LOCAL NEWS

WSCC holds Speed Horse Show The Walters State Ag Club’s Speed Horse Show will be held March 17 and 18 at the Walters State Great Smoky Mountains Expo Center in White Pine. The show is the finale of the club’s Winter Horse Series 2006.Recent shows have drawn over 700 entries and awarded almost $8,000 in cash prizes.On Friday, gates open at 5 p.m. and runs begin at 6 p.m. Exhibition runs are $4 per run. Runs sanctioned by the National Barrel Horse Association begin at 9 p.m. Sanctioned runs are $10 with a 70 percent payback. On Saturday gates open at 10 a.m. and runs begin at 11 a.m. Events include various youth and open competitions in barrels and poles. Stalls are available for $25 or $15 for Saturday only. Admission to the Speed Horse Show is $3 for ages 12 and up. Children under 12 will be admitted free. All proceeds benefit the Ag Club’s scholarship fund. Russian Ballet to perform “Swan Lake” at UT The University of Tennessee’s Cultural Attractions Committee will host the Russian National Ballet Theatre March 7-8. The troupe will present their production of Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake” at 8 p.m. both nights at the Clarence Brown Theater on UT’s campus.The company has toured throughout Europe, Asia and the United States and is comprised of 55 internationally recognized dancers. Founded in 1999 by ballet masters Vladimir Moiseev and Evgeny Amosov with aid from the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, the company presents interpretations of both classical and modern dance. Tickets for the performances are $5 for students, $15 for faculty and staff and $20 for the general public. Tickets can be purchased through the UT ticket office or Tickets Unlimited at 865-656-4444 or www.knoxvilletickets.com. UT conference to market new technologies Local businesspeople and entrepreneurs can get tips on marketing their new technologies at a conference hosted by the University of Tennessee on Thursday, March 2.“Innovation Through Integration: Creating Sustainable Competitive Advantage By Linking Business & Engineering,” will be held from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Knoxville Hilton, 501 W. Church Ave. The event is a joint effort of UT’s College of Business Administration and College of Engineering.“Business professionals and engineers must know how to communicate with one another to invigorate industrial development. This conference, appropriate for both technical and business professionals, will encourage dialog within every organization,” said Ken Kahn, UT associate professor of marketing and conference coordinator.The conference will feature speakers and company case studies presented by HCA Healthcare, Seagate Technologies, FedEx, Northwestern University and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The Product Development and Management Association also will present its recent study results on new product development best practices.Local economic development officials say UT’s effort in nurturing entrepreneurs is vital to creating new industry in the area.Complete conference details are available at http://www.engr.utk.edu/npd/