Issuu

O C TO B E R 2 02 1

Tennessee Valley Hunt and the Thrill of the Chase

F O O D + B E V E R AG E G E T I NSPI RED BY EU PH O RI C C H EESE SH O P OWN ERS A MY AN D C H ERI P R O F E S S I O N A L S E RV I C E S Q& A WI T H M ARC US B L AI R E D U C ATI O N T I P S O N AP PLY I N G FO R T EN N ES SEE PRO M ISE

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• Real Estate Law

• Immigration

We are here to serve as friends, allies, loyal and trusted advisors during what is often a difficult time for our clients, their families or their business.

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LIFESTYLE LETTER

OCTOBER 2021 PUBLISHER

Marc Rochelson marc.rochelson@lifestylepubs.com

Ah, Autumn! IN ANNE OF GREEN GABLES, L.M. Montgomery writes, “I am so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” We couldn’t agree more. Spring may be some level of competition for the prettiest season in East Tennessee, but Autumn wins every time.

EDITORIAL COORDINATOR

Jennie Treadway-Miller jennie.miller@lifestylepubs.com AD DESIGNER

Evan Deuvall L AYO UT DESIGNER

Zane Smith CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

The countryside is even more beautiful on horseback, and the Tennessee Valley Hunt Club knows this. We talked to professional huntsman Ryan Johnsey this month to learn more about what the TVH is and what they do. When a club is all about the dogs, it’s hard to resist.

Amy Campbell-Rochelson, Anna Graham, Paul James, Jack Neely, Mital Patel, Esq., J. William Waltman, Jr., CFP®, CPA CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Pedro Mendoza, Rachel Wilhelm, Laura Pierpont

We also interviewed Amy Burritt and Cheri Intveld, co-owners of Euphoric Cheese Shop in Farragut. Good gracious, what a year they’ve had! If you’re interested in a charcuterie board, please stop by the shop and peruse. (Trust us.) But if you’re in need of some personal inspiration, read the story and learn what resilience is all about. If you need help automating your business, then meet Marcus Blair and learn more about Omega Digital Solutions in our Q&A with him. He may have the answers you’ve been looking for.

CORPORATE TEAM CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Steven Schowengerdt CHIEF SALES OFFICER Matthew Perry CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER DeLand Shore

Finally, as always, we are pleased to share with you the words and wisdom from

ART DIRECTOR Sara Minor

our partners. We have more historical photos from Knoxville History Project, finan-

OPERATIONS DIRECTOR Janeane Thompson

cial and legal advice from PYA Waltman and TriAmicus, and Anna Graham, Hardin

AD MANAGER Chad Jensen

Valley Academy’s School Counselor for College & Career, is back with some tidbits

REGIONAL SALES DIRECTOR Eric Williams

about Tennessee Promise and getting your college-bound senior ready to go.

WEB APPLICATIONS Michael O’Connell

If you have story suggestions, we’d love to hear from you. Our inbox is open. Happy October, everyone! May all your autumnal wishes come true. 514 W 26TH ST., KANSAS CITY, MO

Marc Rochelson and Amy Campbell-Rochelson, Publisher

ON THE COVER Professional Huntsman Ryan Johnsey of Tennessee Valley Hunt

PHOTOGRAPHY BY LAURA C. PIERPONT 4

West Knoxville Lifestyle | October 2021

CityLifestyle.com/WestKnoxville

Proverbs 3:5-6 West Knoxville Lifestyle™ is published monthly by Lifestyle Publications LLC. It is distributed via the US Postal Service to some of the West Knoxville area’s most affluent neighborhoods. Articles and advertisements do not necessarily reflect Lifestyle Publications’ opinions. No portion of this magazine may be reproduced in any form without written consent. Lifestyle Publications does not assume responsibility for statements made by advertisers or editorial contributors. Information in West Knoxville Lifestyle™ is gathered from sources considered to be reliable, but the accuracy of all information cannot be guaranteed.

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INSIDE THE ISSUE OCTOBER 2021

FEATURES 12 What is Tennessee Promise? And Should Your Senior Apply?

14 Life 101: Expect the Unexpected A Lesson on Strength, Resilience, and Cheese

18 The Thrill of the Chase Tennessee Valley Hunt Takes to the Fields

24 Q&A With Marcus Blair An Intro to Omega Digital Solutions

12 24

DEPARTMENTS 4

Lifestyle Letter

Around Town

Local Experiences

Our Contributors

Inspired By

24 Local Limelight 26 Locally Owned 28 Times Past 32 Financial Buzz 34 Legal Compass

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X-HUNGER PEP RALLIES FOR THE VOLS A new and innovative program, the XHunger Club allows high school and college students the ability to attain service hours while helping end hunger in America. Other individuals and businesses can also work with XHunger to achieve this goal. The XHunger Club simply locates a food pantry, understands their mission and then volunteers & supports that pantry. The XHunger Tour is a series of events and entertainment to benefit local food pantries and food banks. All events serve as educational opportunities on the issue of food insecurity in our region and the opportunity to connect local services with the community members. Join XHunger on Fridays to cheer on the Volunteers at the Food City Pep Rallies from 3 p.m.-6 p.m.: Oct. 8: 6710 Malone Creek Drive (Schaad Road) for UT vs South Carolina Oct. 15: 7608 Mountain Grove Drive (Mountain Grove) for UT vs Ole Miss Nov. 12: 7350 Clinton Highway (Powell) for UT vs Georgia Learn more at XHunger.com

TOWNSEND GRAIN & GRITS FESTIVAL ON NOVEMBER 6 The Townsend Grains & Grits Festival

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OUR CONTRIBUTORS

W H AT I S TE N N E S S E E PROMISE?

AND SHOULD YOUR SENIOR APPLY?

01 Tennessee Promise is a scholarship and mentorship program, providing an opportunity to attend community college (such as Pellissippi State or Roane State) or a technical college (such as TCAT Knoxville) FREE of tuition and mandatory fees. It is a “last-dollar” scholarship, meaning

Anna Graham is a School Counselor for College & Career at Hardin Valley Academy.

that it covers tuition and fees not covered by the Pell grant, the HOPE scholarship, or TSAA funds. If your student is not HOPE eligible (3.0 unweighted GPA by the time they graduate OR a 21 composite score on the ACT), the Tennessee Promise scholarship will make up the difference. The deadline to apply is November 1.

Students often tell me, “I’m going to use Tennessee Promise to go to community college

ARTICLE ANNA GRAHAM

for a year while I figure things out, and then

To maintain eligibility for TN Promise, you’ll have to complete the FAFSA each year (StudentAid.gov) as well as eight hours of community service each semester. You will track this through your TN Achieves account (go to TNAchieves.org to learn more).

I’ll transfer to a four-year.” Be careful with this

The TN Achieves website is filled with great resources

approach, as you may lose out on transfer schol-

for students and parents. I suggest you check out the

arships, which usually require an A.S. or A.A.

student and parent handbooks, as well as help with

degree from a community college for eligible

completing the FAFSA, and community resources. You’ll

students. Check out TNTransferPathway.org for

be receiving emails from TN Achieves often -- they are

transfer pathways between community colleges

here to assist you with the process. Good luck, and con-

and colleges and universities.

gratulations as you plan for your next steps!

West Knoxville Lifestyle | October 2021

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ARTICLE AND PHOTOGRAPHY JENNIE TREADWAY-MILLER

INSPIRED BY

L I F E 101: E X PE C T T H E U N E X PE C T E D 14

West Knoxville Lifestyle | October 2021

Euphoric Cheese Shop owners Cheri Intveld and Amy Burritt

A LESSON ON STRENGTH, RESILIENCE, AND CHEESE

IT’S LATE AUGUST, AND I’M DOING A PHONE INTERVIEW WITH EUPHORIC CHEESE SHOP CO-OWNERS AND MICHIGAN NATIVES AMY BURRITT AND CHERI INTVELD. I’ve just confessed to them that despite my 20-plus years as a journalist, I’m not sure how to take running a specialty cheese shop and battling breast cancer and work them into the same article. “I don’t know how to make these two things intersect,” I say. Amy laughs, then replies, “We didn’t see these two things intersecting, but here we are.” “During a pandemic, no less!” I add. “Right! During a pandemic," she says. "It’s a trifecta.” Trifecta indeed. The timeline is worth noting here. Amy left her marketing job in May 2020 and started daydreaming about what might be next. Her parents are long-time specialty food shop owners, so the seed for that profession was planted years ago. She and Cheri, long-time friend and business partner, brainstormed the idea CONTINUED >

CityLifestyle.com/WestKnoxville

INSPIRED BY (CONTINUED)

and agreed that, yes, they did want to open and run a specialty cheese shop in Farragut. That was July 2020. Then Amy, 37, found a lump in her breast and, at Cheri’s urging, went for a mammogram. By August, one month after deciding on what would become Euphoric Cheese Shop, Amy underwent a double mastectomy. Undeterred, the women signed their rental lease in November 2020 and opened in February 2021. Then, on April 1, Cheri went for a mammogram as a follow-up to a lump she found in her breast. The irony of the date isn’t lost on her. “I did a self-exam in the fall and didn’t think anything of it. I mean, it couldn’t be cancer. Amy just had cancer. The likelihood —” Cheri pauses. “I thought, ‘How could this be cancer? What are the odds?’” The odds weren’t in her favor. Two months after opening Euphoric Cheese Shop, and eight months after Amy’s double mastectomy, amid a pandemic, Cheri was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer, the kind that requires another type of trifecta: chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation. To date, Cheri is about three-quarters of the way through chemo and starting to think about surgery. And yet, they are also thinking about cheese. “I don’t know if this translates to other people, but we have a strange mantra — cheese, cancer, cheese, cancer. We’re both still working. We’re ordering wheels of cheese in between treatments,” says Amy. “We always talked about opening a business, and we were amazed that in that first month we had loyal customers right away. We had people who’d come every Friday night and get a charcuterie board because that became their new tradition. It was touching to be welcomed so quickly and warmly, and it went to a whole new level when Cheri was diagnosed.” They haven’t shied away from sharing their individual and collective stories about breast cancer, even as they help new customers pick and choose from their 75 (to 100) types of cheeses in the shop. “The support has been amazing. Every week, if not every day, someone comes in and asks how she’s doing,” says Amy. “We announced it on our social media and people started bringing in gifts. We’ve been floored.”

West Knoxville Lifestyle | October 2021

Euphoric Cheese is that kind of place though, where the casual customer can peruse, ask ques-

two cancer diagnoses, but that wasn’t what Amy and Cheri had in mind.

tions, and sample a few things while also checking

“I think once we felt at peace about the idea

in on the health of the owners. This is what it means

and the timeline, we just wanted to keep moving

to be a neighborhood shop, where relationships are

forward. And in some ways, being able to work

created and trust is built. What begins with a ques-

on the shop was a great way to focus my energy

tion about different types of Swiss cheese can lead

on something other than cancer,” says Amy. “In

to leaving handwritten notes of encouragement in a

fact, building the wooden shelves that we use to

box at the checkout counter.

display products in our shop was a good form of

“When someone walks in and they’re over-

physical therapy for me.”

whelmed, we start asking questions. If they say

On Saturday, October 23, Amy and Cheri will be

they like a sharp cheddar, then they can handle

donating 20 percent of all sales and tips to Breast

certain flavors. We offer samples to see if we’re

Connect, a local nonprofit that provides resources

going in the right direction,” says Amy. “It’s a

and support to women in the area who are battling

service that we provide to help people figure out

breast cancer. Breast Connect has been hugely ben-

what they enjoy but also develop the vocabulary

eficial to both women over the last year. Euphoric

to use so they can say what they like.”

Cheese Shop is located in Farragut off Kingston Pike

Other folks may have put off the opening of a business during a pandemic and certainly during

in The West End shopping center (behind Buddy’s BBQ). Learn more at EuphoricCheese.com. CityLifestyle.com/WestKnoxville

THE THRILL OF T H E CH A SE Photo by Jennie Treadway-Miller

Photo by Jennie Treadway-Miller

TENNESSEE VALLEY HUNT TAKES TO THE FIELDS

West Knoxville Lifestyle | October 2021

Photo by Rachel Wilhelm

ARTICLE JENNIE TREADWAY-MILLER

Photo by Laura Pierpont

AT FIRST GLANCE, ONE MIGHT THINK A LOCAL

work of the hounds,” says Ryan. “For me, I can live the rest

HUNTING CLUB OUTING RESULTS IN A PHOTO

of my life watching the hounds be real and true.”

OF SPOILS: HUNTERS POSED WITH THEIR RIFLES

The typical result of a hunt is chasing a fox back to its

ALONGSIDE AN ARRAY OF THE ANIMALS THEY'VE

den or running a coyote to the limits of the property and

KILLED. However, that’s a photo you’ll never see from

letting it go. There is the infrequent catch of a coyote,

the Tennessee Valley Hunt, a registered group with

but that’s usually at the request of a farmer who’s asked

Master of Foxhounds Association and collection of

the hunt club to come on his land and catch the coyote

equestrians who show up for tradition, camaraderie, and

who’s killing his livestock.

the thrill of the chase.

“I’ll look for farmers with large tracts of land and reach

From September to March, TVH members are led on

out to them to establish hunting permission. We need

various hunts by Master of Foxhound and professional

about 1,000 acres,” says Ryan. “The farmers we service

huntsman Ryan Johnsey and his pack of Penn-Marydels,

appreciate what we do. There’s no farmer around here

a specific breed of foxhound known for their nose and

who doesn’t have a coyote problem.”

voice. (“Penn-Marydel” is the mash-up of Pennsylvania,

Tennessee Valley Hunt is a 501(c)(7) organization - a

Maryland, and Delaware, pulled from the eastern shore

social nonprofit - so it’s not without other thrills. Though

where this foxhound was bred.)

the group is built upon the long-standing tradition of fox

Despite the terminology, fox hunting is primarily an

hunting and its appreciation for the dogs, TVH doesn’t

equestrian sport where the horses and riders follow the

skimp on social hour or its endeavor to conserve the

dogs as they track a scent. When the chase is on, off they

remaining open spaces in East Tennessee. In between

go. Ryan keeps command of the dogs with his horn, but

dinners at Blackberry Farm, trail rides in the summer-

the hounds always have the right-of-way. After all, they

time, and joint meets with other regional hunt clubs,

are the stars of the show.

Ryan is communicating with local farmers and scoping

“They seek out the fox or coyote, and the hounds pick

out available open spaces for hunts.

up the scent themselves. We’re bloodthirsty in our pursuit,

However, on a daily basis, Ryan is taking care of the

but we’re not hanging dead bodies out. It’s the natural

dogs (and six horses) at his property in New Market. CONTINUED >

CityLifestyle.com/WestKnoxville

THE THRILL OF THE CHASE (CONTINUED)

Ryan grew up in northern Virginia, about 50 miles

There’s an eight-year average in hunt years, so if a

west of Washington DC, surrounded by open

hound is slowing down and we have rough country

farmland. Much of that land has now been subur-

and a rigorous hunt, I’ll move the hound around

banized, but at the time, Ryan got into fox hunting

to a less rigorous land because he still has value.

alongside his aunt, uncle, and father, and eventually

Sometimes I keep a hound in retirement or a sub-

landed an apprenticeship as a Whipper-In.

scriber will take them as a house dog.”

“Like the person who whips votes for Congress,

Subscribers, or members of TVH, have several

a whipper-in is the eyes and ears of the hunts-

options when joining the group, as the different

man, looking for fox or coyote, keeping tabs on

membership levels parallel their interests. Some

the hounds, and helping the hunt,” he says. “I was

are keen to ride and watch the hounds perform

a professional whipper for seven years for two

from the front row, while other equestrians prefer

huntsmen and eventually wanted to expand my

the social aspect of the club and are fine to watch

professional growth, so I came down here eight

the hunt from further back. There’s even a third

years ago. Over time, since I’ve been in Tennessee,

level of participation — the hilltoppers — which is

I took a leadership position as the master of the

for folks who are there for the view.

club and still maintain professional huntsman.”

“Your riding ability doesn’t prevent you from par-

With that comes the tending of the dogs, every-

ticipating, but you should already be an equestrian if

thing from daily exercise to overseeing breeding

you want to get into foxhunting,” says Ryan. “Hunting

and training. There are currently 60 or so hounds

is a big culture in East Tennessee, and if you can tap

in the kennel of varying ages and stages of readi-

into that market and make people who aren’t horse

ness. In keeping with the standards of the Master

people feel welcome, you make friends and find

of Foxhounds Association, the governing body

more open space. Open space is the biggest con-

of the sport, Ryan takes the breeding and care

cern for keeping the sport alive. We’re constantly

of his dogs seriously. He names them, watches

working on landowner relationships. It’s important

their personalities flourish, learns their habits, and

to embrace the whole hunting community.”

knows when it’s time for a hound to move from hunter to couch surfer.

For more information about mounted fox hunting

“We have one or two litters a year, which gives

or if you have a potential hunt county that might

me 10 to 15 new foxhounds. We don’t breed for

accommodate the hunt, please email Honorary

profit, so we’re only breeding hounds to serve our

Secretary, Madison Walker. Mady@KnoxTrailer.

pack,” he says. “We keep the generations balanced.

com or visit TVHFox.com

West Knoxville Lifestyle | October 2021

Photo by Jennie Treadway-Miller

Photo by Laura Pierpont

CityLifestyle.com/WestKnoxville

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TION TO COMPUTERS AND TECHNOLOGY. WAS IT LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT? Honestly, no, it wasn’t. Naturally, I’m more of an analyst than a techie, and I don’t particularly enjoy tech just for its own sake. At its core, technology is just a new, novel way to solve some problem, and I’ve always been able to take a complicated problem with lots of moving pieces and break it down into its component parts. Technology is a wonderful tool, but it’s not the only one. It’s 100% useless if people either don’t understand or don’t want to use it. It has to start with people. I enjoy working with our clients to frame a situation, follow the data, and then craft and deliver a solution that solves the problem. WHEN AND HOW DID YOU KNOW THAT YOU WANTED TO BE A PROFESSIONAL SOLUTIONS GUY? My last job provided many teachable moments of working with people and where business processes often break down. It also offered a frontrow seat of how companies struggle to change to a data-driven culture. There just wasn’t any support available. My company had such a hard time getting vendors that I started asking questions: Why was it so expensive? Why were there so few providers, and why did they only use one solution? How many other companies were struggling with the same issues? That provided enough motivation to try and do something about it. WHAT CAN OMEGA DIGITAL SOLUTIONS DO FOR ITS CUSTOMERS? We have two parts to our business. The first part is our most important side and focuses on service where we help our clients implement marketing and analytics tools and automate their business. We also provide training and education to teams to increase their efficiency and modernize their operations. We have clients in many different industries - retail, construction, manufacturing, and others with a variety of needs and systems.

West Knoxville Lifestyle | October 2021

Q& A WITH MARCUS BL AIR FROM O M E G A D I G I TA L S O L U T I O N S

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how long till you run out without paying for an

trains at Smoky Mountain Gymnastics in Maryville. Her team brought home

entire enterprise package - Reprocity solves that

the state championship last year and she won individual state titles as well.

problem. Every big company can do this already, but it hasn’t been readily accessible to the other

WHAT KEEPS YOU CONNECTED TO THE KNOXVILLE COMMUNITY? As a small business owner, I’ve had to seek out mentors and develop my

95% until now. Reprocity will be polished up and ready for primetime this January 2022.

network bit by bit. During that process, I realized how important the idea of community really was. No man is an island, and much of what I and Omega

WHAT DO YOU WANT READERS

Digital Solutions have accomplished has been through an incredible sup-

TO KNOW ABOUT YOU?

port system found here in the Knoxville community. That has driven a lot of

The team at Omega Digital Solutions is mod-

my vision, as well. When I struggled, I looked for solutions made for small

est enough to realize and openly state that we

businesses and found frequent gaps - and I know that other small busi-

don’t have all the answers. Every client has

nesses have felt the same. Although my hope is for Omega Digital Solutions

different needs, so it's perfectly possible - even

to become a national name, I plan on maintaining my relationships here

likely - that we get asked a question we haven’t

locally and supporting the community the best that I can. Knoxville isn’t

heard before. What we do have is the back-

some small, off-the-map city. Every day we’re growing and expanding into

ground and the critical thinking skills to get you

an entrepreneurial hub that lifts people up and I want to stay a part of that.

an answer and a solution that will work. We want to meet our clients where they are and then help

WORKING ON ANYTHING NEW? I’m pleased to announce that we are now introducing the second arm of Omega Digital Solutions with the launch of our own software application,

guide them to where they want to be. They are the heroes of their own story - our job is just to provide a bit of support along the way.

Reprocity. It is a big part of our future and our first product. It can track CityLifestyle.com/WestKnoxville

LOCALLY OWNED Jim Artman

ARTICLE AMY CAMPBELL-ROCHELSON PHOTOGRAPHY JENNIE TREADWAY-MILLER

Farmer Veteran Coalition Tennessee A VISIT WITH JIM ARTMAN

JIM ARTMAN IS AN ARMY VETERAN, THE FOUNDER AND OWNER OF APPALACHIAN GRIT, AND ONE OF THE MOST SINCERE PEOPLE YOU MIGHT EVER BE LUCKY ENOUGH TO MEET. (You may remember our feature on him in April of this year.) If you don't know about Appalachian Grit, Jim describes his work as a "yard-to-table" business. Appalachian Grit designs, installs, and maintains biodiverse residential and commercial food gardens and landscapes. Jim is passionate about educating and equipping the community with plants that help his customer's health and well-being. Appalachian Grit also installs raised bed gardens to help customers grow their food more efficiently with less maintenance. Jim is also involved with a national organization called Veteran Farmer Coalition with a Tennessee chapter. Farmer Veteran Coalition Tennessee will be hosting an upcoming conference in Knoxville in November. WHAT IS THE FARMER VETERAN COALITION? We connect veterans, active-duty military, and their families in Tennessee to our state's many agriculture and veteran resources. We partner with organizations to host events and training opportunities to assist with networking, education, and connection to fellow Tennessee Farmer Veterans. I would encourage you if you are a veteran interested in getting into the field of agriculture and are stuck in the analysis paralysis phase, where you feel like you don't know what you are doing or how to get started—please, do not let that prevent you from reaching out to us or getting started because we love to meet veterans who are in that stage of their farming journey. I've been there myself, and it can be extremely overwhelming. But you should know that here in the state of Tennessee. We are very committed to helping you in that journey, learning how to farm, connect with other farmers, and bring things to market. 26

West Knoxville Lifestyle | October 2021

Photo by Jennie Treadway-Miller

Jim Artman

WHAT ARE A FEW EXAMPLES OF THE TYPES OF

DOES ONE HAVE TO BE A VETERAN TO BE A

RESOURCES THAT FARMER VETERAN COALITION

MEMBER OF THE FARMER VETERAN COALITION?

TENNESSEE PROVIDES TO VETERAN FARMERS?

No. We have a variety of members from mentors,

Farmer Veteran Coalition Tennessee helps estab-

interns, students of agricultural programs, farm volun-

lished, or prospective veteran farmers navigate

teers, supporters of the Farmer Veteran Coalition, and

through the processes of farming. We help with finding

owners and operators of agricultural businesses.

land, financing land or farms, creating a business plan, marketing strategies, crop plans, complying with food

THERE IS A CONFERENCE COMING UP HERE IN

safety regulations, and networking organizations. We

KNOXVILLE; WHAT ARE THESE DETAILS?

also help veteran farmers obtain equipment through

The conference will take place over three days in

the NRCS Equip Program and Fellowship Fund. The

downtown Knoxville, November 17-19. We will present

coalition also offers career and education consul-

a variety of speakers, farm tours, networking oppor-

tation, workshops, webinars, legal assistance, the

tunities, and vendors for attendees. More informa-

Homegrown by Heroes Label, government resource

tion through our Facebook page -- Farmer Veteran

advising, the Farming Fellowship Fund, and a national

CoalitionTennessee -- or our website.

network of allies. In addition, our organization helps to connect farmer veterans with coalition grants, coali-

HOW DO PEOPLE CONTRIBUTE TO OR GET

tion discounts, and farm grants for veterans.

INVOLVED WITH THIS ORGANIZATION?

CAN YOU GIVE AN EXAMPLE OF VETERAN

More information at: https://tennessee.farmvetco.org/

New members and contributions are always welcome. FARMERS WHO HAVE BENEFITTED FROM THIS ORGANIZATION IN TENNESSEE?

Join Amy Campbell-Rochelson weekly at The Tennes-

Yes. Beaver Cattle Farm in Greenback, Tennessee, is

see Farm Table Podcast & Broadcast for Food, Farm-

an example. Deborah Beaver, who currently serves in

ing, and Folklore stories. Listen on your schedule by

the Army reserve, and her husband, Chris, an Army OIF

podcast at TennesseeFarmTable.com or listen in on

veteran, raise beef cattle and hay on their farm under

your radio Saturday mornings at 9:00, 89.9. WDVX,

the Homegrown By Heroes label through Pick TN

Knoxville, afternoons at 2:00, Chattanooga, and Sun-

Products. In June 2017, the Beavers received a Farmer

days at 1:00 from Radio Bristol.

Veteran Fellowship Fund award which they used to purchase a Priefert Equipment squeeze chute thanks to generous support from the Bob Woodruff Foundation.

I would encour age you if you are a veter an interested in getting into the field of agriculture and are stuck in the analysis par alysis phase, where you feel like you don’t know what you are doing or how to get started—please, do not let that prevent you from reaching out to us or getting started because we love to meet veter ans who are in that stage of their farming journey. I’ve been there myself, and it can be extremely overwhelming. CityLifestyle.com/WestKnoxville

TIMES PAST

SHOEBOX COLLECTIONS

THE KNOXVILLE HISTORY PROJECT CONTINUES ITS SERIES ON LITTLE-KNOWN PHOTOGRAPHS SUBMITTED BY LOCALS

WE HOPE YOU ENJOY THIS MONTHLY SAMPLER

FROM KNOXVILLE HISTORY PROJECT’S “KNOXVILLE SHOEBOX” COLLECTION. We are always on the lookout for old family and personal pictures--especially when there’s something distinctly Knoxvillian about them. Our goal is to help fill in the many gaps in the photographic record of our city’s past. If you have interesting old photographs of your own, from any era, we’d love to hear from you. You show us the photograph, we copy it and give the original back to you. We preserve and archive the image and make it available for researchers of the future, always crediting your contribution. Sharing is easy—and we’ll do our best to make your images immortal! Please contact Paul James at the Knoxville History Project at (865) 337-7723 or paul@knoxhistoryproject.org. Learn more at knoxvillehistoryproject.org/knoxville-shoebox/

GAY STREET AT W. CHURCH, 1950S Two clocks register 5:05 in the afternoon looking south on Gay Street towards W. Church Avenue one damp day around 1950. At the intersection on the left, the Blue Circle Café was an affordable eating place. The building still stands today, currently vacant after many years as a florist shop. On this side of W. Church, the Knoxville Utility Board has built the curved steel corner of its streamlined modernist building (it stood there only for about 13 years, until an even more modernist facelift in the ‘60s; it’s now part of the skeleton of the re-modernized Tombras Group building). Across Gay Street, long-standing Knoxville florist Baum’s is in the old Mercantile building, torn down decades ago. The Andrew Johnson Hotel, in the background, was still the tallest building in East Tennessee, with a restaurant and ballroom and hundreds of guests daily. Shared by Martha Jane McDowell.

West Knoxville Lifestyle | October 2021

Gay Street 1950s

ARTICLE JACK NEELY AND PAUL JAMES

YMCA ON COMMERCE AVENUE The ornate YMCA building stands on the corner of State Street and Commerce Avenue in this early 1900s postcard. Built in 1889 as the Palace Hotel, it originally featured 63 bedrooms and boasted a sumptuous “bridal chamber” with frescoed ceilings, chandeliers, and relatively new inventions: an elevator and electric lights. It was a hotel for 14 years before the YMCA bought it in 1903, using it as its main facility until the Y’s current building at Clinch and Locust was built in 1929. With a simplified architectural style that removed the cupola, the building later served as office space and inexpensive apartments, its original purpose forgotten by most. It was torn down in 1975 after suffering major damage in a fatal fire. Shared by Alec Riedl.

Firefighters Memorial

YMCA on Commerce

FIREFIGHTERS MEMORIAL The nomadic Knoxville Firefighters Memorial, erected in 1905, originally stood on Main Street outside the Knox County Courthouse before moving to Emory Park, adjacent to Fire Station No. 3. After that firehall was closed in the 1940s, the memorial moved to a spot in front of City Hall at the intersection of Western and Henley Street (now Lincoln Memorial University’s law school). When it went on display there, a new electric lantern was fabricated and added to the fireman’s right hand. The statue now stands in front of the Fire Department on Summit Hill Drive. Shared by Cindy and Mark Proteau.

CONTINUED >

CityLifestyle.com/WestKnoxville

TIMES PAST (CONTINUED)

Market Square

MARKET SQUARE, CA. 1950

This is a rare color view of the northeastern corner of

The Knoxville History Project is an educational

Market Square in the 1940s. Bowers Army Surplus was

nonprofit with a mission to research, preserve

based at 36 Market Square on the northeastern corner at

and promote the history and culture of Knoxville.

Wall Avenue. Before Bowers, the four-story building housed

KHP gives talks and presentations (in-person and

several department stores, including S.H. George’s and

on Zoom), creates books, and engages the public

Woods and Taylor. One of the building’s entrances still has

online through stories, oral history conversations,

the mosaic tile on the floor from the latter. The building in

driving tours and much more.

dark shadow to the right is the north end of the old City

Please help us connect more Knoxvillians and vis-

Hall, which was torn down with the attached market house

itors to the history of the city by making a donation

in 1960. Shared by the Barbara W. Bernstein Archives of the

to support the work of the Knoxville History Project

Jewish Community of Knoxville and East Tennessee.

at knoxvillehistoryproject.org/khp-donations/

West Knoxville Lifestyle | October 2021

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ARTICLE J. WILLIAM

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WALTMAN, JR., CFP®, CPA

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West Knoxville Lifestyle | October 2021

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