Calendar of Events

The eighth annual Tennessee Pirate Fest invites you to go back in time to the Age of Piracy. This outdoor daytime family entertainment-oriented festival will be held the last two weekends in May including Memorial Day at the Tennessee Medieval Faire site in Harriman--just 30 miles west of Turkey Creek.

“Get Yer Pirate On! with famous British privateer, Sir Captain Henry Morgan, in Port Royal, Jamaica, circa 1679. Now as Governor of Jamaica, Captain Morgan is throwing a festival in his honor, and all are invited – especially YOU. Drama awaits as Lord Carbery, of British high society, has come to Port Royal, waving his papers of nobility, demanding HE should be governor not a PIRATE! Will sparks and swords fly? Come and See!” said Barrie Paulson, President/GM.

Rotating on several stages will be professional touring and local talent. New this year will be comedy duo, The Washer Well Wenches; Disney Cruise headliner, Magic of E.C. Hannah; interactive circus trick artist, Tony the Tosser; and award-winning author, Robert Jacob (May 18-19). Back by popular demand will be slapstick Punch and Judy puppet shows by Professor Brent DeWitt, Middle Eastern dance by Tanasi Fusion (May 18-19), and comedy improv by Einstein Simplified (May 25-26-27). Pirate and Celtic acoustic music will be brought to you by The CrossJacks, Kris Colt the Black Rose, Bravura Music Academy (May 18-19), and Timothy Russell (May 25-26-27). The interactive costumed street character ensemble—the Royal Players--will seek to entertain in Kombat Kroquet (sword-fighting), Tales of Port Royal (show premise), Royal Follies (talent show), and Throw Me A Line (comedy improv). For those who like slightly spooky entertainment, Captain Davy Jones and Calypso will guide those willing on the Trail of Doom (G-PG light). The tour is a pirate version of A Christmas Carol, based on Captain Morgan’s heroic adventures.

Patrons are encouraged to dress in pirate costume and enter the Costume Contest to win a prize. All can learn to be a pirate in Pirate School or join a pirate crew by performing a talent on stage in the Gong Show. Other free games and activities will include Pirate Olympics, the mid-day parade, folk dancing, speed courting, corn hole, giant chess, and steel drum. There will also be pay-to-play activities, including axe-throwing, goat cuddles, and taking photos with a Captain Redbeard and his pyRAT. More information about the entertainment can be found at https://tmfaire.com/pirate-fest-entertainment/ and is subject to change as needed. Schedules will be available online and at the entrance.

The merchants of Port Royal will be selling their custom wares such as period costumes, leather goods, chainmaille, drinking horns, bath and body items, gaming accessories, wooden wares, face-painting, and unique jewelry. A variety of food will be available, including Turkey legs, BBQ, loaded baked potatoes, grilled wraps and salads, sandwiches, shaved ice, snacks, and desserts. Beverages will also be available, including water, soda, sweet tea, fresh lemonade, and beer.

The Tennessee Pirate Fest will be open rain or shine on May 18-19, 25-26-27, 2024 from 11am-6pm ET. The festival is located at 550 Fiske Road, Harriman, TN. Free parking is provided in rough-cut fields, and handicap parking is available. Entrance tickets can be purchased online now at https://darkhorsellc.ticketspice.com/tennessee-pirate-fest-2024 Tickets will also be available for purchase on festival days at the ticket house for cash or credit. Entrance ticket prices include all taxes and fees and are $20 for ages 13+, $10 for ages 5 to 12; and admission is free for ages 4 and under. Festival beverage tickets (in $1 increments) are available online, will be available at the gate, or patrons can use exact change. There will be no ATM onsite, so patrons are encouraged to bring cash for purchases, tips, and convenience.

May 18 | 10:00 - 3:00 | World's Fair Park | Free!
You won't want to miss this epic day celebrating books, authors, and the literary arts. Snap a selfie with a storybook character, sing along in the music tent, be amazed in the Science and Discovery tent, sit on the edge of your seat for a great yarn in the Storytelling Tent, splash and play in Toddler Town, and so much more.

Meet featured authors Alan Gratz, Cozbi Cabrera, Gale Galligan, Deb Pilutti, Antwan Eady and Ashlyn Anstee, along with costumed storybook characters from Paddington Bear, Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, and Where the Wild Things Are. Plus, you can meet Daniel Tiger In the East Tennessee PBS tent!

All this fun kicks off our Summer Library Adventure and Quest for Knowledge!
https://www.knoxcountylibrary.org/childrens-festival-of-reading

Saturday, May 18, 8:00 PM at the Bijou Theatre.

Prepare for an extraordinary live show hosted by paranormal expert Dustin Pari of Ghost Hunters, where the boundaries of reality and the supernatural blur. Join us as we dive deep into the world's most riveting paranormal evidence and share perplexing ghost stories that defy explanation. Brace yourself for an interactive journey through haunted encounters, mind boggling phenomena, and first-hand accounts that will leave you questioning everything you thought you knew. This spine-tingling adventure is not to be missed. Join us as we Unlock the mysteries that haunt us all.

Bijou Theatre, 803 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information/tickets: 865-522-0832, https://knoxbijou.org/

A concert with 4 premieres by young composers. This concert will be at the Westminster Presbyterian Church in Northshore. Details TBA
https://www.dominoensemble.com/
https://www.knoxvillechambermusicsociety.com/

May 18 at 8 pm

The New Beckham County Ramblers were founded in the heart of the Daniel Boone National Forest in Morehead, Kentucky. They are named to honor the only county ever abolished by the state of Kentucky. Drawing influence from old-time music, bluegrass, and delta blues, the New Beckham County Ramblers are rooted in the musical traditions of eastern Kentucky and central Appalachia.

The band includes Nathan Kiser (fiddle), Steven Middleton (banjo, harmonica & vocals), Scott Rucker (mandolin & guitar) and Melissa Caskey (upright bass). Nathan Kiser holds an affiliation with the Kentucky Center for Traditional Music at Morehead State University and have been involved in workshops and performances across the region, including the PBS series Song of the Mountains and Red Barn Radio. Steven Middleton is also affiliated with Morehead State and is a documentary film maker whose work focuses on Appalachia. Scott Rucker is an accomplished old time mandolin player who most recently led courses at the Allegheny Echoes summer camp. Melissa Caskey is a veteran of the successful indie folk band The Woodsheep.

Tickets available at TicketLeap (jubilee-community-arts.ticketleap.com), by mail or at the door 30 minutes prior to show

$20 at the door, $15 General Audience Advance, $14 JCA members, students & seniors 65+

Jubilee Community Arts at the Laurel Theater, 1538 Laurel Ave, Knoxville, TN 37916. Tickets: https://jubilee-community-arts.ticketleap.com. Information: 865-522-5851, www.jubileearts.org

Live Music at the Old City Performing Arts Center! On May 18th at 7:30 pm, Chameleous performs (with Dark Mountain Orchid as an opener) in the Old City Performing Arts Center.

Chameleous is a new 6-piece original alternative rock band from Knoxville, TN. Their music is a kaleidoscope of color -- driving and hard-edged, grooving, contemplative, electric, and laced with roots music.

Old City Performing Arts Center, 111 State Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information: 865-407-0727, www.oldcitypac.com

This event will take place on May 18th at 3pm at our bookstore.
This is a free event.

https://www.unionavebooks.com/event/author-event-featuring-diego-b%C3%A1ez-conversation-erin-elizabeth-smith

Union Ave Books, 517 Union Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information: 865-951-2180, www.unionavebooks.com

Oak Ridge Playhouse closes out its eighty-first season of shows in technicolor with an exciting revamp of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s beloved masterpiece, JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT.

From dreams to destiny, this is the extraordinary story of Joseph. Witness his meteoric rise from favored son to betrayed brother, from prisoner to right-hand man. Blessed with prophetic dreams and one very colorful garment, experience Joseph’s dazzling journey like you’ve never seen before.

With funky choreography, mesmerizing disco sounds, and hypnotic tales told through nightclub glitterati, this new spin celebrates the 1970’s in all its groovy glory. The infectious melodies of iconic hits like ‘Any Dream Will Do’, ‘Close Every Door’, and ‘Go, Go, Go Joseph’ thump into the late-night hours.

JOSEPH… has seen several different Broadway & West End revivals, national tours, even a film, but in this version by visionary director Reggie Law, the story peaks in the late seventies at the height of Studio 54. Bringing a new twist to a classic tale, this is a theatrical experience that invites audiences to let loose, have fun, and dance the night away.

Leading the live orchestra is musical director Braxton Chase Kiser. Purchase online at www.orplayhouse.com, or by calling the Box Office at (865) 482-4877, Tuesday – Friday, noon – 5:00 p.m.

Oak Ridge Playhouse, 227 Broadway, Oak Ridge, TN 37830. Information and tickets: 865-482-9999, https://www.orplayhouse.com/

Spring is here and so is Shakespeare On the Hill – our spring collaboration with the Mabry-Hazen House. This year’s play will be our longtime favorite Much Ado About Nothing playing in the glorious springtime from May 9 – 19, outdoors at the Mabry-Hazen House. We had such a gloriously good time with our first two Mabry-Hazen collaborations, Kings and Crowns in 2022 and Richard II in 2023 and we are so looking forward to presenting our favorite comedy.

This most perfect romantic comedy centers on Shakespeare's wittiest lovers, Beatrice and Benedick: two people determined to avoid the foolishness of love at all costs. Verbal sparks between these two light the fire for some of Shakespeare's best writing. Along the way, we meet young lovers, chaos-causing villains, and Shakespeare's answer to the Three Stooges: Dogberry and The Watch. Of course, like all good comedies, everyone ends up with their Happily Ever After -- more or less. "But for which of my good parts did you first suffer love for me?"

Our 2024 Knoxville Shakespeare on the Hill production will be produced at the gazebo on the grounds near the Julia Meek Guest House. We will have some chairs available, but you are encouraged to bring your own outdoor chair.

Thursday, May 9 7:30 pm
Friday, May 10 7:30 pm
Saturday, May 11 7:30 pm
Sunday, May 12 2:30 pm

Thursday, May 16 7:30 pm
Friday, May 17 7:30 pm
Saturday, May 18 7:30 pm
Sunday, May 19 2:30 pm

Doors open thirty minutes before the show, with the show beginning promptly at 7:30.
Individual Tickets: $15.00

Group Rate of 4 Tickets: $50.00

Neighborhood Resident Ticket: $10 with proof of 37915 or 37916 zip code, to be purchased at the Mabry-Hazen House Office or at the door of the event.

All Children Under 6 Are Free

We will honor Penny for the Arts, covering children up to age 15. For more information, visit www.KnoxAlliance.com/penny-4-arts/

https://www.simpletix.com/e/shakespeare-on-the-hill-much-ado-about-not-tickets-167045

Drawn from the remarkable collection of John Hechinger, a hardware store magnate, and art collector, the 68 featured works in the exhibition present images of the most familiar tools as extraordinary works of art. Encompassing photographs, paintings, works on paper, and sculptures, the exhibition celebrates the value of labor and honors the creativity of builders, artists, hobbyists, and self-reliant DIYers. Featured artists include Colleen Barry, Debbie Fleming Caffery, Jim Dine, Claes Oldenburg, Maria Porges, James Surls, and Wayne Thiebaud.

The renowned art collection of the late hardware magnate John Hechinger exemplifies this practical and artistic universality. Over his long career, Hechinger devoted much of his energy, playfulness, and passion to this collection, seeking out works from numerous genres and artists of many backgrounds, all of them bound by a common theme: the democracy of the tool. In Work and Play, curator Sarah Tanguy explores interlocking principles: tools as icons of labor; labor as a component of creativity; creativity as a form of play; and the art of tools as the most incisive expression of their interrelatedness. This exhibition celebrates the virtues inherent in the art of the tool and highlights the astounding breadth of the Hechinger Collection by illuminating this unique, but ubiquitous, idiom.

Knoxville Museum of Art, 1050 World's Fair Park, Knoxville, TN 37916. Hours: Tu-Sa 10-5, Su 1-5. Information: 865-525-6101, www.knoxart.org. Admission and parking are free.

Join us for the opening of “Pottery From Somewhere Else Entirely” by Michael Arpino on May 3rd from 6-8 pm.

Arpino's unique pieces are each a statement of individuality!
https://www.instagram.com/arpinoceramics/

Rala: Regional and Local Artisans, 112 W. Jackson Ave, Knoxville, TN 37902. Hours: Mon-Thu & Sat 11-6, Fri 11-8, Sun 11-5. Information: 865-525-7888, https://shoprala.com or www.instagram.com/ShopRala

First Friday Reception: May 3rd, 5:30 - 9 pm

Vincent Drake was born in 1976 in Udon Thani, Thailand to a Thai mother and American father and spent his formative years in a working class neighborhood in southeast Los Angeles. He attended the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts and the San Francisco Art Institute where he studied Fine Art Painting. Drake's art can be seen as an exploration of society's struggle with the individual and our human nature. His work has been exhibited throughout the United States and Canada. He currently finds himself home in Knoxville, Tennessee. Drake is inspired by the absurdity of modern American society; the irrational ideals we're convinced to accept, the relentless marketing and propaganda, the tribalism, disgust, perverted romanticism and violence that has become characteristic of us. In his art, Drake is unconcerned with beauty or idealization. He is interested in investigating our culture's influence on our identities and the confusion, panic, and suffering that results. His subjects are people; sometimes we as individuals, sometimes us as a group. They are part mechanical construction, part hallucination; both comical and uncomfortable; suffering, confused, and trapped by their emptiness and proselytized ambitions.

Artist Julie Fawn Boisseau-Craig works in glass and porcelain, but also utilizes metals and wood as necessary to create her sculptural pieces. Julie designs and creates many functional and wearable works at Wild Pony Studio, her personal studio in Rockford, Tennessee, and does hot shop glass works at the Jackson County Green Energy Park in Dillsboro, North Carolina. Boisseau-Craig has shown nationally and participated in many workshops and demonstrations. Her work directly responds to the contradictions of life. Julie received her Master of Fine Arts degree in December of 2012, after which, she taught at Western Carolina University and still teaches at Southwestern Community College in North Carolina. Julie is currently the Chapter Representative of the East Chapter of Tennessee Craft as well as a board member. Julie is also the President on the board of the Art Market Gallery in Knoxville, in addition to being an exhibiting artist at the gallery. Julie also concentrates on her studio work, art shows across the country, and teaching workshops.

Art Market Gallery, 422 S. Gay St, Knoxville, TN 37902. Hours: Tu-Sa 11-6, Su 1-6. Information: 865-525-5265, www.artmarketgallery.net, www.Facebook.com/ArtMarketGallery