On turning 75

By Mike Steely Senior Writer steelym@knoxfocus.com I was born the day after Christmas in 1946, seventy-five years ago. I’m one of the first Baby Boomers and find myself now as a husband, father and grandfather. I met my wife in high school and she and I have moved...

Taking the Old Washington Loop

By Mike Steely It’s a great time to get out in the cool weather and take the family for a ride. There are a lot of interesting places to see within a few miles of Knoxville. Old Washington in Rhea County was a small community that was the county seat. Judge David...

Taking the Louisville-Friendsville loop

By Mike Steely You don’t often think of those small outlying communities but several played an important part in our Civil War era. Before railroads and the creation of the TVA lakes, our area was a much different place. If you’d like to take a nearby trip and drive...

Finding the King of Rockabilly

By Mike Steely Unless you’re older than 60 you probably don’t know who Carl Perkins was. The early country-rock artist died in 1998 and was an inspiration to many people including Elvis Presley, The Beatles, The Everly Brothers and many, many rock and roll artists....