On March 1 at the 34th Orchids Awards Dinner, Keep Knoxville Beautiful announced the winners of the annual Orchids beautification awards. The categories and winners are:
- New Architecture: Contemporary Women’s Health
- Redesign/Reuse: Oakwood Senior Living Center and White Lily Flats
- Restaurant/Cafe/Bar/Brewery: Babalu
- Public Art Project: Bringing Tap Back Water Refill Stations
- Outdoor Space: Sansom Sports Complex and Town of Farragut Outdoor Classroom
- Environmental Stewardship: WROL Building
The East Tennessee Community Design Center served as judges for the awards.
Additionally, the first Mary Lou Horner Beautification Award was granted to the Knoxville Museum of Art. Formerly called the Evergreen Award, the Mary Lou Horner Award recognizes a former Orchid winner whose property has been beautifully maintained for at least 10 years since its original recognition as an Orchid Award winner. This year the Evergreen award was renamed to honor Mary Lou Horner, one of Keep Knoxville Beautiful’s founding members and biggest champions.
Keep Knoxville Beautiful also announced that its 2016-2017 Community of the Year will be South Knoxville, for which it is planning multiple litter pickups, “Trash Runs” (fun runs combined with litter pickups), Goose Creek cleanups, a Tennessee River cleanup, school visits, graffiti-abatement efforts, and “Beautification Mobs.” It will focus many of its beautification efforts on South Knoxville while still acting as a resource to other areas of the city and county.
Attendees enjoyed music by the Old City Buskers, a silent auction with complimentary beer and wine reception, dinner, and the awards ceremony.
The 2016 Orchids Awards Dinner was sponsored by WUOT, Pilot Flying J, Bojangles, Lamar Advertising, the Knoxville Hilton, and the Knoxville TVA Employees Credit Union.
