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It’s easy to fall into a funk thinking about how the world just feels split. But if you bring your focus back home, there’s plenty to lift you up and refresh your spirit.
The year 2024 brought with it moments of unity across East Tennessee, from harmonious concerts featuring hometown heroes to unselfish donations of time and money to uplift our neighbors when they needed it.
Knox News asked our reporters to think about the stories they told that stuck with them, and we picked some of our favorite moments from our 2024 coverage about people coming together.
Did we miss anything? Send an email to knowyourknox@knoxnews.com to let us know, and we’ll follow up with some reader-favorite moments of togetherness from 2024.
Here are our picks, in no particular order.
Austin-East Magnet High School band debuts new uniforms
Rusty Wallace car dealerships donated $30,000 to Austin-East Magnet High School’s marching band in October 2023 for new uniforms to replace the ones that had been pressed into service since the early 2000s. One year later, band members debuted their new uniforms at Austin-East’s homecoming game.
The donation was spurred by Ray Huffaker, who saw the high schoolers perform at a football game in 2023 and realized they could use a fresh fit. He made the pitch at work, and the Rusty Wallace family backed their longtime colleague’s wish to help the Marching Roadrunners.
The band wowed the community when it stepped out with a brand-new look Oct. 4, 2024.
But the good news wasn’t over yet.
At the homecoming game, Rusty Wallace representatives announced the dealerships planned an additional $10,000 donation to the Marching Roadrunners and that Austin-East cheerleaders would soon be getting new uniforms, too.
– Reporter Hayden Dunbar
Budweiser Clydesdales unveil new Sunsphere additions
The majestic Budweiser Clydesdales kicked off the opening of recent additions to the Sunsphere in November. The added features breathe new life into the iconic structure and are now open to visitors and locals.
Guests can now enter and exit the Sunsphere through a new welcome center on the third floor. A new canopy with a solar array, created in partnership with Chroma Energy Group, pays homage to the theme of the 1982 World’s Fair, “Energy Turns the World.”
The improvements allow guests to buy tickets inside, rather than just online, and provide a space for guests to browse and purchase new souvenirs and merchandise.
– Reporter Hayden Dunbar
Customers and supporters rally to save Honeybee Coffee
Honeybee Coffee, a Knoxville fixture for more than a decade, suddenly closed two of its locations in June after a self-proclaimed entrepreneur and business coach named Aaron Hensley bought the company and drove off most of its employees, who told Knox News he did not pay them.
But that was not the end of the story. Several Knoxville investors, who chose to stay anonymous, helped former owner Norris Hill regain ownership of the company and reopen the stores in late July, this time without the in-house brewery.
Fans of the company celebrated its return after the short-lived fiasco.
– Reporter Daniel Dassow
East Tennessee stars show up to support Helene flood survivors
East Tennessee natives Dolly Parton and Morgan Wallen quickly organized to help East Tennesseans suffering from the historic flooding caused by Hurricane Helene.
During a visit to Newport, Parton announced a personal $1 million donation to flood relief efforts, along with an additional $1 million from the Dollywood Foundation and her businesses.
Wallen donated $500,000 from the Morgan Wallen Foundation and helped raised more than $35,000 through a virtual campaign in partnership with Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee. The singer even stopped by West Town Mall with comedian Theo Von and Tennessee baseball coach Tony Vitello to help collect donations at a food drive for flood survivors organized by his charity.
– Reporter Devarrick Turner
Gay Street’s 100 block closes for First Friday
The Arts and Culture Alliance closed the 100 block of Gay Street between West Jackson and West Vine avenues June 7 for the first iteration of its block party, a special edition of the group’s First Friday art walk, which has been hosted in partnership with the city on the first Friday of each month for two decades.
The party featured live music and more than 20 local artists and vendors, building on the foundation of a city pilot program that closed the busier 400 block of Gay Street to vehicles over four weekends in 2023.
celebrity.land Travel cited First Friday when it included Knoxville on its inaugural “America’s Best Towns to Visit” list this year.
– Reporter Daniel Dassow
Kern’s Food Hall opens to success in South Knoxville
Kern’s Food Hall opened in April, providing South Knoxville with an exciting new destination filled with more than 20 food and retail vendors.
The opening day brought in folks from across Knoxville who were craving a beer, a bite, a manicure or just a little sunshine out on the venue’s spacious back patio. The restoration of the former Kern’s Bakery building on Chapman Highway rejuvenated the property, which has become a popular destination for people to try new foods and enjoy college football game days on the southern side of the Tennessee River.
After years of anticipating a new purpose for the historic property, nothing quite compared to opening day, solidifying Kern’s as one of the most exciting fulfilled business promises the area has experienced in recent memory.
– Reporter Keenan Thomas
KnoxWalls adds splashes of color north of downtown
North Central Street gained an eye-catching addition: Twelve new murals that feature a variety of art styles and subjects, from Pat Summitt to a dalmatian.
KnoxWalls at Emory Place, part of the Art in Public Places program established by Dogwood Arts, was spearheaded by the nonprofit, along with Visit Knoxville and Lilienthal Gallery. The Tennessee Arts Commission and ORNL Federal Credit Union also supported the project, and property owners Ilana Brodt and Johnny and Libby Harb provided the wall space.
The 13 artists’ murals cover more than 7,000 square feet of wall space, and the bright new designs that brought fresh beauty to the neighborhood are open to the public.
– Reporter Hayden Dunbar
McKay’s road trip unleashes mad fun
It sounded too good to be true: To celebrate its 50th anniversary on July 9, used books and records store McKay’s invited fans to make a mad dash to all five locations in Tennessee and North Carolina, with a prize of $800 in store credit to anyone who finished on that day.
Hundreds of people showed up to the Knoxville location, standing in a long line as the heat index reached 105 degrees. Though three people ended up heading to the hospital with heat-related illnesses, road trippers gathered at the store the next day to reminisce and spend their store credit.
One fan of the beloved store called it the “Woodstock of 2024.”
– Reporter Daniel Dassow
Metro Drug Coalition opens community center unlike any in state
Metro Drug Coalition, a nonprofit working to reduce substance misuse, opened a unique community center this year. The Gateway is the first center of its kind in the state, and it’s filling an important need in Knoxville.
The Gateway is a gathering spot for all members of the community, but it was designed specifically as a space for those recovering from addiction, with a particular focus on that tricky time immediately after a person leaves treatment. That transition is often a challenging time for individuals in recovery, and the Gateway is meant to bridge that gap.
The recovery community center has a coffee shop, recreation room and meeting space.
– Reporter Hayden Dunbar
Morgan Wallen makes Neyland Stadium go wild with two epic concerts
Morgan Wallen electrified Neyland Stadium with hit songs, surprise guests and Vols pride in September. The country superstar and Gibbs High School graduate performed two sold-out shows, bringing together a record-breaking 156,161 fans at the stadium.
Wallen brought an all-star list of guests to introduce him: Peyton Manning, dressed in his former Vols uniform, coaches Josh Heupel and Tony Vitello, and a whole bunch of star Vols athletes helped escort Wallen to the stage to kick off the shows, which featured Eric Church, Miranda Lambert and Darius Rucker as surprise performers.
Since the epic concerts, Tennessee has changed its longstanding fourth quarter song at Neyland Stadium from Garth Brooks’ “Friends in Low Places” to Wallen’s “The Way I Talk.”
– Reporter Devarrick Turner
Pre-Prom Stop expands red carpet to more Knoxville schools
Bold colors, intricate patterns, personal designs and an abundance of glamour were on display on the Pre-Prom Stop red carpet in East Knoxville’s Five Points this April.
The sixth annual event expanded beyond Austin-East Magnet High School students, opening up to include students from any high school who wanted to participate in the photo-op event that’s part Hollywood, all Knoxville.
About three thousand attendees made it to the show, including promgoers showing off their style before the dance, as well as families and friends. A children’s prom, featuring younger kids walking the red carpet, opened the event.
Yvette Rice started the Pre-Prom Stop in 2018 to uplift students and celebrate Austin-East’s rich history and culture. Her goal is to expand the red-carpet event to downtown next year and eventually make it a model for student prom experiences across the country.
– Reporter Devarrick Turner
Smokies unveil new Knoxville uniforms and stadium name
Smokies owner Randy Boyd shifted gears from overseeing the University of Tennessee System as students returned in August to unveil the name for the minor league team’s new stadium: Covenant Health Park.
The team later unveiled new uniforms and logos that swapped “Tennessee” for “Knoxville” in its name, a step toward reigniting a local pride in baseball that hasn’t been felt since the team moved to Kodak from the Scruffy City in 2000.
Construction continues to make progress at the stadium site, which also will host One Knoxville soccer games, concerts and community gatherings. Smokies representatives say the facility will be ready in time for the team’s first scheduled home game April 15.
– Reporter Keenan Thomas
Solar eclipse brings excitement despite rain
Knoxville didn’t see the total solar eclipse that gripped the nation April 8, though thousands still gathered to see the moon partially cover the sun. Though it was a rainy and cloudy afternoon, children who were allowed to leave school still exclaimed they could see the phenomenon.
“Hopefully the sun will poke out so we can see it,” said Kyllie Wade, who brought her 2-year-old son, Knox, to McFee Park for the anticipated sighting. “I hope he just remembers putting on the glasses, being with his friends, playing at the park and seeing something that isn’t always around.”
Plenty of adults gathered, too, peering through gaps in the clouds from a rooftop at the University of Tennessee campus and at Muse Knoxville. Despite some disappointment, Knoxville kept its spirits high at watch parties across the city.
– Reporter Daniel Dassow
Superdrag unites Knoxville in hometown show
Legendary Knoxville band Superdrag returned for a hometown concert on the porch of Lost & Found Records in July. Music fans gathered in the record shop’s gravel parking lot in north Knoxville for an intimate show.
Many in the crowd were there to show their support for Benny Smith, the longtime WUTK general manager, who is retiring from the college radio station effective Jan. 1 after new station management at the University of Tennessee shook up the operation. Despite the somber backdrop of his looming departure, band members played their hearts out, giving fans a musical treat on a hot summer evening.
Beer flowed and rock music roared throughout the event.
– Reporter Keenan Thomas
Tennessee baseball team returns to Knoxville with huge parade
In one of the biggest celebrations of the year, the Tennessee Volunteers baseball team returned as heroes from Omaha to Knoxville.
The team had become part of college baseball’s elite, but a national title was elusive. This year, the Volunteers took home the title in a historical first for the program and celebrated with a widely attended and festive downtown reception for the hometown team June 25.
Knox News and the USA TODAY Network produced 172 stories, 20 videos and 10 photo galleries about UT’s College World Series run, culminating in special print editions of the Knoxville News Sentinel that were sought by Vols fans from around the country.
Thousands of editions were reprinted to meet the demand, and multiple commemorative sections were produced. Readers lined up at the Knox News office for days to get their hands on copies.
– Reporter Keenan Thomas
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