Scruffy City

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Scruffy City Scruffy City is the nickname of our beloved home: Knoxville, Tennessee. We've got it all.

Knoxville has it all: from a thriving downtown to the great outdoors, from the University of Tennessee to the beautiful lakes of the Tennessee Valley and to the rolling green virulence of the Great Smoky Mountains, from the top secret investigations at Oak Ridge National Labs, to the moonshine stills and Appalachian music of the East Tennessee hollers. The nickname Scruffy City derives from an intended slight by a reporter in 1980, when Susan Harrigan of the Wall Street Journal wrote that Knoxville was a "Scruffy Little City on the banks of the Tennessee River," doubting that Knoxville would be capable of pulling off a World's Fair. Scruffy Citizens did indeed pull off a successful international event in hosting the 1982 World's Fair on the banks of the Tennessee River, and then set about revitalizing Downtown knoxville itself and redefining what the word "scruffy" meant. Nowadays, the Scruffy Little City That Could has embraced its new mantra:

Keep Knoxville Scruffy! Support local food
local music
local culture
local history
and local businesses.

09/02/2026

CALLING ALL DOLLY FANS ❤️

Join Cattywampus Puppet Council for "PARADE FOR OUR QUEEN" this Friday, September 4th!

Please note: The Old City Knoxville is postponing the September First Friday Block Party for this downtown celebration of Dolly Parton!

Dolly fans are invited to dress bold, bright and colorful. Come dressed as Dolly, wear your Rhinestone Fest swag, or carry something that represents what Dolly means to you.

TIME AND ROUTE:
Lineup begins at 6:30 p.m. on the City County Building lawn. The parade steps off at 7 p.m. and follows a half-mile route along Main Street, Walnut Street, Cumberland Avenue and Market Street, ending at Market Square near the Dolly Parton mural in Strong Alley.

05/25/2026

Address

32 Market Square
Knoxville, TN
37902

Telephone

+18655242224

Website

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