August
September
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.
Read MoreFHS 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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News
Taking SlimFest by the horns Read More
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FHS band finds common ground between blues, classical Read More
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