Karns senior center to host art reception Thursday evening

The Karns Senior Center will host an art reception on Thursday from 6 to 8 p.m. at 8042 Oak Ridge Highway.

The public is invited and refreshments will be served.

 

Art pieces featured at the reception were completed by art class students at the Karns and Frank R.

Strang senior centers. Types of work include watercolor, pen/ink and charcoal/pencil sketch.

 

Knox County senior centers provide programming specifically geared toward seniors. These programs

offer recreation opportunities, health and wellness resources, computer and technology lessons, and

other activities for those aged 50 and older.

 

More information about Knox County Senior Services can be found online at

http://www.knoxcounty.org/seniors.

Knox senior picnic reset to Oct 10

Senior picnic (Photo: KC)

The county's 8th Annual Senior Appreciation Picnic has been rescheduled for Oct. 10 due to bad weather, according to a release. The event will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at John Tarleton Park. 

It was originally set for Oct. 3.

(The new day by the way is "rain or shine.")

The picnic will include lunch, live music and a vendor expo.

The Knox County Commission and other elected officials have been invited and may be in attendance, the release notes in a subtle attempt to honor the Sunshine laws.

Partners for the 2014 Senior Appreciation Picnic include Independent Insurance Consultants and the Senior Directory as platinum sponsors, Morning Pointe Assisted Living & Alzheimer’s Memory Care as a gold sponsor, and several others.

Work to begin on Karns senior center

Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett, Knox County Commission Chairman Brad Anders and others will break ground at the site of the soon-to-be constructed Karns Senior Center on Wednesday, July 16 at 10:30 a.m, according to a news release.

The center will be located on the Knox County Sportspark property at 8050 Oak Ridge Highway at the intersection with Karns Valley Drive.

The 8,000-square-foot center is expected to cost $1.2 million.

Senior center to host flag ceremony

From the county mayor's office: Knox County’s Corryton Senior Center, 9331 Davis Drive, and Rural/Metro Fire Department will host a flag retirement ceremony on Friday, June 13 at 11 a.m.  Flag Day is Saturday, June 14. Members of the American Legion will perform the ceremony.

Senior Financial Group, East Tennessee Personal Care Service and Smoky Mountain Hospice will provide a barbecue lunch, which will be free and open to the public.

Flag Day commemorates the June 14, 1777 signing of the Continental Congress resolution adopting the current design of the American flag. The national observance was formally approved by President Harry S. Truman in 1949.

Local artist Alexander Dumas and students from nearby Corryton Elementary School will have patriotic artwork on display, and members of Rolling Thunder TN Chapter 3 will also perform a special ceremony.

The Corryton Senior Center is currently accepting any flags from businesses and residential homes for ceremonial retirement.

Buswell to serve as senior director

Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett announced today that Knox County Veterans Service Officer Robert “Buzz” Buswell will take over as interim director of Knox County Veterans and Senior Services. 

“Buzz has done an outstanding job serving the veterans and taxpayers of this community, and I am very confident that he will continue to work hard and be successful in this new position,” said Mayor Burchett.

In addition to his new duties, Buswell will continue to work with Deputy Veterans Service Officer Tom Humphries to ensure that Knox County’s veterans continue to have access to the benefits and services they have earned.

Buswell replaces Hemal Tailor who quit under pressure last week.

Meeting tonight to talk Karns center

The county tonight will hold an informal public meeting designed to get resident input about the potential site and services for the proposed Karns Senior Center.

Officials will hold the shindig at 6 p.m. at the Karns Branch Library.

The Karns area is pretty much the spot in the county to not have such a center. It will probably cost at least $1.2 million to build.

Knox senior center attendance jumps

The Knox County spin department just issued a release, noting that more seniors are taking advantage of the senior centers, and that attendance has increased by  37,000 visits in the last five years – an increase of almost 50 percent.

(The release, however, never says why.

I figure the fine folks over there in PR office were looking for things to do. Heh.

I suppose, though, that's better than their counterparts in some of the other local spin offices. Their motto? “Why bother.”

But I digress.)

According to the release, almost 113,000 seniors used the centers last year compared to 75,000 in 2008.

"Senior Director of Community Outreach Hemal Tailor and the staff and volunteers at our centers continue to provide great service to our senior citizens," county Mayor Tim Burchett said. "Operating top-notch centers is one way we are able to show our seniors just how thankful we are for all they do and have done for Knox County."

For more info, click right smack here.

Virtual Alzheimer's tour on Friday

The Halls Senior Center on Friday will host a “virtual Alzheimer's tour,” a hand-on experience to help participants understand the physical and mental challenges facing those who suffer from the disease or other forms of dementia, according to a county release.

During the tour, which runs from 1-4 p.m., participants' vision, hearing and other sense will be distorted to stimulate the effects of the disease as they try to complete simple instructions and tasks. In addition, Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett will visit the facility at 2 p.m. to meet with the public.

Alzheimer's Tennessee, Inc. will conduct the tour. The Halls Senor Center is located at 4405 Crippen Road.

The tour is not recommended for those who have Alzheimer's disease, but rather designed to help caregivers, family members and friends better understand what it is like to live with the disease.

The senior center is still accepting reservations for the tour. Those interested should call 865-922-0416.

Libraries closing early today, too

Students aren't the only ones taking off early today.

As the snow has begun to fall, county communications manager Michael "Big Sexy" Grider said all county library branches and senior centers are closing at 3 p.m. today.

On a side note, I was watching the knuckleheads on the news last night - the ones who ran to the grocery store to buy milk and bread. Really? Why do people buy milk and bread? WTH? If I'm going to be stuck in my house, I want something a little more tasty. Just saying.

Milk and break. Whatever.

Some senior center outrage

The word I’m hearing is that some commissioners aren’t too happy with the administration’s reluctance to tell department heads how many – and which of their people – were getting laid off. I believe the number is around eight actual bodies. As noted right smack here officials weren’t informed until after the proposed budget was made public.

I’m not sure how all this will translate. The county commission on Monday (from noon to 2 p.m. at the Deathstar) will begin picking through the annual spending plan. At that time, however, they’ll be talking about schools, the sheriff’s office, the health department, and engineering and public works.

I think the school budget is pretty much set. The Man with Badge told me that he’s content with his proposal, although I know he wants some raises for his deputies (they haven’t received any in at least four years). The health department folks? I don’t know what they’ll do. And, I seriously doubt interim public works Director Dwight Van de Vate will say much, because he got hooked up this year. Or about as hooked up as the administration is going to give any department that isn’t the school system or law enforcement.

With that said (you knew this was coming, didn’t you), I talked to a resident yesterday who also is not happy about the administration keeping quiet on the layoffs.

In fact, Jean Coleman told me that she has started a petition to get the funding re-instated for a staffer over at the Frank Strang Senior Center. Apparently, they have a three-person operation over there. Come July 1 – the start of the new fiscal year – they’ll have a two-person deal if the budget is approved as proposed.

Not all the senior centers took hits, but Strang did. The largest. Almost $30,000. Here’s the link to the budget right here. The senior center numbers are on page 17, so you have to do a little scrolling.

It could get interesting. Cause, you know, seniors love to vote.