About Knoxville's University Area, Ft. Sanders

That is actually how long that it takes for everything to change. This post is more of a rant that a post. Hopefully, though, the message will stand loud and clear. Tonight woke me up to that very fact. Rich's mom, Carolyn owns a business here in Knoxville, Tennessee. She does like the rest of us and gets out daily to bust her behind to make a living. With the economy being the way that it is, business has been tough for her this year. Actually, it has been tough on everyone. Carolyn is a gamer and gets out and fights for her piece of the American pie daily.

With that said, her store was rob at gun point tonight. This is not the first time that this person has hit the area that her store is in. Thankfully Carolyn was not in the store when it happened, but there was an employee in the store. She did not deserve this and neither did Carolyn. For someone to stoop to that level is pathetic. Fortunately, all he wanted was the cash in the draw, and though it was only $230, it is the fact that it was money taken from a company that is working hard to make it in a difficult time.

I am not a violent person by any means, but when I hear about this, I want to get my five minutes alone with this creep. Personally, I think that it takes a coward to do something like this. Ultimately, he will get his. It is difficult to live this type of life and not eventually pay for the crimes that they commit.

All in all, everything is well that ends well. Everyone gets to go home to their loved ones and no one gets hurt. At this point, that is the important thing. Thanks for lending me an ear.

The First Annual Irish Festival will be held this upcoming Saturday July 26, 2008 from 10:00 AM until 10:00 PM at World's Fair Park in Knoxville. Click HERE for directions. Tickets for Adults are $10 and can be purchased at the gate; Children are FREE! The festival will be a celebration of the continuing contributions the Irish community has been making since the earliest days of European settlement in East Tennessee. The stated mission of the festival is:

The mission of the Irish Festival of Knoxville, Inc. is to educate the community of East Tennessee of the Irish heritage of this region, with educational ties to environmental practices as a zero-waste festival, while raising funds for designated worthy public service agencies and charities.

An exciting aspect of this festival will be its stated goal to be zero waste and carbon-neutral! The organizers are using the traditional practice of carbon offsetting through the purchase of clean energy such as wind, farm animal wastes, and landfill gases. The festival organizers go beyond this carbon offsetting by incorporating community education on lifestyle changes that can reduce carbon emissions.

The Irish community has a long history of supporting police officers and firefighters. This event will carry on that support as the proceeds will benefit five very worthy organizations:

Knoxville Firefighters Association

Fraternal Order Police Volunteer Lodge #2

Knoxville Volunteer Rescue Squad

Remote Area Medical Foundation

The Ulster Project - The Ulster Project International Website

There will be a Kids Zone with all the fun diversions you would expect, a moon walk, a fun slide, face painting, arts and crafts, and camel rides! As children are free what better way to spend an afternoon. There will also be a multitude of vendors exhibiting and selling traditional Irish crafts, and environmental organizations promoting "green living." In addition to the Kids Zone and the vendors, there two distinct areas that will have entertainment:

Performance Lawn Stage

Market Stage

10:00 - 11:00 Heart of Oak Band - Irish Ballads

11:15 - 11:45 Irish Dancers

12:00 - 12:45 SECC Cloggers

3:30 - 4:30 Irish Dancers - Four Leaf Peat Band - Traditional Irish

6:00 - 7:00 Shamrock Road Band - Irish Ballads

Main Stage

1:00 - 2:00 Opening Ceremony

2:15 - 3:15 Lahinch Mob Band - Irish Rock 'n Roll

4:30 - 6:00 Chill Billies Band - Southern Rock 'n Roll

7:00 - 8:00 Soul Water Band - Southern Rock Blues

8:15 - 9:15 Lahinch Mob Band - Irish Rock 'n Roll

9:30 - 10:00 Grand Finale

Amphitheater Schedule

9:00 - 10:00 CPR

10:00 - 11:00 Fairytale Photography

11:00 - 12:00 Safe Kids Coalition

12:00 - 12:15 Ijams Nature Center

12:15 - 1:00 Festival Charities

2:15 - 2:45 Earthborn Products Co.

2:45 - 3:15 City of Knoxville

3:15 - 3:45 Knoxville Recycling Coalition

3:45 - 4:15 Tennessee Valley Earth Partnership

4:15 - 4:45 East Tennessee Clean Fuels Coalition

4:45 - 5:15 Knoxville Police - K-9 Demo

As part of this festival there will also be a semi-formal Green Tie Event on Friday the 25th. This event is $75 per ticket with all proceeds benefiting the five charities. This event will be held from 8:00 PM until 11:00 PM in the Sunsphere at World's Fair Park. The event will feature a live Irish band, heavy hors d'oeuvres, wine and beer, and door prizes. If you are interested in attending this event, click HERE to download the invitation in pdf format!

This is the first of what is planned to be an annual event! If you are in the Knoxville area on the 26th and would like a day of fun and diversion, check out the Irish Festival! It is a green event!

About the Author

If you are in the market to purchase a home or even refinance an existing loan and you want a loan officer that will walk with you every step of the way, then contact Danny or Rich of the Thornton Team at Home America Mortgage today. We can have you pre-approval in as little as 4 hours. You can visit our website or send an email to thorntonteam@homeamericamortgage.com or call us @ 865-951-0522.

Home Sales Report Beginning 05/01/2008, Ending 05/31/2008

Here's the March 2008 sales report for the great Knoxville, Tennessee area