University of Tennessee Knoxville - Volunteer Yearbook (Knoxville, TN)

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Mi.Kiel Messing After Hours A Different Kind Of Energy seemed to be Sam Houston’s and Desperados. A bit closer to cam- pus, the End Zone provided a jukebox of country hits, while other bars also featured country or blucgrass music. For a slightly less noisy, more relaxed evening, the Old College Inn was popular among many students. “About 95 percent of our crowd arc fraternities,” said Laura Atherton, a freshman in marketing who also worked as a waitress at the Inn. “On football weekends it’s really packed,” she added. Nightlife at college was as im- portant as the students allowed it to become. It was not always good for grades, but certainly not always bad. -------------------Randy Weaver Intense concentration showed on the faces of those in line. This was what each one spent hours preparing for — sacrificing sleep and money. The scene was not a final exam, in organic chemistry. Rather, it was a scene that took place every night in countless bars and ar- cades along the Strip and throughout Knoxville. Nightlife activities were as varied as the students themselves. Video and pinball games were just one of countless ways for students to spend their evenings. For those students with undeclared majors, a few hours of Pac-Man or Space Invaders was enough to keep them happily undecided. For some people, every night of the week was good for drinking and relaxing. But by the time the weekend rolled around, it seemed even the most dedicated scholars were eager to take a break from studying. A short walk from any residence hall gave students a break and a wide selection of established bars. For those who wanted to get away from campus for a while. Downtown West with its theaters and nightclubs held great attraction for many students. For those with tight budgets, movies were shown almost nightly- in the University Center. Live pro- ductions in Clarence Brown Theatre or the Carousel Theatre were quality entertainment at stu- dent prices. “I always finish studying by 7 o’clock,” said . Scott Stewart, a senior in geology. “If I’m not through, I quit anyway. Why waste time studying when you can be out having fun?” Most students seemed to be more flexible with their leisure time. Patricia Ramos, a junior in English, said, “1 don’t usually study much during the day because 1 have to watch my soaps. But if there’s a movie at the stu- dent center or something else 1 want to do at night, I can usually put studying off until I get home, said Ramos. “I don’t know- if I should, but I do. A description of every nightspot frequented by students would be impossible, especially since some of the more dedicated fun-scckcrs adopted secret. obscure homes away from home. Instead, a short list of the best- known and most-visited establishments has been compiled. The list must begin with The l.ast Lap. A campus institution for many years, some freshmen developed Last Lap fixations, which lasted well into their sophomore years. The call from the Lap went out to almost everyone. Ivy’s was also a definite hotspot and quickly gained a regular clientele, especially among students living on campus and along Lake Avenue. Nightly specials were always a big attraction. For country music fans, a quick drive out west via Kingston Pike led to paradise at many locations, although the most popular spots Sonya Carr, a sophomore in business, looks on while working at the refreshment counter at the Shclbournc Towers gameroom. Pete Littleton, a senior in finance, pores intently over a game of Atari football at The End Zone lounge. 26 After Hours Michael Mtsuag

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BOON OR BUST? Counterpoint The desire and enthusiasm for the World's Fair were not shared by all area residents. One of the most outspoken opponents of the fair was Joseph W. Dodd, associate professor of political science. “I’m very much opposed to it. said Dodd, in perhaps his gentlest appraisal of the coming event. Dodd was the spokesman and research director for Citizens for a Better Knoxville, a group which attempted several times to have a city-wide referendum on acceptance of the World’s Fair. The group began work when the city council passed a bond issue in January 1977, involving public money for the first time. My im- mediate reaction to that bond issue was, ‘How the Hell could something like this happen without anyone knowing about it? ’ Dodd said. He explained that the only reference to the bond issue vote in the local press was buried at the bottom of a story concerning a social par- ty. Except for frequent letters to the local newspapers from Dodd, he said publicity in the local press consisted largely of promotion for the Fair. Negative aspects were glossed over or ignored. “What wc have here is economic and political people both promoting it, with neither checking on the other. And the newspapers haven't wat- ched out either, Dodd said in relating that one of his biggest objec- tions to the Fair was that most of the economic benefits would go only to a few downtown businessmen. “My immediate reaction to that bond issue was ‘How the hell could something like this happen without anyone knowing about it?’” Besides all the problems connected directly to the Fair, Dodd seemed even more concerned about the image of the city and of Knoxvillians as a group. “All of the ads suggest that here is an opportunity to see what the world is coming to,” he said, referring to advertisements for tickets that implied that a single admission would pay for activities inside the Fair. “Ticket buyers will not know that they’re not going to Opryland, where admission covers all inside attractions. At Expo, Funland will cost SI.25 a ride, a movie will cost a dollar, and it will even cost a dollar to ride the elevator to the top of the sunsphcrc.” Dodd said. “I’d call that gross deception in terms of their ads. Dodd was also amazed at the exorbitant room rate increases pro- jected by local hotels. If they keep on going like it looks like they’re going, Knoxville will be known as ‘Greed City, USA’. A non-image Knoxville will surely have an image, and I suspect it will be one we won’t be proud of,” he said. “Fvc been surprised at the extent to which pcplc are taking advan- tage,” Dodd said, referring to local merchants and innkeepers. 1 would have expected a small rate increase, but some hotels are doubling and even tripling their rates. At first, I couldn’t see why hotels in Knox- ville would lobby for the Fair, since they’re 70 percent full year-round 1---------------- Jifei-ph NV. Dixtd, I I jsMicbtv priili vMir of poliltv.il ovikv. and 100 percent full in summer. But with rate increases, their reasons became apparent. Many Knoxvillians believe the future of Knoxville is heavily depen- dent upon the success of this event. In Dodd’s words. I’m afraid they’ll have something on their hands that they’ll be sorry for.” “What we have here is economic and political people both promoting it, with neither side checking on the other. And the newspapers haven’t watched out either.” Will all these bad aspects keep Dodd away from the Fair?“I will not go. They could not pay me to go. he said. “They don’t have enough money to pay me to go. “If they keep on going like it looks like they’re going, Knoxville will be known as ‘Greed City, USA’.” Randy Weaver World’s Fair 25 I «try Maloocy

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Michad Mmiai Above: A tree growing out of the wooden floor at Desperado' ported the skull of a cow to set the atmoipherc. Below: Danny Dawson, Mike Sizemore. Larry I laganum and Mike Raulston are in the heat of a game of football at The i:nd Zone. Meanwhile, Back At The Ranch Wall-to-wall people in Stetson hats and cowboy boots could have been the scene at any of Knox- ville’s western-style nightclubs each night of the week. The cowboy-type clubs became a craze following the immense popularity of the movie Urban Cowboy” starring John Travolta. The trend was slow to catch on in Knoxville, but it caught fire with the opening of Sam Houston’s, a nightclub featuring live country- western music. Although Houston’s closed at the beginning of fall 1981. it had already been replaced by numerous country-western style nightclubs. Desperado’s, which opened in June 1981, featured programmed music and an extremely large parking lot. The reasons for the sizable lot were obvious every night, expccially on weekends when a short hike to the club was standard operating procedure. We try to keep attendance below 750. Sam Young, Desperado’s manager, said. The Outlaw Dance Hall With Fine Vittles did not open until August, but quickly built a reputation with the slogan. “Peo- ple know who you are at the Outlaw.” The Outlaw featured a live disc jockey, concentrating mostly on country-western music, with some disco and oldies thrown in occa- sionally. A special attraction for students was a drink special every night of the week. One of the Outlaw’s big events for Fall Quarter was a visit by Mickey Gilley after his Knoxville concert appearance. Gilley came prepared with the mechanical bull actually used in the filming of “Urban Cowboy.” The Urban Cow Palace, which advertised the biggest dance floor in Knoxville, also opened at the beginning of the fall quarter. A visit to any of these nightclubs was a good excuse for students to dress up and do the two-step. ---------Randy Weaver After Hours 27 SIk-KkI Mcv'in