Page 6 - Jan/Feb 2023 Vol 40 No 6

TCAPWA/SWANA CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS By Lisa Hood Skinner & Klair Kimmey
2022 Conference Overview

Blue skies, toasty warm November temperatures
and Scruffy City hospitality greeted the over 250
attendees and vendors gathered in Knoxville for
the Tennessee Chapter of the American Public
Works Association (TCAPWA) and Solid Waste
Association of North America (SWANA) Annual
Conference.
Held in the shadow of the iconic Sunsphere,
the three activity-packed days of professional
development, networking, charitable giving, and
fun were hosted at the newly renovated Marriott
Downtown Knoxville Hotel and World’s Fair
Exhibition Hall.
Conference and exhibition hall activities
included a mix of memorable experiences,
from the Equipment Rodeo to the yearly Golf
Tournament, to a guided walking tour of the 1982
World’s Fair site and evenings at the TopGolf event
center in Farragut and Bernadette’s/Scruffy City
Hall on Market Square in Downtown Knoxville.
Tuesday: Golf Tournament and
World’s Fair Site Tour
Ruggles Ferry Golf Club in Strawberry Plains
was the site of the friendly competition in the
annual golf outing, with lunch followed by a
shotgun start. Twelve teams enjoyed the day as
they moved around the picturesque golf course
searching for those winning scores. The sun and
warm breezes made for a perfect afternoon in the
country. Team photos are on page 12.
Later that day, more than a dozen conference
attendees and family members took an excellent
walking tour of the 1982 World’s Fair Site. The
group learned how “the world came to Knoxville”
for six months in 1982, with 22 countries hosting
exhibits ranging from robots that drew pictures
to scientific events featuring the unwrapping of
an ancient South American mummy, to families
doing the chicken dance on top of Strohaus dinner
tables (now the Foundry).
The walking tour participants even got a peek
at the “secret underground dressing rooms”
underneath the Tennessee Amphitheater, where
the singing group Up With People performed
daily during the six months of the World’s Fair.
Wednesday: Competitive Rodeo, Impressive
Exhibit Hall Opening, YP Event at TopGolf
On Wednesday, the former World’s Fair offices
and parking lots on Blackstock Avenue were the
scene of the Annual Equipment Rodeo, where
competitors from across the state demonstrated
their skills on various pieces of equipment,
from an automated refuse truck to a skid steer.
Knoxville provided a few non-traditional activities
6 TPW January/February 2023