Metro Pulse/Ear to the Ground

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Slick Vic

Law enforcement officers working security at the airport where GOP presidential nominee-to-be George Dubya Bush flew in Thursday had themselves a big belly laugh when Bush and his pals, Don "Sunny" Sundquist and "Varsity Vic" Ashe started piling into the limo for the motorcade into Knoxville.

Here is how one officer described what happened next:

"There were 20 or so people in the welcome party, and Bush come off the plane, shaking hands and greeting people for just four or five minutes or so, and then he started to his vehicle. Victor was right behind him. They held the door open for Bush to get in, and two Secret Service agents grabbed Victor by each arm and walked him off. He just looked at them like 'What are you doing?'

"We just died laughing, and I had to turn away at that point, I was laughing so hard."

Ashe (who is out of town and unavailable for comment) in fact did end up riding in the limo between the two governors, although our officer sources did not see how that came about while they were doubled over laughing.

What the H-E Double-Toothpicks is This About?

Among the VIPs at the airport to greet Bush was city fleet manager Jack Barnes, who still has some friends in high places even though he is suffering a 30-day suspension—without pay—for cussing. Long known for his colorful language, forthright manner, and staunch loyalty, it is unclear why city officials have taken nearly 40 years to object to the 69-year-old Barnes' means of self-expression. Barnes was in the Bush greeting party as a guest of Gov. Don Sundquist, who evidently is not afflicted with the tender sensibilities of city bureaucrats.

Now That's Urban Renewal

Although we're sad to see Regas closing after 81 years in the business, the restaurant's 318 N. Gay Street building may not be empty for long. Volunteer Ministry Center—which many downtown champions see as a stumbling block to the revitalization of the 100 block of South Gay Street—has talked with the Regas family about moving into the location. Ginny Weatherstone, VMC's executive director, says that she's had a "very preliminary conversation" about the possibility, but no details have been discussed. "It certainly would meet our needs. The location could not be better," she says. Bill Regas says it's too early to say what will happen with the building: "We're talking to about three different parties now, maybe more. We have nothing firm. When you're in negotiation, there's no need to talk about it."

Amblin'

We are talking now of summer evenings in Knoxville, Tennessee, when we spent five full hours walking 47 blocks around central Knoxville, retracing every sidewalk that had any theoretical connection to author James Agee, and drinking a good deal of beer along the way. The first annual Agee Amble (led by MP's own Jack Neely), which drew some 75 pilgrims, commenced in the vicinity of the KMA and looped through downtown, with watering stops at Fairbanks, the Bistro, the Tomato Head, and the Jockey Club at the L&N, then proceeded deep into the still-warm heart of Fort Sanders to picture what remained of Agee's old neighborhood. About 44 amblers stayed through to the end, including Old City muralist Walt Fieldsa, who made the entire trek barefoot. Among the highlights was a fascinating interpretation of a passage from Let Us Now Praise Famous Men in Krutch Park by Circle Modern Dance, a dramatic reading from The African Queen by actors Jayne Morgan and Greg Congleton at the Gay Street "Rowboat Man," a reading of a little-known downtown nightmare scene by UT Agee scholar Paul Ashdown, Agee's meditation on overalls read by bibbed attorney Charlie Thomas, a tag-team reading of Agee's film criticism at the Bistro, and a marathon reading of the entirety of Chapter One of A Death In the Family at each spot described in the novel.

Two unexpected visitors who appeared at the KMA just before the event were Dale Maharidge and Michael Williamson, the itinerant author and photographer who won a Pulitzer Prize for And Their Children After Them, their epilogue about the tenant families described by Agee in Let Us Now Praise Famous Men. They regretted they couldn't stay for the Amble, but heard about the event while passing through town, and just wanted to say howdy.