Scenic Roots

On this week's "Scenic Roots:  Live In The Library," Richard Winham presents an encore performance from Abraham James - a singer/songwriter from Canton, Ohio - recorded downtown at The Chattanooga Public Library.

(Kingship Chess Academy / Facebook / February 2020) Last year, Anthony Gladden founded Kingship Chess Academy - teaching kids eager to learn chess here in Chattanooga and Hamilton County. He recently told me while the pandemic does present its challenges in teaching chess, it isn’t slowing him down one bit.    

(green|spaces) green|spaces here in Chattanooga has reimagined its Eco Field Day and moved it online - with a week of virtual challenges starting on Wednesday called Eco Field Day @ Home. Kelley Cureton is with green|spaces - and Kathryn Robinson is with Tennessee American Water, one of the event sponsors.    

(La Paz Chattanooga) This year’s Taquiza Taco Festival in Chattanooga will be a virtual tour to rally support for Latino small business owners. The tour starts on Monday and runs through next Friday. Lily Sanchez is with La Paz Chattanooga.

Kate Kronenberg loves houseplants - lots and lots of houseplants. On Saturday, she’s teaching an online course for The Chattery - “Introduction to Plant Parenthood” - starting at 10 AM.

Our own Richard Winham speaks with Ben VanderHardt of Yellow Racket Records here in Chattanooga, which calls itself a "touch-and-feel record store for vinyl and music lovers."

As this country’s legacy on race remains at the forefront of public debate, one recurring theme is who we remember - and how we remember them. That’s part of what I heard this week in a discussion that included two scholars on our campus, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Chandra Ward is assistant professor of sociology here at UTC - and Jonathan McNair is the Ruth S. Holmberg Professor...

A panel discussion on "good trouble" for racial justice. Vinyl gets its groove back at Yellow Racket Records. Taquiza online, Eco Field Day reimagined - and more. These voices - and more - on this edition of "Scenic Roots."

In the first of a two-part conversation, Richard Winham speaks with Colin Woodard, author of "Union: The Struggle to Forge the Story of United States Nationhood."

(Bessie Smith Cultural Center) Twice a week online, the Bessie Smith Cultural Center here in Chattanooga features community members reading children’s books - to spur dialogue on race relations. The digital series is called “Bessie’s Front Porch” - and yesterday, attorney Ariel Anthony read “Of Thee I Sing:  A Letter to My Daughters." Watch the entire readings from “Bessie’s Front Porch” on the Fa...

(Hamilton County Health Department) Here in Hamilton County, the coronavirus pandemic has hit certain communities the hardest. A recent story by Wyatt Massey in The Chattanooga Times Free Press shares the numbers. Hispanic residents represent 6 percent of the county’s population, but around half of all confirmed cases - and a third of all local deaths. Black residents represent 19 percent of the c...

Cempa's LaDarius Price on fighting COVID-19's disparities. An excerpt from "Of Thee I Sing" from "Bessie's Front Porch." Talking Writing:  Colin Woodard, author of "Union." These voices - and more - on this edition of "Scenic Roots."

Richard Winham presents guitarist Nathan Bell, performing in the garden behind Barking Legs Theater in Chattanooga.

(The National Medal of Honor Heritage Center) If you’re into military history - and into podcasts - maybe you’ve heard of “ValorCast": a recent podcast series from The Charles H. Coolidge National Medal of Honor Heritage Center in downtown Chattanooga. Written and produced by Brad Carpenter, the series tells the story of Medal of Honor recipients in their own words - and exemplifies core traits of...

Keith Hardison of the National Medal of Honor Heritage Center. Barking Legs Theater:  Guitarist Nathan Bell - from the garden. These voices - and more - on this edition of "Scenic Roots."

(StoryCorps / WUTC) Today on Tennessee Valley StoryCorps, John Eldridge talks to his father Robert Eldridge. Tennessee Valley StoryCorps brings you conversations from people who went to the StoryCorps recording booth in Chattanooga's Miller Park in the spring of 2019. You can subscribe to the Tennessee Valley StoryCorps podcast on iTunes or Google Podcasts and never miss an episode. This series is...

(Shane Hennessy) Richard Winham presents a sampling of Shane Hennessy, the Irish guitar virtuoso who performed this month via livestream for the Isis Music Hall's Mountain Spirit Acoustic Series in Asheville, North Carolina.

(Outdoor Chattanooga) Between the heat and the pandemic, people who want to enjoy the outdoors have plenty of questions on what they can do. Sunshine Loveless is with Outdoor Chattanooga.

(ArtsBuild) ArtsBuild here in Chattanooga is helping artists in our area who have lost work during the pandemic in more ways than one.   James McKissic is president of ArtsBuild.

Musicians in the Chattanooga area who have lost work due to the coronavirus pandemic can now turn to a relief fund created to help them. Stratton Tingle is executive director of SoundCorps - and Martha Summa-Chadwick is executive director of Music Therapy Gateway in Communications.

Stratton Tingle & Martha Summa-Chadwick on relief for musicians. ArtsBuild's James McKissic on how the arts shine through resilience. Mountain Spirit Acoustic Series:  Guitar virtuoso Shane Hennessy. These voices - and more - on this edition of "Scenic Roots."

(No Moniker / Facebook) Richard Winham presents an encore performance by No Moniker - a trio from Richmond, Virginia - recorded earlier this year downtown at The Chattanooga Public Library.

(Erlanger Health System) A few months ago, as the impact of COVID-19 began to reach Chattanooga and the Tennessee Valley, we heard from Dr. Mukta Panda. She is a professor and assistant dean for wellbeing and medical student education at the University of Tennessee College of Medicine at Chattanooga. Her recent book is “Resilient Threads:  Weaving Joy and Meaning Into Well-Being.”   I spoke with h...

(Moving Through Life) Melissa Meade is a mental health counselor who specializes in what is known as dance / movement therapy. Her practice on Dayton Boulevard in Chattanooga is called Moving Through Life. The other dance / movement therapist in this area is Lauren Higgins, who opened a coaching practice to help people with eating disorders.

In the heart of East Chattanooga, Purpose Point Community Health is a new clinic that will serve uninsured patients as an all-inclusive center for health and wellness. The executive director is Katherlyn Geter, who is also a Hamilton County Commissioner.