Welcome to JOYFUL REFLECTIONS. Also welcome to MARCH!!!! My header picture this month is a photo I took of the pretty Crocus blooms in our yard... The Crocuses and Daffodils are the first signs of spring here in Tennessee. I am definitely ready for SPRING...

Monday, January 13, 2020

An Evening to Remember

Beautiful KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE
Dear Family and Friends,   On January 8, 2020,   Mark and Robin took George and me on a special "Double Date"....  George and I drove to Knoxville,  parked the car,  and Mark and Robin picked us up and took us on a "Night to Remember" forever....

They drove us to downtown Knoxville  (which is somewhere we have not been in many years).  Knoxville has changed through the years with the community showing pride in their little city by renovating the old downtown buildings into restaurants and theaters and other types of stores which now draw folks back from the surburbs into the CITY..... I found the walk along GAY STREET (their "Main" Street) just awesome, and am pleased that the renovations have kept the decor and history of those beautiful buildings all through the years !!!!!


Downtown Grill and Brewery
After a bit of walking,  the Young Ones took us OLD Ones for a delicious dinner at one of the many terrific restaurants downtown.  This restaurant (which used to be in the old Woodruff Building) is named the Downtown Grill and Brewery.  What a fabulous restaurant! George and I had some of the best Pork Loin we have had in a long time... YUM...

Lobby of the Tennessee Theater

Following Dinner,   we walked to the nearby Tennessee Theater  (another theater with a fabulous history).   I had been to the Tennessee Theater many years ago --when my first husband and I went to hear the music of the Mighty Wurlitzer Organ in that theater.  When we walked into the theater this time,  I felt as if I had walked back into PARADISE.   What great memories that theater holds for so many!!!  WOW.


An old picture of the Mighty Wurlitzer Organ in the Tennessee Theater (which is the biggest memory I have of the Tennessee Theater)



DRUMLINE LIVE (a musical show for the entire family)
Mark and Robin had purchased tickets for the four of us to see this fantastic musical. Mark knew how much I have always loved Marching Bands  (since I was in one for many years in high school).  We also loved watching and hearing the bands at the Mardi Gras Parades we attended in New Orleans in the '80's when we lived there...  More great memories!!!!


But--the concert was much more than watching a Marching Band... Drumline Live is a synchronized musical showcase of the legendary Black College experience that ALSO features various genres of music from  Hip-Hop, American Soul,  Gospel,  Jazz, and more.


Mark took this picture of us before the concert.



The inside of the theater was GORGEOUS...   AND--our seats couldn't have been better!!!!



Looking straight up --at the ceiling above!!!!  WOW---those details were fabulous!



The four of us in the theater



Some pictures I took of the amazing concert;   On the way home,  Mark asked me what I liked the best... That was hard since it was ALL great.  BUT--there was a Saxophone Solo that was 'out of this world' that really caught my attention,  along with all of the phenomenal percussionists.




This concert was truly 1st class: the sound, lighting, costumes, and all of that incredible ENERGY!!!  WOW!



The concert was like a HUGE Halftime Show at a Fall Football Game.  They featured the sounds of favorites such as Tina Turner,  The Supremes,  The Temptations,  Aretha Franklin,  James Brown,  Prince,  and Ray Charles (featured in the picture above).



Guess who this is???!!!!!!  Of course, it's MICHAEL JACKSON (the "King").  



As Mark said on his Facebook Post after the concert,  "there was nothing which could take that huge smile off  of my face"....What an amazing performance...  I highly recommend it.  



My Sweeties:  Robin and Mark!!!!
Thanks so much,  Mark and Robin,  for this absolutely amazing, awesome, terrific evening.   I am STILL  EXCITED --and it's been five days now since we experienced this evening... I could go on and on about Downtown Knoxville,  our restaurant,  and the concert ... BUT--I'll close with some links you may want to check out  if interested.

Tennessee Theater and its amazing past:  Click Here
Downtown Grill and Brewery:  Click Here
Downtown Knoxville, Tennessee:  Click Here
DRUMLINE LIVE:  Click Here

I highly recommend  "Drumline Live" ---if they ever come to an area near you...  If you are looking for a  'feel-good' concert --for all ages,  this one is for YOU.  Kids would love it also!!!

Have an awesome week!!!!

Hugs,