(Author’s note: Hey, everybody! Sorry it’s been so long since the Blue Streak has had a new post. But I have a good excuse! In real life, I’m a public relations specialist and one of my main clients is Boyd Sports. You may have heard a little something about a minor league baseball stadium that opened last week near downtown Knoxville! That’s what I’ve been working on. Now that the stadium is open, I can get back to updating the Blue Streak a lot more regularly. I thought I’d start with a report on a fun little party held at the new stadium, Covenant Health Park, the day before the Knoxville Smokies played their first game there. I hope you enjoy it! Cynthia Moxley.)
Knoxville Smokies owner Randy Boyd, center, poses with, from left, Knoxville City Council member Gwen McKenzie, Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon, Knox County Commissioner Damon Rawls, and Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs. McKenzie and Rawls represent the district where Covenant Health Park is located.
Knoxville loves a party. And a new venue. And the chance to be among the first to experience something.
So it’s no wonder that the VIP “thank you” reception held last week to give key supporters an early look at the new Club Level at Covenant Health Park was so crowded. The lovely room, which last week overlooked the Knoxville Smokies’ baseball diamond, has a capacity of about 300, depending on how it’s set up. It is expected to be the future site of scores of local gatherings and parties, so it was great to see it in action.
On some occasions, the Club Level view will be of a soccer field or concert venue.
Guests included tons of local public officials, including nine state legislators who flew in from Nashville for the occasion, and various business types who were involved with developing and operating the stadium.
The folks at the stadium’s catering company, Professional Sports Catering, did a fantastic job with the food and service and the volume level in the room reflected the excitement attendees were feeling.
Sports Authority Chair Alvin Nance, center, introduces other members of the Authority’s board of directors. From left, Richard Bass, Tim Hill, Nikitia Thompson, Joan Cronan, and Rosalyn Tillman. The Sports Authority manages the stadium on behalf of the city and county.
Knox County Commissioner Courtney Durrett and Knoxville City Council Member Charles Thomas.
U.S. Congressman Tim Burchett, right, and Nick McBride.
Knox County Sheriff Tom Spangler and Knox County Commissioner Rhonda Lee.
Knoxville Police Chief Paul Noel, center, with Eric Vreeland of the city of Knoxville and Mohammed Abbas of Denark Construction.
Here’s a look at some of that fantastic — and fun! — food. Clockwise from top left, seriously jumbo shrimp; deviled eggs with candied bacon, pickled red onion, and chives; Southern charcuterie; “Second Base Sliders” with pulled pork; brisket tacos; brownies; asparagus and crackers with numerous accompaniments.
Mohammed Abbas, left, Denark’s senior project manager on the construction of the stadium, and Doug Kirchhofer, CEO of Boyd Sports.
Chris Allen, center, president and COO of Boyd Sports, with Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon and Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs.
Former Knoxville Mayor and First Lady, Victor and Joan Ashe.
From left, former Knoxville Mayor Dan Brown, Rosalyn Tillman, City Council Member Seema Singh, and former Knoxville First Lady Cathy Brown.
From left, Stephanie Welch, Angie and Harold Cannon, and former Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero.
From left, Chris Parrott, Rev. Renee Kesler, Kwanbe Bullard, and Courtney Bergmeier.
Here’s what the room looked like before folks arrived.
And, later!
From left, Tim and Deanna Hill with Jeff Hagood. Tim and Jeff are members of the Sports Authority Board.
Theotis Robinson, left, and John Sibley.
Knox County Commissioner Terry Hill, left, and Junior Commissioner Olivia Graves.
Steve Diggs, left, and Barry Brooke.
Ray and Lucy Hand.
Randy Boyd, left, and David Dewhirst.
From left, Daniel Hartman, Tim Volk, Paul Makres, Jeremy Boler, and Mohammed Abbas.
Randy Boyd giving a TV interview on the room’s outside patio. (It was a lot less noisy!)
It was pretty dang loud inside!
City Council Member Lynne Fugate, center, with Mark Heinz, left, and Nadim Jubran.
Former Mayor Madeline Rogero, left, and Mayor Indya Kincannon probably had a lot to chat about!
Kristin Farley, and Kyndra Brewer, both of the city of Knoxville.
From left, Kim Bumpas, president of Visit Knoxville; Rosalyn Tillman; and Frank Rothermel.
Carson Dailey, left, and John Schoonmaker were both on County Commission in 2021 when the body unanimously approved moving forward on the stadium project.
Kiki and Joe Fielden, Jr.
From left, Joe Fielden Sr., Joan Cronan, and Chip Bryant.
Joe Armstrong sporting a Negro Leagues shirt.
Here’s the back of it. Cool.
Covenant Health CEO Jim VanderSteeg, left, and Alvin Nance.
From left, Jim and Phyllis Nichols with Aimee Yarbrough.
From left, Jerome Melson, Bill Ailor, and Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs.
From left, Janet Testerman, Katherine Bike, and City Council Member Lauren Rider.
From left, Jayne Burritt, Travis Pyle, and Chip Barry.
Knoxville City Council Member Gwen McKenzie and Chris Kinney.
When the photographers lined up, you knew it was time for a few remarks!
Doug Kirchhofer, CEO of Boyd Sports and the Knoxville Smokies, kicked things off.
Team owner Randy Boyd said he has been to 45 baseball parks and, “This is the best stadium in America!”
“But most importantly,” he added, “this is a bridge to bring our whole community together. This is a can-do community with two can-do mayors!”
Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon talked about how the stadium will be an important connector between East Knoxville and the rest of a thriving community.
Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs said the stadium is “an anchor not only for entertainment and sports, but also for economic development.” He called Covenant Health Park “a transformative project.”
Rev. Renee Kesler, president of Beck Cultural Exchange Center, was a key partner and helped make certain that the area’s history and culture were honored by the project.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Jim VanderSteeg, CEO of Covenant Health. “You just did it right. On behalf of Covenant Health, I just say ‘Thank you.'”
“Welcome to District One,” said County Commissioner Damon Rawls. “Baseball has roots here.” He added, “This is what happens when leadership comes together to do the right thing.”
“You are in the middle of the beautiful Sixth District,” said City Council Member Gwen McKenzie. “When I think about the legacy of city and county government, this is one of the biggest things we will see.”
“We did have to fight to make this happen,” she added. “Believe it or not, there were people who were opposed to this happening!” (In fact, Council barely approved the project. The vote was five in favor, one opposed, two abstaining, and one absent.)
OK. Back to the party!
What was the most popular outfit there? Smokies t-shirts? Smokies hats? No! It was this dress, worn wonderfully by both Polly Matherly, left, and Knox County Commissioner Courtney Durrett!
From left, Randy Boyd with City Council members Lauren Rider, Gwen McKenzie, Charles Thomas, Seema Singh, and Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon.
Lauren Miller, CEO and partner of MoxCar Marketing + Communications, left, with Mayor Kincannon.
From left, Jayne Burritt, County Commissioner Larsen Jay, Junior Commissioner Olivia Graves, Avice Reid, and Becky Wade.
The city of Knoxville’s Grant Rosenberg and Council Member Lynne Fugate.
Jenny Boyd and Bill Lyons.
From left, County Commissioners Gina Oster and Damon Rawls with Brenda Roper.
Gene Thomas, left, and Randy Boyd.
From left, Doug Campbell, Kelly Headden, Jim VanderSteeg, and Jeremy Floyd.
Faris Eid, left, and Knoxville Fire Chief Stan Sharp.
From left, Erin Gill, Stephanie Welch and Victor Ashe.
Emily Campen, left, and Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon.
WBIR General Manager David Hunt, left, and the station’s visual storyteller Dave Doonan.
Christi Branscom and Boyce Evans.
Chris Kinney, left, and Richard Bass.
From left, Chris Caldwell, Madeline Rogero, Barry Brook, and David Brace.
From left, Brian Tapp, Ben Bentley, and Kim Henry.
Alvin Nance, left, and Orlando Diaz.
From left, A.J. Heidel, Edward Henley, and Stone Mosley.
Wonderful report on the event. Glad to see a large turnout for an exciting new venue in Knoxville.
Carolyn: It was really fun! The stadium has so much to do in addition to the actual game: food, three bars, a playground, other games, a walkable perimeter, interesting statues. And people- watching, of course! And that Club level is great space to hold an event. Got me thinking!
I was getting worried about you when I had not seen a new Blue Streak post in several weeks. You were missed. Glad to see that you are doing well and have been hard at work!
It is exciting to see the way the city of Knoxville has come together to embrace this project. Rarely has a single project provided this much excitement for so many people.
Bill: So sorry! Didn’t mean to worry anyone!
You are right about the huge excitement surrounding the stadium. It’s been a very gratifying project to work on! Hope to see you all there!
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