On Puppet Parades, Open Streets & the Knoxville I Love

It is exhausting to be a person with functioning empathy in 2026. I am increasingly grateful for the small, stubborn pockets of joy humans keep making for one another. The little reminders that there is still so much generosity, creativity and hope. That, as individuals and as a community, we can choose a different way of being.

Yesterday was a double-header of joy-making in Knoxville.

Over at Suttree Landing Park, the 9th annual Cattywampus Puppet Council Parade spanned the full length of the greenway alongside the river. Themed “Where the Waters Meet,” community groups and students marched with handmade art that explored the ways in which water connects us with the one another and the natural world. It was followed by a party on the festival lawn with music, a skit featuring a giant hellbender puppet, and booths focused on ecological education and nonprofit partners doing the everyday work of caring for both people and planet.

Meanwhile, just across the river, Bike Walk Knoxville‘s Open Streets reimagined Gay Street as a place pedestrians and cyclists could safely meander and enjoy the city at human speed. One thing I’ve noticed since the Gay Street Bridge closed to vehicles is how quickly it has become a destination in its own right. Crossing without having to negotiate space with traffic has transformed the bridge from infrastructure rite-of-passage into a public place. It was fun to see people of all ages and abilities streaming back and forth across it, and down the whole length of Gay Street itself.

Sunday offered a glimpse of Knoxville being its best self. People gathering in community, sharing spaces, moving and making things. A city choosing joy.

Another world IS possible. I hope you enjoy these photos from the day!