I am just waiting for Allen Funt to come around the corner. I thought this was a joke when I saw the headline. This is, without a doubt, the dumbest, chinziest idea I have ever heard. An electric light show accompanied by music every fifteen minutes?!? It would ruin Knoxville! What is even more distressing is the generally positive response it is getting in comment sections. Am I losing my mind here?

No. No. No.

I haven't decided what I think of the waterfall yet, but I like the vision of interesting entities along the waterfront connected by park like connections, instead of high rises that... "usually create a wall that physically and psychologically cuts off the waterfront."

I have mentioned before I would like to see an incline railcar up to Ft Dickerson and/or the other Civil War forts above the river.

I think a fully glass enclosed performance venue would be good that gives an energetic visual to the waterfront on a regular basis.

Access needs to be easy via boat, bike and foot

I hope there is a paddle craft lane for kayak, canoe, SUP on the south side of the river the length of the waterfront with numerous access points on the shore. I also think it should be a no wake zone for power boats.

10 Qualities of a Great Waterfront Destination

Everyone seems to be working to make Knoxville great again. Heh.

Is this like the rodeo idea? It's not April 1.

Bagwell estimated the waterfall project would cost a “few million dollars.” When asked if he would give money toward the project, Bagwell said he has spent money designing the idea and using a drone to capture aerial footage of the site. He has yet to submit the idea to the city.

I'm not sure if it is being proposed to have the music going most of the day in cycles of 15-30 minutes. I think music along the river on a fairly continuous basis would be annoying, especially if it is loud enough to be heard on the north side of the river.

Downtown Knoxville could eventually grow to be a theme park! The waterfall, music, lights, then add cool rides across the river along with a theme park area for more rides, fair food, etc.

Yeehaw!

get your Maiden of the Mist kayak's ready, the Pilot WaterFall is coming, they'll even tint the water and the river orange on game days, filter through some fresh coffer in front of the river for everyone to drink and get a free copy of the News Sentinel on Fridays.

Somebody needs to ask Victor Ashe what he thinks about a WaterFall on the South Knoxville Riverfront, he's a perceptive person.

I am not Victor Ashe but this is one of the dumbest ideas I have ever heard.

Looking at the KNS comments, it seems to be a big hit. Probably all RIVR Media employees.

My favorite comment suggested using solar power to pump the water up. I'm not an engineer, but I'm guessing it would take a lot more power than a huge solar array could produce.

On the other hand, you could use turbines in the waterfall to recapture some of the power. TVA does this at Racoon Mountain, so genius!

Part two?

Here we go again: "Let's make a DESTINATION ATTRACTION!" (Flashbacks to Worsham Watkins, Universe Knoxville, habititrails, etc.)

The cost to pump the water would run $6,000,0000 / year.

That's why all big waterfalls are natural.

But I have seen seen a show on the river many moons ago and enjoyed the setting. And as the WFP south lawn seems like a nonstarter, it'd be good to have a downtown option for outdoor music larger than the Square.

The waterfall? Ehh. Kudzu? Ehh.

If it is the falls, keep it away from the bridges. The support structures would not need the stress.

what's a few million more, the riverfront is all appearance over the substance of what is there anyway, Regal will be there (Regal is already here), new parking garage (parking garages are already there) student rental housing will be there (there's an abundance of student housing on that side of the river already)but the riverfront will look better, look a bit nicer and we'll all feel better about downtown Knoxville, regardless if any of the projects put any new people on a meaningful payroll or whether or not the public picks up the costs again, again, and again.

This is the dumbest thing I've heard since Earl Worsham wanted to put a dome over Market Square.

As long as we are looking to Pigeon Forge as a model for urban development, I have a few more ideas for attracting tourists to downtown knoxville:

- Turn KMA into a lazer tag arena
- Turn Market Square into a shifter kart track
- Turn Blount Mansion into "Billy Blount's Paranormal Paradise of Haunted Horrors"

I think there should be multiple entities along the south waterfront. Not just put all resources in a huge wide waterfall. Just too extreme.

When the economy dips again will the water get turned off and/or repairs not be done? then there is a big ugly eyesore there.

Maybe a much narrower tall waterfall that the Riverwalk will go in behind might be interesting.

Maybe he can set up a trust to provide maintenance funds.

How about a small Civil War museum along the waterfront with focused info about the Civil War forts overlooking the river.

How about a dynamic art section that changes every few months with local artists works

Rotating performance area. One week Market Square, the next week the waterfront. Music, movies, plays.

To me student apartments do not benefit Knoxville on the waterfront. Students are going to be in Knoxville anyway. Somewhere. The waterfront could be used to bring in folks from other places outside of Knox County to boost the economy. And a place for locals to be entertained.