TN Folklife Award Recipient to perform at Louie Bluie Music & Arts Festival

James “Sparky” Rucker and his wife, Rhonda, will be performing at the Louie Bluie Music & Arts Festival on Saturday, September 20, 2025, at Cove Lake State Park in Campbell County.

They have performed every year since the festival’s inception in 2007. Sparky Rucker is a 2025 recipient of the Governor’s Arts Folklife Heritage award, considered among Tennessee’s highest artistic honors.

Rucker knew and was an admirer of Howard “Louie Bluie” Armstrong. He credited Armstrong with many influences, once saying, “Learning guitar licks and stories from the Rev. Pearly Brown, Brownie McGee and Howard ‘Louie Bluie’ Armstrong was priceless.”

Sparky Rucker has released over 15 albums throughout his career, featuring stories and songs from the African-American and Appalachian cultures. He is committed to education, community building and social justice.

Rhonda Rucker is an accomplished musician and songwriter. She completed medical school and residency at the University of Kentucky and practiced internal medicine for five years in Maryville, Tennessee. She also is a published author. Learn more about both Ruckers here.

KPD Chief Paul Noel welcomed 20 engaged Knoxville residents to the 66th session of KPD’s Community Police Academy, which kicked off last week at the Public Safety Complex. Over the next 10 weeks, the participants will get a detailed, behind-the-scenes look at the operations and functions of the KPD.

Pitch in to help Knoxville SOUP

Knoxville SOUP will return on Tuesday, September 23, 2025, to Kerbela Temple, 315 Kerbela Ave. in South Knoxville. Preselected worthy causes will pitch their community-enhancing projects to an audience, and the one that gets the most votes will win the SOUP “pot.”

With a suggested minimum donation of $5, attendees get to enjoy soup and other tasty goodies provided by local businesses, listen to presentations on creative projects to improve the community, and vote on their favorite project to win the funds donated at the door.

Janice Tocher

Doors open at 5:30 p.m., with brief presentations and Q&As starting at 6, and dinner and voting to follow. The winning project will be announced around 8 p.m. Janice Tocher is our point-of-contact on this.

SOUP is inviting applicants from anywhere in Knox County to submit a proposal to present a project on September 23. Interested groups or individuals should visit knoxvillesoup.org and use the link under Knoxville SOUP Proposals to fill out a brief form about their project. The deadline to submit a proposal is Sept. 14. Up to four projects will be selected.

Organizers are looking for donations of soup, salad, bread/ cornbread/ biscuits and dessert from members of the foodservice industry. Approximately 170 attendees are expected, but food vendors are asked to provide enough of whatever they are donating to serve 50.

Items for a raffle are also being accepted. The raffle is a popular part of the event and helps to fund future SOUP events, plus it promotes the names of businesses supporting SOUP.

SOUP was launched in Knoxville in March 2015 and so far has raised nearly $13,000 for community projects. It is modeled after the most well-known such endeavor, Detroit SOUP. Now, more than 200 SOUP dinners are held throughout the world. Visit knoxvillesoup.org for information on volunteering at SOUP.

Weekend sessions will celebrate Jewish heritage in Appalachia 

Deborah Weiner

Dr. Deborah Weiner, who wrote “Coalfield Jews,” will be in East Tennessee this weekend in celebration of shared Jewish history in Appalachia.

Weiner will speak Saturday, September 6, at 12:30 p.m. following kiddush at Heska Amuna Synagogue, 3811 Kingston Pike. She will speak at a casual dinner and Havdalah at Arnstein Jewish Community Center, 6800 Deane Hill Drive, Knoxville.

On Sunday, September 7, participants will rededicate the Middlesboro (Kentucky) Jewish Cemetery at noon with lunch at 1 p.m. Events are free, but RSVPs are requested to Mary Ann Merrell. More information here. Learn about the book here.

Bonner is new director for Community Shares

Brittany Bonner

Brittany Bonner is the new executive director at Community Shares of Tennessee, bringing over a decade of experience at the intersection of social justice, organizational development and community empowerment.
Prior to joining Community Shares, she spent more than seven years at the Highlander Research and Education Center, where she served in a human resources capacity and supported a range of fiscally sponsored organizations throughout the South and Appalachia.
Bonner brings to her leadership a deep commitment to equity, grassroots power-building and creating systems rooted in care, dignity and justice. Learn more here.

Notes & Quotes
  • UT Arboretum Butterfly Festival, starting at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, September 6. Info here.
  • Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) will update several road projects at the Powell Business & Professional Association’s noon meeting on Tuesday, September 9, 2025, at Jubilee Banquet Facility. The most intriguing update could be the “I-75 Emory Road redesign.” TDOT is expanding the interchange to prevent backup on I-75 north. All are invited, but lunch is not optional.
  • Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs will speak to the Fountain City Business & Professional Association meeting at noon Wednesday, September 10, 2025, at the Fountain City Lions Club Building. All are invited; entry is $15 which includes lunch and dessert. The president is Charlie Pratt, 865-919-6468.
  • Halls Car Show: Saturday, September 13, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Christ United Methodist Church, 7535 Maynardville Pike, in Halls. Entry $25 ($30 day of show). Lunch, refreshments, trucks and other vendors. Co-sponsored by United Methodist Men of CUMC and Halls Crossroads Historical Museum. (Rain date, Sept. 20). Info: www.christumcknox.com or 865-922-1412.
  • Hogskin History Day will be Saturday, September 27, 2025, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Narrow Ridge Earth Literacy Center, 1936 Liberty Hill Rd., Washburn, Tennessee. Admission is free, but donations are welcomed. Info here.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Spring Hill Elementary School will host a craft fair on Saturday, November 15, 2025, at the school. Potential vendors should contact Sydney Ussery on Facebook.