Concord to host FWKCC breakfast series
The event taking place Thursday, Nov. 7, in historic Concord Presbyterian Church, established in 1798, at 11000 Second Drive, starting at 7:30 a.m.
The speaker program begins at 8 a.m. with a tour of the community to follow at 9 a.m., weather permitting (umbrellas and ponchos are advised).
“I’m so excited,” FWKCC president/CEO Julie Blaylock said. “I don’t know if it’s well-known, but I’m a history nerd, and I love looking back at places and buildings and people and getting into the intricacies of how things were back then.
“I think you better understand the community you live in when you understand everything that came before,” she added. “I hope everyone is as excited as I am.”
Sponsored by Wallace Real Estate, Slamdot, Knox County and Town of Farragut, tickets are $25 for individuals, whether member or not, who are buying one ticket and are on sale online at farragutchamber.com. However, Chamber members get a discount opportunity— two tickets for $40, — and there are a few sponsorships still available.
“This is absolutely open to the community and to the public,” Blaylock said. “This is for the whole community.“
Emceed by Sam Venable, retired humor columnist for Knoxville News-Sentinel and author of a dozen books, the event features Jack Neely, founding director of Knoxville History Project (2014), journalist and historian, and Jennifer Montgomery, a realtor with a passion for the history of the homes.
Part of the proceeds from the breakfast will go to Knoxville History Project and Hoof and Harness.
In coming up with a topic, “We’ve already done several Speaker Series topics that addressed critical issues that have to do with workforce in our community, like the childcare crisis and things like that,” Blaylock said.
But “we like to do at least one event or program during the year that is both educational and entertaining, interesting and fun,” she added. “Historic Concord, which is just on the border of Farragut, is such an interesting place.
“It was a booming community back in the day (early 1900s). I think we just thought that this would be a good opportunity to reflect back on a lot of the changes we see happening in West Knoxville, because recently we’re seeing a lot of growth and a lot of activity.
Moreover, “we thought it would be interesting to take a look at what things were like a century ago and look at some of the differences and some of the parallels between what our community is experiencing now, as we go through a phase of change and growth, and what adjacent communities were experiencing a hundred years ago,” Blaylock said.
