Fritz Durr, son of

Keep Knoxville Beau-

tiful board member

Mary Kathryn Durr, is

dressed and ready to

help volunteers plant

daff odils.

7049 Maynardville Pike 37918(865) 922-4136

NEWS

news@ShopperNewsNow.comSandra Clark | Bill Dockery

ADVERTISING SALESads@ShopperNewsNow.com

Patty Fecco | Tony Cranmore

Beverly Holland

VOL. 3 NO. 48 December 2, 2015www.ShopperNewsNow.com | www.facebook.com/ShopperNewsNow

NORTH / EAST

By Betty BeanOne afternoon in 1989, I picked

up the phone at my desk at the Knoxville Journal and a very po-lite voice on the other end of the line said, “This is Alex Haley. Do you have a few minutes to talk?”

I’d just written a smart-alecky item about him in the Journal’s gossip column, so I braced for ver-bal abuse. I mean, this was the au-thor of “Roots” and “The Autobi-ography of Malcolm X,” two of the most important books of the late Twentieth Century.

But instead of giving me the cussing I deserved, he invited me to lunch at his Cherokee Bluff condo, where he had adjacent townhouses – one his residence, the other an offi ce. A UPS man

was behind me when I knocked on his door. Alex ushered me in and opened the package. It was barbe-cued ribs from Quincy Jones.

We went next door to his resi-dence, where he showed me his collection of identical guayabera shirts (short sleeved cotton, with four front pockets and double rows of pleats down the front, fa-vored by hombres everywhere) while we waited for the casse-role his housekeeper had made to warm up. Marilyn Yarbrough, dean of UT’s law school and the fi rst African-American woman to head a law school faculty in the South, joined us.

He and I stayed in touch until the Journal folded. He’d suggest stories, gently critique something

A 13-foot bronze statue of Alex Hal-

ey, sculpted by Tina Allen, is the cen-

terpiece of Haley Heritage Square on

Dandridge Avenue.

Alex Haley, Knoxville’s adopted sonI’d written and occasionally invite me (and half of Knoxville) out to his farm in Norris when he threw parties for people like Oprah Win-frey, who gamely attempted to clog to Rocky Top under a canopy on the lawn. I’d see him at the Fresh Market shopping for groceries – one of his last published stories (in Parade Magazine) was about a new friend, an immigrant who worked in the produce section there.

Alex Haley embraced this low-rise burg. He lived by his famous maxim, “Find the good and praise it,” befriending almost everyone he met.

He died of a sudden heart at-tack in February 1992. His family

To page 3

Christmas paradesCorryton Christmas parade,

2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12. Line-up starts 12:30 p.m. Corryton ballfi eld. Info: Joe Longmire, 898-9097, or Joyce Harrell, 705-7684.

Fountain City Christmas parade, 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 5, Broadway. Sponsored by the Optimist Club.

Gibbs Christmas parade, 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 6, Gibbs High School to Clear Springs Baptist Church. Spon-sored by Gibbs Ruritan Club.

WIVK Knoxville Christmas parade, 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4, Gay Street.

Colton Rose and Charles Hamilton carry off empty crates after volunteers

planted 60,000 daff odil bulbs on I-275 last weekend. Both signed up to vol-

unteer as part of Tennessee Promise and look forward to working with Keep

Knoxville Beautiful in the future.

Five Points Up invites the pub-lic to its second annual Winter Wonderland program from 6-7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 3, at Dr. Wal-ter Hardy Park, 2020 Martin Lu-ther King Jr. Ave.

“Winter Wonderland is an op-portunity to create a positive and engaging atmosphere for com-munity members to fellowship and enjoy a festive occasion,” said Tanisha Baker, Five Points Up member and Project Grad Knox-ville college/career access feeder

team leader.The purpose of the program

is to build relationships among neighbors in East Knoxville and inform community members of available services. The free event is open to the public and will fea-ture caroling, dancing and food.

Vendors, including the city of Knoxville’s 311 and 211 Call Cen-ter, Pellissippi State Community College, the Knox County Health Department and others, will be located inside Tabernacle Baptist

Church across the street from Dr. Walter Hardy Park.

The mission of Five Points Up, a community-led group facilitated by the health department, is to beautify and unify East Knoxville through community-based activi-ties and events. The group hopes to improve the health of those liv-ing and working in the area by in-creasing the sense of community.

According to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, promoting meaningful community partici-

pation builds trust and relation-ships among neighbors, empower-ing them to become advocates for their communities. Neighborhood involvement helps communities reach health-related goals and em-powers residents to adopt behav-iors that improve health outcomes.

In 2010, KCHD secured grant funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to engage three at-risk neighborhoods to ad-dress environm ental barriers to good health.

Winter Wonderland at Five Points is Thursday

By Ruth WhiteA couple hundred volunteers spent a beautiful Saturday morning

planting 60,000 daffodil bulbs on three exits off I-275. The event was the largest yet “Beautification Mob” hosted by Keep Knoxville Beautiful.

The event allows KKB staff and volunteers to plant trees, bushes and fl owers to beautify a public space or prominent place quickly.

“This stretch of interstate leads right into downtown and is pretty drab,” said KKB executive director Patience Melnik. “We want to brighten it with a blanket of daffodils for residents and visitors to enjoy for years to come.”

The project was made possible through grants from Lowe’s and Waste Management.

Project:

Richard Johnson prepares the

ground by digging holes for

volunteers to plant daff odils. Photos by R. White

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IN THIS ISSUE

Not bad, VolsYou wanted progress. You

got progress. OK, it was eight progresses instead of 10, but not bad, not bad at all.

Butch Jones pushed the right button. “We are a good football team,” he said.

Enough Volunteers believed and turned the declaration into reality. Let us salute the leaders.

➤ Read Marvin West on page 4

BUZZ

Ed and BobAt-large commissioners Ed

Brantley and Bob Thomas will ring the Salvation Army red kettle bells from 5-7 p.m. Tues-day, Dec. 15, at the West Town Mall entrance near Charming Charlie’s.

Everyone is invited to stop by to talk with Brantley and Thomas about items of inter-est. Other commissioners may join them in the fund raising effort.

You’re invited for fun at Stanley’s

Stanley’s Greenhouse is hosting an open house 1-5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 6, at 3029 Daven-port Road with refreshments, area crafts, artists and music. Info: 865-573-9591.

Richard Bean’s recollections

He’s worked for local gov-ernment since the Coal Man, the Ice Man and Mr. Aubrey ran the show, and there’s not much Richard Bean, superin-tendent of the juvenile deten-tion facility that is named for him, has forgotten.

Bean was a 1959 graduate of Powell High School – Earl Hoffmeister was the football coach, Jim Monroe his princi-pal. It took him fi ve years and a summer to graduate. “People ask if I went to college, I say no. I never would have got out.”

➤ Read Betty Bean (no relation) on page 5

2 • DECEMBER 2, 2015 • Shopper news

health & lifestyles

00

94

-00

93

stroke:LIKE IT NEVER EVEN HAPPENED.No comprehensive stroke and rehabilitation center in our region

does more to reverse stroke’s devastating eff ects than Fort

Sanders Regional Medical

Center. That’s why hospitals

across East Tennessee refer their

most complex stroke patients to

us. And only Fort Sanders Regional is home to the Patricia Neal

Rehabilitation Center, East Tennessee’s elite rehabilitation hospital

for stroke, spinal cord and brain injury patients.

Certifi ed as a Comprehensive Stroke Center by The Joint Commission and accredited by the Commission on the Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities

Leading the region’s only stroke hospital network

www.covenanthealth.com/strokenetwork

Fort Sanders performs clinical trials and procedures

for stroke not available anywhere else in our region.

When it comes to stroke, time lost is brain lost, so it’s important to understand the

warning signs and how to reduce your risk.

If you or a loved one experience any of these symptoms, call 911.

WARNINGSigns of

Stroke

Sudden numbness or weakness, especially on one

side of the body

Sudden severe headache with no known cause

Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance

or coordination

Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding

Sudden trouble seeingin one or both eyes

Missing the linksRetired trooper vows strokes won’t end his golf game

There’s a golf club in the trunk of Bryan Farmer’s car with his name on it. It’s a top-of-the-line driver, brand new and still in the box.

He bought it June 12, 2014, af-ter playing 18 holes of golf. But that night, Farmer had a stroke of an-other kind – a blood clot on the left side of his brain – that has, so far, put his golf game on hold.

But even after suffering a sec-ond stroke 10 months later, he vows he’ll be back in the swing of things this month, thanks to the care he received at Patricia Neal Rehabilitation Center (PNRC) at Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center and Roane Medical Center.

“It might not be pretty, but I’m going to hit that driver,” declares Farmer, whose slightly drawn right arm and weakened right leg are reminders of that June night when a 3 a.m. bathroom visit was the fi rst hint that something had gone wrong.

“When I got out of the bed, I no-ticed some extreme dizziness, to the point where I almost fell down,” said Farmer, a Harriman resident. “It was similar to a blood sugar spike. I have high blood pressure and diabetes, and I knew I got dizzy when that happened to me in the past. I didn’t think a lot about it. I went ahead, got my balance back, went down the hall to the restroom, came back to bed and went straight to sleep. No sickness, no nothing.”

The following morning, he still had some dizziness, but not enough to prevent him from driving to Fairfi eld Glade where he works in quality assurance for the vacation resort. “I sat down at my desk and the diz-ziness came back,” he said. “I got up from my desk and walked down the hallway, and my right foot dragged the ground. Just one time, but it almost tripped me up, and one of the other guys I work with saw me and said, ‘Let’s go back into your offi ce and sit down.’ ”

It was then that one of the managers with nursing experience came in. Suspicious, she checked Farmer for stroke symptoms. “I passed every one of them with fl ying col-ors,” said Farmer who, as a retired Tennes-see Highway Patrol lieutenant, was familiar with the signs of a stroke. “No numbness, no

Brian Farmer continues

to work toward return-

ing to the golf course,

after suff ering two

strokes in the last year.

Farmer was treated at

the Comprehensive

Stroke Center at Fort

Sanders Regional and

Patricia Neal Rehabili-

tation Center.tingling, no headache. None of that. Just dizziness.”

Yet, despite the successful FAST (Face, Arms, Speech, Time) campaign to raise stroke symptom aware-ness, minor strokes can and do occur with-out the person ever knowing it. Mild stroke symptoms that recover after a brief period of time may indicate a transient ischemic attack (TIA) or “mini stroke.” While seldom deadly, TIAs are often precursors to a full-blown ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke that may follow if symptoms are left untreated.

Stroke symptoms can also occur over a span of hours or days. At fi rst, the affected person may have little or no symptoms, but as time passes, the symptoms will become more apparent as an estimated 32,000 brain cells die each passing second.

Pressed to go to the emergency room, Farmer reluctantly agreed. At Parkwest Medical Center, Farmer thought perhaps he had dodged a bullet when a CT scan came back negative for stroke.

However, according to Dr. Daryl Harp, neuoradiologist, “Physicians are aware that

strokes are often not seen on CT scans within the fi rst 24 hours. For this reason, an MRI of the brain was completed, and showed that he had indeed had a stroke.”

But even then, he still appeared to be unaffected. Then at about 3 a.m., Farmer arose from his hos-pital bed to go to the restroom and discovered his right side was para-lyzed. “Paralysis had set in, and my right leg was useless,” said Farmer. “It just got worse.”

Transferred by ambulance to the Comprehensive Stroke Center at Fort Sanders, Farmer began to real-ize the seriousness of his condition. “I couldn’t move my right arm – it was drawn up and curled against my

chest,” Farmer recalled. “My right leg was pretty much pointed to the right. I couldn’t walk. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t even feed myself.”

On the fourth day of his 31 days in Fort Sanders, Farmer was moved into the PNRC wing to begin his therapy. “I’m sitting there in a wheelchair in a row of four or fi ve other people in wheelchairs, waiting

on them to get therapy too,” he said. “I look at some of these people, and the thought is going through my head, ‘You know, I could have been a whole lot worse. I’ve got to go in here and do what they tell me to do to the best of my ability.’ ”

That was made easy by the PNRC doctors, nurses and therapists, whose encourage-ment was always coupled with enthusiasm from Day One.

“I wish I could remember her name, but the girl who came to wheel me up to therapy was just bubbling with excite-ment and positivity,” he said. “From her to the doctors to the nurses to the therapists, I can’t say enough good things about those people. Of course, I had a positive attitude from my family and a special friend. Between those people, I couldn’t help but stay positive. The level of professionalism and effort they put forth was amaz-

ing. They were magnifi cent.”“We’d only do three hours of therapy a

day, but it seemed like 10,” Farmer added.“It was really grueling because I started atGround Zero. I lost every ounce of strengthI had on my right side, and my left sidetoo basically – my body was just sapped ofstrength. I remember them giving me a two-pound weight to lift – two pounds! I couldn’teven pick that up!”

Still, 31 days after the stroke, Farmer waswheeled to the door and discharged fromPNRC. He walked the last 15 to 20 feet to hisride home. “It wasn’t the prettiest or mostgraceful walk I’d ever taken,” he said, “but itwas the most gratifying.”

His rehab continued a couple of weekslater at Patricia Neal Outpatient Center atRoane Medical Center, and he heaps morepraise on the therapists there. “They werejust top-notch, positive people, which wasgood for me because I had to help myselfand I didn’t need someone who was goingto bring me down,” he said. “They werejust as determined here to make me betteras they were in Knoxville. Their attitudeswere great. They are really dedicated totheir work, and enjoyed their work – and itshowed.”

A second stroke last April, just months after fi nishing his outpatient rehab, slightlyaffected his speech and cognition but for themost part is undetectable. In the meantime,he goes to the gym three times weekly to liftweights and work on the elliptical bike.

“As far as real limitations, I have none,”said Farmer. “I can’t run. I can’t jog. I canwalk ok. It takes me awhile to get some-where but I can do it,” he says. “I’m not backto where I want to be – I want to be on thegolf course right now. That’s where I want tobe. And that’s where I will be in September.It may not be pretty, but I’m going to be onthat course.”

The Stroke Center at Fort Sanders Regional -delivering immediate and excellent care

When a stroke happens, timely treatment is critical. The Com-prehensive Stroke Center at Fort Sanders Regional is well above the

national average in delivering prompt treatment of life-saving medication.

Clot busting drugs are given to stroke patients through a vein to improve blood fl ow and mini-mize potential disabilities. The amount of time it takes for a patient to be brought in to a hospital un-til the moment medications are intravenously ad-ministered is referred to as “door to needle time.”

While the average door to needle time is a little more than an hour, the door to needle time at Fort Sanders Regional is 30 minutes. That’s half an hour faster than the national average.

It’s just one of the many advantages a patient has when treated at a comprehensive stroke center. The stroke center exists to provide the highest level of stroke care for complicated stroke cases.

“It really exists to provide that next level up from what you can get at your local community hospital,” Arthur Moore, MD says. “Strokes can often be treated at those hospitals, but fi nding out why the stroke occurred to prevent it from happening again sometimes takes someone who’s done a lot more work in treating stroke.”

Moore says fi nding out the “why” takes some digging into a pa-tient’s background, and sometimes it’s not as obvious as the main risk factors.

“Stroke centers tend to be better and faster at treating stroke just because we see it all the time,” Moore says. “We have doctors who can go up into the brain and pull a clot out, and that’s a really specialized niche. Most hospitals don’t have access to someone who can do that.”

The Comprehensive Stroke Center at Fort Sanders Regional sees patients from throughout East Tennessee, and even from Ken-tucky. To learn more, visit fsregional.com/stroke, or call (865) 541-1111.

Arthur Moore,

MD

NORTH/EAST Shopper news • DECEMBER 2, 2015 • 3 community

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 2International Folk Dance Class, 7:30-10

p.m., Claxton Community Center, 1150 Edgemoor Road, Clinton. Info: Paul Taylor, 898-5724; oakridgefolkdancers.org; on Facebook.

THURSDAY, DEC. 3AAA Driver Improvement Course, 5:30-9:30

p.m., AAA offi ce, 100 W. Fifth Ave. Four-hour course helps reduce points for traffi c offenders and teaches how to reduce risk while driving. Cost: $30 mem-bers/$35 nonmembers. Must preregister. Info/regis-tration: Kate, 862-9254; Stephanie, 862-9252.

Big Ridge 4th District Neighborhood Watch meeting, 7 p.m., Big Ridge Elementary School library. Info: 992-5212.

FRIDAY, DEC. 4Holiday Greens Tea and open house, noon-3

p.m., Ivan Racheff House and Gardens, 1943 Tennes-see Ave. Free event. Holiday wreaths, tabletop designs, amaryllis and baked goods will be available for pur-chase. Info: 522-6210.

Opening reception and awards night for new exhibit about food, 5-9 p.m., Broadway

Studios And Gallery, 1127 N. Broadway. Exhibit on display through Dec. 31. Guests for the reception are asked to bring a canned of food for donation to local food bank. Info: Jessica Gregory, 556-8676; BroadwayStudiosAndGallery.com.

A Tennessee Evening Gala, 6-11 p.m., Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge, 461 W. Outer Drive, Oak Ridge. Live music, an auction and more. Info/tickets: 482-1074 or childrensmuseumofoakridge.org.

Tennessee Children’s Dance Ensemble ben-efi t, 6 p.m., Holston Hills Country Club. Featuring: a performance by TCDE, a silent auction and live auction, heavy hors d’oeuvres, wine and spirits; DJ and dancing until 10:30. Tickets: $75. Info/tickets: 584-9636.

FRIDAY-TUESDAY, DEC. 4-8Christmas Dinner with the Ramsey’s, 6:30 p.m.,

Historic Ramsey House, 2614 Thorngrove Pike. Features candlelight tour of the home and dinner prepared by Rosa’s Catering. Tickets: $125. Reservations required. Info/reservations: 546-0745 or ramseyhouse.org.

THURSDAYS-SUNDAYS, DEC. 4-20“Cinderella and Ebenezer,” Knoxville

Children’s Theatre, 109 E. Churchwell Ave. Performances: 7 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays; 1 and 5 p.m. Saturdays; 3 p.m. Sundays. Info/tickets: 208-3677; knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com; info@childrenstheatreknoxville.com.

SATURDAY, DEC. 5AAA Driver Improvement Course, 8 a.m.-4:30

p.m., AAA offi ce, 100 W. Fifth Ave. Eight-hour course helps reduce points for traffi c offenders and teaches how to reduce risk while driving. Cost: 40 members/$50 nonmembers. Must preregister. Info/registration: Kate, 862-9254; Stephanie, 862-9252.

Chili and tamale supper benefi t for Tony Per-

key, 5-8 p.m., Heiskell UMC, 9420 Heiskell Road. Cost: $5 at the door. Funds raised to help with Perkey’s Argus II (bionic eye) surgery expenses. Info: Jaclyn McDonald, 556-6969.

Christmas Craft Sale, Callahan Road Baptist Church, 1317 Callahan Dr., 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Over 30 ven-dors, raffl e baskets, no admission charge.

Luttrell Christmas parade, noon, Luttrell Com-munity Park. Info/registration form for parade entries: 992-0870 or city of Luttrell Facebook page.

Clinton Christmas parade, 6 p.m., downtown Clinton. Theme: “Twas the Night Before Christmas.” Info: 457-2559 or andersoncountychamber.org.

Craft show and sale, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Summit Tow-ers, 201 Locust St. Items include: paintings, drawings, wood art, crocheted items, ceramics, Christmas crafts, baked goods and more.

Holiday Market, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Historic Jackson Square, Oak Ridge. Shopping, live music, photos with Santa and more. Proceeds to benefi t ADFAC (Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian). Info: www.jacksonsquareadfacbenefi t.com.

Jingle Bell Cruise for Toys for Tots, 8 a.m. Papa John’s Asheville Highway. All toys collected will go to East Tennessee Children’s Hospital. Info/registration: 226-7272.

Market Square Holiday Market, noon-6 p.m., with farm vendors selling until 3 p.m. near the Market Square stage, and craft vendors and food trucks open until 6 p.m. on Union Avenue adjacent to Market Square and along Market Street. Info: MarketSquareFarmersMarket.org or NourishKnoxville.org.

SATURDAY-SUNDAY, DEC. 5-6“The Nutcracker,” presented by the Appalachian

Ballet Company and the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday, Knoxville Civic Auditorium, 500 Howard Baker Jr. Ave. Tickets: Knox Tickets, 656-4444.

Santa train rides, Secret City Excursion Train. Departures: 11 a.m., 1 and 3 p.m. Saturday; 1 and 3 p.m. Sunday. Info: 241-2140 or secretcityrailroad.com.

Send items to news@ShopperNewsNow.com

ShoppernewseVents

took him home to Henning, and the N.J. Ford Funeral Home in Memphis presid-ed over his funeral. A few weeks later in Nashville, Sen. John Ford told me that Alex lay in state for two days and they changed his clothes four times. I won-dered if they laid him out in a guayabera.

Shortly thereafter, long-simmering plagiarism ac-cusations that had dogged him since the publication of “Roots” boiled over, tarnish-ing his legacy. They were painful to read and took on

witch hunt proportions. This week (Wednesday,

Dec. 2, 6 p.m.) at the East Tennessee History Center, University of Tennessee history professor Robert J. Norrell will talk about his new book, “Alex Haley and the books that changed a nation,” which he believes could begin to rehabilitate Alex’s reputation.

I’ll be there, and I’ll buy the book. It’s the least I can do for this good man who loved us as his own and left us better because he passed our way.

Alex Haley From page 1

Aubrey Claxton, 4, admires actual jewelry used to decorate a design

tree by Fountain City Jewelers for 2015 Fantasy of Trees.

COMMUNITY NOTES ■ Alice Bell Spring Hill Neighborhood Association. Info: Ronnie

Collins, 637-9630.

■ Beaumont Community Organization. Info: Natasha Murphy,

936-0139.

■ Belle Morris Community Action Group meets 7 p.m. each sec-

ond Monday, City View Baptist Church, 2311 Fine Ave. Info: belle

morris.com or Rick Wilen, 524-5008.

■ Chilhowee Park Neighborhood Association meets 6:30 p.m.

each last Tuesday, Administration Building, Knoxville Zoo. Info:

Paul Ruff , 696-6584.

■ Edgewood Park Neighborhood Association meets 7 p.m. each

third Tuesday, Larry Cox Senior Center, 3109 Ocoee Trail. Info:

edgewoodpark.us.

■ Excelsior Lodge No. 342 meets 7:30 p.m. each Thursday, 10103

Thorn Grove Pike. Info: Bill Emmert, 933-6032 or w.emmert@att.

net.

■ First District Democrats meet each fi rst Monday, Burlington

Branch Library, 4614 Asheville Highway. Info: Harold Middlebrook,

haroldmiddlebrook@gmail.com; Mary Wilson, marytheprez@

yahoo.com.

■ Historic Fourth & Gill Neighborhood Organization meets 6:30

p.m. each second Monday, Central UMC, 201 Third Ave. Info: Liz

Upchurch, 898-1809, lizupchurch1@gmail.com.

■ Inskip Community Association meets 6 p.m. each fourth

Tuesday, Inskip Baptist Church, 4810 Rowan Road. Info: Betty Jo

Mahan, 679-2748 or bettymahan@knology.net.

■ Oakwood Lincoln Park Neighborhood Association meets 6:30

p.m. each fi rst Monday, Community Club House, 916 Shamrock

Ave. Info: Bill Hutton, 773-5228 or s_wlhutton@yahoo.com.

■ Old North Knoxville meets 6:30 p.m. each second Monday, St.

James Episcopal Church Parish Hall, 1101 N. Broadway. Info: Andie

Ray, 548-5221.

■ Parkridge Community Organization meets 6:30 p.m. each fi rst

Monday except holidays, Cansler YMCA, 616 Jessamine St. Info:

Jerry Caldwell, 329-9943.

■ Second District Democrats meet 6 p.m. each second Thursday,

New Hope Missionary Baptist Church, 2504 Cecil Ave. Info: Rick

Staples, 385-3589 or funnyman1@comic.com.

■ Thorn Grove Rebekah Lodge No. 13 meets 7:30 p.m. each second

and fourth Monday, 10103 Thorn Grove Pike. Info: Mary Jo Poole,

599-7698 or mjp1101@aol.com.

■ Town Hall East. Info: Eston Williams, 406-5412 or eston_williams@

yahoo.com; facebook.com/townhalleast/info.

Cindy Taylor

The annual Fantasy of Trees to benefi t East Ten-nessee Children’s Hospital celebrated its 31st season with bigger and better of-ferings. More than 10,000 volunteers donated close to 200,000 hours to help make the 2015 production a huge success.

2015 Fantasy of Trees Minion design tree by Austin-East High

School. Photos by Cindy Taylor

2015 Fantasy of Trees design tree by Lonsdale Elementary

School

2015 Fantasy of Trees design tree by Christenberry El-

ementary School

CALL FOR ARTISTS ■ Dogwood Arts Festival:

juried artists are selected to

exhibit and sell their original

work in mixed media, clay,

drawing/pastels, glass, jew-

elry, leather, metal, painting,

photography, sculpture and

wood in April. Info/applica-

tion: dogwoodarts.com.

■ Scruff y City Art Contest: a

juried art exhibit competi-

tion celebrating Knoxville’s

blend of Southern history and

523-7543 or sc@knoxalliance.

com.

■ Gallery of Arts Tribute: a

juried exhibition developed

to recognize local artists and

honor the life and times of

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Artwork should be delivered

9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday and

Tuesday, Jan. 4-5. Entry form:

knoxalliance.com/MLK.htm;

or SASE to Arts & Culture Alli-

ance, P.O. Box 2506, Knoxville

TN 37901. Info: Suzanne Cada,

523-7543 or sc@knoxalliance.

com.

modern development on the

banks of the Tennessee River.

Free and open to all artists.

Submissions deadline: Feb.

15. Info: liz-beth.com/contest.

■ Arts in the Airport: juried ex-

hibition allows regional artists

to compete and display work

at McGhee Tyson Airport

secured area behind the se-

curity gate checkpoint March

17-Oct. 12. Theme: “Smoky

Mountain Air Show.” Entries

deadline: midnight Sunday,

Feb. 7. Info/application: knox

alliance.com; Suzanne Cada,

4 • DECEMBER 2, 2015 • Shopper news

We invite you to come to this gospel Christmas celebration presented by Christ Covenant

Church and Community Evangelistic Church! The program includes traditional gospel

Christmas music as well as Christmas carols for all to sing!

www.christcov.org

December 11 & 12 • 7 p.m. – Christ Covenant Church12915 Kingston Pike • Knoxville, TN 37934

December 13 • 7 p.m. – Community Evangelistic Church 2650 Boyd’s Bridge Pike 37914

Dececececemmmbm er 11 & 12 • 7 p m ChChriristst CCovovenenananaa tt ChhhChuru chccc

NEWS FROM PREMIER SURGICAL

Held hostage by severe pain in his legs, James “Eddie” Bilbrey of Rockwood could only bear to stand for 30 minutes before needing to find a seat.

His once daily routine of walks and exercise van-ished. Even though he was not dia-betic, many of his symptoms pointed to diabetic neu-ropathy. After con-sulting doctor after doctor (and friends who were doctors), Bilbrey thought he might need major surgery.

Not one to set-tle, 72-year-old Bil-brey found his miracle at Premier Vein Clinics.

The leg cramps and bulging, pain-ful varicose veins that had plagued him for years disappeared after two laser treatments, one for each leg, at Premier Vein Clinics.

The in-offi ce, non-invasive treatments had Bilbrey back on his feet “and do-ing the things I had always done. I was back to myself be-cause of Premier.”

Long gone are hospital stays and in-vasive surgical treat-ments, explains Dr. Christopher Pollock,

a board-certifi ed vascular surgeon at Knoxville’s Premier Vein Clinics.

Thanks to advancements in medi-cal technology, most procedures re-quire only a local anesthetic, take an hour or less, and have little or no side effects or downtime.

“Varicose veins are not just your grandmother’s disease,” says Dr. Pol-lock. Striking at any age, “many as-

sume varicose veins are just part of ag-ing and that treating them is merely a cosmetic issue.”

“The truth is, treating varicose veins is medically necessary, and the condition af-fects both men and women. It is best not to ignore, because treatment can be far more im-portant than just being able to show off your legs again.”

Varicose veins result from valves that are damaged or diseased and do not close properly. “Over time, vari-cose veins can re-

sult in pain and numbness, skin ulcers or even a serious blood clot,” explains Dr. Pollock.

The board-certifi ed vascular spe-cialists at Premier Vein Clinics are trained in the diagnosis and treat-ment of spider and varicose veins and venous disease, and use their clini-cal experience to determine the best treatment option.

The success rate of treatment pro-cedures is about 99 percent, says Dr. Pollock. “Vein treatment has never been easier. The treatment options are highly viable and covered by most health insurance.”

“There is no reason to continue waiting and enduring the pain,” says Bilbrey.

Back on his feet with vein treatment!

Eddie Bilbrey says treatment of his

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his life. (Photo by Margaret Bentlage Wood)

Dr. Christo-

pher Pollock,

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Call 865-588-8229 to schedule an appointment with Premier Vein Clinics or

visit www.premierveinclinics.com.

Marvin West

Wendy Smith

Celebrating an event?

Share your family’s milestones with us!Send announcements to news@ShopperNewsNow.com

A survey of Knox County Commissioners revealed that most either favor or are leaning toward approv-ing a zoning change that would allow for the creation of Midway Business Park in deep East Knox County.

Knoxville-Knox County Metropolitan Planning Com-mission recommended a sector plan amendment and rezoning of the proposed 345-acre business park at its Nov. 12 meeting. A vote on both re-quests from the Development Corporation is scheduled for a vote Dec. 21 by Knox County Commission.

Four commissioners in-dicated they were in favor of the creation of the busi-ness park, and two said they were leaning toward a “yes” vote. Two were unwilling to take a position, and one was against the rezoning. Two did not return calls from the Shopper News.

Eighth District Com-missioner and chair Dave

Majority of commissioners in favor of Midway

Wright won’t take a position until the vote is called. But recent announcements from Advanced Munitions and Lifetime Products, along with numerous rezoning requests in the county, indi-cate an uptick in interest in the area, he said.

Fewer residents have ex-pressed opposition to the business park than fi ve or 10 years ago, and those who are opposed aren’t as ada-mant, Wright said. The pro-posed site is in his district.

Several previous con-cerns have been addressed. A wastewater plan is more defi ned, and Interstate 40 access will be improved. The plan no longer calls for

grading of the site because parcels will be incorporated into existing topography.

Cemeteries within the site still need to be ad-dressed. He thinks an addi-tional community meeting should be held.

At-large Commissioner Bob Thomas won’t take a position yet, but most of the feedback he’s received about the business park has been positive. Residents say the county’s going to grow, he said.

“It’s a fact that things change. I’m excited for East Knox County. So much is going on there.”

Thomas grew up in East Knoxville.

Randy Smith and Jeff Ownby are both leaning toward approval of the re-zoning, but Ownby said his position would change if the cost of the project were to increase or signifi cant oppo-sition was expressed. Smith said recent announcements

of businesses moving to the area could signal a need for more space.

John Schoonmaker, Brad Anders, Mike Brown and Ed Brantley all said they planned to vote in favor of the rezoning.

Schoonmaker, who par-ticipated in Mayor Tim Burchett’s bus tour of West Knoxville business parks and attended the Nov. 12 MPC meeting, said commu-nity leaders haven’t spoken out against the East Knox business park.

Brantley said the busi-ness park’s previous hurdles have been overcome.

“I think it’s time to move on, to move forward.”

Charles Busler was the only commissioner to say he would not support the zoning change. He thinks the site is too small, and he would prefer a 1,000-1,500-acre site in an outlying area.

“People out there are not interested in extra traffi c.”

Sam McKenzie and Amy Broyles did not respond

to the survey before press time.

You wanted progress. You got progress. OK, it was eight progresses instead of 10, but not bad, not bad at all.

There was one catch.Shopper readers, bless

you, picked up on “what might have been” and said the frustration applies to this very entertaining Ten-nessee team.

One called it “brutal honesty” in saying the Vol-unteers could have been so much more, that those in-famous fourth-quarter col-lapses knocked them down from outstanding to well above average. Stopping Florida on fourth and 17 might have meant two more wins.

Not bad, not bad at all

We all applaud the suc-cessful November. Cheers. We also see through it. The schedule was front-loaded. The second half wasn’t as diffi cult. The Vols didn’t look all that great at times, but they did what they had to do – win fi ve in a row. They competed. They never took a Saturday off. There is a won-derful connection between true grit, guts and glory.

The pivot point was the day after the painful loss to Arkansas. Heads were drooping. Confi dence was fractured. Butch Jones pushed the right button.

“We are a good football team,” he said.

Enough Volunteers be-lieved and turned the dec-laration into reality. Let us salute the leaders.

Georgia turned out to be the swing game. That vic-tory was good for the soul – and recruiting. The Vols peaked at Kentucky. Spe-cial teams were, to use one of Butch’s favorite words, “great.”

South Carolina almost spoiled the season. At Mis-

souri, the offense ran boldly between the 20s but the fi re went out in the red zone. Hail to Aaron Medley and hard-nosed tacklers.

Tennessee treated Van-derbilt’s so-called crusty defense as if it were a myth.

In Jones’ third season, coaching continued to evolve. The boss said Mike DeBord did an unbelievable job of setting the mental-ity and playing comple-mentary football. I enjoyed his scripted opening sets. I thought some Saturdays turned too conservative, old Michigan style.

You don’t need me to tell you the running attack was much improved. Consider-

ing injuries, the offensive line exceeded expectations. Coleman Thomas made a difference. Kyler Kerby-son earned a lot of respect. Downfi eld blocking by re-ceivers (especially Josh Smith) was good.

As the proverbial bull in a china shop, Jalen Hurd was beautiful. He caused some DBs to consider tennis or golf. No question about it, Alvin Kamara is a genuine playmaker. Interesting that Joshua Dobbs broke a Jim-my Streater running record.

You may blame coach-ing, receiver injuries, drops or Pig bombing out for the mediocre passing game. OK to point a fi nger at Dobbs’ inaccuracy. Precise passes were the exception rather than the rule.

Tennessee’s defense had

a chance to make this a ter-rifi c season. It didn’t fi nishthe big ones, but it did itsfair share in the eight victo-ries. The front was tough. Iam an Owen Williams fan.Hard to overlook Derek Bar-nett.

Jalen Reeves-Maybinwas very good. DarrinKirkland made magnifi centprogress. Malik Foremanconfused me. I thought noway, but his hustle won theSouth Carolina game.

I hope Cameron Suttonstays for 2016 and becomesan all-American. I hopeBrian Randolph can play inthe NFL. I wish for TrevorDaniel a richly deservedscholarship. Get well soon,Shy Tuttle. Where are you,Dillon Bates?Marvin West invites reader reaction. His

address is westwest6@netzero.com .

MPC commissioner Laura Cole talks with Develop-

ment Corporation president Todd Napier at the

public hearing at Carter Elementary School on

the proposed business park at Midway Road. Cole,

who opposed the rezoning initially, voted yes this

time around. Photo by S. Clark

Shopper news • DECEMBER 2, 2015 • 5 government

Join the conversation at

www.ShopperNewsNow.com

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Betty Bean

VictorAshe

For those who thought the Lady Vols controversy over the name change has vanished, check again. It may be back in Janu-ary in Nashville when the Legislature reconvenes. Knoxville Republican state Rep. Roger Kane is drafting legislation to re-store the Lady Vols name

to women’s sports at UT.

He is also looking at legislation to require the UT Board of Trustees to

hold a public hearing on any issue where 25,000 citizens sign a petition asking for one. The UT Board of Trustees failed to allow legislators or the public to speak at its meeting despite 25,000 citizens asking the name be restored.

One common criticism of the board is that very little discussion occurs in its public meetings, and all members seem to be in lockstep with each other.

If Kane introduces these two bills, they will generate strong discus-sion. Over one-third of the General Assembly signed a letter to UT President Joe DiPietro urging a reversal of the name change. The board and DiPietro declined to hear the matter in a pub-lic setting.

Most of this could be resolved if the board would appear interested in legislative opinions and hear them out, even if they did not adopt every proposal.

UT Board vice chair Raja Jubran is often the point man for the UT ad-ministration to convince local legislators not to support these bills. He is a close friend of Gov. Haslam. Jubran has made reduction of rising tuition costs a focus of his time on the board. He takes his duties seriously.

■ Bob Whetsel, former city development director, is back from his nine-week bike ride across the southern part of the USA from San Di-ego to St. Augustine, Fla. He is 30 pounds lighter and sporting a beard. The trip was managed by Ad-venture Cycling Associa-tion out of Montana.

Kane drafts bill to restore LV name

Roger Kane

Over beer at Central Flats and Taps, Whetsel,

63, re-viewed the highlights of the epic trip. Whet-sel has also been in the Ever-est region of Nepal (trekking

instead of biking then), plus Cambodia and Thai-land.

He said 16 started on the trip and 13 completed it. Dan Duncan, husband of Lisa Duncan, retired head of the Dogwood Arts Festival, was a Knoxville participant. Others were from Canada, the Nether-lands and Australia. Each day got them at least 40 miles further along and sometimes as much as 92 miles.

Rest stops (meaning more than one day) oc-curred in Phoenix, Aus-tin, Fort Davis and Silver City, to name several. The bikes had f lat tires. Over-nights ranged from tents to hostels to motels. The trip started Sept. 14 and ended Nov. 16. All clothes and necessities were car-ried on individual bikes.

Whetsel worked for four mayors over 23 years, starting with this writer.

He said it was a memo-rable trip but is glad to be back in Knoxville. His next adventure is with his wife, Melynda, for a cruise in Hawaii in 2016.

■ Gov. Haslam contin-ues to maintain high per-sonal popularity, according to recent polls.

His challenge, with three years left as governor, is to translate it into more support for his legisla-tive propos-als.

He is unlikely to bring up Insure Tennessee or a gas tax hike in the legisla-tive session starting next month.

Bill Haslam

Bob Whetsel

Richard Bean remembersHe’s worked for local

government since the Coal Man, the Ice Man and Mr. Aubrey ran the show, and there’s not much Richard Bean, superintendent of the juvenile detention facility that is named for him, has forgotten.

Like Sept 1, 1962, the day he went to work serv-ing paper for domestic rela-tions court; April 12, 1968, the day he married Lillian; Pearl Harbor Day, 1990, the day he quit drinking.

Bean was a 1959 graduate of Powell High School – Earl Hoffmeister was the foot-ball coach his senior year, Jim Monroe his principal. He was supposed to fi nish in 1958, but he had other priorities in those days.

“I spent fi ve years and one summer in high school. Got behind – I liked to chase women. People ask if I went to college, I say no. I never would have got out.”

There were other kinds of trouble to get into, as well.

“We went on a senior trip to Daytona Beach, and everybody dyed their hair blond. I had my mustache blond, my eyebrows blond and a blond ducktail. When I got back, Earl called me out on the football fi eld and told me they were going to expel me if I didn’t dye my hair back.”

The Coal Man and the Ice Man were Democrats Bobby Toole and Paul Nicely. Re-

publican Aubrey Jenkins was the junior partner in Jenkins & Jenkins, one of the most powerful law fi rms in town. More pragmatic than partisan, they were pa-tronage machines, the men to see if you wanted a job.

“Aubrey, he was the mas-ter. That’s his picture, right up there next to that calen-dar,” Bean said, pointing at one of the hundreds of photographs that line his offi ce walls (It’s impossible to escape his offi ce without getting your mug shot. With him.) The calendar page marks Feb. 1, 1972: his fi rst day at the juvenile detention center.

When he fi nally gradu-ated, Bean joined the Navy, and when he got back in 1961, he worked days at Dante Food Market and weekends as a bouncer at a club on Clinton Highway. The following year, Jenkins got Sheriff Carl Ford to hire him as a deputy.

“I went down to a pawn shop on Gay Street and bought me a badge and a slapjack, and I worked sev-en days. Never had an in-terview, just went to work. Six months later, I met the sheriff.” He said he learned

He said, ‘I’m going to put a stop to it.’ ”

(Bean confesses that he and the others would stop at a convenience store to buy bologna sandwich mak-ings and a 12-pack and fi nd themselves a shady spot in the graveyard to have lunch. He doesn’t sound sorry.)

Over the years, he and Lillian built the “Bean Ma-chine” and wielded con-siderable infl uence in the courthouse and beyond. To-day, things are a little qui-eter, and Bean doesn’t seem to be as involved as in years gone by.

When asked if that perception is correct, he grinned.

“I’m just more under-ground now.”

(Continued next week)

Richard Bean reveals the se-

cret to his longevity on the

job: BC Powder.

the importance of spelling from Juvenile Court Judge Richard Douglass – the hard way.

“Judge Douglass was a mean Democrat, but he took a liking to me. He was run-ning for re-election in ’74, and we went and bought 10,000 boxes of Band-Aids (to hand out as Election Day favors) and put his name on them but left one of the Ss off. He bought 10,000 stick-ers, and we had to put them stickers on the boxes. Every one of them.”

Bean’s loyalty was tested again when Mayor Kyle Tes-terman declared war on city sanitation workers and got himself locked into a battle to keep them from union-izing.

“At that time, we were city employees, and when he fi red all the garbage men to keep them from joining the union, we all had to pick up garbage. Had to go in at 6:30 or 7 and we had (police cap-tain) Mickey Snyder driv-ing a big truck, with Calvin Housewright and Bobby Smithers on little satellite trucks. Me and Jimmy Kyle Davis, he was my recre-ation director, were on an-other truck. … One night, Kyle called everybody in and said he’d been getting complaints about the men running that route over on Sutherland sitting in High-land Memorial Cemetery drinking beer at lunchtime.

Sandra Clark

The Old Mother Hubbard eff ectOld Mother HubbardWent to the cupboard,

To give the poor dog a bone;When she came there,

The cupboard was bare,And so the poor dog had none.

Nothing comes easily for Knox County Schools.

When technology prices drop and a Chromebook can be bought for $200 or less, multiply that times 58,000 students to get a cost of $11.6 million for Knox County Schools. Ouch!

And an even more ex-pensive problem is on the horizon. That’s the cost of personnel to keep the tech-nology running when par-ent groups or businesses buy the technology.

Just last month 33 busi-nesses kicked in $250 each to buy Chromebooks for Powell High School. It’s happening all over the county. But the school sys-tem is not staffed to keep all the devices powered, wired and running.

School board member Lynne Fugate summed it up at a recent meeting: “Ev-erybody wants (the tech-nology), but it costs a lot of money.

“How do we get ahead of it?

“Our parents are de-manding it and are buying

computers for the schools and we have to support it.

“Let’s not lead from be-hind.”

Gail Byard is the chief technology offi cer for Knox County Schools.

“Chromebooks are game changers,” she said.

She said a 4-year rollout at $1 million per year would put a Chromebook in the hands of each high school student and teacher. Oh by the way, KCS needs 63 ad-ditional technicians.

Superintendent Dr. Jim McIntyre said schools in ec-onomically disadvantaged areas have bought comput-ers with Title One funds, while other schools have committed Coupon Book dollars to technology.

Board member Tracie Sanger voiced support for increased technology, but Knox County Schools has hit the Old Mother Hubbard effect.

The money cupboard is bare.

The mayor’s rageIs Victor Ashe annoying

and hard to live with?Absolutely.But a guy who has writ-

ten a column for Shopper News every week for fi ve plus years is a columnist. And this newspaper will support every columnist and reporter we publish.

Do we always agree with Victor? No.

Will we let a politician – even one we like – get away with denying access to pub-lic information? Nope.

Madeline Rogero is suf-fering from a bad case of second-termitis. She’s safely re-elected and now term-limited so what’s to lose?

Let’s ban that dancing butter stick and egg from the top of Magpies Bakery, even though the sign ordi-nance clearly allows for art.

Let’s just tell off the for-mer 4-term mayor because he’s a pest.

Let’s charge the Foun-tain City Christmas parade $1,500 for police reserve of-fi cers for the fi rst time in 48 years.

Call it another downside of term limits.

Victor Ashe was a po-litical writer in college. He’s got a hammering style, but

he’s also got a nose for news and the contacts to track down stories.

I recruited Victor while he was still in Poland to write a column for Shopper News. Back when everyone was speculating on what he would do next, we struck our deal.

Citizens are best served by opinions from a variety of informed sources. Lord help us all when the “news” we know comes from PR de-partments, be they City Hall or UT sports.

Smith is ‘all wet’Commissioner Randy

Smith was walking down Gay Street Monday en route to lunch with Mayor Tim Burchett, fi nance director Chris Caldwell and PR guy Michael Grider.

It was a strange sight in pouring rain. Burchett was wearing his tan Car-hartt jacket (which smells like a wet dog – his words). Grider was juggling an um-brella over the mayor when the men passed a mom and baby without protection from the rain.

“Randy Smith just hand-ed her his umbrella,” said Burchett. “Didn’t even tell her who he was. Just said, ‘Keep it.’”

6 • DECEMBER 2, 2015 • NORTH/EAST Shopper news

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SENIOR NOTES ■ Carter Senior Center

9040 Asheville Highway932-2939Monday-Friday8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Off erings include: card

games; exercise programs;

arts and crafts; movie mati-

nee each Friday; Senior Meals

program noon each Wednes-

day. “First Friday” Breakfast

Club: “Arthritis in the Hand,”

8:30 a.m. Friday, Dec. 4. Holi-

day “Food” Hop, 11:30 a.m.

Wednesday, Dec. 9.

■ Corryton Senior Center9331 Davis Drive688-5882knoxcounty.org/seniorsMonday-FridayHours vary

Off erings include: ex-

ercise classes; card games;

billiards; Senior Meals pro-

gram, 11 a.m. each Friday.

Register for: Clapp’s

Card Crazies meeting,

1 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4; UT

Women’s Athletic Direc-

tor Emeritus Joan Cronin

speaking and book signing,

11 a.m. Monday, Dec. 14.

■ Larry Cox Senior Center3109 Ocoee Trail546-1700Monday-FridayHours vary

Off erings include: exercise programs; bingo;

arts and crafts classes.

■ John T. O’Connor Senior Center611 Winona St.523-1135Monday-Friday8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Off erings include: card

games, billiards, senior

fi tness, book club, Senior

Savvy computer classes,

bingo, blood pressure

checks 10:30-11:30 a.m.

Monday-Friday. Silver Stage

Players’ “Christmas 1945,”

2 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 10;

donations appreciated.

Register for: Candle-

light Holiday Dinner with

crafts, 5 p.m. Tuesday, Dec.

8 (RSVP by Dec. 4); Harrah’s

Pumpkin munchin’Before a visit to the local pumpkin patch, residents of Morn-

ing Pointe of Powell make a quick stop at Einstein Bros. Bagel

Shop on Cedar Bluff Road, where manager Terry Morris pro-

vided fresh baked (just for them) pumpkin muffi ns with Cream

Cheese icing! Pictured are Jane Hodges (at top) and Margar et

Herbison, licking icing off of her fi ngers.

By Cindy TaylorLocated inside the

O’Connor Senior Center in Northeast Knoxville is what center manager Sue Mass-ingill refers to as “the best kept secret in town.” The secret she is referring to is an art center/gift shop fea-turing unique and beautiful handmade items crafted by members of the center.

The Exceptional Gifts and Crafts Shop is a small space fi lled with collections of wood carvings, oil paint-ings, jewelry, pottery, blown glass and an abundance of other crafts. You can pick up handmade greeting cards for about $1. Selection and price are incredible.

The art center was estab-lished more than 20 years ago. Gail Morell has man-aged the shop for 12 years.

“Our seniors love to dis-play their handmade items here and shop for gifts too,” said Morell. “Profi ts from sales in the shop go to sup-

port the O’Connor Center.”Senior artists can bring

their work to the center to be sold on consignment. There is a $10 fee per year to become a member of the gift shop. Artists donate one day per month to work the shop. Currently more than 15 se-nior artists display and sell their work in the gift shop.

Gift shop hours are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Bring your Christmas list and cash or checks. You won’t want to leave empty-handed and they don’t take credit cards.

While you’re enjoying a shopping spree at the gift shop be sure to tour the rest of the facility. You may be amazed at what you fi nd.

The center offers physical fi tness classes, creative writ-ing, art classes, discounted lunch, health screenings, health instruction, neuro-bics and too many more ac-tivities to list. An Internet café should be open on-site by the end of the year. Of

course everyone has heard of the O’Connor Singing Se-niors. There is also a band and drama group.

Minimum age to partici-pate in the activities offered at the center is 50. Anyone is welcome to tour or make pur-chases in the gift shop. A visit to the center will most likely afford you many new friends.

“We average more than 200 senior visitors daily,” said Massingill. “Our goal is to help seniors add life to their years.”

Upcoming holiday events include the Singing Seniors Holiday Concert - Decem-ber 2; Crafts by Candlelight - Dec. 8; Christmas 1945, the O’Connor Silver Stage Players - Dec. 10; Downton Abbey Tea - Dec. 11 and a Christmas sale Dec. 15.

The John T. O’Connor Se-nior Center is at 611 Winona Street. Info: 523-1135. Info and a daily calendar avail-able at www.knoxseniors.org/oconnor

Joan Cronan

Festival of Wreaths at ElmcroftSupport Alzheimer’s Tennessee by bidding on a wreath

as Elmcroft of Halls sponsors the second annual Festival of Wreaths from 3:30-7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 3. UT cho-ral group will perform from 6-7 and winners will be an-nounced at 7 p.m. All are invited.

Cronan to speak in CorrytonJoan Cronan, former University of

Tennessee women’s athletic director, will be speaking and signing her book “Sport Is Life” at 11 a.m. Monday, Dec. 14, at the Corryton Senior Center, 9331 Davis Drive, Corryton.

Artist Scottie Baxter, gift shop president Gail Morell and O’Connor Senior Center manager Sue

Massingill pose in front of Exceptional Gifts and Crafts Shop at the O’Connor Senior Center

O’Connor gift shop is ‘exceptional’

Shopper news • DECEMBER 2, 2015 • 7 faith

What’s in a year?

So, if there are 12 months in a year, why is the name of the last month December, a word derived from the prefi x dec, or 10 (think decade or decathlon)?

I wonder about such things! So, being my mother’s daughter, I looked it up, and here is what I learned.

The ancient Romans insisted that all wars cease during the time between the old and new years. March (named for Mars) was the fi rst month in the Roman calendar. That is how the following months were named as they were: April was from the Latin for “second.”

May was named for Maia, the goddess of growing plants (seems reasonable to me!). June was named for Juno, queen of the gods, who was also the patroness of marriage, which is why June is so popular for weddings!

We will come back to July and August, because they were later additions.

September, then was the seventh (septemmeaning seven), and Oc-tober was the eighth. (you see how an octopus got its name – eight legs!)

November was from the word for ninth, and December from the prefi x dec, meaning 10.

All very neat and nice. So where did the other two months come from?

In 1582, Pope Greg-ory (and, no doubt, his astronomers) realized that the calendar was no longer in sync with the seasons. So he fi xed it by adding July (in honor of Julius Caesar) and Au-gust (in honor of Caesar Augustus).

And that is why, al-though the names are a little of out sync, our cal-endar is correct!

And God said, “Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years. …

(Genesis 1:14 NRSV)

CrossCurrents

LynnPitts

FAITH NOTES■ First Comforter Church,

5516 Old Tazewell Pike, hosts

MAPS (Mothers At Prayer Ser-

vice) noon each Friday. Info:

Edna Hensley, 771-7788.

■ Church Women United Knoxville-Knox County meeting, 10 a.m. Friday, Dec.

4, Second UMC, 1524 Western

Ave. Info: 524-1689.

■ Macedonia UMC, 4630

Holston Drive, will present

its annual Christmas musi-

cal, “Christmas – Make It a

Memory,” 10:45 a.m. Sunday,

Dec. 6. The Macedonia musi-

cians and choir will be joined

by Ava Barber (former soloist

with Lawrence Welk’s TV

show) and other singers from

the Pigeon Forge theaters.

■ Music ministries of Com-

munity Evangelistic Church in

East Knoxville and Christ Cov-

enant Church in Farragut will

join for three presentations of

“How Great Our Joy – a Gospel

Christmas!” Presentations: 7

p.m. Friday and Saturday, Dec.

11-12, Christ Covenant Church,

12915 Kingston Pike; 7 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 13, Community

Evangelistic Church, 2650

Boyds Bridge Pike. Info: 525-

1589 or cecchurch.org; 671-

1885 or offi ce@christcov.org.

■ Second UMC, 1524 Western

Ave., will host the 35th annual

Christmas Handbell Concert

at 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 6. The

Celebration Handbell choir

and the Powell High Singers

will present “Glory to the

Newborn King.”

■ Music ministries of Com-

munity Evangelistic Church in

East Knoxville and Christ Cov-

enant Church in Farragut will

join for three presentations of

“How Great Our Joy – a Gospel

Christmas!” Presentations: 7

p.m. Friday and Saturday, Dec.

11-12, Christ Covenant Church,

12915 Kingston Pike; 7 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 13, Community

Evangelistic Church, 2650

Boyds Bridge Pike. Info: 525-

1589 or cecchurch.org; 671-

1885 or offi ce@christcov.org.

■ Second UMC, 1524 Western

Ave., will host the 35th annual

Christmas Handbell Concert

at 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 6. The

Celebration Handbell choir

and the Powell High Singers

will present “Glory to the

Newborn King.”

Meetings/classes ■ Church Women United

Knoxville-Knox County meeting, 10 a.m. Friday, Dec.

4, Second UMC, 1524 Western

Ave. Info: 524-1689.

By Wendy SmithHer desire to serve God

and people has taken Mer-edith Loftis to several states and much of the continent of Africa. She plans to put those experiences to good use as the associate pas-tor at First Presbyterian Church, 620 State St.

“Travel is a great teacher. I hope to be able to use it in my ministry,” she says.

Loftis was installed last Sunday. She grew up in Dunwoody, Ga., where she was actively involved at St. Luke’s Presbyterian Church. She began to imagine a life of ministry as a teen, and her faith was further refi ned at Clemson University.

She spent a summer working with Presbyte-rian Disaster Assistance in Gautier, Miss. − an area hit hard by Hurricane Katrina − and that experience led her to work for the Ameri-can Red Cross in Pickens, S.C., for a year.

“I enjoyed it, but I couldn’t talk about my faith.”

Loftis went on to Colum-bia Theological Seminary

in Decatur, Ga. The most infl uential pastor in her life was a woman, she says, and no one ever discouraged her from pursuing ministry as a career because of her gen-der.

But she admits that her parents were stunned when that career took her to Africa. A two-year fel-lowship with Madison Av-enue Presbyterian Church in Manhattan included a year in Zambia. She worked with an ecumeni-cal organization that trav-eled throughout the coun-try equipping laypeople to be church leaders. The church is exploding there, she says, and there aren’t enough trained pastors to staff the congregations.

Churches in Africa wres-tle with a different set of is-sues than those faced in the U.S. Two of the biggest chal-lenges for churches in Zam-bia are HIV and polygamy.

One of the cultural chal-lenges she faced was being asked for money. It’s normal for Zambians to ask friends and family for money, and

Meredith Loftis participates in a tribal dance by the Chewa

tribe in Katete, Zambia. She is the new associate pastor at First

Presbyterian Church. Photo submitted

Travel infl uences ministry of First Presbyterian pastor

because she was white, she was assumed to be rich.

“I had more marriage proposals than I knew what to do with,” she says.

Before returning to Man-hattan, Loftis spent time traveling in Africa and Asia, which further exposed her to different cultures.

Knoxville appealed to her because it’s a less stressful environment than New York City and closer to home. Be-cause she’s learned how to be comfortable with people who are different from her, she hopes to serve those who are often overlooked.

“We’re called to take care of each other, even if

we don’t understand each other.”

She feels called to a min-istry of hospitality, she says. Since she arrived at the beginning of September, First Presbyterian has been partnering with a Congolese family through Bridge Refu-gee Service.

Because the church is in the heart of downtown, it’s well situated for reaching out, she says.

She knows it’s a welcom-ing congregation because it has welcomed her.

“I think they’re excit-ed to have a pastor who’s young, single, female and a millennial.”

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8 • DECEMBER 2, 2015 • NORTH/EAST Shopper news kids

business

Not all leaders wear capes

If you host it, they will come. Or something like that.

L&N STEM Academy student Taylor Martin has learned that it’s a true state-ment. Taylor organized the East Tennessee Regional SGA workshop, and close to 800 students from area high schools attended the one-day event, including Knox County schools Bearden High, Cedar Bluff Middle, Gibbs High, Hardin Val-ley Academy, Powell High and West Valley Middle.

Dr. James Williams from the University of Tennes-see brought a powerful and encouraging message to the group, reminding them what leaders and superhe-roes have in common.

Williams described the four traits people look for in leaders: Are they honest? Are they competent? Are they forward looking (vi-sion)? Are they inspiring?

His main takeaway from

the workshop was the Power of the 5 Ps, including pur-pose, position, passion, per-ception and being proactive.

Purpose is understand-ing the “why” behind what you do; position involves what you love to do and do well; passion is how much you desire to do something and enjoy it; perception is the reality of what is going on; and being proactive in-volves not always reacting to situations.

“If you cannot lead your own life, you cannot lead others,” he said.

Following Williams’ pre-sentation, the students broke into small groups to rotate through team-building ac-tivities.

Fulton students choose the best pathwayBy Ruth White

Choosing a course of study in high school and be-yond is often a diffi cult deci-sion. Sophomore students at Fulton High School had the opportunity to see some of the skills used in the class-room during a recent CTE showcase at the school.

During the spring semes-ter of sophomore year, FHS students begin applying for a pathway of study in Health Sciences, Communications or Skilled Professionals. Each pathway works from its own section of the school building and core classes such as math, English and history are located within each area of study. Princi-pals and other support staff members are also part of the learning pathway, cre-ating a sense of community among each group.

The Health Science path-way features many different areas of learning for stu-dents who like helping oth-ers and science-related sub-jects. Areas of study include nursing, dentistry, physi-cians, psychiatrists, police offi cers, EMTs, fi refi ghters and imaging services to name just a few.

The Communications pathway is perfect for stu-dents who have a interest in broadcasting, radio, digi-

RuthWhite

tal design and web design. Students in this pathway re-ceive a great deal of hands-on experience working in the sound booth, behind the television camera, design-ing web pages and learning photography.

The Skilled Professions pathway includes profes-sional jobs such as cos-metology, construction, electrical wiring and more. Students that go through the entire course of study for cosmetology can earn approximately 450+ hours that can transfer to a post secondary school and even-tually a license to practice.

Donovan Filer, a Radio II stu-

dent, in the broadcast booth

at Fulton High School. Photos by R. White

Dasha Hall works the audio

controls in the television/pro-

duction studio at the school.

Ben Miller is the fl oor director

for a series of spots where stu-

dents wish service personnel

overseas a happy holiday.

Sage Berry shows the special

eff ects make-up she created

in cosmetology class.

Chad Cooper is a construction

core student in the Skilled Pro-

fessions pathway at Fulton.

Heather Bush poses

with a patient dum-

my in the health sci-

ence learning cen-

ter at Fulton High.

Jarien Green discusses being

a fi refi ghter with guests at the

CTE showcase at Fulton.

Shania Pugh works on a prac-

tice head during cosmetology

class.

Dr. James Williams Taylor Martin

SMG club to tour Women’s BB Hall of FameThe authors club at Sarah Moore Greene Magnet Acad-

emy plans a visit to the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. Students are reading books about basketball.

BIZ NOTES ■ Edwin Spencer M.D. has performed a

surgical implant for

a patient with a frac-

ture to the upper arm

bone which connects

to the shoulder. The

device was approved

by the FDA in April

2015. It is made of

a nickel-titanium

alloy that forms a

mesh-like structure,

similar to a coronary

artery stent. The device is implanted

through a small incision in the upper arm

and directly into the hollow cavity of the

bone. When expanded, it creates a rigid

internal scaff old, stabilizing the fractured

bone fragments from the inside.

■ Russell Betcher M.D. of Knoxville

Orthopaedic Clinic is

the medical honoree

for this year’s Knox-

ville Jingle Bell Run/

Walk for Arthritis as

the 2015 corporate

chair. The Jingle Bell

Run/Walk is nation-

ally sponsored by

AbbVie, Massage

Envy and Ferring

Pharmaceuticals.

It is presented locally by Tennova and

sponsored by National HealthCare Cor-

poration, Knoxville Orthopaedic Clinic

and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee.

Info: jbr.org/knoxville 615-806-8540.

■ Premier Transportation has acquired

Chattanooga-based All Aboard USA,

bringing the Knoxville company’s

total fl eet to nearly 40 motor coaches

stationed throughout East Tennessee.

Nick Cazana is the Premier Transporta-

tion owner. Randy Ingram, All Aboard

owner and operator, has joined Premier

to manage the Chattanooga location,

which brings the Premier Transporta-

tion team to 85 employees.

Dr. Spencer

Dr. Betcher

News from the Rotary Guy

By Tom KingEducation has always

been among the primary focus areas of Rotary I n t e r n a -tional. The Rotary Club of Knoxville is celebrat-ing its 100th anniversary

year in 2015, and as part of that they heard recently from an old friend – Sam Beall.

It was in 1937 when the club presented Sam with a Rotary scholarship for $500 a year during his fi rst two years at the University of Tennessee. That scholar-ship propelled him to a fas-cinating and very signifi -cant career.

Sam’s father had died dur-ing the Great Depression, and after Sam graduated from high school in Georgia, his mother moved him and his kid brother to Knoxville, her former home. Her father had built the fi rst bellows for the Fulton Bellows Co.

Sam was befriended by Rotarians Tom McCroskey, president of the Limestone

Knoxville Rotary salutes silent hero Sam Beall

Tom King

Company, and Leonard Jones of Knox Litho. Sam wanted to go to UT but was virtually penniless, he said at a recent meet-ing. Knoxville Rota-ry came to the rescue with a scholarship. He graduated in 1942 with a degree in design engineering.

Charles Ferris, then head of UT’s Engineering School, took a special interest in Sam. World War II was un-derway, and DuPont was recruiting engineers for the top-secret Manhattan Proj-

ect at the University of Chi-cago. With help from Ferris, Sam got a job working with

the Chicago team and worked daily with En-rico Fermi, called the “Father of the Bomb.”

From that spring-board, Sam became

director of the Reac-tor Division and the newly formed Energy Division at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. When Sam re-tired in 1978 he was ORNL’s director of the Reactor and Energy Divisions … and it all began with that $500,

Knoxville Rotary president Sandy Martin and Sam Beall

two-year scholarship from Knoxville Rotary.

And today, 100 years af-ter its founding, the club still awards scholarships to deserving students.

■ Turkey Creek aids food pantryThe Rotary Club of Tur-

key Creek Sunset is into the holiday spirit, making a $500 donation to the Shep-herd of Hope Food Pantry at Faith Lutheran Church in Farragut. The pantry helps support 100 families. The club meets weekly at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at the church.

■ Bearden tapes meetingsThe Rotary Club of

Bearden is now videotaping its Friday noon meetings at Buddy’s Bearden Banquet Hall. The club’s technol-ogy guru, Leo Knight, who owns Neighborhood Nerds, spearheaded this effort. One of the Nerds’ interns, Nathan Diambra, is han-dling the taping. Tom King is a retired newspaper editor, a

Rotarian for 27 years and past president

of the Rotary Club of Farragut. He can be

reached at tking535@gmail.com.

By Sandra ClarkThe District in Bearden is

saying “Thanks” and “Hap-py Holidays” to customers and friends from 5-8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4, with a series of open houses. The festivi-ties extend through Satur-day at most stores.

Restaurant members are providing hors d’oeuvres at the Friday events, accord-ing to Bebe Vogel, who co-ordinates The District in Bearden events.

M.S. McClellan prom-ises good food from Bistro by the Tracks and cocktails for a festive evening. Bob McClellan will hold a trunk show by Wilsons Leather, a leading specialty retailer of quality outerwear and accessories since 1899. The store is located at 5614 Kingston Pike in Melrose Place. Info: 865-584-3492.

Bennett Galleries is celebrating its 40th anni-versary with music, food from Aubrey’s and selected treasures from its vault (including some works by Richard Jolley). Look for a trunk show by Nashville artist and jeweler Robin Haley on Friday and from-the-farm tastings by North Carolina’s Dusty Farms and Nursery all day Saturday. The galleries are at 5308 Kingston Pike. Info: 865-584-6791.

Est8te, a clothing and home décor store, will fea-ture sparkling wine, small bites from Naples, and spe-cial holiday gifts at Friday’s

open house. Also, on Thurs-day, Dec. 3, from 5-8 p.m. there will be refreshments and a 20 percent off sale to benefi t the cancer support community. The store is at 145 South Forest Park Bou-levard, next to The Grill at Highlands Row. Info: 865-588-1588.

G&G Interiors has cre-ated a “winter wonderland” for the holidays. During the open house on Friday, G&G will serve food from Naples. The business provides turn-key decorating services for private residences and ex-ecutive offi ces. Info: 5508 Kingston Pike. Info: 865-212-5639.

The District Gallery will present Knoxville na-tive Joe Parrott and his show, “From Knoxville to the Mediterranean.” Par-rott will be painting on Saturday and is expected to be present during Friday’s open house which will in-clude live music and food from Holly’s Gourmet Mar-ket. The Gallery is at 5113 Kingston Pike. Info: 865-200-4452.

Sole in the City is spon-soring 12 Days of Christmas, starting Friday, Dec. 4. Reg-ister during the open house. The winner will receive 12 days of gifts from the store. Open house food and appe-tizers will be presented by Holly’s Gourmet Market. The store offers upscale shoes and accessories at 5508 Kingston Pike in Cherokee Plaza. Info: 865-249-7329.

The District in Bearden says ‘thanks’ with

holiday open houses

Shopper news • DECEMBER 2, 2015 • 9 weekender

Then you'll love the

Shopper's take on both

the local fi lmmaking scene

and Hollywood releases.

Love movies?

Betsy Pickle, East Tennessee's premier fi lm critic,

keeps you in the know in Weekender.

By Betsy PickleElaine Hendrix has been

a stocking stuffer before – her character in “Inspector Gadget 2” inspired a variety of Happy Meal toys – but all fans will want for Christmas is a 2016 calendar featuring Hendrix showing vintage attitude – and a lot of leg.

It’s the Girls for Animal Rights 2016 calendar, and it benefi ts the Animal Legal Defense Fund, the Illinois Birddog Rescue and Hen-drix’s own The Pet Match-maker.

“I’ve got a new PSA out for the Animal Legal De-fense Fund,” says Hendrix. “They’re the ones who got me involved with the calen-dar. I love them. But I also love the gals who are doing the Girls for Animal Rights.”

(Find the calendar at girlsforanimalrights.com.)

Born in Oak Ridge and reared in Knoxville, Mor-ristown and Atlanta, Hen-drix is a passionate animal activist. She spent Thanks-giving taking care of home-less people and pets in Los Angeles.

“It’s a funny thing being a ‘celebrity’ … I know that there are a lot of people who worry about their image and what they’re attached to. For animals, I do whatever I can do.”

When she’s not rescu-

By Carol ShaneLooking for more ways to

be Santa’s helper?Join the party at “Holi-

day Sparkles and Spirits,” a gala evening to benefi t The Joy of Music School, which provides music lessons to area kids who wouldn’t oth-erwise be able to have them.

The event combines the warmth of a holiday gather-ing with the sound of chil-dren’s voices, plus delicious food and drink. There are also silent and live auctions. It’s a great evening for a great cause.

“Holiday Sparkles and Spirits” takes place 6:30-9:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 8, at Cherokee Country Club, 5138 Lyons View Pike. Info: 525-6806.

■ On a recent Tuesday morning, a group of Knox-ville musicians gathered in the bowels of the Tennessee Theatre for their fi rst and only rehearsal with the mu-sic directors of the touring company of Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas.”

The company is based in New York, where the theater world’s best come to sing, dance and play music with the best talent on the planet. They’re accustomed to the highest standards.

The rehearsal went smoothly, and when it came

East Ten-

nessee na-

tive Elaine

Hendrix

takes a

breather

from her

fi lm and

animal

work. Photo submitted

‘Krampus’ is comingWhen a boy inadvertently summons a Christmas demon,

his dysfunctional family – including his dad (Adam Scott)

– may end up paying the price in “Krampus.” The cast in-

cludes Toni Collette, David Koechner, Conchata Ferrell, Al-

lison Tolman and Emjay Anthony. The comedic horror fi lm,

rated PG-13 and opening in theaters Friday, was directed

by Michael Dougherty (“Trick ’r Treat”).

Doc Severinsen chose the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra to

tour with him in September. The KJO presents “Swingin’

Christmas” Thursday, Dec. 10, at the Tennessee Theatre.

Shown top to bottom are Will Boyd, Mark Tucker, David

King, Brad McDougall, Greg Tardy, Keith Brown, Tom

Johnson, Bill Swann, Michael Spirko, Michael Wyatt,

Nathan Warner, Tommy Sauter, Tom Lundberg, Vance

Thomspon, Severinsen and Don Hough. Photo submitted

Animal lover Hendrix brightens 2016

time to rehearse the fi nale of the fi rst act, the conductor, Michael Horsley, gave the downbeat. As the music built in intensity, his conducting gestures gradually stopped; they weren’t needed.

Horsley, smiling widely, was simply enjoying the music. As the last note rang through the marble-lined space, he exclaimed, “Whaddaya know! Knox-ville can PLAY.”

The Knoxville Jazz Or-chestra, who’d just blown the roof off of “Blue Skies,” hung their heads sheepishly and grinned.

In an age when much popular music relies on elec-tronic wizardry rather than hard-earned musical prow-ess, these guys are the real deal. If you haven’t heard them, you’re missing one of the premiere performing groups in the region.

Founded in 1999 by trum-peter Vance Thompson, they’ve appeared at jazz fes-tivals in the United States and Europe, released four critically acclaimed CDs and presented scores of concerts, many featuring world-re-nowned guest artists.

Their most popular an-nual concert happens next week. And this year, “A Swingin’ Christmas” will feature jazz vocalist Cécile

McLorin Salvant.“I’ve actually been trying

to get her for several years now,” says Thompson, who adds that, in his opinion, Salvant is “the most impor-tant female vocalist to come along in jazz in the last few decades.”

“Although she is well known to the jazz commu-nity around the world, she is still unknown to the general public.”

He’s excited to introduce her to Knoxville audiences, along with some of the bright-est, brassiest Christmas mu-sic you’ll hear all season.

Tickets go fast, so if you want to hear those horns, you’d better get on the horn.

The Knoxville Jazz Orchestra’s “A Swingin’ Christmas,” sponsored by Merrill Lynch, takes place at 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 10, at the Tennessee Theatre downtown. Info: knoxjazz.org or 573-3226.Send story suggestions to news@shopper

newsnow.com.

ing animals or promot-ing their rights, Hendrix stays busy with her day – and night – job. She stars on the new FX series “Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll” with Denis Leary, Elizabeth Gillies and John Corbett, which recently concluded its fi rst season.

“I am an expert on rock ’n’ roll now,” Hendrix says with a laugh. “I can offi cial-

ly say that.”And the sex and drugs?“I’ll say ‘no comment’ on

those!” The show is about a vet-

eran rock ’n’ roller, Johnny Rock (Leary), whose dream of resurrecting the career he fl ushed down the toi-let hinges on the daughter, Gigi (Elizabeth Gillies), he’s never known. Hendrix plays Ava, Johnny’s longtime live-

matic fi lm.”Making a movie with a

message is something that appeals to Hendrix.

“My life is so cause-ori-ented,” says Hendrix. “When my work aligns with my be-liefs, that’s the ultimate.”

Hendrix, who got her start in guest roles on TV shows before breaking out in “Romy & Michele’s High School Reunion” and “The Parent Trap,” has been working steadily as an actor for more than 20 years and has also produced several features and shorts. The industry-wide conversa-

tion about the disparity of opportunities and pay for males vs. females in Holly-wood has not escaped her.

“I think all actors – the middle-class actors – are getting pay cuts all the time,” she says. “The whole industry has changed. And for women, who are already getting the short end of the stick, it’s even worse now, which in 2015 I can’t even believe I’m saying that.

“There is a lot of talk and a lot of push toward females in the industry, but I feel like it’s still right now all talk and very little action.”

in girlfriend and backup singer.

“It’s amazing,” says Hen-drix. “So fun. Best job I’ve ever had. We work long, hard hours, but it’s worth it. We all get along. We love each other. We’re having a blast.”

Fortunately, even working 12- to 16-hour days, Hendrix doesn’t have to worry about saving her voice.

“Thankfully, it’s ‘Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll.’ If you have a (trashed) voice, all the better.”

The second season will debut on FX in 2016.

This week, Hendrix is getting ready to start shoot-ing a political satire called “Swing State” with Jon Gries, Taryn Manning, An-gela Kinsey from “The Of-fi ce” and Sean Astin.

“I play sort of an Ann Coulter-type character,” says Hendrix.

She worked this summer with Noah Wyle and Xan-der Berkeley on the drama “Shot.”

“It’s what happens when a young boy accidentally shoots a man, and what happens immediately af-ter that, and by the end the consequences of it,” she says. “It’s really making a statement on senseless gun violence, which I was very happy to be a part of. It’s a heavy fi lm. It’s a very dra-

10 • DECEMBER 2, 2015 • Shopper news

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