Scenic Roots

A community circle. (Chattanooga Community Circles) As we hear and as we open up about challenges to mental health, we encounter opportunities to learn and to heal together. That’s the goal of Chattanooga Community Circles Day, a free community event on Saturday, August 16th from Noon to 4 PM at the downtown Chattanooga Public Library. Antionette Rollins is the Day’s organizer.

Outside Barking Legs Theater. (Barking Legs Theater) At Barking Legs Theater here in Chattanooga, the performances are known for spilling the tea. This weekend, a fashion dance showcase at Barking Legs - on Saturday and Sunday at 5 PM - will unpack the movement and the moment. It’s a collaboration between Chery Jordan and her Runway Rebels with Ann Law of Barking Legs and Coach Cherokee. I spoke w...

Swayyvo (Swayyvo) From hip hop and R&B to jazz and neo-soul, from his vocals to the saxophone to the piano, Swayyvo is an artist here in Chattanooga who - as a musician and a producer - breaks barriers across genres. This weekend, he’s the local opening act for Riverfront Nights - the free concert series presented by Tennessee Valley Federal Credit Union - this Saturday starting at 6 PM at Ros...

Swayyvo in Summer: Next at Riverfront Nights in Chattanooga. Where movement meets moment at Barking Legs Theater. For mental wellness: Chattanooga Community Circles Day. As you’ll hear - and more - on this episode of “Scenic Roots.”

Dwight Birdwell (National Medal of Honor Museum - Arlington, TX) In 2022, Dwight Birdwell received the Medal of Honor - this nation’s highest military award for valor - for his actions as a U.S. Army soldier in the Tet Offensive during the Vietnam War nearly six decades ago. A citizen of the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma, Birdwell is one of only five Cherokee Medal of Honor recipients. On Saturday,...

In the ring at Eastside Elementary School. (WTCI PBS) In Dalton, teachers at Eastside Elementary School step into the wrestling ring with costumes, dramatic entrances and death-defying moves for a one-of-a-kind fundraiser to boost school spirit and encourage student engagement. The annual event brings together parents, students and staff together to celebrate community and learning. Beyond the ent...

Robert Busby (Emily Maggio) More than thirty years ago, a severe ice storm struck the Southeast. That real-life event in 1994 is the springboard for a collection of stories about a fictional town in Mississippi hit by the storm. Robert Busby, a Mississippi native who now lives in Memphis, is the author of “Bodock: Stories,” published by Hub City Press. (Hub City Press)

Tales of a Mississippi town in Robert Busby’s “Bodock: Stories.” An exhibit on a Cherokee recipient of the Medal of Honor. As you’ll hear - and more - on this episode of “Scenic Roots.”

(Riverfront Nights) Chattanooga is a crossroads for locally grown music across genres. Artists and bands bend and blend those genres along the way in their own way. One example is Le Gato, a funk-rock group with roots in jazz, progressive rock and jam music. This weekend, the band opens Riverfront Nights - presented by Tennessee Valley Federal Credit Union - on Saturday starting at 6 PM at Ross’ L...

“Let Me In” - an oil on canvas by Jules Jackson, one of the pieces in the “Illustrating a Point” exhibition at Stove Works. (Stove Works) In contemporary art, comics, cartoons and illustrations can express what other creative forms may struggle to convey. That’s the focus of “Illustrating a Point” - an exhibit at Stove Works here in Chattanooga, opening Friday with a reception starting at 6 PM. Ma...

(SPLASH Youth Arts Workshop) Here in Chattanooga, SPLASH Youth Arts Workshop provides free arts workshops year-round for youth in this city’s underserved communities. On Saturday, August 16th, SPLASH’s Summer Arts Festival - a free, family-friendly event outdoors - returns to Miller Park, from 10 AM to 3 PM. I spoke with Charlie Newton, who co-founded SPLASH with his wife and fellow artist Iantha.

Neshawn Calloway as Bessie Smith. (Chattanooga Festivals of Black Arts & Ideas) What began seven years ago as a one-day festival to commemorate Juneteenth here in Chattanooga - at the time, the only event of its kind in this city - is now a year-long series of festivals that celebrates the Black experience across the arts. The series begins Friday with the Black Wall Street RBG Ball, start...

A year of celebration for Black arts and ideas in Chattanooga. “Illustrating a Point” through cartoons & comics at Stove Works. Le Gato: Next at Riverfront Nights in downtown Chattanooga. As you’ll hear - and more - on this episode of “Scenic Roots.”

A yoga practice overlooking the Tennessee River in downtown Chattanooga. (Chattanooga Community Yoga) If you’ve ever seen free yoga classes at the Chattanooga River Market on the Tennessee Aquarium Plaza, the instructors come from across the city. Mellie DeAnna Harris, Loren Clifford and Ashley Snider are three of the practicing yogis with the Chattanooga Community Yoga, which hosts its next class...

Ken Jones (EPB) Ken Jones has worked at EPB here in Chattanooga for nearly twenty-five years - and recently, he was promoted to Senior Director of Business Services. Here on our campus - the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga - he’s earned an MBA and a degree in entrepreneurship, taught as an adjunct professor, served as president of the Chattanooga chapter of the UTC Alumni Board, and joined...

(ArtsBuild) As the nonprofit that supports the arts here in Chattanooga and Hamilton County, ArtsBuild is now helping artists in three ways beyond the Periscope program. Melissa Astin is with ArtsBuild. (ArtsBuild)

The Arts Building in downtown Chattanooga. (The Enterprise Center) Periscope is a business development program at ArtsBuild that connects artists with entrepreneurs in the Chattanooga area. Now in its third year, applications for a new cohort of artists are due by this Friday, August 1st. Brianna Jones manages the Periscope program at ArtsBuild, the nonprofit that supports the arts here in Chattan...

(ArtsBuild) For the performing arts, dedicated spaces can be a challenge. Early this year, ArtsBuild - the nonprofit that supports the arts here in Chattanooga and Hamilton County - announced a comprehensive feasibility study to assess the need for a community performing arts center. Six months into the study, what have we learned so far? Blake Harris - a local theatre director, professor and entr...

Quantifying the need for a performing arts space in Chattanooga. In downtown Chattanooga, flow by the river at community yoga. As you’ll hear - and more - on this episode of “Scenic Roots.”

At the landfill owned by the City of Chattanooga. (Chattamatters) You might think city garbage trucks here in Chattanooga haul the city’s trash to the city-owned landfill. But right now, there’s more to it than that - as William Newlin of Chattamatters tells us.

Tony Hale & Alison Lebovitz (WTCI PBS) Tony Hale has played some of the most beloved comedic characters on television. Think of Gary Walsh on “Veep” - or Buster Bluth on “Arrested Development.” You can also hear him in animated hits such as “Toy Story 4” and “Inside Out 2.” Tony Hale sat down at his alma mater - Samford University in Birmingham - for a conversation for the season finale of...

Paula Irwin (YMCA of Metropolitan Chattanooga) Last year, the James A. Henry Community YMCA prepared, packaged and delivered 300,000 free healthy meals to kids in the Chattanooga area. Last month, it provided 90,000 meals - higher than in previous summers. On Thursday, the YMCA hosts a Summer Open House at its renovated facility at 3500 Dodds Avenue. Paula Irwin is executive director of the J.A. H...

Beka Bohannon (Hamilton County Mayor’s Office) Beka Bohannon is a licensed mental health therapist who went to work for Hamilton County Government four years ago. Since then, she has helped to shape the county’s response to the opioid crisis and leading its recovery courts. Now, Beka is days into her new job as Administrator for the County’s Health and Social Services Division under Hamilton Count...

Taking the lead on health in Hamilton County Government. Feeding kids at Chattanooga’s J.A. Henry Community YMCA. As you’ll hear - and more - on this episode of “Scenic Roots.”

The Essentials (The Essentials / Riverfront Nights) This weekend, The Essentials are the local opener at Riverfront Nights - Saturday, starting at 6 PM, at Ross’ Landing in downtown Chattanooga. John Gianella is the lead guitarist and vocalist for The Essentials. Sammi Moore is the group’s lead singer. Sammi Moore and John Gianella at WUTC. (Ray Bassett / WUTC)