Why not celebrate Earth Day a little early this year with the 2008 Run for Clean Air? On April 12th runners and walkers will gather in Sequoyah Hills to raise awareness for clean air work that is going on in our area.

The fifth annual event begins at 9am and you can register on-site before the race begins. There are all kinds of prizes from Dollywood passes to art by Jim Gray.

Get out and celebrate all that East Tennessee has to offer as we work towards preserving it for future generations. It’s a fun event for your whole family and you will even be able to test drive different models of Hybrid cars from several automakers.

www.runforcleanair.org

I believe that Thanksgiving gets the shaft in terms of holiday celebrations. My sister’s house is lit up like a runway before Halloween. I rebel against Christmas music played in Pottery Barn in October, and I refuse to try on that Christmas taffeta party dress at Ann Taylor before Thanksgiving (even though they do have my size, and it is gorgeous)…nope, not gonna do it. I want to celebrate Halloween with all the candy and costumes and Thanksgiving with family and friends. However, I have to share a must-do Christmas holiday event now, because it sells out every year before December.

The Three Rivers Rambler becomes the “Christmas Express” where children of all ages experience the magic of a holiday train ride through Knoxville. During this 90-minute, 11-mile train ride, passengers are served Christmas cookies and refreshments while a local celebrity reads a holiday story. Santa and his elves board the train at the halfway point to talk to the children and give each one a special gift. Visit their website for more information and to book your reservation online. My husband and I have taken our four-year-old daughter for the past three years, so it has become a holiday tradition for our family, and I hope it will become one of yours as well. Now start working on those pilgrim hats.