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Happy Friday, Knoxville. In today’s edition: Covenant Health medical facility, Knoxville Holiday Market, Holiday Candlelight Tours, and more. Let’s get to it!
— Cait Baker
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📰 In the news
Comforting journeys from bedside: A Knoxville hospice is using virtual reality to bring holiday light displays and travel to residents with limited mobility, sparking memories and easing isolation for those experiencing memory loss — read the full story.
Community shapes riverfront future: South Waterfront’s Down River master plan debuted, envisioning adaptive reuse, a riverwalk, and a pedestrian bridge to UT, with RFQ early next year and partner selection by fall 2026 — see what’s planned.
Partnership expands local care: Covenant Health has broken ground on a 60,000-square-foot medical facility in Alcoa. Planned services include urgent care, physical therapy, cardiology, and oncology, with opening as soon as 2027 — see what’s planned.
Compare rates for free: The national average for car insurance is around $175 per month. Paying more than that? Same, so I did some shopping around and ended up cutting my premium in half. If you haven’t checked in a while, you’re probably overpaying too — here’s the comparison tool I used.
Identity theft is up 25%: Last year, Americans lost $12.5 billion to ID theft & fraud, and the stories behind those numbers are brutal. My friend just told me his dad’s on his fourth replacement credit card. Other folks have woken up to empty bank accounts or their personal info dumped online after a breach. Aura catches these kinds of attacks early by monitoring for new accounts, weird money movements, leaked data, and other red flags so you’re alerted before things blow up — learn more about it here.
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🫶 We got your back
Local vision takes shape: With RALA moving online at year’s end, Jessica King and Aaron Thompson (Osteria Stella, Brother Wolf, Lilou) will turn the former 112 West Jackson Ave. shop into an elevated cocktail bar. Expect artful drinks, meticulous menus, and immersive design. Bonus: Brother Wolf’s Miracle holiday pop-up is underway, with regular service back Jan. 2. Get all the details.
Historic holiday magic awaits: Mabry-Hazen House lights up for Candlelight Christmas tours Dec 12 from 6 to 9 pm and Dec 13 from 5 to 8 pm, with tours every 30 minutes. Expect Victorian holiday vibes, parlor games, and a charming exhibit of a century of Christmas cards. Tickets are $10 adults, $5 kids, free for members and under 5. Get all the details.
Good hair, less guilt: At Lox Salon, stylists cut, color, and extend using eco-friendly, vegan, cruelty-free products that perform. Choose a formaldehyde-free, PPD-free smoothing treatment. Transparent, time-based pricing, zero nickel-and-diming. Friendly pros who actually listen.
Thinning hair? Same: I’ve been shedding a lot, and recently noticed my ponytail feeling thinner. After way too much panic-Googling, I decided to take Hers’ online quiz. They recommended a Biotin + Minoxidil green-apple gummy for regrowth and overall hair health. The whole thing was surprisingly easy: just verify who you are and a licensed provider signs off. Here’s the quiz if you want to check it out.
Makeup that actually works: My sister and I were talking the other day about how the makeup we used in our 20s… just doesn’t work now that we’re in our 30s and 40s. Laura Geller’s entire makeup line addresses this shift, with formulas that smooth, brighten, and actually stay put. If you’re in the same boat, their curated kits are worth a look.
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📆 Around town this weekend
All events are subject to change without notice. This is entirely outside our control. Please check official event pages and social media for the most up to date information.
Today
🕯️ Holiday Candlelight Tours @ Blount Mansion | Friday (12/12) at 5:00pm – Bundle up and wander a candlelit holiday tour that trades chaos for calm, neon for twinkle, and muzak for real stories. It is slow, serene, and pleasantly old school, perfect for catching up without shouting. Tickets are $15, nostalgia included.
🎼 ️Winter Notes & Warm Light: Holiday Concert @ Daisy’s Non-Alcoholic Bar and Bottle Shop | Friday (12/12) at 6:30pm – Whether you belt the chorus or just hum politely, this candlelit holiday concert is pure cozy. Talented musicians fill the room with classics, warmth, and a little sparkle, and you get an evening that feels like a deep breath, minus the mall parking.
This weekend
🛒 Knoxville Holiday Market @ World’s Fair Exhibition Hall | Saturday (12/13) at 10:00am – Skip the mall and wander the Knoxville Holiday Market, with 200-plus local food folks, artists, and crafters. Stock up on gifts, snacks, and cheer, admission is free, your self-control is not. It pops up every weekend, so pace yourself, neighbor.
🚒 Rural Metro Fire Christmas Extravaganza @ Marriott Knoxville Downtown | Saturday (12/13) at 6:00pm – Nothing says holiday spirit like fire engines dressed in twinkle lights. Rural Metro Fire’s Christmas Extravaganza delivers big cheer, friendly firefighters, and that old-fashioned small-town glow. Pop in for lights and laughs, linger for photo ops, festive bites, and running into half the neighborhood.
🎭 2nd Annual Holly-Jolly Follies Holidays Show @ Barrelhouse by Gypsy Circus | Saturday (12/13) at 8:00pm – Back for year two, the Holly-Jolly Follies serves up hometown laughs, classic tunes, and shameless sparkle. Whether you deck the halls in October or wait until the lights quit, skip the mall, grab your cozy sweater, and enjoy some actual cheer.
🏀 Tennessee Volunteers vs Winthrop Eagles @ Thompson-Boling Arena | Sunday (12/14) at 2:00pm – Feel like watching fundamentals with a side of Rocky Top pride? The Lady Vols host Winthrop, and yes, defense still matters. Grab a seat, or let the Lady Vol Network keep you company while you fold laundry, sip something, and nod knowingly.
🐾 Pet Photos with Santa @ Hi-Wire Brewing | Sunday (12/14) at 2:00pm – Because your dog made the nice list, bring the pup for a festive photo with Santa, no matching pajamas required. The Humane Society of the Tennessee Valley brings adoptable cuties, Cassie Krause Photography snaps for $20 per photo, and a portion benefits HSTV.
🎸 Chris Renzema @ Bijou Theatre | Sunday (12/14) at 7:30pm – If you’ve been waiting for a sign to trade mall carols for something real, Chris Renzema brings a Midwest Christmas set of earnest lyrics, warm storytelling, and goosebump harmonies. Think fireside folk, not jingle jangle, with the kind of show that sneaks up and stays.
Next week
🍪 Cozy Christmas Cookie Decorating @ Cedar Bluff Branch Library | Monday (12/15) at 6:00pm – The library is serving up grown-up frosting therapy with a cozy cookie decorating class, hot cocoa, and your most questionable festive sweater. It is blissfully 18+, so no tiny hands swiping sprinkles, just good company, sugar-fueled creativity, and calm before the holiday storm.
🏺 Little History Lessons @ East Tennessee History Center | Monday (12/15) at 10:30am – Watch your kiddo’s imagination light up as they touch artifacts, craft their own creations, and play history-themed games. It’s a gentle, playful peek into East Tennessee’s story designed just for ages 2–5.
🎷 KJO’s Swingin’ Christmas @ Tennessee Theatre | Tuesday (12/16) at 8:00pm – If your holiday playlist needs more swing and less sleigh bells, this is the move. Big-band sparkle, Ellington and Basie vibes, and vibraphonist Simon Moullier, plus a few surprise guests, turn the classics into actual toe-tappers. Festive, grown-up, and guaranteed to lift the winter mood.
Wanna see more? Browse our full events calendar →
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🎶 Live music & entertainment
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🏠️ Price is right – Knoxville edition
How it works: We’re going to give you some facts about a home for sale, including a picture of the outside, the kitchen, and one additional room. Your job? Guess how much it’s listed for (preferably before you click to find out).
Listed by: Megan Thomas (East TN-LPT Realty)
Reborn in 2025, this 3,589-square-foot West Knoxville stunner pairs 2007 bones with magazine-level finishes. Soaring ceilings, sunlit rooms, and a chef’s kitchen with quarter-sawn white oak inset cabinetry, waterfall quartz, and full-height backsplash set the tone. Main-level suite brings a spa bath and boutique closet, plus a dedicated office. Upstairs adds three more bedrooms, including a flex-worthy bonus or media room.
Fresh sod, professional landscaping, and a built-in fire pit turn the flat backyard into a hangout, with space for future pool plans. Three-car garage, chic fixtures throughout, and minutes to top-rated schools, shopping, dining, and Pellissippi Parkway.
Make your guess, then (and only then)… see how much it costs →
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