Knox Heritage’s Summer Suppers

In Knoxville History by Jack Neelyleave a COMMENT

Compiled by Jack Neely for the Knoxville History Project.

Knox Heritage’s annual series offers an intuitive education in local history.

“Summer Suppers” is the name for the unusual series of fundraising dinners for the preservationist nonprofit Knox Heritage. Never the same, each dinner party is held in a historic spot, each with its own theme, and with distinctive fare that’s often a humorous nod to the setting.

They’ve sold briskly this year, and hundreds have purchased tickets. Of the originally announced 13 extremely various events—they’ve included a retail-themed feast at the J.C. Penney Building; a rack of lamb at the home of Knoxville’s original preservationist, Mary Boyce Temple; and a “French Broad River Float and Low Country Boil” in kayaks with beer and lawn games—only three suppers have spaces remaining.

***

The only one left in Knoxville proper is the one called “Little House, Big Style,” a sort of mini-progressive dinner held in two of the smaller houses on Eleanor Street in Fourth and Gill, one a Craftsman bungalow, and one a Victorian cottage. Although hardly small enough to qualify for the trendy “tiny house” movement, they’re modest in size compared to some of their neighbors, and prove that historic preservation doesn’t always have to be grand. It’s on July 23 at 6:00, and tickets, which include architectural discussion, drinks, and a five-course meal, are $150 each.

***

The following weekend, Saturday, July 30, at 5:30, is an especially unusual event called the “Best Dam Summer Supper!” Completed in 1936, Norris Dam was the first of the Tennessee Valley Authority’s big dam projects, and its proximity is a major reason TVA established its headquarters in Knoxville. Journalist Ernie Pyle, philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre, and architect le Corbusier all visited Norris Dam just to behold it. (Some believe, half-seriously, that the dam had an effect on the Swiss architect’s future work!) Traces of 1930s moderne style are still evident at the dam. It’s a special occasion, because the dam, once open to the public, has been mostly closed to visitors for security in recent years, but this summer supper will include a tour of the facilities. A dinner in the dam’s 1930s “Tea Room” will include barbecue, deviled eggs, watermelon, and other things the fellows in the Civilian Conservation Corps, who built the place, would have recognized. The price is $100 per person, with an optional $20 surcharge for those who prefer to ride a bus from Historic Westwood for the event.

***

The final Supper of this Summer Supper Summer will be the “Big Bash at the Buck Brother,” Saturday, Aug. 27, at 6:45. It’s in downtown Lenoir City, not far from West Knoxville, where the Buck Brothers building at 102 East Broadway, which once featured a pharmacy and dance hall, is being renovated. The evening will start at the Lenoir City Museum, and proceed to the century-old building next door for a dinner of “Loudon County favorites,” like “Drug Store Counter Hot Dogs,” “Belgium Mac & Cheese,” barbecue, and “Monterey Portobello Mushrooms.” That last one’s “Loudon County favorite” status is not a stretch. Monterey is a national company based in California, but one of its major mushroom-growing facilities is in Loudon County. Tickets are $100 each.

All proceeds to to Knox Heritage, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit which assists public and private preservation efforts, advocates for historic preservation, and sometimes buys and renovates historic properties. For more information, see knoxheritage.org.

A Clarification

Our Father’s Day issue about Knoxville’s prominent fathers and sons raised a question about whether Rep. John J. Duncan, Sr., “retired” from his seat in Congress. As one reader correctly pointed out, the elder Duncan actually died in office on June 21, 1988. However, the longtime congressman, suffering from cancer, had returned to Knoxville a month earlier to announce that he would not seek re-election. The News Sentinel of May 28, 1988, headlined the story “Rep. Duncan Retires.” His son, Jimmy, then a state trial judge, announced his candidacy for the office at the same time, while his father was still alive to offer his blessings. But the elder Duncan was still our congressman at the time of his death at the age of 69.

Featured Photo: The original Summer Supper? Noted artist Adelia Armstrong Lutz, seated in the foreground at right, wearing white, enjoys a picnic with family friends at Bleak House on Kingston Pike in the 1880s. Westwood, which is now headquarters of Knox Heritage, was built to accommodate her art studio, and her growing family, in 1890. Photo courtesy of Calvin M. McClung Historical Collection.

The Knoxville History Project, a nonprofit organization devoted to the promotion of and education about the history of Knoxville, presents this column each week to raise awareness of the themes, personalities, and stories of our unique city. 

Learn more on facebook.com/knoxvillehistoryproject • email jack@knoxhistoryproject.org

Jack Neely is the director of the Knoxville History Project, a nonprofit devoted to exploring, disseminating, and celebrating Knoxville's cultural heritage. He’s also one of the most popular and influential writers in the area, known for his books and columns. The Scruffy Citizen surveys the city of Knoxville's life and culture in the context of its history, with emphasis on what makes it unique and how its past continues to affect and inform its future.

Share this Post