State Fair
Tennessee celebrated a timeless tradition as the 91st annual Tennessee
State Fair took place at the Tennessee State Fairgrounds. Continuing one
of the newer traditions at the Fair, Thursday night, September 14
brought the Christian Music Night to the Fairgrounds as LaRue, Big Tent
Revival and Rebecca St. James packed the raceway stands (dubbed the
“Waste Management Stage” for the event). The warm but comfortable
evening and the activities surrounding the stage presented a pleasant
and exciting atmosphere for the three-part concert. All three sets were
rockin’, the kids packed the area in front of the stage, and the older
crowd enjoyed this unique concert experience from the stands.
Youthful brother and sister duo LaRue is quickly becoming into a crowd
pleaser, Big Tent Revival has already established itself as a first-rate
band (cries of “we love you, Steve” filled the air during their set),
and Rebeccas has grown into a mature artist who is holding her own in
the world of top CCM female artists.
All in all, a great show for the price of the $6 parking.
Boomsday
On Labor Day, Knoxvillians begin to head downtown to the river during
the day where food booths and Karioki are going on. Bringing their
coolers and beach chairs, families fill in all the grassy strips between
the UT stadium and the river. While kids munch on hot dogs and their
parents eat bar-b-q, they can hear the music from the Karioki stages as
well as the live remotes. As the afternoon wears on, more entertainments
in the form of live music and games begin to take place as the parking
lots fill up all over downtown (for a pricy $10 to park) and the parking
garages that overlook the river fill up with people and cars. By the
time it gets dark, thousands of people pack a two-mile strip of pavement
around one of Knoxville’s main bridges in anticipation of the biggest
annual fireworks display in the Southeast, Boomsday.
Boomsday 2000, sponsored by Knoxville’s Oldies 102, took place on
Monday, September 4, to benefit United Way and Children’s Hospital. With
food, entertainment,, and a parachute jump at 8pm, there was a lot to
see and do before the fireworks, but the fireworks were definitely the
Big Deal. Twenty-five minutes of pyrotechnic extravaganza delighted the
crowd, both young and old alike, as Lee Greenwood belted out “I’m Proud
to Be an American” on the airwaves. The ultimate experience was when the
bridge itself erupted in a waterfall of fireworks.
There is nothing else like it in the Southeast, so if you love
fireworks, plan your Labor Day activities around Knoxville’s annual
Boomsday.
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