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news@ShopperNewsNow.comSandra Clark | Betsy Pickle

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Patty Fecco | Tony Cranmore

Beverly Holland

IN THIS ISSUE

Not bad, VolsYou wanted progress. You

got progress. OK, it was eight progresses instead of 10, but not bad, not bad at all.

Butch Jones pushed the right button. “We are a good football team,” he said.

Enough Volunteers believed and turned the declaration into reality. Let us salute the leaders.

➤ Read Marvin West on page 4

To page 3

VOL. 2 NO. 1 July 29, 2013www.ShopperNewsNow.com | www.facebook.com/ShopperNewsNowVOL. 3 NO. 48 December 2, 2015www.ShopperNewsNow.com | www.facebook.com/ShopperNewsNow

SOUTH KNOX

BUZZ

By Betty BeanOne afternoon in 1989, I picked

up the phone at my desk at the Knoxville Journal and a very po-lite voice on the other end of the line said, “This is Alex Haley. Do you have a few minutes to talk?”

I’d just written a smart-alecky item about him in the Journal’s gossip column, so I braced for ver-bal abuse. I mean, this was the au-

thor of “Roots” and “The Autobi-ography of Malcolm X,” two of the most important books of the late Twentieth Century.

But instead of giving me the cussing I deserved, he invited me to lunch at his Cherokee Bluff condo, where he had adjacent townhouses – one his residence, the other an offi ce. A UPS man was behind me when I knocked on his door. Alex ushered me in and opened the package. It was barbe-cued ribs from Quincy Jones.

We went next door to his resi-dence, where he showed me his collection of identical guayabera shirts (short sleeved cotton, with

A 13-foot bronze statue of Alex

Haley, sculpted by Tina Allen, is

the centerpiece of Haley Heritage

Square on Dandridge Avenue.

Alex Haley, Knoxville’s adopted sonfour front pockets and double rows of pleats down the front, favored by hombres everywhere) while we waited for the casserole his house-keeper had made to warm up. Mar-ilyn Yarbrough, dean of UT’s law school and the fi rst African-Amer-ican woman to head a law school faculty in the South, joined us.

He and I stayed in touch until the Journal folded. He’d suggest stories, gently critique something I’d writ-ten and occasionally invite me (and half of Knoxville) out to his farm in Norris when he threw parties for people like Oprah Winfrey, who gamely attempted to clog to Rocky

To page 3

Ed and BobAt-large commissioners Ed

Brantley and Bob Thomas will ring the Salvation Army red kettle bells from 5-7 p.m. Tues-day, Dec. 15, at the West Town Mall entrance near Charming Charlie’s.

Everyone is invited to stop by to talk with Brantley and Thomas about items of inter-est. Other commissioners may join them in the fund raising effort.

Repairs for Island Home greenway

A portion of the city’s Will Skelton Greenway in the Island Home Park neighborhood will remain closed until spring 2016 for structural repairs.

City offi cials will remove and replace a portion of the greenway that damaged by river erosion and destabiliza-tion from a large fallen tree.

The c losure is located near Island Home Park between Spence Place and Alamo Avenue. Pedestrians will be re-routed to Island Home Avenue, an alternate street that runs parallel to the blocked-off area.

Will Skelton Greenway is 3.62 miles and runs along the Tennessee River from Island Home Park, past the Tennessee School for the Deaf, through Ijams Nature Center and end-ing at the Forks of the River Wildlife Management Area.

Info: knoxvilletn.gov or 865-215-4311.

Christmas paradesSeymour Christmas parade,

3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12, Valley Grove Baptist Church to Kroger. Sponsored by the Seymour Area Chamber of Commerce.

WIVK Knoxville Christmas parade, 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4, Gay Street.

You’re invited for fun at Stanley’s

Stanley’s Greenhouse is hosting an open house 1-5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 6, at 3029 Daven-port Road with refreshments, area crafts, artists and music. Info: 865-573-9591.

By Betsy PickleSharon Davis bubbles over with

enthusiasm when she talks about the Candoro Arts and Heritage Center.

In only her second full year on the board of directors, Davis was voted interim president in late September and will launch a full term on Jan. 1. A successful real estate agent and South Knoxville investment property owner, she never gave a thought as to how

Candoro was run until she was re-cruited to be on the board.

“Until you have a responsibil-ity or interact, people don’t think about, as a rule, the framework of an organization, but that has been all I have thought about since the latter part of September when they talked me into being interim chair,” says Davis.

Davis is covered in glitter from an afternoon of decorating the Candoro building, 4450 Candora

Ave., for the annual Candoro Holi-day Open House. The free event will be 4:30-8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12. The food is being supplied by Elene Cazana. Music will be pro-vided by the Jazzphonics.

There will be door prizes and giveaways. Two life-size outdoor reindeer fi gures in white valued at $300 will be the prize in a fund-raiser.

Knox County Law Director Bud Armstrong will install the new of-

Sharon Davis, interim president

of the Candoro Arts and Heritage

Center, hopes to put everyone in

the holiday spirit at the Candoro

Holiday Open House on Dec. 12.

Holidays are in the pinkin the pink at Candorofi cers, and Trudy Monaco, founder of the Candoro Arts and Heritage Center, will be honored.

Despite the glitter evidence, Davis says the halls won’t be decked as fully as they were last year, when she assisted April Burt with adorning the building.

“We’ve kept our decorations to a minimum so that the artwork can be enjoyed,” she says.

The Young High School gradu-ate enjoys the glitz, but her focus has been on sounding out the other board members and refi n-ing the focus of the organization. The board works through com-mittees to oversee the building and grounds, develop educational programs and improve its opera-tions. She has joined the Alliance for Better Nonprofi ts to learn, in part, how to help the board func-tion more effectively.

The board is also working to be-come better ambassadors for the marble heritage of Candoro and Knoxville.

“On Oct. 24, the board went on the Pink Marble Trail Tour,” says Davis. “We rented a bus, bought box lunches and took a half a day to go on the Pink Marble Trail. I fi gure as board members, we need to recognize Tennessee marble, we need to know a little bit about the history of Candoro and we need to know where around Knoxville the marble is displayed.

“It’s everywhere – it’s beautiful.

By Sandra ClarkA venerable organization has

new leadership.Patience Melnik is the executive

director of Keep Knoxville Beauti-ful. A California native, she moved to Knox County when her husband took a job with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad minist rat ion Laboratory in Oak

Ridge. They have two boys, ages 5 and 11.

Melnik has an easy laugh and a certifi cation in grant-writing. She should do well in her new job.

Two weekends ago, she cor-

Melnik heads Keep Knoxville Beautiful

Melnik

ralled a couple hundred volunteers to plant 60,000 daffodils on three interstate interchanges off I-275. Her predecessor, Allison Teeters, wrote the grant, which was funded by Lowe’s.

“We fi nished with a half-hour to spare,” says Melnik.

She is assisted part-time by AmeriCorps worker Alanna McK-issack, who is program coordina-tor. With a limited staff, Melnik relies on her board of directors.

Bob Graves, owner of Carex Design Group, is president of the KKB board. Members are Susie Stout, Chad Weth, Fran Nichols, Jennifer Shuler, Ariel Allen, Mary Kathryn Durr, Tammy Kravitz, Allen Koch, Clark Lindsey, Casey McClure, Lee McCord and Ryan

Money. Honorary board members are Edythe Nelle McNabb and Fe-licia Felder-Hoehne.

Keep Knoxville Beautiful hosts an annual banquet at which it presents “orchids” for commercial beautifi cation. The banquet is set for 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 1, at The Standard, 416 W. Jackson Ave. Tickets are $85.

Melnik said her organization’s strength lies in the number of vol-unteers it can turn out for clean-ups or planting projects. Sponsors provide supplies such as trash bags and gloves.

Another strength is the organi-zation’s clarity of purpose. Setting a vision to keep Knoxville “clean, green and beautiful,” the website lists these specifi cs:

Clean: annual litter assess-ment, litter cleanups, public edu-cation and kids’ programs such as the “talking tree.” On average, Keep Knoxville Beautiful supports over 3,300 volunteers who remove more than 48 tons of litter from Knox County’s roads and water-ways annually.

Green: KKB offers its recy-cling trailer free of charge to any-one who wants to provide recy-cling at an event.

Beautiful: Mass plantings called “beautifi cation mobs” dra-matically improve a local land-scape in a single day. KKB solicits nominations for public or private spaces in need of cleanup. A new graffi ti-abatement program will support victims of graffi ti.

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2 • DECEMBER 2, 2015 • Shopper news

health & lifestyles

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stroke:LIKE IT NEVER EVEN HAPPENED.No comprehensive stroke and rehabilitation center in our region

does more to reverse stroke’s devastating eff ects than Fort

Sanders Regional Medical

Center. That’s why hospitals

across East Tennessee refer their

most complex stroke patients to

us. And only Fort Sanders Regional is home to the Patricia Neal

Rehabilitation Center, East Tennessee’s elite rehabilitation hospital

for stroke, spinal cord and brain injury patients.

Certifi ed as a Comprehensive Stroke Center by The Joint Commission and accredited by the Commission on the Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities

Leading the region’s only stroke hospital network

www.covenanthealth.com/strokenetwork

Fort Sanders performs clinical trials and procedures

for stroke not available anywhere else in our region.

When it comes to stroke, time lost is brain lost, so it’s important to understand the

warning signs and how to reduce your risk.

If you or a loved one experience any of these symptoms, call 911.

WARNINGSigns of

Stroke

Sudden numbness or weakness, especially on one

side of the body

Sudden severe headache with no known cause

Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance

or coordination

Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding

Sudden trouble seeingin one or both eyes

Missing the linksRetired trooper vows strokes won’t end his golf game

There’s a golf club in the trunk of Bryan Farmer’s car with his name on it. It’s a top-of-the-line driver, brand new and still in the box.

He bought it June 12, 2014, af-ter playing 18 holes of golf. But that night, Farmer had a stroke of an-other kind – a blood clot on the left side of his brain – that has, so far, put his golf game on hold.

But even after suffering a sec-ond stroke 10 months later, he vows he’ll be back in the swing of things this month, thanks to the care he received at Patricia Neal Rehabilitation Center (PNRC) at Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center and Roane Medical Center.

“It might not be pretty, but I’m going to hit that driver,” declares Farmer, whose slightly drawn right arm and weakened right leg are reminders of that June night when a 3 a.m. bathroom visit was the fi rst hint that something had gone wrong.

“When I got out of the bed, I no-ticed some extreme dizziness, to the point where I almost fell down,” said Farmer, a Harriman resident. “It was similar to a blood sugar spike. I have high blood pressure and diabetes, and I knew I got dizzy when that happened to me in the past. I didn’t think a lot about it. I went ahead, got my balance back, went down the hall to the restroom, came back to bed and went straight to sleep. No sickness, no nothing.”

The following morning, he still had some dizziness, but not enough to prevent him from driving to Fairfi eld Glade where he works in quality assurance for the vacation resort. “I sat down at my desk and the diz-ziness came back,” he said. “I got up from my desk and walked down the hallway, and my right foot dragged the ground. Just one time, but it almost tripped me up, and one of the other guys I work with saw me and said, ‘Let’s go back into your offi ce and sit down.’ ”

It was then that one of the managers with nursing experience came in. Suspicious, she checked Farmer for stroke symptoms. “I passed every one of them with fl ying col-ors,” said Farmer who, as a retired Tennes-see Highway Patrol lieutenant, was familiar with the signs of a stroke. “No numbness, no

Brian Farmer continues to work toward return-ing to the golf course, after suff ering two strokes in the last year. Farmer was treated at the Comprehensive Stroke Center at Fort Sanders Regional and Patricia Neal Rehabili-tation Center.

tingling, no headache. None of that. Just dizziness.”

Yet, despite the successful FAST (Face, Arms, Speech, Time) campaign to raise stroke symptom aware-ness, minor strokes can and do occur with-out the person ever knowing it. Mild stroke symptoms that recover after a brief period of time may indicate a transient ischemic attack (TIA) or “mini stroke.” While seldom deadly, TIAs are often precursors to a full-blown ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke that may follow if symptoms are left untreated.

Stroke symptoms can also occur over a span of hours or days. At fi rst, the affected person may have little or no symptoms, but as time passes, the symptoms will become more apparent as an estimated 32,000 brain cells die each passing second.

Pressed to go to the emergency room, Farmer reluctantly agreed. At Parkwest Medical Center, Farmer thought perhaps he had dodged a bullet when a CT scan came back negative for stroke.

However, according to Dr. Daryl Harp, neuoradiologist, “Physicians are aware that

strokes are often not seen on CT scans within the fi rst 24 hours. For this reason, an MRI of the brain was completed, and showed that he had indeed had a stroke.”

But even then, he still appeared to be unaffected. Then at about 3 a.m., Farmer arose from his hos-pital bed to go to the restroom and discovered his right side was para-lyzed. “Paralysis had set in, and my right leg was useless,” said Farmer. “It just got worse.”

Transferred by ambulance to the Comprehensive Stroke Center at Fort Sanders, Farmer began to real-ize the seriousness of his condition. “I couldn’t move my right arm – it was drawn up and curled against my

chest,” Farmer recalled. “My right leg was pretty much pointed to the right. I couldn’t walk. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t even feed myself.”

On the fourth day of his 31 days in Fort Sanders, Farmer was moved into the PNRC wing to begin his therapy. “I’m sitting there in a wheelchair in a row of four or fi ve other people in wheelchairs, waiting

on them to get therapy too,” he said. “I look at some of these people, and the thought is going through my head, ‘You know, I could have been a whole lot worse. I’ve got to go in here and do what they tell me to do to the best of my ability.’ ”

That was made easy by the PNRC doctors, nurses and therapists, whose encourage-ment was always coupled with enthusiasm from Day One.

“I wish I could remember her name, but the girl who came to wheel me up to therapy was just bubbling with excite-ment and positivity,” he said. “From her to the doctors to the nurses to the therapists, I can’t say enough good things about those people. Of course, I had a positive attitude from my family and a special friend. Between those people, I couldn’t help but stay positive. The level of professionalism and effort they put forth was amaz-

ing. They were magnifi cent.”“We’d only do three hours of therapy a

day, but it seemed like 10,” Farmer added.“It was really grueling because I started atGround Zero. I lost every ounce of strengthI had on my right side, and my left sidetoo basically – my body was just sapped ofstrength. I remember them giving me a two-pound weight to lift – two pounds! I couldn’teven pick that up!”

Still, 31 days after the stroke, Farmer waswheeled to the door and discharged fromPNRC. He walked the last 15 to 20 feet to hisride home. “It wasn’t the prettiest or mostgraceful walk I’d ever taken,” he said, “but itwas the most gratifying.”

His rehab continued a couple of weekslater at Patricia Neal Outpatient Center atRoane Medical Center, and he heaps morepraise on the therapists there. “They werejust top-notch, positive people, which wasgood for me because I had to help myselfand I didn’t need someone who was goingto bring me down,” he said. “They werejust as determined here to make me betteras they were in Knoxville. Their attitudeswere great. They are really dedicated totheir work, and enjoyed their work – and itshowed.”

A second stroke last April, just months after fi nishing his outpatient rehab, slightlyaffected his speech and cognition but for themost part is undetectable. In the meantime,he goes to the gym three times weekly to liftweights and work on the elliptical bike.

“As far as real limitations, I have none,”said Farmer. “I can’t run. I can’t jog. I canwalk ok. It takes me awhile to get some-where but I can do it,” he says. “I’m not backto where I want to be – I want to be on thegolf course right now. That’s where I want tobe. And that’s where I will be in September.It may not be pretty, but I’m going to be onthat course.”

The Stroke Center at Fort Sanders Regional -delivering immediate and excellent care

When a stroke happens, timely treatment is critical. The Com-prehensive Stroke Center at Fort Sanders Regional is well above the

national average in delivering prompt treatment of life-saving medication.

Clot busting drugs are given to stroke patients through a vein to improve blood fl ow and mini-mize potential disabilities. The amount of time it takes for a patient to be brought in to a hospital un-til the moment medications are intravenously ad-ministered is referred to as “door to needle time.”

While the average door to needle time is a little more than an hour, the door to needle time at Fort Sanders Regional is 30 minutes. That’s half an hour faster than the national average.

It’s just one of the many advantages a patient has when treated at a comprehensive stroke center. The stroke center exists to provide the highest level of stroke care for complicated stroke cases.

“It really exists to provide that next level up from what you can get at your local community hospital,” Arthur Moore, MD says. “Strokes can often be treated at those hospitals, but fi nding out why the stroke occurred to prevent it from happening again sometimes takes someone who’s done a lot more work in treating stroke.”

Moore says fi nding out the “why” takes some digging into a pa-tient’s background, and sometimes it’s not as obvious as the main risk factors.

“Stroke centers tend to be better and faster at treating stroke just because we see it all the time,” Moore says. “We have doctors who can go up into the brain and pull a clot out, and that’s a really specialized niche. Most hospitals don’t have access to someone who can do that.”

The Comprehensive Stroke Center at Fort Sanders Regional sees patients from throughout East Tennessee, and even from Ken-tucky. To learn more, visit fsregional.com/stroke, or call (865) 541-1111.

Arthur Moore, MD

SOUTH KNOX Shopper news • DECEMBER 2, 2015 • 3 community

Betsy Pickle

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 2Jazz Lunch series: “Tribute to Woody Shaw with

Trumpeter Alex Norris,” noon-1 p.m., Square Room, 4 Market Square. Admission: $15; includes lunch buffet served by by Café 4. Info/tickets: www.knoxjazz.org or at the door.

THURSDAY, DEC. 3AAA Driver Improvement Course, 5:30-9:30

p.m., AAA offi ce, 100 W. Fifth Ave. Four-hour course helps reduce points for traffi c offenders and teaches how to reduce risk while driving. Cost: $30 mem-bers/$35 nonmembers. Must preregister. Info/regis-tration: Kate, 862-9254; Stephanie, 862-9252.

Knoxville Writers’ Guild meeting/potluck dinner, 7 p.m., Central UMC fellowship hall, 201 E. Third Ave. A $2 donation requested at the door.

FRIDAY, DEC. 4 “Amahl and the Night Visitors” by Gian-Carlo

Menotti, 7:30 p.m., St. John’s Cathedral, 413 Cum-berland Ave. Performed by Marble City Opera. Family friendly production with free admission. Info/tickets: 525-7347.

Holiday Greens Tea and open house, noon-3

p.m., Ivan Racheff House and Gardens, 1943 Tennessee Ave. Free event. Holiday wreaths, tabletop designs, ama-ryllis and baked goods will be available for purchase. Info: 522-6210.

Matt Brown and Greg Reish in concert, 8 p.m., Laurel Theater, 1538 Laurel Ave. Tickets: $14, some discounts available. Info/tickets: www.jubileearts.org.

Opening reception for Art Mart Gallery Decem-ber’s featured artists, pastel painter Fran Thie and ce-ramic artist Bob Conliffe, 5:30 p.m., Art Market Gallery at 422 S. Gay St. Info: 525-5265; artmarketgallery.net; facebook.com/Art.Market.Gallery.

Opening reception for an exhibition of recent photographs by Dean Rice, chief of staff to Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett, 5-9 p.m., Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay St. The exhibit will be on display through Dec. 23. Info: 523-7543 or knoxalliance.com.

Opening reception and awards night for new exhibit about food, 5-9 p.m., Broadway Studios And Gallery, 1127 N. Broadway. Guests for the reception are asked to bring a canned of food for donation to local food bank. Exhibit on display through Dec. 31. Info: Jessica Gregory, 556-8676; BroadwayStudiosAndGallery.com.

Tennessee Children’s Dance Ensemble ben-efi t, 6 p.m., Holston Hills Country Club. Featuring: a performance by TCDE, a silent auction and live auction, heavy hors d’oeuvres, wine and spirits; DJ and dancing until 10:30. Tickets: $75. Info/tickets: 584-9636.

A Tennessee Evening Gala, 6-11 p.m., Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge, 461 W. Outer Drive, Oak Ridge. Live music, an auction and more. Info/tickets: 482-1074 or childrensmuseumofoakridge.org.

THURSDAYS-SUNDAYS, DEC. 4-20“Cinderella and Ebenezer,” Knoxville

Children’s Theatre, 109 E. Churchwell Ave. Performances: 7 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays; 1 and 5 p.m. Saturdays; 3 p.m. Sundays. Info/tickets: 208-3677; knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com; info@childrenstheatreknoxville.com.

FRIDAY-TUESDAY, DEC. 4-8Christmas Dinner with the Ramsey’s, 6:30

p.m., Historic Ramsey House, 2614 Thorngrove Pike. Features candlelight tour of the home and dinner prepared by Rosa’s Catering. Tickets: $125. Reservations required. Info/reservations: 546-0745 or ramseyhouse.org.

SATURDAY, DEC. 5AAA Driver Improvement Course, 8 a.m.-4:30

p.m., AAA offi ce, 100 W. Fifth Ave. Eight-hour course helps reduce points for traffi c offenders and teaches how to reduce risk while driving. Cost: 40 members/$50 nonmembers. Must preregister. Info/registration: Kate, 862-9254; Stephanie, 862-9252.

Cookie walk and craft fair, Faith Lutheran Church, 225 Jamestowne Blvd. Craft fair, 8:30 a.m.-noon; cooker walk, 9 a.m. until sold out. Proceeds to benefi t the Shepherd of Hope Food Pantry. Info: faithcookiewalk@yahoo.com.

Craft show and sale, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Summit Tow-ers, 201 Locust St. Items include: paintings, drawings, wood art, crocheted items, ceramics, Christmas crafts, baked goods and more.

Holiday Market, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Historic Jackson Square, Oak Ridge. Shopping, live music, photos with Santa and more. Proceeds to benefi t ADFAC (Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian). Info: www.jacksonsquareadfacbenefi t.com.

Market Square Holiday Market, noon-6 p.m., with farm vendors selling until 3 p.m. near the Market Square stage, and craft vendors and food trucks open until 6 p.m. on Union Avenue adjacent to Market Square and along Market Street. Info: MarketSquareFarmersMarket.org or NourishKnoxville.org.

Tennessee Schmaltz, 8 p.m., Laurel Theater, 1538 Laurel Ave. Tickets: $14, some discounts available. Info/tickets: www.jubileearts.org.

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ShoppernewseVents

Top under a canopy on the lawn. I’d see him at the Fresh Market shopping for groceries – one of his last published stories (in Parade Magazine) was about a new friend, an immigrant who worked in the produce sec-tion there.

Alex Haley embraced this low-rise burg. He lived by his famous maxim, “Find the good and praise it,” be-friending almost everyone he met.

He died of a sudden heart attack in February 1992. His family took him home to Henning, and the N.J. Ford Funeral Home in Memphis presided over his funeral. A few weeks later in Nash-ville, Sen. John Ford told me that Alex lay in state for two days and they changed his clothes four times. I won-dered if they laid him out in

a guayabera.Shortly thereafter, long-

simmering plagiarism ac-cusations that had dogged him since the publication of “Roots” boiled over, tar-nishing his legacy. They were painful to read and took on witch hunt propor-tions.

This week (Wednesday, Dec. 2, 6 p.m.) at the East Tennessee History Center, University of Tennessee history professor Robert J. Norrell will talk about his new book, “Alex Haley and the books that changed a nation,” which he believes could begin to rehabilitate Alex’s reputation.

I’ll be there, and I’ll buy the book. It’s the least I can do for this good man who loved us as his own and left us better because he passed our way.

Alex Haley From page 1

Holidays at Candoro From page 1

People can be proud to be from Knoxville. About 100 years ago, Knoxville had 35 functioning quarries. And Candoro was one of the lat-est ones. It closed in the late 1980s.”

One of their stops was the Knoxville Museum of Art, which boasts Tennes-see marble itself.

“Several of our (Can-doro’s) pieces are displayed at the Knoxville Museum of Art,” says Davis.

“Next year we hope to be in the position to take the public on the Pink Marble Tour. Before then, we will be in planning to open our doors for public tours a cou-ple of days a week. People who are interested in the

Tennessee marble industry history will be able to learn about it, see photos and touch the marble and see how it’s done.”

This time last year, the board expected the build-ing to be undergoing long-term renovations for much of 2015, but the schedule changed. The Aslan Foun-dation, which now owns the property, has been mak-ing “little repairs all along so that we can stay in the building and function so that the community can use the building and opera-tions can go on. When they get where they have to close it, we’ll know it in plenty of time, and so will the com-munity,” says Davis.

All over the road

Kevin Blue and Eric Johnson take a break from di-recting parking at the Joe Hill Roadshow.

The Joe Hill Roadshow – a tribute to labor activist Joe Hill on the 100th anni-versary of his death – was a huge success by any mea-sure.

There was great atten-dance throughout the event, which started with a pot-luck dinner held in the Car-riage House at the Candoro Marble building. Perform-ers packed several waves of crowds into the Candoro meeting room.

The celebration went on late into the night, and or-ganizers Chelsea Voelker and Jack Herranen seemed thrilled. Old friends bond-ed, and new friendships were formed.

All the musical acts earned generous applause, but the crowd went wild for poet/musician Black Atticus, whose rhymes provided a different vibe from the folk/roots sounds of the others.

The highlight of the eve-ning came when Voelker read a passage written by her inspiration, Pablo Neru-da, that included lines about wanting to see smiles on the faces of people as they went into and came out of City Hall. Mayor Madeline Rog-ero, standing in the back, shouted, “So do I” – to the delight of the packed room.

■ Painting SoKnoPlans are in the works to

turn the south end of Bar-ber Street – across from South Knoxville Elementa-ry School – into a space for public gatherings.

Cleaning, clearing, sprucing up and equipping will take place in phases. For the fi rst one, Heather Casteel of Knox County Schools’ visual arts depart-

ment got by with a little help from her friends.

She invited current and retired art teachers to come help paint the doors of a non-descript warehouse. The de-sign is a quilt pattern, Bear Claw, which the artists recre-ated in a variety of colors.

“We’re trying to make it with really vibrant colors to make it relevant to right now,” said Casteel.

Her recruits included Caroline Blanks, Peggy Le-land, Cyndi McGrail, Ellery Nief, Jenny Snead and Bob Thompson.

■ Jewelry classat IjamsIf you’re into craft fairs,

you’ve probably seen sal-vage jewelry – pieces made from odds and ends that can be simple or elaborate, industrial or whimsical.

Sarah Brobst is a local artist who makes salvage jewelry, and she also works at Ijams Nature Center. She will bring her two worlds to-gether for a salvage jewelry creations class from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Ijams.

Participants can bring their own treasures – things like old jewelry or watches, odd keys or hardware – or just dig through the bins at the class for items. Brobst will help people transform them into wearable works of art.

Cost is $20. Call 577-4717, ext. 110, to register.

Bob Thompson and Caroline Blanks paint a door at a Barber Street warehouse as part of a placemaking project to make the area appealing and usable as a public space. Photos by Betsy Pickle

Regis Borsari and Kathy Reilly wait for the music at the Joe Hill event to begin.

Kevin Horn checks out the responses to a mini-survey about musical infl u-ences and roots music at the Joe Hill Roadshow.

COMMUNITY NOTES ■ Colonial Village Neighbor-

hood Association. Info: Terry Caruthers, 579-5702.

■ Knoxville Tri-County Lions Club meets 7 p.m. each second and fourth Monday, Connie’s Kitchen, 10231 Chapman High-way, Seymour. Info: Facebook

■ Lake Forest Neighborhood Association. Info: 209-1820 or mollygilbert@yahoo.com.

■ Lindbergh Forest Neighbor-hood Association meets 6:30 p.m. each third Wednesday, Graystone Presbyterian Church, 139 Woodlawn Pike. Info: Kelley DeLuca, 660-4728, kelleydeluca@gmail.com

■ Old Sevier Community Group meets 7 p.m. each third Thursday, South Knoxville Elementary School library, 801 Sevier Ave. Info: Gary E. Deitsch, 573-7355 or garyedeitsch@bellsouth.net.

■ South Haven Neighborhood Association meets 10 a.m. each third Saturday, Hillcrest UMC, 1615 Price Ave. Info: Pat Harmon, 591-3958.

■ South Knox Republican Club meets 7 p.m. each third Thursday, South Knox Optimist Club, 6135 Moore Road.Info: kevinteeters018@gmail.com.

4 • DECEMBER 2, 2015 • Shopper news

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December 11 & 12 • 7 p.m. – Christ Covenant Church12915 Kingston Pike • Knoxville, TN 37934

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NEWS FROM PREMIER SURGICAL

Held hostage by severe pain in his legs, James “Eddie” Bilbrey of Rockwood could only bear to stand for 30 minutes before needing to find a seat.

His once daily routine of walks and exercise van-ished. Even though he was not dia-betic, many of his symptoms pointed to diabetic neu-ropathy. After con-sulting doctor after doctor (and friends who were doctors), Bilbrey thought he might need major surgery.

Not one to set-tle, 72-year-old Bil-brey found his miracle at Premier Vein Clinics.

The leg cramps and bulging, pain-ful varicose veins that had plagued him for years disappeared after two laser treatments, one for each leg, at Premier Vein Clinics.

The in-offi ce, non-invasive treatments had Bilbrey back on his feet “and do-ing the things I had always done. I was back to myself be-cause of Premier.”

Long gone are hospital stays and in-vasive surgical treat-ments, explains Dr. Christopher Pollock,

a board-certifi ed vascular surgeon at Knoxville’s Premier Vein Clinics.

Thanks to advancements in medi-cal technology, most procedures re-quire only a local anesthetic, take an hour or less, and have little or no side effects or downtime.

“Varicose veins are not just your grandmother’s disease,” says Dr. Pol-lock. Striking at any age, “many as-

sume varicose veins are just part of ag-ing and that treating them is merely a cosmetic issue.”

“The truth is, treating varicose veins is medically necessary, and the condition af-fects both men and women. It is best not to ignore, because treatment can be far more im-portant than just being able to show off your legs again.”

Varicose veins result from valves that are damaged or diseased and do not close properly. “Over time, vari-cose veins can re-

sult in pain and numbness, skin ulcers or even a serious blood clot,” explains Dr. Pollock.

The board-certifi ed vascular spe-cialists at Premier Vein Clinics are trained in the diagnosis and treat-ment of spider and varicose veins and venous disease, and use their clini-cal experience to determine the best treatment option.

The success rate of treatment pro-cedures is about 99 percent, says Dr. Pollock. “Vein treatment has never been easier. The treatment options are highly viable and covered by most health insurance.”

“There is no reason to continue waiting and enduring the pain,” says Bilbrey.

Back on his feet with vein treatment!

Eddie Bilbrey says treatment of his painful varicose veins gave him back his life. (Photo by Margaret Bentlage Wood)

Dr. Christo-pher Pollock, Premier Vein Clinics

Call 865-588-8229 to schedule an appointment with Premier Vein Clinics or

visit www.premierveinclinics.com.

Marvin West

Wendy Smith

Celebrating an event?

Share your family’s milestones with us!Send announcements to news@ShopperNewsNow.com

A survey of Knox County Commissioners revealed that most either favor or are leaning toward approv-ing a zoning change that would allow for the creation of Midway Business Park in deep East Knox County.

Knoxville-Knox County Metropolitan Planning Com-mission recommended a sector plan amendment and rezoning of the proposed 345-acre business park at its Nov. 12 meeting. A vote on both re-quests from the Development Corporation is scheduled for a vote Dec. 21 by Knox County Commission.

Four commissioners in-dicated they were in favor of the creation of the busi-ness park, and two said they were leaning toward a “yes” vote. Two were unwilling to take a position, and one was against the rezoning. Two did not return calls from the Shopper News.

Eighth District Com-missioner and chair Dave

Majority of commissioners in favor of Midway

Wright won’t take a position until the vote is called. But recent announcements from Advanced Munitions and Lifetime Products, along with numerous rezoning requests in the county, indi-cate an uptick in interest in the area, he said.

Fewer residents have ex-pressed opposition to the business park than fi ve or 10 years ago, and those who are opposed aren’t as ada-mant, Wright said. The pro-posed site is in his district.

Several previous con-cerns have been addressed. A wastewater plan is more defi ned, and Interstate 40 access will be improved. The plan no longer calls for

grading of the site because parcels will be incorporated into existing topography.

Cemeteries within the site still need to be ad-dressed. He thinks an addi-tional community meeting should be held.

At-large Commissioner Bob Thomas won’t take a position yet, but most of the feedback he’s received about the business park has been positive. Residents say the county’s going to grow, he said.

“It’s a fact that things change. I’m excited for East Knox County. So much is going on there.”

Thomas grew up in East Knoxville.

Randy Smith and Jeff Ownby are both leaning toward approval of the re-zoning, but Ownby said his position would change if the cost of the project were to increase or signifi cant oppo-sition was expressed. Smith said recent announcements

of businesses moving to the area could signal a need for more space.

John Schoonmaker, Brad Anders, Mike Brown and Ed Brantley all said they planned to vote in favor of the rezoning.

Schoonmaker, who par-ticipated in Mayor Tim Burchett’s bus tour of West Knoxville business parks and attended the Nov. 12 MPC meeting, said commu-nity leaders haven’t spoken out against the East Knox business park.

Brantley said the busi-ness park’s previous hurdles have been overcome.

“I think it’s time to move on, to move forward.”

Charles Busler was the only commissioner to say he would not support the zoning change. He thinks the site is too small, and he would prefer a 1,000-1,500-acre site in an outlying area.

“People out there are not interested in extra traffi c.”

Sam McKenzie and Amy Broyles did not respond

to the survey before press time.

You wanted progress. You got progress. OK, it was eight progresses instead of 10, but not bad, not bad at all.

There was one catch.Shopper readers, bless

you, picked up on “what might have been” and said the frustration applies to this very entertaining Ten-nessee team.

One called it “brutal honesty” in saying the Vol-unteers could have been so much more, that those in-famous fourth-quarter col-lapses knocked them down from outstanding to well above average. Stopping Florida on fourth and 17 might have meant two more wins.

Not bad, not bad at all

We all applaud the suc-cessful November. Cheers. We also see through it. The schedule was front-loaded. The second half wasn’t as diffi cult. The Vols didn’t look all that great at times, but they did what they had to do – win fi ve in a row. They competed. They never took a Saturday off. There is a won-derful connection between true grit, guts and glory.

The pivot point was the day after the painful loss to Arkansas. Heads were drooping. Confi dence was fractured. Butch Jones pushed the right button.

“We are a good football team,” he said.

Enough Volunteers be-lieved and turned the dec-laration into reality. Let us salute the leaders.

Georgia turned out to be the swing game. That vic-tory was good for the soul – and recruiting. The Vols peaked at Kentucky. Spe-cial teams were, to use one of Butch’s favorite words, “great.”

South Carolina almost spoiled the season. At Mis-

souri, the offense ran boldly between the 20s but the fi re went out in the red zone. Hail to Aaron Medley and hard-nosed tacklers.

Tennessee treated Van-derbilt’s so-called crusty defense as if it were a myth.

In Jones’ third season, coaching continued to evolve. The boss said Mike DeBord did an unbelievable job of setting the mental-ity and playing comple-mentary football. I enjoyed his scripted opening sets. I thought some Saturdays turned too conservative, old Michigan style.

You don’t need me to tell you the running attack was much improved. Consider-

ing injuries, the offensive line exceeded expectations. Coleman Thomas made a difference. Kyler Kerby-son earned a lot of respect. Downfi eld blocking by re-ceivers (especially Josh Smith) was good.

As the proverbial bull in a china shop, Jalen Hurd was beautiful. He caused some DBs to consider tennis or golf. No question about it, Alvin Kamara is a genuine playmaker. Interesting that Joshua Dobbs broke a Jim-my Streater running record.

You may blame coach-ing, receiver injuries, drops or Pig bombing out for the mediocre passing game. OK to point a fi nger at Dobbs’ inaccuracy. Precise passes were the exception rather than the rule.

Tennessee’s defense had

a chance to make this a ter-rifi c season. It didn’t fi nishthe big ones, but it did itsfair share in the eight victo-ries. The front was tough. Iam an Owen Williams fan.Hard to overlook Derek Bar-nett.

Jalen Reeves-Maybinwas very good. DarrinKirkland made magnifi centprogress. Malik Foremanconfused me. I thought noway, but his hustle won theSouth Carolina game.

I hope Cameron Suttonstays for 2016 and becomesan all-American. I hopeBrian Randolph can play inthe NFL. I wish for TrevorDaniel a richly deservedscholarship. Get well soon,Shy Tuttle. Where are you,Dillon Bates?Marvin West invites reader reaction. Hisaddress is westwest6@netzero.com .

MPC commissioner Laura Cole talks with Develop-ment Corporation president Todd Napier at the public hearing at Carter Elementary School on the proposed business park at Midway Road. Cole, who opposed the rezoning initially, voted yes this time around. Photo by S. Clark

Shopper news • DECEMBER 2, 2015 • 5 government

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Betty Bean

VictorAshe

For those who thought the Lady Vols controversy over the name change has vanished, check again. It may be back in Janu-ary in Nashville when the Legislature reconvenes. Knoxville Republican state Rep. Roger Kane is drafting legislation to re-store the Lady Vols name

to women’s sports at UT.

He is also looking at legislation to require the UT Board of Trustees to

hold a public hearing on any issue where 25,000 citizens sign a petition asking for one. The UT Board of Trustees failed to allow legislators or the public to speak at its meeting despite 25,000 citizens asking the name be restored.

One common criticism of the board is that very little discussion occurs in its public meetings, and all members seem to be in lockstep with each other.

If Kane introduces these two bills, they will generate strong discus-sion. Over one-third of the General Assembly signed a letter to UT President Joe DiPietro urging a reversal of the name change. The board and DiPietro declined to hear the matter in a pub-lic setting.

Most of this could be resolved if the board would appear interested in legislative opinions and hear them out, even if they did not adopt every proposal.

UT Board vice chair Raja Jubran is often the point man for the UT ad-ministration to convince local legislators not to support these bills. He is a close friend of Gov. Haslam. Jubran has made reduction of rising tuition costs a focus of his time on the board. He takes his duties seriously.

■ Bob Whetsel, former city development director, is back from his nine-week bike ride across the southern part of the USA from San Di-ego to St. Augustine, Fla. He is 30 pounds lighter and sporting a beard. The trip was managed by Ad-venture Cycling Associa-tion out of Montana.

Kane drafts bill to restore LV name

Roger Kane

Over beer at Central Flats and Taps, Whetsel,

63, re-viewed the highlights of the epic trip. Whet-sel has also been in the Ever-est region of Nepal (trekking

instead of biking then), plus Cambodia and Thai-land.

He said 16 started on the trip and 13 completed it. Dan Duncan, husband of Lisa Duncan, retired head of the Dogwood Arts Festival, was a Knoxville participant. Others were from Canada, the Nether-lands and Australia. Each day got them at least 40 miles further along and sometimes as much as 92 miles.

Rest stops (meaning more than one day) oc-curred in Phoenix, Aus-tin, Fort Davis and Silver City, to name several. The bikes had f lat tires. Over-nights ranged from tents to hostels to motels. The trip started Sept. 14 and ended Nov. 16. All clothes and necessities were car-ried on individual bikes.

Whetsel worked for four mayors over 23 years, starting with this writer.

He said it was a memo-rable trip but is glad to be back in Knoxville. His next adventure is with his wife, Melynda, for a cruise in Hawaii in 2016.

■ Gov. Haslam contin-ues to maintain high per-sonal popularity, according to recent polls.

His challenge, with three years left as governor, is to translate it into more support for his legisla-tive propos-als.

He is unlikely to bring up Insure Tennessee or a gas tax hike in the legisla-tive session starting next month.

Bill Haslam

Bob Whetsel

Richard Bean remembersHe’s worked for local

government since the Coal Man, the Ice Man and Mr. Aubrey ran the show, and there’s not much Richard Bean, superintendent of the juvenile detention facility that is named for him, has forgotten.

Like Sept 1, 1962, the day he went to work serv-ing paper for domestic rela-tions court; April 12, 1968, the day he married Lillian; Pearl Harbor Day, 1990, the day he quit drinking.

Bean was a 1959 graduate of Powell High School – Earl Hoffmeister was the foot-ball coach his senior year, Jim Monroe his principal. He was supposed to fi nish in 1958, but he had other priorities in those days.

“I spent fi ve years and one summer in high school. Got behind – I liked to chase women. People ask if I went to college, I say no. I never would have got out.”

There were other kinds of trouble to get into, as well.

“We went on a senior trip to Daytona Beach, and everybody dyed their hair blond. I had my mustache blond, my eyebrows blond and a blond ducktail. When I got back, Earl called me out on the football fi eld and told me they were going to expel me if I didn’t dye my hair back.”

The Coal Man and the Ice Man were Democrats Bobby Toole and Paul Nicely. Re-

publican Aubrey Jenkins was the junior partner in Jenkins & Jenkins, one of the most powerful law fi rms in town. More pragmatic than partisan, they were pa-tronage machines, the men to see if you wanted a job.

“Aubrey, he was the mas-ter. That’s his picture, right up there next to that calen-dar,” Bean said, pointing at one of the hundreds of photographs that line his offi ce walls (It’s impossible to escape his offi ce without getting your mug shot. With him.) The calendar page marks Feb. 1, 1972: his fi rst day at the juvenile detention center.

When he fi nally gradu-ated, Bean joined the Navy, and when he got back in 1961, he worked days at Dante Food Market and weekends as a bouncer at a club on Clinton Highway. The following year, Jenkins got Sheriff Carl Ford to hire him as a deputy.

“I went down to a pawn shop on Gay Street and bought me a badge and a slapjack, and I worked sev-en days. Never had an in-terview, just went to work. Six months later, I met the sheriff.” He said he learned

He said, ‘I’m going to put a stop to it.’ ”

(Bean confesses that he and the others would stop at a convenience store to buy bologna sandwich mak-ings and a 12-pack and fi nd themselves a shady spot in the graveyard to have lunch. He doesn’t sound sorry.)

Over the years, he and Lillian built the “Bean Ma-chine” and wielded con-siderable infl uence in the courthouse and beyond. To-day, things are a little qui-eter, and Bean doesn’t seem to be as involved as in years gone by.

When asked if that perception is correct, he grinned.

“I’m just more under-ground now.”

(Continued next week)

Richard Bean reveals the se-cret to his longevity on the job: BC Powder.

the importance of spelling from Juvenile Court Judge Richard Douglass – the hard way.

“Judge Douglass was a mean Democrat, but he took a liking to me. He was run-ning for re-election in ’74, and we went and bought 10,000 boxes of Band-Aids (to hand out as Election Day favors) and put his name on them but left one of the Ss off. He bought 10,000 stick-ers, and we had to put them stickers on the boxes. Every one of them.”

Bean’s loyalty was tested again when Mayor Kyle Tes-terman declared war on city sanitation workers and got himself locked into a battle to keep them from union-izing.

“At that time, we were city employees, and when he fi red all the garbage men to keep them from joining the union, we all had to pick up garbage. Had to go in at 6:30 or 7 and we had (police cap-tain) Mickey Snyder driv-ing a big truck, with Calvin Housewright and Bobby Smithers on little satellite trucks. Me and Jimmy Kyle Davis, he was my recre-ation director, were on an-other truck. … One night, Kyle called everybody in and said he’d been getting complaints about the men running that route over on Sutherland sitting in High-land Memorial Cemetery drinking beer at lunchtime.

Sandra Clark

The Old Mother Hubbard eff ectOld Mother HubbardWent to the cupboard,

To give the poor dog a bone;When she came there,

The cupboard was bare,And so the poor dog had none.

Nothing comes easily for Knox County Schools.

When technology prices drop and a Chromebook can be bought for $200 or less, multiply that times 58,000 students to get a cost of $11.6 million for Knox County Schools. Ouch!

And an even more ex-pensive problem is on the horizon. That’s the cost of personnel to keep the tech-nology running when par-ent groups or businesses buy the technology.

Just last month 33 busi-nesses kicked in $250 each to buy Chromebooks for Powell High School. It’s happening all over the county. But the school sys-tem is not staffed to keep all the devices powered, wired and running.

School board member Lynne Fugate summed it up at a recent meeting: “Ev-erybody wants (the tech-nology), but it costs a lot of money.

“How do we get ahead of it?

“Our parents are de-manding it and are buying

computers for the schools and we have to support it.

“Let’s not lead from be-hind.”

Gail Byard is the chief technology offi cer for Knox County Schools.

“Chromebooks are game changers,” she said.

She said a 4-year rollout at $1 million per year would put a Chromebook in the hands of each high school student and teacher. Oh by the way, KCS needs 63 ad-ditional technicians.

Superintendent Dr. Jim McIntyre said schools in ec-onomically disadvantaged areas have bought comput-ers with Title One funds, while other schools have committed Coupon Book dollars to technology.

Board member Tracie Sanger voiced support for increased technology, but Knox County Schools has hit the Old Mother Hubbard effect.

The money cupboard is bare.

The mayor’s rageIs Victor Ashe annoying

and hard to live with?Absolutely.But a guy who has writ-

ten a column for Shopper News every week for fi ve plus years is a columnist. And this newspaper will support every columnist and reporter we publish.

Do we always agree with Victor? No.

Will we let a politician – even one we like – get away with denying access to pub-lic information? Nope.

Madeline Rogero is suf-fering from a bad case of second-termitis. She’s safely re-elected and now term-limited so what’s to lose?

Let’s ban that dancing butter stick and egg from the top of Magpies Bakery, even though the sign ordi-nance clearly allows for art.

Let’s just tell off the for-mer 4-term mayor because he’s a pest.

Let’s charge the Foun-tain City Christmas parade $1,500 for police reserve of-fi cers for the fi rst time in 48 years.

Call it another downside of term limits.

Victor Ashe was a po-litical writer in college. He’s got a hammering style, but

he’s also got a nose for news and the contacts to track down stories.

I recruited Victor while he was still in Poland to write a column for Shopper News. Back when everyone was speculating on what he would do next, we struck our deal.

Citizens are best served by opinions from a variety of informed sources. Lord help us all when the “news” we know comes from PR de-partments, be they City Hall or UT sports.

Smith is ‘all wet’Commissioner Randy

Smith was walking down Gay Street Monday en route to lunch with Mayor Tim Burchett, fi nance director Chris Caldwell and PR guy Michael Grider.

It was a strange sight in pouring rain. Burchett was wearing his tan Car-hartt jacket (which smells like a wet dog – his words). Grider was juggling an um-brella over the mayor when the men passed a mom and baby without protection from the rain.

“Randy Smith just hand-ed her his umbrella,” said Burchett. “Didn’t even tell her who he was. Just said, ‘Keep it.’”

6 • DECEMBER 2, 2015 • SOUTH KNOX Shopper news

SENIOR NOTES ■ South Knox Senior

Center:6729 Martel Lane573-5843knoxcounty.org/seniorsMonday-Friday7:30 a.m.-4 p.m.

Off erings include: dulcimer and guitar lessons; arts and crafts classes; dance classes; exercise programs; Tai Chi; card games; Joymak-ers practice; free swim 7:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Monday-Fri-day. Senior Meals program noon each Wednesday and Friday. South-Doyle Madrigal Singers perform a Christmas cantata 9 a.m. Monday, Dec. 7. Christmas party 1 p.m. Monday, Dec. 14, featuring the Joymak-ers Choir. Christmas Cookie Exchange/Tricky Santa party ($10 limit) 2 p.m. Wednes-day, Dec. 16. The Knox County Veterans Services will answer questions 9 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 17.

Register for: Toenail trimming appointments Wednesday, Dec. 16.

■ South Knox Commu-nity Center522 Old Maryville Pike573-3575Monday-FridayHours vary

■ John T. O’Connor Senior Center611 Winona St.523-1135knoxcounty.org/seniorsMonday-Friday8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Off erings include: Card games, billiards, senior fi tness, book club, Senior Savvy computer classes, bingo, blood pressure checks 10:30-11:30 a.m. Monday-Friday. Silver Stage Players’ “Christmas 1945,” 2 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 10, donations appreciated.

Register for: Candle-light Holiday Dinner with crafts, 5 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 8 (RSVP by Friday, Dec. 4); Harrah’s trip, 8 a.m. departure Monday, Dec. 7 (Frankie Hicks, 525-1475);

Got news?

Send news to news@ShopperNewsNow.com

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Pumpkin munchin’Before a visit to the local pumpkin patch, residents of Morn-ing Pointe of Powell make a quick stop at Einstein Bros. Bagel Shop on Cedar Bluff Road, where manager Terry Morris pro-vided fresh baked (just for them) pumpkin muffi ns with Cream Cheese icing! Pictured are Jane Hodges (at top) and Margar et Herbison, licking icing off of her fi ngers.

By Cindy TaylorLocated inside the

O’Connor Senior Center in Northeast Knoxville is what center manager Sue Mass-ingill refers to as “the best kept secret in town.” The secret she is referring to is an art center/gift shop fea-turing unique and beautiful handmade items crafted by members of the center.

The Exceptional Gifts and Crafts Shop is a small space fi lled with collections of wood carvings, oil paint-ings, jewelry, pottery, blown glass and an abundance of other crafts. You can pick up handmade greeting cards for about $1. Selection and price are incredible.

The art center was estab-lished more than 20 years ago. Gail Morell has man-aged the shop for 12 years.

“Our seniors love to dis-play their handmade items here and shop for gifts too,” said Morell. “Profi ts from sales in the shop go to sup-

port the O’Connor Center.”Senior artists can bring

their work to the center to be sold on consignment. There is a $10 fee per year to become a member of the gift shop. Artists donate one day per month to work the shop. Currently more than 15 se-nior artists display and sell their work in the gift shop.

Gift shop hours are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Bring your Christmas list and cash or checks. You won’t want to leave empty-handed and they don’t take credit cards.

While you’re enjoying a shopping spree at the gift shop be sure to tour the rest of the facility. You may be amazed at what you fi nd.

The center offers physical fi tness classes, creative writ-ing, art classes, discounted lunch, health screenings, health instruction, neuro-bics and too many more ac-tivities to list. An Internet café should be open on-site by the end of the year. Of

course everyone has heard of the O’Connor Singing Se-niors. There is also a band and drama group.

Minimum age to partici-pate in the activities offered at the center is 50. Anyone is welcome to tour or make pur-chases in the gift shop. A visit to the center will most likely afford you many new friends.

“We average more than 200 senior visitors daily,” said Massingill. “Our goal is to help seniors add life to their years.”

Upcoming holiday events include the Singing Seniors Holiday Concert - Decem-ber 2; Crafts by Candlelight - Dec. 8; Christmas 1945, the O’Connor Silver Stage Players - Dec. 10; Downton Abbey Tea - Dec. 11 and a Christmas sale Dec. 15.

The John T. O’Connor Se-nior Center is at 611 Winona Street. Info: 523-1135. Info and a daily calendar avail-able at www.knoxseniors.org/oconnor

Joan Cronan

Festival of Wreaths at ElmcroftSupport Alzheimer’s Tennessee by bidding on a wreath

as Elmcroft of Halls sponsors the second annual Festival of Wreaths from 3:30-7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 3. UT cho-ral group will perform from 6-7 and winners will be an-nounced at 7 p.m. All are invited.

Cronan to speak in CorrytonJoan Cronan, former University of

Tennessee women’s athletic director, will be speaking and signing her book “Sport Is Life” at 11 a.m. Monday, Dec. 14, at the Corryton Senior Center, 9331 Davis Drive, Corryton.

Artist Scottie Baxter, gift shop president Gail Morell and O’Connor Senior Center manager Sue Massingill pose in front of Exceptional Gifts and Crafts Shop at the O’Connor Senior Center

O’Connor gift shop is ‘exceptional’

Shopper news • DECEMBER 2, 2015 • 7 faith

What’s in a year?

So, if there are 12 months in a year, why is the name of the last month December, a word derived from the prefi x dec, or 10 (think decade or decathlon)?

I wonder about such things! So, being my mother’s daughter, I looked it up, and here is what I learned.

The ancient Romans insisted that all wars cease during the time between the old and new years. March (named for Mars) was the fi rst month in the Roman calendar. That is how the following months were named as they were: April was from the Latin for “second.”

May was named for Maia, the goddess of growing plants (seems reasonable to me!). June was named for Juno, queen of the gods, who was also the patroness of marriage, which is why June is so popular for weddings!

We will come back to July and August, because they were later additions.

September, then was the seventh (septemmeaning seven), and Oc-tober was the eighth. (you see how an octopus got its name – eight legs!)

November was from the word for ninth, and December from the prefi x dec, meaning 10.

All very neat and nice. So where did the other two months come from?

In 1582, Pope Greg-ory (and, no doubt, his astronomers) realized that the calendar was no longer in sync with the seasons. So he fi xed it by adding July (in honor of Julius Caesar) and Au-gust (in honor of Caesar Augustus).

And that is why, al-though the names are a little of out sync, our cal-endar is correct!

And God said, “Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years. …

(Genesis 1:14 NRSV)

CrossCurrents

LynnPitts

FAITH NOTES■ First Comforter Church,

5516 Old Tazewell Pike, hosts MAPS (Mothers At Prayer Ser-vice) noon each Friday. Info: Edna Hensley, 771-7788.

■ Church Women United Knoxville-Knox County meeting, 10 a.m. Friday, Dec. 4, Second UMC, 1524 Western Ave. Info: 524-1689.

■ Macedonia UMC, 4630 Holston Drive, will present its annual Christmas musi-cal, “Christmas – Make It a Memory,” 10:45 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 6. The Macedonia musi-cians and choir will be joined by Ava Barber (former soloist with Lawrence Welk’s TV show) and other singers from the Pigeon Forge theaters.

■ Music ministries of Com-munity Evangelistic Church in East Knoxville and Christ Cov-enant Church in Farragut will join for three presentations of “How Great Our Joy – a Gospel Christmas!” Presentations: 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Dec. 11-12, Christ Covenant Church, 12915 Kingston Pike; 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 13, Community Evangelistic Church, 2650 Boyds Bridge Pike. Info: 525-1589 or cecchurch.org; 671-1885 or offi ce@christcov.org.

■ Second UMC, 1524 Western

Ave., will host the 35th annual Christmas Handbell Concert at 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 6. The Celebration Handbell choir and the Powell High Singers will present “Glory to the Newborn King.”

■ Music ministries of Com-munity Evangelistic Church in East Knoxville and Christ Cov-enant Church in Farragut will join for three presentations of “How Great Our Joy – a Gospel Christmas!” Presentations: 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Dec. 11-12, Christ Covenant Church, 12915 Kingston Pike; 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 13, Community Evangelistic Church, 2650 Boyds Bridge Pike. Info: 525-1589 or cecchurch.org; 671-1885 or offi ce@christcov.org.

■ Second UMC, 1524 Western Ave., will host the 35th annual Christmas Handbell Concert at 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 6. The Celebration Handbell choir and the Powell High Singers will present “Glory to the Newborn King.”

Meetings/classes ■ Church Women United

Knoxville-Knox County meeting, 10 a.m. Friday, Dec. 4, Second UMC, 1524 Western Ave. Info: 524-1689.

By Wendy SmithHer desire to serve God

and people has taken Mer-edith Loftis to several states and much of the continent of Africa. She plans to put those experiences to good use as the associate pas-tor at First Presbyterian Church, 620 State St.

“Travel is a great teacher. I hope to be able to use it in my ministry,” she says.

Loftis was installed last Sunday. She grew up in Dunwoody, Ga., where she was actively involved at St. Luke’s Presbyterian Church. She began to imagine a life of ministry as a teen, and her faith was further refi ned at Clemson University.

She spent a summer working with Presbyte-rian Disaster Assistance in Gautier, Miss. − an area hit hard by Hurricane Katrina − and that experience led her to work for the Ameri-can Red Cross in Pickens, S.C., for a year.

“I enjoyed it, but I couldn’t talk about my faith.”

Loftis went on to Colum-bia Theological Seminary

in Decatur, Ga. The most infl uential pastor in her life was a woman, she says, and no one ever discouraged her from pursuing ministry as a career because of her gen-der.

But she admits that her parents were stunned when that career took her to Africa. A two-year fel-lowship with Madison Av-enue Presbyterian Church in Manhattan included a year in Zambia. She worked with an ecumeni-cal organization that trav-eled throughout the coun-try equipping laypeople to be church leaders. The church is exploding there, she says, and there aren’t enough trained pastors to staff the congregations.

Churches in Africa wres-tle with a different set of is-sues than those faced in the U.S. Two of the biggest chal-lenges for churches in Zam-bia are HIV and polygamy.

One of the cultural chal-lenges she faced was being asked for money. It’s normal for Zambians to ask friends and family for money, and

Meredith Loftis participates in a tribal dance by the Chewa tribe in Katete, Zambia. She is the new associate pastor at First Presbyterian Church. Photo submitted

Travel infl uences ministry of First Presbyterian pastor

because she was white, she was assumed to be rich.

“I had more marriage proposals than I knew what to do with,” she says.

Before returning to Man-hattan, Loftis spent time traveling in Africa and Asia, which further exposed her to different cultures.

Knoxville appealed to her because it’s a less stressful environment than New York City and closer to home. Be-cause she’s learned how to be comfortable with people who are different from her, she hopes to serve those who are often overlooked.

“We’re called to take care of each other, even if

we don’t understand each other.”

She feels called to a min-istry of hospitality, she says. Since she arrived at the beginning of September, First Presbyterian has been partnering with a Congolese family through Bridge Refu-gee Service.

Because the church is in the heart of downtown, it’s well situated for reaching out, she says.

She knows it’s a welcom-ing congregation because it has welcomed her.

“I think they’re excit-ed to have a pastor who’s young, single, female and a millennial.”

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8 • DECEMBER 2, 2015 • SOUTH KNOX Shopper news

BIZ NOTES ■ Edwin Spencer M.D. has performed a

surgical implant for a patient with a frac-ture to the upper arm bone which connects to the shoulder. The device was approved by the FDA in April 2015. It is made of a nickel-titanium alloy that forms a mesh-like structure, similar to a coronary

artery stent. The device is implanted through a small incision in the upper arm and directly into the hollow cavity of the

bone. When expanded, it creates a rigid internal scaff old, stabilizing the fractured bone fragments from the inside.

■ Russell Betcher M.D. of Knoxville Orthopaedic Clinic is the medical honoree for this year’s Knox-ville Jingle Bell Run/Walk for Arthritis as the 2015 corporate chair. The Jingle Bell Run/Walk is nation-ally sponsored by AbbVie, Massage Envy and Ferring Pharmaceuticals.

It is presented locally by Tennova and sponsored by National HealthCare Cor-poration, Knoxville Orthopaedic Clinic and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee. Info: jbr.org/knoxville 615-806-8540.

■ Premier Transportation has acquired Chattanooga-based All Aboard USA, bringing the Knoxville company’s total fl eet to nearly 40 motor coaches stationed throughout East Tennessee. Nick Cazana is the Premier Transporta-tion owner. Randy Ingram, All Aboard owner and operator, has joined Premier to manage the Chattanooga location, which brings the Premier Transporta-tion team to 85 employees.

Dr. Spencer

Dr. Betcher

kids

business News from the Rotary Guy

By Tom KingEducation has always

been among the primary focus areas of Rotary I n t e r n a -tional. The Rotary Club of Knoxville is celebrat-ing its 100th anniversary

year in 2015, and as part of that they heard recently from an old friend – Sam Beall.

It was in 1937 when the club presented Sam with a Rotary scholarship for $500 a year during his fi rst two years at the University of Tennessee. That scholar-ship propelled him to a fas-cinating and very signifi -cant career.

Sam’s father had died dur-ing the Great Depression, and after Sam graduated from high school in Georgia, his mother moved him and his kid brother to Knoxville, her former home. Her father had built the fi rst bellows for the Fulton Bellows Co.

Sam was befriended by Rotarians Tom McCroskey, president of the Limestone

Knoxville Rotary salutes silent hero Sam Beall

Tom King

Company, and Leonard Jones of Knox Litho. Sam wanted to go to UT but was virtually penniless, he said at a recent meet-ing. Knoxville Rota-ry came to the rescue with a scholarship. He graduated in 1942 with a degree in design engineering.

Charles Ferris, then head of UT’s Engineering School, took a special interest in Sam. World War II was un-derway, and DuPont was recruiting engineers for the top-secret Manhattan Proj-

ect at the University of Chi-cago. With help from Ferris, Sam got a job working with

the Chicago team and worked daily with En-rico Fermi, called the “Father of the Bomb.”

From that spring-board, Sam became

director of the Reac-tor Division and the newly formed Energy Division at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. When Sam re-tired in 1978 he was ORNL’s director of the Reactor and Energy Divisions … and it all began with that $500,

Knoxville Rotary president Sandy Martin and Sam Beall

two-year scholarship from Knoxville Rotary.

And today, 100 years af-ter its founding, the club still awards scholarships to deserving students.

■ Turkey Creek aids food pantryThe Rotary Club of Tur-

key Creek Sunset is into the holiday spirit, making a $500 donation to the Shep-herd of Hope Food Pantry at Faith Lutheran Church in Farragut. The pantry helps support 100 families. The club meets weekly at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at the church.

■ Bearden tapes meetingsThe Rotary Club of

Bearden is now videotaping its Friday noon meetings at Buddy’s Bearden Banquet Hall. The club’s technol-ogy guru, Leo Knight, who owns Neighborhood Nerds, spearheaded this effort. One of the Nerds’ interns, Nathan Diambra, is han-dling the taping. Tom King is a retired newspaper editor, a Rotarian for 27 years and past president of the Rotary Club of Farragut. He can be reached at tking535@gmail.com.

Ahn

Lane-Suttles RifeReedIson

Gadwaw Evans

Retired teachers honornew educators

By Ruth WhiteSeven students have received

scholarships from the Knoxville Retired Teachers Association in celebration of National Retired Teachers Month.

Each recipient received $1,000 to help with college expens-es. Scholarships are awarded through an essay/application process.

Carson-Newman University student Joonkil Ahn received the Tom Underwood Scholarship from committee member Joyce

Condry. Lucie Lane-Suttles, an ETSU student, received the Reu-ben/Pat Hunter Scholarship. Both scholarships are the two original awards given out by the association.

Alyssa Ison received the Colleen Bennett Scholarship. Alyssa is a student at ETSU and was given the award by committee member Earl Wells. Two students received the Association Scholarship, including Lauren Evans from UT and Powell resident Myra Rife who studies at South College.

Krissy Gadwaw from ETSU received the James Rayburn Martin Scholarship from Nancy Gerhardt. James Martin was Ger-hardt’s great grandfather and was the fi rst certifi ed public teacher in Floyd County, Va.

Holly Reed, who studies at UT, received the Bill and Bea Carney Scholarship. Bill Carney was the principal of the (then new) Nor-wood Elementary and served the community for 23 years. Reed ac-cepted the scholarship from Julia Craze.

By Betsy PickleYou can usually look

over a crowd of students at a school assembly and see a few kids fi dgeting, yawn-ing or just looking bored. That wasn’t the case at South Knoxville Elemen-tary School when a couple of teenagers came to read to the entire student body.

Maybe it was because the readers were kids, too. Or perhaps it was the subject: food. But the SKES students seemed spellbound as they listened to 4H “all stars” Justin Cross and Lydia Mc-Curdy take turns reading “How Did That Get in My Lunchbox? The Story of Food.”

The short book covered the origins of different kinds of food – things like bread, cheese, tomatoes, ap-ple juice, carrots and even the chips in chocolate chip cookies – in a kid-friendly way.

“Do you like chocolate?”

Justin asked the students. After a resounding “yes” re-sponse he said, “I do, too!”

A discussion after the reading gave the students a chance to ask about other foods and how they are pro-duced.

The program was a part of Ag Literacy Week, em-phasizing the importance of agriculture and farm-ers. Justin, a senior at L&N STEM Academy, and Lydia, a home-schooled junior from South Knox-ville, have been active in 4H for years. Justin and his family raise sheep, and Lydia and her family have horses, which she rides in competitions.

Principal Tanna Nicely told the children that she grew up on a farm and she lives on a farm now and said that much of her leadership style was developed from concepts she learned from farming. Many of the older children at SKES are in-

volved in 4H.Sharon Davis, Knox

County extension agent, presented the school with copies of the food book. She also provided devices for the classrooms that will allow students to view the roots of plants as they grow.

The assembly took place on the same day as the Prin-cipal for a Day initiative. Nicely had her “principals” – two local leaders – speak briefl y to the children be-fore they spent the morning visiting classrooms and spe-cial groups to get an educa-tion about SKES.

Cammie Kromer, presi-dent of the Junior League of Knoxville, and Carson Dailey, an offi cer with the South-Doyle Neighborhood Association and a member of the county Board of Zon-ing Appeals, introducedthemselves but quickly switched into observer mode, enjoying the program along with the kids.

SKES principal Tanna Nicely, right, introduces the school’s “principals for a day,” Carson Dailey and Cammie Kromer.

Lydia McCurdy reads to the student body at

her old school, South Knoxville Elementary, as

her fellow 4H “all star,” Justin Cross, listens.

Photos by Betsy Pickle

Food is attention grabber

By Sandra ClarkThe District in Bearden is

saying “Thanks” and “Hap-py Holidays” to customers and friends from 5-8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4, with a series of open houses. The festivi-ties extend through Satur-day at most stores.

Restaurant members are providing hors d’oeuvres at the Friday events, accord-ing to Bebe Vogel, who co-ordinates The District in Bearden events.

M.S. McClellan prom-ises good food from Bistro by the Tracks and cocktails for a festive evening. Bob McClellan will hold a trunk show by Wilsons Leather, a leading specialty retailer of quality outerwear and accessories since 1899. The store is located at 5614 Kingston Pike in Melrose Place. Info: 865-584-3492.

Bennett Galleries is celebrating its 40th anni-versary with music, food from Aubrey’s and selected treasures from its vault (including some works by Richard Jolley). Look for a trunk show by Nashville artist and jeweler Robin Haley on Friday and from-the-farm tastings by North Carolina’s Dusty Farms and Nursery all day Saturday. The galleries are at 5308 Kingston Pike. Info: 865-584-6791.

Est8te, a clothing and home décor store, will fea-ture sparkling wine, small bites from Naples, and spe-cial holiday gifts at Friday’s

open house. Also, on Thurs-day, Dec. 3, from 5-8 p.m. there will be refreshments and a 20 percent off sale to benefi t the cancer support community. The store is at 145 South Forest Park Bou-levard, next to The Grill at Highlands Row. Info: 865-588-1588.

G&G Interiors has cre-ated a “winter wonderland” for the holidays. During the open house on Friday, G&G will serve food from Naples. The business provides turn-key decorating services for private residences and ex-ecutive offi ces. Info: 5508 Kingston Pike. Info: 865-212-5639.

The District Gallery will present Knoxville na-tive Joe Parrott and his show, “From Knoxville to the Mediterranean.” Par-rott will be painting on Saturday and is expected to be present during Friday’s open house which will in-clude live music and food from Holly’s Gourmet Mar-ket. The Gallery is at 5113 Kingston Pike. Info: 865-200-4452.

Sole in the City is spon-soring 12 Days of Christmas, starting Friday, Dec. 4. Reg-ister during the open house. The winner will receive 12 days of gifts from the store. Open house food and appe-tizers will be presented by Holly’s Gourmet Market. The store offers upscale shoes and accessories at 5508 Kingston Pike in Cherokee Plaza. Info: 865-249-7329.

The District in Bearden says ‘thanks’ with

holiday open houses

Shopper news • DECEMBER 2, 2015 • 9 weekender

Then you'll love the

Shopper's take on both

the local fi lmmaking scene

and Hollywood releases.

Love movies?

Betsy Pickle, East Tennessee's premier fi lm critic,

keeps you in the know in Weekender.

By Betsy PickleElaine Hendrix has been

a stocking stuffer before – her character in “Inspector Gadget 2” inspired a variety of Happy Meal toys – but all fans will want for Christmas is a 2016 calendar featuring Hendrix showing vintage attitude – and a lot of leg.

It’s the Girls for Animal Rights 2016 calendar, and it benefi ts the Animal Legal Defense Fund, the Illinois Birddog Rescue and Hen-drix’s own The Pet Match-maker.

“I’ve got a new PSA out for the Animal Legal De-fense Fund,” says Hendrix. “They’re the ones who got me involved with the calen-dar. I love them. But I also love the gals who are doing the Girls for Animal Rights.”

(Find the calendar at girlsforanimalrights.com.)

Born in Oak Ridge and reared in Knoxville, Mor-ristown and Atlanta, Hen-drix is a passionate animal activist. She spent Thanks-giving taking care of home-less people and pets in Los Angeles.

“It’s a funny thing being a ‘celebrity’ … I know that there are a lot of people who worry about their image and what they’re attached to. For animals, I do whatever I can do.”

When she’s not rescu-

By Carol ShaneLooking for more ways to

be Santa’s helper?Join the party at “Holi-

day Sparkles and Spirits,” a gala evening to benefi t The Joy of Music School, which provides music lessons to area kids who wouldn’t oth-erwise be able to have them.

The event combines the warmth of a holiday gather-ing with the sound of chil-dren’s voices, plus delicious food and drink. There are also silent and live auctions. It’s a great evening for a great cause.

“Holiday Sparkles and Spirits” takes place 6:30-9:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 8, at Cherokee Country Club, 5138 Lyons View Pike. Info: 525-6806.

■ On a recent Tuesday morning, a group of Knox-ville musicians gathered in the bowels of the Tennessee Theatre for their fi rst and only rehearsal with the mu-sic directors of the touring company of Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas.”

The company is based in New York, where the theater world’s best come to sing, dance and play music with the best talent on the planet. They’re accustomed to the highest standards.

The rehearsal went smoothly, and when it came

East Ten-nessee na-tive Elaine Hendrix takes a breather from her fi lm and animal work. Photo submitted

‘Krampus’ is comingWhen a boy inadvertently summons a Christmas demon, his dysfunctional family – including his dad (Adam Scott) – may end up paying the price in “Krampus.” The cast in-cludes Toni Collette, David Koechner, Conchata Ferrell, Al-lison Tolman and Emjay Anthony. The comedic horror fi lm, rated PG-13 and opening in theaters Friday, was directed by Michael Dougherty (“Trick ’r Treat”).

Doc Severinsen chose the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra to tour with him in September. The KJO presents “Swingin’ Christmas” Thursday, Dec. 10, at the Tennessee Theatre. Shown top to bottom are Will Boyd, Mark Tucker, David King, Brad McDougall, Greg Tardy, Keith Brown, Tom Johnson, Bill Swann, Michael Spirko, Michael Wyatt, Nathan Warner, Tommy Sauter, Tom Lundberg, Vance Thomspon, Severinsen and Don Hough. Photo submitted

Animal lover Hendrix brightens 2016

time to rehearse the fi nale of the fi rst act, the conductor, Michael Horsley, gave the downbeat. As the music built in intensity, his conducting gestures gradually stopped; they weren’t needed.

Horsley, smiling widely, was simply enjoying the music. As the last note rang through the marble-lined space, he exclaimed, “Whaddaya know! Knox-ville can PLAY.”

The Knoxville Jazz Or-chestra, who’d just blown the roof off of “Blue Skies,” hung their heads sheepishly and grinned.

In an age when much popular music relies on elec-tronic wizardry rather than hard-earned musical prow-ess, these guys are the real deal. If you haven’t heard them, you’re missing one of the premiere performing groups in the region.

Founded in 1999 by trum-peter Vance Thompson, they’ve appeared at jazz fes-tivals in the United States and Europe, released four critically acclaimed CDs and presented scores of concerts, many featuring world-re-nowned guest artists.

Their most popular an-nual concert happens next week. And this year, “A Swingin’ Christmas” will feature jazz vocalist Cécile

McLorin Salvant.“I’ve actually been trying

to get her for several years now,” says Thompson, who adds that, in his opinion, Salvant is “the most impor-tant female vocalist to come along in jazz in the last few decades.”

“Although she is well known to the jazz commu-nity around the world, she is still unknown to the general public.”

He’s excited to introduce her to Knoxville audiences, along with some of the bright-est, brassiest Christmas mu-sic you’ll hear all season.

Tickets go fast, so if you want to hear those horns, you’d better get on the horn.

The Knoxville Jazz Orchestra’s “A Swingin’ Christmas,” sponsored by Merrill Lynch, takes place at 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 10, at the Tennessee Theatre downtown. Info: knoxjazz.org or 573-3226.Send story suggestions to news@shoppernewsnow.com.

ing animals or promot-ing their rights, Hendrix stays busy with her day – and night – job. She stars on the new FX series “Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll” with Denis Leary, Elizabeth Gillies and John Corbett, which recently concluded its fi rst season.

“I am an expert on rock ’n’ roll now,” Hendrix says with a laugh. “I can offi cial-

ly say that.”And the sex and drugs?“I’ll say ‘no comment’ on

those!” The show is about a vet-

eran rock ’n’ roller, Johnny Rock (Leary), whose dream of resurrecting the career he fl ushed down the toi-let hinges on the daughter, Gigi (Elizabeth Gillies), he’s never known. Hendrix plays Ava, Johnny’s longtime live-

matic fi lm.”Making a movie with a

message is something that appeals to Hendrix.

“My life is so cause-ori-ented,” says Hendrix. “When my work aligns with my be-liefs, that’s the ultimate.”

Hendrix, who got her start in guest roles on TV shows before breaking out in “Romy & Michele’s High School Reunion” and “The Parent Trap,” has been working steadily as an actor for more than 20 years and has also produced several features and shorts. The industry-wide conversa-

tion about the disparity of opportunities and pay for males vs. females in Holly-wood has not escaped her.

“I think all actors – the middle-class actors – are getting pay cuts all the time,” she says. “The whole industry has changed. And for women, who are already getting the short end of the stick, it’s even worse now, which in 2015 I can’t even believe I’m saying that.

“There is a lot of talk and a lot of push toward females in the industry, but I feel like it’s still right now all talk and very little action.”

in girlfriend and backup singer.

“It’s amazing,” says Hen-drix. “So fun. Best job I’ve ever had. We work long, hard hours, but it’s worth it. We all get along. We love each other. We’re having a blast.”

Fortunately, even working 12- to 16-hour days, Hendrix doesn’t have to worry about saving her voice.

“Thankfully, it’s ‘Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll.’ If you have a (trashed) voice, all the better.”

The second season will debut on FX in 2016.

This week, Hendrix is getting ready to start shoot-ing a political satire called “Swing State” with Jon Gries, Taryn Manning, An-gela Kinsey from “The Of-fi ce” and Sean Astin.

“I play sort of an Ann Coulter-type character,” says Hendrix.

She worked this summer with Noah Wyle and Xan-der Berkeley on the drama “Shot.”

“It’s what happens when a young boy accidentally shoots a man, and what happens immediately af-ter that, and by the end the consequences of it,” she says. “It’s really making a statement on senseless gun violence, which I was very happy to be a part of. It’s a heavy fi lm. It’s a very dra-

10 • DECEMBER 2, 2015 • Shopper news

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