Biscuits & Bubbly
Put on your most colorful attire and help us honor
Jack Neely with the Spirit of East Tennessee Award
at the fourth annual Biscuits & Bubbly.
Tickets are on sale NOW. Purchase your tickets early. Attendance is limited, and tickets will go quickly.
The East Tennessee Historical Society is proud to honor Jack Neely with the Spirit of East Tennessee award. Jack is one of Knoxville’s most popular writers and its unofficial historian. After graduating from the University of Tennessee, where he studied American history, Neely was an Egyptian museum tour guide at the 1982 World’s Fair. Later, he was a criminal-defense investigator and an assistant editor for a national fiction magazine.
Jack has been writing about his hometown’s character and history for many years. His work includes his Met-ro Pulse column, “Secret History” (1992-2014) and his subsequent Knoxville Mercury column, “The Scruffy Citizen.” He has written several books about Knoxville and its history, including Knoxville: A Walking Literary Guide, Knoxville: A Walking Music Guide, Historic Knoxville: The Curious Visitor’s Guide, Knoxville Beer: A Short History of the Cities First Breweries, Historic Bearden, The Old City: A Short History, The Tennessee Theatre: A Grand Entertainment Palace, Market Square: A History of the Most Democratic Place on Earth, and Knoxville, Tennessee: This Obscure Prismatic City.
He has earned numerous awards, including an honorary doctorate from Maryville College, the Outstanding Alumnus Award from the University of Tennessee’s History Department, Awards of Distinction from the East Tennessee Historical Society, and a place in the University of Tennessee Educators Hall of Honor.
Interested in becoming a sponsor,
let us know
VIP Sponsor Party | 10:30 a.m.
Second Line Parade | 11:45 a.m.
Brunch and Live Auction | 12:00 p.m.
The VIP Sponsor Party kicks off at 10:30 a.m. for sponsors and $250/person ticketholders with glittery champagne, bloody marys, mimosas, passed appetizers from Gourmet’s Market (so, yes, there will be candied bacon!), and music by a duo from the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra.
At 11:45, the parade sponsor and anyone else who wants to participate will line up for a Second Line Parade led by students from the UT College of Music. If you don’t want to march (dance?) along the short parade route, please join the fun as a spectator along Jackson Avenue. The band will lead everyone into the brunch space at noon.
The fun continues from 12:00-2:00 p.m. with a three-course seated low country brunch, music by a quartet from the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra, more festive brunch beverages, some fun surprises, and the presentation of the Spirit of East Tennessee Award. Emcee & auctioneer Dino Cartwright will then conduct a live (& lively!) auction of a few unique, exclusive experiences.
Previous live auction items include
- Downtown Murder Mystery for 12
- Chill Time for 10 in Hot Springs
- Holiday Party for 20 at James White’s Fort
- Gay Street Confidential: A Gay Street Crawl
- Two Nights at Cataloochee Ranch
- Cocktails with Miss Evelyn at Mabry-Hazen House
- Four Nights in Paradise: 3,400 sq. ft. condo in Conchas Chinas, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
- Into the Wild Blue Yonder: in a 1943 World War II trainer, AT-6D Texan used to train fighter pilots
All proceeds benefit the East Tennessee Historical Society.
