June 12, 2014 - Downtown Knoxville will be buzzing this weekend, with some of Knoxville's most popular family-friendly events.
Knoxville's Largest Kids Party, Relay for Life, Bark in the Park and other festivities will draw large crowds of kids and canines, but the events will also prompt some temporary road closures.
The fun starts Friday with Knoxville's Largest Kids Party, where children will enjoy bounce houses, train rides, magic shows, face painting, princess manicures, hair spray art, plasma car rides and more. The party begins at 3 p.m. on Market Square and is $5 for children, free for adults.
Later that night, teams of loved ones will gather in World's Fair Park, pitching tents and cooking out to gear up for Relay for Life, a fundraising event by the American Cancer Society. The relay kicks off at 5 p.m. with the "Survivor Lap," a special walk around the track by cancer survivors, and continues through a team effort until 2 a.m.
On Saturday, June 14, the Market Square Farmers' Market can expect a heavy crowd of dog lovers in anticipation of the afternoon's 20th annual Bark in the Park event on the square. Families will have a chance to show off their furry friends at this popular event, hosted by the Humane Society of the Tennessee Valley.
"We love Bark in the Park and think that the event is beneficial to dog lovers and the City of Knoxville. It is a way to bring dog lovers together and experience all the joy that Market Square has to offer," says Amber Mullins, community outreach coordinator at the Humane Society.
For $10 a pup, Spot and Fido can strut their stuff in the peanut-butter lick-off contest, enter a costume or talent contest, compete in a sock hop race and vie for Mr. and Mrs. Bark in the Park pageant honors. These family events, in addition to the Medic Regional Blood Drive today (Thursday) and construction work in the coming week, will create some temporary road closures and no-parking zones.
Medic Regional Blood Drive
Gay Street - The parking lane in front of Regal Cinemas will be blocked from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. today (Thursday).
Knoxville's Largest Kid Party
Wall Avenue - The avenue, between Walnut Street and Gay Street, will be closed 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday.
Relay for Life
World's Fair Park Drive - The road between Clinch Avenue and Grand Avenue will be closed from 5 p.m. Friday to 2 a.m. Saturday.
Market Square Farmer's Market
Market Street - Market between Union Avenue and Clinch Avenue will be closed from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. Union Avenue - Closed between Walnut Street and Gay Street, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. Temporary no-parking zones start at 5 a.m. Saturday and continue through the day's events.
Bark in the Park
Market Street - Closed between Union Avenue and Clinch Avenue, 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday. Union Avenue - Union between Walnut Street and Gay Street will be closed from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday. Temporary no-parking zones start at 5 a.m. Saturday.
In addition, work to repair a water main leak will close the eastbound curbside lane of Cumberland Avenue between 18th and 19th streets on Sunday, June 15, from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m.
A separate construction project will close Walnut Street between Summer Place and Union Avenue, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., from Monday, June 16, until Thursday, June 19.