Calendar of Events

www.artisticEscape.studio

This show will be framed and gallery wrapped canvases in water based oils. Featured will be a collection of local Tennessee wildlife. Leesa has lived in East Tennessee for three years, a retiree from the Western states. She lives North of Knoxville with husband and two rescue dogs.

Ijams Nature Center, 2915 Island Home Ave, Knoxville, TN 37920. Visitor Center open daily 10-6; grounds and trails open daily from 8 AM - dusk. Information: 865-577-4717, www.ijams.org

Celebrate Spring with Zoo Knoxville’s annual Big Egg Hunt for children ages 6 and under.

This year’s event is a “Dinosaur Edition” millions of years in the making-experience 22 life-like animatronic dinosaurs on an egg hunt as epic as the Mesozoic era! To ensure a successful hunt for participants, there are two egg hunt areas for designated ages; one for ages 0-3 and one for ages 4-6.

Prizes:
All ticketed children receive a keepsake plush animal when they return their eggs for recycling.
Find one of the Golden Eggs* and win a grand prize of a zoo meals or zoo memberships.
Soaky Mountain Waterpark is proud to offer each participating child of the BIG Egg Hunt one free ticket to Soaky Mountain which can be redeemed from June 1, 2023 until June 30, 2023.
*limit one Golden Egg per participant

Guests are asked to bring their own baskets, please.

Dates and Times:
Saturday, April 1 exclusively for Zoo Members only. Tickets for participating children required.
Saturday, April 8 - Gates open at 7:30 a.m. The Big Egg Hunt starts promptly at 8:15 a.m., ends at 9:00 a.m. Please plan your arrival accordingly.

https://zooknoxville.org/event/big-egg-hunt/

Zoo Knoxville, 3500 Knoxville Zoo Drive, Knoxville, TN 37914. Open 9 AM - 4 PM everyday. Information: 865-637-5331, www.zooknoxville.org

A full-length magical tale for all ages!

The Clayton Center for the Arts in Maryville, TN
Saturday April 1, 7:00 PM
Sunday April 2, 2:00 PM

Peter Pan, a ballet full of adventures, will be presented by The Appalachian Ballet Company in early April. Lavish sets, scenery, costumes and Peter Pan flying will fill the Ronald and Lynda Nutt Theatre on April 1 and 2. Kylie Morton Berry will once again dance the role of Peter Pan with guest artists James La Russa as her Captain Hook and Laura Morton La Russa as Tinkerbell. Pirates, Indians, Lost Boys and a drum circle will entertain you and your family. This adventurous production featuring a Peter Pan that flies will send you to Neverland with the Darling children.

Tickets: 865-981-8590 or https://appalachianballet.org/tickets.html

Featuring scenes from The Little Mermaid, Snow White, The Frog Prince, and Beauty & The Beast

At Oak Ridge HS Performing Arts Center, 1450 Oak Ridge Turnpike, Oak Ridge, TN 37830

Saturday, April 1st @ 7:00 pm
Sunday, April 2nd @2:00 pm
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Ticket prices: Adult (Ages 18+): $20
​Youth (Ages 3 - 17) $10

Tickets available through Eventbrite at the link below, and will also be available at the door.
http://www.orcba.org/fairy-tale-to-fairy-tale-tickets.html

Knoxville's favorite live art competition is back! Dogwood Arts will host the 15th Annual Chalk Walk from 8AM-7:30PM in Downtown Knoxville on Saturday, April 1st. Over 300 artists and collaborative teams will turn downtown sidewalks into an infinite canvas — from kindergarteners to professional artists, this event allows the entire community to showcase their creative talents. Alongside what’s happening on the ground, attendees can also enjoy food trucks, a blooming beer garden, and free art activities for kids. The City of Knoxville estimates that over 30,000 people come out to enjoy Chalk Walk each year. Organizers expanded the event footprint in 2022 to ease congested areas in Market Square, add additional space for artists, and create an overall better experience for attendees.

“Chalk Walk is one of our most popular events — and not just for attendees, but in terms of artist participation as well” said Dogwood Arts Visual Arts Project Manager, Emily Curran. “We’re always blown away by how quickly the spots fill up — there is room for right around 150 squares on the footprint and they were almost all filled within just a day or two of putting the application online. This year, we have over 200 artists on the waitlist!”

● Artists Working: 8AM-5PM
● Award Ceremony: 7PM (Market Square Stage)
● Participating Food Vendors: Captain Muchacho’s, Cruisin’ Cuisine, Daddy D’s, AppeThai, Mama Bear’s Sweet Treats, King of Pops, and there will be free filtered water provided by the AB Project (attendees are encouraged to bring their own refillable water bottles).

There are 12 competition categories including: Elementary (Single & Collaborative), Middle School (Single & Collaborative), High School (Single & Collaborative), College (Single & Collaborative), Adult (Single & Collaborative), Family, and SideWalk of Fame. Artists will work from 8AM-5PM on their squares, at which point a team of jurors will review each piece and award cash prizes and ribbons to select artists who have created imaginative and inspiring artworks in their age division.

Kids Chalk Free! Kids of all ages can also create their own chalk masterpieces with free chalk provided by First Horizon Bank in the First Horizon Fun Zone—located on Market Street directly behind the East Tenneessee Historical Society. The People’s Choice Award, presented by WIVK FM-107.7, will allow guests to text-to-vote for their favorite square.

Dogwood Arts, 123 W. Jackson Ave, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information: 865-637-4561, www.dogwoodarts.com

We can't wait to parade again with you on April 1st! The Big Ears community arts parade is free and open to all.

At the 2022 festival, Big Ears partnered with Knoxville’s Cattywampus Puppet Council to forge Krewe du Cattywampus, the festival’s inaugural parade, pairing giant puppets made by East Tennessee youth with musicians representing New Orleans’ and Haiti’s second line, rara, and kanaval traditions. We’re excited to fill our Knoxville streets again with art, joy, and revelry!

Our people-powered parade will kick-off in the Old City at 1pm and then transition into a Street Party from 2-4pm at the Southern Railway Station with a mixture of local and Big Ears musical acts, kids’ activities, food trucks and more. Both the parade and street party are free and open to the entire community.

https://bigearsfestival.org/

(Ages 10+) It's salamander season! Join a naturalist and explore the evening trails in search of salamanders, frogs and other amphibians that are waking up from their sleepy winter state.

Learn More and Register online

Ijams Nature Center, 2915 Island Home Ave, Knoxville, TN 37920. Visitor Center open daily 10-6; grounds and trails open daily from 8 AM - dusk. Information: 865-577-4717, www.ijams.org

(Ages 14+) Join a fun-filled morning focused on our feathered friends next Saturday, April 1, from 8-10 a.m. You’ll hike the trails and learn to identify species by sight and sound. This program is great for beginners and experienced birders!

Learn More and Register online

Ijams Nature Center, 2915 Island Home Ave, Knoxville, TN 37920. Visitor Center open daily 10-6; grounds and trails open daily from 8 AM - dusk. Information: 865-577-4717, www.ijams.org

Knoxville Children’s Theatre, in partnership with the Clayton Foundation will present a live production of "The Surprising Story of the Three Little Pigs.” This comedy features three classic fairy tales; The Three Little Pigs, The three Billy Goats Gruff, and Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

The play will be performed Fridays at 7 PM, Saturdays at 1 PM and 5 PM, and Sundays at 3 PM.

These three classic fairy tales begin in their usual “once upon a time” fashion; however, this time things change on the way to “happily ever after” as the pigs wonder what life would be like if the wolf were not always at their door, the billy goats gruff decide they can’t face another trip-trap over the troll’s bridge, and Papa Bear has had enough of the meddlesome little Goldilocks! Assisted by The Voice (struggling to narrate the changing stories) and three Stagehands (desperately trying to juggle sets to keep the stories straight), the three trios join forces to rewrite their stories, ridding themselves of their respective villains by exchanging them. A great comedy for families and children of all ages.

The play is performed by 17 talented young actors and 15 talented young designers and crew from ages 9 to 18. The show is directed by student intern director Alex Montgomery who is making his directorial debut with this production.

Knoxville Children's Theatre, 109 E. Churchwell Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37917. Information: 865-208-3677, www.knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com

Everyone is invited to the 2-day Street Party at the Historic Southern Railway Station on Friday, March 31st & Saturday April 1st from 1-8pm.

Both days will feature free concerts from various Big Ears and local artists, as well as food trucks and art & play activities for all ages. The official Big Ears Parade will kick-off on Saturday at 1 pm in the Old City and end at the Street Party

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cp3NOZev4Mk/
https://www.instagram.com/themakercity/

Come to Ijams during the month of March to view Melanie Fetterolf's collection, which features watercolor, acrylic and 3-D metal mesh works. The beautiful colors of nature are her inspiration for these creations!

Ijams Nature Center, 2915 Island Home Ave, Knoxville, TN 37920. Visitor Center open daily 10-6; grounds and trails open daily from 8 AM - dusk. Information: 865-577-4717, www.ijams.org

CMOR @ 50: Past, Present, Future
in the Imagination Gallery

Celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge with this special exhibition that features historical photos, objects from the Museum’s collection, and a chance to think about what the Museum means to our community. This exhibition is curated by Mary Klages, CMOR’s Gallery Coordinator, with assistance from Caitlynn Fine, the Museum’s Collections Assistant.

Children's Museum of Oak Ridge, 461 West Outer Drive, Oak Ridge, TN 37830. Hours: T-Sat 10-4, Sun 1-4. Information: 865-482-1074, www.childrensmuseumofoakridge.org