Metro Pulse/Ear to the Ground

Comment
on this story

Take My Candidate. Please!

Two days before Thanksgiving, Billy Stokes announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for the state senate seat being vacated by the venerable Ben Atchley. The Stokes event is the opening salvo of what political junkies are anticipating will be the roughest, toughest political race seen in these parts for some time. Stokes, a two-fisted, motorcycle-riding longtime GOP party loyalist will be taking on Jamie Hagood, a state representative and steel magnolia/sorority chick who has demonstrated considerable political skill and chutzpah in her courtship of support from unexpected sources. Both Stokes and Hagood are lawyers, although it is tough to find anyone who is familiar with Hagood's legal work. The Knoxville bar was well-represented at Stokes' announcement party, where he polished up his stump speech with a couple of really bad one-liners at the expense of his wife, Bay, and (horrors!) this humble column: "Bay and I have been married for nearly 25 years. Some of the best days of my life have been as a married man; there were two or three in 1980, one in 1982, and six or seven in 1987. Metro Pulse recently said that Bay looked like Jamie Lee Curtis. I always thought she looked more like Lou Holtz."

World on the Square

In February, Oodles Noodle Bar will open on Market Square in the wesTrent building adjacent to Bliss Home + Art. The concept restaurant, owned and operated by Jim and Vada West and Eric Sturm, intends to put a new spin on the traditional noodle bar concept by offering Italian, Thai and Asian noodles rather than limiting the menu to one style. Also, a variety of breads baked in an authentic stone oven will be paired with platters of fine cheese and a world-class wine selection. Local jazz artists will be showcased and special events will be held in the courtyard atrium, often to coincide with events on Market Square. Like Tomato Head, the restaurant will cater to patrons of the Preservation Pub by delivering food next door. A grand opening is tentatively set for Valentine's Day.

More From the Mind of Scott West

Continuing the blossoming arts movement downtown, World Market2 and Gypsy Hands Healing Arts will also open in the wesTrent building before the end of the year. Upstairs at 16 Market Square, World Market2 is an art-and-merchandise market for local and regional artists offering 10-by-10 booths for lease. With booths from China, Bali, India and Morocco already committed, owner Susie Dew is excited about having local artists' work in the remaining booths. Downstairs, Gypsy Hands owner Sara Griscom will offer massage, belly dancing classes, tarot and palm readings, a float tank, and a chiropractor and acupuncturist. Three nights a week, the two businesses will host a cooperative world performance and visual-art exhibit. On performance nights, the bar will offer signature drinks from around the world and a food buffet will complement the featured artist of the evening (with African music comes African food).

Scott West, owner of the 30,000-square-foot wesTrent building and courtyard (and Jim and Vada's son), is maniacally enthusiastic about the prospect of his newest downtown redevelopment project. "The intention of the Preservation Pub is local, and the courtyard will be world [oriented]. It will have a very different vibe than the Pub or the ThInQ Tank." The center of courtyard will be shaped like a donut, featuring a 52-foot skylight and café seating in an atrium surrounded by a Zen garden. West has also recruited Jenny's Bagelry and Deli, owned by a couple from Venezuela, and is in negotiations with a sushi restaurant.

Lighting of the Trunks

Meanwhile, the city's little-publicized Market Square / Krutch Park tree-lighting Friday night featured a great brass band playing Christmas tunes and the largest, and most female, barbershop quartet we've ever heard. The shops were warm, cheery, and sometimes packed. But the lighting itself, for the 200 or so who waited in the cold wind for Vice Mayor Jack Sharp to show up and throw the switch, was a little underwhelming. Unlike years past, when the upper branches of the trees of Krutch Park were intricately laced with strings of lights, creating a dazzling winter wonderland, this year, at the appointed moment, we found that the only things lit were the trunks. "Is that all?" some of the children of Whoville were heard to remark. We assume it's a budget issue.