History is on display this weekend at the first ever History Hootenanny. Come visit the East Tennessee History Center on August 20 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. A hootenanny means lots of different things to different folks. Whether it’s an informal gathering with folktales and old timey music or a Gaelic party, to us in East Tennessee, it’s just plain fun.
The History Hootenanny will celebrate all the best aspects of East Tennessee history. At its core is the Museum of East Tennessee History, where the region’s past lives every day. You’re invited to explore the Museum, taking in the pageantry of the 1982 World’s Fair in the feature exhibition, You Should’ve Been There!; trying your hand at family friendly activities in History Headquarters; and interacting with guest interpreters from local historic houses in the signature exhibition, Voices of the Land: The People of East Tennessee; all the while enjoying live music from the Shaw Hollow Boys and Wild Blue Yonder in the museum’s galleries.
Some of the highlights will include a Local History Authors Showcase featuring authors from Arcadia Publishing and an author panel discussing how to publish. There is also a used book sale with the Friends of the Library, and upstairs there will be a Genealogy Mini-Conference for those who want to research their family history. Screenings of recent acquisitions by the Tennessee Archive of Moving Image and Sound and walking tours with Laura Still (Knoxville Walking Tours) and Jack Neely (Knoxville History Project) will be a part of the day’s activities. Another highlight will be the History Express, which shuttles passengers to and from several of Knoxville’s Historic House Museums.
All these programs are representative of the component parts of the East Tennessee History Center, which actively works each day to make history relevant throughout the region. Presented by East Tennessee Historical Society and the Knox County Public Library
Mary Pom Claiborne is assistant director for marketing, communications and development for the Knox County Public Library.