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 →