September4
TEE TIME
Plaid is rad on the green, so bring your (golf) caddy and hit the 21st annual Knoxville Golf Classic at the Egwani Golf Course. Work up a healthy appetite swinging putters and nine irons, because breakfast and lunch are provided. Fore! www.knoxville.cff.org
5
BOOMTASTIC
Not keen on navigating through hoards of people? Forego the mass of humanity on Neyland Drive and head to the Mabry Hazen House for their annual Boomsday, Bluegrass & BBQ fiesta. Tickets are $50.
www.mabryhazen.com
8
HOME SWEET HOME
Life a bit too hectic in the tech era? Go back to a simpler time. Garrison Keillor’s “A Prarie Home Companion,” the weekly Americana radio show, will be at the Knoxville Auditorium. Turn off the telly and tune the dial. Tickets start at $50. www.knoxvillecoliseum.com
9
DARK MARK
Deadheads of Knoxville unite! Join fellow jammers at the Valarium as the Dark Star Orchestra covers the best Grateful Dead tunes. Tickets are $20 in advance and $22 at the door. www.thevalarium.com
10-19
A FAIR TRADE
Spent all year perfecting your apple pie recipe? Ready to show off your prize poultry? Go retro and enjoy all the Tennessee Valley Fair has to offer. Carnival rides, livestock shows, concerts and contests make Chilhowee Park the place to be. Tickets are $9 for adults and $5 for kids. www.tnvalleyfair.org
12
TREES N’ TUNES
Come celebrate 100 years of Ijams Nature Center (and raise a little money for the outdoor oasis) at the Symphony in the Park. Enjoy the splendor of the outdoors and the best music the KSO can offer. www.ijams.org
15
BACK IN BLACK
For two decades, The Black Crowes have wowed audiences with their musical genius and entertaining sets. Before enjoying a lengthy hiatus, they’ll play the Tennessee Theatre stage on their ‘Say Goodnight to the Bad Guys’ tour. Tickets start at $42. www.tennesseetheatre.com
20
TRIO TIME
If you remember when this trio was a quartet, we won’t tell. Crosby, Stills & Nash have produced some of the best hits of the ‘60s and ‘70s (like ‘Our House’ and ‘Woodstock’), and they aren’t slowing down now. Tickets start at $80. www.tennesseetheatre.com
26
SHADES OF GRAY
A cemetery might not seem like the hippest hangout in town, but try to be open-minded. Old Gray Cemetery’s Carriage and Lantern Tour has food, artists, carriage rides and re-enactors portraying some of the cemetery’s permanent residents. It’s a deadly good time. www.discoveret.org/oldgray
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October
1-2
UP, UP AND AWAY
Acrophobics beware. High-fliers can head to the Pellisssippi State Hot Air Balloon Festival (at the Hardin Valley location) for music, crafts, food, balloon rides and the nightly balloon glow. You won’t be able to keep your feet on the ground. www.pstcc.edu/balloons
8
OUTBACK SOUND
Legendary guitarist Tommy Emmanuel (along with the Frank Vignola Trio) will showcase ‘finger-style’ play at the Tennessee Theatre. And while this Aussie might play his guitar like a piano, his five decade long career means he’s been doing something right. Tickets are $32. www.tennesseetheatre.com
8-10
GREEK WEEK
OPA! Grab the fam and catch a shuttle to the St. George Greek Orthodox Church for Greekfest. Enjoy music and crafts as spanakopita, kabobs and baklava galore greet each Mediterranean-deprived patron at this Knoxville institution. Don’t forget the ouzo. www.greekfesttn.com
8-10
FALL IN LOVE
Embrace the change of seasons (with a giant bag of kettle corn perhaps) at the Foothills Fall Festival in Maryville. Food, drink, crafts and games take over downtown, and concerts from Lynyrd Skynrd, Blake Shelton and Starship are worth the extra dough. General admission for three days is $40. www.foothillsfallfestival.com
16
STRANGE BREW
No funnels or kegs of Natty Light at this event — just American handcrafted beer, rocking tunes and perfectly paired food. Proceeds from the Brewer’s Jam at World’s Fair Park benefit Community Shares, and brew-connoisseurs will be in draft heaven. www.knoxvillebrewersjam.com
23
THRILLER NIGHT
A world record breaking attempt of having the most people dance to Thriller at once? Count us in. Perfect your head twitch and zombie arms and head to Market Square for Thrill the World Knoxville at 7 p.m. Wear a gruesome costume just for kicks. 865-742-6933
25-29
HAUNTING GROUNDS
Adrenaline junkies, head to James White’s Fort for the Hearthscares Ghost Tour, a tour of downtown’s scariest landmarks. Slow your heart rate with marshmallow roasting afterwards. Tickets are $8 for adults and $6 for children. www.discoveret.org/jwf
28-30
BLONDE AMBITION
Forget Harvard. Elle Woods has gone Broadway. Legally Blonde, the tale of a girl who goes from the sorority house to the courtroom, is now heading to the Tennessee Theatre. Snaps for that. Tickets start at $32. www.tennesseetheatre.com
30
THINK PINK
Pink will be the color of the day as the 14th annual Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure kicks off at World’s Fair Park. Support the ladies in your life at this 5K, and register online to enter. Check out our breast cancer awareness article on p. 54. www.komenknoxville.org
