swimming + Olympics = Knoxville

So who knew, but apparently Knoxville has some really good swimming facilities.

And apparently a contingent of the USA swim team is here doing pre-Olympic training.

Ryan Lochte has been spotted along with several other tall, broad shouldered individuals.

Training is not open to the public, but i bet one could wrangle some sorry of pass of one was so inclined.

Just thought everybody should know.

USA USA USA!

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.

Do You Own Property Downtown?

If so please vote The Pol (Cullin Spellings) for the CBID board.

You should have received your ballots in the mail the other day, and you have all of 2 days to get them filled out and returned. You can do one of two things:

#1 Vote for the pol (as seen below)

OR

#2 Designate Cullin Spellings to be your Proxy (as seen below)

Or finally, if you will be at the yearly CBID Board Meeting on Monday the 25th at 11:30 at the Chamber of Commerce please vote for Cullin.

If you've been reading this blog for any amount of time you know he loves downtown and would do a great job at advancing the interests of the residents. If you have any lingering doubts, here is a final reason why you should vote for him.

Mystery of Jesus Dreams Solved... kind of

Here is why you should go to CBID meetings. Look who one of our neighbors spied the other day. BOOM

So here is the scoop (hat tip to Mr. Owens who lives in The Holston), Ricky, the "artist", is actually some kind of religious zealot. Not sure if its a particular sect or something he just came up with, but this is psuedo-christian missionary work apparently.

 Now it gets interesting. Ricky puts up the "Jesus takes away bad dreams" and the other variations because #1 it is Gods message and he can put it on Gods property and since God owns everything he can put it everywhere. And #2... wait for it... the message itself is aimed at the Jews. Apparently a jewish person will understand this code language and perhaps be converted. Any of our semitically inclined readers care to comment on that part? Gentiles don't feel too left out, he has started a new line of all inclusive art (see the bottom right corner of the picture) a picture of the bible that says Jesus loves you.

So if you see Ricky around putting up posters feel free to call the police as he is defacing public property, and generally being a creeper. The things you learn by going to the CBID residents meetings.

Also the Pol has been nominated to be one of the CBID board members representing the residents downtown. So all you property owners please vote for Cullin Spellings or assign him as your proxy for the June 25th meeting. You'll be getting your ballots in just a few days. Thanks!

CBID... Whats that?!?!

As a downtown resident, I pay money every year int the CBID, the Central Business Improvement District. It's a local governmental body tasked with doing for downtown what the City and County governments can't do on their own. CBID sponsors things like the HOLA festival, provides facade grants,and generally encouraging people to live, work, shop, and visit downtown Knoxville. Not exactly the most public of the quasi-governmental boards, no good scandals like Tourism and Sports, but since it's inception since 1993 it's clear that they have had a positive effect on our ever growing downtown area. The board consists of different stakeholders who either, live, work, or own property. It's important to have people who care about the future of our little urban experiment to be the ones who are on this board, more on that later. *hint a wigshppoer has been nominated to the board* If you're interested in learning more, see their website here. Lots of wigshop love to everybody!

A Win for Urbanism

Forgive my absence, fatherhood takes its toll on a young man.

 That said, I want to defend the indefensible. I am a supporter of Walmart.

 Now before you attack me let me add my caveat. I am a supporter of the Fulton Bellows project and I'll tell you why. For years we have been talking about how people need to look back to the center city for living and working. That sprawl is not the inevitable, much less the desirable goal of city planning. How we long for businesses, stores, retail, grocery, etc. to move back in to downtown bringing with it that density that adds so much flavor to life.

 Well, its time to declare a partial victory.

 Walmart is a suburb store. The epitome of what we look to as the problem. Walmart buys up 20 acres of farmland, throws up a store and with 6 months there is a Chili's, McDonald's, 2 strip malls, Advanced Auto and 19 subdivisions full of throw away houses. Yes they are part of the problem, but they are the worlds largest retailer, they draw people out of the city center and now they are coming back in.

 I recently had a conversation with a friend who went off on having a Walmart move in near campus. He is convinced that it will destroy businesses in the area. Lets grant the possibility, though I'm not sure what retailers on the strip will suffer. He argued that people who would shop at Just Ripe and The Market would now just go to Walmart or the new Publix. Again, that may be marginally true, but people are already doing that. I shop Kroger weekly, it's just a must do. So do 95% of everyone else.

 And here is the core of my argument, people are going to shop the big retailers, because its more economical. It just is. But by companies like Walmart and Publix taking a non-standard site that would be vacant and blighted, trying out a new location and a new model and in turn keeping more people close to town I see as a win-win. This is something to be looked at as a positive development as a sign that our overall goal of bringing life back to the high density areas is well under way.

Congratulations Knoxville Urbanists, you are having a bigger impact than you thought.

Trying to press on: Yee-Haw's last day

I've never been the type of person that wants to meet a band or musician after a show. I find it awkward, no, impossible, trying to verbalize my inexpressible feelings about something that has stirred my soul.

I've found myself waiting outside a tour bus parked in an alley, however, to appease giddy friends with albums in tow. When it's my turn to shake the artist's hand, my default phrase is something like, "Thank you for what you do," and then I'm out of there. No gushing, no awkward lingering. It's not my style.

***

This morning, I biked downtown to run a work errand and saw the doors of Yee-Haw open, clothing racks lining the entrance. I locked up my bike and walked inside.

Kevin Bradley was off to the right, sporting his plaid pant uniform, sifting through prints, and filling a long list of online orders. He looked up at me and said, "Hello, honey," and gave me hug. "How are you?"

"It's a sad day," I said.

His response: "It's beyond that."

I picked through the prints, finding ones I've always wanted but have never gotten around to buying- the lady that's an ice-cream cone, a Farmer's Market strawberry card, mini cards reading "Te Quiero." I also picked up a journal and a postcard that says "Knoxville Girl," because I had to. I lusted after the larger, more expensive prints, wishing I could indulge.



A few other customers came through while I was there- an older couple shuffling through the endless array of prints and a woman in a dress suit who walked in knowing exactly what she wanted- a tote bag with a pink ice-cream cone printed on it.

When I had made my choices, I walked up to the counter to a voiceless Julie Belcher (she lost it yesterday) who hand-wrote my receipt and whispered my total. She smiled as she bagged up my items.

While I stood there, I wondered if I should say something encouraging or complimentary.

I've really appreciated your work.
You're going to be missed. 
Y'all... y'all are awesome.

What came out instead was, "I wanted more than this, but I'm on my bike. How long will y'all be selling online?"

"Til midnight," she whispered.  (Kevin will be at the shop until at least 7 this evening, too.)

As she handed me my bag of goodies, I thanked her and walked out the door, signifying the death of my longest Knoxville business crush.

***

Going against my normal protocol, I'll linger here a little longer to give a few thoughts about the closing of Yee-Haw.

My personal praises for Yee-Haw are mostly in regard to how they have ridden the impossible line of making good art that sells in Knoxville. They have transformed a creative passion into a viable business, basing it in Knoxville but extending their talents internationally. When the art-scene looks bleak (because it does more often than not when you are a working artist here), I'm reminded of their presence and it puts me at ease. They have been a role-model by consistently inspiring me to stay and encourage the contemporary art scene here. They've inspired me to work harder.

And while I think Knoxville needs Yee-Haw, I know I can't force it to stay. I can, however, be thankful for what they have done for Knoxville and the art scene here. I am and will continue to be long after their doors have closed.

Beginning of the End

In May I move on to the next section of my life. The past five years have been fantastic. I have experienced so much personal growth in Knoxville. I have made friends that I will have for the rest of my life and have gotten to enjoy how great this city is. I leave this place, in many ways, different from when I came. The city has changed so much over the last few years. Looking back on my journey through school, or even just at my introduction/bio post for the wigshop I can see more clearly how the little quirks make Knoxville (at least the areas that I lived/enjoyed/listened) great. Originally I looked and saw tall(ish) buildings and assumed that something cool happened "down there". I was delighted to find the Pilot Light and Old City Java quickly in my first year here and have since spent countless hours in both fantastic establishments.

Recently I decided to read Suttree by Cormac McCarthy. It wasn't that I was unwilling to read it, I just wanted to save it for something special. That something special has become the end of my sojourn in Knoxville. I leave very soon and having taken an entire class on the works of James Agee it had to be Suttree and it could only end this way. Most of the places that have been formative for me in Knoxville have been places that I can read, talk to friends, or just relax. I decided that I wanted to read the book in a few of my favorite Knoxville spots and that my reading would be a good way to say farewell. Intermittently over the next few weeks (graduation for me is on May 11 and I plan on biking to campus in my robes and finishing it before I walk across the stage and move away) I will be posting my favorite places. Nothing overwhelming, just places that are important to me and why.

The first place is Old City Java. Old City Java has been my second home. B wrote a love letter in an earlier post. Now it is my turn. As a college student is apt to do, I moved a whole lot in the last five years. I never had an office (except for my favorite graduate carrell in Hodges Library, and that was frequently taken) so when I need(ed) to work Old City Java was the place. It was where I went to actually get work done and drink really great coffee while doing it. Meg and Shaun bought Old City Java a few years ago and brought about really great changes. The building is brighter and more welcoming. The alley (pictured above) has been a nice, recent development. They started serving Counter Culture Coffee which can be read about here. They also happen to be fantastic people who are passionate about coffee. They go on trips to learn about coffee. They are proud coffee nerds. It is refreshing to see people that are really passionate about something. Note: Being disaffected or too cool is lame. I love it there because you can tell that they are passionate about what they do. If you have never been, please go and check it out. It is far and away the best coffee shop in town. Enjoy the day, maybe go grab some coffee at Old City Java (109 S. Central Ave. Knoxville, TN 37902) and soak in the recent bout of great weather we have been having.