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The Big Ticket

Allen Cox and Marga Hayes Ingram
An opening reception for these artists and their new works. Thursday, Dec. 4, 6-8 p.m. Bennett Galleries.

WIVK Santa Claus Parade
He really is coming to town. Friday, Dec. 5, 7 p.m. Gay Street.

The Real Inspector Hound
Tom Stoppard's wacky send-up of English mysteries. Friday, Dec. 5, 8 p.m. Black Box Theatre, thru Dec. 20. $12.

Christmas Cabaret and A Christmas Memory
Music, comedy and food followed by a performance of Truman Capote's heartwarming story. Friday, Dec. 5, 7:30 p.m. Bijou Theater Center, thru Dec. 20. $24.50, $22.50, $18.50

Patio and Graceland
Christmas-free laughter from two short comedies. Friday, Dec. 5, 8 p.m. Theatre Central, thru Dec. 14 and Jan. 9-24. $10.

Southern Culture on the Skids w/ Nug Jug
Can you ever get enough of this band? This is the last SCOTS show with Cousin Crispy, so don't miss it. Friday, Dec. 5, 9 p.m. Blue Cats. $12.

Landmark Holidays at Blount Mansion
Experience the beauty of the season at this historic home. Tours given through Dec. 19, 9:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. Blount Mansion. $4.95.

Webb Wilder
Singer, deejay, actor, and proud wearer of glasses. Friday, Dec. 5, 8 p.m. ThInQ Tank. $5, or wrapped toy of equal or more value.

KISS, Aerosmith and the Porch Ghouls
Wow, these old guys are still kickin' it. Wednesday, Dec. 10, 8 p.m. Thompson-Boling Arena. $125, $85, $55.

Klezmer Madness
What in the hell is Klezmer? Polka's cool older brother, perhaps, is a combination of traditional Jewish folk and dance music typically performed at weddings and bar mitzvahs. The jazzy, fluid, whimsical sound of Klezmer music is a rarity, but Knoxville has two of these bands...two of these bands playing on the same night at exactly the same time. On Saturday night Dor L'Dor performs at the Laurel Theater and Tennessee Schmaltz plays the Palace Theater. Pull out your boogie shoes and dust off your kazoo; flip a coin and fill the void left by UT football by checking out either one of these local treasures. (Clint Casey)
DOR L'DOR * SATURDAY, DEC. 6, 8 P.M. * LAUREL THEATER * $9 ADVANCE, $10 DAY OF SHOW
TENNESSEE SCHMALTZ * SATURDAY, DEC. 6, 8 P.M. * PALACE THEATER * $10 ADVANCE, $12 DAY OF SHOW

Market Square Meander
It happens at least once a year, and usually with short notice. This Saturday, the White Mule Preservation Society, a motley band of distracted pilgrims once described as "a drinking club with a literary problem" will hold a pub crawl of indeterminate length. Rather than celebrating a single author, as in past adventures like the Agee Amble and the Suttree Stagger, the Society will read passages by well-known authors related to the cause celebre of the day: Market Square, which is celebrated in several well-known novels. It's all Saturday, starting at 2 at the corner of Market and Union; on the agenda are at least three saloons as well as other oddly literary sites in the Market Square area. Free, except for the beer. (Jack Neely)
MARKET SQUARE MEANDER * SATURDAY, DEC. 6, 2 P.M. * STARTING AT MARKET AND UNION AND CONTINUING TO OTHER HISTORIC LOCATIONS * FREE.

King Wilkie
Bluegrass music comes in more forms and fashions today than ever before. And these hybrids of bluegrass—jamgrass, new grass, jazzgrass, etc.—seem to be worrying the hardcore traditional bluegrass fans that the strain of 'grass that was made popular by the likes of Bill Monroe, The Stanleys, Reno & Smiley, and Flatt & Scruggs may be disappearing right before their eyes and ears. Well if you consider yourself one of the concerned, you can take solace in the fact that a young band like King Wilkie exists. These twenty-somethings from Charlottesville, Va. make bluegrass that would put a smile on Big Mon's face, especially since they took their name from one of Monroe's favorite horses. From the high tenor lead vocals of mandolin player Reid Burgess, to the Scruggs-like banjo leads of Abe Spear, these boys play bluegrass in the style that was popular in the '40s and '50s before some fellow named Presley came along and changed everything, even in bluegrass. Longtime champions of traditional bluegrass, Rebel Records recently signed the band, and their debut disc will hit the streets in late April 2004 (they have a mighty fine independent release from earlier this year titled True Songs). The band has been writing and recording more original tunes, but their choice of covers (Don Stover, Kentucky Colonels, Joe Val) is a very refreshing change from the same ol' same ol' that has a tendency to make bluegrass bands sound like a karaoke machine. Catch this hot young batch of pickers at Barley's so you can say, "I saw them when..." (Benny Smith)
KING WILKIE * SATURDAY, DEC. 6, 9 P.M. * BARLEY'S TAPROOM * FREE.

Handheld: The UT Media Arts Festival
Free from the conventions of having to make money or please studios, student filmmakers often produce inventive and personal visual art. They also produce some of the worst films you'll see—tepid, amateurish, pretentious, nonsensical, aimless work. It's understandably all part of the learning process, but that doesn't mean you want to sit through it all. UT's popular Cyclops Video and Towanda Richards Film festivals for the past six years have always been a mixed bag—worth checking out, but you had to sit through some crap. The college has this year streamlined the festival and made it more competitive. The result is Handheld, a one-night only event where only the best of the students' work is screened. "By making it a one-night affair, screening at the festival is a more competitive and selective process for the students," says Paul Harrill, artist-in-residence in Film/Video. Professor Norman Magden says, "Handheld is one of the best opportunities for Knoxvillians to see time arts pieces that really challenge conventions." Plus it's free. The audience is warned that some of the works deal with mature themes. (Joe Tarr)
HANDHELD: THE UT MEDIA ARTS FESTIVAL * SATURDAY, DEC. 6, 7 P.M. * REGAL CINEMA'S DOWNTOWN WEST * FREE, BUT PLEASE BRING A NON-PERISHABLE FOOD ITEM, WHICH WILL BE GIVEN TO SECOND HARVEST