Window View
Jon Gustin
Photograph

Works of Mänya Pirkle and Jonathan Pirkle and Eclectia: Works by Charlie Daniel and Jon Gustin opens Friday, August 5, with a reception for both shows at the Emporium Center in downtown Knoxville. Visit the Emporium page on Art Museum Touring.com (Link...). Note: Art Museum Touring is upgrading its site and will be down for a couple of days this weekend.

Support your local galleries and museums! They are economic engines for your community.

Sherrie

On Friday, September 5th from 5pm to 8pm Blount Mansion will host a reception for the Knoxville Watercolor Society. Live Celtic music by Red Haired Mary, tours of Blount Mansion, wine and hor d’ oeuvres. This event is free and open to the public. Visit the Blount Mansion page on Art Museum Touring.com (Link...). Note: Art Museum Touring.com is upgrading its site and will be down for a couple of days this weekend

BlountMansion has been selected to participate in the Museum Assessment Program (MAP). “Of America’s estimated 17,500 museums, less than one-half of one percent participate in MAP each year,” states Blount Mansion Association’s Executive Director Billye Chabot. “Participation in such programs demonstrates to the community our dedication to professionalism and to our mission of preserving the Mansion for future generations.”

Support your local galleries and museums! They are economic engines for your community.

Sherrie

Unless some great improvement has taken place in the last few years then this is a bit of an exaggeration:

(from here)

Since 1987, Boomsday has been a successful one-day free event that has brought hundreds of thousands of people to Knoxville’s Volunteer Landing and Neyland Drive for what has become known as the nation’s largest Labor Day weekend fireworks show.

Emphasis mine.

I haven't been in years to either one, but Cincinnati's Labor Day fireworks display makes Boomsday look quaint by comparison.

Two big SW public meetings coming up. The first is Thursday, 8/21, 6 p.m. at Kerbela Temple. The second is Thursday, 8/28, same time and place.

First deals with the new streetscape designs for streets between Barber and Lincoln. The second is the first in a series of meetings for obtaining public input on the design of River Plain Park, which will be built along the river in the same general area.

See here for details.

Someone please translate:

First of all, am I supposed to know who Chuck Williams is? I thought I'd kept up pretty well with local politics, but I don't remember hearing about him before.

Second, this sounds like Rob Frost is resigning from or otherwise leaving Council. I thought his term wasn't up until the end of next year.

Third, can Mr. Williams just announce he will replace Councilman Frost? Don't the voters of the 4th district get to say something about that?

Fourth, Rob Frost, liberal? As far as I can see there's exactly one liberal on City Council - Bob Becker. The rest are moderates or conservatives (not that it matters much when it comes to City business).

I guess I just don't speak Hornbackian.

According to the KNS, seven protesters were arrested at Kimberly-Clark offices in downtown Knoxville. They are upset about Kleenex and toilet paper destroying forests in Canada.

There was apparently plenty of drama, including three people chained to doors and some ninja action as two women rappelled down the side of a parking garage to hang a sign. Police say they aren't from around here.

Jake Jost at Knoxville Talks has the details...

In sharp contrast to the news from the Knox County Mayor's office today, the City of Knoxville announced that they have received a "Certificate for Excellence in Financial Reporting" for their Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for Fiscal Year 2006-07.

Press release after the jump.

I just wanted to alert folks to a piece I wrote today about TVUUC's rededication ceremony. I posted it at The Moderate Voice and as a diary on Daily Kos.

I just thought some folks around here might want to read it.

Blount Mansion Visitors Center will host an Art exhibit entitled Dog Show by Sally Ham Govan, August 1-31. Visit the Blount Mansion page on Art Museum Touring.com for details (Link...). Friday, August 1 from 5pm to 8pm, BlountMansion will host a reception for artist Sally Ham Govan. Live music by Barrelhouse.

For those quilt lovers,remember today is the silent auction of Georgia Bailey quilts at the Emporium! (Link...).

Support your local galleries and museums! They are economic engines for your community.

Sherrie

I'm saying goodbye to Lili Bean, Rachael and Tim this morning and flying back to K-town. See you all tomorrow.

What: Public meeting on the Cumberland Avenue Corridor Project

When: 5:30 p.m., Thursday, July 24

Where: The University of Tennessee Visitors’ Center (formerly the UT Faculty Club) at 2704 Kingston Pike

Who: The City of Knoxville and the Metropolitan Planning Commission are hosting this informational meeting.

The meeting has two primary goals, to update the public on the status of the Cumberland Avenue project and to discuss the proposed form based code that would be implemented in the corridor as part of the plan.

WATE

Bridgeview Grill, located on Neyland Drive in Knoxville, will close July 25, University of Tennessee officials confirmed Friday.

Knoxville News Sentinel

That's about twice the total cost that UT planned for, but four years ago no one could have predicted the steady rise in construction materials

Heckuva job, Currie!

Scott McNutt's cutting satire and wit go mainstream at his new Knoxville News Sentinel blog Snark Bites. An instant classic, check it out!

Lots of goings on yesterday, covered in the News Sentinel today:

• Local election coverage gets cranking with this report on the 4th Commission District forum last night. Sounds like there are four good, qualified candidates running. We're pulling for the Democrats, of course. See also Sandra Clark's comments here.

• And here's a profile on the candidates for County Commission 4th District seat B.

• Here's coverage of last night's public meeting on the Downtown North Redevelopment plan. See also earlier discussion and comments by Bill Lyons here.

• Here's an update on the Flenniken School conversion to homeless housing. The project is on hold pending status of tax credits. See previous discussion here.

KNS: Business park scrapped

Lyons said the proposal was a good one and was located in a blighted area, but said it didn't necessarily have blighted structures on it "so there's not quite the immediacy in dealing with it that there would otherwise be."

WATE reports that Knoxville City Councilman Steve Hall suffered serious injuries in a motorcycle accident on his way to a family event yesterday. He was taken to Erlanger Hospital in Chattanooga where he was to undergo surgery. Send your good thoughts his way.

UPDATE: WVLT has more details and an update from the family.

UPDATE: Statement from the City of Knoxville:

Councilman Steve Hall was seriously injured in a motorcycle accident on Friday, July 4. He is being treated at Erlanger Hospital in Chattanooga.

Mayor Bill Haslam and Vice Mayor Mark Brown, on behalf of City Council, wish to express their concern and wishes for a speedy recovery to Councilman Hall.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Steve and his family.

The City of Knoxville’s Parks and Recreation Division is accepting applications for its 2008/09 Challenge Grant Program, which offers grants to nonprofit projects associated with public parks or recreation facilities within the City limits.

A total of $25,000 is available this year to community groups, homeowner associations, schools, Scout troops and other organizations. The City will reimburse 50 percent of the cost of a single project, up to $2,500.

Previously, the grants have been used for playground equipment, water fountains, benches and landscaping materials.

Applications and grant parameters are available as of July 1, 2008 at www.cityofknoxville.org/recreation or at 865-215-2017. The deadline for applications is Sept. 14.

Kroger has expanded a recent beef recall to include packaged ground beef sold at Kroger stores in Knoxville...

WATE reports they have stopped all non-emergency inpatient admissions and plan to stop all admissions by the end of July.

KNS: Closing of sign-making plant due to strong sales

The closing of a Columbia, S.C., sign-making plant owned by ImagePoint is more because of strong sales and efficient operations than a weak economy, according to the Knoxville-based company.

OK, then.

Starting this Saturday, July 5th, the City of Knoxville Parks and Recreation department is offering canoe tours of the Tennessee River. Tours will put in at the Holston River Park and navigate down the Holston River to the Tennessee River and Downtown Knoxville.

This is a great opportunity for family fun on the river. Parks and Rec Aquatic staff will conduct the tours, and Ijams Park will provide nature guides.

All ages and skill levels can participate. All equipment is provided, including transportation to the put-in location. There is also a safety demonstration. Just bring a lunch in a waterproof container.

The cost is $20 per person and group rates are available. Tours will be held at 8 a.m. on Saturdays during the month of July. There are 16 canoes available for the tours. Reservations must be made by the Wednesday before the desired Saturday tour date by calling 311. More info at the city's website.

Press release after the jump...

Unfound exhibition

Blount Mansion Visitors Center-July 1-30. Unfound, a two man show featuring the works of Calvin Chappelle and Ryan Kelley. Visit the Blount Mansion page on Art Museum Touring.com (Link...). There will be an opening reception for the artists with live music by Stonetree, check the Events page for time and details (Link...).

Blount Mansion known as the Birthplace of Tennessee is nestled in the center of Downtown Knoxville's government district.

Support your local galleries and museums! They are economic engines for your community.

Sherrie

Silence: Realtor taking business blogging plunge

...Knoxville Realtor Suzy Trotta has taken the plunge and offers a professional, fun and informative blog that I've liked from the first day I saw it.

Suzy Trotta's blog is All Around K Town. There's lots of interesting info on the local real estate market and the business in general.

This week in MetroPulse, Frank Cagle opines on Knoxville sloganeering, suggesting a rocking chair and "Welcome Home" will do.

Ummm, no.

Ktowndownlow has joined the fray, sponsoring a contest encouraging local hipsters to subtitle our fair city with a hip, insiders-only moniker. (hat tip to Knoxville Talks.)

I took a moment to reflect.

Who can forget such previous slogans as

• "Knoxville. It's all around us." (Just not in Knoxville)
• "Knoxville. Where Nature and Technology Meet." (images of a deer being splattered on the inside of a superconducting supercollider at the Spallation Neutron Source come to mind with that brilliant juxtaposition.)
• "Knoxville. Naturally." (Knoxville is now a name brand laxative?)

Going back another century, Parson Brownlow, pro-Union publisher of the Knoxville Whig, had two slogans for the masthead of his paper: "Cry Aloud and Spare Not," and "Independent in All Things, Neutral in Nothing." These two are just as apt today in Knoxville and Knox County's heated political climate.

Such thoughts reminded me of a conversation I had a few years ago with someone from the State Economic Development Office.

"Memphis is Eeyore," this official described to me. "Woe is Memphis, the sky is falling."

"Nashville, however, is Tigger. Nothing but blue sky in Nashville."

"What about Knoxville?" I asked.

"Knoxville is Pooh," the person continued. "This is my honey pot. You get your own damn honey pot."

"Perfect. Captures the essence, doesn't it?"

"Yep."

Knoxville. Get Your Own Damn Honey Pot.

or

Knoxville. Full of Poohs.

VS (Versus) was a woman operated business on Gay Street which opened a couple of months ago. It sported 2 xbox 360s, 2 playstation3s, 2 wiis, 5 iMacs, free wifi, a stage and party room. This was a game lounge/Internet cafe in a really cool building just down the street from Nama. (Two doors north of Harolds)

These kinds of businesses are cool in San Francisco and Boston but couldn't cut it in Knoxville. It did not help that block of Gay Street is being closed for 18 months to develop Underground Gay St. I'll be surprised if Nama survives.

I'd like to see businesses like VS thrive in downtown.

The Knoxville Museum of Art is offering free admission through the end of the year. WBIR has more.

The City of Knoxville and the MPC are holding a public meeting on July 8 re. Downtown North/I-275 Redevelopment. Topics to be discussed include mixed-use form-based zoning and a "road diet" for North Central. Details in the press release after the jump...

There was a rally Friday in support of the Audiology and Speech Pathology Program at UT.

A reader attended and provides a brief report.

100-150 people in attendance. There was a petition to keep the services at the center. The "clause" says UT has to keep the bldg. for these services, but it doesn't specify quantity, etc. So they can really do almost nothing if they choose. Also, the "clause" doesn't protect all the programs, the degree programs may be discontinued and there will only be clinic service. Everything is still up in the air!

Commenter UT Budget Critic announced a new website - The Campaign to Save UT ASP.

Previous UTK Audiology and Speech Pathology posts here and here.