Join us for a spectacular exhibit of fine crafts… all handmade and unique gift ideas for the upcoming holidays! The Foothills Craft Guild will present their 45th annual Fine Craft Fair on Friday and Saturday, November 18 and 19, from 10 to 6 and Sunday, November 20, from 11 to 5 at the historic Jacob Building in Knoxville’s Chilhowee Park. Featuring the original work of over 150 Tennessee artisans, the Southeastern Tourism Society has designated this as a Top 20 Event!

Come see traditional and contemporary crafts of the Tennessee region that represent the highest in excellent standards of workmanship and creativity. All fine crafts will be for sale and include exquisite items such as:
• Woodwork
• Pottery
• Jewelry
• Glass
• Fiber Arts
• Metalwork
• Photography
• Stained Glass
• Sculpture
• Basketry & more!

Enjoy daily educational craft demonstrations such as basketry, clay sculpture, pottery, spinning, woodworking and marbling. Children can participate in the Kids’ Craft Booth, sponsored by the Appalachian Arts Craft Center, on Saturday, 10 to 6, and Sunday, 11 to 5. Admission is adults $6, seniors $5 and children 6 & under free.

For information, please visit www.foothillscraftguild.org or call 865.470.0669. Join us on Facebook, www.facebook.com/foothillscraftguild. Co-sponsors of this event are the News Sentinel, B97.5 FM Radio, WATE TV 6, WUOT 91.9 FM Radio and the City of Knoxville.

September 24, 11 am – 8 pm

Fall is the season of festivals! Be sure not to miss the HoLa Festival, rated the number one “Latino Folk Arts Festival” in Tennessee by the Tennessee Arts Commission. HoLa Hora Latina, a grassroots Hispanic non-profit organization, has been working since spring to offer its 12th annual street fair in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. This year’s HoLa Festival will be held at a new location on Depot Avenue near the old Regas restaurant on Saturday, September 24 from 11 am – 8 pm.

A day-long fun and educational experience made for all ages and backgrounds, the festival aims to celebrate the diversity of cultures that make up the Hispanic population of our local community. It is a salute to East Tennessee that appeals to all five senses! A family favorite that even Nickelodeon’s Dora the Explorer does not want to miss, brought to us by Comcast! Admission to the event is free thanks to numerous sponsors such as Bush Brothers and the Tennessee Arts Commission, Comcast, US Cellular and the University of Tennessee. Visit their booths at the festival!

Our signature “Parade of Nations” fashion show at 2 pm is a colorful display by families in traditional attire, music and flags of the various Hispanic countries. Be sure to get a map or a “passport” to tour the different cultural booths and collect all flag stickers. If food is your weakness, then HoLa’s authentic food vendors will not disappoint you! If art is your passion, we invite you to explore the numerous craft vendors and live demonstrations of traditional crafts.

Musical and dance performances will also be very diverse. Featured artists are award-winning Andean performers Inca Son, 3-time World Salsa Champions Abel Peña and Zulmara Torres, and closing the festival will be Orchestra MaCuba.

Learn a new, fun and exciting way to stay healthy! After 8 pm, an After Party for those 21 and older at the Old City Entertainment Venue will include Salsa workshops by SalsaKnox (beginners) and Abel Peña (masters) followed by a live orchestra dance with Orchestra MaCuba. Advanced admission tickets for the workshop and party are $25. Cover charge for the dance party only is $15.

The complete list of Hispanic Heritage Month events:
9/2: Frutos Latinos II Art Exhibit Opening, at Emporium Center (5-9 pm until end of September)
9/15: Petit Gallery at Knoxville Museum of Art (until end of October)
9/24: HoLa Festival at W. Depot Ave (by Regas Square) 11 am-8 pm
9/24: After Party at Old City EntVenue (8 pm-3 am) Beginner and Master Classes, Live Orchestra
10/14: ALIVE After Five at Knoxville Museum of Art (6 pm-8:30 pm) HHM Closing

For more information, please contact HoLa Hora Latina at 865.335.3358, email info@holafestival.org or visit www.holafestival.org.

Upcoming ‘Stars’ Shine Brightly on The River

By Bruce Patrick

–I’ve spent most of my life, tryin’ just to get by… Stars Go Dim, “Like I Mean It”

Tulsa, Oklahoma’s Stars Go Dim began as a side project of Christian Rock band Pillar. But once this collection of guys got together and started writing, they knew they had something special. If you’ve listened to 106.1 The River anytime in the last few months, you’ve heard Stars Go Dim’s songs, “Like I Mean It” and “Crazy.” You’ll have the chance to see Stars Go Dim live on Friday night, August 19th at Relix Variety Theater in Knoxville, along with A Rotterdam November out of Nashville, and local favorite Brad Blackwell.

You may not have heard Stars Go Dim on other local radio stations, because there are many things that go on behind the scenes at big corporately owned radio stations that make struggling artists’ new independently made music much more difficult to get radio airplay. Many individual stations’ musical choices tend to be somewhat cookie-cutter and almost interchangeable across the country in many cases based on format boundaries.

106.1 The River, locally owned by Momentum Broadcasting, believes that good music deserves to be heard, regardless of the source. The River plays music from local artists like Jason Ellis, Stephen Hunley, and Brad Blackwell to name a few, from regional artists like Kimber Cleveland, Roxie Randle, and Michael Logen based out of Nashville, and from national artists that are on the cusp of breaking big, like Stars Go Dim. Obviously, a radio station has to play the big current hits from the big nationally known names like Lady Gaga, John Mayer, and Adele. But every one of those national names started getting radio airplay someplace, likely after ‘paying their dues’ by gigging in hometown bars in front of single digit crowds consisting of their families and girlfriends or spouses, ‘livin’ their lives, tryin’ just to get by’. Those acts saw growing audiences and fans once more and more people became aware of them, and before long, what started out locally for them exploded nationally and internationally.

106.1 The River strives to be in on the ground floor of breaking select deserving musical acts by placing their songs within the mix of the big name stars and songs we all know and love. I feel that a great song is a poem with music that touches a listener’s heart through their ears. That emotion relates to a listener and breeds passion. Whether it’s the voice, the instrumentation, the beat, or the lyrical message, a great song or artist is always out there, just working it, waiting to be found and make their impact upon the world. I really like the fact that I work for a station that can share these ‘yet to be huge’ artists with our listeners and believe in giving them a shot. Because for every John Mayer or Lady Gaga, there’s at least a thousand more artists striving and struggling for similar glory, and work it every hour of every day, because they believe in a dream of sharing their craft, their musical message, with the world.

We at 106.1 The River are quite fond of Stars Go Dim for a bevy of reasons. I hear a ‘total package’ band with SGD. These guys know how to write songs that connect emotionally. “Like I Mean It” not only sounds great, but it has a great message with its chorus, ‘How many moments passed me by? How many times have I said I won’t try… To live my life and love like I mean it’. When I heard that, it made me think, and feel, how many days do we all just kind of ‘go through the motions’? We’ve all got one life to live, and we should approach every day with zest and zeal, and put daily effort into loving passionately, like we mean it. It’s a song that made a connection, and I was singing it back in my head within two listens. The song sounds great within our 80s, 90s and NOW music mix, and this is a band that has the talent, the musical message, and, as the ladies might say, visual appeal (they’re easy on the eyes, according to their female fans!) to be big. I like hearing someone say, “I heard Stars Go Dim first on The River”… we take that as a great compliment, and it’s the kind of reaction we hope for, because passion for the music creates fans of the radio station. It’s mutually beneficial!

Michael Witting, bass player of Stars Go Dim, explains the band’s mission quite well: “We’re doing this because of the people. We’ve gone the extra mile and given a lot of our lives and time to this project, and we’ve done it for the love of the music, but it’s also because we genuinely care about people. I was that kid that followed the bands and couldn’t wait to see what they did next, and I genuinely like meeting the fans and making that connection.” 

Defending Downtime

By Cindi Alpert, 106.1 The River

Like Bruno Mars says in The Lazy Song, “Today I don’t feel like doing anything, I just wanna lay in my bed. Don’t feel like pickin’ up my phone, so leave a message at the tone cuz today I swear I’m not doin’ anything.” I used to think who does that? Must be nice.

Recently I lost my stepmother to pancreatic cancer and flew to Florida to be with my father during this difficult time. After spending time with Pops, he expressed to me that he and my stepmom, Joan, had wanted to travel more and that it was crazy that they used to always put it off because there was never a good time to go. He went on to say how short sighted it was to think that way, and that life’s just too short.

Just those few simple sentences struck a chord with me. I realized that I have been doing the same thing. Between work and family and everything in between, there’s just never a good time. I don’t just mean travel. I’m talking about taking time for myself to relax, to play a game, read a book or just run around the yard with my daughter catching fire flies. It has occurred to me that I have been so self absorbed in the day-to-day running of the business, that I forgot about me.

As many working women with families will agree, we are pulled in so many directions. I’ll be the first to admit that most of the time we bring it on ourselves. We try to be superheroes and take on the world, but eventually we are so stressed that we feel like we are going to explode. It was that kind of “Ah ha” moment that Ebenezer Scrooge experienced when the last ghost left his house.

Although I didn’t run up and down the streets in my nightgown throwing money around, I did take a moment to pull out a novel and just start reading. I cannot remember the last time I took the time to put down the iPhone, turn off the TV and read a novel for pleasure without feeling any guilt. I suppose it took spending a week in a retirement community in Florida with nothing to do but lounge by the pool and think about things to really get this concept through my head.

An article I read a few years ago published in the Harvard Business Review demonstrates that time off can have a larger positive effect on an individual and organizational productivity than longer hours on the job. They looked at the effects of something they called “predictable time off” on the employees of an international consulting firm comprised of consultants, bankers, lawyers and IT professionals. During designated periods, even some periods of high work demand, employees were required to take time off. Employees had to take at least one day off in the middle of the work week regardless of the pressure of their jobs. Initially the consultants and supervisors were uncomfortable with the situation and resisted the changes, but the test studies showed an overwhelming positive effect on productivity, communication, a greater respect for other colleagues and an overall healthier balance between work and family. I’m not exactly in a position to take such measures, nor am I at the point in my career and in my business that I can offer four day work weeks, but the article does make you stop and think.

So instead of hoping and wishing that downtime will miraculously appear or that I may be forced to take it, being a super over-achiever, type A personality, mission driven, control freak from New Jersey, I cannot help but to schedule it. That way I will know that it is on the calendar and it’s part of the plan.

So, if you are looking for me today, I will be the girl in the Stetson, with a novel in my hand, by the pool sipping a Mai Tai and listening to Bruno Mars on the radio. It’s a start, anyway.

2011/2012 Season Tickets on Sale Now!

Moonlight & Magnolias: Three Hollywood heavyweights rewrite the screenplay of Gone with the Wind, acting out Margaret Mitchell’s bestseller with only bananas and peanuts to eat. And create one of the most successful films of all time. Hilarious!

Tartuffe: A “man of the cloth” worms his way into the gullible heart of a rich family man and tries to take him for all he has. Moliere skewers religious hypocrisy, mindless piety, and sexual deceit – all in glorious rhyming verse.

25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee: Six lovable nerds, in the throes of puberty, battle for a spelling championship that is a perfect evening of musical F-U-N. Who knows? YOU may find yourself on stage!

A Christmas Carol: For those who have embraced this Dickens’ classic as part of their family holiday ritual… and for those yet to discover CBT’s annual celebration of a life redeemed.

It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play: Inspired by the classic American film, It’s a Wonderful Life, the play is performed as a 1940s live radio broadcast in front of a studio audience. Five actors perform the dozens of characters, produce the sound effects and break for commercial. Live and On the Air!

Fuddy Meers: A woman whose memory is erased when she sleeps… a limping, lisping “brother” who kidnaps her… an accomplice with a sock puppet… a husband with murky intentions… a gibberish-speaking mom… and a foul-mouthed teenage son. A farce about aphasia, and other oddities, from the playwright of Rabbit Hole.

The Piano Lesson: August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize winning play, the fourth decade in his 10-decade cycle chronicling the African-American experience in the 20th century.

Dead Man’s Cell Phone: An odyssey of a woman forced to confront her own moral assumptions, and her own need for human connection in a technological world.

Kiss Me Kate: Start with Shakespeare, add the timeless songs of Cole Porter, and you get a multiple Tony Award-winning musical!

For more information or to order tickets, please call the Box Office at 865.974.5161 or visit www.clarencebrowntheatre.com.

The Station That Supports Local Music

From left to right: River Morning Show Host Bruce Patrick with local musicians Denver Stevens, Kimber Cleveland, ‘J. Luke’ Cochran, Brad Blackwell (seated), Stephen Hunley

It takes a special dedication to rearrange your entire life to wake up at four in the morning to do anything, let alone become bright and cheerful. But for 106.1 The River’s Program Director, Production Director, and Morning Show Host, Bruce Patrick, his alarm rarely goes off before he wakes up on his own. (He still sets two alarms to go off, JUST IN CASE.) Let’s find out what drives Bruce to wake up in the darkness of early weekday mornings to bring East Tennessee information, lots of smiles, AND lots of great music on 106.1 The River.

Everything Knoxville: Bruce, what sets The River morning show apart from other morning shows?

Bruce Patrick: Several things, I think. Whenever you start a business, you want to establish things that set you apart from competitors, things that you do that are “different” and will appeal to your target consumer or customer, or in radio’s case, the potential listener. First and foremost, The River morning show is not a talk show, it’s a music show. I play at least 10 songs an hour, every hour, from 6 am to 10 am. Our musical format plays the best music from the 80s, 90s and today, and there are not any other stations in Knoxville that play our kind of music mix during morning drive time. Yes, the show has local news with Frank Scott, traffic from Pete Michaels from Metro Skywatch, sports with Mark Packer, and a celebrity entertainment feature called “The Daily Dirt” with CJ. Nevertheless, I do my best to make the show an escape from the gloom and doom of the world, focus on playing great music and having fun with events happening within the world of pop culture. I also play contests with listeners to give away prizes, too. During the morning show, I also interview and showcase local artists’ music and have them in-studio to do live performances during morning drive, also something else that is relatively unique in the Knoxville radio market.

EK: 106.1 The River is locally owned by Jeff and Cindi Alpert. They have said that showcasing local music has been a progression of their broadcasting philosophy.

Bruce: I’ve always loved live music and local artists trying their best to make ends meet by “singing for their supper” while trying to achieve regional success. I have to admit, I wasn’t as aware of the depth of the local Knoxville music scene as I should have been before I came to work for The River, but what I discovered is such an amazing pool of local talent that really wasn’t being recognized or heard. Yes, other stations do local music shows at night or on the weekends. But, after discussions with Jeff and Cindi, we agreed that showcasing local talent within our 80s, 90s and NOW music mix 24 hours a day was something we wanted to do. It adds a unique flavor, and a local flavor, to the radio station that people have caught on to, and we’ve found a significant amount of people have gravitated to the station because of our local music programming element. Not every local artist makes it on the air, because I have some relatively strict guidelines I adhere to in order to make sure that all the local music we play blends in well and sounds nationally produced. If the quality of local music stands out as “sounding” like it doesn’t belong next to Katy Perry, Bon Jovi or Nickelback, it doesn’t get on the air. With the number of local artists we play, I think that speaks volumes about the depth of the talent pool that East Tennessee has. We want to support the artist, not just a single song. Their music deserves to be heard.

EK: You wake up every weekday at 4 am. What drives you to work hours that aren’t typical?

Bruce: I love the creative aspects of working in radio. It is my job to keep myself informed about everything going on in the world, so I can present it and relate it to the listening audience. I get to write and speak creatively; I get to hear music performed live in front of me, and find out the stories behind their songs, which listeners relate to. I get to utilize my personal sense of humor to make people smile. I get to play 40 songs every morning between 6 and 10 that I enjoy immensely. AND, they PAY ME for all of this! It’s truly a labor of love for me.

Fundraiser Features ‘Big Top’ Extravaganza and World-Famous Dirty Dozen Brass Band Concert on Friday, May 20

The historic Bijou Theater promises high-flying fun during its annual Jubilee! fundraising event to be held in downtown Knoxville on Friday, May 20. The main event, presented by Pilot Corporation, will feature an electrifying concert by New Orleans’ Dirty Dozen Brass Band on the U.S. Cellular Stage at the Bijou Theatre that is sure to have everyone on their feet. Ticket-holders also will be treated to a one-of-a-kind pre-concert party in Krutch Park hosted by event emcee Tearsa Smith.

“We want the Jubilee! to be more than just a great concert at the Bijou, so we planned  an entire evening of events that celebrates the history of the  theatre and—more importantly—supports its future,” said Michele Purcell, V.P. Bijou Theatre Board of Directors. “Not only will the Jubilee! be the year’s best party, the proceeds will help the theatre remain a vital part of our community for decades to come.”

At 6 pm, the Krutch Park Extension will be transformed into a ‘Bijou Big Top’ that will come alive with street performers, entertainment from Boozehound Gandy Dance, a beer garden, specialty food and drink, and a live auction of musical instruments signed by legendary performers.

At 9 pm, the fun continues with the evening’s feature act, a concert on the U.S. Cellular Stage at the Bijou by the Dirty Dozen Brass Band—a group whose name is synonymous with genre-bending romps and high-octane performances. The band, who has been credited with helping revitalize the legendary brass band sound in New Orleans and around the world, has been featured guests on albums by artists including David Bowie, Elvis Costello, Dr. John and the Black Crowes.

Tickets are $100 each (reserved seating), which includes admission to the pre-party and the concert, and can be purchased at knoxbijou.com or through TicketWeb at (865) 656-4444.

For more than half a century, the Dogwood Arts Festival has celebrated the natural and cultural beauty of East Tennessee. For the entire month of April, Dogwood Arts Festival will feature a vibrant mix of blooming gardens and trails, visual arts, crafts, theater, dance, music, film, and literary arts.

Art in Public Places Knoxville
April 1, 2011-March 16, 2012: A world-class exhibition of large-scale outdoor sculptures enlivens downtown Knoxville.

Student Art Exhibition
April 1-30: Knoxville’s next generation of artists is on display, featuring the work of gifted art students from area schools. Emporium Center for the Arts – 100 South Gay Street

Indoor Sculpture Exhibition: Nexus
April 1-21: A beautiful exhibition of smaller-scale sculptures from all genres and materials. Emporium Center for the Arts – 100 South Gay Street

Rhythm N’ Blooms
April 1-3: Experience East Tennessee’s historical and present role in Americana music with performances by a who’s who of locally and nationally-renowned musicians. Pass required.

Dogwood Art DeTours
April 2-3: Artists studio trails take you behind the scenes of local artists’ creative processes and into their working studios.

Dogwood Trails, Open Gardens, and Camera Sites
April 6-24: Explore over 60 miles of trails, open gardens, camera sites, and historic homes as you enjoy a walk, bike ride, or drive. Loudon Lake is the 2011 featured trail.

Bikes & Blooms
April 9-10: Experience the Dogwood trails the lean, green way – on a bicycle by way of an organized or self-guided ride.

Market Square Art Fair
April 15-17: Downtown Knoxville is transformed into a lively street fair with high-quality arts and crafts booths, demonstrations, entertainment, and festive food.

Diva Luncheon
April 19: A celebratory luncheon featuring a wearable art fashion show and sale at The Foundry. Ticket required.

A Very Special Arts Festival
April 28: An inspiring celebration where children with mental and physical challenges celebrate the arts at West High School.

Dogwood Parade
April 29: A celebration of art, nature, and community moves down Gay Street with bands, floats, giant helium balloons, and performing arts groups.

Dogwood Mile

April 29: Walk, jog, or sprint through the streets of downtown Knoxville in this family-friendly race. Ticket required.

Chalk Walk
April 30: Downtown sidewalks become the canvas for professional and student artists during this street painting festival.

Art Source
Opening May 6: The talents of Knox County Schools’ art instructors take the spotlight at this exhibition. UT Downtown Gallery – 106 South Gay Street

Most of the Festival’s wide range of arts events, performances, and exhibitions are offered to the public free of charge. Without the support of community volunteers, patrons, corporate, and media partners, a festival of this magnitude would not be possible!

Dogwood Arts is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization whose mission is to help fund arts education in our schools, promote the visual and performing arts, and to preserve and enhance the natural beauty of our region. For more information, a complete Festival Calendar of Events, and ticket information, visit www.dogwoodarts.com or call (865) 637-4561.

The Color Purple will play at the Tennessee Theatre Feb. 18-20

The Tennessee Theatre is proud to announce that The Color Purple, The Musical about Love, will play as part of the Broadway at the Tennessee series, February 18th through 20th, for five performances only.

This production of The Color Purple is the next phase in the life of the ground-breaking Broadway hit musical produced by Scott Sanders. The original Broadway musical opened on December 1, 2005, and was nominated for 11 Tony Awards, including Best Musical. The Color Purple ran for over two years on Broadway followed by a three year First National Tour.

The Color Purple is based on the classic Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Alice Walker and the moving film by Steven Spielberg. It is the unforgettable and inspiring story of a woman named Celie, who finds the strength to triumph over adversity and discover her unique voice in the world. With a joyous, GRAMMY-nominated score featuring gospel, jazz, pop and the blues, The Color Purple is about hope and the healing power of love.

Tickets are on sale at the Tennessee Theatre box office, all Tickets Unlimited locations, by calling 684-1200, or online at tennesseetheatre.com.

Photos by Scott Suchman