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news@ShopperNewsNow.comSandra Clark | Bill Dockery

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Patty Fecco | Tony Cranmore

Alice Devall | Shannon Carey

To page 3

VOL. 3 NO. 18 May 6, 2015www.ShopperNewsNow.com | www.facebook.com/ShopperNewsNow

NORTH / EAST

By Betty BeanAt the end of his last day as prin-

cipal, when Benny Perry walks out of Austin-East High School, past the signs urging students to dream big dreams and work hard to achieve them, he’ll leave behind a very different school than the one he found when he took the job in 2008.

In those days, A-E was teeter-ing on the verge of state takeover for poor academic performance, and the surrounding community was seething with uncertainty and fear. Perry, a West Tennessee transplant who had been recruited to come to Knoxville to coach bas-ketball 22 years ago but was chan-neled into administration when he failed to get an interview for a coaching position, was tasked with saving the school.

The fi rst step was hiring a new faculty (or deciding whether to re-hire). Nobody’s job was safe. He remembers that fi rst day as the low point of his time there.

“Coming in on April 30, 2008, as principal, it was just a bad time,” he says. “The previous principal had been removed, and the students were resentful of me. The school

Austin-East principal Benny Perry (center) is

joined by staff members Rhonda Woodruff and

Lasheika Jones. File photo by Ruth White

ready for new season

Schools’ fi rst audio production studio complete with two record-ing studios and a dual enrollment partnership with Pellissippi State, and hosted a community celebra-tion when the school was formally removed from the state’s “account-ability list” of failing schools.

Perry can look back at a record of academic improvement, capped off by two years of earning a Level 5 designation (the state’s highest, based on student achievement – A-E was a 1 when he arrived).

“What this shows is our kids can compete intellectually with

A-E principal Perry

had consistently been on the state’s list of failing schools, and my ad-ministrative team and I were en-trusted with ‘redesigning’ the entire academic program. If we could do it over, we’d do it differently, but it was a new situation – different from anything we had encountered before.”

Perry said the turning point was when he brought the ex-prin-cipal back to preside over gradua-tion night and hand out diplomas.

“Those were his kids, and this began to turn the community in my favor.”

Always eager to share credit, Perry says he doesn’t know what he

would have done without assistant principal Alvin Armistead, whom he calls “my strong right arm.”

Perry says he has no idea who his successor will be, but the school he will hand over when he and wife Carmelita (who recently retired as principal of West View Elementary) move to Nashville to be close to their grandchildren is bursting with high expectations and pride.

During Perry’s tenure, A-E has produced two Knox County Ethics Bowl champions, its fi rst National Merit Scholarship winner and a state championship in forensics. Last fall, A-E opened Knox County

Six to join Hallof Fame

By Betty BeanWayne Smith and Eleanor

Bartlett Deal Smith – Knoxville High School Class of ’49 – know bet-ter than most that high school re-unions can be life-changing events.

In 1999, Smith lost his wife of 47 years. Deal, with whom he’d had one date in high school (“I was dating her best friend and never called her again”) was newly wid-owed, as well (her late husband was a fraternity brother of Smith’s at the University of Tennessee and Smith had been in their wedding).

They got reacquainted at their Knoxville High School alums Paul Barnhart and Wayne Smith at the 2012 re-

union. Photo submitted

Knox High all-class reunion Saturday50th class reunion, dated for a year and were married in 2000. They’ll celebrate their 15th wed-ding anniversary later this month.

But fi rst, they’ve got a date to attend the Historic Knoxville High School All-Class Reunion at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, May 9, at Bearden Banquet Hall. The speaker will be Rick Dover, CEO of Dover Devel-opment, which won the contract to redevelop the old high school building and will convert the his-toric structure into senior living space with commercial spaces on the ground fl oor.

Lenoir City lawyer Harvey Sproul was a member of KHS

To page 3

By Carol ShaneHere’s a term you may

have heard: “the sand-wich generation.” It refers to people who are caring for both their own kids and their aging parents. According to the Pew Re-search Center, it applies to just over one out of every eight Americans age 40 to 60.

These folks have a lot to deal with, and it’s easy to become overwhelmed. Thankfully, many churches and other houses of faith are stepping up to help.

Church Street United Methodist Church’s Kay Senior Center is a day pro-gram for individuals in need of supervision who can benefi t from daily ac-tivities and time spent with

Kay Senior Center participant Jack Brown works on con-

gregational care cards for Church Street United Methodist

Church. Photo by Judith Winters

Loving care for seniors and their familiesstrives “to enhance the quality of life for seniors and their caregivers by support-ing, strengthening, and giv-ing a well deserved respite to the entire family.” The state-licensed adult day care center provides “a safe and caring environment, which promotes independence, self-esteem, individuality, and dignity for impaired se-nior adults in the Knoxville community.”

In addition to regular, fun activities such as word and trivia games, arts and crafts, music and pet ther-apy, the center also hosts intergenerational pro-grams at least four times a month. So kids and elders get to visit and share their lives with each other.

Coffee in the morning,

lunch and a snack are also provided.

Judith Winters has been director of the center for the past seven years. “The most rewarding thing about working here at the Kay Center,” she says, “is knowing that we are help-ing our participants con-tinue to be involved in the community and with other people while giving their caregivers the chance to continue working or take respite from caregiving.

“I enjoy seeing our par-ticipants fi nd something they enjoy doing and some-thing they can succeed at. It is a good feeling, knowing that we are here to help our seniors and their families.”

Info: kaycenter.com or 865-521-0289.

others. It’s also for caregiv-ers who need a break.

According to its mission statement, the program

BUZZVisit Vestival!

The 15th annual rendition of South Knoxville’s own arts and heritage festival is this Satur-day at Candoro Marble, corner of Maryville Pike and Candora Avenue.

Want food?There’s a Mother’s Day

brunch at 11 a.m., free and open to all and generously sponsored by Three Rivers Market and South Knox farm-ers. There will also be food vendors on site.

Want music?Two stages will be rockin’

and twangin’ all day. High-lights on the Maryville Pike stage will be The Blue Print featuring Keith Brown, Kevin Abernathy Band, the Lon-etones, Exit 65 and Quartjar. On the Carriage House stage, Ewan Carawan and the Celtic Collaborators will start things off at noon, and there will be a special remembrance of Cara-wan’s father, Guy Carawan, who passed away last week.

Want art?The Vestival 15 Art Exhibit

has an opening reception at 7 p.m. Friday and will be on dis-play all day Saturday. Artists and crafters will demonstrate and sell their wares on the grounds Saturday.

Free shuttle service will be provided all day, with stops (and parking) at the South Knoxville Community Cen-ter, Mary Vestal Park, ETTAC (East Tennessee Technology Access Center), South Knox Collectors Mall, the new UGO (old Food City), Vestal United Methodist Church and Im-manuel Baptist Church.

Shopper seeks graphic artist

We’re looking for a new member of our creative team.

There’s a long list of “oughta-haves,” but basically we need someone who can work from our Farragut offi ce and has working knowledge of Adobe InDesign and Photo-shop.

If you’ve already got a job and want some evening or weekend work, we can handle that, too. Just give a call or send email to: Sandra Clark, 865-661-8777 or sclark426@aol.com.

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Get your project some SOUP

The second Knoxville SOUP will be 6 p.m. Saturday, May 16, at Ijams Nature Center. Presented by the South Knox-ville Alliance, the event will feature up to four presenta-tions by groups or individuals seeking microgrants to help them fund projects.

Proposals are due Saturday, May 9. Info: southknoxvillealliance.org.

2 • MAY 6, 2015 • Shopper news

health & lifestyles

Knowing signs of stroke helps wife save husband’s lifeAlvis Earl, 71, credits his wife’s quick

thinking with recognizing the symptoms of a stroke and saving his life.

On April 2, Alvis and Sharon Kay Earl were at their home in Knoxville, fi nishing up an old sitcom rerun on television before going to bed.

“All of a sudden I didn’t feel anything. My right arm wasn’t moving,” Earl remem-bered. “I said, ‘What’s this hairy arm doing here?’ And I reached down and grabbed it, and thought I was massaging it. I thought it was asleep.

“And then I said something to my wife. In my mind, I could tell what I was saying, but to her it sounded garbled. She said, ‘You’re having a stroke. I’m calling 911.’ ”

Sharon Kay Earl, 53, recognized the symptoms of a stroke in part because of a billboard she saw daily on her way to work. It said “FAST,” an acronym for the symptoms of a stroke: Face drooping, Arm weakness, Speech diffi culty, Time to call 911.

But Alvis Earl didn’t believe her. “I said, ‘No, no, no, don’t do that.’ I was

like a drunk who says he can drive,” said Earl.

“I was doctoring my own case.” Sharon Earl called 911 anyway. “You hate

me tonight but you’re going to love me to-morrow,” she said.

Within four minutes, emergency medical responders arrived, and they confi rmed his stroke symptoms. “The ambulance people said the best treatment for a stroke that this town offers is at Fort Sanders,” said Earl.

Within 20 minutes of his fi rst symptoms,

Sharon Kay Earl knew the acronym FAST and was able to contact 911 in time to get her

husband Alvis to the Comprehensive Stroke Center at Fort Sanders Regional. Ultimately

her quick action helped saved Alvis’ life.

The reality of strokeA stroke happens when there

is an interruption in the fl ow of blood to the brain. Brain tissue is deprived of oxygen and nutrients, and brain cells begin to die within minutes.

Having a stroke means you have a greater risk for another (re-current) stroke. The good news is that there are steps you can take to prevent a recurrent stroke. It has been suggested that 80 percent of secondary strokes can be prevent-ed by a combination of lifestyle changes and medical interven-tions. Here are the facts:

■ Approximately 795,000 Americans experience a stroke each year – about 185,000 of those strokes are recurrent strokes.

■ At least 1 in 4 (25-35 percent) of the 795,000 Americans who have a stroke each year will have another stroke within their life-time.

■ Recurrent strokes often have a higher rate of death and dis-ability because parts of the brain already injured by the original stroke may not be as resilient.

■ Within 5 years of a stroke, 24 percent of women and 42 percent of men will experience a recurrent stroke.

Arthur Moore, MD, medical director of the Comprehensive

Stroke Center at Fort Sanders Re-gional, says a fi rst stroke in and of itself is a risk factor.

“It’s a symptom of underlying vascular disease,” Moore explains. “The fi rst stroke says, ‘Hey, you have a propensity – you have a chance of having more strokes.’ ”

Since the risk of recurrent strokes is so high, and because an initial stroke is a symptom of underlying vascular disease, the Stroke Center takes a multi-lay-ered approach to treating stroke patients.

“The initial focus is on treating the stroke,” Moore says. “When a stroke patient is coming into the hospital, unless something unusual is going on, I don’t care what caused it. At that point in time I just care that we do something about it.”

Once the acute treatment is administered, stroke care divides into two pathways. The fi rst path-way is identifying the cause so it never happens, again. The second pathway is working to restore the patient’s quality of life with reha-bilitation and therapy through Pa-tricia Neal Rehabilitation Center.

“By the time the patient leaves the hospital, I can usually tell them with a pretty high degree of cer-tainty why they had the stroke.”

The big fi veWith strokes and the risk of re-

current strokes a harsh reality, it’s important to switch into reverse when it comes to our thinking about strokes and pay attention to the risk factors. Moore says there are fi ve major risk factors that can increase your chances of having a stroke.

“Some people have a genetic predisposition,” Moore says. “But the most common risk factor is age.” The risk of stroke automati-cally begins to increase in the age range of 50 to 55.

While we can’t control that risk factor, there are others we can. Moore says blood pressure, cho-lesterol, diabetes and smoking round out the Big Five.

“Those four are what we call modifi able risk factors,” Moore says. “Those are the biggest risk fac-tors for stroke, and if you can stop smoking, get the best control over your diabetes that you can, get the blood pressure under control as well as you can and get your cholesterol under control, then you reduce your risk as much as possible.”

Moore is quick to point out that blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes can usually be controlled simply with changes in diet and exercise.

Arthur Moore, MD, medical director of the Comprehensive

Stroke Center at Fort Sanders Regional

00

94

-00

93

stroke:LIKE IT NEVER EVEN HAPPENED.No comprehensive stroke and rehabilitation center in our region

does more to reverse stroke’s devastating eff ects than Fort

Sanders Regional Medical

Center. That’s why hospitals

across East Tennessee refer their

most complex stroke patients to

us. And only Fort Sanders Regional is home to the Patricia Neal

Rehabilitation Center, East Tennessee’s elite rehabilitation hospital

for stroke, spinal cord and brain injury patients.

Certifi ed as a Comprehensive Stroke Center by The Joint Commission and accredited by the Commission on the Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities

Leading the region’s only stroke hospital network

www.covenanthealth.com/strokenetwork

Fort Sanders performs clinical trials and procedures

for stroke not available anywhere else in our region.

Earl was at Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center undergoing a CT scan.

Fort Sanders has been recognized as a Comprehensive Stroke Center by the Joint Commission and the American Heart Asso-ciation/American Stroke Association. Part of the certifi cation involves protocols for rapid diagnosis and treatment of stroke.

A stroke is a blood clot or bleed in the brain, which deprives the brain tissue of ox-ygen. Every second counts, and the quicker blood fl ow is restored, the better off the pa-tient will be.

In Earl’s case, the ambulance personnel called Fort Sanders as they drove to the hos-pital, and a team of stroke specialists was waiting.

“They took me right away back to a ma-chine and did a CT scan to determine what was going on in my brain,” said Earl. “The clot was in the left part of my brain, which controls the speech.”

The clot was too deep for a surgical inter-vention. “But the doctor said I was the per-fect candidate for tPA,” said Earl.

Tissue Plasminogen Activator, or tPA,

is a protein that breaks down blood clots. Given intravenously, tPA works to dissolve the clot and improve blood fl ow to the af-fected part of the brain. It can signifi cantly improve chances of recovery from a stroke.

But, it must be given within a short win-dow after the fi rst stroke symptoms, typi-cally within 3.5 hours. Because Sharon Earlcould tell the doctor exactly when Earl’sstroke began and it was within just onehour, Alvis Earl was a great candidate for the drug.

“They told me there was a 6 percent chance it won’t work, and if it didn’t you may die. I appreciated them telling me the truth,” said Earl. “I was able to speak to my wife. I said I didn’t want to live like I was,so we decided 94 percent was better than 6percent.

“I said let’s do it. They gave me the treat-ment and I don’t know how long it was, but when I woke up I was much better,” he said. “I could speak!”

Earl spent fi ve days at Fort Sanders Re-gional Medical Center and healed rapidly.

“I was just overly impressed with every-body there,” said Earl. “The nurses, thera-pists, and even the cleaning crew were ex-ceptionally nice.”

Earl’s speech returned, and he has no sig-nifi cant lingering effects of the stroke.

“After I got home, I cut the grass two days later,” he said. “I feel fi ne, and that’s my point.

“If you see someone with symptoms of astroke, get them to the hospital and let those people do their work. And preferably, go to Fort Sanders!”

Atrial fi brillation

and strokeAnother major risk factor for

stroke is atrial fi brillation, which is a heart condition. Moore says it actually increases your risk of stroke by about fi vefold.

“The heart has a top and a bot-tom, with the atria on the top, the ventricles on the bottom,” Moore says. “The bottom part sends blood to the body, and the top part sends blood to the bottom part of the heart. When that top part starts to contract unevenly, blood stagnates, and when blood stag-nates, it clots.”

If a clot is pumped down to the bottom of the heart, then it canbe pumped out to the rest of the body. Moore says about 40 percent of the time the clot will go to the brain, because the brain receives 40 percent of the blood supply from the heart.

Atrial fi brillation can be treatedwith blood thinning medications, and Moore says that reduces a pa-tient’s stroke risk from 10 -12 per-cent per year to about 2 percent per year.For more information about stroke,

its risks, prevention and treatment,

visit fsregional.com/stroke

or call 865-673-FORT.

NORTH/EAST Shopper news • MAY 6, 2015 • 3 community

Principal Perry From page 1

anybody,” he said. “I’m proud of what we’ve done, but not satisfi ed. I’m never satisfi ed.”

He also gives a big share of the credit to schools Su-perintendent James Mc-Intyre.

“I came in (to A-E) the same year as Dr. McIntyre. He takes so many bullets, but he’s been the best super-intendent I’ve worked with in my 40 years in education. Everything I’ve asked for, he’s given me – plus some things we didn’t ask for. And KCS has always pro-vided me with quality ad-ministrators to support our progress.”

Perry is proud of the list of his assistant principals who are now principals: Catherine Banner of West, Rob Speas of Fulton, Paula Brown of Mount Olive and Stephanie Thompson of Far-ragut. He is liberal when praising others.

“With me, it’s all about the team. You’ve got to have people believing in the right

thing and believing in what you’re working toward to be successful.”

He is also a believer in TAP (Teacher and Student Ad-vancement Program), which he says taught him more than any other program in 40 years as an educator.

“My fi rst three years, we looked at different instruc-tional programs to help us get a focus for our kids and the community, but it was not until we became a TAP school that we were able to get the right seat on the bus.”

Perry will miss Austin-East (he still says “we” when he talks about future chal-lenges), but he says it’s time for him to go.

“There is a time and a season for everything, and I’m moving into a new sea-son. Forty years is a long time to do anything. Knox-ville will always have a spe-cial place in my heart, and I’m not saying goodbye, just so long. You’ll probably see me again.”

Debra Johnson lives in northeast Knoxville while Shelia Roberts resides on the west end. The two met in 2008 and formed a part-nership in 2011 to create Delightful Movement Soul Line Dance. But these aren’t your typical dance instruc-tors.

Fitness line-dance instructors Debra Johnson and Shelia Rob-

erts warm up before class. Photo by Cindy Taylor

East meets west; both shall dance

Cindy Taylor

Johnson has always loved to move and has been involved in dance since high school. Roberts’ story is much the same. Both are fi t-ness buffs who feel that God has gifted them so that they can bless others in return. Their soul line dance classes are similar to the Let’s Move campaign, allowing them to inspire individuals of all ages to get up and move through dance.

“I have always loved to dance, but guys don’t usu-ally like to dance,” said Johnson. “The fi rst time I saw people line dancing I fell in love with the moves because you don’t need a partner.”

Soul line dancing is simi-lar to country line danc-

to leave.”During an hour-and-a-

half class, the two take stu-dents through more than 13 different dances that in-volve cardio, dance and fi t-ness. They say their classes create fellowship and family because all involved support each other through encour-agement, patience and un-derstanding. For those who are physically unable to do the moves, the class teach-es modifi cations so all can learn and succeed.

“We have a diverse class in age and physical capabil-ity,” said Roberts. “I dance now because I am more seasoned in age and to stay fi t I have to do something that I enjoy. When we see our students and the fun and laughter they have to-gether, it makes everything worthwhile. God has really blessed us.”

Delightful Movement will hold their Oldies But Good-ies party from 7 p.m. to mid-night Saturday, May 23, at Days Inn, 5335 Central Av-enue Pike. More events are planned for the remainder of the year. Anyone who’s looking for a fun way to get or stay fi t and/or enjoys dancing is always welcome. Johnson and Roberts also perform and lead dance at family reunions, parties, etc. Info: 363-9489 or 705-1232, shelia@coacho.com or johnsonda3@comcast.net.

Class of ’51 – the last class to graduate before the school was shut down. He said he’s expecting approximately 200 people to attend the re-union, which has been con-solidated and converted to a daytime event as alumni numbers dwindle.

Sproul, who is familiar with Dover’s historic res-toration work in Loudon County, is optimistic about the prospect of the develop-

er restoring his alma mater to its former splendor, and he thinks the alumni at the meeting will enjoy hearing about the restoration proj-ect, which will take more than a year to complete.

“I like the plans he’s adopting, and I think it’s go-ing to work out fi ne,” Sproul said. “We’re pleased that he’s going to be our speak-er.”

The other order of busi-

All-class reunion From page 1

On 25th anniversary

of federal law By Bill Dockery

Last fall, Tony Lawrence decided to take his future into his own hands. He’d gone to Central High School, and now he needed to fi nd a job. In October he made a cold call on Bravo! Cucina Italiana restaurant, looking for a workplace that could use his particular abilities.

Kate Meyer, one of the restaurant’s managers, in-terviewed him and was impressed, though she re-alized Lawrence had some developmental disabilities. She gave him the task of readying silverware setups for the tables.

“I knew when I talked to Tony that there were things in the restaurant he couldn’t do,” Meyer said, “but I had this feeling about him. There was just something … so I asked our other manag-ers to take a chance.”

Since then, Lawrence has become a valuable employee of the restaurant, taking on more back-kitchen duties and even training another worker to share his napkin-rolling responsibilities.

On Thursday, May 14, both Lawrence and Bravo! will be honored with Spirit of the ADA awards by Knoxville’s disAbility Resource Center at a citywide celebration at 11 a.m. on Market Square. The center recognizes people an-nually who have embodied the spirit of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which was passed in 1990 to ensure that people with disabilities receive equal treatment un-der the law.

The ceremonies will involve Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero and state Sen. Becky Massey, execu-tive director of the Sertoma Center for adults with in-tellectual disabilities, said Lillian Burch, executive di-rector of the center. The fes-tivities coincide with a two-day visit to Knoxville by the

ADA Legacy Tour, a travel-ing display commemorating the 25th anniversary of the act’s passage.

Bravo! will receive the center’s award for employ-ers, and Lawrence, the consumer award. Six other individuals and two groups will also be honored.

Gary Harmon, a Knox County English teacher and motivational speaker, will take home the award for an individual showing the Spirit of the ADA. He is the author of “My Daddy Takes His Legs Off,” a book that makes children comfortable with the disabled body.

U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexan-der will be recognized for his legislative work to put federal authority for dis-ability services under the Department of Health and Human Services.

Dean Rivkin, a Univer-sity of Tennessee law pro-fessor, and Brenda McGee, a Knoxville lawyer, will be recognized along with the students of the UT Educa-

Tony Lawrence, Kate Meyer

and Richard Keninde Olo-

woyo pause for a picture on

a busy Friday night at Bravo!

Cucina Italiana. Lawrence,

who works in the kitchen,

and Meyer, the restaurant’s

general manager, will be hon-

ored with the Spirit of ADA

award from the disAbility

Resource Center. Lawrence is

training Olowoyo in back-

kitchen duties at Bravo!

Event to honor Spirit of ADA winners

tion Practicum for advocacy work on behalf of children caught up in the Knox Coun-ty Juvenile Justice System. The couple focus specifi cally on students of color who have disabilities and are likely to be cited to court and removed from school.

Jason Gaul will be hon-ored for his volunteer work and fundraising efforts. Anne Woodle at East Ten-nessee Children’s Rehabili-tation Center will receive the award for an exemplary service provider. A special award will go to the Knox-ville Mayor’s Council on Disability Issues, which is completing its 35th year of advocacy for the city’s peo-ple with disabilities.

The ADA Legacy Tour bus and displays will spend two days here. On May 13, the bus will be parked in the lot beside the Regal Cin-emas Pinnacle 18 theater on Parkside Drive in Turkey Creek. It will be open 11:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. and will have a display in the Regal lobby.

The tour bus will move to Market Square on May 14 and will remain there all day for the DisAbility Resource Center festivities. Some 35 service providers and advocacy organizations are expected to have booths and displays at the event.

Info: drctn.org or 865-637-3666.

■ Appalachian Arts Craft Center to jury new membersAnyone interested in selling their handmade crafts

in the Appalachian Arts Craft Center’s shop in Norris should submit completed forms and three samples of their work to the center beginning Monday, May 18, and no later than noon Friday, May 29, for the jurying process. Visit www.appalachianarts.net or the center, 2716 Andersonville Highway (Highway 61), for required forms. A nonrefundable $25 jurying fee is required when forms and items are submitted. Info: 494-9854.

ing, but the music is very different. The venues may change, but Roberts and Johnson spend most of their time ministering through dance in Knoxville’s inner city. Current classes are held each Tuesday at New Hope Missionary Baptist Church, 2504 Cecil Ave., and Monday and Thursday at the assembly room at the city’s Engineering De-

partment building, 1400 Loraine St. But one of their favorite places to hold class is at Broadway Towers, 1508 McCroskey Ave.

“Going to Broadway Tow-ers once each month is the most rewarding thing for me since we started this,” said Roberts. “The largest class we have ever had was there. We all have so much fun, and they never want us

AREA FARMERS MARKETS ■ Dixie Lee Farmers Market, Renaissance|Farragut, 12740 Kingston

Pike. Hours: 9 a.m.-noon Saturdays through Oct. 31. Locally grown

produce, free-range eggs, grass-fed meats, honey, potted plants,

fresh-cut fl owers and herbs, cheese, baked goods, pottery, soaps,

organic skin care, handbound books, photography and other

handmade crafts. Info: dixieleefarmersmarket.com; on Facebook.

■ Ebenezer Road Farmers Market, Ebenezer UMC, 1001 Ebenezer Road.

Hours: 3-6 p.m. Tuesdays through late November. Grass-fed meat,

hand-picked produce, farm-fresh eggs, artisan bread and cheese,

local honey, fl owers and handmade crafts. Info: on Facebook.

■ Knoxville Farmers Market, Laurel Church of Christ, 3457 Kingston

Pike. Hours: 3-6 p.m. Fridays through late November. Grass-fed

meat, hand-picked produce, farm-fresh eggs, artisan bread and

cheese, local honey, fl owers and handmade crafts.

■ Lakeshore Park Farmers Market, 6410 S. Northshore Drive. Hours:

3-6 p.m. every Friday through Nov. 20. Grass-fed beef, fresh eggs,

artisan bread and cheese, local honey, fresh fl owers and in-season

vegetables. Info: on Facebook.

■ Market Square Farmers Market, 60 Market Square. Hours: 11 a.m.-2

p.m. Wednesdays and 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturdays through Nov. 21.

Producer-only market. Ornamental plants, in-season produce,

dairy, eggs, honey, herbs, meat, baked goods, jams/jellies, coff ee

and artisan crafts. Info: marketsquarefarmersmarket.org.

■ Maryville Farmers Market: Church Avenue. Hours: 9 a.m.-sellout,

Saturdays through Nov. 17. Producer-only market featuring sea-

sonal vegetables, fruits, honey, plants, baked goods, cut fl owers,

free-range eggs and meats.

■ Maryville Farmers Market: New Providence Presbyterian Church,

703 W. Broadway, Maryville. Hours: 3:30-6:30 p.m. Wednesdays

and Saturdays, June 6-Aug. 29. Producer-only market featuring

seasonal vegetables, fruits, honey, plants, baked goods, cut fl ow-

ers, free-range eggs and meats.

■ New Harvest Park Farmers Market, 4700 New Harvest Park Lane.

Hours: 3-6 p.m. Thursdays. Locally grown produce, meats, artisan

food products, plants, herbs, fl owers, crafts. Info: on Facebook.

■ Oak Ridge Farmers Market, Historic Jackson Square, 281 Broad-

way Ave. Oak Ridge. Hours: 3-6 p.m. Wednesdays; 8 a.m.-noon

Saturdays through late November. grass-fed meat, hand-picked

produce, farm-fresh eggs, artisan bread and cheese, local honey,

fl owers and handmade crafts. Info: on Facebook.

■ Seymour Farmers Market, lower parking lot of Seymour First Baptist

Church, 11621 Chapman Highway. Hours: 8 a.m.-noon Saturdays,

June 6 to Oct. 10. Info: seymourfarmersmarket.org; on Facebook.

■ “Shopping at the Farm” Farmers Market, Marble Springs, 1220 W.

Governor John Sevier Highway. 3-6 p.m. Thursdays through Nov.

1. Fresh, locally produced products, including sauces, seasonal

produce, herbs, perennial plants.

■ UT Farmers Market, UT Gardens, Neyland Drive. Hours: 4-7 p.m.

Wednesdays, May 13-Oct. 21. Fresh produce, local food, enter-

tainment, children’s events, educational info and more. Info:

vegetables.tennessee.edu/UTFM.html; on Facebook.

ness will be introducing the new members of the KHS Hall of Fame, who will be added to the 100-member list introduced at the KHS 100th-year anniversary in 2010 at the Tennessee The-atre.

“We decided there were a lot more people who should be on that list, and we’ve added six or seven a year in succeeding years,” Sproul said.

This year’s inductees include Malcolm W. Cagle (Class of ’37), a vice admiral

who won the Navy Distin-guished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, the Distin-guished Flying Cross and a Navy Cross for service dur-ing a career that began in World War II and ended in the Vietnam era.

Other new members are Marion M. Pickle Jr. (Class of ’41), Col. James T. “Tom-my” Haynes (Class of ’44), Neal Caldwell (Class of ’50), Jim Elson (Class of ’50) and a surprise, secret inductee to be named Saturday. Catch up with all your favorite columnists every Wednesday

at www.ShopperNewsNow.com

4 • MAY 6, 2015 • Shopper news

Farragut revenue tops $9 millionBy Sandra Clark

David Smoak, adminis-trator for the town of F a r r a g u t , spoke about the town last week to the Farra-gut Rotary. He’s also pre s ident-elect of the

group. We’ve got this report by way of Tom King and the club newsletter,

Incorporating in 1980, the town’s population stood at 6,360. It had grown to 21,390 by the 2013 census. The town encompasses 16 square miles with most of the area south of I-40. The township provides public

works, community develop-ment, engineering and ad-ministration.

The vision for 2025 in-cludes the desire for a dis-tinctive residential com-munity with a focus on the history and beauty of the area with an eye toward strengthening the local economy.

Sales tax funds one half of the budget. The town has been debt-free since 1995 and plans to operate with-out debt. There is no prop-erty tax.

Currently, revenues are $9.1 million with $6.8 mil-lion in expenditures. Oper-ating costs are 42 percent of the budget, with personnel costs making up the bal-ance.

David Smoak

Celebrating an event?Share your

family’s milestones with us!

Send announcements to news@ShopperNewsNow.com

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Send news to news@ShopperNewsNow.com

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Beware of coffee-shop debates about Tennessee football. Bruises and even lacerations are possible. Egos can be damaged. Feel-ings may be hurt beyond repair.

I innocently walked into one the other day and was immediately challenged to settle the disturbance.

“Speak up,” said one com-batant. “You know it all.”

“You’ve been around for-ever,” said another.

In commemoration of the NFL draft, at issue was which former Volun-teer, born in Tennessee, played the most pro football games?

Under consideration were Doug Atkins, Bill Bates and Reggie White.

Right here, out of courte-sy, we pause for two seconds so you can vote.

Pause over.

Old Vols in the NFL

Atkins, defensive end from Humboldt, played in 205 pro games (mostly Chi-cago). He struck fear into the hearts of quarterbacks and sometimes alarmed rival linemen assigned to block him. He is one of the really big men in the college and pro halls of fame.

Bates, defensive back from Farragut, played in 217 games, all with the Cow-boys, and fi nished as one of the all-time stars of special teams. He has coached and also distinguished himself as a father.

White, a rare gladiator who included foes in his prayers and then dented their helmets, made the trip from Chattanooga to UT to Philadelphia to Green Bay and fi nally to Carolina. He played in 232 NFL games over 15 seasons.

Before anyone could ask, I told them Reggie inter-cepted three passes, scored two touchdowns and had 198 career sacks. That made an impression.

“You are pretty smart,” said one listener.

“I have a reference li-brary,” said I.

The coffee caucus seemed surprised to learn that homegrown Raleigh McKenzie from Austin-East played center and guard in 226 pro games, mostly for Washington but two years each for Philadelphia, San Diego and Green Bay.

One budding genius sud-denly remembered that Raleigh works for his twin brother, Reggie, as a scout for the Oakland Raiders. Reggie is general manager and also a very famous fa-ther. His son, former prep star Kahlil McKenzie, de-fensive tackle, 6-4 and 319, is coming soon to Tennessee.

Reggie is very smart but did not play nearly as many NFL games as Raleigh.

It took time to return to the subject, Tennessee-born Vols who survived the rigors of pro football for extended periods. If you are guessing, offensive linemen do have a better chance for longevity than backs, receivers and linebackers.

Judge Tim Irwin, for-mer Central High tackle, played in 201 games, almost all with the Minnesota Vi-kings. Chad Clifton from Martin played in 158 for the Packers. Mike Stratton of Tellico Plains played 156 for Buffalo. Bruce Wilker-

Armstrong talks to Halls achieversKnox County Law Director Rich ard “Bud” Armstrong

spoke to the annual Halls High Academ-ic Achievers dinner held April 30 at the Grande Event Center on Clinton Highway.

Ted Hatfi eld reports that seniors, ju-niors and sophomores were honored for making a minimum of a 3.5 grade-point average and were given letters, medals, trophies and plaques.

“The Halls High School Chapter of the National Honor Society inducted over 50 students in an outstanding candle-light-

ing ceremony,” said Hatfi eld. The annual event has been hosted for years by the Regal Entertainment Group Foun-dation, along with local business and professional groups.

Armstrong

son from Loudon played in 147, mostly for the Raid-ers. Harry Galbreath from Clarksville made it through 141 with Miami, Green Bay and the New York Jets.

Nashville tackle John Gordy, teammate of John Majors, did 134 NFL games for the Detroit Lions. De-fensive tackle John Hen-derson (Nashville) had 133. Cleveland’s Bob Johnson was Cincinnati’s center for 126 games. Linebacker Al Wilson (Jackson) lasted for 125. Linebacker Mike Cofer

(Rule High, Knoxville) played 123.

Don’t set this list in stone. Jason Witten (Eliza-bethton to Dallas) has es-tablished a few records and is gaining on 200 games. He holds the NFL record for consecutive starts by a tight end and is third all-time to reach 10,000 yards in receptions.

One or more of the Colquitts (Knoxville) may kick forever.Marvin West invites corrections from other know-it-alls. His address is west-west6@netzero.com.

Watching out for neighbors’ kidsBeer board prepares

for prom seasonBy Sandra Clark

Knox County Commis-sion, sitting as the beer board, had some 16 offend-ers hauled in to explain why their business had sold beer to minors.

Most mumbled about un-trained staff making a mis-take. But a couple of busi-nesses stood tall, taking responsibility and pledging renewed efforts to prevent a recurrence.

Art McCammon, 12-year owner of Bullfeathers, end-ed by saying, “May we never meet this way again.”

He brought his entire server staff to the meet-ing to hear him say: “(The violation) was wrong; it was against the law; it was unex-cusable.

“I am sorry and will do everything within my power to make sure it never hap-pens again. ...

“(The violation) raised questions about our dedica-tion to enforcing the letter of the law. ... Are we worthy of your trust to responsibily serve beer in Knox County?”

McCammon outlined his strategy to avoid future problems. He was fi ned $1,000 for a fi rst offense.

John Deichler, category manager for Murphy Oil, oversees alcohol sales in 335 of Murphy’s 1,268 stores.

“It’s not a fun thing to stand before our partners and neighbors to explain ourselves,” he told the com-missioners.

Deichler had a lawyer present. He did not need to come. Yet he drove 10 hours to make the meeting to per-

sonally apologize for his store’s error.

He said every employee is seller-certifi ed using an on-line program. Also, a third-party company does month-ly stings of every store.

“I doubt there are many companies nationally that take this as seriously as we do,” he said. “We’re a large company, but we still oper-ate very much as a small company – because it’s the right thing to do.

“We want to be neigh-bors. We want to be part of your community. And neighbors look after each other’s kids.

“It’s very disappoint-ing that our staff members failed you, and I apologize.”

Commissioner Mike Brown said Murphy Oil is strong on training. Brown moved for a $500 fi ne or 30-

day suspension.Sam McKenzie was not

convinced. “You know what happens during prom sea-son.”

He made a substitute mo-tion for $1,000 or a 60-day suspension. The motion passed 8-2 with Brown and Jeff Ownby voting no and Amy Broyles absent.

The commissioners dou-bled the usual fi ne, collect-ing $16,000 from offenders. Chair Brad Anders asked David Buuck, assistant law director, to research wheth-er the county could allocate a portion of the fi nes to the Metropolitan Drug Commis-sion to boost education and enforcement.

Offenders were from all parts of Knox County and included CVS Pharmacy on Middlebrook Pike and Ingles Market in Halls.

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Shopper news • MAY 6, 2015 • 5 government

One thing that won’t change is his hometown. While he’ll be a “fl oater” during the week, he hopes to return to Knoxville on weekends.

“This is my home. I have every intention of staying here.”

While Haynes was un-opposed in two of his four elections, his fi rst was hard-fought, he says. His limited opposition was due to the strength of the party, he says.

“Good policy makes for good politics. That’s the key to success.”

He recalls his early days in the House of Representa-tives. There were so many people to know and issues to understand that it was “like drinking from a fi re hose.”

His age initially caused some confusion. Some-one on the elevator asked in whose offi ce he worked. Tradition dictates that rep-resentatives razz new mem-

bers when they present their fi rst bill, and a fellow leg-islator asked why an intern was allowed on the fl oor.

Before he went to Nash-ville, he didn’t realize how many good people served in state leadership. He ap-plauds the work of Gov. Bill Haslam, House Speaker Beth Harwell and Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey given their small salaries.

He plans to use his expe-rience to encourage other young people to get involved in politics. It’s a hard sell these days, but people like voting for energetic candi-dates who are new on the scene, he says. Knox County has a track record of send-ing young leaders, like Ja-mie Woodson and Shop-per-News publisher Sandra Clark, to Nashville.

His predecessor, Chris Devaney, left the GOP in “wonderful condition,” and Haynes hopes to make a robust effort to recruit

(Note: Ryan Haynes will speak at the Union County

Lincoln- Reagan Dinner 6 p.m. Satur-day, May 16, at Union County High School.)

By al-most any

standard, Ryan Haynes is young. He celebrates his 30th birthday this week (Happy Birthday, Ryan!), which means he was born in 1985 − the year “The Break-fast Club” came out. Those of us who grew up in the ’80s feel like that was fi ve minutes ago.

But Haynes has more experience than many poli-ticians twice his age. He began his tenure in Tennes-see’s House of Representa-tives in 2008 at age 23 and was re-elected three times. As the state’s newly ap-

Ryan Haynes

Ryan Haynes looks forward

Wendy Smith

pointed Republican Party chair, Haynes is still young, but seasoned. He describes himself as being one of the more senior members of the Legislature, in spite of being its youngest member the en-tire time he was in offi ce.

He stopped by Long’s Drug Store to chat about the next stage of his career. He’s been sworn in to his new job but has yet to offi cially resign his House seat. He hopes the special election for his replacement can co-incide with city elections. It’s a bittersweet goodbye, he says, but he looks for-ward to interacting with his former colleagues through his new role.

The massive April 25 earthquake in Nepal has caused more than 7,000 deaths already with the count rising. The tragic news from Nepal, which lies between China and India, brings back memories of fi ve trips over 40 years.

I fi rst visited Kathmandu in 1975 on an around-the-world trip. It was a neat place that attracted hippies who smoked pot and used extensive drugs. I was only age 30 when I was in Kathmandu and the historic Thamel area of the city, which suffered heavy damage. Pollution had not yet become the major issue in the valley where Kath-mandu lies that it is today.

In 1982, I went to Nepal to trek up to the base camp of Mount Everest. With me were then-District Attor-ney General Al Schmutzer and Rob Delozier, who also lived then in Sevierville. Getting to the Everest re-gion was no easy task, and it is not much easier three decades later.

We were on the trek itself for 15 days after fl ying into Lukla – which contains one of the most unusual and diffi cult airfi elds in the world, being on the side of a mountain. The fi eld is on an incline with a dirt runway. The planes held about 14 passengers each.

Once we arrived in Lukla, the trekking began with an eight-mile hike to Namche Bazaar, which in those days did not have electricity or running water. It was the largest town in the Khumbu region where Everest lies and most Sher-pas live.

Sherpas by religion are primarily Buddhists while most Nepalis are Hindus. Sherpas assisted Edmund Hillary as he became the fi rst climber to reach the top of Mount Everest.

The three of us walked with fi ve Sherpas who assisted us for the next 15 days. One of them, Gelyzen Sherpa, became a close friend and visited East Tennessee several times before he was killed in a plane crash fl ying for Royal Nepal Airlines. We still stay in touch with his widow and children, who are safe but living in tents. Sch-mutzer and Delozier actu-ally reached the base camp

VictorAshe

Sandra Clark

Visiting Nepal

while I was unable to do so due to altitude sickness and bronchitis. We were above 14,000 feet virtually the entire time.

We ran into actor Robert Redford going up one of the mountains in tennis shoes as we were fi nishing up our trek. Former President Jimmy Carter did the same trek a few years later.

We were impressed by the character of the people living there in the shadow of absolutely magnifi cent mountains. Their lifestyle in 1982 was little changed from four centuries ear-lier. The Nepali people are wonderful, hard-working individuals.

I returned in 1987 with both Deloziers, along with my wife, Joan. We hiked in the Annapurna region and camped out.

In 1999, after my fourth election as mayor, I went to the Everest region again, this time with a different group that included then-city parks director Sam An-derson, city architect David Collins, then-city service director Bob Whetsel, now-retired city police offi cer Ron Humphrey and Marsey Williams of Knoxville. Our trek was cut short by an avalanche, which blocked part of our trail to the Ever-est base camp.

While I was mayor, the then-Crown Prince of Nepal, Dipendra, visited TVA in Knoxville. TVA and I hosted a luncheon for him at the East Tennessee History Center. He was the person who murdered his parents (the king and queen) on June 1, 2001, at dinner with seven others before killing himself. The monarchy never recov-ered and no longer exists. The political system has continued to be broken and inadequate.

■ State Rep. Ryan Haynes is expected to resign his seat in the Leg-islature this week despite some speculation he might continue to November.

young, Hispanic and mi-nority voters. He also plans to solicit volunteers to work in elections in sur-rounding states.

He won’t admit to a favor-ite presidential candidate. The GOP has the strongest set of candidates in years,

he says, and he’ll work with each of them as they come through the state.

Haynes is looking for-ward with excitement while looking back with gratitude.

“It’s been a pleasure to serve the citizens of this area.”

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Burchett’s budget won’t win friendsMayor Tim Burchett will

give his budget speech at 9 a.m. Monday, May 11, at the City County Building. Then he will set out to visit senior centers and libraries to meet with residents to sell it.

Guess what? His friends will like this budget and his foes probably won’t.

Burchett doesn’t seem to mind. He talked with most commissioners and key de-partment heads, and then he left town on vacation be-cause it’s spring break for his stepdaughter.

There won’t be any lobby-ing Burchett this week. He’s out of town.

OK. So let’s speculate.Burchett won’t call for a

tax increase. (That was not a hard guess.)

Burchett won’t call for new debt to build three new schools, as requested by the school board.

He will propose a contin-uation budget with a rough-ly two percent increase. That’s if revenue projections keep pace with recent years.

He will anticipate less revenue than he eventually collects – another Burchett tactic to tamp down desires of various commissioners with various pet projects.

And he will hold off ef-forts by Dave Wright to fund a middle school for Gibbs.

Will he fi nd $3 million to fund the much-discussed third grade reading initia-tive? Not sure. Burchett has not been pleased with the school system’s perceived failure to prove the pro-gram’s effectiveness, par-ticularly when third grade reading scores actually dipped last year.

Knox County Schools asked for $441.5 million. It will get less. And that will

determine whether teachers get a raise and how much. Will teachers get the APEX bonuses they’ve qualifi ed for.

If Burchett trims the schools’ request by $5 mil-lion, that’s a huge hole. If he also removes the $3 million for the reading initiative, that will mean some layoffs.

Burchett won’t spend one-time money for recur-ring expenses, but he might dip into reserves for one more year with the reading initiative.

The school board is chaired by the penny-pinch-ing Mike McMillan, joined by new members Amber Rountree and Patti Bounds, who opted not to support the budget initially.

This writer doesn’t see six votes on the commis-sion to increase Burchett’s proposal. That’s why the mayor has an advantage in budget negotiations. Once he crunches the numbers, anyone wanting to increase one department must take money from another.

A fl at or 2-percent bud-get without funding for new schools won’t win friends, but it would be consistent with Tim Burchett’s philos-ophy and past practices.

Initially, I thought Bur-chett would try to fund a middle school at Gibbs. Upon refl ection, now I don’t.

We’ll fi nd out May 11, and that’s what makes this game fun.

Burchett sets community meetingsFollowing the budget ad-

dress, Mayor Tim Burchett will host a series of public meetings to allow residents to ask questions and learn about the budget. All are Monday, May 11.

Here is the schedule:South Knox Senior

Center, 11 a.m., 6729 Mar-

tel Lane Strang Senior Cen-

ter, 1:30 p.m., 109 Lovell Heights Road

Halls Senior Center, 2:45 p.m., 4405 Crippen Road

Carter Senior Cen-ter, 4 p.m., 9036 Asheville Highway.

Tree brings community togetherWith Chilhowee Baptist Church in the background, members

of Town Hall East gathered at the pocket park beside the Bur-

lington Branch Library to plant a magnolia tree. “This is the

gateway to Knoxville,” said Sharon Davis. Pictured at right are

City Council member Nick Della Volpe and Eston Williams,

president of Town Hall. Also present were Jeff Petrik and Terry

Raby, owner of Airtech Tools. Raby hauled in the tree and used

his equipment to inject nutrients. Photo by S. Clark

6 • MAY 6, 2015 • Shopper news

By Betsy PickleA new fi lm odd couple emerges with

“Hot Pursuit,” the week’s only major release.

Petite Reese Witherspoon and stat-uesque Sofi a Vergara put their come-dic talents and disparate physiques to humorous use in “Hot Pursuit.” With-erspoon helped develop the project as a producer, while Vergara put in dou-ble duty as executive producer.

Witherspoon plays a police offi cer in San Antonio, Texas, whose career got off to a bad start. Now working in

the evidence room, she’s thrilled when her boss (John Carroll Lynch) assigns her to help transport a couple of wit-nesses to Dallas for a trial.

Vergara plays the wife of a drug dealer. She and her husband are sup-posed to testify against his big-time drug boss, but before they can get out of San Antonio, she has already be-come a widow.

Offi cer Cooper and now-widowed Daniella Riva end up on a wild ride across Texas, pursued by determined gun-toters from both sides of the le-

gal line. They start out hating and not understanding each other, but … you know the drill.

Also starring are Robert Kazin-sky (“Pacifi c Rim”), Richard T. Jones, Michael Mosley, Matthew Del Negro, Jim Gaffi gan, Mike Birbiglia, Vincent Laresca and veteran stuntwoman Jodi Lyn Brockton. And a suitcase full of high-heeled shoes.

Anne Fletcher (“The Proposal,” “Step Up”) directed the comedy, which used Louisiana to double for Texas.

Daniella (Sofi a Vergara) uses all her charms to get what she wants while a stunned Offi cer Cooper (Reese Witherspoon) watches

in “Hot Pursuit.”

Witherspoon, Vergara form unlikely alliance in

By Mystery DinerJudging a book by its

cover often leads to dis-appointment. Outward appearances at The Front Porch, 1509 W. Emory Road in Powell, might get your taste buds ready for country-fried steak, mashed potatoes cov-ered in gravy and turnip greens.

Leave the John Deere cap at home and grab your top hat. The Front Porch has a menu worthy of any of Knoxville’s fi ne dining establishments and a kitchen crew that knows how to deliver ex-cellent cuisine.

You actually don’t have to leave your cap at home. A down-home at-mosphere permeates this lovely 1910 house with seating in the two front rooms plus an ample pa-tio. Upstairs is a primitive country store, and brows-ing is encouraged. The history of the house and its roots in Powell are on the back of the menu.

Entrees include Black-berry Barbecue Duck Breast, Habanero Lime Chicken and several oth-er chicken dishes, Wild Game Ribeye and other

steaks, Mountain Gour-met Burgers and, my choice, Tennessee Trout.

The large fi let of trout had none of the pungent trouty aroma, a real plus in my book, and was light and well-seasoned. It fl aked easily to the touch of a fork, and herbs, com-pound butter and pecans were a perfect season-ing. Served over a slightly sweet tomato relish, the trout was delicious.

We also tried the Primitive Bread and But-ter, which are rounds of fried bread that look like hushpuppies but are won-derfully sweet, and the Front Porch Flatbread, which was good but need-ed a little more attention to the distribution of the “goodies” on top. When the bite included crisp bacon, a blackberry and the balsamic glaze, it was a perfect accompaniment to the goat cheese base.

The Front Porch re-cently started opening for lunch. Mystery Diner is going for lunch soon, because I really need to save room for something heavenly from the dessert case.

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Shopper news • MAY 6, 2015 • 7 weekenderFRIDAY

■ Alive After Five: Taboo, 6-8:30 p.m., Knoxville Museum of

Art, 1050 World’s Fair Park Drive. Tickets: $10; $5 for mem-

bers/students. Info: 934-2039.

■ The Knoxville Breakfast Rotary presents Jeanne Robert-son, 8 p.m., Bijou Theatre, 803 S. Gay St. Info/tickets: www.

knoxbijou.com

FRIDAY-SATURDAY ■ “The Rat Pack Is Back,” 8 p.m., Tennessee Theatre, 604 S.

Gay St. Info/tickets: Tennessee Theatre box offi ce, 684-1200;

Ticketmaster.com; www.tennesseetheatre.com.

FRIDAY-SUNDAY ■ “Almost, Maine,” Haslam Family Flexible Theatre, Clay-

ton Center for the Arts, 502 E. Lamar Alexander Parkway,

Maryville. Performances: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m.

Sunday. Info/tickets: 981-8263, www.claytonartscenter.com.

SATURDAY ■ Jazzspirations Live 2015, 7-9 p.m., Holiday Inn World’s Fair

Park, 525 Henley St. Info/tickets: www.jazzspirationslive.com.

■ 15th Annual Vestival: South Knoxville Arts and Heritage Festival, 11 a.m.-7 p.m., Candoro Arts and Heritage Center,

4450 Candora Ave. Free Mother’s Day Brunch (11 a.m.); live

music on two stages all day, including Exit 65 (1:30), The Lon-

etones (2:30), Quartjar (3:30), The Blue Print (4:30) and Kevin

Abernathy Band (5:30); kids activities; history exhibit; craft

demos and vendors; square dance (4 p.m.); puppets, dancers,

acrobats and magic. Info: www.candoromarble.org.

■ Rhythmic Circus: “Feet Don’t Fail Me Now!,” 8 p.m.,

Ronald and Lynda Nutt Theatre, Clayton Center for the Arts,

502 E. Lamar Alexander Parkway, Maryville. Info/tickets: 981-

8263, www.claytonartscenter.com.

■ The Black Jacket Symphony performs Eagles’ “Hotel California,” 8 p.m., Bijou Theatre, 803 S. Gay St. Info/tickets:

www.knoxbijou.com.

■ “Tribute to Elvis Presley,” 8 p.m., Civic Auditorium, 500

Howard Baker Jr. Ave. Part of the KSO’s Knoxville News

Sentinel Pops Series. Tickets: at the door; 291-3310; www.

knoxvillesymphony.com.

SUNDAY ■ Knoxville Jazz Orchestra: Jazz Jam at the Emporium, 4-6

p.m., Black Box of The Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay St. Open

to any and all who wish to play; hosted by Vance Thompson,

Jamel Mitchell, Keith Brown, Clint Mullican and Nolan Nevels.

Info: 573-3226, www.knoxjazz.org.

By Carol Shane“He was a bold man that

fi rst ate an oyster,” said Jon-athan Swift. We don’t know whether the esteemed sati-rist, essayist and author of “Gulliver’s Travels” was ac-tually an oyster eater. We’re not even completely sure he said that – it’s famously at-tributed to him, but appar-ently scholars disagree, as scholars will.

But whether you love the little shellfi sh or not, it’s hard to argue with the sen-timent.

Fans of the briny slimy sea creature can salute that fi rst bold man and eat as many oysters as they can hold at The Greatest O y s t e r f e s t on Earth this week-end.

On its website, the 20-year-old event boasts “thousands of oysters” served “all sorts of ways, along with shrimp ’n’ grits, BBQ chicken, jambalaya, fried okra, steamed mussels with crusty bread, mac ’n’ cheese, and gourmet pop-sicles for dessert!”

There’s even a French fry bar. As we say in the South: “Lord help.”

And what could be better

Food and fun at the marinaOysterfest:

than g o r g -

ing on all that incredible food while

you’re on – or at least near – the water? Concord Ma-rina is the site for the party. It’s going to happen rain or shine, and tents are pro-vided.

There’ll be a cash bar, and acoustic/electric rock pro-vided by the Dave Landeo Band. Naturally, you can dress in casual attire.

Proceeds from the oys-terfest go to benefi t Child-help, a national nonprofi t

dedicated to the elimination of child abuse. “Since 1995, Childhelp has gone on to help over 10,000 children in East Tennessee,” says the organization’s website. “The Childhelp Children’s Center of East Tennessee provides forensic services, medical exams and mental health counseling for victims of child abuse. Addition-ally, the Childhelp Foster Agency of East Tennessee provides foster care, case management and adoption

services for victims of child abuse.”

So you get to enjoy a ter-rifi c, tasty party while help-ing kids at the same time. It all adds up to a win-win situation for you and your family and pals.

The Greatest Oysterfest on Earth takes place at 6 p.m. Saturday, May 9, at Concord Marina, 10903 S. Northshore Drive. Tickets are $95. To purchase tick-ets, or for any questions re-garding the event, contact Hugh Nystrom at 865-637-1753 or hnystrom@child-help.org.

May 29 and 30 at the World’s Fair site.Friday, 5 to 10 p.m. • Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Join the crowds at the Rocky Top BBQ Fest. The 2015 Tennessee State Barbecue Championship, will feature two days of great food, live music, vendors and entertainment for all ages.

Watch 50 contestants from all over the U.S. as they compete for $10,000 in prizes.

Meet the celebrity judges who will select the best cooks in a wide range of categories.

Sponsored by the Rotary Club of Bearden. All proceeds benefi t the club’s community projects.

Rabies vaccination clinics setThe Knox County Health Department and the Knox-

ville Veterinary Medical Association are offering rabies vaccinations for $10 per animal 2-4:30 p.m. Saturday, May 9, at select Knox County schools:

Anderson Elementary, Bearden High, Bearden Middle, Brickey-McCloud Elementary, Carter Middle, Cedar Bluff Elementary, Chilhowee Intermediate, Christenberry Elementary, Copper Ridge Elementary, Gibbs Elementary,

Hardin Valley Elementary, Karns Elementary, Mount Ol-ive Elementary, Norwood Elementary, Ritta Elementary, Sunnyview Elementary and Shannondale Elementary.

All pets must be restrained. Dogs should be on a leash, and cats should be in carriers or pillowcases (a pillowcase is preferred because the vaccine can be administered through the cloth). Those with aggressive or uncontrol-lable dogs are advised to leave the pet in the car and ask for assistance at the registration desk. Info: knoxcounty.org/health/rabies.

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8 • MAY 6, 2015 • NORTH/EAST Shopper news

Nick Bain

kids

THROUGH SATURDAY, JUNE 20Online registration open for Race to benefi t

the Corryton Community Food Pantry, to be held Saturday, June 20. Event is part of “The Run and See Tennessee Grand Prix Series.” To register: https://runnerreg.us/corryton8mile. Info: corryton8miler@yahoo.com; ron.fuller@totalracesolutions.com; or Joyce Harrell, 705-7684.

THROUGH SUNDAY, MAY 17“Harriet the Spy,” Knoxville Children’s

Theatre, 109 E. Churchwell Ave. Performances: 7 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays; 1 and 5 p.m. Saturdays; 3 p.m. Sundays. Info/reservations: 208-3677; knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com; info@childrenstheatreknoxville.com.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 6International Folk Dance Class, 7:30-10 p.m.,

Claxton Community Center, 1150 Edgemoor Road, Clinton. Sponsored by the Oak Ridge Folk Dancers. First visit free. No partner or dance experience required. Adults and children accompanied by an adult welcome. Info: Paul Taylor, 898-5724; www.oakridgefolkdancers.org; on Facebook.

THURSDAY, MAY 7“Bug Me. Really. Bug Me.” 1 p.m., Cansler

Family YMCA, 616 Jessamine St. Presented by Knox County Master Gardeners. Free and open to the public. Info: 637-9622.

“Pruning Hydrangeas,” 3:15-4:30 p.m., Humana Guidance Center, 640 Plaza, 4438 Western Ave. Present-ed by UT Master Gardeners. Info: 329-8892, TTY: 711.

FRIDAY, MAY 8Free movie in the park, Luttrell City Park.

Movie starts at dusk. Some concessions available.

Bring blankets or chairs and enjoy. Movie will be family friendly. Everyone welcome.

GO! Contemporary Dance Works auditions for 2015-2016 season, Studio Arts for Dancers, 1234 Rocky Hill Road. Times: 4:45-6:15 p.m. level IV to Intermedi-ate; 6:30-9 p.m. level Intermediate II to advanced. Must be profi cient in classical ballet, modern and improvisa-tion. Info: 539-2475.

History of Luttrell celebration, 2-4 p.m., Luttrell Library. Part of Preserve Union County Month.

Picnic in Pittman for the Park, 6 p.m., 517 Emerts Cove Road, Pittman Center. Co-hosted by Phillip and Vicky Fulmer and Jim Ogle. Proceeds go to support education, historic preservation, wildlife management programs and more in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Info: www.friendsofthesmokies.org or Lauren Gass, 932-4794.

Union County Farmers Market, 4-7 p.m., behind the Union County Arts Cooperative in Maynardville. Fresh produce, meat, plants and cut fl owers. New ven-dors welcome. Info: 992-8038.

FRIDAY-SATURDAY, MAY 8-9Rummage sale, 8 a.m.-noon, Faith United Meth-

odist Women, 1120 Dry Gap Pike. Variety of items and bake sale. Proceeds to benefi t mission work and the Faith Kids Kloset. Info: 688-1000.

FRIDAY-SUNDAY, MAY 8-10“Doubt: A Parable,” Judge William H. Inman

Humanities Theatre, Walters State Community College campus in Morristown. Performances: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets: www.etcplays.org or 423-318-8331.

SATURDAY, MAY 9Free beekeeping hands-on workshop, Well-Be-

ing Foundation, 557 Narrows Road, Tazewell. Program presented by longtime beekeeper and UT Extension agent John Hamrick. Sponsored by Bee Friends, a local beekeeping group. Info: Julianne Behn, 617-9013.

Paulette PTO Flea Market, 8 a.m.-2 p.m., Paulette Elementary School, 3006 Maynardville Highway. Spaces $5 each; tables not provided. In case of rain, the event will be rescheduled.

SUNDAY, MAY 10“Meet Our Historic Structures,” 2 p.m. Tour

begins at the Union County Museum. Part of Preserve Union County Month.

MONDAY-TUESDAY, MAY 11-12Auditions for “The Hobbit the Musical!” 4 p.m., Rose

Center, 442 W. Second North St., Morristown. Prepare 16 bars of music from a musical theatre selection; might be asked to cold read from the script. Looking to cast 20-30 individuals. Info: 423-581-4330 or Nathan@rosecenter.org.

TUESDAY, MAY 12Neighborhood Watch meeting, 7 p.m., Paulette

Elementary School, 3006 Maynardville Highway. Sushi 101 cooking class, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Avanti

Savoia, 7610 Maynardville Pike. Cost: $60. Info/RSVP: 922-9916 or www.avantisavoia.com.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 13International Folk Dance Class, 7:30-10 p.m.,

Claxton Community Center, 1150 Edgemoor Road, Clinton. Sponsored by the Oak Ridge Folk Dancers. First visit free. No partner or dance experience required. Adults and children accompanied by an adult welcome. Info: Paul Taylor, 898-5724; www.oakridgefolkdancers.org; on Facebook.

THURSDAY, MAY 14VFW meeting, 7 p.m., 140 Veteran St., Maynard-

ville. All veterans are invited. Info: 278-3784.

FRIDAY-SUNDAY, MAY 15-17“Doubt: A Parable,” Judge William H. Inman

Humanities Theatre, Walters State Community College campus in Morristown. Performances: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets: www.etcplays.org or 423-318-8331.

SATURDAY, MAY 16East Tennessee Plant Swap, 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m.,

large shelter at New Harvest Park, 4775 New Harvest Lane. Free event open to the public. Pot-luck lunch, 11:30 a.m. Info: www.easttnplantswap.com.

Lincoln-Reagan Dinner, 5:30 p.m., Union County High School. Hosted by the Union County Republican Party. Guest speakers: Knox County Mayor Tim Bur-chett and state GOP chair Ryan Haynes. Tickets: $25; table sponsorship, $250. Info: unioncogop@aol.com or 992-5342.

Vintage baseball game, noon, Historic Ramsey House, 2614 Thorn Grove Pike. Knoxville Holston vs. Chattanooga Lightfoot; Emmett Machinists vs. High-land Rim Distillers. All teams are in period uniforms and play by 1864 rules. Free admission; hot dogs, popcorn, peanuts and beverages available for purchase. Includes East Tennessee Corvette Club cruise-in.

Send items to news@ShopperNewsNow.com

ShoppernewseVents

Fulton High students cel-ebrated High School Radio Day with special broadcasts from WKCS-FM 91.1, Fal-con Radio, and used their voices to raise awareness of the dangers of texting and driving. The station also held a simultaneous broad-cast with a station at Kent High School in Worton, Md., talking about the his-tory of the station and the type of music that is shared over the airwaves.

Students Courtney Rader and Caleb Gaston joined broadcasting teacher Rus-sell Mayes in the studio

and enjoyed talking with student broadcasters from another state. Falcon Radio has been on the air since 1952, and the fi eld of lis-teners has grown over the years.

The station began with broadcasts during school hours and has grown to op-erating full time, with old-ies music, sports broadcasts and informational seg-ments. Mayes, a 1995 grad-uate of Fulton, enjoys work-ing with the students and has had several students go on to study in related fi elds in college.

By Sandra ClarkChris and Maria How-

ard, franchise owners of Bricks for Kidz in Franklin Square, brought Lego kits to the Sarah Moore Greene newspaper club on April 29.

Reporters raced through the fi ve Ws to get to the proj-ect. It was a day everyone had anticipated.

Maria, a former teacher, said she has four kids, and Chris is the biggest. Chris said he’s been playing with Lego bricks since he was young. He fi nally fi gured out how to make a living at it.

The Howards brought kits that let kids build a mo-tion machine, which was used to create spring art. Xavier Hill ponders his Lego machine.

Destiny Woods and Malaya Thomas study the manual for in-structions on assembling their model.

Communicating with Lego bricks

Russell Mayes, Courtney Rader and Caleb Gaston celebrated National High School Radio Day with a simultaneous broadcast with the Kent High School station in Worton, Md. Photos by R. White

Graham Baer shows tapes that were once used to play music on the radio.

■ Bain signs with Hiwassee CollegeCarter High senior Nick

Bain signed to play base-ball at Hiwassee College next year. The Hornets’ catcher was named to the All-District team, and he helped his team earn a district championship last season.

Nick selected HC because it was close to home but far enough away to gain independence. He also liked the baseball program and thought it was a good fi t for him. While at Hiwassee, he plans to study business and pursue a career in sports management.

While playing for Carter, Nick feels that he learned to focus and play the game all

The Voice of Fulton HighJatoria White shows her artwork.

the way through, fi ghting to the end. Coach Scott Rimmer said that Nick is “a great young man and a solid high school catcher and hard worker who loves the game.” As-sistant coach Scott Bray added that Nick is “an excellent student athlete and young

man who is eager to learn every aspect of the game.”

Attending the signing were his parents, Gregg and Lisa Bain, his sister Lizzie, teammates and a host of friends.

NORTH/EAST Shopper news • MAY 6, 2015 • 9 business

Clark joins Mortgage Investors GroupLisa “Mickie” Clark

has joined Mortgage Investors Group as its newest senior loan offi cer.

Clark said MIG is a top-producer

with a comprehensive sup-port team. “The resources

here to get things done are phenomenal.”

She brings 27 years of knowledge of the mortgage lending industry in the Knoxville market to MIG, including experience as a Decision Certifi ed loan offi -cer on conforming loans to salaried borrowers – one of the highest and most pres-tigious levels of automated underwriting authority of-fered to loan originators.

Grocers award scholarshipsThree area students

have won scholarships through the Tennessee Grocers Education Foun-dation.

Tyler Jones, a gradu-ate of Halls High School,

won the W e s l e y Ball Fel-l o w s h i p Schola r-ship for $ 1 , 0 0 0 . Jones at-tends the East Ten-

nessee State University College of Pharmacy and now lives in Johnson City.

Brianna Jones was a w a r d -ed the La’Shanna Trout Me-m o r i a l S c h o l a r -ship for $ 1 , 0 0 0 . J o n e s g r a d u -ated from

Halls High School in 2012 and attends the Univer-

sity of Tennessee at Chat-tanooga.

Mariah Williford of Knoxville received a

$ 1 , 2 0 0 Te n n e s -see Gro-cers & C o n v e -n i e n c e Store As-sociation (TGCSA) s c hol a r -ship. Wil-

liford graduated from Halls High School in 2014 and attends UT Knox-ville.

The Tennessee Grocers Education Foundation presented 140 scholar-ships this year valued at $157,050 to students in the food industry. Eligible recipients are either em-ployed by TGCSA mem-ber fi rms, or have parents who are full-time employ-ees of a TGCSA member fi rm.

Since 1985 TGEF has awarded 3,109 scholar-ships worth $3.4 million.

M. Williford

Tyler Jones

Brianna Jones

Mickie Clark

By Anne HartHe says the only team

he’s coaching right now is his 4-year-old daughter’s soccer team, but those who have followed Mark Pan-cratz’s basketball career know his interest in that game will never wane.

His unique experience as a player and later as an as-sistant to UT former coach-es Bruce Pearl and Cuonzo Martin have made Pancratz a sought-after commentator on both sports radio and TV and also as a speaker to lo-cal civic groups.

It was in the latter role that he was warmly greeted at the recent meeting of the Rotary Club of Bearden.

Pancratz told his audi-ence to great laughter, “I’m a refl ection of Tennessee bas-ketball. I’ve been hired (by Pearl), fi red (when Pearl and his entire staff were fi red), hired (by Martin) and left.”

Now working for North-western Mutual Insur-ance, Pancratz says he

Gaines Pittenger was among Bearden Rotarians who stopped

to chat with sports commentator Mark Pancratz. Photo by Anne Hart

Pancratz optimistic about UT basketball

loved his years at UT and has remained friends with both Pearl and Martin. He praised Pearl’s ability to make quick play changes during a game and said of Martin, “He’s a high charac-ter guy.”

A native of Schaumburg, Ill., Pancratz played Divi-sion I basketball under Pearl at the University of Wiscon-sin at Milwaukee, where he also earned a degree in mar-keting and fi nance.

He joined the UT staff in

2006 as a graduate assis-tant and received a master’s degree in sports manage-ment that year.

Serving as the team’s di-rector of video scouting and assistant to the head coach, Pancratz was an integral part of Tennessee’s six-con-secutive NCAA tournament appearances. He boasts an impressive 18 games of NCAA Tournament experi-ence as a player and/or ad-ministrative staff member.

Of UT’s new basketball coach, Rick Barnes, Pan-cratz told the group, “You couldn’t ask for a better coach and man to run this basketball program. He has both the stability and the ability to win. He will re-cruit good players, not just fi ll the roster.

“I’m really excited about the direction of the pro-gram. Barnes is fi red up. An important part of hiring him is the staff he’s putting together. He could develop this into a destination job.”

By Sherri Gardner HowellDespite the forecasts, the

last days of April dawned with a drizzle instead of a deluge, bringing joy to many event planners in Knoxville. One such group was the Knox County Council of Garden Clubs, whose mem-bers work diligently every year to bring the Franklin Square Spring Garden Fes-tival to life.

The slight rainfall at the 9 a.m. opening just gave everything a sparkle, said one garden club member. The positive spin paid off as

the rest of the morning and afternoon were bright and drip-dry.

This was the 22nd year for the festival, which fea-tures a host of vendors sell-ing all things garden and some things just for fun. Many of the eclectic shops at Franklin Square get into the spirit as well with their own specials and events – especially Smart Toys and Books, which had the cute costumed bug of Ladybug Girl books fame charming the children.

Todd Lambert of Dixie Lee Greenhouse helps Peggy Blanken-

ship with her shopping at the Franklin Square Spring Garden

Festival. Photo by Sherri Gardner Howell

Rain can’t compete with fl ower power

FAITH NOTES ■ First Comforter Church, 5516 Old Tazewell Pike, hosts MAPS

(Mothers At Prayer Service) noon each Friday. Info: Edna

Hensley, 771-7788.

■ Hopewell UMC, 9300 Millertown Pike, will celebrate home-

coming Sunday, May 17. Celebrating 189 years with guest

speaker and special music. Dinner on the grounds after the

service. Everyone welcome.

CARTER SENIOR CENTER ■ Wednesday, May 6: 8 a.m.

Weekday Walkers; 9 a.m. hand

& foot; 10:30 a.m. Inspiration

class; 11:30 a.m. Mother’s Day

cupcake party; 1 p.m. bingo; 2

p.m. History of Knoxville class;

2:30 p.m. Wii Bowling; 3 p.m.

Spanish class.

■ Thursday, May 7: 8 a.m.

Weekday Walkers; 9 a.m.

pinochle; 11 a.m. Tai Chi for

Beginners; 11:30 a.m. Tai Chi

practice; 12:30 p.m. Cardio

Craze; 1 p.m. scrapbooking; 2

p.m. SAIL exercise; 3:15 p.m.

Wii Bowling.

■ Friday, May 8: 8 a.m. Weekday

Walkers; 9 a.m. poker; 10 a.m.

Super Stretchers; 10:30 a.m.

SAIL exercise; 11 a.m. movie

matinee; 2 p.m. guitar jam.

■ Monday, May 11: 8 a.m.

Weekday Walkers; 9 a.m.

euchre; 10 a.m. quilting; 11:30

a.m. Super Seniors, beading; 1

p.m. art class; 3 p.m. Wii Bowl-

ing; 4 p.m. Mayor’s budget

meeting.

■ Tuesday, May 12: 8 a.m.

Weekday Walkers; 9 a.m.

Rook; 12:30 p.m. Cardio

Craze; 2 p.m. SAIL exercises,

computer class, dominoes; 3

p.m. corn hole toss; 3:15 p.m.

Wii bowling.

■ Info: 932-2939.

By Bill DockeryWhat do you get when

you mix art with concrete?Knoxville’s answer is

Paulk + Co, an up-and-com-ing design/fabrication shop that specializes in creating architectural features out of high-performance concrete, stone and metal.

“We’re a dynamic fabri-cator and designer of stone, concrete and metal,” said Virginia Adams, a partner in the fi rm and the public front for the business. “If you have a design in mind and you’ve been told it’s not doable, we’re the people to come to.”

Justin Paulk is the cre-ative and manufacturing heart of the operation. He left the UT College of En-gineering without taking a degree and began working in construction trades. He is trained in welding and has become a LEED-certifi ed general contractor.

The fi rm has picked up a number of prestigious clients in recent months. It was chosen to supply coun-tertops for the residential units being created in the JC Penney building on Gay Street. The job includes cus-tom concrete for 17 kitchens and 34 baths.

The Sequoyah Hills Pres-ervation Society chose the fi rm to restore some of the Art Deco concrete features of Talahi Park, a task that required precise color-matching of the repairs with the existing concrete.

“It took Justin two months to get the mud (con-crete) mixture right on the Talahi job,” Adams said. “It has to be perfect or it doesn’t go out the door.”

The fi rm is also work-ing on concrete railings for the new Community Giving Garden Downtown, a roof-top garden on the roof of the Lindsay Young Downtown YMCA, and it does private residential work.

A consultation with the UT College of Architecture and Design brought the fi rm its most public project to date. The colleges of ar-chitecture and of nursing sought out Paulk + Co to

advise on a pumping station project at the Red Bird Mis-sion in Beverly, Ky. The proj-ect involved building a kiosk from which Clay County residents could access clean drinking water at a nominal fee. Using concrete panels created by the fi rm, UT fac-ulty and students installed the facility, which can serve up to 9,000 families with clean water in an area with polluted wells and creeks.

“That turned into a much bigger opportunity for us,” Adams said. “We have sig-nifi cantly more construc-tion knowledge than the students, and what started out as a design consultation turned out to have a major role for us in the construc-tion.”

Adams came to the fi rm with a focus on the arts and marketing. She was previ-ously a partner in a custom home-building company.

The artistry at Paulk + Co lies not only in the de-sign and manufacture of the architectural features. The front of the shop is a display space for innovative art ex-hibits. In recent weeks the paintings of Justin Paulk’s father, Scott, were on dis-play, as well as art work by his young son. Scott Paulk is a hyper-realist painter who sells his works through gal-leries in Santa Fe, N.M. The display space is also used frequently to stage chari-table events.

“We’ve raised $30,000 for different charities we’ve hosted here,” she said. “And we’ve sold $40,000 in art out of this space.”

The fi rm uses computer-ized technology that takes camera scans and creates precise templates for pour-ing the concrete.

“Our aesthetic is very in-dustrial,” Adams said, de-scribing the creation of the company’s logo. “We keep a lot of scavenged parts and pieces, and we’re very drawn to gears. Gears make everything work.

The shop/gallery is at 510 Williams St., between Mag-nolia and Fifth Avenue in the shadow of Interstate 40.

Paulk + Co displays its creation, “Megalith Table,” at the fall

2014 ArtScapes event at the Knoxville Museum of Art. The fi rm

is gaining a reputation for innovative design and fabrication in

concrete, stone and metal. Pictured are Justin Paulk, principal;

Virginia Adams, partner; and shop assistant Kenta Nolin. Photosubmitted

Firm creates art in concrete

By Bonny C. MillardShangri-La Therapeutic

Academy of Riding founder Lynn Petr said the p r o g r a m sees success stories reg-ularly with its clients whose mo-bility skills i m p r o v e t h r o u g h

working with the stable of 30 horses.

Petr founded the pro-gram 28 years ago as part of her master’s thesis at the University of Tennessee. She recently spoke to the Rotary Club of Knoxville

and shared stories and in-formation about the facility.

“We have to celebrate those victories,” Petr said.

Shangri-La Therapeutic Academy of Riding, also known as STAR, works with people ranging in age from 4 years old to the elder-ly who have physical and mental disabili-ties that are either congenital or adult onset, including those who have been injured in accidents.

With the assistance of volunteers, clients learn more about the horses in individually designed les-sons. Clients develop better balance, motor skills, confi -

dence and range of motion by learning to sit on and ride the animals.

The facility, located in Lenoir City, serves 143 in-dividuals a week with the help of dedicated volun-teers. STAR has more than

400 volunteers, and it is an ongoing challenge to have enough, Petr said.

“We have a junior volunteer program,

which are 10- to 12-year-olds. … They are gofers,” she said. “They get tack out. They put tack away. They sweep the fl oor. You would be amazed how many kids do not know how to push a broom.”

Another program, “Minis in Motion,” involves taking miniature horses and don-keys into nursing homes to interact with the elderly and those who suffer from Al-zheimer’s.

STAR also works with juvenile justice systems to provide students who have gotten into trouble or are at-risk with a different kind of opportunity. Alternative students attend a 10-week program that teaches them confi dence, trust and life skills while working with the horses.

STAR holds regular open houses for the com-munity.

Info: www.rideatstar.org.

Lynn Petr

Petr celebrates victories

10 • MAY 6, 2015 • SOUTH KNOX Shopper news

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