East Tennessee Now

Frank Murphy interviews Will Meyer, vice president of the Museum of Appalachia, located at 2819 Andersonville Highway, Clinton, Tennessee. The Museum of Appalachia, which was founded in 1969 by John Rice Irwin, portrays an authentic mountain farm and pioneer village, with three dozen historic log structures, several exhibit buildings filled with thousands of authentic Appalachian artifacts, multiple gardens, and free range farm animals. 

The Museum will host its annual Barn Dance fundraiser on Friday, June 19, 2026. The silent auction will open for bidding on Monday, June 15, 2026 via the Handbid mobile app. More information is available at https://events.handbid.com/auctions/museum-of-appalachia-barn-dance-2026 

The Museum’s annual Independence Day Anvil Shoot Celebration will be held on July 3 and 4, 2026, as an expanded two-day event made possible in part by support from Tennessee America 250. At the center of the celebration is the Museum’s signature anvil shoot, a rare frontier tradition in which a 200-pound anvil is launched hundreds of feet into the air using gunpowder. Anvil shoots will take place at 10:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., and 2:00 p.m. both days. Tickets and information are available at https://www.museumofappalachia.org/independence-day/ 

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Frank Murphy interviews Executive Director Jennifer Harrell and Development & Communications Manager Lori Friel of Cancer Support Community East Tennessee. The organization's mission is to uplift and strengthen people impacted by cancer by providing support, fostering compassionate communities, and breaking down barriers to care. They provide free classes, workshops, and programs. Learn more at https://www.cancersupportet.org/ 

The band Smooth Sailor will play classic yacht rock favorites at a benefit concert for CSCET on Thursday, June 4, 2026 at Yee-Haw Brewing, 745 N Broadway, Knoxville. General admission tickets are $50. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. Tickets are available at https://events.handbid.com/auctions/2026-good-vibrations

CSCET's annual Fall Luncheon and Silent Auction will feature comedian and cancer survivor Karen Mills on Wednesday, October 21, 2026 at Bridgewater Place in Knoxville. 

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Frank Murphy interviews Katy Watt, president of Explore Oak Ridge, and actress Kadi Brazil, who portrays Katie the Calutron Girl in promotional videos for Explore Oak Ridge. Several of the videos are dedicated to the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, which was established in 2015 on the sites of three formerly secret communities located in Hanford, Washington; Los Alamos, New Mexico; and Oak Ridge, Tennessee. 

Explore Oak Ridge maintains a calendar of upcoming events and festivals at https://exploreoakridge.com/ 

On Sunday, May 24, 2026 at 7:00 p.m., the Oak Ridge Community Band presents its annual Memorial Day concert in A.K. Bissell Park. 

The Flatwater Tales Storytelling Festival takes place on Friday, June 5 and Saturday, June 6, 2026.

The 26th annual Lavender Festival will be in Jackson Square on Saturday, June 20, 2026. 

On July 4, 2026, the Oak Ridge Community Band will perform in A.K. Bissell Park starting at 7:30 p.m. A fireworks display will be launched from the property of Oak Ridge High School starting about 9:45 p.m. Bring lawn chairs or blankets. 

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Frank Murphy interviews Kathryn Frady, Executive Artistic Director of Marble City Opera, Knoxville's chamber opera company, with the goal of bringing American chamber opera and innovative performances of traditional operas to new audiences. Learn more about Kathryn and her upcoming schedule at https://www.kathrynfrady.com/ 

Kathryn Frady will direct Marble City Opera's production of Josephine by Tom Cipullo at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 30, 2026 at the Historic Grove Theatre in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Josephine is a one-woman opera about the legendary entertainer Josephine Baker, set in the final years of her life. Tickets and information are available at https://www.marblecityopera.com/josephine 

Marble City Opera presents Opera in the Park at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 6, 2026 at Lakeshore Park's Marble Hall in Knoxville, Tennessee. Admission to the concert is free. Sponsorship information is available at https://www.marblecityopera.com/operainthepark 

Kathryn Frady with direct and star in Marble City Opera's production of The Tragedy of Carmen, adapted from Carmen by Peter Brook, Jean-Claude Carrière, and Marius Constant, at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 18 and Saturday, June 20, 2026 at the Historic Grove Theatre in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The Tragedy of Carmen distills Georges Bizet’s opera into a taut, psychologically driven 90-minute chamber work featuring many of the opera’s most beloved musical moments. Tickets and information are available at https://www.marblecityopera.com/tragedyofcarmen 

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Frank Murphy interviews Hollie Cook, Director of Preservation Services at Knox Heritage. May is National Historic Preservation Month. The mission of Knox Heritage is to protect Knoxville’s unique character for future generations by preserving, restoring, and transforming historically significant structures and places. 

Knox Heritage will hold its 2026 East Tennessee Preservation Awards on Thursday, May 21, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. in The Emporium, 100 S. Gay Street, Knoxville. The event is free to attend. Complimentary wine, beer, and small bites will be served. RSVP by Tuesday, May 19, 2026 at https://www.knoxheritage.org/events/2026awards/ 

The 2026 East Tennessee Preservation Awards will recognize outstanding individuals, organizations, and projects contributing to historic preservation efforts within a 16-county region. Eligible projects include historic (50+ years old) residential or commercial projects that were completed between January 2025 and February 2026, or an individual or organization that has recently and significantly contributed to furthering historic preservation in the region. Eligible counties include Anderson, Blount, Campbell, Claiborne, Cocke, Grainger, Hamblen, Jefferson, Knox, Loudon, Monroe, Morgan, Roane, Scott, Sevier, and Union. 

The Knox Heritage Fragile & Fading list identifies and prioritizes local properties, landmarks, and neighborhoods in need of preservation strategies. This initiative aims to create awareness and strengthen community support to save these historic places from being lost forever. The list includes the Knott-York House, situated on the median strip of Middlebrook Pike near 3rd Creek Road. Constructed circa 1845 with locally sourced brick and traditional craftsmanship,the home reflects both the architectural sensibilities and the practical construction methods of the Antebellum period. 

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Frank Murphy interviews Rob Patrick, executive director, and David Caudill, senior director of marketing and public relations, for the Knoxville Academy of Medicine Foundation which is the philanthropic arm of the Knoxville Academy of Medicine, the medical society for Knox County physicians. Knoxville Area Project Access (KAPA) is a program under the leadership of the KAM Foundation. KAPA is a broad-based community charity created to provide access to health care for low-income, uninsured individuals in East Tennessee. 

Since 2006, Knoxville Area Project Access has coordinated more than $425 million dollars in donated health care to more than 38,000 low-income East Tennesseans without access to health insurance or government-sponsored program. KAPA coordinated over 103,000 medical encounters from July 2023 - June 2024.  99% of all patient appointments are kept by KAPA patients. KAPA patients receive a full continuum of care administered by a network of over 2,900 physicians and providers, along with all area hospitals, who donate services to help those in need. In January 2017, KAPA began expanding its services to include social service barriers in a pilot called KAPA Connects. These barriers include housing, transportation, food, drug/alcohol dependency, and health literacy. 

The KAPA Kitchen exists to be a life changing bridge for patients experiencing food insecurities while KAPA helps them navigate their health care. Patients will be able to get: immediate food and hygiene products; heart healthy food items; diabetic healthy food items; diet education resources. Learn more at https://kapatn.org/kapa-kitchen

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Frank Murphy interviews Brandy McDonnell, the Founder and Executive Director of STRIDE Equine Therapy in Kingston, Tennessee. The organization will hold its first major fundraiser, Riding for the Roses, on Saturday, May 2, 2026 from 4:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Blue Point Stables, 675 Buck Creek Road in Kingston. Tickets are $60 or two for $100. 

Attendees can watch the live broadcast of the Kentucky Derby. There will be a best hat contest, signature drinks, a silent auction, STRIDE rider demonstrations and more. It benefits the Youth with Promise program to provide scholarships for local youth who need a place to belong, grow, and thrive. 

The acronym STRIDE stands for Supportive Therapeutic Riding for Independence, Development, and Empowerment. The organizations mission is to provide high-quality equine activities to people with disabilities, foster children and at-risk youth. Learn more at https://strideequinetherapy.org/ 

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Frank Murphy interviews artistic director Dr. John Orr and assistant director Andrew Duncan of the Knoxville Choral Society. The organization's 75th Anniversary Celebration Concerts will be performed at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, April 24, 2026 at Central Bearden Church, 6300 Deane Hill Drive, Knoxville; and at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 25, 2026 at the Community Church at Tellico Village, 130 Chota Center, Loudon.

The program features "Zadok the Priest" by Handel, "Regina Caeli K276" by Mozart, and "Psalm 148" by Holst, along with the world premiere of "Images of Knoxville," a newly commissioned work by Andrew Duncan, written specifically for this anniversary and for this city. 

Tickets are $15 for adults and only $0.01 for children under 18 through the Penny4Arts program. Learn more at https://www.knoxvillechoralsociety.org/

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Frank Murphy interviews Drew Degges of the Volunteer Alzheimer's Foundation about the 16th annual Forget Me Not 5K to benefit the Pat Summitt Foundation. The race will be held on Saturday, April 18, 2026 starting and finishing at the Village Green Shopping Center in Farragut. The race course goes through the Village Green subdivision, which includes part of the Farragut Dogwood Trail. Sign up at https://runtheday.com/register/detail/forget-me-not-5k-10k-and-1-mile-race-2026-dh7/

The mission of the Volunteer Alzheimer’s Foundation is to raise funds and awareness in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease. They are dedicated to supporting research advancing care for families affected by Alzheimer’s. Learn more at https://www.volalz.org 

The Volunteer Alzheimer's Foundation will host the Vol Alz Classic golf tournament on September 28, 2026 at Tennessee National Golf Club.

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Frank Murphy interviews Carter Brown, Camp Director of Camp Ba Yo Ca in Wears Valley, Tennessee. Carter began serving at Camp Ba Yo Ca at age fifteen as a counselor and kitchen staff member. He received his Master of Divinity from Gateway Seminary and served as the Camp Director at another Baptist camp before returning to Camp Ba Yo Ca. 

Camp Ba Yo Ca provides outdoor adventure activities to nearly two thousand children in the Knox, Blount, and Sevier county regions. Their mission is to minister to children’s lives through evangelism, discipleship, and mentoring. Camp Ba Yo Ca is affiliated with the Knox County Association of Baptists. More information is available at https://www.campbayoca.com 

The Camp Ba Yo Ca Classic is an annual golf tournament with all proceeds go directly to the Ba Yo Ca Fund, which ensures that every child who wants to attend Camp can do so, regardless of financial circumstances, while providing a safe and enriching environment for all.  This year's tournament will be held at Wild Laurel Golf Course in Townsend on May 11, 2026. Check in will begin at 8:00 a.m. and a shotgun start will be at 9:00 a.m. Individuals can register for $125 or teams of four can register for $500 at https://www.campbayoca.com/camp-bayoca-classic-golf-tournament.html 

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