Culture
Knox Heritage Gains New Leadership and Focus
Founded in 1974 as Knoxville Heritage, Knox Heritage did not have a paid director until 2003. With the recent decision of Todd Morgan to move to another challenge, the board of the organization turned to Christine...
Big Ears Team Expands
If you didn’t know, you’d likely be surprised that the organization that brings the Big Ears Festival to Knoxville each March has operated with only three full-time employees. Executive Director Ashley Capps is supported by Director...
Eric Sublett’s Life and Art Explored at UT Downtown Gallery
How do you sum up a life that was both integral to a creative community while largely unknown outside those at the center of that moment in history? An attempt to present glimpses of the person...
New Sculptures Introduced Around the City
New sculptures have been introduced to Krutch Park, Emory Place and other spots around the city in the last couple of weeks as part of Dogwood Arts 2022-2023 Art in Public Places Sculpture Exhibition. This year’s...
Business
Valley Fresh Kitchen Opening In Marble City Hall
(Ed. Note: Today’s article is written by contributing author Heather Ryerson.) The Moody’s are at it again. Paul and Ashley Moody emerged onto the Knoxville food truck scene with the ever popular Lanai Hawaiian Food Truck...
New Management Takes Over at Marble City Market Food Hall
(Ed. Note: Today’s article is written by contributing author Heather Ryerson.) Local husband and wife team and popular restauranters Chef Paul and Ashley Moody of Moody Foods Inc. are stepping into the management position at Marble...
Two Bikes Expands Community Outreach
(Ed. Note: Today’s article is the first written by new contributing author Heather Ryerson. She also contributed the photographs.) You never forget your first bike. Mine was a white frame with pink handles, seat, and accessories...
Freedom Boat Club Hosts Grand Opening at Volunteer Landing Tomorrow
Freedom Boat Club, which started in Sarasota, Florida, and now has boats docked in over 300 locations across the country, in Canada and in Europe, is opening a Volunteer Landing Freedom Boat Club with a fleet...
Development
An Updated Look at Downtown Knoxville Density
From time to time since 2014, I’ve used a graphic on this website that shows how dense downtown buildings were packed in around the mid-1930s and how much density we lost between then and 2014. Over...
Can We Sustain More Downtown Hotels?
I get questions all the time. For years a consistent thread of those questions has been about issues surrounding the homeless population. There are popular questions about parking and a downtown grocery store. When we experienced...
Century Building Appears to be Headed for Complete Redevelopment
I’m sorry about the qualifier in the caption, but I’m a bit cautious when it comes to the Century Building. It’s a beautiful building that, by all rights of downtown development, should have been a slam-dunk...
Holiday Inn Express Planned for Walnut Building
The nine-story Walnut Building at 706 Walnut Street has become the most recent downtown building to be planned for conversion to a hotel. The building, owned by Nadeem Saddiqi, will be transformed by Hitesh Patel and...
Events
Downtown Knoxville Ten Day Planner (8/7-8/16/2022)
If you want your event included, please make a Facebook event, invite me (Alan Sims – you’ll have to friend me) and it will be included. I need enough lead time that the list can be...
33rd Annual Kuumba Festival Delivers Joy
That’s really the best word for it: Joy. Joy in the dancing, the drumming, and the smiling faces of so many children who had worked so hard to prepare for their performances. The festival, which skipped...
Downtown Knoxville Ten Day Planner (7/31 – 8/9/2022)
If you want your event included, please make a Facebook event, invite me (Alan Sims – you’ll have to friend me) and it will be included. I need enough lead time that the list can be...
Downtown Knoxville Ten Day Planner (7/24 – 8/2/2022)
If you want your event included, please make a Facebook event, invite me (Alan Sims – you’ll have to friend me) and it will be included. I need enough lead time that the list can be...
Life
Metro Drug Coalition: Growing to Meet Current Needs
In the articles I’ve written over the last year regarding homelessness in the city, one of the themes has been the issue of drug addiction and the perception that it has increased and is more open....
We Must Have a Better School Board
I’ve never endorsed political candidates on this webpage. I’ve interviewed them a number of times, and covered events and forums, always attempting simply to present the facts and urge every eligible voter to get out and...
COVID-19: 7/18/2022 Update
It was just over four months ago that I gave the most recent COVID-19 update. While I’m not picking up regular COVID updates again, it seemed a good moment to bring up the topic once more....
An Opportunity to Help a Downtown Friend
Many of you know Art Carmichael. As much as anyone, he is a part of the fabric of downtown. A downtown resident for years, I first met Art, I believe, at the Just Ripe Half Birthday...