Saturday marked the first celebration of a new street fair in Happy Holler on N. Central St. I took my three girls to check it and several other Saturday events out. I’m a sucker for a beautiful, sunny day and a community event.
Where exactly is Happy Holler? When I asked Seth Barber, Co-owner of The Pirate’s Tavern and one of the organizers of Saturday’s event, what delineated Happy Holler from other sections of town, he defined it as from the top of the hill to the top of the hill. When you visit this area, you see just what he means. You’ll appreciate landmarks if you are directionally challenged like I tend to be. It runs from Rosie Tattoo up to Three Rivers Market.
This isn’t the first time organizers have sponsored a street fair in Happy Holler. Hollerpalooza was around for years, but the pandemic shut it down. The new street fair is branded as Holleroo. Holleroo was anchored by a soapbox derby race (18+ only) in the afternoon and a concert with a well-loved local artist that evening. Vendors set up along the street, and most businesses were open earlier in the day to welcome patrons.
Seth has organized events before and said he loves doing them. “The bigger, the better, the crazier!” When his shops (EVape Lounge and The Pirate’s Tavern) opened in the last 18 months, he organized a neighborhood business group. They discussed ways to bring more business and patrons to the area, and Holleroo was one of the results.
Daniel Schuh, owner of Happy Holler Events, was essential in working with Barber and others to bring Holleroo to life. Coming to Happy Holler in 2017, Schuh has watched it change and grow. The group wants the area to be one where Happy Holler is at the top of the recommendations when friends ask where they should go in Knoxville. It actually was for me this week. A friend coming to town to see his newly minted 21yo asked for recommendations to visit with cool vibes. The Pirates Tavern was my first choice for this friend. (He loved it!)
The soapbox derby will be an annual event, and they hope to have even more entries next year. There were 14 teams this year, and all were in costume. They entertained the crowds lining the streets and even some rooftops to watch. Wicked Hubz helped sponsor the event and used their electric bikes to pull derby cars and riders back up the hill to the start line. It was almost as fun to watch that as the race itself.
The concert was credited to Rusty Odom at Blank News. Though I couldn’t stay for it (my oldest child turned 18!), it looked like a huge success with local talent on stage: Sarrenna, Dos Fuegos, and Dishwater Blonde with a silent disco after-party at Relix.
I’m told we can expect a Spring and Fall event in the Happy Holler.
Holleroo was one of many events in town on Saturday. The Orange and White game drew in the sports fans, but beagles drew in the dog crowd to Southside Garage. We passed by and couldn’t help but ohh and ahh and the sweet pups and their owners.
Downtown Island Airport had an open house with plane demos, booths, kids activities, food and aircraft to explore.
Next, we headed to Hi-Wire Brewing for the Mood Ring Vintage Spring Market and met up with a new friend and Knoxville newbie. There were 20+ vendors, and I’m happy to say that my daughter chose a “vintage” blue jean purse from my teenage era as her treat for the day. (Yes, I did put vintage in quotes because I do not feel I am old enough to be considered vintage.)
Lastly, I took my girls to Kern’s Food Hall to check out the first full day of business. The parking lot was packed, and the businesses were, too. After years of effort into this historic building and several walk-throughs myself, seeing it full of patrons and business owners with lines into the seating area was a great feeling. I’m a super fan of anyone who is working hard to make dreams come true, and this is what Kern’s Bakery is doing.
There were even more things we could have done on this beautiful Spring day, but we were exhausted and had a kid to celebrate at home. Check out the 10-Day planner each Sunday to plan your own tour of Knoxville. It has many events, concerts, and activities each week.
What did you do this weekend? Were you at any of these events?