Shopper Blog: Kids get their kicks at ‘Shoes for School’
NORTH KNOXVILLE
Kids get their kicks at ‘Shoes for School’
Carol Z. Shane, Shopper News
On a beautiful Saturday, Aug. 6, Knoxville Area Urban League hosted more than 6,000 people for the 20th annual “Shoes for School” event at Caswell Park.
The 2022 celebration coincided with the start of school on Monday, Aug. 8. New this year were free COVID-10 vaccinations and information about school-required vaccines.
More than 30 booth sponsors were onsite, including Cherokee Health Systems, Medic Regional Blood Center, Restoration House, Childhelp, kidsfirst, Bridge Refugee Services, 100 Black Men, Boys & Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley and Centro Hispano.
The Master Academy of Barbering offered free haircuts. There was a giant bounce house, a football toss and lots of recorded music to keep everyone in the groove.
Children who receive the shoes are preregistered through local nonprofits. All shoes are preordered to ensure fit. School supplies, donated by participating sponsors, are available to all children ages 5-12 while items last.
Phyllis Y. Nichols, who has been with KAUL since 1994 and its executive director since 1999, said the whole “Shoes for School” initiative started because “20 years ago we had a corporate partner whose parent company owned a sports shoe store, and we were talking about doing a back-to-school event where kids got school supplies. I thought, ‘I bet we could get some shoes.’”
KAUL worked with the Boys and Girls Club and sponsors buying pairs of shoes for $10 each, and eventually welcomed 250 kids who came to KAUL’s parking lot for the giveaway.
The KAUL and BGC volunteers had set up a carnival for the kids to enjoy, but they didn’t take part. They were afraid they’d miss out on the new footwear. “Kids in need need shoes,” said Nichols.
This year’s event was made possible by presenting sponsors Covenant Health, Pilot Company, TVA, WBIR and Knox News. And the kids — on the cusp of a new school year — had a ball.
Aliya, who attends Green Magnet School, was there with her mom, Sheenan. “I like ’em!” she said of her brand new Skechers. Tiny Leyla, who was there with her mom, Maria, and big sister Luisa, who attends Central High School, liked the fact that her new kicks matched her rainbow shirt. Leyla is 5 and will be starting first grade at Inskip Elementary School.
And Brayden, 11 and a student at Karns Middle School, was there with his mom, Courtney, and dad, Marlon — not for himself, but for his little sister Heaven, asleep on her dad’s shoulder. Heaven will be entering preschool.
What did Brayden think of her haul? “I think they’re pretty good.”
KAUL is a United Way partner agency and affiliate of the National Urban League. The organization’s work and results are evident in the lives of the more than 8,000 people it impacts each year.
Donations are accepted for “Shoes for School” year-round, and Nichols encourages anyone who’d like to support the program to get in touch.
“COVID-19 has changed everything for everybody, but there are some things we can control. We are seeing an increased need for support, especially among families, and with the help of our generous sponsors and our community, we can provide these basic tools for education.”
Call 865-524-5511 or visit www.thekaul.org/shoes-for-school/.
HALLS
No yard, no problem with terrarium gardening
Ali James, Shopper News
“Plush Moon Terrarium Co. was kind of created because I wanted something really fun in a name,” said Kiana Jones. “Almost kid-friendly, but something that really exhibited how fun I wanted my terrariums to look.”
Terrariums are the low-maintenance gardening option for wannabe plant lovers. They are created in a fully or partially enclosed glass container to confine moisture while allowing heat and light to enter.
Last August, Jones started spending her free time hunting through local vintage and thrift stores for glassware to repurpose into her terrariums. “I really got into plants as my COVID hobby and at the time lived five minutes from Stanley’s Greenhouse,” she said. “They had a little terrarium plant section.”
Jones has discovered the perfect balance in making her own terrariums. “Then I was set loose and started making them for friends and families,” said Jones, who often adds whimsical and quirky touches such as toy cars, fairies and iguanas to her tiny, portable gardens.
While her terrarium collection continued to grow, it began to take over her 800-square-foot apartment. “Our living and dining room had become my terrarium office,” she laughed. “There were tens and tens of terrariums in my living space. I decided if I wasn’t going to gift them to people I needed to unleash the potential for terrariums in the area, so I started setting up at markets.”
Last year she sold just four or five terrariums at Fountain City’s Sans 2 Treasures Mercantile Christmas Market.
“People did seem to like them, so I started signing up for markets at the Old Sevier Market, at Hey Bear and at other pop-ups. Meeting other makers and crafters, I have really found out how large this community is.”
Partnering up with KnoxFill to provide recycled glass containers to repurpose at workshops and Stanley’s Greenhouse and Thress Nursery to find the perfect terrarium plants has been another rewarding part of Jones’ new endeavor.
Jones said she works a 9-to-5 job as a veterinarian technician on her “terrarium days off.”
“It has gotten to the point where it is equivalent to my full-time job,” she said. “It has become a major part of my life. This time last year I had 70 followers; seeing the outreach so far has been a fun process. I am thinking of growing online as well.”
Plush Moon Terrarium Co.'s designs are started with a good foundation. “I have a drainage layer with river or lava rock, add another layer with sphagnum moss so that the moisture is retained,” said Jones. “A little bit of charcoal for a decreased amount of mold, since a terrarium is the perfect environment for bacteria and mold.”
Jones follows the best practice of creating her own all-natural dirt. “I make it myself since store-bought fertilizer is discouraged,” she said. “My slow-release fertilizer is made from worm poop. It is great for soil, and I have some Axolotls Mexican Salamanders that eat the worms. And I dump the worm casing out.”
Since starting Plush Moon Terrarium Co., Jones has moved into a bigger home in North Knoxville and transformed her third bedroom into a home office.
“I don’t have nearly as many terrariums as I did before. It is nice to have space and do a bunch of projects,” said Jones.
Next up for the business is a series of workshops at places such as Hey Bear Café where participants bring their own glass vessel. “I will provide what they need to upcycle a glass container they think is cool,” said Jones.
“Next month I’m with KnoxCrafts. They are hosting a DIY Terrarium Workshop that I will teach at Knox Brew Hub on Aug. 18. It’s almost sold out. Then we will be at Maple Hall in September.”
Plush Moon Terrarium Co. will have future workshops at other places like Ijams Nature Center and advertise them on her Instagram account @pmterrariumco. A new website is in the works where Jones will share terrarium tips, sell tickets to her workshops and terrariums.
SOUTH KNOXVILLE
New mural celebrates South Knox Elementary and its neighborhood
Ali James, Shopper News
As South Knoxville Elementary students arrived for the first day of the 2022-23 school year, they were greeted by a new mural.
“This is the first of many,” said principal Dr. Tanna Nicely. “Yesterday the kids were stopping and looking at it; it was a nice surprise. It has become a popular spot for parents to take photos, too.”
The mural was PTO president Sean Howard’s idea. “He came to me along with our student council with the possibility of painting on the brick wall,” said Nicely. “We wanted the right artist, and it was about that time that the possum mural went up at Borderland Tees. I thought that’s who we need to paint ours.”
Howard reached out to local artist Hannah Bingham. “We told her our vision,” said Nicely. “She sketched it, and the finished painting is more beautiful than it was on the prototype.”
South Knoxville Elementary school is an official Monarch Waystation, so the butterflies, the Tennessee River (which flows behind the school) and nearby sunflower gardens are all depicted in the mural.
“I love that Hannah also painted some of the industrial fixtures on the wall as part of the mural,” said Nicely.
Knox County Schools was initially concerned that attracting bees might be a problem, but Nicely said that bee stings, apart from the occasional sweat bee, have been rare. “The benefits of contributing to our Earth far outweigh any issues,” she said.
Hannah Bingham is a mostly self-taught artist who has been painting professionally for six years. “I usually paint on canvas or on wood panels, not usually this big,” she said of the mural. “I typically do portraits of animals and of people that are more about symbolism than specific people.”
The South Knoxville Elementary mural is only the second one for Bingham since she painted while in college in upstate New York. “I had expected it to take me a week and it probably would have if we had not had on and off rain and a weird mix of weather,” she said. “My goal was to have it done before the first week of school and I finished it last week.”
The vision will continue with a new mural inside and another on the other side of the school.
“Inside there are beige tiles on the walls. You can’t just pop those off, so we are working on some ideas that won’t be too overstimulating,” said Bingham. “Dr. Nicely is working on a grant. Kids need to have art around. You want it to be motivational and not cliché.”
Bingham is toying with the idea of bringing the outside in with her next mural. “It would be its own piece so nature can just trickle in,” she said.
“We would love a Welcome to South Knoxville and Old Sevier that you can see on the outside wall as you approach from Blount Avenue,” added Nicely. “Since the Old Sevier neighborhood is not just about our school, it is about our wonderful community. We will get input from the community; it is important that all stakeholders have any input.
“The mural will put an exclamation point on the community’s development and people that live here,” continued Nicely.
This fall, South Knoxville Elementary, with the support of the Knoxville Bar Association and Blount Mansion, will celebrate Constitution Day. They will continue their new tradition and swear in this year’s student council at Blount Mansion.
“We are excited about the start of the school year,” said Nicely, who is in her ninth year as principal. “Our population is growing, we are at almost 200.
“At the end of August or early September I will go out to different places in the community,” said Nicely. “People are invited to join me for coffee to hear about the things we are doing great and the things we can work on.”
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POWELL
Comics artist talks about difficulty — and controversy — of the trade
Al Lesar, Shopper News
While Shawn Harbin was learning the basics of art as a career, he thought back to a smart-aleck remark he made in high school and the lesson he learned from it.
Harbin, a 1993 Powell High School graduate, was a sassy freshman who had legendary basketball coach Jeff Hunter for a gym class.
“He told us that when he played, he wasn’t very good; that he spent more time on the bench than the floor,” Harbin recalled. “I said, ‘Is that why you were such a good coach.’ He said, ‘Yep, I just sat and listened and learned.’
“When I was at (the University of Tennessee), I thought of coach Hunter. I didn’t talk a lot. I sat and listened. I’d hear people say they didn’t like my art. I remember hearing them say what they thought my problems were. I remember thinking, ‘I get it now.’”
Harbin, who came away from UT with two degrees (bachelor’s in painting, master’s in education), spent seven years teaching at Carter Middle School, then launched himself into a career as a comic book artist.
True love and passion
Ever since he was a youngster, Harbin was convinced his future was in comics. Drawing Spider-Man was a goal at the time.
“If you really want to be a good artist, you have to treat it like a tradesman skill,” Harbin said. “I taught art for seven years. The hardest part I ever taught was comics. It takes everything.
“You can’t get in it for the money. It can be a very cruel business. There are a lot of long hours involved.”
Last month, Harbin was featured at a signing at Krypto Comics in Powell. He sold signed original artwork as well as other prints or original books.
Harbin’s true love and passion over the past 14 years has been Dungeon Comic. It’s a horror/mystery that includes all his original work.
He has released eight issues of the series, but is compiling the entire works into one book he hopes he can release this year. The 47-year-old said the book, on track to be about 730 pages, could be the largest graphic novel ever released. Finding a company that can print such a large book has been difficult.
Finding controversy
The comic book world is not without its controversies.
Three years ago, Harbin was interviewed by the News Sentinel after he published the comic “Transfurred: The World’s Greatest 12-Year-Old Detective.”
The plot of the story is that a 12-year-old girl and her pet pit bull go around solving mysteries, “kinda like Scooby-Doo,” Harbin said, referring to the popular cartoon.
The difference is that, at the end of the comic, it’s revealed the main character is transgender.
Harbin said he got positive reviews from places like Canada, Russia and Australia. But after the News Sentinel interview came a death threat.
“I’ve had people tell me there was really nothing offensive in the book, but a lot of people didn’t like it,” Harbin said. “I put forth an effort not to be political. It’s just a comic book. But I was able to make something that made the left and the right both hate me.”
Harbin has moved on and carved out a living with a contractor (using his art skills on a freelance basis), while putting the finishing touches on his epic novel.
“(Dungeon Comic) means everything in the world to me,” he said. “I’m looking into a company to come up with action figures from it. My time in college taught me to look at things from a different perspective.
“That can help me now.”
NORTH KNOXVILLE
Knoxville Asian Festival includes film ‘Rashomon’ and much more
Carol Z. Shane, Shopper News
The Knoxville Asian Festival is approaching!
Now in its ninth year, it’s one of Knoxville’s biggest, brightest, most festive parties, showcasing Asian cultures including Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Korea, China, Japan, Philippines, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Vietnam.
“There is so much that a community benefits from every time there is a cultural event organized,” says Kumi Alderman, the tireless executive director of the Asian Culture Center of TN, which is active throughout the year but exists primarily to present the festival.
“People not only develop an open mind about other people and their cultures, but also the host community becomes a center of interest for individuals and organizations looking to boost the economic capacity of that particular community.
“Therefore, as a highly focused organization interested in developing cultural diversity and understanding in our Tennessee community, we have strongly focused in popularizing the Asian culture, which has grown popular in the area.”
For the first time this year, there will also be an Asian Film Festival at Central Cinema featuring “Rashomon,” the 1950 psychological thriller which won the 1951 Venice Film Festival’s Golden Lion — its highest prize. Considered to be one of the greatest films ever made, the following year it received an Honorary Award at the 24th Annual Academy Awards.
It will be shown, along with some short features and documentaries, at Central Cinema on Saturday, Aug. 27, the night before the main festival.
On the morning of Sunday, Aug. 28, the festival kicks off with the Asian Cultural Parade at 10 a.m., starting at the World’s Fair Park water fountain and ending at 10:30 a.m. at the Tennessee Amphitheater stage. All gathered there will sing “We Are the World,” accompanied by the student orchestra from Maryville’s Clayton-Bradley Academy.
Featured throughout the day will be traditional dance and music from multiple Asian cultures, including for the first time a performance on the Angklung, one of Indonesia’s most famous instruments.
There will be martial arts demonstrations, K-Pop and J-Pop performances, a kimono show, a bonsai exhibition, a cosplay contest, Japanese tea ceremony, Korean Fan Dancers from Georgia and Disney World’s Taiko Drum group of Japanese drummers. You can even learn some Japanese dance moves yourself.
Asian Festival always includes a strong educational component; visitors can travel through various interactive booths in “Asian World” featuring cultural activities, food and art. Children and adults will receive a stamp on their festival passport for each cultural booth visited. This project is supported, in part, by the Tennessee Arts Commission and the Boyd Foundation.
Knox Asian Film Festival runs throughout the day on Saturday, Aug. 27 at Central Cinema. For tickets/info, visit centralcinema865.com/production/asian-film-festival-2022/.
The 9th Annual Knoxville Asian Festival happens Sunday, Aug. 28, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., at World’s Fair Park. The event is free.
Registration is not required, but you can register online to win a free Ramen bowl from Ramen Bones, who will randomly select 30 registered participants at random.
Info: knoxasianfestival.com.
FARRAGUT
Knoxville Catholic High School celebrates 90 years with the Connor family
Nancy Anderson, Shopper News
Knoxville Catholic High kicked off its 90th school year Aug. 9 with a gathering of the Connor family in the Mike and Carol Connor Lobby to the new St. Gregory the Great Auditorium.
Present were four generations of the Connor family: matriarch Helen Marie Mabry Connor (Class of ’45), a spry and entertaining 96-year-old; her son Mike Connor (Class of ’69), daughter Christy Connor Watkins (Class of ’89), granddaughter Mandy Connor Welch (class of ’98), grandson Patton Watkins (Class of 2023), and great-grandson Connor Welch (class of ’26).
Present were four generations of the Connor family: matriarch Helen Marie Mabry Connor (Class of ’45), a spry and entertaining 96-year-old; her son Mike Connor (Class of ’69), daughter Christy Connor Watkins (Class of ’89), granddaughter Mandy Connor Welch (class of ’98), grandson Patton Watkins (Class of 2023), and great-grandson Connor Welch (class of ’26).
The Connor family are tremendous advocates of Knoxville Catholic High School. Mike Connor and his wife, Carol (Class of ’72), dedicated the lobby to the school.
“I’ve been a supporter of the high school since I graduated. They contacted a number of us for our support and we made it happen. This is a wonderful state-of-the-art facility for the whole community and I’m just proud to be small part of it,” said Mike Connor.
Asked how KCHS shaped his life, he said, “Well, I went to parochial schools all my life. I still have friends I can call up to play golf with that I’ve known my whole life. I met my wife, Carol, here at KCHS, we were on the swim team together. You could say the school shaped my life in profound ways.”
Helen Marie Mabry Connor had the crowd laughing telling stories of her time on the basketball team.
“We played half-court and dribbled the ball once.” She said her older brother and sister and younger two brothers attended and all played basketball.
Asked her fondest memories, she said getting a new gym her sophomore year and dancing.
“We had formal dances and we danced every day during recess. We danced in the new gym. We had a nickelodeon we’d play and the teachers used to watch us. They loved to watch us dance.”
Connor Welch, an incoming freshman, said he could feel the weight of the Connor legacy even on his first day of school.
“It’s kind of crazy, but there is a lot more grandchildren and great-grandchildren than just me. I do feel a sense of pride and legacy, but I’m just one in a long line.”
Pam Rhoades, director of marketing and communications, gave insight into the legacy that is KCHS.
“From 11 seniors in the class of 1933 to the 143 members of the class of 2022, Catholic High rests securely on the foundation of those who have gone before. The school now boasts over 7,000 alumni who live and work across the globe.
“In celebrating its 90th year, Knoxville Catholic High School lives its mission of teaching the gospel, igniting a love for learning, and nurturing individual growth in mind, body and spirit, as students are prepared to be disciples of Christ who influence a constantly changing world.”
Info: KnoxvilleCatholic.com.
OPINION
The empty nest is full again
Leslie Snow, Shopper News
Empty nesting didn’t come easily. It took time to adjust to the silence, to the empty rooms and the dinners for two.
I didn’t know how to parent from a distance. I didn’t know how to separate my life from my children’s but still stay connected. I had to find the right balance. I had to find a way to be part of their lives without smothering them. And each child needed something different from me.
For Jordan, there was no such thing as too much communication. When she was living in Raleigh, we talked four or five times a day. She wanted me to be part of her daily life, so she kept me on the phone while she narrated trips to the grocery store or the local park.
She called each morning to tell me her scary dreams or to recite her plans for the day. I learned quickly that staying in touch with Jordan meant being available throughout the day to hear the small stories of her life. And I was happy to oblige.
It was different with Zack. His schedule as a graduate student at Penn State was packed with studying and working at the university lab. He didn’t have time for long conversations. And even if he did, he wasn’t interested in telling me his scary dreams or his daily schedule. He didn’t need to share the details of his life to stay connected.
Ever efficient and organized, Zack learned to squeeze in telephone calls while he was in transition, leaving the lab or going to the grocery store. I became his “transition person” and it worked for us both.
When Ethan left home, I became his sympathetic listener. He called when stress bubbled over and he needed to share it. And since he was on the road for work, he had time to pick up the phone to tell me how far he was from his sales quota or to count the number of days remaining in the quarter. I became the release valve for his anxiety. I helped carry the burden when it became too heavy for him to shoulder alone.
Then, just when I mastered the role of long-distance parent, Jordan and Zack moved back to Knoxville. Now I have a whole new set of skills to learn.
I have to learn the art of parenting evenly. I have to remember that making plans with one child means I have to make plans with the other. Because they’ll know. They’ll know if my time isn’t divided equitably.
Zack will know if Jordan, Joe and the kids pop over for dinner. And Jordan will hear about it if I invite Zack over for burgers and a swim. Even if it happened spontaneously. Even if I invited her and family to come too and they weren’t able. The details don’t matter. Everything has to be fair.
The other day I talked to the “kids” (who are now 32 and 28) and explained my “it all evens out in the wash” philosophy. “We don’t all have to be together every time we make plans,” I explained gently. “Sometimes the two of you hang out together and Dad and I aren’t included. But it’s OK. We still see each other as often as possible.”
Zack nodded his head. Jordan replied, “But Zack was there when Grandma and Grandpa came over. Just remember, Mom, they’re my grandparents too.”
So now I know. It was an adjustment when the kids moved away. And it’s another kind of adjustment having them home again.
Leslie Snow may be reached at snow column@aol.com.
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