Craft Fair a Fall Tradition

The prestigious Foothills Craft Guild will host its 43rd annual Fine Craft Fair this Friday through Sunday at the Jacob building in Chilhowee Park. The amazing original artwork of more than 140 artisans and craftspersons will be featured.
A partial list of media includes woodwork, pottery, stained glass, basketry, printmaking and jewelry.

I caught up with Guild member and woodturner Bob Klassen of Farragut, who will be working booth No. 129 at the show this weekend. He’s a happy part-time retiree who enjoys mastering the fine art of the wood lathe. His woodturnings are also on display at the Art Gallery of Farragut.
Leilla White has worked with beveled glass for almost two decades and enjoys the Fine Craft Fair as an opportunity to see old friends and meet new ones looking for that special holiday gift. She makes candleholders, sun-catchers, window pieces and even tables. Her work is currently showing at the Highland Craft Gallery in Gatlinburg.
The Fine Craft Fair is a great place to learn about a huge variety of arts and the local artists who create them. There will be a fun hands-on booth for kids, and everyone can enjoy demonstrations of basket making, whittling, chair caning and corn shuckery. I didn’t know it was called shuckery. There – I’ve learned something new already!
So if you haven’t yet treated yourself to this autumn tradition, bring the kids and make a day of it. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Cost is $6 for adults, $5 for seniors and students, and free for children 6 and under. Visit www.foothillscraftguild.org for more info. See you there!

Playlist:
1. Autumn Almanac — The Kinks
2. Tradition — Fiddler on the Roof
3. Art in Me — Jars of Clay
4. Sugar Craft — Medeski, Martin & Wood
5. Mona Lisa — Nat “King” Cole
6. Scarborough Fair — Simon & Garfunkle
7. Pictures at an Exhibition — Ravel/Mussorgsky
8. Portrait of my Love — Steve Lawrence
9. Turbulent Indigo — Joni Mitchell
10. Harvest Festival — XTC

KSO Gives Tuneful Treat to Area Kids

Last week, the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra treated kids from Knox County and surrounding schools to a wonderful program of music with a “Musical Superheroes” theme as part of the KSO’s popular Young People’s Concerts.
KSO Resident Conductor James Fellenbaum was in control and at ease with the skill of a master storyteller. He provided lively, concise introductions noting each composer’s “super power,” hamming it up for the delighted audience.
The “Star-Spangled Banner” kicked off the concert of selections familiar and not-so-familiar. The Civic Auditorium was full of the sound of thousands of toes tapping during the second movement of Haydn’s “Surprise” Symphony.
Seventeen-year-old flutist Laura Kappa joined 14-year-old harpist Naomi Falconnier as soloists on a concerto by Mozart. Both are members of the Knoxville Symphony Youth Orchestra.
There were squeals of recognition as the first strains of Beethoven’s “Fifth Symphony” came from the stage. Dancers from Go! Contemporary Dance Works provided a beautiful, moving tableau to illustrate Debussy’s “Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun.”
For the percussive blast of an excerpt from Stravinsky’s “The Firebird,” Maestro Fellenbaum encouraged the children to use their imagination to picture themselves triumphing against evil in their own scary adventure.
Rounding out the show was the “Theme from Superman” by John Williams, for which the conductor donned a Superman shirt and cape. At the risk of having an English teacher admonish me for ending a sentence with a preposition … the kids ate it up!
KSO Director of Education and Community Partnerships Jennifer Barnett works closely with the Knox County Public School System to make exciting live musical performances part of kids’ learning experience. For more info on the KSO’s educational outreach program, call Jennifer at 521-2305 or visit www.knoxvillesymphony.com
Playlist:
1. Heroes - David Bowie
2. Be Young, Be Foolish, Be Happy - The Tams
3. American Tune - Paul Simon
4. Little Child - The Beatles
5. Leader of the Band - Dan Fogelberg
6. Mr. Brightside - The Killers
7. Talk about the Passion - R.E.M.
8. I've Got to use my Imagination - Gladys Knight & the Pips
9. Superman - The Kinks
10. That's Really Super, Supergirl - XTC

Getting the Message

With everyone texting and twittering these days, I have a feeling some kids aren’t learning proper phone etiquette anymore.

I remember as a kid being taught to answer the phone “Schoen residence, Emily Schoen speaking.” Short and sweet, direct and helpful. Not like what I hear nowadays.

Of course back then (somewhere in the mid-Paleolithic era), people had the advantage of knowing that if they were calling someone and the phone stopped ringing, it was because someone was actually on the other end. These days you’re more likely to reach someone’s answering machine than you are a real person.

That’s as much due to Caller ID as it is answering machines; we’ve all pretended we’re not home so we don’t have to talk to an unwanted caller. A hopeful “Hello!” has been replaced with this yell to whatever family member is nearest the dreaded home phone: “Don't answer! Let the machine pick up!”

Here are some tips on leaving messages:

*  Don’t assume I recognize your voice. Always identify yourself. Follow this by stating your telephone number. Many callers have assumed I have Caller ID and redial. Sadly, they’ll never hear back from me because they didn’t leave their number.

*   Don’t yell into your phone. This causes a distortion that’s like trying to make out what Peter Frampton is saying on those songs where he uses the vocoder. So much of life is distorted – I don’t need another thing that’s hard to figure out!

*   On the other hand, don’t mutter into your phone like you’ve just had a shot of Novocaine. Speak clearly and slowly. A little consideration will make life easier for everyone concerned.

*   Keep it short, and stick to the basics. For an invitation, give me the event, the date, the time and place, and any cost. I might have one of those answering machines that only allows 30-second messages.

*   Kids: answering the phone should not be a chance to show off your vocal power. Calling “Mom!” at the top of your lungs doesn’t work unless you’re on the high-dive at the swimming pool. Just put the phone down gently, walk over to mom and tell her she has a phone call. And Mom: you might want to ratchet down “Wheel of Fortune” just a bit before coming on the line.

*   And finally, a plea for sanity with regard to outgoing message greetings. We don’t really care what your favorite song is, and we shouldn’t have to sit through it before leaving our message. And if you have a child, please for God's sake don’t record your 4-year-old for your outgoing greeting. The kid may be adorable, but sometimes the phone is a business tool. Someone doesn’t want to have to hear baby-talk in order to leave a message for daddy about that job he’s getting. No? OK, well maybe they’ll just hang up and go to the next guy on the list!

Playlist:
1.   The Message - Grandmaster Flash
2.   Something to Talk About - Bonnie Raitt
3.   A Little Less Conversation - Elvis Presley
4.   Who Are You - The Who
5.  I Think I Can Hear You - Carole King
6.  Speak Softly Love - Andy Williams
7.  The Great Pretender - The Platters
8.  Meet Me Halfway - Black Eyed Peas
9.  Treat Me Right - Pat Benatar
10. I've Gotta Get a Message to You - Bee Gees

Beating the Odds

For Central High grads Ashley and Chris Ward, the birth of their daughter Josslyn Rose Ward has been a long and bumpy ride, and scarier than most.
 
The trouble began when Ashley, a stylist at City Salon, experienced abdominal pain during her 23rd week of pregnancy. She was diagnosed with HELLP syndrome, a severe type of preeclampsia in which Ashley's life-giving placenta became toxic to her own system.
Babies aren't normally born until around the 40th week, so Ashley and Chris knew that a tough decision had to be made quickly. They opted to admit Ashley to U.T. Medical Center, where the top-notch team at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit was in place and ready to give the baby a good fighting chance at survival.

Turns out the Wards made a very good decision. Josslyn Rose was born May 5th, and last Friday she left the U.T. Medical Center's NICU at a healthy 7 pounds, 13 ounces.
Babies born this premature are referred to as "micro-preemies," but that hardly conveys the living miracle of modern science that is Josslyn Rose. Consider this: at her birth back in May, she weighed a mere 390 grams, which is only an ounce or so more than your basic 12-oz. can of soda.

With the optimism and expertise of the caregivers at U.T. Medical Center, and a whole lot of praying by the Wards, their family, church, and friends, Josslyn was able to beat the "5% chance of survival" odds that the doctors had given her. In fact, Ashley and Chris credit much of Josslyn's success story to that extended circle of support that they relied on throughout the nerve-wracking period since the devastating diagnosis.

Faith is a powerful thing. It can give you strength you never knew you had. In the middle of their ordeal, the Wards even found time to help out other premature babies at U.T. by donating their time to help with a recent blanket drive sponsored by Central Baptist of Fountain City, where the Wards are active members.
Against all odds, Josslyn is now relatively healthy and has been breathing on her own for roughly two months.

So faith and science came together to save a miracle baby, only the third-most-premature ever to survive out of U.T. Medical Center. These days some folks are bent on convincing us that one or the other is in charge. Inspiring stories like the Wards' convince me that the two aren't mutually exclusive.
Playlist:
1. A Little Good News — Anne Murray
2. B-A-B-Y — Carla Thomas
3. Isn’t She Lovely — Stevie Wonder
4. Baby It’s You — The Beatles
5. Chances Are — Johnny Mathis
6. You Better Pray — Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
7. Long Time Gone — Crosby, Stills & Nash
8. I’m Comin’ Home Baby — Mel Tormé
9. Tiny Dancer — Elton John
10. We Three — Frank Sinatra

Big Band, Big Fun

Last week I heard some world-class jazz at the Bijou.
Vocalist Deborah Brown and the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra performed selections from the Great American Songbook featuring Duke Ellington, Irving Berlin, Hoagy Carmichael, George Gershwin and others.
It was an unforgettable evening.

Deborah Brown is an internationally renowned singer who has worked with bands and arrangers the world over and appears on numerous CDs. This is her third time performing with the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra. Good things come in threes. KJO, Deborah Brown and some of the nicest arrangements I've ever heard, some being sung live by Brown for the first time, combined for a tasty mix of swinging classics.
Award-winning trombonist Don Hough conducted an expanded KJO that included selected players from the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra. Hough joked that it was a thrill to be working with “real musicians.” In my book, they’re all cracker-jack; the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra is in its 10th season of wowing audiences with their top-flight big-band sound. I knew right away that it would be a very special show.
Deborah Brown has a voice like very good, very old whiskey: warm, pure and infinitely satisfying.

The sound is a triple threat all its own: the sassy lightness of Natalie Cole, beautifully controlled phrasing reminiscent of a young Sarah Vaughan and the impeccable fluidity of Ella Fitzgerald. The latter was best shown off when Brown doubled the sax section for intricate breaks on “Mood Indigo” and “Our Love is Here to Stay.” She made it look easy.
The rock-solid rhythm section of Rusty Holloway on bass and Keith Brown on drums was impressive, especially on “Just in Time,” which sent us careering to intermission at the break-neck speed of a thoroughbred horse.
It’s a good thing I was sitting alone in a press box – I’m sure my constant toe-tapping would have driven someone crazy if they’d had to sit next to me!
Notable also was the sheer force of the KJO brass section. It rushed forth with the power of a Waimea wave; it was a living, breathing sound of masterly precision. This was better than a recording. There’s nothing like live music to remind you of what it's all about: the genius of talented composers, arrangers, singer and musicians all coming together at the top of their game.
Hear the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra this fall at one of its “Jazz Lunch at the Square Room” shows at noon on the first Wednesday of the month, or catch the popular program “A Swingin’ Christmas” on Tuesday, Dec. 22. Go to www.knoxjazz.org for details.
How's this for a note-worthy trio: the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra, your favorite tunes and you!

Playlist:
1. Unforgettable — Nat “King” Cole
2. Easy to Love — Ella Fitzgerald
3. Thank You Girl — The Beatles
4. Sing, Sing, Sing — The Benny Goodman Orchestra
5. Sing a Song — Earth, Wind & Fire
6. Dancing Shoes — Arctic Monkeys
7. Blow Gabriel Blow — Martha Tilton
8. Too Marvelous for Words — Frank Sinatra
9. Get Rhythm — Johnny Cash
10. Three is a Magic Number — Blind Melon

Weather or Not

All this rain we’ve had reminds me of when I lived on Cape Cod one summer.

It was a different kind of humidity, but vexing all the same. Towels never got a chance to dry out before you had to use them again. Doors and windows swelled stuck.
Here in East Tennessee, little puddles have grown and gained permanency to the point where you could more properly call them ponds. And of course, the mosquitoes have had a field day. The little stinkers are thick this year! Note to self: see about investing in “OFF!”
I don’t know the statistics, but I’d bet the local fair-weather industries like car washes and construction have sadly seen less business this summer.
Prolonged periods of precipitation depress some people. Ever felt like you’d just about sell your soul to see a blue sky?
There’s a short story by Ray Bradbury called “The Long Rain” that has stayed with me for years. The hellish plot involves some astronauts who are stranded on a planet where it never stops raining and there is no shelter. I personally have traveled thousands of miles in an effort to get away from rain and be someplace where I could feel the sun on my skin. Oh, and maybe hear some seagulls calling and waves crashing. But I digress. …

There are upsides, though, to our damp summer (Knoxville’s 10th wettest on record). Grassy lawns that are usually dead, stubbly beige by now are still green. The impatiens we planted back in May are still abloom. And we’ve had a bumper crop of pecans, so the squirrels are happy.
A mild summer and moist soil content should contribute to a more lengthy and intense period of fall foliage this autumn. Which brings us to my favorite time of year: October and “sweater weather” with that cool nip in the air. The smell of wood fires and hot apple cider. You know, after you’ve put your shorts and T-shirts in storage, but before you have to start scraping the frost off the windshield.

Has the summer rain been good or bad? Depends who you talk to. Like Shakespeare wrote, “There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” We can talk about it, worry about it and prepare for it. But the weather is going to do what it wants regardless. Maybe that’s why we’re so in awe of it – there are so few things left in this world over which we have so little control.
As for me, I’m just going to sit and listen to the raindrops and know that this, too, shall pass.

Playlist:
1. September in the Rain — Frank Sinatra
2. Rain — The Beatles
3. Here Comes That Rainy Day Feeling Again — The Fortunes
4. Baby the Rain Must Fall — Glenn Yarbrough
5. Don’t Rain on My Parade — Barbra Streisand
6. Flood — Jars of Clay
7. The Rain Song — Led Zeppelin
8. Rainy Day Man — James Taylor
9. Kentucky Rain — Elvis Presley
10. Who’ll Stop the Rain? — CCR

A Day at the Fair

What a time I had at the Tennessee Valley Fair! It’s such a visceral experience. In this age of “virtual reality” (ironically meaning just the opposite), it’s nice to participate up close and in person, using all your five senses. Some highlights I couldn’t have enjoyed near as much if I’d had to rely on YouTube:
* The serious and determined look of a small child trying to pick out which merry-go-round horse he was going to ride. This was a big decision!

* Livestock exhibitions. For a city gal like me, it’s a thrill to see live animals besides cats or dogs. You can even get close enough to touch some of them. The odors just remind me of the real, backbreaking work involved in caring for these creatures! From the complacent cattle to the achingly adorable bunnies, it’s a labor of love. And oh, I never knew roosters had such a varied and interesting repertoire of crows!

* It was a feast for the eyes as I drank in exhibits by skilled artists and crafters young and old: photography, book-making, quilting, carving, watercolors and so much more.
* The sound of music. With a nice variety of different kinds of live music entertainment, there’s always something going on so you can rest a spell, have a listen, tap your toes, get up and dance or sing along!
* The mouth-watering smell of a dizzying array of food choices: hot dogs, corn dogs, hamburgers, barbecue, Philly cheese steaks, chicken kebabs, tacos, egg rolls, gyros, fries, onion rings. What you need to do is come to the fair hungry, that’s for sure.
* I finally settled on the good ol’ reliable funnel cake. It tasted as comfortingly good as the first one I ever had.
Maybe that’s the real and enduring draw of the fair. It’s a window to our past, a time to stop and say howdy to neighbors and to appreciate the way things used to be. Many East Tennesseans remember the Tennessee Valley Fair from decades ago, and there’s a lot that hasn’t changed since then. It’s still makes a great family outing. And there’s nothing like it for down-home fun. I had a blast!
Playlist:
1. A Most Unusual Day — June Christy
2. State Fair — Los Straitjackets
3. Got To Be There — Michael Jackson
4. Little Red Rooster — Howlin’ Wolf
5. Moving Pictures — The Kinks
6. Sideshow — Blue Magic
7. Let’s Take an Old-Fashioned Walk — Frank Sinatra
8. Deep Fried Twinkies — Terry Hanck
9. Old Folks — Lou Rawls
10. The Good Life — Tony Bennett

Sound and Fury

I’m a patient woman. I usually weigh the consequences before doing anything. Will my plan injure anyone? Will it improve anything?
Regardless, there comes a time when you have to take a stand to maintain your sanity.
Noise pollution is common in my neighborhood. Garbage trucks bang Dumpsters, tractor-trailers squeal to a halt and clank up through their gears to regain speed, and motorcyclists treat my street like a drag strip.

Lawn mowers, weed-eaters, leaf-blowers and chain saws all punctuate the underlying din. And I’m never far away from an intrusive car stereo blaring out some horrible thumping noise.
But these are nothing compared to the mystery alarm.
A nearby alarm had been going off intermittently for what seemed like a year. Sometimes at dusk, sometimes at 3 a.m., sometimes when the weather changed, sometimes when it didn’t. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason to it. And since it only lasted 10 minutes or so (just enough to ruin a good night’s sleep), I was never able to get up, get dressed and try to pinpoint its source before it stopped. I tried questioning some area businesses, and people looked at me like I was crazy.
You’re probably saying to yourself, “Just get over it!” But you have to understand – this was no ordinary alarm. It sounded like a feral cat’s tail was being squashed repeatedly in front of amplifiers big enough to blast through Thompson-Boling Arena. This alarm penetrated my ear plugs like a battering ram through drywall. This alarm made you wonder if we weren’t being alerted to foreign invasion. This alarm had a soul, and it was evil.
Last Saturday, I was reading on my back porch when it reared its ugly head again, and after awhile I thought, “This is it. I’m going to get to the bottom of this.”
I frantically grabbed my keys, got in the car and went flying down the road trying to catch it in the act. Making some wrong turns, I got closer and closer to the source of the deafening noise.

Mystery solved: it was a church! Call me feisty, but I didn’t care if it was the Notre Dame cathedral, I was going to try and get someone to stop that alarm before I got a shotgun and did it myself!
I found the church’s Web site and looked up the pastor’s home number. I left a message. Then I reached the associate minister, letting him listen to the alarm through the phone. He agreed it was pretty annoying and vowed to look into it.

I haven't heard it since. Keep your fingers crossed. For now, at least, I’m enjoying the divine sound of silence.
Playlist:
1. Rock n’ Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution — AC/DC
2. Ring the Alarm — Beyoncé
3. Make It Stop — Soulphonic Soundsystem
4. Don’t Bother Me — The Beatles
5. Hush — Deep Purple
6. God Give Me Strength — Elvis Costello
7. On The Road to Find Out — Cat Stevens
8. Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars — Andy Williams
9. You Don’t Have to Cry — Crosby Stills & Nash
10. The Sound of Silence — Simon and Garfunkel

Mad about "Mad Men"

I’m a big fan of the TV drama “Mad Men.” And since I sometimes run across those tacky pop-culture magazines and entertainment blogs, I not only know the latest earth-shatteringly important activities of Kenny Chesney and Paula Abdul, I also know that I’m one of nearly 3 million people who are glued to the set every week to luxuriate in the stylish AMC original series.
What is it about this show that makes middle-class baby-boomers like me go gaga?

* Where the Boys Are: It’s about a fictitious Manhattan ad agency in the early 1960s. It’s got the most gorgeous art direction this mid-century Modern junkie has ever seen. Every detail is spot-on. You’ll think you’ve died and gone to a Heaven full of Eames chairs and George Nelson credenzas.
* Baby, It’s You: If the look of the sets isn’t enough, you can always feast your eyes on the gorgeous cast that populates them. Never mind that the awkwardly-cadenced dialogue wanders a bit aimlessly sometimes. Not since the fins on a 1960 Eldorado has something looked so good while making so little sense.

* This Magic Moment: Watching “Mad Men” reminds us of our childhoods. It’s as if the feel of the era has been washed clean with a kind of sophisticated sentimentality. And yet the mood of the show is very dark. In reality, conversations weren’t so curt and straightforward; putting a good face on everything was the rule of the day. Some hot-button issues are touched on, but never enough to make you forget that the series is essentially “Peyton Place” redux.

* Wonderful World: The series is a love letter to a time when Americans were riding the crest of a wave of innocence that would never return.
All the mistakes we were making hadn’t caught up to us yet.

There’s rampant sexism, the nonstop omnipresence of cigarettes and alcohol – but these only seem to harken back to a time when everything was just much simpler.
Truth is, that era was no better than any other. It’s just that we boomers were there, so it touches a nerve. Tune in to this dreamy hit show on Sunday nights at 10 p.m. on AMC. It’s replete with images both rose-colored and sinister, as our memories often are.
Playlist:
1. Mad Mad Me — Maria Muldaur
2. The Way We Were — Barbra Streisand
3. Lush Life — Nat “King” Cole
4. Pretty In Pink — The Psychedelic Furs
5. Rose-Colored Glasses — John Conlee
6. The Look of Love — Dusty Springfield
7. The Times of Your Life — Paul Anka
8. People Are Strange — The Doors
9. This is the Beginning of the End — Frank Sinatra
10. It’s All Over Now — The Rolling Stones