Scenic Roots

For thirty years of Barking Legs, a Tina Turner dance tribute. China in the Caribbean: a talk here on our campus at UTC. These voices - and more - on this edition of “Scenic Roots.”

Tina Turner (Tina Turner / official Facebook page) She was born on the other end of Tennessee. Her talent took her around the world. Tina Turner - singer, songwriter, actress - died in May at age 83. This Saturday at 6 PM, RISE Chattanooga presents a Tina Turner tribute featuring Neshawn Calloway and The Sound Advice Band at its location, 2901 E. Taylor St.

A performance of the East Tennessee Symphony Orchestra. (The East Tennessee Symphony Orchestra) The East Tennessee Symphony Orchestra in Collegedale will perform near the end of this weekend’s Little Debbie Hamilton County Fair. On Sunday at 4:30 PM, the all-volunteer orchestra takes the stage at McDonald Farm in Sale Creek, ahead of the fireworks finale at sunset. Jeremy Francisco is music direct...

McDonald Farm in Sale Creek, TN. (McDonald Farm / Facebook) The Hamilton County Fair returns this weekend - for the first time at a new venue: McDonald Farm in Sale Creek. The Fair, presented by Little Debbie, runs Friday through Sunday at the Farm - with a special focus for Veterans Day weekend, including Wreaths Across Chattanooga. Mickey McCamish, retired U.S. Navy Captain, will be on stage for...

Honoring veterans at the Little Debbie Hamilton County Fair. Notes for the Fair at the East Tennessee Symphony Orchestra. A tribute to the Queen of Rock n’ Roll at RISE Chattanooga. These voices - and more - on this edition of “Scenic Roots.”

(LA Johnson / NPR) Three years ago, NPR announced its College Podcast Challenge . The first time around, it gave young people a voice during the pandemic, reaching NPR’s audience and beyond. Now, the contest is back - taking entries with a $5,000 grand prize scholarship, and more training materials and support than ever. Steve Drummond and Janet Woojeong Lee are with NPR’s education team.

(Chattanooga Symphony & Opera) What do an art museum, a listening room and a record store have in common here in Chattanooga? Next week, they will host “Classics Declassified,” a series of performances by the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera that stretches beyond its typical venues. The first performance: Wednesday, November 8th at the Houston Museum of Decorative Arts. The second: Thursday,...

The Silverdale Neighborhood Association in Chattanooga holds a meeting at Silverdale Cumberland Presbyterian Church. (City of Chattanooga Office of Neighborhood Services) At one time, there used to be 150 neighborhood associations across the City of Chattanooga. But because many groups were run by an aging demographic - and because of disruption due to the pandemic - only about 70 of those groups...

An aerial view of Crabtree Farms. (Google Earth) In the Clifton Hills neighborhood of Chattanooga, an urban farm took root twenty-five years ago. Today, Crabtree Farms is a place that cultivates food, learning and community - and this weekend, it celebrates that legacy, on Saturday starting at 3 PM. Meghan Lewis is with Crabtree Farms. Baby plantlets, soaking up the sun, at Crabtree Farms. (Crabtr...

A map of ArtsBuild’s programs and funding in Chattanooga and Hamilton County in 2023. (ArtsBuild) How much do arts and culture nonprofits power the economy here in the Greater Chattanooga area? Quite a lot - and in more ways than one - according to Arts and Economic Prosperity 6, a recently released study by Americans for the Arts. James McKissic is president of the nonprofit ArtsBuild, serving Ch...

Arts + culture = economic prosperity for the Chattanooga area. Digging a celebration: Crabtree Farms of Chattanooga turns 25. “Classics Declassified” From Chattanooga Symphony & Opera. These voices - and more - on this edition of “Scenic Roots.”

(TEDxChattanooga) The past few years, TEDxChattanooga has presented talks by community speakers, independently organized under the TED program’s global initiative of “ideas worth spreading.” This year, the flagship event for TEDxChattanooga is Wednesday, November 15th at Barrelhouse Ballroom. Maggie Carruth O’Connor is lead producer of TEDxChattanooga. Hudson Brock, one of the speakers for TEDxCha...

The puppet head of Nancy Ward, a political leader among Cherokee - featured in “History Funhouse: The Wayne-O-Rama Story” at the downtown Chattanooga Public Library. (Jennifer Crutchfield) Over the summer, an exhibition about an exhibition opened at the downtown Chattanooga Public Library - and you can see it for yourself until the end of this year. “History Funhouse: The Wayne-O-Rama Story” featu...

Barking Legs Theater (Barking Legs Theater) The show must go on - and for the past thirty years, it has at Barking Legs Theater on Dodds Avenue here in Chattanooga. From the start, the concert hall has opened its doors to performing artists - in particular, those from marginalized communities - here in the Southeast and beyond. This month, Barking Legs is celebrating its 30th anniversary with a ka...

Ann Law & Marcus Ellsworth on 30 years of Barking Legs Theater. History Funhouse Backstories: Bob Stagner on “Wayne-O-Rama.” “Awaken” for this year’s flagship talks at TEDxChattanooga. These voices - and more - on this edition of “Scenic Roots.”

Skylan Sapere during her summer intensive in New York City this summer. (Chattanooga Ballet) Here in Chattanooga and Hamilton County, students in dance, music and theater have the chance to learn and grow thanks to scholarships and grants from the Performing Arts League. On Friday, November 17th, the nonprofit League - or PAL - holds its annual Hearts 4 the Arts, a luncheon and fashion show, at th...

A slice of biodiversity in the Thrive Region. (Dan Reynolds via Thrive Regional Partnership) In this corner of the Southeast - where Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama meet - you’ll find Thrive Regional Partnership. The nonprofit aims to cultivate what it calls “responsible and inspired growth” across 16 counties in the Greater Chattanooga region - in sectors from infrastructure, freight mobility and...

Chandra Christmas-Rouse (Sadiyya Ameena / MapLibs Project) For cities, urban design at its best is meant to put people first - and center them with a sense of place. However, sometimes the neat lines of a design - on the page or in the mind’s eye - stand in the way, because those lines miss how people and places live in practice. Chandra Christmas-Rouse is an urban planner, advocate and artist in...

At CIVIQ, Chandra Christmas-Rouse on “Designing Disruption." In Ringgold, Thrive Regional Partnership’s Tri-State Summit. This year’s Hearts 4 the Arts for the Performing Arts League. These voices - and more - on this edition of “Scenic Roots.”

(Artistic Civic Theatre) Over the weekend, Artistic Civic Theatre in Dalton concluded its latest production, the British comedy “Noises Off.” What’s ahead for the Theatre from now until the arrival of 2024? Kate Losh is managing director of ACT.

(Friends of the Festival) Last week, Friends of the Festival here in Chattanooga announced Riverbend will pause for a hiatus in 2024 while Riverfront Nights will expand for the summer. Mickey McCamish is executive director of Friends of the Festival. (Friends of the Festival)

(Spiegel & Grau) Seasons and cycles abound in life, in nature, in stories. Margaret Renkl captures their rhythms in her new book, “The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year,” published by Spiegel & Grau. Renkl, author of the bestselling book “Late Migrations” and a New York Times columnist, lives in Nashville. Margaret Renkl (William DeShazer) On Monday, November 6th, she comes to Chattano...

Margaret Renkl on “The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year.” Riverbend’s hiatus - & Riverfront Night expands - for 2024. Kate Losh, managing director of Artistic Civic Theatre in Dalton. These voices - and more - on this edition of “Scenic Roots.”

Mayor Tim Kelly - at Chattanooga City Hall in September 2023. (City of Chattanooga) On Thursday afternoon, live here on WUTC, Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly joined us for our monthly conversation. Among the topics: homelessness, including Frontline Response’s plans for a campus for veterans; public safety in downtown Chattanooga; AAA bond ratings for the City; the Chattanooga Airport; and the challen...

Mizpah Congregation in Chattanooga. (Mizpah Congregation) Mizpah Congregation here in Chattanooga was founded by members of the Jewish community in 1866, the year after the end of the Civil War. An early influence on the congregation: the Ochs Family. Mizpah’s current temple was presented nearly a century ago by Adolph Ochs, publisher of what was then The Chattanooga Times and The New York Times....