Second Saturday Concert Series starts June 11

Knox County is again hosting its Second Saturday Concert Series this summer as the Parks and Recreation Department will oversee live music at The Cove at Concord Park and Clayton Park. The free concerts are held from 6-8 p.m. June through August on the second Saturday of each month. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own blankets, lawn chairs and food. However, no alcohol is allowed.

The dates and bands for summer 2022 are:

June 11: Mystic Rhythm Tribe (Cove) and Paul Beasley Group (Clayton Park)
July 9: Leftfoot Dave and the Magic Hats (Cove) and Jay Dee (Clayton Park)
August 13: Rockinfellerz (Cove) and Crawdaddy Jones (Clayton Park)

“We are happy to once again host one of the biggest events of the summer,” Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs said. “Folks from here and across the region love these events, and it’s a good chance to listen to music, have a picnic and check out our parks, which are some of the nicest places in the area.”

The Cove, located at 11808 S. Northshore Drive, is the county’s most visited park. It features several summertime amenities, including a beach, playground, sand volleyball court, walking trail and fishing areas. River Sports also rents canoes and kayaks. Clayton Park, located at 7347 Norris Freeway, includes a pavilion, grills, walking trail and playground.

If any concert must be canceled because of the weather, the county will post a notification to the Parks and Rec Facebook page and the park’s Twitter page. The county will release more information about each band during the week or so prior to each Second Saturday event.

Visit Knoxville is hosting the Bike Boat Brew & Bark event on Saturday, June 4, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Knoxville Adventure Collective (900 Volunteer Landing). Bike Boat Brew & Bark celebrates the outdoor adventurer, the dog lover, the craft beer enthusiast, the local and the tourist looking to discover a secret in Knoxville’s urban wilderness, according to Visit Knoxville.

This annual event has become popular with visitors and locals alike – after all, Knoxville is a bike, boat, brew and bark friendly city. Most of the activities are free to the public, some are paid experiences and some events require registration. The full list Bike Boat Brew & Bark activities and registration is here. The Knox County Parks and Recreation Department will have yoga at the waterfall for the event.

In other news, our carpenters are at work fixing playground steps, putting together picnic tables and building a cricket pitch at Forks of the River Park. Yes, I had to google that one. Apparently, most of the action during cricket takes place in the center of the pitch – on a rectangular clay strip usually with short grass. That should be pretty cool once they finish it.

And, once they do finish, they’ll head over to continue work at McBee Ferry Landing Park off Strawberry Plains Pike. That more than likely will begin in mid- to late-June.

We also have crews going over a potential drainage issue at one of the fields at Tommy Schumpert Park and other team members have spent time the past few days at John Tarleton Park, putting in new sod and also sand on the Bermuda fields.

On the recreation side, we wrapped up out adult softball and kickball leagues and will open up flag football registration next week and focus on tackle football over the next two weeks. Additionally, R.B. Thomas Senior Adult Softball Tournament starts this Friday, June 3, through June 12 at the SportsPark in Karns.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a weekly column without hearing from our one-man machine Frank Christian. In a text he sent me this week, Frank said: “I’m working on sign replacement – it was stolen and vandalized. I’ve been painting over graffiti on Ten Mile Greenway, pressure washing some shelters and painting (parking stripes at the) New Harvest Park parking lot. Also starting our annual required fire extinguisher and emergency lighting inspections. This requires about a week to do. About 100 fire extinguishers and 40 emergency lighting units to check. Also, last week we came across a box of needles, used and new in a park. People and pets don’t need to be exposed to that stuff, common sense should tell people that.”

Well said, Frank! Here are some photos of work around the county: