Community Calendar

Enjoy plant life, wildlife, and scenery on a guided, 5.2-mile, medium-impact hike along Rich Mountain Trail to Cerulean Knob. Smokies Life Branch Out event. Great Smokies Welcome Center, Townsend, Tenn. Cost: For Park Keepers, $45; To join and attend, $85 (Park Keeper basic membership $40 + event registration $45). Info – SmokiesLife.org/branch-out-events/ or email: membership@smokieslife.org.

Blount Mansion is proud to present the East Tennessee Foundation and their easy-to-understand presentation on how to create a legacy with Planned Giving!
We are meeting the evening of Tuesday, November 4 at 6:00 PM. Presentation will be approximately a half hour.
The good people over at East Tennessee Foundation, who do immeasurable good for the East Tennessee community, will help you understand how you can incorporate planned giving into your will.

This is a FREE event and all are welcome!

Blount Mansion Visitors Center, 200 West Hill Avenue, Knoxville TN 37902
Limited free parking onsite
RSVP to Rose@BlountMansion.org
For questions about leaving a legacy to Blount Mansion in your will, reach out to Rose Steele, Director of Development at Blount Mansion, rose@blountmansion.org

Join us for a hands-on creative experience! With a prompt inspired by the upcoming artwork, community center visitors are invited to sketch their own ideas for a celebration space. Participants will learn simple, quick techniques for observational drawing, perfect for beginners and seasoned artists alike.

Your drawings will be scanned and added into the facade design of the final sculpture—making your creativity a lasting part of the Garden of Celebration.

All ages welcome—come draw, imagine, and contribute!

Blount Mansion History Lecture Series - Lincoln’s Other Proclamation: The Origin of America’s Thanksgiving Holiday Tradition

Join us for a fascinating evening with Dr. William E. Hardy!

Dr. William E. Hardy is the Lincoln Scholar and Assistant Professor of History, as well as the Executive Director of The Abraham Lincoln Center for Leadership and Public Policy in the Paul V. Hamilton School of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences at Lincoln Memorial University.

Though Thanksgiving traces its roots to the 1621 Pilgrim harvest feast in Plymouth Colony, the practice of celebrating the holiday in late November was not firmly established until the American Civil War. During his presidency, Abraham Lincoln issued several thanksgiving proclamations to help the nation cope with the tragedy of war while remaining grateful that things were not worse. However, none of these proclamations specified a single day as a national day set aside for prayer.

Then, in October 1863, President Lincoln, prompted by a famed poet, novelist, and editor who had been vigorously pushing for a national Thanksgiving Day for nearly two decades, issued yet another Thanksgiving proclamation that established the modern holiday tradition.

-The special speaking event will be at Blount Mansion Visitors Center, 200 West Hill Avenue, Knoxville TN 37902.
-Limited free parking onsite
-$5 Donation suggested at the door. Cash and card accepted
-RSVP to Rose@BlountMansion.org

Family-friendly program in Great Smoky Mountains National Park led by American Sign Language interpreters and ASL students. Mountain Farm Museum, Oconaluftee Visitor Center, N.C. Free. No reservations required. Info: nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/calendar.htm or 865-436-1200.

Explore the basics of nature journaling, learn creative ways to lay out a nature journal page, practice observational drawing techniques, and use reflective prompts to deepen awareness. Smokies Life Branch Out event. Online webinar. Cost: For Park Keepers, $45; To join and attend, $85 (Park Keeper basic membership $40 + event registration $45). Info – SmokiesLife.org/branch-out-events/ or email: membership@smokieslife.org.

Learn to identify the various sparrow species found in Great Smoky Mountains National Park and apply your new skills in the field at the Branch Out event: Secret Life of Sparrows on November 18. Smokies Life Branch Out event. Online webinar. Cost: For Park Keepers, $45; To join and attend, $85 (Park Keeper basic membership $40 + event registration $45). Info – SmokiesLife.org/branch-out-events/ or email: membership@smokieslife.org.

Learn all about how this Smoky Mountain staple was grown, harvested, and preserved with these live demonstrations. Great Smoky Mountains National Park ranger-led program. Cable Mill Historic Area at Cades Cove, Tenn. Free. 10am-5pm each day. Info: nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/calendar.htm or 865-436-1200.

Learn all about how this Smoky Mountain staple was grown, harvested, and preserved with these live demonstrations. Great Smoky Mountains National Park ranger-led program. Cable Mill Historic Area at Cades Cove, Tenn. Free. 10am-5pm each day. Info: nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/calendar.htm or 865-436-1200.

Learn all about how this Smoky Mountain staple was grown, harvested, and preserved with these live demonstrations. Great Smoky Mountains National Park ranger-led program. Cable Mill Historic Area at Cades Cove, Tenn. Free. 10am-5pm each day. Info: nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/calendar.htm or 865-436-1200.