What catches the rain and the eye of passersby? People living in Knox County will soon know the answer--an artistic rain barrel! This spring, the Water Quality Forum is kicking off its First Annual Rainy Day Brush-Off event. Local artists have graciously volunteered to create beautiful works of art on 55-gallon rain barrels to help us raise awareness about water conservation and water pollution.
Did you know that over 1,000 gallons of water runs off of the average roof (1,700 ft2) in every normal rain storm event? Just think what you could do with all of that FREE WATER!
Normally, when it rains, water runs off of your roof into your gutters and eventually into the storm drain system. Once it stops raining, that water is no longer available. Rain barrels are an ideal way homeowners can conserve water by collecting rain water and then reusing it for watering flowers, gardens and lawns, particularly in this time of drought. Rain barrels are also a great way to help protect our local waterways from polluted storm water runoff. (Find out more about rain barrels)
Get Out & Go See the Barrels!
During the month of April, you can see the barrels for yourself by visiting one or all of the following businesses. (Tell 'em thanks for supporting clean water and water conservation!)
Farragut Town Hall: 11408 Municipal Center Dr, Farragut (across from post office)
Mellow Mushroom: (both locations)
*635 N Campbell Station Rd (Farragut)
* 2109 Cumberland Ave (UT)
Earth to Old City: 22 Market Square (downtown)
Vagabondia: 27 Market Square (downtown)
Tomato Head: 12 Market Square (downtown)
Earth Fare: 10903 Parkside Drive (Shops at Turkey Creek)
The Pizza Kitchen: 9411 Northshore Drive
Ijams Nature Center: 2915 Island Home Avenue (South Knoxville)
Litton's: 2803 Essary Road (Fountain City)
Chop House: 4870 Harvest Mill Way (Fountain City)
Mayo's Garden Centers: (all 3 locations)
*4718 Kingston Pk
* 9629 Kingston Pk
*620 East Emory Rd
Mast General Store: 402 South Gay Street (downtown)
Stanley's Greenhouse: 3029 Davenport Road (South Knoxville)
City/County Building: 400 Main Street
Panera Bread (all 5 locations):
*2000 Cumberland Avenue (UT)
*4855 Kingston Pike (Mercedes Place)
*4893 N. Broadway St
*11361 Parkside Drive (Turkey Creek)
*205 North Peters Road
Wanna See More?
To see all of the barrels (and to bid on them when the auction starts on May 19th), scroll down this page. Take a minute to look at all of the barrels, read about the artist(s) and vote on your favorite one, then decide which one you want to take home (bidding starts May 19th). The top three vote getters will receive a prize from one of our sponsors.
You will also be able to all the barrels together before they go up for auction on May 19th at Ijams Nature Center. The barrels will be on display at Ijams between May 6th and May 16th.
If you are interested in viewing artistic rain barrels from competitions like The Rainy Day Brush-Off, please click here to view some truly remarkable painted barrels.
If you have additional questions or want more information, you can contact Parci Gibson at parci.gibson@knoxcounty.org or 865-215-5861.
