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July

Thursday, Jul 30th Dairy Queen for Miracle Treat Day Dolly Parton Children’s Hospital invites the community to visit Dairy Queen for Miracle Treat Day on Thursday, July 30th. For every blizzard sold at participating locations, $1 or more will be donated to Dolly Children’s through Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. Funds will go towards purchasing life-saving medical equipment, programs and services.

Friday, Jul 31st Bijou Broadway Revue Bijou Broadway Revue will be presented in partnership with Knoxville Opera on Friday, July 31, with the event starting at 7:30 p.m. The performance serves as the grand finale of the Bijou Theatre’s Summer Stages program, a two-week musical theatre intensive designed for aspiring performers ages 13–18. Tickets may be purchased at knoxbijou.org/events/

Friday, Jul 31st Where’s Waldo? scavenger hunt The Where’s Waldo? scavenger hunt has returned to Downtown Knoxville for the ninth annual event through July 31. This year’s hunt features more than 40 participating businesses, including restaurants, shops, museums and galleries. Window graphics at participating locations mark each stop, where searchers can pick up a Waldo Passport and begin their search. For a list of participating merchants, visit downtownknoxville.org/waldo. Inside each business, participants look for Waldo hidden somewhere on display. Once he’s spotted, players can ask for a stamp of their passport and continue the search at the next stop. Participants who collect 20 or more stamps are eligible to enter prize drawings featuring gift cards and other rewards. The first 750 spotters also can claim a “Found Waldo Knox” sticker at Union Ave Books, the host location of the Where’s Waldo? scavenger hunt.

Friday, Jul 31st “Newts in Knoxville” Another scavenger hunt everyone can take part in is “Newts in Knoxville,” a permanent downtown installation created by the Downtown Knoxville Alliance. This self-guided adventure features 12 bronze Eastern newt sculptures hidden throughout downtown. Participants can pick up a free passport with clues at the Knoxville Visitors Center, Mast General Store or online at knoxnewts.com. The experience is designed to be completed in under an hour and offers a lighthearted way to explore downtown while learning about local wildlife.

Friday, Jul 31st American Red Cross seeking donors American Red Cross is asking donors of all blood types to make an appointment to give blood, platelets or plasma. As a thank-you, all who come to give through July 31 will receive a Fandango movie ticket by email (up to $15 ticket price and fees). Additional details can be found at RedCrossBlood.org/July

August

Monday, Aug 3rd Nourish Knoxville’s Restaurant Week Dine out for a cause during Nourish Knoxville’s Restaurant Week, Monday, Aug. 3 - Sunday, Aug. 9. Nourish Knoxville works to build healthy communities by supporting relationships between local farmers, producers and the public. For more information and a list of participating locations, visit www.nourishknoxville.org/restaurant-week

Saturday, Aug 8th Shoes for School event The Knoxville Area Urban League (KAUL) is seeking support from sponsors, vendors and volunteers for this year’s Shoes for School event. The event will be held Saturday, August 8, from 9 a.m. to noon at Covenant Health Park. Sponsors and volunteers can register now at givebutter.com/2026-shoes-for-school-oswjdl.

Monday, Aug 10th Knox County Schools National School Lunch Program Knox County Schools announces its policy for free and reduced-price meals for children served in schools under the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program. The 2026-27 school year begins on Aug. 10, and families unable to pay for breakfast and lunch meals at school – or do not attend a Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) school – now can apply for free and reduced-price meals. Families can apply for meals through the LINQ Connect portal at https://linqconnect.com/main. Paper applications are also available.

Saturday, Aug 15th Emory Valley Center Dragon Boat Race Registration is now open for the 2026 Emory Valley Center Dragon Boat Race on Saturday, August 15, at Melton Lake in Oak Ridge. Each team will race in authentic dragon boats with 10 paddlers and 1 drummer. No experience is necessary, and practice sessions will be available before race day. For more information, contact Aaron.Price@evcmail.org. Register at www.emoryvalleycenter.org/dragon-boat-race-2026/

September

Thursday, Sep 17th STRIVE program Pellissippi State Community College and Tennessee Small Business Development Center invite veterans, active-duty members of the military and their families to apply for the STRIVE program, which helps veteran entrepreneurs transform business ideas into successful ventures through hands-on training, mentorship and community support. STRIVE’s 2026 cohort will launch Sept. 17, and meet Thursdays from 6 to 9 p.m. in the Ruth and Steve West Workforce Development Center at Pellissippi State’s Blount County campus. Find out if you’re eligible and register for STRIVE at www.pstcc.edu/veteran/strive/

Taking SlimFest by the horns

In 2006, Steve “Slim” Stilts wanted to celebrate his birthday — but with a twist. “I was going to be turning 50 years old, so I talked with some of my friends and told them I’d like to have a party to celebrate my birthday and make it a community event to raise money for a charity,” Stilts said. “I looked around and found Shop with the Cop, where officers take under- privileged kids shopping at Christmas time, so we funded that. “That first year, I just thought we’d have a party and raise some money, but it was so successful that we decided to do it a second year.” The event has occurred every August since then, and it will mark its 20th anniversary with Stilts’ 70th birthday on Saturday, Aug. 8. There will be a bit more twang this year, as the 2026 version will be held at the Cotton Eyed Joe in west Knoxville. “I’m not going to say it’s the grand finale,” Stilts said with a smile. “My friend Chuck Ward, who owns the Cotton Eyed Joe, told me that if I wanted to make it a little easier, we could do it indoors and he’d donate the club to me for a private event.

FHS band finds common ground between blues, classical

Farragut High School Admirals Marching Band is stepping in time to prepare for its 2026-27 season at its annual band camp, which started last week, at FHS. This year, the theme for the show is “Dual Shades.” “It is a lot about blues music,” band director Andrew Smith said. “We’re mixing it with classical music, so we’re going to feature heavily two soloists, Aryan Sharma and Edward Zhao, both seniors. “They’re going to be kind of like dueling clarinets,” Smith said. “They’ll be a big part of the show. “We have really strong musicians, and those two clarinets are very, very strong players,” he said. “We were looking at some music we could use to feature our woodwinds and brass that was fun with the blues music. “And, the idea of ‘Rhapsody in Blue’ came up, which is a very famous clarinet solo,” Smith said. “So, those two clarinet players get to play some of the fun, iconic moments of ‘Rhapsody in Blue,’ and a mixture of other blues and classical music. “It’s a cool opportunity to see how very contrasting styles of music, like blues and classical, have a lot of commonalities,” he said. “As the show goes on, we’ll see it, kind of, morph into its own genre of blues and classical music intertwined."

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Taking SlimFest by the horns

FHS band finds common ground between blues, classical

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