The Crown and Goose

Owners of the Crown & Goose, Jeffrey & Pat Nash along with their son, Jeffrey DeAlejandro, announced today the restaurant will launch a campaign to raise money for the United Way here in Knoxville. Themed, “Go the Extra Mile,” the campaign’s focus is to raise funds for needy Knoxville families not currently being served by charitable organizations. The campaign begins October 16, and continues through November 16, 2009.

The Crown & Goose will raise money through three distinct methods:

1) For every mile the Crown & Goose vintage London Taxi travels when transporting guests to and from the pub, a dollar-per-mile will be escrowed into the Go the Extra Mile account. The Crown & Goose will offer taxi-style service to people in the downtown area for FREE.

2) During the campaign period (Oct 16 – Nov 16) 25% of all gift certificate proceeds will be deposited in the same escrow account earmarked for the United Way. Naturally it’s a great time of the year for Holiday gift giving that virtually anyone can enjoy.

3) On Monday November 16, the Crown & Goose will transform its Annual Victorian Holiday celebration into the First Annual Victorian Holiday Benefit for United Way of Knoxville. The Crown & Goose will open at 5PM that day with a unique Holiday venue to include a special Holiday menu.

“We believe assisting the United Way’s in their efforts will reach the diverse needs of our community,” said Mrs. Nash. “We are excited and humbled with the opportunity to give back to the community for its support – and at the same time share the magic of our Victorian Holiday decorations that include over 300,000 lights, multiple festival trees, and unique arrangements. We believe it’s just hard to describe.”

The “Go the Extra Mile” campaign kicks off today at 5PM at the Crown & Goose where its taxi will be parked inside the restaurant. Phil Williams will host his show “live” onsite along with the United Way chairman.

The Crown & Goose is an authentic London gastro pub located in Knoxville’s Old City at 123 South Central Street. Opened in March 2008, it offers Knoxville a selection of unique European food in a relaxed, traditional pub environment. The Crown & Goose serves authentic English beer in the only beer garden in the downtown area – back dropped by a 60 foot mural depicting a nineteenth century London Street. Parking, in its private parking lot is FREE for guests. For more information visit the website at www.thecrownandgoose.com. Contact is Jeffrey DeAlejandro 865-524-2525 or jeffreyd@thecrownandgoose.com.

Heather Whiteside at the Knoxville Visitor Center

The Knoxville Visitor Center welcomed Heather Whiteside for Uniquely Friday where she demonstrated her unique acrylic painting style. Whiteside has been painting professionally for over 15 years. A California native, she spent the majority of her life traveling across the U.S. and Europe and has some formal art training.

While Whiteside was at the Visitor Center, she displayed many of her wonderful paintings, many of which are recognizable Knoxville views. Perhaps one of the most interesting things she displayed was her cityscapes of Knoxville that glow in the dark. The streetlights, signs and headlights illuminate in the dark to reveal a beautiful nighttime cityscape.

The focus of Whiteside’s most recent series portrays urban city views with strong architectural or industrial elements. Her contemporary impressionistic style and loose technique, mixed with a vibrant palette, make this artist’s work instantly recognizable. Whiteside’s paintings hang in international galleries and have been featured in many distinguished galleries and exhibitions throughout the country.

Carl Cowan Park

By Katherine Saxon

Sometimes finding fun things to occupy the children I nanny for can be challenging because I want it to be fun, but safe. Today we went to the “Splash Pad” at the Carl Cowan Park in West Knoxville.  I had heard about it from a close friend, and decided to try it out with my kids.  We arrived around 11 a.m. and we could already begin to feel the summer heat.  The splash pad was just the thing we needed, with fountains sprouting up in all areas, and large fixtures that looked like fish and dragons.  The kids and I had a ball running through the fountains a few times to cool ourselves off.  We also had a picnic in the pavilion area under the shade, and then hung out in the playground area for a bit. After lunch when the afternoon really began to heat up, we walked right over to the pad and cooled ourselves down some more.  The park was alive with families and children of all ages and my kids even made some new friends as they played.  They had a blast, and I was able to enjoy the time without worrying about their swimming skills. The fountain area doesn’t have any water to swim in, just lots of fun fountains to play in.  What a great and convenient way to relax and cool off in the ninety-degree weather and enjoy our day outdoors!

Senator Jamie Woodson visits Blount Mansion

In conjunction with the American Quilter’s Society’s 2009 Expo July 22-25, Historic Blount Mansion presents The Smoky Mountain Quilter’s of Tennessee Quilt Exhibit & Sale throughout the month of July. Senator Jamie Woodson was on hand July 22, to tour the exhibit with Blount Mansion’s Executive Director Billye Cabot. Blount Mansion is open to the public Tuesday – Saturday, from 9:30am-5:00pm, and in addition offers hourly tours, exhibits and a museum store.

The Blount Mansion Visitors features exhibits that help the Blount Mansion tell its stories.  The Museum Store offers souvenirs, gifts and books and all proceeds are used to support efforts to preserve Blount Mansion and to inspire an appreciation of national, state and local history.

Blount Mansion, a historic landmark, is often referred to as the birthplace of Tennessee. Built in 1792, Blount Mansion served as both the residence of William Blount, Governor of the Territory South of the River Ohio and as capitol of that territory, now the State of Tennessee.