Knoxville, TN



Celebrate Land Trust Day with Mast

The Mast General Store celebrates Land Trust Day with the Foothills Land Conservancy (FLC) on Saturday, June 1st. Recognized for the eleventh year at Mast Store, Land Trust Day is a friend-raising event encouraging new memberships in local land trusts as well as an educational opportunity to learn how these groups are preserving our land heritage.

According to the Land Trust Alliance, “Saving land has given America the chance to know itself again. When we look into the mirror of our national identity, we can now see farms, urban gardens, historic sites, mountains and rivers—not just strip malls, bulldozers and traffic jams. Through land conservation, we give people the opportunity to taste something of what it is like to be authentically human: children rolling in the grass of an urban park; a grandfather teaching his granddaughter the quiet art of fishing; a fifth-generation farmer growing vegetables on his family’s homestead—nourishing his community with both fresh food and a farm stand where neighbors gather. We set out to save land, but, in the end, we build community, preserve beauty and instill hope.”

The land trust movement is not new. Some land trusts have been in place for over a century. In the past five years, the amount of land protected by local and regional land trusts has doubled nationwide. The Foothills Land Conservancy started in 1985 and since has assisted individuals and families in protecting more than 30,000 acres in 18 Tennessee counties. Working with landowners, the Conservancy offers creative, free-market alternatives for the conservation of agricultural and forest lands.

Laverne Farmer, Tennessee Century Farm Landowner and FLC Conservation Easement Donor, said “I love nature and I want to see that some of it is left.” Laverne Farmer’s 215 acre property has been in her family since 1824, for over 5 generations.  Located in Townsend, Tennessee, the farm is a mix of forest and pasture for livestock. A portion of the land backs up to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.

“Maintaining a good balance of open space is important to the vitality of any community and to its residents’ quality of life,” said Fred Martin, president of Mast General Store. “These open spaces provide opportunities for recreation, food production, safe water supplies, and leisure enjoyment...all of which contribute not only to the physical wellbeing of a community, but also its economic vitality.”

Representatives from the Foothills Land Conservancy will be on hand at the Mast Store in Knoxville on Saturday, June 1st, to share with guests the activities they are undertaking to conserve the open spaces in the region. The Mast General Store will donate 20 percent of sales on that Saturday to the Foothills Land Conservancy. Visit the website – www.foothillsland.org - for more information on current projects and membership in the organization.
 

 

One of the many pleasures of spring is transitioning out of bulky winter wear into lighter, warm weather clothing. As you put away your winter boots and replace them with summer sandals, check to see if there are any shoes cluttering your home.  Instead of stowing your unwanted pairs at the back of the closet, share them with those who need them at Mast Store’s sixth annual Sharing Our Shoes collection campaign going on now through May 31.

Donating your shoes is not only a gift to those in need, it’s a gracious act on behalf of the environment.  Last year alone, Americans discarded millions of pairs of shoes. “We all have unused shoes with many miles left in them,” said Fred Martin, president of the Mast Store. “Local charitable organizations help many individuals who have no way to buy shoes for themselves or their family. At this time, there is so much need. Our employees and our customers are always so generous and eager to share what they have with the people who matter to us most – our neighbors.”

As you gather your family’s extra shoes during spring cleaning, drop by Mast General Store and deposit them in one of the Sharing Our Shoes bins located in the front of the store.  Mast will distribute the shoes to a community partner at the end of the month. De-clutter your closet, reduce the strain on our environment, and lend a helping hand to your neighbors this May by answering the SOS and sharing your shoes at Mast General Store.
 

 

Boston Love Shirts Arrive at Mast Store

From Mast General Store's Graphics Buyer: “Our community and employees have spoken! We have just finalized our Boston Love Tee in honor of those impacted by the tragedy on April 15th. Life is Good is donating 100% of their profits from the Boston Love Tee to The One Fund Boston. We hope the t-shirt will help people all over the country begin to heal with Boston while conveying a message of unification to our community that "Nothing is Stronger than LOVE.”

From The Boston Globe on April 25th:
Life is Good, whose Boylston Street office was less than 40 feet from the second bomb blast, sold 15,000 T-shirts in just two days on its website and at two stores; the company is delivering the shirt to hundreds of franchise stores and wholesale customers this week.

On Thursday, Judy Scott, visiting from Maylene, Ala., bought two T-shirts at Life is Good on Newbury Street as she waited, cellphone in hand, to hear whether her three kids wanted them as well. She also bought two Boston Strong T-shirts¬ at Cheers.

“This is one way we can let people in Boston know we’re supporting them from around the country,” Scott said.

Boston Love men’s and women’s t-shirts are being sold in all Mast Stores. These shirts are sold at the unique price of $26.20 to represent the distance of the marathon. To find out more about The One Fund, click HERE. In short, the goal is to dispense all proceeds to the bombing victims and their families by June 30th.


 


 

WDVX Blue Plate Special

If you’re downtown around lunchtime, drop in at the Visitor Center for a free live concert. While enjoying the WDVX Blue Plate Special, be sure to grab some lunch at the Coop Café!

Fine music is dished up daily at noon, except for Sundays. Find out the artist(s) of the day by visiting www.wdvx.com.