Vol. 1 — No. 11Weekend Episode · Thu–Sun, Aug 27–30, 2026 · South Knoxville, TN★ soknoear.com
Vol. 1 — No. 11 · Aug 27–30★ soknoear.com
The South Knoxville Ear — We Hear Things.
Wanna party in the Dirty South?
★ Tonight's plan: happy hours → music → karaoke →
Ijams ParkFri

"Napoleon Dynamite" plays on the Visitor Center lawn at Ijams Park on Friday night

Movies Under the Stars is in its fourteenth year. Bring a blanket, a lawn chair and a dog on a leash; the food trucks and the beer garden handle the rest.

Doors at seven, film when it's dark

Friday's pick on the lawn is Napoleon Dynamite, which is either a cult classic or a documentary about somebody in your family, depending on where you grew up. Ijams Park and Central Cinema have been running Movies Under the Stars for fourteen summers now, and the format has never needed improving: a screen on the grass, trees on three sides, and the film starting whenever it actually gets dark — around 8:45 this time of year.

When
Fri Aug 28 · doors 7 PM, film at dark (~8:45)
Where
Visitor Center lawn, Ijams Park · 2915 Island Home Ave
Tickets
$12 · $10 for Ijams Park and Central Cinema members
Bring
A blanket or lawn chair · leashed dogs welcome
Don't bring
Coolers or outside alcohol
Note
Space is limited per screening — buy ahead

How the evening runs

Doors open at seven on the Visitor Center lawn, which gives you an hour and change to eat before anything starts. Food trucks and the Ijams Park beer garden handle dinner, snacks and drinks. No coolers and no outside alcohol. Dogs are welcome as long as they stay leashed.

Tickets and the fine print

Twelve dollars a head, ten if you're an Ijams Park or Central Cinema member. Space per screening is limited and walk-up tickets aren't guaranteed, so buying ahead is the safer move. If the weather turns, the park posts a rain plan on the event page and its socials rather than cancelling outright.

Original Dirty South Map Found

Click to see the original map of Knoxville’s Dirty South that was recently unearthed for the public to see.

★ Get Notified Each Week!

A fresh episode every week. This dog brings it to your inbox.

One short email a week when the new SoKnoEar is ready: the weekend's calendar, the audio briefing and every story from around SoKno, Thursday through Sunday. Nobody gets your address but us.

★ Got an event? Tell The Ear

Know about something happening around SoKno — an event, an opening, neighborhood news? Send it our way and we'll put it in the Ear.

Send things in often? Become a verified submitter to review drafts of your items before they run.

★ Don't miss next weekend

You read to the bottom. You're one of us now.

Put your email here and the next episode comes to you as soon as it's up: the weekend's plans, the audio briefing, every story. One email a week, no spam.