MARYVILLE, TN  (August 18, 2008)  With a bow to earlier eras, Christabel and the Jons revive the swing dance sound.  Sporting suit cases and vintage dress from the 1920s to 1950s, the band saunters and sways with a syrupy southern swing-like "sweet tea on a Sunday afternoon" according to Leslie Wylie on the web site, http://www.myspace.com/christabelmusic.

Christabel and the Jons will perform the finale for this year's Hot Summer Nights concert series at the Blount County Public Library on Thursday, August 28, at 7:00 p.m.

Backed by other band members, Christa DeCicco weaves a tapestry of heartfelt songs exhibiting influences from Bob Dylan, Ella Fitzgerald, the Beatles, Ray Charles and others.  In addition to vocals, Christa alternately plays guitars, accordion and banjo. 

Performing multiple times weekly, the Knoxville-based band plays throughout the Southeast with occasional ventures to other areas of the United States.  In any town, they can often be found checking out thrift stores, looking for clip-on ties and 1950s party dresses.

Currently recording their second album, "Love and Circumstances" was their first recording in 2006.  CDs will be available at the library concert.

Band member Seth Hopper performs on violin, mandolin, trumpet and accordion while also contributing vocals.  Playing drum kit and percussion, Jon Whitlock also performs vocals.  Milly Sue Cavender performs on upright bass.

Free and open to the public, the program is at the Blount County Public Library, located at 508 N. Cusick Street, Maryville.

For further information about other library programs or services, call the library at 982-0981 or visit the Web site at www.blountlibrary.org. 

            To print a one-page monthly calendar of events at the library, go to the library Web site at www.blountlibrary.org, click on "Programs and Events" and then click on "Click here to view the monthly calendar of events in printable format" or sign up to receive a monthly calendar by email by scrolling down and clicking on libnews@blounttn.org and putting "subscribe" in the subject line.

 

"END "

 

Blount County does not discriminate based on race, color or national origin in federal or state sponsored programs, pursuant to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000d).

»Full Story

MARYVILLE, TN  (August 12, 2008)  Sparky and Rhonda Rucker, acclaimed folk singers, interweave storytelling with history and blues into their concerts. This husband-and-wife team, Maryville residents, perform professionally all over the United States, including at Carnegie Hall, as well as abroad. 

Internationally recognized as a leading folklorist, musician, historian, storyteller and author, Rucker accompanies himself with finger style picking and bottleneck blues guitar, banjo and spoons.  Rhonda Rucker is an accomplished harmonica, piano, banjo and bones player and also adds vocal harmonies to their songs. 

For the third Hot Summer Nights concert at the Blount County Public Library, Sparky and Rhonda Rucker will perform on Thursday, August 21, at 7:00 p.m.

As a couple, they blend their research and musical talents to share pieces of history wherever they go as Rucker's gravelly vocals and acoustic blues harmonize with Rhonda's sorrowful harmonics.

Growing up black in Knoxville and from a family of preachers and policemen, Rucker began playing guitar at age eleven, fell in love with blues and then with stories and history from the American folk tradition.  After graduating from the University of Tennessee, Rucker taught school in Chattanooga.  A social activist in the Civil Rights Movement, he played freedom songs at rallies and sit-ins with other folk singers such as Guy Carawan and Pete Seeger.  During performances, the scholarly research interests are evident in the music and stories.

Growing up white in Louisville, Kentucky, Rhonda Hicks Rucker started playing piano when she was four years old, taking lessons in piano, organ and voice throughout her growing-up years.  She trained to be a doctor and practiced for five years but then fell in love with blues and Sparky Rucker.  A versatile musician, Rucker has performed on six recordings with her husband.  Their 1991 recording, Treasures and Tears, was nominated for the W. C. Handy Award for Best Traditional Recording.

A profile of the Ruckers along with free plays of a sampling of their songs is available at their MySpace web site:  http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=257524852 ,

Free and open to the public, the program is at the Blount County Public Library, located at 508 N. Cusick Street, Maryville.

For further information about other library programs or services, call the library at 982-0981 or visit the Web site at www.blountlibrary.org. 

            To print a one-page monthly calendar of events at the library, go to the library Web site at www.blountlibrary.org, click on "Programs and Events" and then click on "Click here to view the monthly calendar of events in printable format" or sign up to receive a monthly calendar by email by scrolling down and clicking on libnews@blounttn.org and putting "subscribe" in the subject line.

 

"END "

 

Blount County does not discriminate based on race, color or national origin in federal or state sponsored programs, pursuant to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000d).

»Full Story

          

MARYVILLE, TN  (August 4, 2008)  There's a new Appalachian Trail that requires no hiking, biking or enduring the outdoor elements-and you have an opportunity to hear about the creation of this trail in Blount County at the Blount County Public Library. 

If you've noticed colorful quilt block patterns painted on the sides of various buildings in the area, you've observed a part of the Appalachian Quilt Trail (AQT).

"The Appalachian Quilt Trail:  People and Places" will be presented at the library on Tuesday, August 12, at 7:00 p.m. by a panel of local people who are participating in various ways.

To discuss the history and background of the establishment of the AQT here in Blount County, along with some other upcoming heritage tourism activities, Jeanie Hilten will speak.  Hilten is the Special Events Coordinator at the Smoky Mountain Convention and Visitors Bureau, Townsend Visitors Center.

            Jane Richardson from Mountain Sage Gallery will share information about being a member of the quilt trail and will also discuss the Townsend Artisan Guild.

            Nancy Williams, from the Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center, will talk about the museum and its programs.

            In addition, several quilters, Ila Mae Morton, Maetta Conrad and Dorothy Belcher, will show their work.

            Several locations in this area participate in the AQT, including Mountain Sage Gallery at Townsend, several locations along the Gatlinburg Craftsmen's loop road, Museum of Appalachia and the Appalachian Crafts Center at Norris.

According to the web site, www.vacationaqt.com, the mission of the Appalachian Quilt Trail is to enhance the quality of life in the Appalachian Region by providing sustainable development opportunities to rural businesses, artists and farmers: promoting the sale of local goods and services while protecting the land, culture and heritage that make the Appalachian Region so unique.

In addition, "the Appalachian Quilt Trail provides an attraction, a series of tourable loops and trails that direct traffic to local crafter galleries, agri-tourism venues, farmer's markets, historic sites and other venues."  It is a not-for-profit program that encourages economic development of the region and promotes sustainable tourism.  The AQT is a partnership enterprise of Clinch-Powell Resource Conservation and Development Council (RC&D).

            Quilt block patterns are painted on craft stores, businesses, heritage locations and historic farms all over the Appalachian region.   These colorful patterns draw attention to the businesses or historic sites and boost their visibility to all who pass by.

            In addition to visiting historic downtown areas of Appalachia, local residents and tourists have the delight of seeing beautiful heritage areas, viewing art galleries and purchasing art and craft items as well as fresh produce.

            To participate in the AQT, businesses or individuals apply by accessing applications online or from local places, submitting information about the site and sending photographs.  These applications are then reviewed to determine if the applicant site "will benefit the existing 'loop' " that is already in place, and the applicant is evaluated as to the purpose of the business or location and its history to see if it meets the basic mission.

            Once a design is selected by the host or AQT committee, a quilt block is painted in either a small 4x4 or large 8x8 and mounted on a wooden frame which is attached directly to the site.  The AQT then offers additional marketing opportunities, and businesses can advertise in the AQT brochure which is made available at Tennessee welcome centers and various quilt block locations.  More information about the AQT can be found at the website:  www.vacationaqt.com or call 865-828-4586 or 888-755-4AQT (toll free).

Free and open to the public, the program is at the Blount County Public Library, located at 508 N. Cusick Street, Maryville.

For further information about other library programs or services, call the library at 982-0981 or visit the Web site at www.blountlibrary.org. 

            To print a one-page monthly calendar of events at the library, go to the library Web site at www.blountlibrary.org, click on "Programs and Events" and then click on "Click here to view the monthly calendar of events in printable format" or sign up to receive a monthly calendar by email by scrolling down and clicking on libnews@blounttn.org and putting "subscribe" in the subject line.

 

"END "

 

Blount County does not discriminate based on race, color or national origin in federal or state sponsored programs, pursuant to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000d).

»Full Story

            MARYVILLE, TN  (August 4, 2008)  A multi-talented group, The Pair Family play from a variety of musical traditions, with each family member playing multiple instruments. 

This versatile family will perform the second concert of this season's Hot Summer Nights Concert series at the Blount County Public Library on Thursday, August 14, at 7:00 p.m. indoors in the Reading Rotunda.

Pair family members consist of the father, Bob, the mother, Jill, and three daughters, Hannah, 20 years of age, Lydia, 18, and Abigail, 13.  They will be playing hammered dulcimer, fiddle, guitar, upright bass, banjo, irish drum and mountain dulcimer. 

            Playlist possibilities include these songs:  "Sail Away Ladies" (Fiddle tune), "The Parting Glass" (Irish tune), "The Big Scioti" (fiddle tune), "Fall on my Knees" (a vocal number), "Liberty" (fiddle tune), "Wild Horses at Stony Point" (civil war tune), "On Jordan's Stormy Banks" (vocal tune), and "Seneca's Square Dance"/"John Stinson's" (fiddle tune), "Sally Ann" (fiddle tune), "Cluck ole Hen" (fiddle tune), "Goin' Down to Cairo" (singing) and "Hangman's Reel" (fiddle/dance tune).

            All of members of this musically-gifted family started playing musical instruments at a very early age.  Starting at the age of nine years, Jill has played from childhood, and Bob has played since he was a teenager.   Each of the girls started learning music at age five.  Bob and Jill have been playing music together since 1980, and they started incorporating the girls, one by one, into the musical act, beginning about eight years ago. 

            Each summer they play one time at Wood 'n Strings Dulcimer Shop in Townsend for the Pickin' Porch, weekly concerts behind the dulcimer store every Saturday night which are open to the public.  They have played at The Barn, the event center of the Smokies in Townsend this spring for the Newcomers to Blount County group.  Every December, the family play at Fairview United Methodist Church for their Appalachian Christmas program. Last year, they played at the Heritage Center in Townsend, the Visitors Center in Townsend, for a wedding reception, and a wedding (just hammered dulcimer and guitar for the wedding). 

Free and open to the public, the August 14th program by the Pair Family is at the Blount County Public Library, located at 508 N. Cusick Street, Maryville.

For further information about other library programs or services, call the library at 982-0981 or visit the Web site at www.blountlibrary.org. 

            To print a one-page monthly calendar of events at the library, go to the library Web site at www.blountlibrary.org, click on "Programs and Events" and then click on "Click here to view the monthly calendar of events in printable format" or sign up to receive a monthly calendar by email by scrolling down and clicking on libnews@blounttn.org and putting "subscribe" in the subject line.

 

"END "

 

Blount County does not discriminate based on race, color or national origin in federal or state sponsored programs, pursuant to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000d).

»Full Story

           MARYVILLE, TN  (July 29, 2008)  On her way to achieving her dream of performing on stage at the Grand Ole Opry, twelve-year-old Laurel Wright plans a stop at the Blount County Public Library to perform at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 7, 2008.

Wright is accompanied on stage by Ricky "Red Hog" Gourley on banjo, Jim "Brother Dud" Raines on bass, Mike "Pickle" Johnson on electric guitar, Dwight "Waterdog" Waters on lead guitar with Steve Martin on drums.

Although still a pre-teen, Wright's musical journey is already packed with performance experiences.  Since the age of four, she has been playing the guitar, and since the age of ten, she has been writing lyrics and composing music to her own songs. 

No stranger to stages or crowds, this eighth grader at Carpenter's Middle School likes crowds "the bigger, the better."

Wright has performed on the Watts Bar Belle Dinner Cruise, Harriman Classic Car Cruise In, Music Row, Rocky Branch Music Center and numerous benefits and churches in and around East Tennessee, Kentucky and Georgia.  In February, 2008, Wright was featured on the WBIR Style Show and was the opening show at the 2008 Strawberry Jam Festival.

Having recorded her first CD when she was seven years old, Wright is currently working on her second CD featuring her own original songs.

Free and open to the public, the program is at the Blount County Public Library, located at 508 N. Cusick Street, Maryville.  This concert will be indoors in the library's Reading Rotunda.

For further information about other library programs or services, call the library at 982- 0981 or visit the Web site at www.blountlibrary.org. 

            To print a one-page monthly calendar of events at the library, go to the library Web site at www.blountlibrary.org, click on "Programs and Events" and then click on "Click here to view the monthly calendar of events in printable format" or sign up to receive a monthly calendar by email by scrolling down and clicking on libnews@blounttn.org and putting "subscribe" in the subject line.

 

"END "

 

Blount County does not discriminate based on race, color or national origin in federal or state sponsored programs, pursuant to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000d).

»Full Story

            

MARYVILLE, TN  (July 29, 2008)   Retired and seeking a new challenge that would help less fortunate people in a secular setting, Don Morrison responded to a news article he read about volunteer work overseas.  This led to his traveling to India to work with Cross-Cultural Solutions, an organization with venues for volunteer work around the world. 

From the many locations offered, Morrison chose Dharamsala, a small town in extreme northern India.  This community's cultural diversity includes the Hindu majority, a Muslim minority, and the exiled Tibetan Buddhists led by His Holiness, the Dalai Lama.  Morrison's adventure in service began on March 6, 2008, when he flew from Chicago to New Delhi.

Morrison will share from his experiences and show slides during a travelogue at the Blount County Public Library on Tuesday, August 5, 2008.

From New Delhi, the group traveled east to Dharamsala, in the foothills of the Himalayas, by auto caravan, arriving at midnight.  The next morning the jet-lagged volunteers from America, England and Australia walked from their flats to the first meeting at the "home base", marveling at the snow-capped mountains looming above them and the teeming bird life of the area.

That afternoon the volunteers were organized in pairs and taken to the "placements".  These assignments included teaching conversational English and women's empowerment classes at a local youth center, working with addicts at a detox center, assisting at a daycare center, serving as teachers' aids, helping the medical staffs at clinics and hospitals, and others.  The volunteers worked mainly with the Hindu citizens of Dharamsala because the Tibetan Buddhist refugees receive help from many sources around the world.  The CCS staff said that even small acts of kindness and sharing of the volunteers' expertise were much appreciated by the local people.  Morrison found this statement to be abundantly true.

Volunteers worked in the mornings until early afternoons.  Then, after lunch at the home base, the organization invited local officials to share and explain their culture, and scheduled field trips for the volunteers.  Because driving in India is an adventure under the best of circumstances, and public transportation in Dharamsala is sketchy, volunteers were driven to and from work by CCS drivers.

Don and his partner, Arlene, a legal assistant from San Francisco, were to teach conversational English.  They found over twenty children in a 12' x 12' room with no desks, chairs or other learning aids except for pencils, small notebooks, and a rollup chalkboard the size of a towel. 

The students and instructors sat on the floor on mats and throw rugs.  The volunteers were immediately impressed by the eagerness and warmth of the students, and the kids' respect for them as their teachers.  The young people ranged from age 4 to 22, so Arlene and Don saw the need to split the group for a part of each lesson.  Arlene taught the younger group, mostly girls, and Don took the teenage boys.  The youngsters' English comprehension was better than expected, but they needed help with pronunciation and sentence structure.  They had never studied with native speakers of English.  In another room at the youth center two other CCS volunteers held women's empowerment classes.  At the end of the three-week experience in Dharamsala, the volunteers found it difficult to leave the young people.  Most of the CCS volunteers in Dharamsala said they expect to join another volunteer trip in the future.

            Don Morrison was born and raised in southern Indiana.  In 1964 he took a teaching job in Seoul, Republic of Korea, at the American Military Dependents' School.  He worked there seven years, and spent summers doing various educational projects for Korean students and teachers. 

He took time to return to Indiana University for a master's degree where he met and married Suzanne Puryear, from Tennessee.  They went back to Korea, and later to Germany, working in the same school system.

  In 1973 they returned to Indiana where they taught in the public schools, owned and operated a farm and welcomed their daughter, Beth, to the family in 1976.  In 1983 the Morrisons moved to Suzanne's home state and settled in Maryville.  Beth and her husband now work as architects in Charlotte, NC.

Free and open to the public, the program is at the Blount County Public Library, located at 508 N. Cusick Street, Maryville.

For further information about other library programs or services, call the library at 982-0981 or visit the Web site at www.blountlibrary.org. 

            To print a one-page monthly calendar of events at the library, go to the library Web site at www.blountlibrary.org, click on "Programs and Events" and then click on "Click here to view the monthly calendar of events in printable format" or sign up to receive a monthly calendar by email by scrolling down and clicking on libnews@blounttn.org and putting "subscribe" in the subject line.

 

"END "

 

Blount County does not discriminate based on race, color or national origin in federal or state sponsored programs, pursuant to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000d).

»Full Story

          

MARYVILLE, TN  (July 17, 2008)  For the seventh season, the Blount County Public Library will offer the Hot Summer Nights series of programs and concerts at the library.

To kick off this summer's events, the Tennessee Stage Company will be back to present one performance of William Shakespeare's timeless play, The Merchant of Venice on Monday, July 28, at 6:30 p.m.  The play will be OUTSIDE on the front lawn of the library, so audience members should bring lawn chairs.  As the audience gathers, a brass or jazz band will perform.  Water will be available for sale at the performance, with proceeds benefitting the library.

Directed by Michael Golebiewshi, The Merchant of Venice is one of Shakespeare's most famous plays.  A dark comedy, the plot explores greed, racism and abuse of power.  When Antonio, a merchant of Venice, needs immediate money to help his friend woo a beautiful, rich young lady, he goes to Shylock, a Jewish money lender who offers to lend the money only if the collateral is a pound of Antonio's flesh!  In one of drama's most tension-filled courtroom scenes, Shylock demands his pound of flesh after the note comes due.

Performers of the Tennessee Stage Company, under the leadership of Tom Parkhill, are all professional actors.  This summer's presentation at the library is the third for the group, sponsored by the Friends of the Blount County Public Library.

The Hot Summer Nights concert series will bring musical performers on Thursdays in August at 7:00 p.m.  Concerts will be indoors in the library's Reading Rotunda.  Most artists will have CDs available for sale on the evening of their concert.

The concert series will include four performances:

August 7:  Laurel Wright, 12-year-old vocalist and guitarist, rendering country music.

August 14:  The Pair Family presenting vocal harmony from a variety of musical genres and traditions and each playing a variety of acoustic instruments.

August 21:  Sparky and Rhonda Rucker, acclaimed performers and husband-wife team who are Maryville residents, perform professionally all over the United States, including at Carnegie Hall. They play folk songs and present story telling, especially of the African-American heritage.

August 28:  Christabel and the Jons, presents "Tennessee swing" music mixing southern swing, folk and roots music featuring Christa DeCicco with vocals, guitars, accordion and banjo; Seth Hopper on violin, mandolin, trumpet, accordion, and vocals;  Jon Whitlock on drum kit, percussion and vocals; and various musicians on upright bass.

Hot Summer Nights concerts are sponsored by the Friends of the Library.

Free and open to the public, these programs will be at the Blount County Public Library, located at 508 N. Cusick Street, Maryville.

For further information about other library programs or services, call the library at 982-0981 or visit the Web site at www.blountlibrary.org. 

            To print a one-page monthly calendar of events at the library, go to the library Web site at www.blountlibrary.org, click on "Programs and Events" and then click on "Click here to view the monthly calendar of events in printable format" or sign up to receive a monthly calendar by email by scrolling down and clicking on libnews@blounttn.org and putting "subscribe" in the subject line.

 

"END "

 

Blount County does not discriminate based on race, color or national origin in federal or state sponsored programs, pursuant to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000d).

 

 

 

 

 

»Full Story

            MARYVILLE, TN  (July 17, 2008)   Ben Jackson & Miranda Coffey will be the featured performers for the Teen Band Jam and Teen Summer Reading Program Finale at the Blount County Public Library on Sunday, July 27, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.  Ben Jackson & Miranda Coffey will perform a concert of pop rock numbers from a variety of decades.  Some of their songs will also be original.  Ben Jackson plays acoustic guitar, and Miranda Coffey will be the soloist.  Jackson, a rising sophomore at Middle Tennessee State University, will also emcee the Teen Band Jam.

Following the Jackson & Coffey concert, teen groups who auditioned and were invited to perform on Sunday are

§  East Old Topside (Chase Sterling on drums, Joel Hollingsworth on guitar/vocals, Michael Livingston on guitar and vocals, David "Cheeto" Smith as lead vocalist, and Ian van den Broek on bass),

§  Perlioni & Rhodes (Jake Perlioni on drums and Casey Rhodes on guitar), and

§  Terminal Velocity (Casey Rhodes on guitar, Sarah Edwards on guitar, Elijah Dickerson on drums, Lauren Young on bass and Molly Rochelson as vocalist).

To conclude the band concert, grand prize winners for the Teen Summer Reading Program will be announced.  Winners must be present in order to receive a prize.

The Teen Band Jam will be held OUTDOORS, outside the Reading Rotunda on the library side of the pedestrian bridge.  All audience members should bring lawn chairs.  If weather is inclement, then the band jam will be conducted in the Reading Rotunda of the library.

Soft drinks will be available at the concert.

Free and open to the public, the program is at the Blount County Public Library, located at 508 N. Cusick Street, Maryville.

For further information about other library programs or services, call the library at 982-0981 or visit the Web site at www.blountlibrary.org. 

            To print a one-page monthly calendar of events at the library, go to the library Web site at www.blountlibrary.org, click on "Programs and Events" and then click on "Click here to view the monthly calendar of events in printable format" or sign up to receive a monthly calendar by email by scrolling down and clicking on libnews@blounttn.org and putting "subscribe" in the subject line.

 

"END "

 

Blount County does not discriminate based on race, color or national origin in federal or state sponsored programs, pursuant to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000d).

»Full Story

MARYVILLE, TN  (July 14, 2008)  Join Sandi Schulte and her friends as they take your kids on a wild, imaginary tour of their backyards, neighborhoods and community parks.  Using funny puppets, amazing experiments, engaging humor and hilarious magic tricks, they creatively teach children the scientific process while also presenting interesting facts about animals and the environment.

"Go Wild!  A Scientific Look at Backyard Magic" program will be at the Blount County Public Library on Saturday, July 19, at 11:00 a.m.

According to Sandi Schulte Productions literature, "Each of our programs is designed to motivate your elementary age readers to explore the library, find new kinds of books and read!  Our programs teach kids about science, geography, other cultures, character education and, of course, picking up a book and reading every day!"  More information is available at www.SandiSchulte.com. 

A former engineer, Sandi Schulte is a full-time educational presenter in Tennessee and nearby states.  Because she has worked in the field of engineering, she is a role model for young women and girls who aspire to enter the fields of mathematics, science, and engineering.  She earned both a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Active in Toastmasters, for years Schulte entertained children with sleight of hand magic and humorous puppet shows.  In 2006, she decided to combine her love of science and teaching with her passion for entertainment, and Sandi Schulte Productions was born.

Schulte says she has "read research that indicates that children who read for pleasure score higher on any form of standardized tests, including IQ tests, state mandated assessments, and college entrance exams.  Her mission is to instill in children a passion for reading." 

Free and open to the public, the program is at the Blount County Public Library, located at 508 N. Cusick Street, Maryville.

For further information about other library programs or services, call the library at 982-0981 or visit the Web site at www.blountlibrary.org. 

            To print a one-page monthly calendar of events at the library, go to the library Web site at www.blountlibrary.org, click on "Programs and Events" and then click on "Click here to view the monthly calendar of events in printable format" or sign up to receive a monthly calendar by email by scrolling down and clicking on libnews@blounttn.org and putting "subscribe" in the subject line.

 

"END "

 

Blount County does not discriminate based on race, color or national origin in federal or state sponsored programs, pursuant to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000d).

»Full Story

 

MARYVILLE, TN  (July 15, 2008)  In addition to providing detailed instructions for individual types of socks, Antje Gillingham's book, "Knitting Circles Around Socks," offers basic knitting directions, instructions for knitting on circular needles, and patterns for a variety of skill levels.  There are even charts for sock sizes, yarn weights, yarn care symbols, yarn sources, and recommended book titles for knitting and crocheting.  Full-color photographs throughout the book add practical encouragement to the beginning knitter as well as creating an attractive book.

Antje Gillingham, author and owner of The Knitting Nest in downtown Maryville, will share tips about knitting socks at the Blount County Public Library on Monday, July 21, at 7:00 p.m.

Living the first 18 years of her life in Germany, Gillingham relocated to California for the next 17 years.  With an English major, she worked as a features writer for several years until her husband's work transferred them to Maryville.  Instantly falling in love with East Tennessee, Gillingham rediscovered her passion for knitting and established a "knitters' haven" retail business in downtown Maryville.  

With two children now living away from home and three more waiting to discover their dreams, Gillingham says, "I am already living my dream with my husband, Terry, and our many pets in a cozy home in Maryville, Tennessee."  Learn more about Gillingham, her book and store at her web site, www.theknittingnest.com .

Free and open to the public, the program is at the Blount County Public Library, located at 508 N. Cusick Street, Maryville.

For further information about other library programs or services, call the library at 982-0981 or visit the Web site at www.blountlibrary.org. 

            To print a one-page monthly calendar of events at the library, go to the library Web site at www.blountlibrary.org, click on "Programs and Events" and then click on "Click here to view the monthly calendar of events in printable format" or sign up to receive a monthly calendar by email by scrolling down and clicking on libnews@blounttn.org and putting "subscribe" in the subject line.

 

"END "

 

Blount County does not discriminate based on race, color or national origin in federal or state sponsored programs, pursuant to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000d).

 

»Full Story