National Night Out is happening in Knoxville today (10/7/25). And five East Knox groups have joined the city to sponsor the second annual city-wide kick-off celebration. The event is today, 5-7 p.m. at Tank Strickland Park, 4618 Asheville Hwy., Knoxville.
“Not every neighborhood is able to plan its own celebration,” said Mayor Indya Kincannon. “But the kick-off celebration is designed for anyone in the city to attend. It’s a great way to meet our neighbors, police officers and firefighters.”
Police Chief Paul Noel, Fire Chief Stan Sharp and other first responders will be present, but you can bet the kids will head first to meet the city’s new mounted patrol and maybe touch a firetruck. Free food, games and giveaways are promised.
The five co-sponsoring neighborhoods are: Burlington Residents Association, Cold Springs Neighborhood Watch, Michael Meadowview Neighborhood Watch, Parkridge Community Organization and Town Hall East.
Debbie Sharp, the city’s neighborhood coordinator, said a final citywide list will be available this morning on the Neighborly Notes website.
These neighborhoods, plus the five listed above, had signed up to participate by September 26:
- Amherst Helmbolt Community Association
- Courtyard Senior Living
- Cumberland Estates West Neighborhood Watch
- Inskip Community Association
- Kingston Pike Sequoyah Hills Association
- Kirkwood Homeowners Association
- Lonsdale Homes Neighborhood Watch
- Marble City Neighborhood Association
- Mechanicsville Community Association
- Monrose Court Condos
- Morningside Heights Homeowners Association
- Northwest Hills Safety Community Group
- Norwood Homeowners Association
- Old Mechanicsville Neighborhood Interest
- Seven Springs Homeowners Association
- South Woodlawn Neighborhood Association
- Vestal Community Organization
- West Haven Village Neighborhood Community
- Westavia Woods Neighborhood Watch
- Williams Creek Community Association with Lenon-Seney United Methodist Church
National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make our neighborhoods safer, more caring places to live, Sharp said. Neighborhoods host block parties, festivals, parades, cookouts and various other events with safety demonstrations, seminars, youth events, visits from emergency personnel, exhibits and much, much more. Most areas celebrate National Night Out on the first Tuesday in August; however, Knoxville celebrates it the first Tuesday in October because of August heat.
To learn more about your neighborhood, check the website linked above or phone the Office of Neighborhood Empowerment at 865-215-3232.
Discover the Clauss Family’s Knoxville legacy
Avigail Sachs
Avigail Sachs, professor and interim associate dean at the College of Architecture and Design at the University of Tennessee, will discuss the Clauss Family Legacy at the Knoxville Museum of Art from noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, October 8, 2025.
The Clauss family lived in Knoxville while Alfred Clauss worked at TVA. Jane West Clauss was an early female architect.
Avigail Sachs teaches the history and theory of architecture and landscape at the University of Tennessee and studies the design professions in the United States.
Lecture is free and open to the public. Bring your lunch (deadline to order a boxed lunch has passed). Water and soft drinks will be provided.
New director of programming at Knox Jewish Alliance
Shannon Martindale
Shannon Martindale, the new director of programming for the Knoxville Jewish Alliance, will be introduced at Sundown in the Sukkah on Thursday, October 9, 5:30-7 p.m. at 6800 Deane Hill Drive, Knoxville.
Martindale holds a master’s degree in public administration with multiple years of experience in human resources and personnel management. “My passion is developing employees and creating an efficient, energetic work environment,” she posted on social media.
Plawchan now heads local League of Women Voters
Lisa Plawchan
Lisa Plawchan is the new president of the Knoxville League of Women Voters. She is director of public affairs & strategic engagement and heads the Knoxville office for Versant Strategies, a Tampa Bay-based public relations firm.
Lisa holds a bachelor’s degree in international affairs from The George Washington University and has lived and worked in Chile, China and the Netherlands. She volunteers with Knox County Schools, Junior Achievement and Girl Talk’s Life Prep Academy.
“As an avid puzzle enthusiast, I thrive on assembling disparate pieces to create a cohesive and meaningful picture. Each client represents a unique puzzle … and requires thoughtful consideration and precise alignment.”
In Memoriam
Timothy Parker
Timothy Sanders “Tim” Parker, 66, passed away on September 29, 2025, at Sacred Ground Hospice House in Knoxville, Tennessee. He had taught school at Episcopal School of Knoxville (ESK) and more recently at L&N STEM Academy.
After graduating with a master’s in education from the University of Tennessee, he became an academic advisor for student-athletes before becoming associate director of academic advising in the College of Business.
Tim and wife Missy lived in the 4th & Gill Neighborhood for 40 years, in three different homes on the same street. They attended the neighborhood church, Central UMC, where a celebration of life will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, November 8, 2025. The full obituary is here.
Notes & Quotes
Broadacres Neighborhood Association will host a fall resident meeting at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, October 14, 2025, at Inskip Grill on Emory Road. Eating dinner is optional.
Olde Concord Fall Festival will be Saturday, October 25, 2025, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Choto Masonic Lodge. Supporting LIFT East Tennessee; local vendors, local music, food and beverage trucks.
Corryton Possum Chase: Saturday, October 25, 2025, at 8:15 a.m. It’s fun to run in the country. And proceeds support the Corryton Community Club and Hospitality Food Pantry. State records races – 2, 4 and 8 miles.
Quote: “Something there is that doesn’t love a wall … There where it is we do not need the wall. He is all pine and I am apple orchard. … Before I built a wall, I’d ask to know what I was walling in or walling out, and to whom I was like to give offense. Something there is that doesn’t love a wall; that wants it down, I tell him. He only says, ‘Good fences make good neighbors.’” – Robert Frost, “Mending Wall,” published 1914.
