Artists needed for South Knox Art Walk
Applications open today (3/27/26) for artists’ proposals for the SoKno Art Walk, opening in fall 2026. The Art Walk is outdoors on a 1.5-mile stretch of the rail-to-trail greenway that will extend from Chapman Highway to Ijams Nature Center. Application form here.
Legacy Parks Foundation has been collaborating with Gulf & Ohio Railways since 2015, to create a rail-with-trail along south Knoxville’s waterfront – a trail in the right-of-way alongside the rail line. In December 2025, Gulf & Ohio decided to close the rail line, creating the opportunity to remove the tracks and convert the rail line into a public trail.
The city of Knoxville’s Public Works Department has removed the tracks and will construct the soft-surface, accessible trail. Legacy Parks will create the Art Walk, beginning with an initial $1 million gift from the Lawson Family Foundation. The Art Walk will feature unique, diverse and engaging works by local, regional and nationally-renowned artists, transforming the trail into a cultural destination for residents and visitors alike. Art along the trail will include murals, sculptures, functional installations, landscape architecture and youth-created works.
Legacy Parks is collaborating with Dogwood Arts to publicize the Art Walk and secure artists for the project. Get some history and recent updates here.
Jay Clark to entertain at Laurel Theater
Jubilee Community Arts presents Jay Clark at the Laurel Theater, Saturday, April 11, 2026, at 8 p.m. Why should outdoors enthusiasts care? Jay went to college for 11.5 years and has a doctorate in wildlife ecology.
Jay Clark
Clark (no relation) has been a staple in the East Tennessee music scene for more than 20 years. During his college years, Jay not only trapped and conducted research on black bears in the Smokies, but also played in a couple of different bluegrass bands, most notably a brother-style duo with Keith Garrett (currently of The Boxcars) and later in a bluegrass band, The Stringbeans, with Robinella and Cruz Contreras (currently of The Black Lillies).
Since releasing his first record in 2004 (Pen to Paper), Jay has supplemented his career as a scientist with performing his songs across the Southeast & southern Appalachia. Presently, Jay plays a number of his shows with his band, Jay Clark & the Tennessee Tree Beavers, which features Greg Horne on lead guitar & Daniel Kimbro on upright bass.
Jay grew up in Winchester, Tennessee, near where the western escarpment of the Cumberland Plateau crosses from Tennessee into Alabama. His dad was a Cumberland Presbyterian minister for 42 years. His mom an English teacher. Church played a huge role in Jay’s upbringing, according to his website. It was in the church where Jay learned to sing and in the mountains where he felt closest to God. Ticket info here.
Learn more about Jay Clark here.
TN parks set spring events
Tennessee State Parks will host a variety of spring events for visitors at parks, including egg hunts, special meals and festivals across the state surrounding Easter, April 5.
On April 4, these parks will host egg hunts:
T.O. Fuller State Park (night)
Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park (night)
On Easter, April 5, guests can enjoy a special Easter Buffet at the restaurants at:
Cumberland Mountain State Park
Reservations are required for the meals at Henry Horton State Park (cutoff date March 30), Fall Creek Falls State Park (cutoff date April 1) and Montgomery Bell State Park (cutoff date April 1). Details on all Easter meals are available online at tnstateparks.com.
Other parks hosting upcoming Spring events include:
Norris Dam State Park – The Annual Spring Wildflower Hike on April 5
Standing Stone State Park – The Annual Spring Nature Rally on April 10– 11
Fort Loudoun State Historic Park – The Spring Garrison on April 11
Head of the Crow State Park – The Wildflower Wanderlust Hike on April 11
Warriors’ Path State Park – The 47th Annual Spring Nature Festival on April 17-19
Notes and Quotes
Outdoor Knoxville, a calendar produced by Legacy Parks Foundation, is a comprehensive list of upcoming local outdoor events. Find it here.
Grow Oak Ridge’s final indoors Winter Farmers Market will be Saturday, March 28, from 9 a.m. to noon at Roane State Community College, 701 Briarcliff Ave, Oak Ridge. Celebrate around a maypole, thanks to the Oak Ridge International Folk Dancers, and pick up some 10-year anniversary gear before it’s gone.
Plumb Creek Disc Golf Course, community tree planting, Saturday, March 28, 1 p.m. Info: Trees Knoxville, 865-333-0924. Register online.
Dinner & Bingo fundraiser for Appalachian Mountain Bike Club, Wednesday, April 1, 6:30 p.m., Sweet P’s BBQ. Buy cards for $10 each or 3 for $25. Kids cards are $5 each, playing 4-5 games with the opportunity to win a prize every game. Details online.
Overhill Gardens is opening a native plant retail garden center on 411 in Vonore. Info here.
South Knoxville Community Cleanup will be Saturday, April 18, 2026, from 9 a.m. to noon. The event base will be at Chapman Square, 4409 Chapman Hwy., Knoxville. Ijams Nature Center is partnering with Keep Knoxville Beautiful (KKB) to remove invasive plant species. Any age volunteer is welcomed. Write or call amanda@keepknoxvillebeautiful.org or 865-521-6957 with questions.
Scottish Festival: Celebrating Scots-Irish culture and impact is set for the third weekend of May, Saturday and Sunday, May 16-17, at the Greater Smokies Event Grounds adjacent to the Blount Partnership Townsend Visitor’s Center, 7930 E. Lamar Alexander Pkwy., Townsend, Tennessee. More here.
Big Dill Pickleball Tournament, Saturday, May 30, 8 a.m. at Lakefront Park, 140 Charles G. Seivers Blvd., Clinton. Sponsored by the Anderson County Chamber with all ages, levels. Double elimination. $70 early registration. Info here.
Quote: “In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.” – Robert Frost per Garrison Keillor in the Writer’s Almanac.
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