Booking It For Books

McKay’s Bookstore's 50th birthday made state news early this month when the Knoxville Fire Marshall had to shut down the city’s store location—upwards of five thousand people were lined up in their parking lot that afternoon, and twenty-three were hospitalized for heat exhaustion. 

Knoxville wasn’t the only city affected by the birthday celebration. The event sent close to ten thousand book enthusiasts to five locations: Mebane and Winston-Salem in North Carolina, and Knoxville, Chattanooga, and Nashville here in Tennessee. For many of these stores, the crowds that built in their parking lots were more than anyone anticipated. Knoxville—being in the center of all five—saw the convergence of these crowds. Though the vast majority started in Mebane, others, like my group, began in Nashville.

The central location of Knoxville was where both groups converged. Everyone in the city dealt with a massive amount of traffic. Cars going to McKay’s had lined up in a standstill all the way onto I-75, and Knoxville Police eventually closed roads as the Fire Marshall had the store closed. It was also the hottest part of the day, on a day when temperatures were reaching close to 100 degrees. The Knoxville Fire Department had brought a bus into the parking lot, instructing patrons to go inside if they felt faint. It filled up quickly. 

Those who did not make the trip got the early-aughts Black Friday horror story version of this story but I, like thousands of others, did make the nine-hour journey. I spoke with dozens of other roadtrippers along the way and after the fact, and the consensus is clear: everyone is grateful to McKay’s for providing the opportunity for an extremely rewarding, fulfilling adventure — despite the struggle adventure presents. FROM GENEVA DECOBERT

🗳️ August 1st Primary Election Day is tomorrow, and though primaries typically draw paltry participation, in some instances they can determine the winner of the general election. For example, in 2022, District Attorney Glenn Funk narrowly beat his two opponents during the Democratic primary. Since Republicans failed to put up their own candidate, Funk’s May win sealed his victory months before the general election, held in August.

This election cycle, there’s a Funk-like situation happening in District 56, where the showdown between Democratic incumbent Bob Freeman and his challenger Nick Forester-Benson will determine who will be West Nashville’s state representative.

These uncontested races don’t just highlight the importance of primary elections, they serve as a reminder of what happens when competition is only on one side of the ballot. States like California and Georgia sought to remedy this issue by adopting jungle primaries, wherein all candidates for an office are listed on the same ballot, regardless of party, and the two top finishers battle it out in the general election.

Before you hit the polls tomorrow, be sure to consult our quick primer for a rundown of who’s on the ballot. If you’re voting in the 5th District Republican Primary, we recommend checking out our Q&As with Congressman Andy Ogles and Councilmember Courtney Johnston. MEGAN PODSIEDLIK

Full sample ballot here.

🗣️ Metro Mediation Last night, Mayor O’Connell, CRB Executive Director Jill Fitcheard, MNPD Chief Drake, Metro Legal Director Wally Dietz, and a number of constituents gathered at First Baptist Church on Capitol Hill to participate in a Conscious Conversation moderated by Issac Addae, Metro’s Manager of Entrepreneurship and Economic Development.

“There was a lot of tension in the room from the audience directed at the chief,” said one constituent who attended. According to our source, much of the animosity toward Drake revolved around the 61-page whistleblower report submitted by retired MNPD Lt. Garet Davidson and was stoked by Director Fitcheard. 

Also in attendance was Rasheedat Fetuga, founder of the controversial nonprofit Gideon's Army. “She called Chief Drake a liar for falsely portraying Gideon’s Army as being involved in criminal activity,” our source told us, before explaining their reasons for attending. “I used to take the bus when I first moved here, I won't take the bus anymore. I used to walk around my neighborhood, now I don't do that. I drive to restaurants, even if they are in walking distance, because I am afraid of being accosted by aggressive panhandlers, and they're all over the place. I don’t feel safe.” MEGAN PODSIEDLIK

💥 Mark Green is On The Case On Monday, Congressional leaders announced Representative Mark Green’s appointment to a new, bipartisan task force formed to investigate the attempted assassination of Donald Trump. The panel, made up of thirteen House Reps, is expected to thoroughly examine the US Secret Service’s protection plan for the former president’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The task force will release a comprehensive report of their findings this December. MEGAN PODSIEDLIK

DEVELOPMENT

• Noko No. 1 on Yelp's 25 Best New Restaurants in the South list (Yelp)
• Kentucky-based pizzeria and speakeasy to open in the Gulch (NBJ)
• Accounting firm Frazier & Deeter to move to Germantown from downtown (Post)
• Trevecca-area building home to national chain listed for $4M (Post)
• Apartment complex eyed for north side site near river (Post)
• New GC set for paused luxury residential project (Post)

THINGS TO DO

View our calendar for the week here and our weekly film rundown here.

📅 Visit our On The Radar list to find upcoming events around Nashville.

🎧 On Spotify: Pamphleteer's Picks, a playlist of our favorite bands in town this week.

👨🏻‍🌾 Check out our Nashville farmer's market guide and yearly festival guide.

TONIGHT

🎸 The Red Clay Strays @ Brooklyn Bowl, 6p, Info

🎸 Fiddlehead @ The Basement East, 7pm, $29.27, Info

🎸 Sammy Kershaw, Collin Raye & Aaron Tippin @ Ryman Auditorium, 7:30p, $49.50+, Info

🪕 Bluegrass Night @ The American Legion Post 82, 7p, Free, Info

📰 Check out the full newsletter archive here.