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City Cast Nashville

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Margaret Kingsbury

St. Jude Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series

 is returning to Nashville this weekend, on April 25 and 26. This annual racing event helps raise money for the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and is Nashville’s most popular race. To learn more, I spoke with race director Adam Zocks and runner Susy Meade.

How has the St. Jude Rock ’n’ Roll Running Series Nashville changed over the years?

Zocks: “Over the last 25 years, the St. Jude Rock’ n’ Roll Running Series Nashville has grown into a full race weekend that really showcases the spirit of Music City. What started primarily as a marathon and half-marathon has expanded to include a 10K, 5K, 1 Mile, KiDS ROCK, and the Doggie Dash. With live music along the course and thousands of runners filling the streets of downtown Nashville, it has become a major community event that brings together runners, spectators, and volunteers while supporting the lifesaving mission of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.”

How can people get involved with the race?

Zocks: “There are several ways for people in Nashville to be part of race weekend. In addition to running or walking, the event relies on hundreds of volunteers who help make the weekend possible. Volunteers assist at the free two-day Health & Fitness Expo, support runners along the course at water stations, and help hand out finisher medals at the finish line. Many participants also choose to run as St. Jude Heroes, raising funds to support St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. It truly becomes a citywide effort where the community comes together to support the runners and the mission.”

What's your favorite part of the Nashville race course?

Meade: “My favorite part of the Nashville course is running through the heart of downtown with the live bands and crowds cheering you on. The energy is incredible, and you can feel the whole city supporting the runners. But the most meaningful moments are when you see the St. Jude signs and families along the course. It reminds you why you’re out there running and fundraising, and it gives you an extra boost to keep going.”

🏃 Find Out More

The St. Jude Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series is returning to Nashville this weekend, on April 25 and 26. Here's more about the annual event.

Your Guide to Nashville's Rock 'n' Roll Running Series

Run for a Cause With the St. Jude Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series

What Nashville celebrities, public figures and key citizens have to say about living here.

3 Questions With Nashville Public Figures

3 Questions With

Nashville’s big Earth Day celebration is this Saturday, April 18, at Centennial Park. City Cast Nashville is proud to be one of the sponsors of this family-friendly event, featuring interactive exhibits, free trees, live music, and so much more. To learn more about 

, I spoke with Justin Branam, Centennial Park Conservancy's Vice President of Programming.

How did the Nashville Earth Day festival get started?

“I’m no historian, though I believe that the first ever Nashville Earth Day celebration was in 1990, and presented in collaboration with the Earth Day Coalition, Mayor Bill Boner’s Office, and Rosanne Cash’s Earth Communications Office. It was held at Riverfront Park, and included a concert by Rosanne Cash, The Bellamy Brothers, and Rodney Crowell. The festival moved to Centennial Park in the early 2000s, and is now held at the historic bandshell in Centennial Park, where it welcomes about 13,000 people each year.”

What are your favorite new activities happening at this year’s festival?

“This year, we have lined up a really impressive group of speakers, who will give short presentations at the festival across several topics in the sustainability, nature, and environmentalism space. As always, we’ll have incredible 

 at the bandshell, as well as great food options, activities for children, and more.”

What do you hope people leave with after attending the festival?

“I hope the day serves as an opportunity to celebrate what Earth has given to each of us, and also an opportunity to reflect on how we can better care for Earth. I hope that attendees leave with practical knowledge and tools to take small steps towards sustainability in their own everyday lives.”

More than 75 vendors will be in attendance, including Small World Yoga, The Science Guys, and Turnip Green Creative Reuse. There will also be 16 food trucks, like The Grilled Cheeserie, Hoss’ Loaded Burgers, and NashBowls Açaí.

🌎 More Event Details

Learn more about the history and event schedule of this year's Nashville Earth Day celebration.

Learn More About the Nashville Earth Day Festival

Celebrate the Earth at Nashville’s Greenest Festival

This Sunday, Feb. 15, local classically trained composer, singer, and master of the guzheng Wu Fei 

will perform at Blair School of Music’s Ingram Hall

 in celebration of the Lunar New Year. I interviewed 

 ahead of this free performance to learn more about how Nashville has shaped her music.

How has living in Nashville impacted your music?

“The people here have changed everything about my music and life. I came to the city because I was working with the banjo player Abigail Washburn on a record produced by Béla Fleck. They taught me most of what I know about bluegrass and American traditions, and they also welcomed me and my family so warmly that we moved here. My formal education covered all kinds of classical and global folk music, but almost no American music at all, so Nashville has been a crash course!

“Saxophonist Jeff Coffin has also deepened my understanding of jazz and opened doors to many global musical traditions for me, and Jen-Jen Lin of the Chinese Arts Alliance of Nashville has shown me how to keep foreign traditions alive and relevant in the heart of the American South.

“Celine Thackston and the Chatterbird Ensemble she founded gave me roots in the classical music scene here. Chatterbird performed the premiere of “Hello Gold Mountain,” my composition for symphony and chamber orchestra, at Ingram Hall at Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music.

“The legacy of Nashville’s music has inspired me: Everyone I’ve met and worked with in the music circle really puts in the work. People know how to grind: They tour relentlessly, they practice relentlessly. It’s a noble thing to contribute to this musical tradition.

“But it’s not just the music industry folks. I have never felt so welcomed anywhere, and I’ve lived everywhere from Beijing to New York and Boulder. One after another, ordinary people have gone out of their way to help me, and this has been humbling and inspiring as an artist. I was taught to make music in an imperial palace, but in Nashville I learned to make music for my fellow humans, to be giving and not to be selfish.”

What can people expect from your performance on Sunday?

“The concert starts at 3 p.m. But at 2 p.m., the Ingram Hall lobby will open for a Lunar New Year celebration with cultural exhibits and activity booths, including Chinese drumming by the Chinese Arts Alliance of Nashville.

“The concert is my suite for guzheng and voice, “Moon Hunter.” The guzheng is the 21-string Chinese zither, which has been played for around 2,500 years. “Moon Hunter” draws on the singing form of ancient Chinese poetry, and weaves improvisations together with traditional guzheng repertoire, folk songs, and Chinese opera. I’ll briefly tell the history or talk about the significance of each piece of music.

“Nashville-based, Asian American artists will join me for the second half of the program on several songs. At the end, we all join together to sing “The Moon Represents My Heart 月亮代表我的心,” a beloved Chinese love song that is popular all over Asia.

“The concert includes a video installation by visual artist Erik Sharpnack. The guest musicians are:

Reza Filsoofi (Persian daf drum, setar, and santoor)

Performers from the Blair Jazz Department”

How do you plan to celebrate the Lunar New Year in Nashville?

“My parents live in Nashville with me, my husband, and our two kids. As Northern Chinese, we will make homemade dumplings on the first day of the New Year of the Horse (Tuesday, Feb. 17), and hang lots of red lanterns around the house and spring festival couplets (decorative red paper strips with auspicious poetry) on the doors. We’ll also let off some fireworks.

“The Lunar New Year (aka Spring Festival) lasts for 15 days. Each day we are supposed to do certain traditions, but my family will just eat a lot of Chinese food. We will be calling our family members and friends in China and around the world to wish them good health and a prosperous new year.”

💬 More Interviews With Locals

Classical Chinese musician Wu Fei discusses Lunar New Year and Nashville's impact on her music ahead of a free performance.

Classical Chinese Musician Wu Fei on How Nashville Has Impacted Her Music

Lunar New Year in Nashville With Master of the Guzheng Wu Fei

Australian artist Wendy Murray is working on an ambitious project: To draw every building on Gallatin Pike. The 

 perfectly capture Gallatin’s character. But WHY Gallatin? I recently chatted with Wendy to answer just that question, and what she’s learned about Nashville in the process of working on this series.

What inspired you to draw every building on Gallatin Pike?

“I guess the long answer is back in 2011, I saw a copy of Edward Ruscha’s “

,” and ever since then, I've been looking for a drawing project that might fit that. I'd also been drawing what I call my daily drawings since 2010. I started out in rural New South Wales, Australia, and last spring, I was lucky enough to win an internship at Hatch Show Print. So I came out to Nashville for six weeks, and I just really loved Gallatin.

“There's a street like Gallatin in every city — a street with fast food joints, tire repair shops, coffee shops, supermarkets. They embody all the things that make the U.S. awesome and awful at the same time.”

What have you learned about Nashville while working on this project?

“There are so many kind and thoughtful people in this community. People have contacted me through social media and said, ‘It’s really hot out there, can I bring you a drink?’ The business owners are also supportive and amazing.

“I'm getting to know Gallatin as I draw it. I live close to one of two Krogers, and because I didn't have a car until last week, I was on the bus or on my bike. So I didn’t know the area around the first Kroger. Folks tend to stay in a radius around their house. I'm no scientist or urban geographer, but that's interesting for a car-centric place.”

What have been your favorites in the series so far?

. I really like that building. In Australia, they're called Nissen huts, but you call them Quonset huts. They're such lovely people as well, and they adopted one of the stray cats around there who had had some kittens, so I call in occasionally to say hi to them. I enjoyed doing the 

 and those older buildings there. I could sit in the shade of the Goodwill drop-off to draw those. That’s relaxing compared to, say, drawing 

 on the corner of Trinity and Gallatin, which was a hair-raising exercise, because folks fly around that corner and there are often accidents.

“That's why I haven't drawn the bank on the corner of Hart and Gallatin yet. I've just gotta find a safe time to sit there and draw, without a car flying through and smashing into me.”

🎨 Explore Her Art!

Australian artist Wendy Murray is working on an ambitious project: To draw every building on Gallatin Pike. City Cast Nashville recently chatted with Wendy to find out, WHY Gallatin?

Nashville Artist Wendy Murray on Capturing the City

Capturing a Road’s Character: 3 Questions With Artist Wendy Murray

Nashville’s longest running home music venue, 

, is coming to an end after 12 years of providing a safe space for musicians, artists, and other creatives to experiment with their art. They’re celebrating with one last 

 on August 1-2, an annual music and art festival that I know from experience is gonna be pretty wild — I read poetry at a previous FEST(er)! Here’s my conversation with The Mouthhole’s Michael Sadler about the venue, and what’s in The Mouthhole’s future.

“When I was going to college in Huntington, WV, I was in a car accident that ended up paying me a decently sized insurance settlement. I had the idea to take that money, buy a house, and fill it with my artist friends from college. I hoped it would be an incubator for art and community, but my parents talked me out of it. Years later, I moved to Nashville with the lingering idea still stuck in the back of my mind. That’s when Travis and his brother Zac joined me. We were living in a small apartment with too many people when we all decided to find a place with a basement and take a stab at making a DIY art/music space. We came up with the name and the concept and have endured as Nashville’s longest-running house/DIY space!”

What do you have planned for The Mouthhole’s last FEST(er)?

 last Fest(er), we have two days jam-packed with music, and a comedian! We managed to talk some bands from years past into coming out of hiatus and gracing the Mouth stage one more time. We have over 20 acts performing on Aug 1-2. As always, it’s free, so come on out!”

What’s the future like for The Mouthhole?

“We’re very sad to say goodbye to this house, and we’re grateful for everything it’s given us and our community! That being said, we’re also excited to have a fresh start at a new house. We have a 

 right now that will help us with moving expenses. We won’t have shows there in the same sense that we had them at The Mouthhole, but we will continue to throw some parties and have bands and artists on a lower scale. We will also continue booking as The Mouthhole, like at 

 in West Nashville, where we do a comedy game show, 

🎵 Check out the FEST(er)’s lineup!

After 12 years, The Mouthhole is closing, but not before one last music festival.

An Interview With The Mouthhole, Nashville's Longest Running Home Music Venue

Nashville’s Longest Running Home Music Venue Closes With One Last Festival

 hits the stage at Third Coast Comedy Club with a hilarious interactive improv show about fairy tales for kids and adults of all ages. The next show is this Saturday, May 10. I spoke with cast member Sadie Harris to learn more about the program.

"I was taking classes at Third Coast Comedy Club when I heard about Gnu Tales. I took my family one Saturday, and we all had such a great time! It was silly and creative and so much fun for everyone. When auditions happened again, I tried out and was so happy to find out I made the team. Since then, I've enjoyed performing with the troupe with my kids in the audience, leading workshops for kids, and being a part of this incredible creative community!"

How does this program serve Nashville's children?

"Gnu Tales serves as a creative outlet to cultivate young children's imaginations, and provides a unique space for families to share in this experience. Studies show that improv increases confidence, encourages creativity, and teaches life skills such as communication and teamwork. In addition to shows every second Saturday of the month, Gnu Tales also offers improv workshops for kids, tweens, and teens, including a 

 for ages 4-8 where children and their caregivers can play, laugh, and get silly together. The cast has also performed in various spaces outside of Third Coast, such as libraries, parks, and birthday parties!

"Word of mouth is the main way we reach new families, so helping spread the “gnus” is the best way the city could help us bring improv to more youth."

What's your favorite part of being a member?

"All of them! I love working with kids because their imaginations have no limits, which creates such a fun world to play in. I also love that we’re able to offer affordable family activities. As a mom, that’s such a valuable find. And as a playshop leader/cast member, I love seeing kids and parents experience this magical space where they can just play together and go home with new games to keep playing. Gnu Tales is unlike anything I've ever seen, and it’s such an incredible Nashville experience. I hope you come join the fun!"

😆 Nashville’s Clean Comedy Scene

On the second Saturday of every month, Gnu Tales hits the stage with a hilarious interactive improv show for kids and adults of all ages.

This Kid-Friendly Improv Show in Nashville Is Inexpensive and Fun

Make ‘Em Laugh at This Kid-Friendly Improv Show in Nashville

According to the American Cancer Society, Tennessee has 

higher cancer rates than almost anywhere else in the nation

. The last thing anyone with cancer or a loved one with cancer wants to think about is cooking dinner. That’s where 

 steps in. This nonprofit provides free and healthy meals to Davidson and Williamson Country residents who are currently undergoing cancer treatments. I spoke with Executive Director Katharine Ray to learn more about the program.

How did you get involved with The Heimerdinger Foundation?

“I first met the founder of our nonprofit organization, Kathie Heimerdinger, in 2012 when she was developing the Meals 4 Health and Healing program. Her family’s story of honoring her husband’s memory and giving back to the community touched my heart. Having been in cancer support nonprofit work for years, I admired the focus on high-quality nutrition, which is supported by research as effective in healing and countering the wounds of cancer. Nourishing someone so that they can heal resonates with me as a cancer survivor myself.

“A poignant memory for me is the summer of 1975, when I was going through cancer treatment as a teenager. I remember daily treatments that left me sick and exhausted. I came home from the hospital each day to sleep off the nauseating side effects. I would wake up in the late afternoon to the sounds and aromas of my mother preparing a dinner of fresh vegetables and fruit from our garden. Being served food to support healing during one of the most traumatic times in your life, physically and emotionally, is something you never forget — that is a profound gift of love!”

What services does the foundation's Meals 4 Health and Healing provide?

“Meals 4 Health and Healing, our signature program, nourishes the bodies, minds, and hearts of those facing cancer through the power of healthy meals and nutrition education. We directly provide and deliver nutrient-dense meals and nutrition education free of charge to people in Williamson and Davidson counties facing cancer, and we wrap a caring community around families. 

, we provide approximately 1,000 nutrient-dense servings to up to 120 cancer patients and their caregivers from all walks of life, so that those going through one of the hardest times in their lives can focus on healing. An annual dedicated group of over 250 adult and teen volunteers who cook and deliver our healing meals directly to homes are the pulse of our program through their caring hearts and helping hands. Youth development is also an important part of our mission as we bring teens into our program to learn about nutrient-dense foods, cooking, gardening, and giving back to the community.”

“The only criteria for participating in our Meals 4 Health and Healing program is to be in cancer treatment and be a resident of Davidson or Williamson County. Simply email clients@hfmeals.org or visit 

 to complete an intake form and begin the application process.”

Services for Cancer Patients

🍽️ Do you know of other free services for cancer patients?

The Heimerdinger Foundation provides free meals to Davidson County residents with cancer. Here's how it works.

The Program Serving Meals to Nashville's Cancer Patients

This Program Helps Feed Cancer Patients in Nashville

, reimagines the night before Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination. Currently showing at TPAC, the play runs until Sunday, Feb. 23, and it’s a great way to celebrate 

. I chatted with the play’s director, Nashville local and Fisk alum 

, about the play and Nashville’s theater scene.

What’s your favorite and least favorite thing about Nashville's theater scene?

“Our theater scene is wonderful. We are a big family that supports and leans on each other to help bring our creative works to life. My least favorite thing about Nashville's theater scene is the 

. Art is important, and professional artists matter to the world. Who does the world turn to in times of trouble? The artists! We deserve all 

 necessary to live a full life without needing several gigs to make ends meet.”

Why is this the right moment to direct “The Mountaintop”?

“There's never not a right time to direct/produce a work as important as this. Right now, the media is trying to convince us of how much hate and separation there is in the world. We have to combat that with love. To quote the playwright Katori Hall, ‘Love is the most radical weapon there is.’ When the 

 leadership reached out to me to gauge my interest in the show, I was so excited, and couldn't wait to join the creative team.”

What are some memorable moments from bringing this play to life?

“It's been a joy working with leads Tamiko Robinson Steele and Rashad Rayford, who are dear friends of mine, and brilliant actors. Together, along with the creative team, we were able to create something extremely special for Nashville. The moments in the rehearsal room as we dove into the script and made discoveries were very special. Seeing those moments come to life from the page is very rewarding. I can't wait for the community to see what we've created.”

🎭 What’s up with Nashville’s art funding chaos?

Currently showing at TPAC, "The Mountaintop" runs until Feb. 23, and it’s a great way to celebrate Black History Month in Nashville.

Alicia Haymer on Nashville's Theater Scene and Directing "The Mountaintop"

See “The Mountaintop” for Black History Month

 is Tennessee’s first and only nonprofit offering natural burial options on a protected nature preserve. Larkspur's 161-acre Taylor Hollow property in Sumner County protects green spaces while welcoming hikers and providing a unique place to rest for departed loved ones. I chatted with Executive Director John Christian Phifer to learn about natural burials and how Larkspur Conservation works.

What drew you to the idea of natural burials?

“I was the barefoot kid that dug graves for bugs using a kitchen fork, and had little funerals in the woods where I grew up. I began my career 26 years ago. I spent 15 of those years working in traditional funeral homes and conventional cemeteries, where I learned a lot and grew as a professional. After some time, what once called me to care for the dead called me to extend my care to the natural world. In my quest to reimagine what a funeral could look like, a goal of mine was to be a part of creating a green burial project. I got that chance in 2013 when Becca Stevens, founder and president of 

, reached out with the hope of creating reform in funeral care. Larkspur Conservation was formalized as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization in 2013, and by 2018, I had created Tennessee's first nature preserve for natural burial. We have served hundreds of families, saved hundreds of acres of land, and continue to reimagine what the funeral process looks like in our area.”

How does your partnership with The Nature Conservancy work?

“Larkspur's mission is to conserve land through a revival of natural burial practices. When we say ‘conserve,’ we mean protect indefinitely from urban sprawl, clear-cutting, mining, subdivision, etc. A conservation easement is a legally binding deed restriction that forever protects land from these harms and misuses. Our conservation easement was negotiated and agreed upon with 

. Larkspur owns the land, but The Nature Conservancy monitors its ecological health, annually guaranteeing that the activities occurring upon the land do not harm nature. We are the first project of its type to be protected by The Nature Conservancy, which protects and monitors 119 million acres globally. We consider our partnership the gold standard within the conservation burial movement.”

What do you love most about visiting Larkspur?

“I most love being able to walk in peaceful nature, and feeling connected to something bigger than myself. I love visiting with hikers and nature lovers along the trail who may be out for exercise, or who may be visiting a loved one's grave site. Larkspur is about community, and it's about care.”

Natural Burial

💐 Would you consider natural burial?

Larkspur Conservation is Tennessee’s first nonprofit offering natural burial options on a protected nature preserve. Executive Director John Christian Phifer explains how it got started.

How Natural Burial Helps Conserve Land and Build Community

How Tennessee’s Only Natural Burial Site Got Started

, you’ve probably heard about the Metro Arts funding chaos: Artists denied funding after receiving grants, Metro Arts Director Daniel Singh resigning, and questions about how arts funding should be distributed. With Metro Council considering 

a new plan for distributing its much smaller pool of grant money this year

 founding member and multidisciplinary artist 

 to learn more about their goals for arts funding in Nashville, and how it can be more equitable.

“Arts Equity Nashville (AEN) is a collective of artists and allies working towards equitable arts funding and distribution. Our coalition formed around advocating for 1% of Metro Nashville’s total budget to be dedicated to the arts, with at least half going to smaller organizations and local artists. In 2024, we stepped it up, asking for 50% of this money to go to Thrive, the only program with demographics that match Nashville.”

What do you think about the grants plan for 2025?

“Since 1987, 10 organizations have received nearly 70% of Metro Arts’ grant funding. AEN’s proposal for FY25 — based on community feedback — aims to distribute these tax dollars more equitably. The Arts Commission’s criteria are not in line with equity and did not incorporate previous community input or feedback from their own engagement sessions this year. We recommend fully funding Thrive; closing the disparity gap with a funding cap for the largest organizations; no flat funding models; extending reporting; and not requiring fiscal sponsorship for Thrive.”

What are your hopes for the future of arts funding in Nashville?

“Our hope is that Nashville artists are respected, and can create with dignity. Funding needs to go to artists who have been historically excluded to correct the historical inequities of Metro Arts, and at the very least, match the tax base. We envision a Nashville that is strengthened through community-centric policies, not just a haven for tourists or market fads. To ensure a democratic city, built for and by the people, we demand equitable pay and power in decision-making at arts institutions, with more platforms and direct funding for Nashvillians to create, connect, and thrive.”

Arts Equity Nashville founding member Christine Hall on how artists can be better funded and Nashville's 2025 artist budget.