Today is Your Last Chance for Fanboy Expo!

Issue #227

14 Jul

In this Knoxville Insider Issue…

🌤️ Knoxville Weather - Mostly Sunny with a High of 96

📰 Beware: Fake Funeral Fundraisers

🗓️ Upcoming Events (Tons!)

🗓️ Elections: Early Voting Details

🗓️ Event Showcase: Salty Dog Seafood Festival, Pinnacle Farmers Market, 9th Tennessee Medieval Faire in Harriman

🏡 Real Estate: How to Increase Your Home's Value

📣 We Want to Spotlight Your Business! Apply Here

✅ Advertising Opportunities
 

Today is Your Last Chance for Fanboy Expo!

Don’t miss out on Tennessee’s largest pop culture event, Fanboy Expo, wrapping up today! I attended and had an absolute blast. It’s thrilling to see so many people dressed as their favorite characters, creating an atmosphere of excitement and creativity. Everyone I met was kind and enthusiastic, truly enjoying the event.

Many celebrities are available for photo opportunities and autographs, so don’t miss your chance to meet them. Additionally, I was pleasantly surprised by the number of authors present, including some local talents. They are great to talk to and happy to sign any books you purchase. Be sure to check out the second-floor artists; their work is truly impressive! Many of these talented artists are also local.

Fanboy Expo also features a fantastic selection of retro toys, clothing, and gaming systems, perfect for collectors and fans alike. Make sure to visit today and soak in all the fun and excitement before it’s too late! Hours today are 11am - 4pm. More info

Beware: Fake Funeral Fundraisers

At busy intersections in Knoxville, posters paint a heart-wrenching picture: a young boy tragically killed in a car accident, and his family struggling to afford a proper funeral. These posters, held by individuals soliciting donations, read “Please any help God Bless.” Unfortunately, these seemingly desperate pleas are part of a growing scam targeting compassionate donors.

Similar fraudulent campaigns have been reported in other cities, and some of these fake fundraisers have even been arrested. These scams exploit the generosity of kind-hearted people, using fabricated stories to collect money under false pretenses.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which monitors charity fraud, is urging the public to be vigilant. If you have any information about these fake funeral campaigns or if you or someone you know has been a victim, you can report the details at reportfraud.ftc.gov.

To protect yourself and ensure your donations go to legitimate causes, always verify the authenticity of any fundraiser. Research the organization or individual before contributing, and consider donating directly to established, reputable charities. By staying alert and informed, we can help stop these scammers from exploiting our community’s kindness.

Have an event to add? Let us know! [email protected]

With the volume of events we are getting, to help the long scroll of our newsletter, for categories that contain many events, we are including buttons to ‘more events…’ that will bring you to a long page of additional events in that category.

Community:

Future Fempreneur Camp for Girls: exciting and immersive program for girls aged 13 to 18 interested in entrepreneurship, Monday-Friday, July 15th-19th from 9am-3pm, More Info

Used Book Sale at Hi-Wire Brewing: on Thursday, July 18th - Wednesday, July 24th during business hours, 2020 Barber Street

Ask a Master Gardener: Ask plant and garden questions at the Norwood Library, 1110 Merchant Dr. on Saturday, July 20th, from 10am - noon. KCMG public calendar.

Food:

Traditional Cuban Cooking Class: offered on July 16th at 7pm at The Spice & Tea Exchange. Cost is $75/person (+tax). You will learn how to make fired plantains, a main course of ropa bieja (shredded beef dish). For more information call the store at 865-985-0913 or email [email protected].

Bourbon 101: on the Tennessee Riverboat - July 18th, boarding at 6pm and finishing at 9pm. This class is an interactive 1.5 hour presentation on the history and virtues of Bourbon. A buffet to compliment the Bourbons will be provided. More Info 

Tea Flights: offered Monday - Thursday at The Spice and Tea Exchange. Limited to 4 people per group at $8.99/person. Call the store for more information (865) 985-0913

Music:

Grooves in the Garden: Hosted by Knoxville Botanical Garden on Saturday, July 20th 5pm - 10pm. Knoxville’s best outdoor music festival in jazz, R&B and soul. This is an adult only event with live music, a DJ, food trucks and a cash bar. More Info

Hillbilly Thomists and Fiddling Leona: at the Bijou Theatre on Saturday, August 3rd. Enjoy some of your bluegrass favorites as well as Feona’s fresh take on fiddling! Tickets are on sale now! Partial proceeds benefit the Chesterton Academy, a local classical model high school, More Info/Tickets

Networking:

Motley Crew Community Luncheon: hosted by Hubert Smith: Every month on the first Friday at Crowne Plaza Knoxville.  This is a public event. All are welcome. No RSVP. No speakers! No politics! Lots of fun, food, and fellowship! Doors open at 11am, More Info call Cheryl at (865) 456-1095

Emotional Sobriety: Each Thursday at 5pm (except July 4) at The Kraken’s Cup. The Kracken’s Cup has partnered with Sober in Knoxville to create a safe and accepting environment for their N Knoxville meetups. Questions? Email [email protected].

Veterans:

Free Veteran’s Breakfast: The United Veterans Council of East Tennessee presents 13 free breakfasts for Veterans and guests on four Saturdays, monthly, Coffee line starts at 8am, Chow line starts at 8:30am. Locations and Dates

Join the 9th Tennessee Medieval Faire in Harriman!

Darkhorse Entertainment, LLC, invites you to participate in the 9th Tennessee Medieval Faire on the following weekends: October 5-6, 12-13, 19-20 from 11am - 6pm at 550 Fiske Rd, Harriman.

Auditions for costumed street characters will be held via scheduled video appointments from July 13-19. For more info: tmfaire.com/auditions. Successful candidates will be invited to in-person callbacks on July 20, from 2-5 PM at 150 Culton Ln, Kingston, TN. Rehearsals will start on July 27.

Comedy, dance, and acoustic musical acts are encouraged to audition by emailing performance details and video links to [email protected].

Help bring Nottingham to life by vending your period-related wares. Crafts can include leather, glass, wood, metal, henna, and more. Food options might feature turkey legs, gyros, kabobs, and more. Apply tmfaire.com/vendors. No fee to apply; applications are due by August 10. Approved vendors will pay fees based on their offerings.

Salty Dog Seafood Festival

Knoxville’s first Salty Dog Seafood Festival, a fantastic three-day event will be held from Friday-Sunday, July 19th-21st at the World’s Fair Park on the Performance Lawn. Enjoy fresh seafood, live music, arts and crafts, and beer and wine gardens. There's also a large kids' area for family fun. Admission is $5.00, with food and drinks available for purchase from various vendors.

This event supports the Ronald McDonald House of Knoxville and The Little Ponderosa Zoo & Rescue.

For more information, visit the festival website.

Pinnacle Farmers Market at Turkey Creek

This farmers market is open every Sunday through the end of July from 11am to 3pm at the Pinnacle Farmers Market, 11251 Parkside Drive.

Enjoy a delightful selection of fresh produce from four vegetable stands, tasty treats from several bakeries, unique crafts, and food trucks. You might want to try the best chicken salad around (according to one of our readers!). Don't forget to grab a refreshing drink from the coffee and lemonade trucks.

It's a perfect Sunday outing to support local vendors and enjoy the community atmosphere.

Knoxville Real Estate Insider

Do you have specific real estate questions you'd like answered? Submit a Question. A realtor will have an answer for you in the next issue of the Knoxville Real Estate Insider.

Are you a local realtor selling a home or property? Do you have an upcoming open house? Let us know at [email protected] or (865) 234-2421! We can include them here.

Early Voting Details

The primary elections for the U.S. House of Representatives, Tennessee Senate, and Tennessee House of Representatives will take place on Thursday, August 1st. Additionally, several Knox County elections will be decided through a general election on the same day.

Early voting is from Friday, July 12th through Saturday, July 27th. Early voting locations:

Downtown - City-County Building, 400 Main Street, Mon-Thurs 10am-6pm, Fri 10am-7pm, Sat 7/13, 10am-3pm, Other Saturdays 8am-4pm

Downtown West - Unit 40, 1645 Downtown West Blvd, Mon-Thurs 10am-6pm, Fri 10am-7pm, Sat 10am-3pm

East - Carter Elementary School, 8455 Strawberry Plains Pike, Mon-Thurs 10am-6pm, Fri 10am-7pm, Sat 10am-3pm

East - Eternal Life Harvest Center at Five Points, 2410 Martin Luther King Avenue, Mon-Thurs 10am-6pm, Fri 10am-7pm, Sat 10am-3pm

North - Halls Recreation Center, 6933 Recreation Lane, Mon-Thurs 10am-6pm, Fri 10am-7pm, Sat 10am-3pm

Northeast - Gibbs Ruritan Club, 7827 Tazewell Pike, Mon-Thurs 10am-6pm, Fri 10am - 7pm, Sat 10am-3pm

Northeast - New Harvest Park, 4775 New Harvest Lane, Mon-Thurs 10am-6pm, Fri 10am-7pm, Sat 10am-3pm

Northwest - Karns Senior Center, 8042 Oak Ridge Highway, Mon-Fri 9am-6pm, Sat 7/27, 10am-3pm

Northwest - Knoxville Expo Center, 5441 Clinton Highway, Mon-Thurs 10am-6pm, Fri, 10am-7pm, Sat, 10am-3pm

West- Knox County Election Commission, 109 Lovell Heights Road, Mon-Thurs 10am-6pm, Fri 10am-7pm, Sat 10am-3pm

Visit the TN Secretary of State website for more info

We Want To Spotlight Local Businesses!

Would you like us to spotlight your local business in front of thousands of Knoxville area residents in an upcoming issue of Knoxville Insider? Apply Here. Not a business owner, but love a local business? Tell us all about it - send us an email at [email protected]!

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