“You really are a South Knox girl at heart,” remarked Mary Lou this weekend. If you’ve eaten at the Round Up, odds are Mary Lou rang you up. She knows most people by name, and many more by order. The Round Up, owned by local restaurateur, Sam Tobea, is a snapshot of the heart and soul of South Knoxville and was a perfect locale for Vice Mayor Nick Pavlis, who represents the district on city council, to hold a Saturday fundraiser for his upcoming campaign.

A slew of well wishers and supporters filtered in and out for the duration of the 3 hour long event. One of them was former county commissioner and life-long South Knoxvillian Ray Hill (above)- incidentally, Ray wrote the introduction for my book, South Knoxville. Notice the sly grin on his face? Mr. Hill is every bit as witty as he his knowledgeable.

While there, I ran into two of my favorite South Knox gals Bobbye Edwards (L) and Regis Borsari (R). Bobbye is a talented artist. Local artists compose the fabric of a community, and its vitally important to support their work. (You can see Bobbye’s work here at Tea & Treasures.) Regis is a tireless volunteer who contributes countless hours of her time to Knoxville Museum of Art, Ijams Nature Center, and Candoro Arts and Heritage, among others.

I also ran into Georgiana Vines who informed me she follows this column. It was the greatest compliment I’ve had in a good long while.

At any rate, spending Saturday morning at the Round Up felt much like a visit home. Yes, Mary Lou, I suppose I really am a South Knox girl at heart.

As of today, Pavlis has raised approximately 15k. He has one more fundraiser scheduled before the June 20th filing deadline and is currently unopposed. I will continue to report on the upcoming city elections both here and in the Knox Focus. Rest assured the District 1 race is one I will be following closely.