Scenic Roots

(River City Company) In a few weeks, Rock the Riverfront returns to Chattanooga Green. Starting Thursday, March 14th through Sunday, April 14th, the Green will once again be filled with interactive art, music, entertainment and more for the community. Dawn Hjelseth is with River City Company. Loop by Ekumen, in Quebec in 2021 - this year’s interactive art installation for Rock the Riverfront on Ch...

Cast members from “9 to 5: The Musical” from UTC Theatre Co. (UTC Theatre Co.) First came the movie and the song - and then, the musical. “9 to 5: The Musical” - with music and lyrics by East Tennessee’s own Dolly Parton, who co-starred in the movie - comes this week to our campus, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. The musical - presented by the students of UTC Theatre Co. - opens Tuesda...

(UTC Communication Department) Photo Night is an annual showcase for photography - from professionals and students - here on our campus, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. This year’s showcase - presented by UTC’s Department of Communication - is Wednesday, March 6th in the Roland Hayes Concert Hall in the Fine Arts Center: a reception begins at 5:30 PM and the program starts at 6 PM. Bil...

This year’s Photo Night - back on our campus here at UTC. “9 to 5: The Musical” takes the stage at UTC Theatre Co. Shaping up for Rock the Riverfront on Chattanooga Green. These voices - and more - on this edition of “Scenic Roots.”

(Artistic Civic Theatre) When Steve Martin and Edie Brickell collaborated on a bluegrass album more than a decade ago, not only did the title song - “Love Has Come For You” - earn a Grammy, but their work inspired a musical: “Bright Star.” On Wednesday, March 14th, “Bright Star” premieres at Artistic Civic Theatre in Dalton. Kate Phinney is ACT’s managing director. Heather Burton is the director o...

(ChaTech Council) Women are the majority of the population here in Chattanooga - but less than a quarter of the city’s IT workforce. On Saturday, the Chattanooga Technology Council - or ChaTech - hosts this year’s “STEM for Her,” starting at 8 AM at the Gerald McCormick Center at Chattanooga State Community College. The day of interactive activities and hands-on experiences for 6th to 12th grade f...

The Children’s Nutrition Program of Haiti treating patients in Ville De Léogane, Haiti in 2023. (CNP Haiti) For years, the Children’s Nutrition Program of Haiti - a nonprofit here in Chattanooga and the Tennessee Valley - has helped women and families to break the cycle of malnutrition in a remote and mountainous area of southern Haiti. The staff on the ground - in the Leogane region - is 97 perce...

For a Chattanooga nonprofit, the work for children in Haiti. Gateways for future women in tech at this year’s “STEM for Her.” Shine the Light: “Bright Star” at Artistic Civic Theatre in Dalton. These voices - and more - on this edition of “Scenic Roots.”

(NPR) NPR’s Student Podcast Challenge is now in its sixth year - expanding to include a fourth-grade contest. This year’s challenge for students in grades four through twelve - introducing them to the world of audio storytelling and public radio - opened for entries a few weeks ago, with May 3rd as the deadline for entries. Steve Drummond and Janet Woojeong Lee are with NPR’s education team.

(Creative Commons) Two state laws here in Tennessee give citizens the right to know all of the official business done by their elected leaders. State sunshine laws aim to increase transparency and protect officials from being excluded by their colleagues. The only catch: lawmakers at the state level are exempt from one of those laws. Here’s William Newlin of Chattamatters on open meetings and open...

Kimmie J. Soul, center front - and the African Kings and Queens of Classical Soul. (Kimmie J. Soul) Last year, musical royalty graced the Hunter Museum of American Art here in Chattanooga. This weekend, Kimmie J. Soul and the African Kings and Queens of Classical Soul will perform again - on Saturday, starting at 7 PM, at First Baptist Church in Chattanooga.

Shawanda Mason and Jennifer Holder (The Chattery) Soon after I arrived here in Chattanooga nearly five years ago, I heard about The Chattery. The nonprofit learning collective – women-founded and Black-led - offers fun, affordable and accessible learning and art experiences for adults, cultivating learners and teachers one event at a time. Shawanda Mason and Jennifer Holder are the founders of The...

Ten years - and counting - of learning and fun at The Chattery. Kimmie J. Soul - on The African Kings and Queens of Classical Soul. Chattamatters: Sunshine Laws; NPR’s Student Podcast Challenge. These voices - and more - on this edition of “Scenic Roots.”

(Reflection Riding Arboretum and Nature Center) Nature at night is quite a sight by firelight and starlight. This Saturday, starting at 5 PM, Reflection Riding Arboretum and Nature Center here in Chattanooga will host “Follow the Fire”: a chance for all ages to explore, experience and enjoy the outdoors at night. Mark McKnight is president and CEO of Reflection Riding. Tish Gailmard is learning an...

Dr. Russell Sobel (The Citadel) Ever heard of “creative destruction”? The economist Joseph Schumpeter popularized the phrase a century ago - and there’s more to it than meets the headlines. Just ask Dr. Russell Sobel, Professor of Economics and Entrepreneurship at The Citadel in South Carolina. On Thursday, he will talk here in Chattanooga about “Creative Destruction, Entrepreneurship and Discover...

(Northside Neighborhood House) For people in need in Chattanooga and Hamilton County north of the Tennessee River, Northside Neighborhood House has provided a helping hand for a century now. The nonprofit - which offers “a hand up, not a handout” through services such as rent and utility assistance, classes and schools, a food pantry, a thrift store and a coffee shop - turned 100 on Valentine’s Da...

(America 250) It’s a word that comes around every 250 years - and just a few years from now, it will come for a celebration from sea to shining sea. July 4th, 2026 will be the 250th anniversary - or the semiquincentennial - of the ratification of the Declaration of Independence, the birth of the United States of America. America 250 is a nonpartisan initiative to engage people to celebrate the ann...

Get ready for America 250 in Chattanooga & Hamilton County. A century of a helping hand: Northside Neighborhood House. “Creative destruction” unpacked - and, “Follow the Fire.” These voices - and more - on this edition of “Scenic Roots.”

Gil Penalosa (8 80 Cities) This month, we have shared with you parts of a conversation with Gil Penalosa - coming this week to Chattanooga. Gil sees the potential of parks and streets as great public spaces - and his work in urban design has harnessed that potential into reality in city after city around the world. In Bogotá, Colombia, he led the design and construction of more than 200 parks - al...

Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly - at a discussion with The Company Lab in February 2024. (City of Chattanooga) (Aired Thu 2/15/24) On Thursday afternoon, live here on WUTC, Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly joined us for our latest conversation. Among the topics: financing for a new multi-purpose stadium for the Chattanooga Lookouts in the South Broad District; the first-ever citizen-led parks and outdoors...

(Signal Mountain Playhouse) On Signal Mountain, a sweet spot comedy for this winter and the Valentine’s Day season - as our own Richard Winham tells us. (Signal Mountain Playhouse)

Reid Dunavant (PBS) Reid Dunavant is from Tennessee - and you might recognize him as an appraiser on PBS’s “Antiques Roadshow,” aired locally by our public media partner WTCI PBS. He has more than twenty-five years of experience in the auction industry - and these days, he’s with Doyle, an auction and appraisal company based in New York. This weekend, Reid will appear at the 50th Annual Antiques S...

Illustration of Ben Van Winkle and the Figment (Tyler Johnston) Music in the moment is music for the moment. This Saturday, singer and cellist Ben Van Winkle - and his group of instrumentalists known as The Figment - will perform at the Walker Theatre in downtown Chattanooga, joined by musicians of the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera. Doors open at 6:30 PM - concert begins at 7:30 PM. I spoke with...

Ben Van Winkle and the Figment - on stage with the CSO. Reid Dunavant talks antiques - and the Houston Museum. From Signal Mountain Playhouse: “The Hallelujah Girls.” These voices - and more - on this edition of “Scenic Roots.”

Dr. Edwin Murillo (UTC) Existentialism is a movement in philosophy and literature that grapples with questions of what it means for we as individuals to exist. It gained prominence in Europe after World War II - but its questions are as timeless as human nature. Examples of the movement abound around the world - including Latin America. Dr. Edwin Murillo is associate professor in modern and classi...