Knoxville Activism Committees look to join forces after accidental encounter

At around 6:30 p.m., Paul Bernie, who ran for Knoxville’s City Council last year, stood up to make an impromptu announcement. Chatter inside the building—a repurposed old barber shop—slowly quieted down.

“I see a lot of familiar faces,” he began, “and some new ones.” About twenty-five people listened, sitting at tables or standing. Twenty-five more were outside, missing the announcement.

“I just wanted to say a little bit about this Knoxville Activists Pot-luck. The first goal is to get great people together to share food.” Someone cheered. For the first time in ten years, according to some accounts, the effort has been made to gather Knoxville’s activists not for a protest or a letter writing campaign or a candle-light vigil. But simply to get together. “I also have an idea of what I’d like to see this network to become,” Bernie continued, “but I’m really interested in hearing what you have to say and what you want to see.... I’m thinking I’d like to see some kind of website, a one-stop shop where you could get information on every progressive organization online.”

After finding out the Knoxville Ten-Hour Film Festival was to be no more, some of the best and brightest independent film gurus of East Tennessee decided that the budding tradition and competitive spirit of quality filmmaking was something they needed to preserve.

After months of preparation and attending other festivals, including the Nashville Film Festival, and meeting with industry giant Andy VanRuen, they garnered enough insight to put together what is now known as the Knoxville 24-Hour Film Festival.

“It’s hard to believe that we’re already in our third year,” says Michael Samstag, Founder of the Knoxville 24-Hour Film Fest. “Looking back over the first two years, some of our filmmakers have gone on to compete in national film festivals and are now making a big splash in the film industry working for production companies and getting their work broadcast on a nation level.”

“This is not only good for production companies and networks as a whole, but good for all of the companies in our region,” he continues. “It gives good reason for hip and visionary people to move here because Knoxville has such superb creative and cultural offerings to attract professionals to the area who seek to make their mark on the industry.”

The second annual International Biscuit Festival took place in May with tremendous success.

Adjacent to the bi-weekly Farmer’s Market in downtown Knoxville, the still-new festival boasted more than 20,000 attendees, a marked increase over last year’s festival.

The three-day celebration of the staple of southern food consisted of several components including a biscuit breakfast, Biscuit Bazaar (where vendors were selling their biscuit-related accoutrements), Bake Off competition, Brunch with Blackberry Farm, poetry and songwriting competitions, southern food writing workshop and an evening with Alton Brown at the Tennessee Theatre. We even have a Mrs. And Mr. Biscuit to represent the Knoxville-based festival for the next year.

When I first met Lee Meyer from Houla Entertainment I was immediately relaxed around her. I guess it’s her Loudon County, East Tennessee roots that make her so likeable. We met at a local restaurant to see what we could do to help each other’s business endeavors.

Many things were talked about that first time we met, but what stuck out was her desire to give life back to a music venue that had gone stale in Loudon County—Tate & Lyle Performing Arts Center. I know, the name gives the impression of some huge stage for ballet and the symphony but in reality, Tate & Lyle is an amphitheater. Perfectly placed on a large recreation property and complete with a grassy hillside sloping toward the stage, Tate & Lyle is impressive.

In Loudon you ask? Yes, Blank readers, in Loudon, TN just off I-75 exit 72 in the rolling foothills of this small East Tennessee community lies a music venue previously unknown to me and maybe to you too.

Lee Mayer told me she wanted to revive the location and bring top name entertainment there. I have followed her hoop-jumping, passionate progress all the way up to May 24th—the date of her first concert: Newcomer, Aaron Parker and country music cornerstone, Travis Tritt.