Community Calendar

National Night Out Is an event celebrated every year by the City of Knoxville to build community spirit, recognize our first responders, and promote positive interactions between communities and local emergency agencies. Lennon-Seney United Methodist Church will hold its third annual celebration in the church parking lot committed to nurturing a strong, safe, and caring community. There will be light refreshments, a KIDZONE with fun activities, educational exhibits set up by local social, civic, and health agencies. Additionally, WJBE radio will provide music onsite. The event is free of charge.

Thanks to a generous donation from past board member, Marvin House, join us for our Marble Springs Discovery Days, a free field trip experience, on October 7th and 8th from 12-2pm. This event is for kids of all ages! This experience is suitable for all students including homeschool families, public or private school students, or for those just looking for something fun to do during fall break. No minimum group number is required; join as an individual family or in a group with your friends!

Participants will step into the past as they participate in a colonial-period militia drill, explore our hiking trails, and understand the significance of currency while playing a trading game in our tavern. Students will also compare past and modern cooking styles in our kitchen, discover the art of spinning, weaving, and natural dyes in the loom house, and learn about Tennessee's revolutionary history.

Admission is free, just be sure to reserve your spot online as spaces are limited! Each day will be divided into three groups: A, B, and C. For those visiting with friends, make sure to sign up to be in the same group on the same day! All students must be accompanied by a chaperone. Check-in begins at 11:30am, tour begins at 12:00pm!

Explore Marble Springs State Historic Site as we celebrate America's 250th anniversary! We'd love to have you join us!

Thanks to a generous donation from past board member, Marvin House, join us for our Marble Springs Discovery Days, a free field trip experience, on October 7th and 8th from 12-2pm. This event is for kids of all ages! This experience is suitable for all students including homeschool families, public or private school students, or for those just looking for something fun to do during fall break. No minimum group number is required; join as an individual family or in a group with your friends!

Participants will step into the past as they participate in a colonial-period militia drill, explore our hiking trails, and understand the significance of currency while playing a trading game in our tavern. Students will also compare past and modern cooking styles in our kitchen, discover the art of spinning, weaving, and natural dyes in the loom house, and learn about Tennessee's revolutionary history.

Admission is free, just be sure to reserve your spot online as spaces are limited! Each day will be divided into three groups: A, B, and C. For those visiting with friends, make sure to sign up to be in the same group on the same day! All students must be accompanied by a chaperone. Check-in begins at 11:30am, tour begins at 12:00pm!

Explore Marble Springs State Historic Site as we celebrate America's 250th anniversary! We'd love to have you join us!

We are excited to host our 2nd Annual “Clothed in Love” Winter Coat Blessing, which has been renamed this year in honor of our retiring pastor, Rev. Dr. Johnnie William Skinner, Sr.

Last year, we were blessed to distribute 352 coats to members of our community. This year, the response and generosity have been tremendous—we currently have approximately 1,200 coats in sizes for children and adults, and our prayer and goal is to give every coat away to someone who needs one.

The coat giveaway will be held on Saturday, October 10, 2026, at Mount Zion Baptist Church, 2714 Brooks Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37914. Coats are completely free. Each person may receive one coat, must be present, and must select a coat in his or her size.

We will also provide everyone attending with a free hot dog or hamburger, chips, and bottled water.

Join us for a FREE day of Halloween festivities for all ages on October 17th from 11am-4pm.

Come dressed in your favorite costume to enter our kid's costume contest, and celebrate the season with local craft vendors, Halloween history lessons, crafts, pumpkin painting, and more! Kids can also take part in a Halloween-themed scavenger hunt throughout the site, solving puzzles and following clues to uncover a secret word and earn a special prize! Don't miss out on a full day of Halloween magic with a side of history!

The University of Tennessee Gardens, Knoxville, is going to the dogs for a Howl-O-Ween Pooch Parade and Pet Expo. The event, now in its twelfth year, is co-sponsored by the UT Gardens and the UT College of Veterinary Medicine and caters to dogs and dog lovers. It will be held Sunday, October 26, 2025, from 1 to 5 p.m. at the UT Gardens.

Enjoy a costumed pet parade emceed by Erin Donovan. The puparazzi loves the judged categories that include Bad to the Bone (scariest), Funny Bone (funniest), Do(g) It Yourself (homemade), Pup Culture (pop culture/character), and Judges’ Choice awards, including Bone-a-Fido (best in show). The event also features an expo of educational booths, pet businesses, and rescue groups. Various food trucks will be on hand for attendees wanting to purchase food. People are encouraged to participate in a food drive to benefit the Companion Animal Initiative of Tennessee (CAIT), an outreach program at the veterinary college that works to improve the lives of companion animals and reduce the homeless pet population in Tennessee by promoting humane education and spay/neuter initiatives.

The event is free to attend. Parade pre-registration is $10 per costume entry (can include multiple dogs as one costume). Parade participants can also register for $15 on the day of the event, beginning at 1 p.m. The parade will begin at 3:00 p.m. and is judged by locally known dog lovers. Event t-shirts will also be available for purchase.

For additional information or to register, please visit tiny.utk.edu/howloween.

The Oak Ridge Community Band will hold its Halloween Concert on Sunday afternoon, October 25, at 4 pm in A.K. Bissell Park, 1403 Oak Ridge Turnpike, in Oak Ridge. Bring chairs or blankets for outdoor seating and wear your Halloween costumes! Band members will be in costume too. This is a fun family-friendly event and there will be Halloween treats for the kiddies. The band will present a program of Halloween music enjoyable for all ages, and remember, this is a FREE event.

JOIN US - Registration is Open for ABR's Bearly 5K Run/Walk 2026!🐻🎃👟
We are so very excited to announce our 11th annual Bearly 5K Run/Walk for 2026! Join us in person at our Trillium Cove Visitor Center OR from around the world with our virtual option.

🎃When: Saturday, October 31st at 10am (Halloween)
🎃What: One of ABR's favorite events where you can run or walk (almost) a 5K in support of our mission. It is such a fun way to meet some of the ABR staff and, of course, other ABR supporters! Each registration gets a Bearly 5K t-shirt and in-person attendees will have plenty of post race snacks available back at our visitor center.

In honor of Halloween, this year we will be having a costume contest - so come wearing your best!

Deadline to register: Monday, September 28

Blount Mansion’s Semiquincentennial Celebration Lecture Series with Dr. Katy Chiles - Phillis Wheatley and the Black American Revolution

This lecture is sponsored by The National Society of Colonial Dames Knoxville Town Committee to honor America’s 250th Anniversary!

Blount Mansion is proud to present Dr. Katy Chiles of the University of Tennessee. She will speak on ”Phillis Wheatley and the Black American Revolution.”
Phillis Wheatley was a Black poet enslaved in Boston during the American Revolution.

This talk discusses how her poetry takes up the themes of liberty, freedom, and slavery and how she started the African American literary tradition.
Katy Chiles is an Associate Professor of English and Affiliate Faculty in Africana Studies at the University of Tennessee. Her first book, Transformable Race: Surprising Metamorphoses in the Literatures of Early America was published by Oxford University Press, and her scholarship has been funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities, the American Philosophical Society, and the American Antiquarian Society. With Professor Cassander Smith (University of Alabama), she is Co-Editor of Early American Literature.

• Lecture will start at 6pm
• The special speaking event will be at Blount Mansion Visitors Center, 200 West Hill Avenue, Knoxville TN 37902.
• Limited free parking onsite
• $10 Donation suggested at the door. Cash and card accepted
• RSVP to Rose@BlountMansion.org