Garth Brooks’ giant concert at Neyland Stadium on the 16th promises to be one of the largest concerts in Knoxville history. He’s one of the most popular country-music performers in America, playing at one of the largest stadiums in America. If you’d […]

By Jack Neely – October 2019 Some holidays haven’t changed much. Beginning in the 1790s, Fourth of July was always noisy, public, and hot. Easter was always centered around church. Thanksgiving has always involved a family meal. Christmas has changed […]

By Jack Neely – September 2019   Perhaps like you, I watched the Ken Burns series about Country Music with both interest and trepidation. As many of us observed almost 30 years ago, Burns told the story of the Civil […]

By Jack Neely – July 2019 Some dramatic days you might almost wish there was some kind of monument to the weather, to the meteorological moments worth remembering. There is, in fact. It’s the elegant old weather kiosk, restored in […]

The Carousel may be more comfortable today than it was in the 1950s, but its weatherproofed exterior, added in recent years, conceals an extraordinary building. Unusual even when it was built, the Carousel Theatre may now be the oldest theater-in […]

Nine Practical Reasons to Save Historic Buildings “Historic? Why, that’s not historic!” A lot of good and honest folks roll their eyes when they hear that adjective applied to a building they’ve never heard of. Angry anonymous bloggers jeer. Old […]