Penny4Arts admits students in Knox and surrounding counties to 100 free cultural events

KNOXVILLE – The sixth annual Penny4Arts program has kicked off in Knox and surrounding counties. The Arts & Culture Alliance of Greater Knoxville established Penny4Arts in cooperation with the local arts community to serve and educate East Tennessee’s children. Penny4Arts provides every child in Anderson, Blount, Campbell, Knox, Loudon, Monroe, Morgan, Pickett, Roane, Scott, Sevier, and Union counties, including home-schooled and private-schooled students, an opportunity to attend local arts and culture events/activities. Over 25 organizations offer activities at the maximum cost of ONE PENNY to students when accompanied by one paying adult during the 2015/2016 academic school year.

Concerts, plays, dance performances, historic home tours, fairs, museums, festivals, arts workshops, radio broadcasts, movies, and more are part of Penny4Arts. Organizations whose admission is regularly free are offering special programs. Notices announcing this program will be sent home with every Knox County public school child. For the latest updates, visit Penny4Arts Facebook page at www.facebook.com/penny4arts.com.

Almost 100 events are included in Penny4Arts. In addition, nine organizations offer year-round opportunities for Knox County School children: Blount Mansion, Crescent Bend House & Gardens, East Tennessee Historical Society, Historic Ramsey House, James White’s Fort, Knoxville Museum of Art, Mabry-Hazen House, Marble Springs State Historic Site, and WDVX-FM Radio.

The schedule of participating performances is listed at www.Penny4Arts.com. Highlights include:

• Tuesday, September 15 – Free Admission Day at Tennessee Valley Fair
• Sunday, September 27 – Penguins and Pandas for a Penny at Knoxville Zoo
• Seven productions by the Clarence Brown Theatre
• All Masterworks and Chamber concerts by the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra

Families may register on the website to receive weekly e-mail notices about participating events. Most participating events will allow one paying adult to bring up to three students for one penny each. Proof of residency (driver's license) may be required for each adult accompanying children ages 5-15. Students ages 16-18, not accompanied by an adult, must show proof of residency and if in a group, at least one in the group of up to four students ages 16-18 must purchase a regular adult admission/ticket (if applicable) for the group to be able to participate in Penny4Arts. Each participating organization’s specific guidelines are also listed on the Penny4Arts web site.

The following organizations are participating in Penny4Arts for the 2015/2016 school year:
• Artistic Spectrum
• Bijou Theatre
• Blount Mansion Association
• Circle Modern Dance
• Clarence Brown Theatre
• Crescent Bend House & Gardens
• East Tennessee Historical Society
• Go! Contemporary Dance Works
• Historic Ramsey House
• James White's Fort
• Jubilee Community Arts
• Knoxville Museum of Art
• Knoxville Opera
• Knoxville Symphony Orchestra
• Knoxville Zoo
• Mabry-Hazen House
• Marble Springs State Historic Site
• McClung Museum of Natural History & Culture
• The Muse Knoxville
• Oak Ridge Civic Ballet Association
• Tennessee Children's Dance Ensemble
• Tennessee Stage Company
• Tennessee Valley Fair
• WDVX
• Women's Basketball Hall of Fame

Published September 9, 2015