More Giant Cross to go up throughout East Tennessee including LaFollette and Morristown. If you have been to East Tennessee, I am sure you have seen some of these giant cross. They can be as big as 120 feet tall. They are generally near a church and cost $30,000 to build. Funds are donated usually by nearby church members.

Tennessee Ranks Second “Nicest State”

Old Samaritan House in Jefferson City burnt down

Invasive Tick Detected in 6 additional Tennessee counties – The Tennessee Department of Agriculture, United States Department of Agriculture – Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services, Tennessee Department of Health, and University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture today announced the detection of the invasive Asian longhorned tick in an additional six Tennessee counties: Knox, Jefferson, Claiborne, Cocke, Putnam, and Sevier. The tick was detected in Union and Roane Counties in May.

Tennessee Historical Commission Announces Historic Preservation Fund Grants

The Transit of Mercury featuring ‘Solar Quest – Take a trip to the planet closest to the Sun this fall at Bays Mountain Park & Planetarium! Two new shows have already began at the planetarium.

Where Art Meets Science – A talk about the mural Silent Skies – Come join us for an evening event where art meets science at the Silent Skies mural in downtown Kingsport. World-renowned ornithologist Dr. Fred Alsop will join one of the mural’s artists, Suzanne Justis, to explain the significance of the mural, the birds from our region that are a part of it, and the productive collaboration of species conservation and visual art.

KAT Proposes Bus Route Changes – Knoxville Area Transit (KAT) is proposing route and schedule changes to several routes which, if approved, would take effect in January 2020.

Knox County Public Library’s Movies on Market Square Starts Sept. 13, 2019- Knox County Public Library and Knoxville TVA Employee Credit Union are pleased to announce the 2019 line-up for Movies on Market Square.

Park Reaches Biodiversity Milestone at 20,000 Species – Great Smoky Mountains National Park has reached a biodiversity milestone with the discovery and documentation of 20,000 species of plants, animals, and other organisms. Scientists from across the world have assisted the park in a concerted effort to catalogall life in the park through an All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory (ATBI).

Old Time Saturday no longer, The Mossy Creek Station Festival replacing

Park Hosts Mountain Life Festival – Great Smoky Mountains National Park will host the annual Mountain Life Festival near the Oconaluftee Visitor Center at the Mountain Farm Museum on Saturday, September 21, 2019 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Visitors will have the opportunity to experience traditional fall harvest activities on the farm including hearth cooking, apple butter making, blacksmithing, lye soap making, and food preservation. All activities are free and open to the public.

Park Hosts Star Gazing Event at Cades Cove – Great Smoky Mountains National Park is hosting a stargazing program in Cades Cove on Saturday, September 7, 2019 beginning at 7:30 p.m. Park rangers invite the public to escape the city lights and observe the natural night sky for an evening of viewing stars with equipment and instruction provided by the Smoky Mountain Astronomical Society. 

Smokey, Bluetick Coonhound now official Tennessee State Dog. This was signed into bill back in March of 2019.

Free Red Trolley to Begin Service to South Waterfront – Knoxville Area Transit’s fourth free trolley line – the new Red Line, connecting a part of the South Waterfront and downtown – is scheduled to begin service on Monday, August 19, 2019

Zoo Knoxville Announces Birth of 110th Red Panda – Zoo Knoxville remains the top zoo in the world for the breeding of endangered red pandas with the birth of their 110th cub.

Flooding on Papermill by McKay’s

At approximately 3:00 p.m., August 1, 2019, the northern area of Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Gatlinburg, TN experienced extremely heavy rainfall causing multiple small rock slides, downed trees, and flash flooding along the Spur and Gatlinburg Bypass.

Interagency Search Effort Leads to Successful Outcome – After spending four nights lost in the backcountry of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Kevin Mark Lynch was found by searchers. At approximately 4:25 p.m. searchers discovered Lynch, alert and responsive, in the southeast area of the park near the Cataloochee Divide Trail.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials announced that Look Rock Picnic Area will reopen to the public on Friday, July 26, 2019. Park crews recently completed the first phase of a rehabilitation project allowing the site to reopen after being closed in 2013.