Fall is Here and it's Corn-Mazing!

Yesterday, I went to the Cruze Farm Corn Maze. I've never been to a corn maze before, so I had a lot to take in and a lot of observations to make.

It was definitely a wholesome affair, attracting young and old.

We didn't know whose birthday it was, but did it really matter?

Height of this Pumpkin Head? About 5'5" tall.

The food was delicious, which is to be expected of Cruze Farm- ice cream, burgers, hot dogs, and fries. Mmmm.

In the maze, we were asked to spot some celebrities along the way. Here's Mary Costa, voice of Sleeping Beauty, who was from Knoxville, or lived here... I can't remember...

And here is Governor Bill Haslam. Striking resemblance!

I wasn't keeping time, but it probably took us about 30-45 minutes to walk through all of it. Not difficult, but we stopped along the way for some photo opps.

Of course, we bought snacks for the road. Look at that straw. Cruze Farm knows it's all in the details. 

Hope you can make it out there or to another local corn maze. I've heard of several, spooky and non.

Below is some info about the Cruze Farm Corn Maze. I'm not positive when their hours are, but I'm sure you can call them and find out: 300-3307. 

Thanks for reading, and Happy Fall!

Yours truly,

Freedom Thighs 2012

I couldn't tell you specifically what I like so much about the Freedom Thighs bike ride. There's an inexpressible feeling it gives you, something pictures and text may not have the ability to convey, but I'll try.

Outside the Birdhouse

The bike ride happens each 4th of July, meeting at the Birdhouse around 4pm. Bikers line up in the street, listen to a rendition on the Star Spangled Banner (this year, Dolly Parton's), and begin their patriotic cruise through the neighborhoods of Knoxville.



Most attendees are decked out in American themed apparel. I myself bought a flag vest a couple years back for my first Freedom Thighs, and it's become a go-to for this ride each year. This year, two synchronized boom boxes towed behind bikes busted out jams ranging from Ludacris's Roll Out to some USA themed songs sung in Spanish.

Eagle on Rollerblades!

I couldn't tell you either, if there is any common thread that runs through each of the bikers who come each year to ride this ride.

 I overheard one hipster-looking biker say to his friends as I slowly meandered past them, "I can't tell if this race is satirical or not. It seems like there are a lot of truly patriotic people here, but I know there are some anarchists here as well... and just so y'all know, I bought this (American flag) t-shirt at Wal-Mart."



Sidenote: I don't know much about this subject, but it's true that there is a small contingent of anarchists that like to ride bicycles in Knoxville. They're some real nice people, yet would a true anarchist attend an American-themed bike ride? Are anarchists known to be especially ironic?*

Maybe what I like about the ride is the simultaneous delight and confusion I feel.



Freedom Thighs does mostly draw a bunch of white hipsters, it's true.

Part of the route winds through some East Knox neighborhoods which are predominantly inhabited by African Americans. These are some of my favorite streets to ride through because there is such a great community presence there. So many families came out on their porches to cheer on us white kids dressed like idiots.

And together, we all cheered on America.

 If that's not patriotic, I couldn't tell you what is.

Babe-raham Lincoln

We made a stop at the Pilot on Magnolia. That Pilot made a billion dollars yesterday, and so did the ice-cream man who stopped there when he saw all of us.

Love grows at Pilot

Then some idiot started shooting fireworks. Really? At a gas station? I can't say everyone on the ride is the brightest.




I saw many faces on the ride that have moved away from Knoxville over the past few years. They come back for this ride, and that's saying something.




I didn't end up finishing out the whole route. I think they went about 10 miles in all, making various stops to rest, consume cold beverages, and eat hotdogs, but I had a cookout calling my name.

The Ice-Cream man found us

If you have been intrigued in the slightest by this post, you should consider taking a chance on shenaniganery and joining the ride next year. No one fits in, but we all do because we're American, you know what I'm saying?



 Wherever the 4th of July took you, whether you were enjoying a/c with normal, calm people or with a bunch of hooligans on bikes, I do hope it was as merry one.

Facilitators of Freedom Thighs

*Questions for another time.

Bargain B: 31 Bistro and Preservation Pub

The warm weather and sunshine have turned Market Square into a magnetic force field, luring me to its patios.

On Monday, I sat in the sunshine at Pres Pub's patio and enjoyed Blue Moonday ($2 pints of Blue Moon). I had a couple of glasses and split a cheese pizza with a friend for a total of about $7 before tip.  Awesome.

Then Tuesday, the same friend and I tried out 31 Bistro's Happy Hour, as their sign out front has been enticing me. I don't really know what the story is with the restaurant that was formerly La Costa, but I've learned they have a killer Happy Hour.

From 4-7pm Monday through Saturday, glasses of sangria, their regular margarita, glasses of house wine, and bottles of beer are $2 each. They also have Happy Hour food, so my friend and I shared a plate of fries with a creamy aioli dipping sauce. We each spent about $6 before tip, having 2 drinks each and sharing the fries. Patio perfection.

Thankfully nicer weather means riding the ole bike around again which I'm going to need to do more if I keep giving in to my Happy Hour addiction. I'm doing this for you, Knoxville, because I care.

(Is it funny that my first post since November is about eating junk food and boozing it up? I've found my muse!)

Tour de Plants

I had an art opening Saturday evening at the Birdhouse. On Sunday, while cleaning up over there, I ran into Katie Ries, founder of the Urban Land Scouts.



She was there for Tour de Plants, a guided jaunt through the Fourth and Gill neighborhood. I typically become rather hermitish after art openings but decided a calm walk on such a beautiful day with mostly strangers would be better than lazing away on my couch eating leftover cupcakes all day. I was right.






















You know those real life moments that are so perfect, it makes you say something dumb like, "This is just like the movies." Well, walking around with the Urban Land Scouts felt like that, only it was more like being on a PBS special. (I mean that as a compliment, so you know.)



I don't know a lot about plants, and as I sit here looking at the photos I took, I all ready realize I've forgotten most of the names I heard yesterday, but I appreciate the knowledge that was being passed around yesterday afternoon between the ten or so people that showed up.



Young, not as young, and canine walked the urban landscape to talk about foliage. We touched, we smelled, we tasted. Someone even kept throwing around Latin names in the most unpretentious way. Information, experience, and questions were being passed around, and there was not a smart phone in sight.




I can't say that I am much closer to being an expert on the subject of edible plants in Knoxville, but I showed up, I observed, I said the pledge, and now- I'm an Urban Land Scout!























You can be one, too.

Another Knoxville Halloween down

I hope everyone had a Happy Halloween yesterday and this past weekend. I love how when the holiday falls near the weekend, Knoxville spends night upon night in festive attire. This city has taught me a lot about Halloween, and I know if I ever move from here, it will most likely be on Halloween that I'll miss it most. Many thanks to all those who dressed up and made it a good one this year.

I noticed a strong Dia de Los Muertos presence this year. Also, lots of nerds and bloody people, even bloody nerds. I like, too, how lots of people wore normal stylish attire but had dark makeup around their eyes- Halloween's fashion models.

Here are some photos taken before the TVB Halloween Alley Cat Race last night. These crazy people rode about eight miles around town in their costumes. Pretty awesome.

All I have to say is: girl on right with unibrow.

I assume the guy on the left is dead somewhere in a ditch. How he rode on a bike in that thing, I don't know.

Can you guess what Wild Bill and I are? Btw, I think he just wanted an excuse to bare his chest.

In other news, they started decorating for Christmas today in Krutch Park

the summer too shall pass

I've been pretty lame this summer, deciding to be super American and drive my car everywhere rather than ride my bike at all. Continuously blasting fake cold air in my face has taken its toll on my psyche, however, so last Tuesday, when the air cooled off a bit, I got on my bike and headed downtown. I realized it had been forever since I've taken time to enjoy an evening on Market Square, so with no plans, I biked up Gay Street to see what would unfold.

Divine providence would have it that The Pol was window shopping at Noveau Classics, because that is apparently what the Pol does when he locks himself out of his apartment. We decided to go have a drink on the roof of Pres Pub because he hadn't been up there yet.

Once on the roof, we were able to find a table close to the Square. The weather was pitch perfect and from the stage, there were jazz musicians playing. We couldn't tell from there if it was an official performance or some buskers, but there were spectators below, enjoying it all the same.

After our drink, we walked out into the Square where The Pol ran into a freshman he had met a few days earlier, and a group of his friends. They would be starting class the next day. Even if no one told me they were freshman, I would have known because one proudly wore a bright orange lanyard around his neck featuring his dorm key.

As the jazz played and I breathed in the sweet, autumn-like air, I was a little jealous of the group of new students. Walking around a bustling downtown Knoxville in college wasn't an option during most of my college experience, let alone before my very first day of class. I looked into their cherub faces, into their deer-in-headlight eyes, and decided it best not to tell them how lucky they were.

As they walked off, The Pol and I sat on a bench to listen to the rest of the set. It was then I realized the trumpet player was my old landlord, Vance Thompson, who is the director of the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra. When they finished, he thanked the small crowd and said they would be playing every Tuesday until September (or maybe through September, I'm not quite sure).

So if you've been hiding under an air-conditioned rock all summer like me, I encourage you to take a stroll through Market Square this Tuesday evening and have a listen. Even if it's hot, the tunes are sure to be coooool. 

Knoxville Urban Wilderness Corridor

One of the things I love most about Knoxville is its commitment to outdoor recreation. The city has been mostly on the front edge of a push to bring more greenway space to urban areas. Already you can access 16 miles of uninterrupted greenway from downtown to Bearden, and many other neighborhoods have their own, shorter greenways.

Thanks to the work of Legacy Parks, South Knoxville soon should have it's own extended greenway-like system that could end up being the crown jewel of Knoxville's outdoor green spaces. Through land acquisitions and cooperation with land owners, Legacy Park is working to create the Knoxville Urban Wilderness Corridor -- 15 miles of uninterrupted paths that link some of South Knoxville's existing treasures, like Ijams, the quarries and the riverfront bluffs. Much of the trail system already exists but needs to be improved.



I also love that Legacy Parks Foundation Director Carol Evans tells the Knoxville News Sentinel that the aim is to not only preserve green space but encourage residential and business improvements on the south side of the river. Kind of an 'if you build it, they will come' approach.

Legacy Parks could use some help with funding after Knox County cut it out of its 2010 budget. They're looking to make up a $50,000 loss in revenue at an Oct. 14 luncheon. The price of the tickets are a little rich for my blood, but Legacy Parks does take donations. More deets on their website.

(H/T: Knoxville News Sentinel)

up on the rooftop bar

Ok, I have a confession to make. I, a little Knoxvillian, have never been a huge fan of Preservation Pub (my fellow Wigshoppers are going to disown me now). But before you scoff at me and stalk off to judge me as you drink your PBR, hear me out. As a nonsmoker, I struggled to tolerate the smoky inside of Pres Pub for long stretches at a time, and unless I was there to see a particular band, the acoustics usually made it too loud for me to talk with my partners in crime if there was a band playing.

But. BUT ... Have you heard about Pres Pub's expansion? As in the new second floor and rooftop lounge?

Having been gone from Knoxville for nearly a month, this was all news to me when my friends suggested a trip to Pres Pub's smoke-free second floor on Friday. "Get out of town!" I said. "Pres Pub has a second floor? Is that why the 'Man who lives here is loony' sign disappeared?' (The answer is yes, and the sign now is posted proudly on a second-floor wall. The second floor has a gorgeous bar and some awesome overstuffed bean-bag chairs in addition to the usual table seating.

Except, when we made our way to the second floor on Friday, we noticed a sign declaring the Moonshine Rooftop Lounge open. So despite the 90+ degree temperatures, we climbed one more staircase to find ourselves on a rooftop oasis in the middle of downtown Knoxville.


Now I've long said Knoxville needed some more public rooftop spots, and this one is up to the challenge. There's a small cash-only bar that serves a few canned beers and basic mixed drinks in plastic cups. There are tables all the way to the railing along the front edge, where you can peer down to the peons below on Market Square (please don't pee on them, though). There is mood lighting. There are pretty flowers. There is a decorative fountain. And most importantly on a steamy summer night, there's a breeze.

I didn't get a shot of the view because all the spots at the edge were occupied, so this is the best I can offer you. You'll have to go and check out the view yourself.

A unique way to experience Knoxville

If you've been reading this blog for a while, you may remember my completely embarrassing post where I shamelessly gushed about Jack Neely. I'm not going to link to it, so if you're curious you'll have to find it, but it was about my first encounter with him at the Knox Heritage Art and Architecture Tour, where he was a walking tour guide.

That was about three years ago (omg) and I am happy to report that since then I have grown from blindly obsessed to a sensible admirer/ acquaintance of him. This is good because this Friday night is the 5th Annual Knox Heritage Art and Architecture Tour, and Jack will be leading the walking tour once again.















Above: A photo from last year's tour by Phil Savage

I love this event because it encapsulates so many great things. It begins a few months prior to the actual tour when a call for entries is released asking photographers to take photos of historic buildings in a particular area of town. This year, the perimeters are in and around the Old City.

The photographs are looked over by seven judges who choose winning photos based on the image as well as what would be a suitable stop on the walking tour.























Above: A photo from last year's tour by Sharon Wright Cottrell

The event this year will begin at 6pm with a reception which includes food, drink, and the winning photos at the headquarters of Attack Monkey Productions, 117 South Gay Street. Then at about 7:15 begins the tour.

Along with Jack, David Dewhirst, a key player in the revitalization of downtown Knoxville with projects like the Holston, JFG, and the Daylight Building, will also be leading a tour. It's going to be fun as well as educational, and what could beat that combination? I'd argue that this a quintessential Knoxville event, one that shouldn't be missed.

Would you like to come? You are invited.

If so, go here.

I'll take that beverage to go

I have a proposal that has probably been proposed before, but I'll go ahead anyway.

I think it's time for Knoxville to seriously begin talking about travelers, and when I say travelers, I'm talking about a disposable cup full of the beverage of your choice which you can take from bar to bar.

The first time I experienced the beauty of the traveler, I was in Savannah, Georgia. The architecture, the Spanish moss, and the overall quaintness of the town was enough, but then, while at a bar, my friend suggested we buy a beer to go. My mind was blown. It was magical.

Some of my favorite memories are of popping open a bottle of wine next to an outdoor fountain with friends in a different country. It would be so nice to do the same here.






















This is exactly what it would feel like!

Today, I live next door to a guy that moved here from New Orleans, so we've been talking about it more because they have open container laws there. I'm not suggesting Knoxville try to be another city. All I'm really saying is that I want to walk outside with a beer in Market Square on non-festival days.

We are traditionally a conservative city, I know, but an open container doesn't have to mean public intoxication. We have police to regulate that. I think it could mean more business downtown, however, which would be a great thing.

So my proposal is that we get this going in Market Square and see how it goes. You say we need cleaner air and to take care of the homeless? Of course! But might I also add to the list that we need more beverages under the sun.

rhythm n' blooms, just what the seasonal affective disorder doctor ordered

Yesterday I went to Rhythm N' Blooms at the Botanical Gardens, and, man, it was exactly what my sun/warm weather/festival deprived soul needed. A good sized crowd came out with blankets and coolers in hand to laze the afternoon away while listening to some good music, and I did the same. 

Here are some photos from the day to give you hope that more days like yesterday are around the bend.













 They moved the stage out into a field, which I thought was a great change.














The view to the right of the stage. Breathtaking.





























Yes, my friend brought her cat.























The Whigs. I don't know if it was the outdoor air or what, but this show suited them better than the one they gave at the Bijou last year. They said it was probably the prettiest place they've ever played, too.













Night fell and out came the Felice Brothers. Here they are playing with Diamond Doves.





























And nothing says outdoor festival like shelter made from sticks.

Well done, Rhythm and Blooms!!!