Metro Pulse/Ear to the Ground

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The Chillbillies are going places. Most recently, it was to Indianapolis, where Peyton Manning got them a gig playing music for the Colts' annual Christmas party. Con Hunley went along, but Tim Irwin, Teddy Phillips, George Massengill et al. had to tote their own equipment, since they were forced to make the trip without the services of their roadie, Zip Wilson, who, in his other life is known as senator Tim Burchett.

Assistant Fire Chief Red Lowe has been turning up in unexpected places, too—like the ballet. Lowe, a pickup-driving, cowboy boot-wearing cigar chomper, attended The Nutcracker at Roane State College in Kingston, with his children, Paden, 8, and Shelby, 10. Shelby took her favorite doll along, and was riveted by the on-stage action. Paden squirmed and fidgeted, and, in a loud stage whisper asked: "This is really for girls, isn't it?"

Lowe admitted he was right, to which Paden asked, "Well, what're WE doing here?"

And speaking of quarterback Manning, some in the audience at Mayor Bill Haslam's inauguration Saturday swore that someone pulled the plug on Haslam's microphone (a la Manning's mercifully inaudible singing debut at Neyland Stadium with Kenny Chesney last summer) when Pastor Nathan Best of Full Armour Church invited the brand-new mayor down to help sing "We are one," a new gospel number Best had written for the occasion.

The new City Council members almost weren't legal, because somebody forgot to bring the official documents for them to sign upon being sworn in. Susan Wilson, the assistant city recorder, got a city cop to whisk her down to her office to pick up the oaths, and when she returned, Rob Frost, who is a notary, ran around afterward making sure everybody was sworn in.

And by the time the festivities on Market Square were over, assistant city fleet manager Jack Barnes (who had been off on sick leave since way back last summer) was back on the job, and the name Victor Ashe had been excised from the city's website.

Lottery and Pottery?

Sandra Holloway, proprietor of Back Room Gallery at the corner of Church Avenue and Walnut Street, is the first approved source for Tennessee lottery tickets in downtown Knoxville. Seems like a handcrafted gift shop is an odd place to go to buy into the lottery, but more power to Holloway.

Johnny on the Spot

Pressed into service by Metro Pulse Art Director Josh Coldiron, Associate publisher John Wright was out Sunday snapping photographs for this Year-in-Review edition. On Main Avenue right outside the old post office, Josh pulled his car to the curb and Johnny slipped across the street with his digital camera. As he scoped the building, a city officer pulled up, jumped out and demanded the camera. Johnny yanked out his wallet and business card as the guard dutifully discussed the impropriety of photographing government institutions at the time of an Orange Alert against terrorism that had just gone into effect that morning. In the end, the Fourth Estate prevailed, and the photo on page 13 is the product of Johnny's persistence

The "G" is Silent

Scooter McFadgon, who transferred from the University of Memphis to play basketball at the University of Tennessee, had to sit out last season, per NCAA rules. So he practiced with his new teammates and dreamt of the day when he could don an orange uniform and hear game announcer Mike Hammond announce his name. Well, it's happened now, but there's a hitch: Hammond is pronouncing the new Vol star's name Mc-Fag-don. This past week, Scooter put the word out. The name is McFadgon. Scooter McFadgon. Pronounced McFaddon. OK?