Shopper Blog: Ex-police officer turns stress reliever into photography business

BEARDEN

From World's Fair on, Knoxville woman's career in construction paid big rewards

John Shearer, Shopper News

When Carol Frederick was a young woman looking for a career, she thought she might like to work for the airlines industry in reservations.

But as fate would have it, she spent most of her working years helping buildings go up instead of people in jets. She went on to enjoy a rewarding career with Rentenbach Constructors and later The Christman Company after a merger 10 years ago.

It was a much different career from what she envisioned, one in which she unexpectedly became a woman pioneer in a male-dominated field. “(Working in the airlines field) would never have been a career like this,” she said.

She also recently received another, more tangible reward from the work with the prestigious Iris Award presented by the Associated General Contractors of Tennessee at the Build Knoxville Awards ceremony Jan. 25.

According to officials, she was recognized for her exemplary contributions to the construction industry, particularly in championing the role of women. As senior vice president Marty E. Gibbs said, “Her integrity, expertise and commitment to excellence have elevated our projects and industry standards.”

A longtime construction cost estimator before retiring last September, Frederick hinted in a recent interview that entering the construction field happened unexpectedly by trying to build up her own life.

“I was at UT as a junior. I got restless and I go downtown to the Delta Air Lines office,” she said of eventually getting a job in their Gay Street offices about 1979. However, she got laid off, so she went to see a temporary work office and got a short-term job with Rentenbach.

She also started taking some architectural, technical, and engineering drawing classes, which was also helping her sketch out her long-term career plans.

She ended up enjoying her work, so when she was called back by Delta, she decided to stay in construction after talking with Rentenbach officials, who said she would always have a career with them. It was a time after her father had died in a car crash and she did not have him to lean on for advice, but it all worked out.

After starting in operations, she eventually began working as a cost estimator, collecting and analyzing all the data regarding materials, costs and time involved in construction projects. It was rewarding but sometimes hectic work, she said, doing everything from getting all the bids from subcontractors in to making sure no materials or items were being left out.

It was sometimes stressful on bid days, but seeing the finished buildings months and years later made it all worthwhile, she said.

"It took me a lot of different places all over the country,” she said. “I worked on a huge variety of jobs from churches to casinos, stadiums to warehouses, hospitals and offices.”

Among the projects in which she has been involved, she said, have been Neyland Stadium and Bristol Motor Speedway upgrades, the Student Union at the University of Tennessee, Mill Creek Elementary in Hardin Valley and a new under-construction Tyner school in Chattanooga. Her first project as lead estimator was the One Centre Square and Two Centre Square buildings in downtown Knoxville.

She has also been involved with some buildings in Christman’s Washington, D.C., office, including the Senate Office Building and the Daughters of the American Revolution Museum. She had begun working for Rentenbach when construction was also taking place on the 1982 World’s Fair in Knoxville.

“We were the construction manager with the World’s Fair and that was a really, really exciting time to be involved,” she said. “The estimating had already been done, but we did a lot of field trips over to the projects to see how they were turning out. It was an exciting time for our company.”

The World’s Fair demonstrated the changing technology, and it was also a time when women’s roles were beginning to change. The whole field was still male dominated when she started, she said.

While she said people from the outside doing business with her company would become a little confused talking to her and wondering if she was the official they needed to talk with, and many times she was the only woman in a meeting, she still enjoyed it all. In fact, she said officials with Rentenbach and later Christman were always welcoming and accepting to her.

“It’s been a good atmosphere to work in,” she said, adding there is no area in construction where women cannot work. “I’ve loved it.”

Frederick, who was also a leader in community service work with Christman, hopes to travel some in her retirement with her husband, Karl Frederick, and stay active with the DAR and her church, Cedar Springs Presbyterian. She will also take some time to relish her rewarding time in construction.

“It gave me a dream career,” she said. “I’ve definitely enjoyed it.”

POWELL

Ex-police officer turns stress reliever into photography business

Al Lesar, Shopper News

When Kelley Talbot had a career in law enforcement in another lifetime, she learned how to deal with the stress.

She’s been doing it long enough to recognize she needs an outlet as a coping mechanism.

That’s where photography comes in.

Talbot was a police officer for 23 years in the suburbs of Chicago. More than two years ago, she retired and headed south to join family in Powell.

But photography wasn’t far behind.

“In the (23) years (as a police officer), I’ve seen some pretty dark crime scenes,” Talbot said. “Photography is my outlet. It’s another way for me to serve the community. I want to help people feel beautiful. It’s very therapeutic for me.”

Using her creative side

Talbot grew up outside Chicago and played softball at a small college in Iowa. She had trouble putting her journalism degree to work, finally landing a job at a very small newspaper in northwest Indiana.

She was a reporter who did it all − report, write the stories and take the photos. She got good at the photo part and started shooting portraits and special events for extra cash.

“That’s the way I was able to use my creative side,” she said. “I learned how to take photos.”

When the newspaper gig didn’t seem to be going anywhere, she decided to follow her dad − who had been a police officer all his life − into law enforcement.

When the Romeoville, Illinois, police hired Talbot, they didn’t realize they were getting a trained photographer.

“If there were any special events in the department, I would shoot them,” Talbot said. “If there was a crime scene, I would shoot it. I’d shoot mug shots of the officers.

“When I go back there, I look on the walls and see most of the pictures there were taken by me.”

Babies, yes; weddings, no

More than two years after her move south, Kelley − and her husband, Sean − have finally decided to move forward with Kelley’s photography business: Kelley Dawn Photography.

They have purchased and renovated a house in South Knoxville to serve as a studio, though she leans toward being outside for her photo shoots.

“I hope to fill my portfolio,” Kelley said. “Right now, it’s got mostly police stuff in it.”

Kelley’s favorite subjects are couples for engagements or gender reveals or babies. Babies are a lot easier to manage than toddlers, who are constantly moving.

Weddings are events she won’t undertake.

“More than 15 years ago, I shot a friend’s son’s wedding,” Kelley said. “That was my gift. I didn’t enjoy one minute of the wedding.”

Another time a co-worker said she had no money to pay Kelley after the wedding had already been shot. Kelley chalked it up to a lesson learned and moved on.

Talbot can be contacted on social media or by going to: https://kelleytalbot.glossgenius.com.

NORTH KNOXVILLE

AMBC volunteers work to refresh Sharp's Ridge trail

Jack Coker, Shopper News

While most of us slept in and enjoyed the beautiful Saturday morning of Feb. 3, one group made the trek to the highest point in the city proper with a mission.

At an elevation of 1,400 feet above sea level, Sharp's Ridge towers over Knoxville. Many people are aware of the ridge as the location of our television and radio transmissions, but it is also hosts a large park with many trails and expansive vistas of our valley.

These trails are maintained by many public/private partnerships made up of citizens who are dedicated to expanding access to our area’s natural features. One such organization is the Appalachian Mountain Bike Club (AMBC).

With 700 members, it is the second-largest chapter of the International Mountain Bicycling Association. They have been a part of our community for 17 years and are always working to promote and develop what Knoxville has dubbed as our “Urban Wilderness.”

Matthew Kellogg, the executive director of AMBC, explained that “we are an organization whose mission is to build and maintain natural surface trails throughout the area, and those trails are used by all user groups, not just mountain bikers.”

To fulfill this mission, AMBC hosts a work day on the first Saturday of each month. For February’s work day, Kellogg announced that AMBC turned its attention to “one particular trail here at Sharp's Ridge, Nightfall, which happens to be a bicycle-specific trail. We are going to do a compete refresh on that trail.

“Every so often we do refresh work on trails all across our community. We have a staff of four trail builders, and an incredible group of volunteers who come out to our events to help us with the work.”

Volunteers can expect a regimented work day. The typical outing lasts from 9 a.m. to noon, with lunch provided. February’s lunch was sponsored by a local shop named Bear Paw Bikes.

The volunteers are not limited to mountain bikers. Kellogg pointed out that “trail runners, walkers, bikers, can all lend a hand in maintaining these trails.”

Maintaining and building trails is not the only way AMBC serves the community. Every day, a member of AMBC designates a red, green, or yellow warning to each trail dependent on its condition.

“That's due to too much moisture,” Kellogg explained. “We are in a freeze-thaw cycle right now, which creates a lot of drainage and erosion problems. What we try to do is educate people on where the best place is to recreate each day.”

Asked why he thinks the work AMBC does is important, Kellogg replied, “I’ve been lucky to be in the outdoors for most of my life and I get a lot of benefit from being outside. I want to be able to share that with other people.

“Trails are a great way to connect people and places. We’ve built a great community here in Knoxville around trails, and it's important for it to continue.”

HALLS

Kraken's Cup tea room owner refused to give up her dream

Al Lesar, Shopper News

Over the past six years, Vallie Prince had several reasons to give up on her dream.

The teahouse Prince had always envisioned was going to be a reality − no matter what.

“I’m tenacious,” Prince said. “I have a great support system. I knew I would make it happen.”

Three times over those six years, Prince was within a day of signing a lease on the “perfect” building for her teahouse. Each time she found out the complete building had been sold.

“I could have been really annoyed,” Prince said. “But each time, I just yelled ‘plot twist.’”

Finally, in December 2022, she and her husband, Aaron, located an empty shell of a building (4815 N. Broadway, Suite 107) with patio seating, lots of windows and plenty of parking.“I was able to build to meet my needs,” she said.

It took a year of making things just right, but The Kraken’s Cup had its soft opening in December and its grand opening in mid-January.

Teahouse a destination

The Kraken’s Cup has a menu of more than 80 teas available. Besides those beverages, a classic afternoon tea service − featuring scones, finger sandwiches and other foods − along with complete lunches that have soups, salads and regular sandwiches add diversity to the offerings.

There will also be additions to the menu from choices the general manager might make along the way.

“Having the afternoon tea service available all day can be tough on the kitchen, but it gives our guests flexibility,” Prince said. “We want to make our teahouse a destination − whether if it’s for a cup of tea while reading a book or an entire event.”

Sunday brunch is in the plans.

Prince, who has worked in the food industry for several years before this, said the Knoxville area has a vibrant “tea community,” which she calls “pretty substantial.”

An owner of more than 700 different teas at her home, Prince teaches tea education classes. There are herbal teas for coffee drinkers and tea-based sodas.

Taking nothing for granted

The Kraken’s Cup name was derived from a story about a mythical sea monster that ended up saving a vessel loaded with tea in a storm.

“I sat down with our branding manager and loved his ideas,” Prince said. “I ran with it. I was able to create a character from the story.”

Prince said she learned not to take anything for granted, when it came starting a restaurant from scratch.

“We had a recipe that called for a can of chickpeas,” Prince said. “We didn’t have a can opener. We needed more mixing bowls. We had a leak in the roof. One of the hinges broke on the swinging kitchen door.”

The Kraken’s Cup will have seating for 64 as well as patio seating once the weather warms. Hours are 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday and 10 a.m-6 p.m. Sunday. The teahouse is closed except for special events Monday and Tuesday.

Info: www.thekrakenscup.com, email info@thekrakenscup.com, or call 865-297-3083.

HALLS

Halls Crossroads Women's League stays involved under new leader

Al Lesar, Shopper News

If something needs to get done in Halls, the Halls Crossroads Women’s League is a group of about 90 women who enjoy taking on a challenge.

“We have members who are like-minded,” said Jan Morris, who recently took over as president of the group. “To be in the group, you have to be service-minded. You have to be committed to do your part.”

Since 2005, the Women’s League has taken on several projects that are critical to the Halls community.

From the recently completed Chili Chowdown, to the weekly Farmers Market from May to October, to the Veterans Day honors, to preparing a book on the community’s history, the Women’s League has an active presence.

For Morris, who didn’t join the group until 2013, she is at home in a leadership role.

“At the end of my working life, I was a manager in a Social Security office,” Morris said. “If I could do that, I could do anything.”

Spotlighting the veterans

Morris’ favorite activity of the year is the Veterans Day festivities in November. She said 53 veterans from Halls were contacted and lined up to be part of a parade in the community. Then, the veterans and their wives were treated to a lunch.

“Just to see how much fun they have in the parade is rewarding enough,” Morris said. “Then, when they come up to us and say they appreciated what we did for them, that’s terrific. We appreciate what they did for us.”

The Farmers Market committee has a lot to consider. Over the course of a summer, more than 100 vendors will register for a booth. From week to week, about 60 actually bring items for sale.

“I spend a lot at the Farmers Market,” Morris said. “I’ve even tried leaving my money in my car. But all that did was force me to go back to the car to get what I need.”

The unique part of the market is the Kids’ Korner. Youngsters do crafts and are given a scavenger hunt that can keep them busy while their parents shop.

Working on a history of Halls

One committee in the structure of the Women’s League is growing. The History Committee has been working almost two years on a book to detail the history of Halls. Morris anticipates the publication of the book in the not-too-distant future.

What’s much farther down the road would be the dawning of the Halls History Museum.

“They’ve established a separate organization (for the history work),” Morris said. “Now, it’s its own nonprofit.”

Leaders of the Women’s League have noticed that the Thomas Hall Cemetery, where the founder of the community is buried, on Rifle Range Road had not been maintained. The organization has assumed control of the groundskeeping.

“It takes a whole organization to make everything work,” said Morris. “We’re just happy when someone tells us ‘we appreciate you doing this.’

“It’s the people who make this community special. We’re growing, but we’re still a tight community.”

For more information on the Halls Crossroads Women’s League, go to: www.halls-crossroads-womens-league.org.

FARRAGUT

Farragut fifth grader’s essay wins third in state

Nancy Anderson, Shopper News

Nancy Claire Johnson, fifth grader at Farragut Intermediate School, got the surprise of her life this January.

She submitted an essay to Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett’s 2024 Civics Essay Contest and won third place in the state in the grade 3-5 division for her essay “Problem Solving: Don’t be Rude.”

The prompt from the state was “How can you solve problems without being mean or rude?”

Johnson took that to heart and wrote about allowing everyone the opportunity to speak and to discuss resolutions to the problem. Everyone should get an equal opportunity to discuss the solution, everyone is heard; collaborate with everyone to fix the problem without being rude or hurt the community.

She also astutely wrote, “Don’t be a bully when solving problems, it just makes things worse.”

Johnson won a trip to the state Capitol this spring and a $100 scholarship from TNStars 529 College Savings Program.

Principal Suzanne Parham said, “Nancy Claire is a wonderful student who takes her classes seriously. She puts everything she has into each assignment. She is dedicated and she wrote the essay herself; no parents were involved. She has a good balance between being a great student and a great friend.

“We’re pursuing the Governors Civic Seal and we want some recognition from the state for social studies and civics. Helping kids understand how government works and who they are as a citizen. The essay contest was part of that journey,” she said.

“We wanted all fourth and fifth grade classes to participate in a civics-based activity that would help them discover the value of problem solving and recognize the importance of their role in society,” added Cody Sipe, science and social studies teacher and civics essay co-chair.

“The social studies teachers collaborated with admin and created an in-house contest for fourth and fifth grade students that modeled the TN State contest. This fostered meaningful student-to-student conversations which actively engaged students in reflecting on their own power to make a positive change. This high level of engagement and reflection helped generate several amazing essays for submission to the state,” Sipe said.

Nancy Claire is the daughter of Jon Mac Johnson and Lori Johnson of Farragut.

Mom Lori said she was excited for her daughter to take third place in the state, and is surprised in some ways, but not surprised in other ways.

“Am I surprised that Nancy Claire’s essay was selected for this award? No and yes. As a parent, I typically think the things my girls do and say are great, and I know that Nancy Claire is a thoughtful and expressive person. On the other hand, it is a pleasant and unexpected surprise that others would see these qualities in her and choose her paper for this award. We’re very proud of her.”

POWELL

Personal loss can't stop mission to put blessings out into world

Al Lesar, Shopper News

Over the last year, Tonya Carter had to put her ministry aside to care for her parents. Her father passed away last December, and she lost her mother in September.

“I’m the oldest of four kids,” said Carter, a Heiskell native. “It was on me to take care of them. I got depressed. The Lord told me to get out of it and get back to what I was doing before.”

What Carter was doing before was a ministry to give expectant mothers and their babies an opportunity to know God and stay clean and warm at the same time.

Over the past few years, Carter had shipped almost 400 baskets all over the country, as well as here in East Tennessee. The 1993 Powell High School grad said those baskets consist of Baby’s First Bible, handmade burp cloths, bibs and crocheted hats, as well as socks or any other items she might include.

“Everything I put in those baskets comes out of my pockets,” Carter said. “I don’t ask for donations, but if someone offers I won’t turn them down.”

An introduction to God

Carter said she is part of various social media groups that can identify expectant mothers. That’s where she makes contact to see if she could send along her blessing basket.

“I just hope that every child and parent gets a blessing from it,” Carter said. “I’m hoping they could use this to get to know God. It’s my way of paying it forward.”

Carter and her husband have three grown daughters and six grandchildren ranging in age from 4 to 12.

“I have time on my hands, so this is my calling,” Carter said. “Nobody wants to know my story. I don’t know of any time I’ve changed the world. I haven’t invented a diet pill.

“I’m thinking that some day I may see that what I did made a difference with maybe one baby or one momma. They all know that at least one person is praying for them to have a safe delivery.”

Good people out there

When she went to area churches for help to defray the costs of the Bibles, Carter was met with negative responses across the board. She was disappointed, but wasn’t deterred. Besides the Bibles and the cost of the material used, there’s also postage to consider.

She happily makes it work without missing a beat.

“God puts ministries on everyone,” Carter said. “He gave me the ability to use my talent for other people. He wants me to make a little hope for someone who might not have any. Maybe someone will get something out of my blessing.”

Carter said she has shipped baskets as far away as Alaska, California and the state of Washington. She puts her mission on Facebook’s “Women Blessing Women” and has received many responses.

“I want people to understand there are good people out there,” Carter said. “I want to show people the love we all should know.”

To contact Carter, go to the “Tiny Blessings by Tonya” Facebook page.

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NORTH KNOXVILLE

Central Cinema offers unique moviegoing experience in Knoxville

Jack Coker, Shopper News

When you visit the movies, you anticipate a dark room, the aroma of popcorn, and perhaps the clicking sound of the projector − well, maybe not that last one, unless you also vividly remember the 1990s.

Today, the cinema landscape is dominated by large multiplexes with 4K digital projectors, operated by a few corporate cinema companies.

Central Cinema, located at 1205 N. Central Street in the Happy Holler neighborhood, could not be any different.

As Knoxville’s only independently owned theater, Central Cinema provides a unique experience for moviegoers. While they do own and use a digital projector, they also enjoy hosting a more authentic cinema experience.

Thanks to the efforts of Janine Winfree, a member of Central Cinema, North Knoxville audiences were treated recently to the classic comedy “Some Like It Hot” starring Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon, projected from an original 16mm celluloid print.

Winfree believes these reels of the film were used by a TV station because “when we were inspecting it we found a lot of splices and fade-outs, which is where they would have put time for commercials.” She was able to save this rare print of the renowned comedy off eBay.

Winfree, who is a part of the Tennessee Archive of Moving Image and Sound (TAMIS), is an active member of Central Cinema. As an independent movie house, it relies not only on ticket sales and concessions to stay afloat, but also on the $89 annual fee that members pay. “It’s a way to show you support the theater,” Winfree explained.

Besides supporting a unique Knoxville business, members also receive $3 off standard ticket prices, as well as other perks.

Central Cinema opened in Happy Holler in 2018, but the space it inhabits has a long history with film.

Built in 1916 as a silent movie house, it became the first theater in what was then Knoxville’s suburbs. In1950 the space was renovated for other uses, but after a successful GoFundMe campaign, the organizers of the Knoxville Horror Film Fest were able to renovate and reopen this historic space as an “eclectic film venue so many less-cool cities already enjoy.”

The full schedule of films can be seen at https://centralcinema865.com.

FARRAGUT

U.S. Navy’s premier band to perform in Knoxville

WASHINGTON - The United States Navy Band will perform a free concert Thursday, Feb. 15 at Farragut High School Auditorium at 7 p.m. All U.S. Navy Band performances are free and open to the public, though this concert requires ticket reservations. Go here for reservations.

As part of the Navy Band’s 2024 national tour, the concert is a family-friendly event, meant to connect community members across the country with their Navy. The U.S. Navy Concert Band is the premier wind ensemble of the U.S. Navy. As the original ensemble of the Navy Band, the Concert Band has been performing public concerts and participating in high-profile events for 98 years. The band performs a wide array of marches, patriotic selections, orchestral transcriptions and modern wind ensemble repertoire.

One of the U.S. Navy Band’s core responsibilities involves touring the country. All of the band’s primary performing units embark each year on concert tours throughout specified regions of the country, allowing the band to reach out to audiences in areas of the country that do not have opportunities to see the Navy's premier musical ensembles on a regular basis. The concerts are family-friendly events, meant to be entertaining to veterans, families, individuals and those interested in joining the Navy.

OPINION

A walk in the park and a reminder to smile

Leslie Snow, Shopper News

I didn’t know how to mark the occasion. I didn’t know if I needed to give my mom a gift or just write a simple card. I didn’t know if I should take her out to lunch or ignore the day completely.

It was hard to know how to remember my father on the one-year anniversary of his death.

I found myself at a roadside nursery on that difficult morning looking for a plant that would send the right message. A plant that said, “I’m sorry this year has been so hard, but spring is coming.” A plant that promised renewal with fresh buds and early blossoms.

But in the end, I didn’t buy anything. I couldn’t get the image out of my head of the sad, unloved flowers I see at funerals. I didn’t want the plant to be a sorrowful reminder of what we’d lost. I wanted to do something or buy something that would help us remember my dad with love and joy.

Empty-handed, I pulled out of the nursery and called my mother. I didn’t know what I was going to say until the words came out of my mouth, but once they were spoken, they seemed right.

“Let’s go to the park together and take a short walk,” I said after a quick hello. “We can tell stories about Dad and enjoy the sunshine.”

“That sounds perfect,” she said with a lilt in her voice. And I could tell by her response that she’d been struggling with how to spend her time on a day that seemed ordinary but really wasn’t.

A few minutes later, we were walking the short loop around McFee Park and talking about my dad’s humor and his love of nature. I told my mother that I think of him every day when I hike. “I know he’d be happy that I stop to examine the ferns and to talk to the trees.” My mom squeezed my hand. “He really would,” she said softly. “He always reminded us to stop and smell the roses.”

We sat on a park bench for a few minutes to catch our breath and to watch the children playing in the grass. We saw a family approach with a new puppy straining against its leash.

“Do you think your dog would like to stop for a visit?” I called out, knowing a puppy sighting would brighten my mom’s day.

Maybe they sensed our need, because they stopped and put the puppy on my mother’s lap. Her face lit up while she stroked its soft fur. “Aren’t you a sweet thing,” she said with a genuine smile on her face.

We made one more loop around the track before my mom got tired. But it was a good kind of tired. We got to talk about my dad with joy mixed with our sorrow. We got to laugh about his larger-than-life personality and his terrible puns. We got to feel the warmth of the sun and to hold a puppy.

“Thank you for that,” my mom said on the drive back to her house. And I knew she was thanking me for more than just a quick walk in the park.

I was glad then that I didn’t buy her a plant or a bouquet of flowers that morning. We marked a painful one-year anniversary in a way that honored my father and helped us feel closer to him, a way that reminded us that it’s OK to smile again.

Leslie Snow may be reached at snow column@aol.com.

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