Leavetakings are strange beasts, even for those of us whose sentimentality is as dormant as a bear in the depths of hibernation. Saying goodbye to a way of life can be like observing and processing a death — impossible to fully articulate, yet undeniably final.

Upon joining the Beacon staff in ...

As another year goes into the books and students prepare to disperse for the summer, various organizations gather to provide a proper send off.
   
 This year a new tradition begins thanks to a few advertising majors whose sense of adventure has led them to create a festival from scratch.
   
 Fort ...

Knoxville is nestled in the rolling hills of Tennessee and the Southern Appalachian Mountains. Just on the outskirts of Knox County, the Smokies rise above providing a great escape for adventures.
    
Picturesque waterfalls, great wildlife viewing and breathtaking views within this national park capture the hearts of over nine million ...

Something about a wildly convoluted obstacle course taps directly into my brain's pleasure center.

Growing up, watching Nickelodeon game shows like "Legends of the Hidden Temple" made me painfully jealous. I was certain I could do better than those kids on TV. I knew how to put the Shrine ...

Benny never saw the bus coming.
    
He remembered waking up in the park on a bench with William Howard Taft sitting next to him.
    
“Are you James Garfield?” Benny asked.
    
“I can be,” Taft replied. He took out a blanket, wrapped himself up and emerged as the 20th President of ...

Almost a year ago, the west part of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was hit by a half-mile wide F4 tornado that carved its way through the mountains.
    
At the end of last April, roughly 30 miles of trails were closed in the Smokies because of immense damage from ...

The shadow of death hung about the music world this week in a variety of disguises, as a venerable legend fought for his life, and one whose death is surrounded by mystery and conspiracy theories rising from the dead in the California desert.
    
America’s nostalgia is a strange beast ...

Opera carries many stigmas, such as singers belting out minute-long solos and formally-dressed onlookers. UT Opera
Theatre breaks with this stereotype in its modern-day interpretation of Mozart’s comedy, “The Marriage of Figaro.”
    
The group’s spring production will take Mozart’s classic tale of a day in the life ...

The black ink was as vivid as it was the night he got it. It was a few drinks after the show as he hung around backstage outside her door. The bodyguards kept an eye on him and the rest of the fans lined up behind him. The door flung ...

A hand clutches a bloody crown, both illuminated in a goldish crimson hue against a stark black backdrop, with the motto, “The North Remembers.”    For those of us eagerly awaiting last Sunday’s season premiere of “Game of Thrones” (or “Clash of Kings,” if you’re keeping up with the ...

The rise of the downloadable video game marketplace has become the most significant development since the addition of the third dimension. Video games no longer have to be enormous projects with multi-million dollar budgets. A game can be created by a single person in their free time and still be ...

A Nerf dart flew by Jacqueline’s head and landed in her guide’s coffee cup. He frowned at the spot on his shirt the collision created, but laughed halfheartedly and tossed the dart aside.
    
“We’re not like other offices,” he said through a forced smile, “we try to ...