Scenic Roots

A past Pops on the River in downtown Chattanooga. (Matt Harbison Photography) Here in the Chattanooga area, a few free celebrations for the Fourth of July will be in full swing the evening before. On Wednesday, Pops on the River - which was not held last year because of a lack of funding - returns to downtown Chattanooga, starting at 4:30 PM in Coolidge Park with patriotic music and fireworks for...

For this Fourth, Pops on the River returns to Chattanooga. In Collegedale, fireworks and music at the Freedom Festival. Zest, a cooking app startup in a city geared for the foodies. These voices - and more - on this edition of “Scenic Roots.”

The Tennessee State Capitol in Nashville - with the Think Tennessee logo. (The Tennessee State Capitol in Nashville - with the Think Tennessee logo.) Here in Tennessee, Tuesday is the deadline to register to vote for next month’s elections on this year’s calendar. On the ballot for Tuesday, August 1st - with early voting starting on Friday, July 12th: Primary elections for the U.S. Senate, the U.S...

(Signal Mountain Playhouse) “Seventy-six trombones led the big parade With a hundred and ten coronets close at hand…” “The Music Man” is this summer's production at Signal Mountain Playhouse. Our own Richard Winham spoke with the lead actors. (Signal Mountain Playhouse)

Dr. Diane Gendron (Tennessee Aquarium) Dr. Diane Gendron is a marine biologist known as the “blue whale whisperer.” She has spent more than three decades studying the marine mammals in Mexico’s Gulf of California - and she created the world’s most comprehensive database of blue whales, the largest animals known to have ever existed on Earth. Dr. Gendron - who is based at the Centro Interdisciplina...

Words of a blue whisperer: Marine biologist Dr. Diane Gendron. “The Music Man” marches on at Signal Mountain Playhouse. These voices - and more - on this edition of “Scenic Roots.”

A tulip poplar planted as part of the project. (NOOGAtoday) How can Chattanooga add to its tree canopy - the part of the city shaded by trees? One answer comes from the Rotary Tree Towns project - thanks in part to research here on our campus: the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Haley Bartlett and Kristen Templeton are with NOOGAtoday.

The National Black Market at First Horizon Pavilion in Chattanooga in 2023. (National Black Market) For Black-owned businesses and entrepreneurs, the place to be here in Chattanooga is the National Black Market. Based in Nashville, the Market returns to this city for the second year in a row - starting with a mixer on Friday from 6 PM to 8 PM at the Bessie Smith Cultural Center, and then its main...

Matt Williams (Matt Williams / Matt Williams) Matt Williams made his name in television with sitcoms that vaulted its stars from stand-up into household names in the 1980’s and 1990’s. He’s best known as the creator and executive producer of “Roseanne” with Roseanne Barr and “Home Improvement” with Tim Allen. These days, his multimedia project “Glimpses” - including a book, an audiobook and a podc...

Listening for - and living in - “Glimpses” with Matt Williams. Empowering entrepreneurs at the National Black Market. NOOGAtoday: A community project to grow urban tree canopy. These voices - and more - on this edition of “Scenic Roots.”

(Hamilton County Schools) Will the Hamilton County Commission give schools the budget they’re asking for? Last week, the school board passed a 674 million dollar budget - and on Wednesday, the county commission will decide whether or not to fund that request in full. The story from William Newlin of Chattamatters. _____ Chattamatters is a civic storytelling project of The Enterprise Center, create...

Van Earl Wright with Alison Lebovitz. (WTCI PBS) If you’re a longtime sports fan, you’re probably familiar with Van Earl Wright’s larger-than-life presence on the air. With a broadcasting career spanning more than three decades, he has shared his infectious fandom spirit with audiences on CNN, Fox Sports Net and local stations across the country. His name, his voice, his catchphrases full of South...

Students at the Wauhatchie School. (Wauhatchie School) At the foot of Lookout Mountain, there is a school where nature is the classroom. The Wauhatchie School is known as a “forest school” that offers an immersive education in the outdoors for preschool, kindergarten, first grade and home school students - to spur learning and connect with nature. Students at the Wauhatchie School. (Wauhatchie Sch...

At a CO.STARTERS bootcamp from The Company Lab in Dayton, TN last year. (The Company Lab) How can tools of innovation available to cities such as Chattanooga help small businesses in communities across the Tennessee Valley? Rural entrepreneurship was one of the many topics at this year’s CO.MOBILITY Summit, presented last month by The Company Lab here on our campus - the University of Tennessee at...

Innovation tools for rural entrepreneurs in the Tennessee Valley. Learning in the outdoors: Educators of The Wauhatchie School. These voices - and more - on this edition of “Scenic Roots.”

Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly - at the AI Expo for National Competitiveness in Washington, DC in May 2024. (City of Chattanooga) On Thursday afternoon, live here on WUTC, Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly joined us for our latest monthly conversation. Among the topics: the just-approved city budget; affordable housing; CARTA; train crossing warning systems; WalletHub; 423 Chain Breakers - and more.

Alex Paul Loza (Alex Paul Loza) Alex Paul Loza has garnered the attention of art enthusiasts around the world with his impressive sculptures, murals and portraits - and people here in the Chattanooga area can see his work in public spaces throughout our community. He has sculpted a wide range of figures - from Thaddeus Stevens, the “Father of the 14th Amendment” to local icons such as Bessie Smith...

The Clarence T. Jones Observatory (UTC) To mark this year’s summer solstice, the Clarence T. Jones Observatory - part of our campus, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga - is opening its doors for a free public seminar this week. The seminar at the Art Deco-style observatory - designed by Jones and built in 1938 - is Thursday from 10 AM to Noon at 10 N. Tuxedo Drive. Parking is available beh...

A view of Chattanooga’s Civic Center District. (Chattanooga Design Studio) Look at downtown Chattanooga on a map, and there are so many projects - real and potential, public and private - that will reshape the heart of that map for years to come. How will these moving parts on the map fit together? The nonprofit Chattanooga Design Studio is launching a six-month process - with consultant partners...

On the map: Planning for Chattanooga’s Civic Center District. Summer solstice learning in the sky at UTC’s Jones Observatory. These voices - and more - on this edition of “Scenic Roots.”

(Make Music Chattanooga) This week, Make Music Day Chattanooga is back. The citywide music festival set for this Friday, June 21st - the longest day of the year - is part of a global celebration of learning and creating music open to people of all ages and skill levels through free, in-person events. Dawn Hjelseth is with River City Company. Carlous Drake is the owner of Upper Room Studios. (Make...

RISE Chattanooga (RISE Chattanooga) In East Chattanooga, a gathering on Juneteenth will feature workshops and performances in the Afro-Brazilian arts: Capoeira and Maculelê. The free cultural event from the nonprofit Art to Empower takes place Wednesday from 11 AM to 4 PM at RISE Chattanooga, 2901 Taylor St. I spoke with Aaron “Cherokee” Ellison - Coach Cherokee - of Art to Empower, and Chris Hein...

The Bessie Smith Cultural Center Juneteenth is a celebration of freedom: the emancipation of enslaved African-Americans after the end of the Civil War. In downtown Chattanooga, one of the celebrations for this year’s holiday on Wednesday will be at the Bessie Smith Cultural Center - 200 E. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. - from 11 AM to 6 PM. Elijah Cameron is with the Bessie. _____ Also on Wednesda...

At the Bessie, a celebration of freedom for this Juneteenth. Juneteenth with an Afro-Brazilian flair at RISE Chattanooga. Every note counts: Make Music Day Chattanooga returns. These voices - and more - on this edition of “Scenic Roots.”

(The True Athlete Project) How do you build a more compassionate world through sport? That's the goal of the True Athlete Project, a nonprofit in this country and Britain that relies on a mindfulness approach to spur better mental health and wellbeing. On Sunday, the Project hosts a free public workshop at Jefferson Park from 10 AM to 2 PM. Neil Place is with the Project here in Chattanooga. (The...