Knoxville — Thursday, April 12
New Harvest Park Farmers Market kicks off its 2018 spring season on Thursday. The market will be open every Thursday through mid-November from 3 to 6 p.m. at 4775 New Harvest Park Lane.
Food City Race Night is back on Thursday at the Knoxville Expo Center. There will be free food sampling, show cars and racing simulators. Tickets are $5 at Food City. It lasts from 4 to 8 p.m.
Students at Christian Academy of Knoxville are performing "Once Upon A Mattress" Thursday through Saturday at 7 p.m. with a Saturday matinee at 2:30 p.m. For more information visit http://www.cakwarriors.com/arts/onceuponamattress.cfm
Knoxville’s first-ever Dragon Lights Festival is going on nightly through April 22 at Chilhowee Park. Visitors will be able to marvel at 42 larger-than-life lantern displays with thousands of lights and nightly performances. Tickets range from $10.50 to $16.50, and parking is free.
"Lilies of the Field" is playing at the Knoxville Children’s Theatre until April 15. This lightly humorous play tells the story of how a group of German nuns convinces an aimless drifter to help them build a chapel in the middle of the New Mexico desert. Visit https://knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com/ for a list of performances.
It’s "TulipTime" at the Historic Crescent Bend House & Gardens. Come see the tulips blooming at this three-acre Italian-styled garden. Tickets range from $5 to $7, and guests can visit the site Wednesdays through Fridays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. until April 18.
“The Dream of the Burning Boy” will be performed in the Clarence Brown Theatre’s Lab Theater March 28 through April 15. The production follows a middle-aged high school teacher struggling with the death of his favorite student. For more information go to clarencebrowntheatre.com/access.
Local designers will be transforming three of the luxury residences inside The Tennessean hotel this year’s Knoxville Symphony League ShowHouse. People will be able to tour the rooms on Thursdays and Fridays in April from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturdays between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., and Sundays between 1 and 5 p.m. Day passes are $20 and season passes are $30. The proceeds benefit the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra. The ShowHouse continues now through April 29.
As part of the Dogwood Arts Festival, you can now experience 12 guided hikes this season through historic parks or through the woods to see beautiful wildfires among the dogwood trees. Guided hikes will go on now through May 26.
Friday, April 13
Baseball season is finally here! The Tennessee Smokies will host the Jackson Generals on Friday and Saturday night at 7 p.m., and again on Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets available online.
It’s Friday the 13th, and Frightmare Manor is opening for this superstitious night of terrors. The haunted Morristown attraction will be open Friday from 8 to 10 p.m. and tickets are $22.
The Knoxville Symphony Orchestra is performing Mozart’s piano concerto No. 20 as part of its springtime masterworks series. Performances are Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at the Tennessee Theatre. Tickets range from $15 to $88.
Starting this Friday, the Museum of Appalachia is welcoming warmer spring weather by trimming the wool from their sheep. The museum is offering three sheep sheering days on April 13, 20 and 21 where guests can enjoy demonstrations of shearing, and weaving, herding and more while listening to Appalachian music.
The Navitat ziplining park at Ijams Nature Center is lighting up its treetops with twinkling lights for "Navitat at Night." During the spring season, Navitat at Night will be offered every Friday and Saturday night. The event lasts from 6 to 8 p.m., and costs $34.95 to $44.95 depending on your age.
The University of Tennessee softball team hosts LSU this weekend. Games are Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 1 p.m. and Sunday at 1:30 p.m.
Enjoy wine and wildflowers at Ijam’s Nature Center on Friday from 7 to 10 p.m. for a new monthly series called "Taste of Nature." Guests will learn about spring ephemerals while sipping on wine and strolling through the nature center. The fee is $20.
Actors at Pellissippi State Community College are performing “Seagull,” a story about love and art in the Russian countryside for two weekends at the Clayton Performing Arts Center. Performances are April 13-14 at 7:30 p.m., April 15 at 2 p.m., April 20-21 at 7:30 p.m. and April 22 at 2 p.m.
The University of Tennessee Opera Theatre is performing “Middlemarch in Spring” all weekend at the Bijou Theatre. Performances are Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. with Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2:30 p.m. Tickets range from $5 to $20.
Sip mimosas and enjoy a delicious brunch at the Hats n Bloom benefit for the Knoxville Botanical Garden on Friday in the Dogwood Center. Tickets range from $65 to $100 per person, and guests will be able to try on and purchase hats designer hats.
The Knoxville Museum of Art’s Alive at Five concert series is going now with live bands performing every Friday evening from 6 to 8:30 p.m. in World’s Fair Park. For more information about tickets and performers visit http://knoxart.org/events/aliveafter5.html.
Foothills Mall in Maryville will be filled with local and regional crafters during an art, crafts and showcase festival on Friday and Saturday. The showcase will feature artwork from local children.
Saturday, April 14
Knoxville Opera’s 17th annual Rossini Festival International Street Fair is happening Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. in Downtown Knoxville. This free festival will close Gay Street and several other intersecting streets downtown to transform the area into a European-style pedestrian street mall.
Grab a warm biscuit and learn about spring migratory birds at this month’s “Birds and Biscuits” event at Ijams Nature Center this Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon. The event is $10 per person.
The Arbor Day Foundation and Mountain Tough Recovery Team are partnering to give away nearly 900 new trees to survivors of the Gatlinburg wildfires. The trees are available on a first-come-first-serve basis from 9 a.m. to noon at Dollywood’s Splash Country’s parking lot.
Were you ever the champion of your school’s spelling bee? Now, you can relive your glory days as the Blount County Public Library hosts its 23rd Annual Adult Spelling Bee on Saturday at 10 a.m. in the Gallery and Reading Rotunda. Spellers compete in teams of two, and proceeds of the fundraiser go to support the library’s many programs.
The Knoxville Ice Bears will face the Pensacola Ice Flyers in the first round of the playoffs with a home game on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at the Knoxville Civic Coliseum.
There's some high-octane fun taking place at Thompson Boling Arena this weekend. Monster Jam returns for two afternoon shows on Saturday and Sunday at 11:30 a.m. with fan favorites like Gravedigger and Black Pearl. Tickets start at $20.
West Park Baptist Church is hosting a Community Service Day on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. West Park residents are invited to participate in health screenings, a health fair, car inspections and a car wash. There will also be a MEDIC blood drive on site accepting blood donations. For more information, contact communitycare@westparkbaptist.org.
Grab your dog and your tennis shoes for the Color Me Mutt 5K at NASCAR Speed Park Smoky Mountains in Sevierville on Saturday at 8 a.m. You don’t need to be a pet owner to compete, but pooches are welcome. It costs $45 to run, but if you’re only interested in walking in the pet parade after the race, it’s $10.
Saturday is the 2nd annual Founders Festival at the Townsend Visitor Center. There will be lumberjack competitions throughout the day such as ax throwing, log rolling, pole climbing and more.
Pick out some wildflowers for your yard at the Knoxville Breakfast Rotary Club’s 26th Annual Wildflower sale on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Rocky Hill Center on 7545 Northshore Drive.
Smoky Mountain Harley-Davidson is hosting a Cannonball Run on Saturday in honor of 23-year-old Sean Summerfield, who died suddenly in early 2017. Motorcycle riders will have seven hours to stop at as many of the 80 check-in points planted around East Tennessee as they can. Registration costs $25.
The Knoxville Garden Club and the Garden Study Club is hosting their 54th annual Talahi Plant Sale on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Lakeshore Park.
The Spring Sprint 5K begins Saturday at 8:30 a.m. at the Springbrook Rec Center in Alcoa. It’s the first of three races that make up the Triple Crown. For More information visit: https://runsignup.com/Race/TN/Maryville/MaryvilleParksandRecTripleCrownofRunning.
Take your family to enjoy a free hayride tour of Tate’s School and day camp during their annual Open House on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Visitors will ride along the 54-acre campus, and teachers will be in each classroom hosting child-centered activities.
USA Weightlifting has declared April 14 as National “Try Weightlifting Day,” and TriStar Weightlifting is opening its doors to teach people of all ages and experience levels about weightlifting for free.
Grab your friends or your pet to support Tennesseans with Alzheimer’s at a benefit walk on Saturday at the University of Tennessee Gardens. Registration opens at 9 a.m., and there will be live music, food and fun for kids and pets until for the entire morning.
Performers from the Swiss-based theater troupe "MUMMENSCHANZ" will be bringing their unique visual theater and acrobatics to the Clayton Center for the Arts on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Tickets range from $18.50 to $32.50.
Cheer on WBIR's Leslie Ackerson as she competes in the Dancing with the Knoxville Stars on Saturday at 7 p.m. in the Knoxville Convention Center. The show benefits the East Tennessee Children's Hospital.
Stock up on summer books to read at the pool at the Friends of the Knox County Public Library’s annual used book sale this weekend at the Jacob Building at Chilhowee Park. The doors open at 10 a.m. each day.
- Saturday: Members only
- Sunday: open to the public
- Monday: Half-Price.
- Tuesday: Bag Sale Day. $5 per bag of books.
Help raise money for St. Jude Children’s research hospital while riding the trails at Windrock Park all day on Saturday during “4 Wheeling for a Cure.” For more information: http://www.windrockpark.com/events-calendar/
Sunday, April 15
The Knoxville Symphony Orchestra presents a new musical experience called "KSO Unstaged: Flight" at the Cirrus Aircraft Vision Center. The concert starts at 7 p.m. on Sunday, and the themes of the pieces will be about flight. Tickets are $40.
The Tennessee Stage Company and Shakespeare On The Square invite you to come read Shakespeare for the “Shakespeare Out Loud” event on Saturday at 2 p.m. at the Lawson McGhee Library. Participants will read "As you like it," a classic comedy. Copies will be provided.
If you’ve ever been curious about the meaning of food labels like “natural” and “organic,” Ijams Nature Center is hosting a science café on food toxins on Sunday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. The event is free, but preregistration is required.
Harper Auto Square presents Cars and Coffee on Sunday. The event, which attracts thousands of cars, will be in the West Town Mall parking lot from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Bring your picnic blanket and enjoy a day of kite flying at Pearson Springs Park in Maryville for the annual Kite festival from 10 am to 4:30 pm. If it rains, the festival will be postponed until April 22.
Peapod’s Paw Ride raises money for autistic children in need of service dogs. Registration for this motorcycle ride is Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. at Smoky Mountain Harley-Davison. The ride costs $15, and proceeds support Autism Service Dogs.
Musicians from four Knoxville Churches will perform Sunday at 4 p.m. at Clinton Chapel AME Zion Church for a choral celebration called, “Caring for All Creation.” The concert is free to the public. For more information, contact Tennessee Interfaith Power & Light at tennesseeipl@gmail.com.
You can watch a free screening of the film “To Kill a Mockingbird” at the Tennessee Theatre on Sunday for a program titled, “What Real Courage is,” which recognizes the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King and the 55th anniversary of the desegregation of the Tennessee Theatre. The doors open at 2:30 p.m.