townKnoxevents
• All six Knox County Senior Centers, including West Knox County Senior Center along Jamestowne Boulevard in Farragut, will re-open at their regularly scheduled hours beginning, Monday, April 5 — though programming will be limited due to COVID-19 restrictions.
“Available activities will include informative classes, arts and crafts groups, trivia and book clubs,” stated a press release from Abbey Harris, deputy Communications director for the Office of Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs. “Computer labs and equipment in fitness rooms also will be available. All visitors are encouraged to check with their center for information on how to pre-register for activities.
“Exercise classes will resume as instructors become available,” the release further stated. “Senior Center staff will continue to present a robust variety of virtual programs for those not yet ready to return to in-person activity.”
To find out more about specific event listings, call Harris at 865-215-4579.
“The pandemic has been hard on everyone, especially our seniors,” Jacobs stated in the release. “Our Senior Center staff has done an incredible job keeping patrons connected and engaged, but we know some are eager to get back to the Centers and resume in-person activity.
“While we are pleased to be able to offer the option to those who want it, there will be lots of reminders about following the Five Core Actions and taking responsibility for assessing personal safety,” he added.
• Farragut Museum, located inside Farragut Town Hall at 11408 Municipal Center Drive, already houses one of the country’s largest permanent collections of Admiral David Glasgow Farragut artifacts.
Recently added is a new temporary exhibit showcasing the Admiral Farragut Exhibit, installed in the Bill Dunlap Gallery, which includes documents and prints as well as other artifacts telling the story of the first commissioned admiral of the U.S. Navy.
Farragut was born a few miles from the town that was named for him and is best known for a paraphrase of a comment he made during the Battle of Mobile Bay Aug. 5, 1864: “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead.” The Museum’s permanent exhibit includes Farragut’s personal china, uniform ornamentation, family photographs, manuscripts, letters of interest and a large collection of scrimshaw.
The Museum’s reduced hours are from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Thursday.
The Frances L. Abel Gift Shop, which recently reopened, features a variety of unique items, including local and Civil War history books, crafts, toys and “The History of Concord & Farragut,” a documentary commissioned by the Farragut Museum committee.
For more info or to schedule a group tour, contact Julia Barham at 865-218-3377 or museum@townoffarragut.org.
