Happily, last week I had a bit of a vacation from my real job, which allowed me to write a few longer, more involved pieces and actually have the time to sit for conversations with some of the people making a difference in our community. Sadly, the weather was not so good. Spring weather was not to be found in Knoxville until Friday afternoon and then we finally got a bit of a good run.
I crammed a lot into my weekend and wound up with around 400 photographs to show for it. I’m working on my photography and one unfortunate result is that some of the experiments I’m trying are not going so well, so bear with me. Much of what I did this weekend involved music, which won’t surprise any of you, but I’m going to start off the week with a couple of events that happened on Market Square Friday night.
Family Fun Night at Rita’s Ice featured face painting, portraits and corn hole outside on the square. Balloon artists set everybody up with some sort of balloon sculpture and one of the best sat atop owner Nancy Langkamer’s noggin. Of course, there were specials on various ice confections. One of the things that makes this place special, to me, is the constant emphasis of a sort of old-fashioned fun. I’m always delighted and amazed when I walk in and see teenagers or families playing the board games that are always lying about.
Just a door or two down, Dale Mackey hosted an event worth supporting – and you still have the opportunity to do so. Some of you may remember I’ve written about Dale’s Fried Pies. Dale is often seen at the Market Square Farmer’s Market (opening May 1st) and her fried pies are becoming the stuff of legend.
The event supported two of Dale’s current endeavors: Dale’s Fried Pies Awesome Girl Squad and her Kickstarter Campaign. The Awesome Girl Squad is one of the ways that Dale gives back to the community, offering small grants to local girls who have an idea for a business or some other venture.
Two grants have been given so far, and the first was to Graham Marema and it allowed this promising young singer/songwriter to record her first CD. She performed at the Friday night event and was able to offer her new disc for sale. Unfortunately, she fell victim to my photographic ineptitude, so my shots of her were beyond hope of use for this blog. I really enjoyed her music which seemed mature well beyond her years.
The Kickstarter campaign has been an amazing success. Basically, Dale is trying to upgrade from a food cart to a food trailer. She set a goal of $3500 for her mobile kitchen and very quickly surpassed that number. She is still taking donations (which come with free pies, tshirts, etc.), however, which will allow for some of the luxuries (like an awning) she would otherwise not be able to afford for her upgraded kitchen. It’s a good cause to support, if you are able.
Here’s Dale to tell the story: