Shopper Blog: Gal Function events company brings women together

HALLS

Gal Function events company brings women together

Ali James, Shopper News

Sara Whitehead and Corinne McMurtery met about 13 years ago when Whitehead had a business organizing at-home parties. At the time, McMurtery was working up to three jobs in the restaurant industry and was looking for something that was a little more fun.

Less than a year ago, the entrepreneurs decided to put their party planning experience to good use and launched their custom experience box service. They would curate themed favors and other items and send them directly to the host for parties of six or more people.

“We started coming up with the idea last summer,” said Whitehead. “It has been kind of an evolution, a way to help connect women through experiences where they didn’t have to do as much of the work.”

That was the original idea, and in January they went to Pink Bride and launched Gal Function with a bachelorette-themed box. Then they discovered a potential problem.

“We noticed that people still weren't getting together so much (post-COVID),” said Whitehead. “They didn’t need the boxes. We could have come up with all of the themes, but they had to have the events.”

The best friends shelved the party box idea, and within three months their business model pivoted to hosting events.

In February, they put their networking skills to use, renting out a cinema and promptly selling out 160 tickets to see “Magic Mike.”

“We saw that we needed to create the events,” said Whitehead. “Buy the ticket and show up; we have taken care of everything.”

The pair also knew the benefit of networking and connecting with other women-owned businesses. “We can spotlight and premiere other businesses and do both of the things we enjoy and mash it together,” said Whitehead.

“Gal Function has taken on a life of its own.”

In March, Whitehead and McMurtery participated in a vendor event and prepared for a relaunch of Gal Function. In April, they threw a Spring Blingo-themed event with 11 vendors.

“It was a super fun event where people were encouraged to dress in those sparkly outfits they may have only gotten to wear once,” said Whitehead. “We played bingo for fabulous prizes from our vendors. It was a wonderful evening and a nice little reminder of the importance of gathering.”

Knowing that May is crunch time for many moms, Gal Function is hosting a more intimate event for 40 guests: Mama Glows Best at 4 p.m. May 21 at Plumb Creek Park. Tickets are $29 and will include a snapshot session with a family photographer (with or without kids), three edited digital images to download, a bouquet from Flourish Flower Truck, a Mom swag bag and a chance to win a pampering session.

“It is to support the hard-working mamas, for them to be in front of the camera for a change,” said Whitehead. “We will have sweet treat vendors and kiddo activities. We drove around to a few different parks and liked that this is a newer park with a pavilion.”

Gal Function just announced their next big event, Sunset Promenade, a “Bridgerton” themed event at Marble Hall at Lakeshore Park, 6:30-9:30 p.m. on June 15. There will be live music with a string quartet, a dance troupe teaching some of the dances to those with VIP tickets, food trucks, an artist doing caricatures, lawn games and a silent auction.

“It can be a date night or a girls’ night. We are hoping that people will embrace the theme and dress up, but they don’t have to,” Whitehead said. “We are obsessed with themes.

“The main thing we have learned is how important it is to have community and support. Not just go through life, but grow through life. Not only be a community, but help build it.”

Next the entrepreneurial duo plans to start a podcast “to help share the magic and mundane” so women don’t feel as alone in their experiences. More event details and ticket prices can be found at galfunction.com.

BEARDEN

Concord UMC gives and receives blessings through its 'thrifter's paradise'

John Shearer, Shopper News

For Concord United Methodist Church, spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ has come not just in a room with pews and a pulpit. It has also come in a place that features clothing, bedroom and den furniture, and various knickknacks.

Since opening its Thrift Store at 8843 Kingston Pike near Cedar Bluff Road in April 2022, the church has tried to help families in need or share unused items that otherwise might have just been discarded.

“The mission of The Thrift Store is to ensure that families in the community can afford to purchase items they need and give an avenue for donors to share with others while providing a thrifter’s paradise,” said Jane Currin, director of missions for the church.

The church recently observed its first anniversary with special sales and food trailers, and Currin said the church has been pleased with how it has been able to help others. But it began its mission to lift up Christ simply by lifting heavy furniture and other items.

“We had done rummage sales for 16 years,” said Currin. “We did them once a year at first and then twice.”

They would give items left over to either the Morgan Scott Project, an outreach ministry thrift store in those two Tennessee counties, or the Elk Garden School Community Ministry in Virginia.

But like the multiplying fishes and loaves in the Bible, the donated items kept growing. “People tried to give us stuff year-round,” said Currin with a laugh.

At the same time, a former country songwriter and producer named Lou Rennie was being helped by the church through transportation to appointments and in other ways.

“We were doing what the church is supposed to do,” said Currin of helping Rennie, whom Currin described as an outgoing and dynamic person, despite being homebound in her later years.

After Rennie died during the height of the COVID pandemic, she paid the kindness forward by leaving her home for the church.

That gave the church the idea to use the money to open a thrift store for all its excess items donated. A Christmas offering also helped fund the project.

Besides selling items to operate the store and use leftover proceeds for mission projects, the staff developed numerous partnerships with local agencies, schools and ministries to meet the needs of individuals and families through a voucher system, Currin added.

And they have done it with only three full-time people – manager Megan McNeil, assistant manager Jack Anderson, and assistant Jennifer Anderson. The store also depends on volunteers, including church and board member Lisa Stinton, who helps on Thursdays.

“I enjoy just coming in and seeing how the store is doing and talking to the other volunteers and staff,” she said while sorting some clothing. “And there’s a lot being accomplished here. People are coming in who can’t afford a lot of the things. And the prices are low.”

Among the customers taking advantage of the low prices one day recently was Matthew Girman, who said he enjoys supporting a local store that gives its proceeds to a positive cause.

“And the people here are really nice and helpful,” he said. “They don’t have any junk, and everything here is nice.”

Daniel Nealon also enjoys the camaraderie on the other end as receiving manager. He said the store is fortunate to receive so many donated items, from eclectic items to similar style items from a house being emptied, to antiques.

“It’s constant,” he said of the donations. “It doesn’t stop. Luckily, we’re very blessed with that aspect of it.”

Currin hopes the church is giving away countless blessings in return.

“I think this thrift store is building relationships with members of the congregation, but also reaching out within the community,” said the church staff member, who has worked at Concord UMC since 1988, including 26 years formerly as the youth director. “We are meeting needs and loving our neighbors as Christ mandates.”

SOUTH KNOXVILLE

Artist treats home as large-scale canvas

Ali James, Shopper News

When Mara Wilson’s photography and portrait commissions slowed to a trickle during the pandemic, she started to think of the walls in her South Knoxville home as one big, blank canvas.

“I started with a mural in my guest bedroom, then I painted a mountain scene in my daughter’s room,” said Wilson.

“There is an odd sliver of a wall that separates our kitchen and living room – one of those walls you wish you could knock down – I wanted to love the wall, so I painted it.”

Next, Wilson moved on to the guest bathroom. “Once you start, the whole house becomes a canvas,” she laughed.

“It used to be about minimalist white walls, but now the buzzword is ‘Maximalist,’ and the trend seems to be going in that way.

“I wanted to continue to make art and challenge myself to do new things,” she continued. “I just started painting on the walls and posting about it.”

In 2016, Wilson and her family moved to Knoxville for her husband’s career. Through connections she made in the New to Knoxville moms group, Wilson started getting commissions for her murals. The couple who owns the Lou-Mar house in Old North Knoxville needed a mural in their home completed for the annual Victorian Holiday Home Tour. A mutual friend suggested Wilson for the job.

“They are lovers of art and asked if I would be interested in doing a panoramic, large-scale scene,” Wilson said of the mural that took several months to complete.

After that, Wilson was commissioned to do a quick two-day black and white mural for Serendipity Salon in Fountain City.

Recently, Wilson finished a nursery mural for a neighbor. “It was a special project; we honored the memory of her mother and brother by including two cardinals – a female and a male,” she said. “Things like that make the stories personal. You can’t really buy wallpaper that does that.”

Wilson has been busier doing more murals than portrait work recently. “I am really enjoying the scale of the artwork and connecting to the clients in a more intimate way,” she said. “I feel like it is a way for the clients to express themselves and leave a mark on their home.”

Wilson studied art near her hometown at West Virginia University before moving to Philadelphia to earn her MFA from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art.

“I studied more classical, traditional, and oil painting techniques at Pennsylvania,” said the realism portrait artist. “It was founded in 1805, and the art school and museum are the first and oldest in the United States.”

While she was in grad school, people asked her to do portraits. “I was always drawn to paintings that look real,” said Wilson, who launched Mara Wilson Art in 2013. “It helped pay for my education, and I went on to work as a substitute art teacher and did portraits on the side.”

Wilson said she takes a modern approach to portraiture, working from high-definition photographs. She sometimes combines multiple pictures to create the portrait her client wants.

In addition to her in-home and retail space murals, Wilson still offers traditional canvas portraits and a collaborative package.

“The collaborative painting takes the project a step further, by having a live photo shoot with me first,” she said. “Then those photos are used as references for the painting. This option gives the client an opportunity to help curate the painting imagery in the present time as opposed to using images from the past.”

The trend may not be going toward traditional painting, according to Wilson, but she feels it is still absolutely timeless.

Examples of Mara Wilson’s work can be found on her website www.marawilsonart.com and on Instagram. “It is a great place to see the work and tell the story of how the work is created visually, from laying out the design in one color and from there I went into full color,” Wilson said of her social media posts.

POWELL

Ivan Racheff House and Gardens is a hidden gem in Lonsdale

Al Lesar, Shopper News

Janie Bitner sat in the gazebo near the perimeter of the property, a stone’s throw away from the steel mill.

“What steel mill?” Bitner said with a laugh.

The constant crushing sound coming from Commercial Metals Corp. is the only drawback from the beauty of this 3½-acre oasis in the Lonsdale community. But, that steel mill is so much a part of the history of the Ivan Racheff House and Gardens (1943 Tennessee Ave.) that it is tolerated − and even embraced.

Ivan Racheff was born in Bulgaria in the late 1800s. After earning degrees in engineering and chemistry from the University of Illinois, he was drafted and served in World War I. He settled in Chicago and founded Racheff Metallurgical Laboratory and a consulting practice.

After that, he bought Knoxville Iron Works around 1947. A bachelor, he lived adjacent to the mill. Practicing his belief that industry must co-exist with the environment, he made a $76 investment − substantial by 1947 standards − for grass seed, shrubs and trees. He wanted to be able to enjoy nature’s beauty while looking out the windows of his sitting room.

Racheff gardens important to Lonsdale

In 1970, Racheff gifted the gardens − which now include 75 species of trees (which classifies it as a Level 2 arboretum) − to the Tennessee Federation of Garden Clubs. Before he died in 1982 at age 90, he was made an honorary member of the National Council of Garden Clubs.

Racheff was ahead of his time when it comes to understanding the importance of protecting the environment. His investment paved the way for what today is a collection of ponds, gardens and trees everywhere.

“After having worked here (more than 15 years), I’ve learned how important this is to the Lonsdale community,” said Bitner, who is in charge of community outreach. “The steel mill is the reason we’re here. I don’t hear the noise.”

Having been designated in the National Historic Registry, the Racheff estate could be one of the oldest historic gardens in East Tennessee, in Bitner's estimation.

Racheff had it worked out that the steel mill continues to give a monthly stipend to the gardens. The mill also occasionally provides workers to help with light chores.

Sustaining Ivan Racheff's gift

Racheff House and Gardens is the headquarters for the Tennessee Federation of Garden Clubs. It also houses District 4 HQ, which involves 24 clubs from 28 counties.

Pam Inklebarger is the only paid gardening employee. The rest of the work is done by volunteers.

“We’ve tried to eradicate invasive species,” Bitner said. “We want to uncover every boulder in this garden.”

“There’s been an effort to bring it back to its glory,” said Linda Daniels of Powell, who is on the board of governors.

Fallen trees from recent storms, frigid temperatures from last Christmas, and the general upkeep like putting a new roof on the house are all financial battles that are fought daily.

“Sustainability with fundraisers is our goal,” Bitner said. “We don’t want to dip into the investment Ivan left for the gardens. We want to remain independent and operate autonomously.”

Weddings, plant sales, club meetings, workshops, festivals (Fall Festival, Greens Tea at Christmas) are some of the events at the gardens.

For more information call: 865-522-6210.

Normal weekday hours are 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Weekends by appointment only. Cost is free.

HALLS

'Disney's Newsies Jr.' headlines at Halls Middle

Ali James, Shopper News

Halls Middle School students have been hard at work all semester long and are ready to perform "Disney's Newsies Jr." this Friday and Saturday.

“We decided to go with 'Newsies' because it had just become available for a junior version for the middle school-aged children,” said Lyndsey Ullom, choral director. “We knew that it would be new and the other schools wouldn’t have done it before and it would be fresh.”

Showtimes are 7 p.m. on May 12 and 2 p.m. on May 13.

The show is a 60-minute version of the 2012 Broadway musical that was based on the 1992 film. It's loosely based on a historical strike by the newsies (newsboys) in New York City in 1899, according to Ullom. The newsies were a group of children who went on strike because Joseph Pulitzer and William Randoph Hearst’s newspapers raised the price of the newspapers and did not reimburse the newspaper boys for any unsold papers.

“The newsies had to work twice as hard to sell all of the copies they had to buy,” said Ullom.

The junior versions of musical productions are more tailored toward the middle school age group and their singing range. “As far as selecting a musical you look and see what interest there is and what students are wanting to try out for,” said Ullom. “We knew we had plenty of boys, so it was a good show for them.”

The Halls Middle chorus program has approximately 80 students per grade level. Seventy to 80 children auditioned and 50 are taken into the cast, according to Ullom.

“We tried to find everyone a spot; sometimes their schedules conflict or they won’t be ready for the stage,” said Ullom. “Fifteen to 20 don’t make it, but a lot of them may try out again in seventh and eighth grade. They will have a better shot and be better prepared.”

Other students make a valuable contribution to the show, running lights and doing backstage maintenance of props.Ullom and Karen Casteel start to teach audition material before Christmas break, “maybe a dance and some lines in a short scene where everyone uses the same lines,” Ullom said. “That way the children who are really interested have those two weeks to get ready. They have to dance as a group, sing as a group and act the scene as a group.”

Typically the audition material is covered in class, and videos are made so that any potential cast members can practice at home. Once the cast is chosen, the students participate in two to three rehearsals per week until the show, then the week before the show it’s onto technical and dress rehearsals.

Casteel’s family friend Stan Johnson has taken on the set construction work for "Newsies Jr."

“We are working with finalizing some of the larger set pieces,” said Ullom. “He built a one-story set piece that will double as both a theatre (where the newsies held a massive rally) and a fire escape. It is pretty multipurpose. He has been very kind to help us do that.”

“The cast has worked really well together,” said Casteel. “You can tell that some of them have had experience, and we have been able to build the program just from last year. They have worked really hard and are focused when it comes to rehearsal.”

Choral directors Casteel and Ullom have been a longtime team at Halls Middle School and teamed up again this year with reading specialist Wendy O’Neal for their spring musical.

“I am looking forward to the choreography. I generally take care of more of the choreography,” said Ullom. “Ms. Casteel does more of the technical aspects. I’m looking forward to the children having fun on stage. They have been a really good cast. They have really been a joy to teach.”

What: Disney’s Newsies Jr.Where: Halls Middle School AuditoriumWhen: 7 p.m. May 12; 2 p.m. May 13, 2023Cost: $10 for adults; $5 for students at the door

WEST KNOXVILLE

Fun ‘Friendzy’ raises money to support families in crisis

Nancy Anderson, Shopper News

About 200 players and 75 volunteers gathered at Knoxville Catholic High School April 30 for the first Family Friendzy, a fundraiser sponsored by the Widowed Parent Relief Project (WPRP).

“What a wonderful day! It turned out just beautiful,” said organizer Kelly Orrico. I’m so excited to have so many players our first time out. This is a team competition. We wanted to create an event that emulates community. It takes a village … that’s our motto at WPRP.”

The football field was divided into fun activities for all ages, from Nerf target shooting to ring toss to ping pong ball toss and cornhole.

The dunking booth was popular as crowds gathered to watch volunteers, coaches and administrators get dunked in the cold water. Several bounce houses were on hand but got a late start because of the high winds.

There were Fun Fair booths for the little ones along with appearances from Princess Ariel and Spider-Man.

The Dynamos from Farragut High School sang tunes from the hit musical “Mamma Mia!” which they performed at the school last year. The group included Bryson Keasling, 17, Virginia Klenske, 18, and Jasmyne Baker, 17.

Knoxville Catholic High School students came out in full force to participate and won an award for being the school most involved.

A pair of unicycle riders, Roger and David Ridenour, did tricks along the track to the delight of nearly everyone on the field.

Garnering the most laughter was 7-year-old Oakland Felder, who became deeply enthralled by the dunking booth. He yelled “Pow!” with every pitch. He said it gave him extra power. Several spectators said his pitching stance was spot on.

Perhaps the most entertaining of the day was the announcer, Martin Vargas, who kept everyone informed of activities across the field with colorful commentary.

WPRP was started last year as a passion project for Kelly Orrico. The goal is to help widowed parents (within the last three years) with children in the house under 18.

“Often these families do not get the support they need. If they do, it isn’t for long enough. We come alongside as ‘Family Friends’ and help them with whatever they need. We do everything from changing a doorknob to gardening. Whatever they need, we do with the help of volunteers from around Knoxville and surrounding counties.

“Today is about getting out and having fun with community. That’s important to healing.”

Orrico said she hoped Family Friendzy will grow in the years to come. “We’ll definitely do this again next year. It’s a blast!”

Info: www.WidowedParentRP.org

NORTH KNOXVILLE

Kids can learn to jam with professionals

Carol Z. Shane, Shopper News

This summer, your child has a chance to learn a musical instrument and jam with some of the best players in town when the Junior Appalachian Musicians’ (JAM) North Knoxville chapter hosts a 10-week camp at Northside Christian Church.

Sponsored by The Boyd Foundation and South Arts, the camp features well-known local artists – fiddler/guitarist/singer/songwriter Sarah Pirkle, guitarist/singer/songwriter Jeff Barbra and clawhammer banjo and harmonica player/singer Drew Fisher.

Pirkle and Barbra are married, often performing together as well as solo, and Fisher often performs with the Fisher Family Band, which also features his wife, April, on washtub bass.

All are well-versed in goodtime Appalachian music and family fun.

The 10-week camp, consisting of weekly two-hour sessions on Tuesdays, starts May 23 and ends Aug. 8, with June 20 and July 4 taken off. And at $150, with instruments provided, it’s a bargain.

What can kids and parents expect?

“To learn about music and musical instruments of Appalachia and to learn to play some tunes by ear,” says Pirkle, who is the program director and fiddle instructor for Smoky Mountain JAM in Townsend. “This summer session is the first one for North Knox JAM.”

As for registration, “folks can show up on the day of in-person registration, but we would like everyone to preregister with the form on the church’s website because the spaces are limited to about 40. We have 15 signed up already.”

When asked why she likes playing music, Pirkle can’t narrow it down. “So many reasons,” she says, “but one of the best ones is: it’s a great way to make friends!”

In-person registration for the Junior Appalachian Musicians’ North Knoxville chapter’s 10-week camp is from 4:15-6:15 p.m. next Tuesday, May 16, at Northside Christian Church, 4008 Tazewell Pike. To preregister, visit www.northsidedisciple.com.

Thanks for the '60s flashback, Clarence Brown Theatre | Mike Strange

WEST KNOXVILLE

Tacos, tequila and a good time benefit Remote Area Medical

Nancy Anderson, Shopper News

The eighth annual Southern Tequila and Taco Festival on April 28 was a success despite threatening rainstorms. The rain held off and more than 1,500 people showed to support Remote Area Medical (RAM) at Mayor Ralph McGill Plaza in Farragut.

“I wasn’t worried about the weather,” said John Volpe, RAM chief development officer. “If you do the right things for the right reasons, God loves you for that,” he said with a chuckle. “I did get rained on all morning.”

Volpe managed Abuelo’s Restaurant in Turkey Creek for 14 years. He hosted several tequila and taco events to benefit RAM until the event outgrew the venue. He started the Southern Tequila and Taco Fest about eight years ago and it has grown larger each year since. He said the event has raised more than $500,000 over the past eight years.

The festival featured about 150 varieties of tequila including el Jimador, Milagro and Patron. Six taco trucks and several food vendors including Bonefish Grill, SoKno Taco Cantina, and – new on the food truck scene – Clean Smoke BBQ, served hundreds of variations of tacos.

About 50 volunteers kept the tequila flowing and the event well-organized.

The John Stone Band was on hand out of Nashville to sing country tunes. Stone is well known in Nashville as the “King of Lower Broadway.” When not touring or entertaining at the White House, Stone can be found at Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge in Nashville.

Volpe told the story of the origins of RAM, saying it was founded in 1985 by Stan Brock, the co-host of Mutual of Omaha’s “Wild Kingdom” TV show, popular in the late 1960s. Brock and co-host Marlin Perkins took the show to the top of the ratings chart.

When Brock was living among the Wapishana Indians in Guyana, South America, he suffered an injury. Medical help was about 26 days away. When he left Guyana, he vowed to find a way to provide medical, dental and vision care to those with little or no access to these services. He did return to Guyana and fulfilled his promise.

“In 1992, Stan got a phone call from the mayor of Sneedville, Tennessee. The hospital had closed and the last dentist had moved out of the area. Stan loaded up a dentist chair in a truck, convinced five dentists to go up there with him and treated about 65 people. That mayor talked to other mayors and the phone hasn’t stopped ringing since. We’ve recently added Telehealth across Tennessee, and we continue to provide health services to underserved communities all over the country,” said Volpe.

Volpe said he was already looking forward to year nine. “I love to throw a party, and this is certainly a good one for a good cause.”

Info: www.ramusa.org.

NORTH KNOXVILLE

People of Courage luncheon features very special guest

Carol Z. Shane, Shopper News

It’s hard not to be a little starstruck when listening to Jeanne White-Ginder. She refers to close friend “Elton” as “really good at answering phones for us in the hospital” – not the first thing that comes to mind with a knighted megastar. And her memories of Michael – as in Jackson – include many heartfelt talks and personal visits.

They were brought together by a remarkable young man: White-Ginder’s son, Ryan White, who died of AIDS-related complications on April 8, 1990, one month before his high school graduation. White’s courage throughout his illness, and the ordeal he suffered in an age when very little was understood about HIV/AIDS, became a beacon for change, resulting in the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act, passed by Congress three months after White’s death. It is the largest federally funded program in the United States for people living with HIV/AIDS.

On May 2, Positively Living & Choice Health Network (PLCHN) welcomed White-Ginder as its keynote speaker for its seventh annual People of Courage awards ceremony and luncheon at the Foundry.

Since 1996, PLCHN has provided HIV/AIDS patients with a variety of support, and earlier this year was named a HIV/AIDS Center of Excellence by the Tennessee Department of Health for its high-quality comprehensive care. Viral suppression – which makes HIV undetectable in the bloodstream and therefore untransmittable to other people – is its primary goal, and 95% of its clients are virally suppressed.

Steve Jenkins and Tate Coffey, PLCHN CEO and board president, led the awards ceremony.

The Julia Tucker Award went to South Press, in recognition of the South Knoxville coffeehouse as an outstanding LGBTQ+ advocate.

The Robert Braddock Survivor Award was given to Henry Roark, a longtime HIV survivor who exemplifies the courage and spirit needed to thrive.

And the new Karyn Holbrook Spirit of Service Award was presented posthumously to Karyn Holbrook, who died in January of 2022, in honor of her service as a dedicated volunteer and board member for PLCHN.

Then White-Ginder shared the story she’s told for over 30 years: how her son contracted the AIDS virus from a contaminated intravenous drug he was receiving to treat his hemophilia, and how the family was unwittingly thrust into a living nightmare, making young White the face of AIDS-related stigma, and subsequent education and activism.

She told of her reluctance when first approached by then-Sen. Edward Kennedy who, with then-Sen. Orrin Hatch, was trying to pass the CARE Act.

“I’m just a mom,” she said. “I just wanted my son to live. But because of the love of your children, you do a lot of things you never thought you could. Senator Hatch said, ‘Just be a mom and tell these senators what it was like to watch your son live and die from AIDS.’

“To them the AIDS epidemic was numbers. But hearing a real personal story made the disease real. Nobody could ever replace my son, but at the same time maybe so many others could live because of my son.”

White-Ginder’s talk concluded with a presentation of Jackson’s tribute to White: his music video “Gone Too Soon.”

“Ryan White’s experience was a turning point for the HIV/AIDS epidemic,” said Jenkins. “There is no one better to speak on the importance of HIV awareness than his mother, Jeanne, who is truly a person of courage. At PLCHN, we aspire to honor the Whites by providing compassionate care that empowers, promotes and inspires wellness across Tennessee.”

For info, and to donate to PLCHN, visit choicehealthnetwork.org/donate.

SOUTH KNOXVILLE

Vibrant Vestival returns to the grounds of Candoro Marble building

Ali James, Shopper News

Vestal Arts and Heritage Association will be showcasing its pick of local performers, musicians, vendors, crafters and food when Vestival returns to the Candoro Marble building noon-5 p.m. on May 13.

“I believe we started in 2000, then we missed a couple of years during COVID,” said Patrick Michael, Vestival board member. “We never really had an official 20th anniversary; this year is the 100th anniversary of the building. It was finished in 1923, so it will be 100 years.”

In the midst of the pandemic two years ago, Vestival resorted to sponsoring smaller scale pop-up events, with musical performances at Tea & Treasures and Love that BBQ in South Knoxville.

“We returned in 2022 and had a good crowd, but being dormant during COVID, we are trying to build back up,” said Michael. “Usually, we average around 500 people in a good year, but we have had as many as 1,500.”

Vestal used to be home to major industrial organizations: Vestal Lumber company and Candoro Marble Works. The Aslan Foundation purchased the property in 2014 and completed renovations of the building in 2021.

They had the marble carvings, intricate ironwork, frescoes and the grounds restored, but with that came some new guidelines when it comes to parking. “Aslan put in a nice driveway and got rid of the back driveway, so that has changed the layout of the festival,” Michael said.

At Vestival, the main stage will be in the carriage house, which is an open garage-style space. The 2023 carriage house’s musical lineup includes local musicians Tim Woody, All Signs Point North, Pistol Creek Catch of the Day, Zach Russell and headliner the Tennessee Sheiks. The Tennessee Sheiks are a Knoxville-based band that performs an eclectic blend of jazz, swing and bluegrass.

“We used to have two stages. We had one out front that we took out when that space was relandscaped,” Michael said.

In addition to the main stage, local talent will be spread out across the Vestival grounds. At the “Pickers' Tent,” Vestival attendees can sit and jam with local bluegrass musician and University of Tennessee student Baker Northern.

Dragonfly Aerial & Circus Arts Studio will return this year with circus art performances on the grounds in the late afternoon. “The kids love them,” said Michael. Families can also stop by the Friends of the Library reading tent to listen to a story every hour in the Vestival children’s section.

“It is rain or shine,” Michael said of Vestival 2023. “There are plenty of covered tents, and the building of course will be open for tours. And Tri-Star Arts has an exhibit in there.”

Tea & Treasures, which has been a part of Vestival since its inception, Mario's Pizza Cones and Green T’s Apothecary and Gifts are just some of the vendors returning this year.

Free parking will be available on the grounds of the two neighboring churches, on Ogle Avenue and the local South Knoxville Community Center.

“You don’t even realize it is that close,” Michael said. “It is not even a whole block to walk over.”

What: Vestival 2023

When: Noon-5 p.m. May 13

Where: Candoro Marble, 681 Maryville Pike

Cost: $5 donation suggested

OPINION

There is always a pull toward home

Leslie Snow, Shopper News

At first, I couldn’t say the words out loud. I was afraid I would jinx it. I was afraid I would share the news too joyfully or too loudly and then something unexpected would happen to take it all away.

So mostly, I kept the news to myself, and when I did share it, I did it with a shrug of my shoulders or a nod of indifference. I wouldn’t tempt fate. I told the world, “It’s no big deal. It may or may not happen. It makes no difference either way.”

But yesterday, I found Ethan and Amanda’s mail stuffed in my mailbox, forwarded from their North Carolina apartment, along with a note from the post office asking them to confirm their new address. And I knew then it was all true. I knew it was safe, finally, to shed my false indifference and celebrate my news. Ethan and Amanda are moving back to Knoxville.

It’s hard to make sense of it all. I never allowed myself to dream it into existence. I didn’t have the audacity to hope that one day, all my children would move back home. But here we are. They all moved away after college, and now they’re all coming back.

Ethan likes to joke that he isn’t moving to be closer to family. He tells me the “real” reason they’re coming back is because taxes are lower, or the fishing is better. Sometimes he says he’s moving home because he misses a certain shade of orange.

But I know the truth. I can hear it in his voice when he says, “We can go on adventures together or skip rocks at the lake, just like we used to.” He wants me to make him banana pancakes on the weekends or cook one of the special one-egg omelets he likes to call “my tiny eggs.”

He misses being home. He misses popping over for dinner or going out with his siblings on the weekends. He misses birthday parties and Sunday brunch. He misses all the happy chaos and ordinary joy of family life.

When I called to tell him about finding his mail, he admitted the truth I’ve always known. “I can’t wait to be home again. I can’t wait to fish on the dock while Dad grills hamburgers. I can’t wait to listen to music and float on a raft. Our backyard is my happy place. It’s the place where I feel the most content.”

I think there’s something to his words. I think there’s always a pull toward home and a desire to stay connected to the place where you grew up, the place where your memories began. Home is the place that shapes you, for better or worse.

I felt that pull every time I drove back to Cleveland, Ohio, to see my folks.

“This is where I jumped the creek,” I would say to anyone who would listen. “This is where I went to high school, this is where I put on plays, this is where I hung out with my friends after football games.”

Home is a beacon that still calls to me, and I know Ethan feels it too. He wants to be near his family. He wants to retrace his steps and walk along the same familiar paths. He wants to sit at our kitchen counter and recount his daily stresses. And he wants to eat my famous tiny eggs, just like he used to do.

Leslie Snow may be reached at snow column@aol.com.

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