Calendar of Events

Central United Methodist Church presents a Noonday Handbell Recital by the Ecumenical Handbell Ringers (formerly St. John's Cathedral Bell Ringers), directed by Richard Sidey, Monday, December 19,12:05 p.m., in the fellowship hall. They will perform Advent and Christmas music. A $6 lunch will follow. Please join us for this holiday occasion.

The Bell Ringers will also perform for the Tuesday Morning Music Club, Tuesday, December 20, 10:30 a.m. at Westminster Presbyterian Church. Bettie McDavid Mason, soprano, and Mary Ann Fennell, violinist, will be featured.

Info: Carolyn Ellis, oakleytn@aol.com

Join us on a reenactment of the journey of Joseph and Mary on the way to Bethlehem. Children dress up as angels and shepherds. The group will parade through downtown Knoxville. Event will end back at the Emporium Center with snacks and piñata for children. Bring warm clothing and flashlights.

HoLa Hora Latina, 100 S. Gay Street, Suite 112, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information: 865-335-3358, www.holahoralatina.org

With a variety of local holiday and winter farmers' markets there are so many opportunities to continue eating seasonally, shopping locally, and supporting your local farmers, local artisans, and local craft producers. Grow Oak Ridge will open their new Oak Ridge Winter Farmers Market at St. Mary's School in Anderson County. With a bounty of local farms and producers in attendance, folks in Anderson County and the surrounding areas will have an indoor market to shop every Saturday, 10 AM - 1 PM (closed Dec. 24th & 31st).

https://www.facebook.com/events/1550346168601296/

Popcorn balls and paper chains… fruits and nuts in their stockings … carols by the fire... a cedar tree cut in the nearby woods- that’s the Christmas most rural Appalachian children knew. And it's the Christmas we recreate each year throughout the Museum village at our special.... Join us as we recreate a meaningful holiday of simpler times. Traditional trees and hand-made decorations, typical of austere pioneer days, transform the Museum’s authentic log buildings.

Wander through the village and marvel at the simple treasures of their settlement days. In the one-room, dirt-floored “Dan'l Boone” cabin, strings of popcorn and cotton bolls circle a dormant tree; Paper chains and other ornaments trim the tree in the Little Tater Valley Schoolhouse. Sweet gum and sycamore balls are strung throughout the Mark Twain Family Cabin, and a traditional silver star tops a native red cedar Christmas tree in the turn-of-the-century Peters Homestead House. Apples, nuts, homemade toys, and oranges fill stockings hung in the cabins. Pick up some stocking stuffers in the Museum Gift and Antique Shop, which features everything from hand-crafted ornaments, locally made muscadine and moonshine jellies, and beautiful pottery, along with baskets, quilts, and plenty of Appalachian specialties. Or just come and enjoy a homemade southern country lunch in front of the warm fireplace.

Museum of Appalachia, 2819 Andersonville Hwy., Clinton, TN 37716 (16 miles north of Knoxville at I-75, exit 122, then one mile east). Open every day except Thanksgiving and Christmas. Information: 865-494-7680, www.museumofappalachia.org

4th Annual Uncommon Core - Exhibition & Performance
Opening Dec 2, 6-10 PM with awards at 8 PM

More events at http://ijams.org/events/. Ijams Nature Center, 2915 Island Home Ave, Knoxville, TN 37920. Hours: Grounds and trails open during daylight hours. The Visitor Center, including exhibits, gift shop, offices and restrooms is open M-Sat 9-5 and Sun 11-5. Information: 865-577-4717, www.ijams.org

The District Gallery is pleased to present a group exhibition celebrating the city of Knoxville and its importance in the lives and hearts of local artists. Featuring the work of Cinamon Airhart, Mike C. Berry, Gary Dagnan, Connie Gaertner, Kathie Odom, and Joe Parrott, My Knoxville: Interpretations of Home is a personal and compelling collection of landscapes, memories, and city scenes dedicated to the place we’re proud to call home.

Join us First Friday, December 2 from 5-8 p.m. to meet the artists and enjoy a very special evening of festive food from Gourmet’s Market. Experience fine art in the gallery, and enjoy our annual Stocking Stuffers Sale with special offers on handcrafted gifts for the holidays as a part of The District in Bearden’s annual Holiday Open House. Also, don’t miss an exclusive group artists’ demonstration held in the gallery on Saturday, December 3 from 1-4 p.m.

The District Gallery, 5113 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919. Hours: M-F 10-5:30, Sa 10-4. Information: 865-200-4452, www.TheDistrictGallery.com

"Handmade and Hand Printed" exhibit by Nashville artist Emily Tuttle

Opening reception Friday, December 2, 6-8pm

The Rose Center, 442 West Second North St., Morristown, TN, 37814. Hours: M-F 9-5. Call ahead for holiday hours. Information: 423-581-4330, www.rosecenter.org

The Arts & Culture Alliance proudly presents its 2016 Members Show, the largest annual exhibition of local artists in the Greater Knoxville area. The fresh mix of two- and three-dimensional works created within the last two years encompasses a wide variety of media such as oil, acrylic, watercolor, pastel, mixed media, photography, fine craft, sculpture, ceramics, fiber, and more from regional artists who are all individual members of the Arts & Culture Alliance, which serves and supports a diverse community of artists, arts organizations, and cultural institutions. Membership is open to all, and information may be found at www.knoxalliance.com/join-renew. Most of the works in the 2016 Members Show are for sale and may be purchased through the close of the exhibition.

The exhibition will be on display throughout the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, in downtown Knoxville from December 2-23, 2016. An opening reception will take place as part of First Friday activities on December 2 from 5:00-9:00 PM with complimentary hors d’oeuvres and chocolate fondue by the Melting Pot of Knoxville. The First Friday reception features music and dance by Pasion Flamenca from 6:00-6:30 PM. Additionally, the resident artists of the Emporium will host an Artist Studio Holiday Show & Sale from 11:00 AM – 9:00 PM on Friday, December 2.

Individual members of the Alliance participate locally and regionally in gallery exhibitions, art festivals, sculpture trails, weekend shows, studio tours, and public murals. Some of the members are full-time artists, while others have day jobs and create on evenings and weekends. Some Alliance members include art professors with the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Carson-Newman University, Maryville College, Pellissippi State, Roane State, and Walters State. Others are teachers within Knox and surrounding county’s elementary, middle and high schools. Some Alliance members teach classes privately or through community classes with the Fountain City Art Center, Knoxville Arts & Fine Crafts Center, or Knoxville Museum of Art. Many of the artists have working studios in their own homes, while some are part of studio collectives such as the Emporium Center, Vacuum Shop, 17th Street Studios, 2515 Sutherland, and Broadway Studios & Gallery.

Gallery hours for the 2016 Members Show are Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM. Please note, the Emporium will be closed December 24 – January 2 for the holidays. For more information, please contact the Arts & Culture Alliance at (865) 523-7543 or visit www.knoxalliance.com.

Zoo Knoxville is offering “Buy One, Get One Free” admission tickets during Kroger BOGO Days, December 1 through February 28, 2017.

During Kroger BOGO Days, the zoo encourages guests to discover why this is the perfect time to see animals, including red pandas, river otters, elephants, gorillas, red wolves, lions and tigers, actively enjoying the cooler weather. On days when the temperature drops below 40 degrees, some animals will be moved indoors, but visitors can still see many animals in their indoor viewing areas. The Pilot Flying J Wee Play Adventure is a popular indoor play area that’s an entertaining stop for creative play during winter visits as well.

Buy one, get one free tickets can be purchased at the zoo ticket window during regular zoo hours and online at zooknoxville.org. Discounted admission tickets must be used by Feb. 28, 2017, and cannot be combined with any other promotion, discount, or coupon.

Zoo Knoxville, 3500 Knoxville Zoo Drive, Knoxville, TN 37914. Open every day except Christmas. Information: 865-637-5331, www.zooknoxville.org

Knoxville's Holidays on Ice, presented by Home Federal Bank, is an outdoor ice skating rink in the heart of downtown Knoxville on Market Square. Enjoy skating under Christmas lights and stars while listening to music every night. The ice rink will be closed during inclement weather, please check the Holidays on Ice Facebook page to stay updated, www.Facebook.com/KnoxvillesHolidaysonIce. For questions about Knoxville's Holidays on Ice please call 865-215-4423.

Admission price includes entry fee, skate rental and unlimited time on ice! RINK HOURS:

Regular Hours Nov. 25 - Dec. 18: Monday thru Thursday 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Sunday 1 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Extended Hours Dec. 19 - Jan. 8: Monday thru Thursday 1 p.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Sunday 1 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Special Holiday Hours Christmas & New Years: Christmas Eve 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Christmas Day Closed, December 26: 1 p.m. to 10:00p.m., New Years Eve 10 a.m. to 10:00p.m., New Years Day 1 p.m. to 9 p.m.

For more information, visit http://www.knoxvillesholidaysonice.com.

Folk Art Nativities from Around the World, from of a private collection of nativities, hand crafted crèche in a myriad of techniques and materials by folk artists from many countries.

Holiday Reception: Sunday, December 4, from 2 to 4 p.m. with a hands-on "make and take" for artists of all ages.

Oak Ridge Art Center, 201 Badger Avenue, Oak Ridge, TN 37830. Hours: Tu-F 9-5, Sa-M 1-4. Information: 865-482-1441, www.oakridgeartcenter.org

The public opening of the exhibition begins at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, November 18, with light refreshments and remarks. Following the exhibition opening will be a special showing of “Quarry Project—Tennessee,” an exterior projection by artists Kate Katomski and Judd Mulkerin at 7:00 p.m. at the Knoxville Museum of Art.

East Tennessee marble is prized the world over. Rock of Ages: East Tennessee’s Marble Industry, a new exhibition by the East Tennessee Historical Society, offers a first-time look into the industry that launched the rock’s fame and crowned Knoxville as the Marble City.

The marble industry was once an important sector of East Tennessee’s economy. By the mid- 1850s, East Tennessee marble from Knox County had been chosen for the interiors of the Tennessee State Capitol and marble from Hawkins County was being installed inside the new House and Senate wings of the United States Capitol. In the decades that followed, East Tennessee’s varicolored marble was sought by architects and patrons for the interiors of a variety of public buildings: state capitol buildings, courthouses, city halls. Tennessee marble would soon also be ordered for high traffic railroad terminal flooring across the United States and Canada. The exhibition includes more than two dozen artifacts and numerous photographs and illustrations representative of Tennessee’s unique marble story.

East Tennessee Historical Society, 601 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Museum hours: M-F 9-4, Sa 10-4, Su 1-5. Information: 865-215-8824, www.easttnhistory.org