Knoxville is a city rich in history, arts and culture, but sometimes it isn't so plain to find what you're looking for.
Fortunately, the annual Lantern and Carriage Tour of the Old Gray Cemetery makes it easy.
This year's tour - set for Sunday, Sept. 26 - is titled "Standing in the Shadows" and features, as the name implies, a host of different historical characters who are typically overlooked in favor of their more famous relatives. Those being reenacted include Arthur Egerton Mead, Harriet "Hattie" Park Thomas, James Frederick Rule, John Bell Brownlow, Lillian Gaines, Mary H. Aiken Ijams, Ralph Emil Krutzch, Samuel McClannahan and William Young C. Hannum.
The tour was inspired by other historical cemeteries in the region. Steve Kottum, who envisioned the original tour 10 years ago, felt that the Old Gray Cemetery was a natural fit for the event.
In addition to the many historical characters appearing throughout the cemetery, the popular carriage rides will also return. In addition the tour will feature a slew of World War II re-enactors wandering through the area as well as performing small battle re-enactments. A brass ensemble will perform live music from the era.
A new addition to this year's tour will be a live Tai Chi demonstration from the Taoist Tai Chi center. Alix Dempster, executive secretary of the cemetery, explained that the demo will not only feature over 100 different moves, but also detail what Tai Chi is about.
"It's just another art form," she said.
Dempster heralded the event as being very family friendly and encourages "anyone interested in the history of Knoxville to come out." The event will take place rain or shine, and there will be a variety of refreshments available on site.
In addition to the lantern tour, guests are invited to wander throughout the cemetery and check out the silent history of the park as well as the reenactments.
Dempster said one of her favorite things about the tour, and the cemetery itself, is its design.
"Old Gray was designed along with the rural garden movement," she said. "The city didn't have public parks, and the cemetery provided a place for people to go. It's great to see people coming back to the cemetery and using it as a park."
© 2010, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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