Scenic Roots

(The Roost) Student storytellers here on our campus - the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga - create in more than one kind of media. The Roost is a filmmaking club for UTC students - and on Monday, April 22nd, it will host the Roosties: a film festival “by students for students,” starting at 7 PM in the University Center Auditorium. Lio Mercedes is president of The Roost - and Lili Ford and M...

The South Broad District today. (southbroad.info) The new multipurpose stadium for the Chattanooga Lookouts will be built within the U.S. Pipe / Wheland Foundry site between Broad Street and Interstate 24. The ballpark will stand on nine acres of the 120-acre site, now owned by Perimeter Properties. Last week, Andy Stone of Perimeter gave me a tour - and then, I spoke with him and Todd Morgan, exe...

Echoes of factories past in Chattanooga’s ballpark future. A flock of student films for this year’s Roosties at UTC. At Sculpture Fields, kites will fly for Sculptures in the Sky. These voices - and more - on this edition of “Scenic Roots.”

(SoundCorps) Each month, SoundCorps - the music nonprofit here in Chattanooga - showcases five locally-produced songs in “SoundBites,” which supports our own musicians. Stratton Tingle - executive director of SoundCorps - shares the latest SoundBites with us.

Karlee Ming Jamieson, left, as “Inbetween One” - and Maegan Whitlock as “Big One” - are two of the stars in Slawomir Mrozek’s “Out at Sea” from UTC Theatre Co. (UTC Theatre Co.) It’s an absurdist tale of survival - and democratic decision making. Think the story is ripped from today’s headlines? Guess again. It’s a play - “Out at Sea” - written in the early 1960’s by Slawomir Mrozek, a playwright...

(IRS) Filing taxes can be complicated to do yourself - or expensive if you use special software or an accountant. But now, there’s another option: Tennessee is one of twelve states that provides free software for easy tax preparation. The story from Ian-Alijah Bey of Chattamatters. _____ Chattamatters is a civic storytelling project at The Enterprise Center. For more stories, visit chattamatters.c...

Sammy L. Davis at the Charles H. Coolidge National Medal of Honor Center in Chattanooga - in March 2024. (Kenny Turpen / MOHHC) Sammy L. Davis served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. In 1968, he received the Medal of Honor - this nation’s highest military award for valor - presented to him by President Lyndon B. Johnson at the White House. Ever seen the movie “Forrest Gump”? You might reco...

Stickers from the “Save the Bend” campaign at National Park Partners. (National Park Partners ) Nearly 40 years ago, Moccasin Bend was designated a National Historic Landmark - to date, the only one here in Hamilton County. In 2003, Federal legislation created the Moccasin Bend National Archeological District, adding the Bend to Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park. Fast forward to t...

A public forum on the Moccasin Bend Archeological District. In conversation: Sammy L. Davis and the Medal of Honor. UTC Theatre Co.’s “Out at Sea”; SoundBites from SoundCorps. These voices - and more - on this edition of “Scenic Roots.”

(Chattanooga Outdoor Festival) This weekend, a new festival for the outdoors debuts at the Choo Choo Gardens in downtown Chattanooga - on Saturday from Noon to 7 PM. Haley Bartlett, city editor for NOOGAtoday, spoke with the organizers.

Rachel Zatcoff, at front right - and David Tahere, at back left, are the cast for “The Last Five Years” by Theatrico at Barking Legs Theater. (Theatrico) Imagine two New Yorkers in their 20’s who fall in and out of love over five years. Set their story to music - with a narrative that twists time - and you have “The Last Five Years.” It’s the second production from Theatrico, a Chattanooga theatre...

Pleasant Garden Cemetery - at 306 Rowe Rd. in Chattanooga - in August 2023. (Pleasant Garden Cemetery) Pleasant Garden Cemetery here in Chattanooga is one of the oldest historically Black cemeteries in Tennessee. Opening in 1891, it is the final resting place for leading members of Chattanooga’s African-American community after Reconstruction and during Jim Crow segregation - as well as tragic fig...

A Chattanooga Neighborhood Enterprise unit at 1717 Union Avenue in the Highland Park neighborhood. (Chattanooga Neighborhood Enterprise) Last month, Chattanooga Neighborhood Enterprise held a grand opening for a new phase of an affordable housing development in the Highland Park neighborhood. For nearly forty years, the nonprofit has helped residents of this city purchase their first home - and ha...

Martina Guilfoil of Chattanooga Neighborhood Enterprise. “Hike Through History” at Pleasant Garden Cemetery. Theatrico’s “The Last Five Years” at Barking Legs Theater. These voices - and more - on this edition of “Scenic Roots.”

A worker at Southern Champion Tray in Chattanooga. (Southern Champion Tray) In this series, we explore the impact that workplace policies have on our local families and children - and how United Way of Greater Chattanooga is looking to close the gaps. For this episode, we talk about social connectedness with Wesley Odum, Director of Corporate Engagement at United Way of Greater Chattanooga - and J...

A work by Chattanooga printmaker Carrie Pendergrass, one of the artists at this year’s 4 Bridges Arts Festival. (4 Bridges Arts Festival) This time of year, Chattanooga offers a destination showcase for visual artists far and wide. More than 140 of those artists will be at this month’s 4 Bridges Arts Festival - presented by the Association for Visual Arts - at First Horizon Pavilion. The festival...

A sign for the Spring Chicken Art Market at ClearStory Arts in Chattanooga. (ClearStory Arts) ClearStory Arts here in Chattanooga is home to affordable studios for local artists, a gallery and a community workspace. This Saturday, it will hold its Spring Chicken Market, from 11 AM to 4 PM - at its location at 1673 Holtzclaw Avenue. I spoke with Temple Glascock. director of operations at ClearStory...

(Rhyme ‘N Chatt) Rhyme ‘N Chatt is a community of poets and spoken word artists that describes itself as “a poetic family … providing a safe place where poetry is shared and discussed, and the poet is valued.” Since 1999, the collective - full name, Rhyme ‘N Chatt Interactive Poetry Organization - hosts open mic sessions free for the public to participate and enjoy here in Chattanooga. To celebrat...

“Poetry & Punchlines” - celebrating 25 years of Rhyme ‘N Chatt. A Spring Chicken Market at ClearStory Arts in Chattanooga. This year’s 4 Bridges Arts Festival; United for Working Families. These voices - and more - on this edition of “Scenic Roots.”

Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp, delivering the State of the County 2024 Address at the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga. (Hamilton County Mayor’s Office) Last week, at the Tennessee Aquarium here in Chattanooga, Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp gave his State of the County 2024 address - which we bring you for this episode of “Scenic Roots.”

Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly - at a discussion with The Company Lab in February 2024. (City of Chattanooga) On Tuesday afternoon, Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly stopped by our studio here at WUTC for our monthly conversation. Among the topics: Federal funding for new community projects in the City of Chattanooga; the Chattanooga Airport; smart tech for connected mobility and better pedestrian safety;...

A few team members at Northside Neighborhood House, which celebrated its centennial in 2024. (Northside Neighborhood House) In this series, we explore the impact that workplace policies have on our local families and children - and how United Way of Greater Chattanooga is looking to close the gaps. For this episode, we talk about wellness with Jessica Pilcher, Director of United for Working Famili...

(Southern Adventist University) Creative works - such as paintings, poetry and music, for example - can convey timeless truths. That’s the heart of “Illuminate,” a new conference on the intersection of art and faith - set for Thursday, April 4th and Friday, April 5th - at Southern Adventist University in Collegedale. The presentations, performances, workshops and conversations at “Illuminate” will...

Residents within these areas of Chattanooga can request bulk trash pickup. (City of Chattanooga via NOOGAtoday) Starting next week, residents of Chattanooga will be able to use the city’s 311 service to schedule their bulk trash pickups. Kristen Templeton is senior city editor for NOOGAtoday.

Turning the page on an iconic piece of Chattanooga’s history. Where art and faith intersect - in a place meant to “Illuminate.” NOOGAtoday’s Kristen Templeton; United for Working Families. These voices - and more - on this edition of “Scenic Roots.”