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📰 How Did the Vanderbilts End Up Tied to East Tennessee?

📰 From The Paris Review to Knoxville - Novelist Emily Nemens Reads at UT

🎁 Coming in November - $1,000 in Local Gifts

🗓️ A Pulitzer Winner's Eerie, Funny Play Comes to Sevier Avenue - Free Spirit Theatre Presents JOHN

🗓️ Costumes, Critter Puppets & a Whole Day of Fall Fun

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🗓️ Upcoming Events

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They were America's royalty: the Gilded Age family whose fortune grew from shipping and railroad empires into mansions, ballrooms, and legend. But what do the Vanderbilts have to do with East Tennessee?

Find out at the Farragut Museum's History Hour on October 21st at 11:00 AM at Farragut Town Hall (11408 Municipal Center Drive). This month's guest speaker is Kate Brewster, a local writer, author, lecturer, historian, and retired librarian, who will explore the region's surprising ties to the famous family.

The talk is free, light refreshments will be served, and the Farragut Museum is open for tours after the presentation.

To celebrate 1,000 issues, we're giving back $1,000 in gift cards and goodies from local Knoxville businesses, with drawings starting in November and running up to the holiday shopping season.

Every subscriber that opens at least one email between now and then is automatically entered. Here's how to earn extra entries - share the Knoxville Insider with your friends. Every friend who subscribes using your personal link earns you another entry. You can start sharing now to earn extra entries! Two ways to share:

Here's your personal share link (copy/send to a friend)

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and button (click/copy URL in browser address bar/send to a friend)

Every friend who signs up through your link counts toward your extra giveaway entries.

Watch your inbox for the full details, the prize list, and the official rules, coming soon.

Book lovers, here's a free evening worth marking down. The UT Creative Writing Program presents a reading by novelist Emily Nemens on October 19th at 7:00 PM in the Lindsay Young Auditorium of John C. Hodges Library (1015 Volunteer Blvd) on the UT campus.

Nemens is the author of Clutch and The Cactus League, and both were selected as New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice picks. Her recent story "Asymptotes" will appear in New Stories from the South 2026, and she was named a 2026 Finalist by the New Jersey Arts Council.

Nemens also spent more than a decade editing literary journals. She led The Paris Review and served as coeditor and prose editor of The Southern Review. Today she teaches in the MFA program at Bennington College.

It's a rare chance to hear an acclaimed novelist read her work right here in Knoxville. The event is free and open to the public.

A young couple whose relationship is on the rocks. A cozy bed-and-breakfast in Gettysburg run by a kindly, eccentric innkeeper. A house crowded with dolls and knickknacks that seem to be... watching.

Free Spirit Theatre, a nonprofit community theatre company, presents JOHN by Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright Annie Baker on October 21st–25th at the Borderland Playhouse (802 Sevier Ave). Baker is known for quiet, funny, deeply human plays that sneak up on you, and JOHN adds a slow-building sense of the uncanny that makes it a perfect pick for late October.

Performances:

More Info

Ijams Nature Center's (2915 Island Home Ave) Hallo-Week runs October 20st - 31st, with more than a dozen festive programs celebrating the season, from night paddles to spooky stories. Over the next few issues, we'll walk you through all of them, starting with the biggest day of the week: October 24th.

🎃 Ijams Enchanted Forest — 3:00 PM to 8:00 PM. The headliner. Put on your costume and head into the woods for a night of tricks and (lots of) treats. The Enchanted Forest is filled with seasonal crafts, games, and activities, visits with Ijams' animal ambassadors, tasty treats, and some magical, life-sized critter puppets from the Cattywampus Puppet Council.

📚 Fairy Tales Storytime — 10:00 AM to noon. Start the day at the Ijams Nature Playscape at Grayson Subaru Preserve, where volunteer storytellers read a selection of fairy tales in the woods. Kids can make themed crafts and explore the Playscape. This one's FREE!

🦇 October Stained Glass Workshop — 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM. Grown-ups (and crafty older kids) can make their own stained glass bat, hummingbird, or cowboy hat. This two-hour beginner class comes with a pre-cut kit, so you'll go straight to learning how to copper-foil and solder your piece.

Each Hallo-Week event requires its own ticket or reservation, and space is limited, so book early.

More Info

Interested in learning about how a VIP Pass can help your business? Reach out to [email protected] for more information!

🗓️ Now through October 31st - Wicked Cool returns to downtown — a citywide Halloween celebration organized by Downtown Knoxville that turns Gay Street, Market Square, and the surrounding blocks into something genuinely special. Flying ghosts, spooky photo ops, and creepy-crawly installations go up throughout the area, and local businesses lean all the way into the season with Halloween-themed cocktails, specials, and décor. More Info

🗓️ Now through November 7th - Walnut Springs Winery in Strawberry Plains is launching their Wine Maze experience — A Night of Pour Decisions. The concept is exactly what it sounds like: you wander through the corn maze with wine in hand, discovering five tasting stations tucked into the twists and turns, each one bringing a new pour and a new vibe. Boots are encouraged. Getting a little lost is part of the fun. More Info & Tickets

🗓️ October 9th - Fall Break Special - 11 AM–8 PM. B&B is normally closed Monday through Thursday during the school year, but it's opening extra days for Fall Break, plus regular weekend hours. Walk-in players get Buy One Hour, Get One Free all week long. Kids home from school with energy to burn? Problem solved. More Info

🗓️ October 9th - Be Aware and Paint Your Pair is a breast cancer awareness paint night coming to Splatter Oak Ridge (1143 Oak Ridge Turnpike, Suite 105, Oak Ridge) from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM. More Info

🗓️ October 9th and 16th - Grab the kids and their costumes and head out to the farm. Gregory Farms (4002-B Copper Ridge Road), home of Gregory Farms Horseback Riding Lessons, is throwing a family Halloween Party on two Friday afternoons from 4:00 PM to 6:30 PM. Admission is $10 per family, or just $7 if you bring a bag of candy to share.

🗓️ October 10th - UT Gardens Plant Sale - 9:00 AM–2:00 PM

🗓️ October 10th - Soil Science Class - 10:00 AM–noon. Head to the Carriage House at Knoxville Botanical Garden & Arboretum for a class on soil science, plant nutrition, fertilizers, and "green manure". Register by emailing [email protected] with your name, email, and number attending.

🗓️ October 10th - Get ready for an electrifying experience at the 2026 Knoxville Drive Electric Festival from 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM. More Info & Sign Up

🗓️ October 10th - Scruffy's Cafe (1015 N. Broadway) has partnered with Dolly Parton's Imagination Library to host Story Time with the Cats from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM. More Info

🗓️ October 10th - Organize Your Genealogy takes place from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM at the East Tennessee History Center (601 S. Gay Street), led by Brandie Ledford, a Reference Assistant in the McClung Historical Collection. More Info

🗓️ October 10th - Halls Branch Used Book Sale (4518 E Emory Road) 10:00 AM–5:00 PM

🗓️ October 10th - Hola Festival 2026 takes over World's Fair Park on October 10th from 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM — a full day celebrating the art, music, food, and culture of Latin America and the Hispanic community right here in Knoxville. More Info

🗓️ October 10th- Get ready for a day of spooky stories, live music, folklore, and Halloween fun as Appalachian HorrorFest returns to the Holiday Inn–Cedar Bluff for its fourth year! More Info

🗓️ October 10th - Ready for something a little different? The Oddities & Art Market is making its Knoxville debut on Saturday, October 10, bringing a wonderfully weird day of art, curiosities, and unique finds to the World's Fair Exhibition Hall More Info

🗓️ October 11th - Cato at 4247 Sam Walton Way is hosting a Barn Quilt Painting Class from 5:30 PM to 8:00 PM, where each participant will create their own 10" x 10" barn quilt square. All materials are provided, patterns come pre-drawn on the boards, and no prior experience is required. Tickets are $25 per person, with 100% of proceeds donated to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. Spots are limited — reserve yours by registering in store or calling (865) 922-9369.

🗓️ October 11th - Amadeus Concert Ensemble opens with PIANO PASSIONS at 5:30 PM, featuring internationally acclaimed pianist Dr. Chih-Long Hu, Professor of Piano at UT Knoxville. More Info

🗓️ October 11th & 12th - Get ready for a fun-filled day celebrating Knoxville’s local creative community at the Second Annual Scruffy Roots Festival! The festival will bring together local artists, vendors, music, and family-friendly activities for an afternoon and evening of fun at The Lawn at Kern’s Bakery. More Info

🗓️ October 12th - Homeschool P.E. Academy - Cohort 2 starts October 12th. The six-week program lets homeschool students earn P.E. credit while building teamwork, communication skills, and cardio, all while having a blast. More Info

🗓️ October 12th - Knoxville's own Buffalo Bills Mafia chapter gathers at Clancy's Tavern & Whisky House (602 S. Gay Street) at 8:15 PM, which rolls out the red carpet with a dedicated viewing area, Buffalo wings, and Labatt Blue on tap. Free parking at the State Street Garage makes it easy.

🗓️ October 15th - Archives After Dark, part of Knox Heritage's Suppers & Such series, transforms the firm's storied office space at 6:00 PM into an evening of clandestine cocktails, jazz, and whispered history at 505 Market Street, Suite 300. More Info

🗓️ October 15th - Knoxville's most celebrated local historian returns to Blount Mansion Visitors Center (200 West Hill Avenue) at 6:00 PM for "The Road to Knoxville" — a look at the city in the 1790s and its surprising connections to the Revolutionary War. RSVP to [email protected]

🗓️ October 15th-18th - Board Game Days 2026 — Knoxville's premier tabletop convention — across two downtown venues. More Info

🗓️ October 16th - Unshattered is a black-tie evening for exactly 120 people — one night, never repeated — coming to The Standard in Knoxville, doors at 6:30 PM. Created by three-time founder and local event architect Preston Garland, the evening unfolds across four movements. More Info

🗓️ October 17th - Blitzfire - October 17th. B&B's all-day, fast-paced tournament event is back, featuring special guest YouTubers and nonstop high-energy play. More Info

🗓️ October 17th - The Knoxville Reptile Expo presented by Show Me Reptile Show takes over the Knoxville Expo Center (5441 Clinton Hwy) from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. More Info

🗓️ October 17th - The October Sky Festival returns to Oliver Springs on from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM — a free, all-day community celebration of the town's rich heritage and its place in American cultural history. Oliver Springs was the filming location for the beloved 1998 film October Sky, based on Homer Hickam's memoir about a coal miner's son who fell in love with rocketry and went on to work for NASA. More Info

🗓️ October 18th - Family Garden Day - 1:00 PM–5:00 PM. Master Gardeners return to Knoxville Botanical Garden (2743 Wimpole Ave.) with an Ask-a-Master-Gardener table at this free family event, which also features a plant sale.

🗓️ October 18th - Knoxville's own Buffalo Bills Mafia chapter gathers at Clancy's Tavern & Whisky House (602 S. Gay Street) at 4:25 PM, which rolls out the red carpet with a dedicated viewing area, Buffalo wings, and Labatt Blue on tap. Free parking at the State Street Garage makes it easy.

🗓️ October 18th - Spend a beautiful fall afternoon enjoying nature, music, and family fun at the Knoxville Botanical Garden and Arboretum! Family Garden Day takes place Sunday, October 18, from 1–5 p.m. This free community event invites families to get outside and explore the Garden with hands-on activities, lawn games, and plenty of opportunities to discover the beauty of the season. More Info

🗓️ October 22nd, 23rd, 29th, and 30th - The Museum of Appalachia Fall Heritage Days returns for four days — at the museum's stunning 35-acre grounds in Norris. This is the region's most immersive celebration of early Appalachian life at harvest time, with skilled artisans and educators demonstrating the crafts, foods, and traditions that defined this corner of the mountains. More Info

🗓️ October 22nd & October 23rd | 4:30–8:30 p.m. A little autumn magic is coming to Ancient Lore Village with Trick-or-Treat Trails, a whimsical Halloween experience created especially for younger adventurers! More Info

🗓️ October 23rd-25th - Theatre 23 presents a staged dramatic reading of George Orwell's Animal Farm, adapted by Nelson Bond and directed by Suzy Short, for four performances at the Historic Grove Theater (123 Randolph Road) in Oak Ridge. Performances are October 23rd at 7:30 PM, October 24th at 2:30 PM and 7:30 PM, and October 25th at 2:30 PM. More Info

🗓️ October 24th - Invasive vs. Native Nature Walk - 9:00 AM. Learn to tell invasive weeds from native plants on a free guided walk through Collier Preserve, led by a Knox County Master Gardener. Meet at 316 W. Emory Road.

🗓️ October 24th - Xul Beer Company presents the fifth annual Kill the Lights Beer Festival on October 24th, from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM at Covenant Health Park, home of the Knoxville Smokies. Expect more than 200 beers from 100 breweries from around the world, along with new beer and merchandise releases, food vendors, and a live DJ spinning all afternoon. More Info

🗓️ October 24th -The 5 Love Languages Family Conference comes to First Baptist Knoxville from 9:00 AM to 3:30 PM, led by Dr. Gary Chapman himself. The author of the #1 New York Times bestseller will spend the day walking through five sessions designed for parents, grandparents, and anyone building or hoping to build a family. More info & Register

🗓️ October 24th - The East Tennessee Holistic Health Fair is happening from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM at 2931 Kingston Pike. presented by the East Tennessee Wellness Directory, brings together local practitioners, wellness businesses, and community members for a full day of exploration, education, and connection. More Info

🗓️ October 24th - Trenditions Hair Studio (6822 Maynardville Pike) is hosting Beauty for a Brighter Tomorrow from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM — a fundraising event with services, food trucks, and vendors, all in Lecia's honor. Spots are filling up fast — call the salon at (865) 922-0452 Tuesday through Friday to book yours before they're gone. Food trucks and vendors will also be on-site.

🗓️ October 24th - Karns Branch Used Book Sale (7516 Oak Ridge Hwy) 10:00 AM–5:00 PM

🗓️ October 25th - The Knoxville Buddy Walk — an annual celebration supporting people with Down syndrome — is coming to the World's Fair Park Festival Lawn (963 World's Fair Park DrIVE), and the organizing team is looking for volunteers to help make it happen. To sign up or for more information, contact Angie Holbert at (865) 202-8867 or [email protected].

🗓️ October 25th - The Howl-O-Ween Pooch Parade & Pet Expo returns to the UT Gardens from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM — an afternoon celebration of dogs, costumes, fall, and the very good people who love both. More Info

🗓️ October 27th - Knox MAHJ Social Club is hosting Tiles for Tatas from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM at the Knoxville Botanical Gardens Carriage House — an American Mahjong event benefiting Breast Connect and the work of Stephanie Buchanan Ewers in the fight against breast cancer. To reserve: text or call Stephanie at (865) 809-2636.

🗓️ October 28th - Christ United Methodist Church in Halls (7535 Maynardville Pike) is hosting its BOO BASH! Fall Family Carnival from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM, a welcoming evening where kids, teens, parents, grandparents, and friends can all enjoy the season together. More Info

🗓️ October 29th - The Whiskey Row Region Course (Class #255) takes place at 6:30 PM at 2901 Tazewell Pike — a 1.5-hour interactive session on how Louisville's historic Whiskey Row went from pre-Prohibition powerhouse to post-Prohibition ghost town to full-blown modern destination. More Info

🗓️ October 30th - Ridgeview Baptist Church is opening the doors to Wonder House from 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM. Wonder House is an interactive walk-through experience that takes families through four themed rooms, each telling one part of what the church calls "the greatest story ever told": Creation, the Fall, Redemption, and Restoration. Kids and grown-ups move from room to room as the story unfolds around them. Register

🗓️ October 30th - Halloween Blast - Come in costume and get half off admission. Expect a costume contest and Halloween-themed games all night long. More Info

🗓️ October 30th - November 1st - The Foothills Craft Guild's 60th Annual Fine Craft Show takes over the Knoxville Expo Center (5441 Clinton Highway). Friday and Saturday run 10 AM–6 PM; Sunday is 10 AM–4 PM. More Info

🗓️ October 31st - Hopewell Church invites the whole community to the Hallelujah Hoedown from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM at East Knox County Elementary School (9315 Rutledge Pike).

🗓️ October 31st - Weed Wrangle - 9:00 AM–noon. Then put that knowledge to work. Volunteers will pull invasive plants at Collier Preserve, with Ijams Nature Center supplying Weed Wrenches to get them out by the root. Bring work gloves and wear comfortable shoes and clothes. Sign up here.

🗓️ October 31st - Monsters at the Museum returns to the East Tennessee History Center (601 S. Gay Street) on October 31st from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM for a full day of free, family-friendly Halloween fun. More Info

🗓️ October 31st - Trick or Treat on the Square takes over Market Square and Union Avenue from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM — a free, family-friendly evening where downtown shops, restaurants, and businesses hand out candy to kids making their way through the square. Free trick-or-treat tote bags are available while supplies last at the Downtown Knoxville table at 17 Market Square (between Kabuki and Not Watson's). More Info

🗓️ November 4th - Laura Resau is coming to the East Tennessee History Center (601 S Gay Street) on November 4th at 6:00 PM to answer exactly that question, in a talk called "The Alchemy of a Novel." More Info

🗓️ November 28th - The Gobbler 5K & 10K hits Fountain City's Adair Park on November 28th, at 8:30 AM, the Saturday after Thanksgiving. The start line sits next to the Knoxville Parks & Recreation building at 1807 Adair Drive. More Info

🗓️ Tuesdays - Knoxville Dodgeball has been running weekly drop-in games at the Farragut Community Center Gym every Tuesday from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM since April 2025, and the doors are open to anyone 18 and up. More Info

See Recurring Weekly & Monthly Networking Events

🗓️Free Veterans’ Breakfast: The United Veterans Council of East Tennessee presents 20 free breakfasts for Veterans and guests on four Saturdays, monthly. Coffee line starts at 8am, Chow line starts at 8:30am. Locations and Dates

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