Shopper Blog: Celebrate July 4 with Knoxville Symphony at World's Fair Park
NORTH KNOXVILLE
Celebrate July 4 with Knoxville Symphony at World's Fair Park
Carol Z. Shane, Shopper News
Our nation’s 247th birthday is fast approaching, and many Knoxvillians will be headed to the biggest, most spectacular party in town − the 39th annual free Pilot Company Independence Day Concert by the Knoxville Symphony in World’s Fair Park.
This year’s program features two very gifted special guests.
Nationally known as an inspiring motivational poet, Rhea Carmon was named Knoxville Poet Laureate in August of 2020.
She is the founder of The 5th Woman Cohort, a collective of spoken word artists who workshop and perform their poetry under Carmon’s guidance, and is the author of four books, including “Through the Clouds,” which addresses her battle with multiple sclerosis, diagnosed in 2014.
Carmon often says that poetry saved her life. She works with schools and organizations to present programs intended to motivate and inspire audiences.
Singer Michael Rodgers is well known in Knoxville and beyond for his rich bass-baritone voice and engaging personality.
A 30-year veteran of the Knox County Schools system, he is currently a special education teacher at Maynard Elementary School and South Knoxville Elementary School. In January 2020, he was awarded both the Phi Beta Sigma Jimmy Hammock Sigma Brother of the Year award and the Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Commission’s 2020 Arts Award.
“I feel so blessed to once again share the stage with Rhea and Michael, two of Knoxville’s most gifted artists,” said KSO music director and conductor Aram Demirjian.
Rodgers frequently appears as a vocalist in benefit concerts, and his big-scale concert performances include engagements with the Knoxville Opera, Symphony of the Mountains, the Knoxville MLK Commission Choir, the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera, and previous appearances with the KSO.
He holds a B.A. from Knoxville College and an M.M. from the University of Tennessee, and also serves on the board of directors with the Knoxville Opera, the Joy of Music School, the former Wesley Foundation, Sigma Beta Club, East TN National Panhellenic Council, Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity and Knoxville College National Alumni Association.
Carmon and Rodgers will join the KSO on the second half of the concert.
This year, the KSO honors American history through orchestral music, poetry and song.
The audience will enjoy selections from notable American musicals, marches by John Philip Sousa, timeless patriotic classics and a special tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in honor of the upcoming 60th anniversary of the March on Washington.
The concert concludes with a dazzling fireworks display.
The KSO’s partners for the concert are the City of Knoxville, Pilot Company and WBIR-TV Channel 10. The concert also will be broadcast live on WBIR-TV.
The 39th annual free Pilot Company Independence Day Concert, part of the City of Knoxville’s Festival on the Fourth celebration, happens at 8 p.m. July 4 on the World’s Fair Park Performance Lawn. No tickets are necessary to attend. Guests are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and picnic blankets. Find event details at knoxvillesymphony.com/concert/pilot-company-independence-day-performance.
WEST KNOXVILLE
Chef Ron Tulotta spreads culinary joy with mozzarella-making classes
Nancy Anderson, Shopper News
Chef Ron Tulotta, owner of Butcher and Bear, said he loves to share food and artisan kitchen secrets. He is bringing community together with his mozzarella-making class at Sunago Coffee Company in Hardin Valley.
“I love holding these classes; I really get to keep my creativity cap on,” Tulotta said. “It’s not so much about making the mozzarella for me, it’s about bringing people together to enjoy the food.
“Couples are looking for things to do to get out, and I’ve made a nice night for them.”
Tulotta’s classes are gaining popularity. He’s had several requests for private parties and other venues. Even the East Tennessee Historical Society is seeking his talents.
He started making mozzarella at home, but in order to make it he has to buy 20 pounds of mozzarella curd at a time. That’s a lot of mozzarella for a small family. He gave some to the neighbors. One asked him to hold a private class for her and her friends. Tulotta did that and everyone had a blast; he knew he had to offer this class to others.
Tulotta said he can’t find freshly made mozzarella in Tennessee, but in New York he can find freshly made cheese in many shops.
Tulotta is from Brooklyn, New York, where he learned at an early age how to make mozzarella at his large family’s Italian meat and cheese market, established in the 1940s by his grandfather.
“The strongest memories for me are waking up on a holiday morning and my dad would have made fresh mozzarella for the evening meal. There was always plenty for me and my brothers to nibble on in the morning.”
Mozzarella is just fun to make. It’s very elastic. Tulotta’s guests seem to love the stretching part of the process to see who can stretch their mozzarella the farthest. Stretching is how the mozzarella becomes silky.
Tulotta usually makes around 30 pounds of mozzarella per class. He used a pre-made curd from Grande Cheese. Making the curd for so many people is just too time consuming.
“Grande Cheese is especially well known for their cheeses around New York and New Jersey; it’s the best there is.”
The next class is scheduled for 6 p.m. July 8 at Sunago Coffee Company. Class size is limited to 20, but Tulotta doesn’t say “no” to a few extra guests.
According to Tulotta, there have been some changes at Butcher and Bear. Tulotta had to stop making charcuterie boards because of the demand of his ful-time job. He is redesigning his website to include events such as clam bakes and home parties.
“I want to have theme parties in people’s homes and do high-end catering like steak parties, pig roasts and clam bakes. I have the menus designed, and the website is coming along.”
It is still his dream to have an artisan retail market, but he is looking for just the right business partner.
To register for classes, visit Butcher and Bear on Facebook.
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POWELL
Salon owner believes in 'natural beauty'
Al Lesar, Shopper News
It was one of those days.
Denise Sawicki, a trained hydrafacialist, was completely out of her element while replacing the floor at her new studio.
She was at a big box store, wrestling with fitting the replacement flooring into her car.
It wasn’t working.
“Two guys from a plumbing company told me to throw it in their truck and they’d take it over,” Sawicki said. “It was so nice. It was something I needed right about then.”
Once she got the flooring installed, as well as a new toilet, sink and other necessities in place, she recently opened Simply Stated Beauty (1730 W. Emory Road) in Powell.
Sawicki’s business actually started eight years ago in the central valley of California. It focused on the beauty of skin using all-natural elements.
“(The help from the plumbers) never would have happened in California,” Sawicki said. “There’s too much hustle and bustle for people to care. Here, people are a lot more focused on community.”
Aging gracefully
This is Sawicki’s one-woman crusade to make an impact in the beauty industry.
“I always felt it’s easy to get lost in the beauty industry,” she said. “We’re losing sight of our natural beauty.
“Every face tells a story. Natural beauty is important. I want people to know they’re beautiful just the way they are.”
She said that people in the business have called her approach a breath of fresh air.
“The younger generation is told they have to look a certain way,” Sawicki said. “The older generation can feel comfortable in their own skin. This is a way to age gracefully.”
Sawicki said gel manicures, facials and hydrafacials will be the prominent services she will offer. Once she earns her Tennessee license, therapeutic and relaxation massage will be options.
‘Watch me’
Sawicki, her husband and four children (ages 19, 16, 12 and 3) moved to East Tennessee in September 2022, to be closer to family. About that same time she was told by her doctors to close the business and focus on her health.
She had developed serious lung issues after living in a house with toxic mold. She was given a life expectancy of three to five years. She’s in Year 5 right now.
“People doubted me being able to have a business,” Sawicki said. “I said, ‘Watch me.’ The doctors said I wouldn’t have more than five years to live. I said, ‘Watch me.’
“I’ve always had that prove-people-wrong mentality. Maybe it was because I was a tomboy who was short (5-foot-1). I’ve had a lifetime of people making me feel like I was not enough.”
She said she inherited the strong faith of her mother that has carried her through some of the difficult situations.
“I just want my clients to know that I’m as invested in them as they are in me,” Sawicki said. “Trust never has been something that I take for granted.”
Sawicki said she will handle clients by appointment only Monday through Saturday. To make a reservation, contact Sawicki through Simply Stated Beauty on Instagram, or call (209) 275-4037.
NORTH KNOXVILLE
With array of services, Skin Cleric values self-acceptance the most
Carol Z. Shane, Shopper News
The Skin Cleric, on Whittle Springs Road just down from Belle Morris Elementary, offers a wide range of services for the care and enhancement of your body’s largest organ: your skin.
“I offer pretty much anything that the state of Tennessee will allow me to do!” says its owner, Castle Greene. Facials, including mechanical and medical facials as well as the more pampering, luxurious type; body waxing, including intimate waxing; makeup; permanent cosmetics such as eyeliner, eyebrow tattoo and lip blush tattooing – Greene is licensed to provide them all at affordable prices, with cruelty-free, ethically sourced products.
In business since November of 2021, Greene has been an aesthetician for almost 10 years. She moved to Knoxville right after graduation from Heritage High School and promptly enrolled in the Douglas J. Aveda Institute on Gay Street.
“I was still living in Walland and had two part-time jobs,” says Greene. “It was an hour’s drive. My start as an aesthetician was like running on empty – go, go, go! I have a really strong work ethic.
“I went into aesthetics thinking I was going to be a certified makeup artist. Although I do love makeup and still do makeup services to this day, I fell in love with the spa setting. It’s a relaxed environment to the client, but behind the scenes it’s never boring. It was a job that would never leave me understimulated.
“Throughout my years of experience, I’ve worked in pretty much every spa there is, and I’ve done a lot of makeup services, especially with prom and formal events. Working with teenage girls and boys was always really fun, too – guiding them in their self-esteem. I have quite a few teen clients that are children of my adult clients.”
Greene endeavors to nurture self-esteem and self-acceptance in every client, regardless of age. Some older clients, she says, ask her if she thinks they “need” certain procedures. I tell them, ‘Well, you don’t need anything because you’re perfect the way you are. But if you want me to help you with something, I can.’ I really care about self-esteem. Talking to yourself better.”
And she wants all to feel welcome. “I really care that people feel like they’re coming to a friend’s house, no matter their gender, their religion, their skin color. I’m passionate about including; sometimes in the South it can be un-inclusive. I want to keep my surroundings as comfortable to everybody as possible.”
Business is good. “I’m so grateful for it. I’m overwhelmed every year that it gets better. It’s a dream come true, honestly, that something I’ve worked so hard on is being received so well.”
And the name of her business? “There’s a nerdy backstory,” she says. “I had a Dungeons & Dragons friend group. We met once a week; I played a cleric, a healer, who receives her power from a higher power. I fell in love with this character. And I made an Instagram with that title: ‘I am the skin cleric.’ I heal and help anyone I can. I’ve always been into medieval lore – castles, dragons, princesses.”
Considering her own name, that affinity doesn’t seem surprising.
The Skin Cleric is at 2819 Whittle Springs Road. To make an appointment, visit vagaro.com/theskincleric/book-now.
POWELL
Workout Anytime Powell wins best-franchise award
Al Lesar, Shopper News
Love on everyone who walks in the door and keep the place clean.
Beyond that, everything will take care of itself.
John Heifner, 52, who with his wife, Gina, 50, opened Workout Anytime a dozen years ago, had a simple blueprint for success.
But it’s hard to argue with something that has worked for more than a decade.
The Heifners and their staff of 13 (who also work at their club in Halls) recently got validation for their business model when they were the recipient of the 2023 Workout Anytime Franchise of the Year Legacy Club.
“A legacy club is one that has been around for at least five years,” Heifner said. “It’s easy to have a brand new club all shiny and looking good. But with a club like ours, it’s made me think that (corporate owners) notice that we’re still relevant. This award meant a lot to all of us.”
The Powell location, which features 2,450 members, was acknowledged as the best among the 184 Workout Anytime franchises in the world.
‘No turning back’
In 2010, John, who was in management, and Gina were both registered nurses. They left the profession and, despite the precarious financial times as a recession was ending, went all-in to buy the franchise as a retirement option.
“There was no turning back,” said Heifner. “We had done our homework. We were convinced Powell was a community that supported its local businesses.”
They opened their location at 3547 W. Emory Road with tanning equipment, hydromassage, weight equipment and plenty of rooms for classes.
“From the first day, we stressed to our employees that the gym and the equipment had to be hospital-grade clean,” Heifner said. “There weren’t really any affordable places to go to a gym. We offered $15 memberships without a long-term contract. Everything with us went month-to-month.”
The unique feature of Workout Anytime is the “anytime.” Heifner guessed that one-third of the members utilize the after-hours availability because of work or life constraints. Each member is given an identification card and a key fob to gain entrance.
Listen to members
Some lessons that Heifner learned along the way would go a long way toward helping the next young entrepreneur in starting a franchise.
“You have to be prepared to spend more money than you think at the start,” he said. “It’s just like when you buy a house. It’s always going to cost more than you think.
“Listen to what members tell you. I’m in the club often. Members know who I am. I have an open door.”
Up until a few years ago, the corporate leadership didn’t allow squat racks, heavy dumbbells and deadlift equipment. Heifner said they didn’t want to encourage body building and the culture that went with it. Heifner had several members ask for that. He appealed that he might be a trial gym for the equipment.
The trial went well, and now that equipment is mandatory in all franchises.
Heifner said, despite closing for six weeks, his club weathered the pandemic well.
“Our members knew our gym was going to be clean because it was clean before COVID,” he said. “We kept paying our employees while we were closed. That set us up for a great rebound. A lot of owners talked to us about how we got back on track so well.”
OPINION
War against nature ends badly
Leslie Snow, Shopper News
It’s strange how it works. It’s a paradox, really.
Because when I’m driving down the winding road that leads to my neighborhood, I’m full of love for all the creatures of the forest. Even with a car riding my bumper, compelling me to go faster, I drive at a snail’s pace just in case a deer darts onto the road. The thought of killing one of those sweet, majestic animals is too horrible to contemplate.
And when I’m lucky enough to spot a herd grazing peacefully in a field, I stop my car to take in the picturesque sight. Some days, I roll down my window to talk to the deer, to let them know they’re my friends. “You’re beautiful,” I call to them. “I would never hurt you.” And I swear I can see them relax. They know they’re safe with me.
But then, something shifts. I pull into my driveway and all those warm, fuzzy feelings vanish. I become something I don’t recognize, something terrible; a madman, Voldemort, a person who doesn’t cry when Bambi’s mother dies. Because even though I love the deer, we are at war. I spend my days devising new, dastardly strategies to keep them out of my garden.
And who could blame me?
First, they came for my hydrangeas, eating the buds before they had a chance to flower. Then they took the leaves and stems, killing a few of the freshly planted shrubs along the way.
Then they came for the coral bells and the pretty sweet potato vines draping over my planter.
But when they took the begonias and the nandinas, they went too far. I had to respond. Because even a sweet, doe-eyed enemy is an enemy.
I bought garlic-minty-menthol balls and scattered them through the beds. When that didn’t work, I purchased ready-to-use deer repellent spray chock-full of “putrescent whole egg solids.”
And as putrid as those egg solids were, they didn’t keep those hungry foes away. So, I went high-tech.
I bought 24 ultrasonic stakes that beep loudly when an animal is nearby. I purchased eight alien looking things with big round eyes that chitter and buzz constantly. But the only animal that seemed bothered by all the beeping and buzzing is my dog, Buttercup. She’s afraid to go outside now.
I thought the real low point in my war on deer (WOD) was when I started covering my plants with mesh food-covers every afternoon then removing them again in the morning. But I was wrong.
The real low point came when I was out in the hot sun spreading crystallized coyote urine over my two-acre back yard. Now I understand where the saying “war is hell” comes from.
Then, late yesterday afternoon, I took a book and a glass of wine out on my back deck. I had hoped to relax in the canopy after a long hard day of plotting the demise of the world’s sweetest animals.
But when I looked out at my backyard, I saw a sea of white mesh food covers instead of flowers and greenery. My backyard, my sanctuary, smelled like coyote urine and putrescent eggs and sounded like the set of a gameshow. Show her what she’s won, Carol!
I knew then I’d lost my war with the deer. I can’t keep up with the spraying and I can’t live with the noise or the odor. Try as I might, I can’t tame Mother Nature. So I Googled “deer resistant shade plants,” downed my wine, and retreated to the safety of my living room.
Leslie Snow may be reached at snow column@aol.com.
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