Culture
Absolute Beginners: A brief look at the history of baseball in Knoxville
(In honor of yesterday’s opening day for baseball at Covenant Health Park, today’s article by recurring contributor Paul James of the Knoxville History Project takes you waaay back to a time this opening day for the...
Fandom in the Center City
I’ve been a fan of all things geeky since the 1970s. Growing up in an era when geeks weren’t socially accepted, I briefly let mainstream culture suppress my fandom, stopping purchases of comic books and avid...
Spring Exhibition Opens at Lilienthal Gallery Friday Night
How many artists have been encouraged by their parents to follow their vision and pursue beauty? Not so many, perhaps. Adán López Alemán felt the creative impulse from a young age and, growing up in a...
Big Ears 2025: Many Rivers to Cross, Part Two
“Many Rivers to Cross” is, of course, the title of the great Jimmy Cliff song from the movie “The Harder They Come,” which was shown at the festival. It’s also descriptive of the city during the...
Business
Tesoro Gelato: Soft Opening in the Old City (And the Return of a Friend)
Tesoro Gelato is now serving up gelato in the Old City. Drop in and you’ll find a familiar face for those of us who’ve been around downtown for a while. Just about a year ago Phil...
Wabi Wear Repair Opens at 122 South Gay Street
Owner Spencer Edward Siefke says the name of the business comes from the Japanese Wabi Sabi, beauty and perfection. It is what he sees in vintage, sometimes quite damaged, clothing and what he strives for in...
Holistic Connection and Basement Location of Spellbound Close on Gay Street
This is coming to you a few weeks after the fact, in a sense, but The Holistic Connection has remained open as they’ve sold inventory with plans to vacate the building at 716 S. Gay Street...
Low Meadow Farms Offers Backcountry Experience in Downtown’s Backyard
Happy First Day of Spring! The daffodils are blooming, the air is perfectly lukewarm, and we’re collectively emerging from our winter dens. You rub your eyes and there it is again, like clockwork – nature! –...
Development
Getting to Know Covenant Health Stadium: My First Glimpse Inside, My First Game, and a Look at What’s Coming
This is going to be very picture heavy, since I think most people who haven’t seen the new stadium will be curious to see how it looks. I had a chance to attend a press and...
Statues Honoring Negro Southern League Knoxville Giants Unveiled at Covenant Health Park
On a sunny, if somewhat chilly afternoon at Covenant Health Stadium, set to make its baseball debut next week, Boyd Sports unveiled a stunning array of statues paying tribute to the Negro Southern League Knoxville Giants....
Emporium (Mostly) Sold (Again)
Warning: Attempting to keep up with downtown transactions, plans, and players can induce severe mental whiplash. The Emporium Building on the 100 block of Gay Street, built in 1898, started life as a furniture store, spent...
The Sanitary Laundry Building Comes Back to Life
A life-force permeates old buildings. From the materials made by forgotten hands to the lives and labor that existed within its walls, the air swirls with stories. All the old buildings and, with them, their stories,...
Events
Ritterfest 2025 Brings a Taste of Medieval Germany to Knoxville
Ritterfest’s first weekend was an exercise in weather extremes, but, as it might have in 12th century Germany, the hearth was warm all weekend. Those willing to brave the cold on Friday were treated to a...
Opera Out Loud: Rossini Festival Celebrates Arts For All, Y’all
Knoxville Urban Guy, K.W. Leonard, Heather Ryerson and Tricia Bateman contributed photos to this story. Knoxville Opera’s Rossini Festival has come a far way from its early incarnations. It was conceived in 2002 as an Italian...
Downtown Knoxville Ten Day Planner (4/13 – 4/22/2025)
If you want your event included, please make a Facebook event, invite me via the “invite” button on the event page (Alan Sims – you’ll have to friend me), and it will be included. I need...
Dogwood Arts Chalk Walk 2025
This has to be the first time in the 14 years or so I’ve covered the Dogwood Arts Chalk Walk that I’ve taken this long to get the article out. I really try to cover weekend...
Life
Hands Off Demonstration Draws Large Crowd, Lots of Support
(Ed. Note: A lot of events happened in and around downtown this weekend. We’ll bring you coverage of the Knoxville Book Festival and the Dogwood Arts Chalk Walk in the next few days.) I’ve been watching...
Ghost Walking a Section of Walnut Street
(Today’s article is by guest writer Paul James of the Knoxville History Project.) Walk along Walnut Avenue between Summit Hill Drive and Union Avenue today and you’ll find that it’s a relatively unremarkable spot compared to Market...
Friday Tidbits: Gay Street Bridge Funding and More
Lots of news bits slip out and around the city every day. We deliver some of them in full-length stories, while others fit better in a list of sorts. Early this month several hit that fit...
Low Meadow Farms Offers Backcountry Experience in Downtown’s Backyard
Happy First Day of Spring! The daffodils are blooming, the air is perfectly lukewarm, and we’re collectively emerging from our winter dens. You rub your eyes and there it is again, like clockwork – nature! –...