38 minutes, a nod to the honoree who is famous for his desire to keep programs as short as possible. The crowd of 100 or so consisted mostly of family and close personal friends of Haslam, as well as top UT brass. Continue reading →

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Eateries to diners: Please be careful with your criticism

Posted on September 11, 2026 by Cynthia Moxley

Darrell Benton of Benton’s Country Hams was one of the featured guests on Saturday at The Gathering at RT Lodge. Here he slices ham for a charcuterie plate.

Don’t worry. There will be plenty of pictures of great food in this post. After all, it is a continuation of the Blue Streak’s report on “The Gathering” at RT Lodge, which is a weekend of guest chefs, panel discussions, and other food-related activities held recently at the Maryville resort. (For the first part, see the previous Blue Streak post.)

But there was serious talk, too. One of the most interesting topics, to me, was how seriously the chefs and restaurant owners take customer reviews. RT Lodge’s executive chef, Trevor Stockton, said that it takes 49 five-star reviews on Yelp to neutralize an eatery’s rating after a single one-star review is posted! I found that shocking. And maybe a little unfair.

All the panelists said that they want to hear about any subpar experiences their diners have. “But, please, tell us directly,” Stockton implored. 

Suggestions about how to report bad experiences included calling the restaurant, writing the restaurant, or emailing them. They’d like to know about problems and they’d like a chance to make things right, they all said. But going to social media to air complaints is extremely harmful. As is giving a low score on one of the rating services.

But, if you have a good experience, by all means go public with it, they all agreed! Especially those five-star ratings!

OK. Now, on to the fun photos. Continue reading →

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“The Gathering:” a place of food, drink, and friendship

Posted on September 10, 2026 by Cynthia Moxley

RT Lodge General Manager Kelley Harris, left, and owners Annie and David Colquitt welcomed guests on the Friday night of “The Gathering.”

For the fifth year, RT Lodge in Maryville recently hosted a special weekend called “The Gathering.” Trevor Stockton, executive chef there, pulled together a genial group of chefs, farmers, and other suppliers, and the weekend was a solid sellout with prices ranging from $1,250 to $1,790 per person.

You can’t have a weekend of food and wine less than an hour outside of town and not attract a great batch of fun-seeking Knoxvillians — as well as others from far and wide!

In addition to the full weekend of meals, discussions, tastings, and excursions, some folks came just for the Friday or Saturday night dinners — and they were sold out, too. Part of the proceeds benefited the Southern Smoke Foundation, a nonprofit that provides emergency financial assistance to workers in the food and beverage industry.

Of course the food, wine and other drinks were great. But the thing that also stood out was the conviviality of the guests. To be frank, everybody seemed to be in a good mood! And that’s impressive with 150 people! (This post covers the first night of The Gathering. Come back tomorrow for a report on the rest of the weekend. It was a blast!) Continue reading →

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Marblegate party celebrates noteworthy gift

Posted on August 28, 2026 by Cynthia Moxley

Knoxville Vice Mayor Lynne Fugate, right, with former Knoxville City Council members Janet Testerman, left, and Lauren Rider at the Marbelgate festivities.

Friends of the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont gathered recently to raise $324,000 and celebrate a generous $2.5 million contribution to fund the organization’s “second campus” in Blount County.

Marblegate is the name of the annual fundraiser and it is held at Bill and Donna Cobble’s farm and event venue of the same name located in Friendsville. 

The affair featured a cocktail hour followed by dinner catered by Bistro by the Tracks; short remarks by Charlie Sellars, the new superintendent of Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Tremont CEO Catey McClary; a moving reading by Appalachian storyteller Elizabeth Rose; a silent and live auction, and live music before and after.

Philanthropist Amy Buckner Chowdhry’s donation consisted of $2 million to help build the learning center at Tremont’s new campus in Blount County  and another $500,000 to fund scholarships for students from Blount County to attend. The mission of Tremont is to expose people — especially children — to the wonders and benefits of being in nature. Continue reading →

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Randy McNally retires amid hugs and laughs

Posted on August 21, 2026 by Cynthia Moxley

From left, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, and state Sen. Bo Watson, R-Hixson, at the party Tuesday night.

“What do you call a person who parties too much in medical school,” U.S. Congressman Tim Burchett asked Tuesday night from the microphone at the retirement party/roast for Tennessee Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, R-Oak Ridge. Burchett paused for a few seconds and then answered: “A pharmacist!”

The capacity crowd in the Oak Ridge Conference Center roared. McNally goaned. He’s a pharmacist. 

That pretty much sums up the good-natured ribbing that permeated the dinner gathering that was packed with Tennessee movers and shakers from Gov. Bill Lee to Burchett and local luminaries including Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch, Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank, and state Sen. Becky Massey (R-Knoxville). Continue reading →

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It’s Restaurant Week: Get out there!

Posted on August 4, 2026 by Cynthia Moxley

City Council member Karyn Adams, left, and Sara Houchins, a staffer at Big Ears and a member of the Nourish Knoxville board of directors, at the reception Monday night.

From now until Sunday, 31 local restaurants and bars are featuring special menu items. If you purchase any of those items, a portion of the cost will be donated to Nourish Knoxville, the non-profit group best known for organizing and managing Market Square Farmers Market and New Harvest Farmers Market.

To kick off Restaurant Week, as it is called, folks from Nourish Knoxville held a reception for supporters on Monday night at Maple Hall showcasing a number of the special items that are being offered. Here’s a look at some of them. For a full list of the participating eateries and drinkeries (is that a word??), click here. 

And look for Alan and me when you are out there participating in this worthy — and delicious — fundraising endeavor! Continue reading →

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The best reason to drink moonshine: for the public good!

Posted on July 21, 2026 by Cynthia Moxley

Beloved retired editorial cartoonist Charlie Daniel, left, with Ken Knight, the longtime general manager of the Crowne Plaza. Ken is a member of the VMC board of directors and the hotel was a sponsor of the event.

If you ever are looking for an excuse to drink moonshine, I can give you a good one!

Wine & Shine is the name of the fun annual fundraising dinner for Volunteer Ministry Center, one of the primary organizations dedicated to ending and preventing homelessness in our community. The dinner, held this past weekend at the Crowne Plaza hotel on Summit Hill Drive, featured a wine tasting curated by the folks at Water into Wine restaurant in Farragut and moonshine guided by Rod Parton of Drop Zone Distilling. It was fun! (Glad we were walking the few blocks back home to our downtown condo!)

According to the Knox Community Dashboard on Homelessness, in the fourth quarter of last year, 1,757 people were homeless in our county. Whereas it primarily is concentrated near the center city, folks report homeless camps in many other locations in Knox County, including Bearden and deep west Knoxville. Continue reading →

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Tired of the heat? I have a suggestion!

Posted on July 9, 2026 by Cynthia Moxley

Did you know there’s a place fewer than two hours away where the temperature is always about 10 degrees cooler than it is in Knoxville? That’s because, while our elevation is about 900 feet above sea level, the elevation there is 5,000 feet above it. It’s The Swag, a beautiful 250-acre retreat located just outside Waynesville, North Carolina.

Alan was wearing a sweater vest a couple of weeks ago at The Swag just outside nearby Waynesville, North Carolina.

Alan and I were there for a few days last month and I thought you’d like to see what’s going on there now. We try to experience The Swag every year during three different seasons: spring, summer, and fall. They are closed during the depths of winter. If you’ve ever experienced the two-mile long “Swag Road” leading up to it, you understand why!

For me, the best thing about The Swag — other than the views, the food, and the hospitality — is the fact that despite it being so nearby, you feel as if you are far, far away from everyday life in Knoxville. There are no TVs in the rooms, which might partly account for that feeling. (But there is good internet service, so you can access almost anything using your devices.) Continue reading →

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