Scenic Roots

Sampling the foodways: A conversation with Bryan Roof. This year’s Juneteenth Commemoration Week in Chattanooga. Stargazing in Chattanooga: A podcast by a student at UTC. As you’ll hear - and more - on this edition of “Scenic Roots.”

Todd Womack (Bridge Public Affairs) One of the top-performing lobbying firms in Tennessee - and across the country - is based here in Chattanooga. Bridge Public Affairs has offices in this city, Nashville, Johnson City and Washington, DC. The firm - whose services include government relations and strategic communications - serves clients in the Chattanooga area and beyond, from companies to NGOs a...

Erin Hafkenschiel (Think Tennessee) Last fall, voters in Nashville overwhelmingly approved a half cent increase in the sales tax to create dedicated funding for city transit that will improve buses, traffic signals, sidewalks and bike lanes. On Thursday, Chattanooga Design Studio presents the latest talk in its CIVIQ speaker series - titled, “Transit and Mobility: Lessons Learned From Nashville” -...

(M-PACT) Loneliness is a problem today for many men and boys - and a gathering this weekend here in Chattanooga offers a community for them. On Saturday, M-PACT - or Men + Impact - hosts “Where Men Connect” in Chattanooga’s Miller Park, starting at 8 AM. Brandon Clift is the founder of M-PACT. Sydney Guerrette is the founder of Be the Change Youth Initiative.

(Chattanooga Theatre Centre) Take a romantic comedy by Shakespeare - and instead of in the Bard’s world, set it here in Chattanooga. Next, gather a cast of ten actors - playing more than twenty roles. That’s the formula for “Twelfth Night” - opening Friday at Chattanooga Theatre Centre, for ages ten and older. Dylan Kussman is the director - and Kim Jackson plays two of the roles.

An aerial view of a rendering for Evolving Our Riverfront Parks in downtown Chattanooga. (River City Company) On Thursday, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee will visit Chattanooga to celebrate the future of the downtown riverfront. The State of Tennessee is investing 15 million dollars in Evolving Our Riverfront Parks - a project to revitalize the riverfront. Governor Lee will join Chattanooga Mayor Tim...

A community celebration for Evolving Our Riverfront Parks. Shakespeare in the summer: “Twelfth Night” at CTC. Where Men Connect: A push to curb male loneliness. As you’ll hear - and more - on this edition of “Scenic Roots.”

From a Clockout ad on social media. (Clockout) For hourly workers, there is a gap between when they finish their shifts and when their income appears in their bank accounts. Clockout is an online tool that integrates with bank and credit union apps to provide those workers with instant access to their earned wages as soon as they clock out. Juan Jurado-Blanco and Anthony Tardugno are co-founders o...

Jimmy Wheeler (Tennessee Entertainment Commission) Look at a map of Tennessee - and from one end of the state to the other across the Grand Divisions, music made here strikes chords across genres. Jimmy Wheeler knows that map from his years as an executive in the music business - and in his current job, he is focused on growing investments and creating jobs for Tennessee's music sector. These days...

On the map: Jimmy Wheeler of Tennessee’s Music Office. Finish your work, access your pay ASAP through Clockout. As you’ll hear - and more - on this edition of “Scenic Roots.”

Dr. Rick Dierenfeldt - at UTC (UTC) And now, a quick rewind to part of a conversation earlier this year. Here on our campus - the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga - the Violence Reduction Initiative, recently established in the Department of Criminal Justice, uses data-driven research to help craft real-world solutions to address the public safety challenges of violent crime. Rick Dierenfeld...

Chattanooga Municipal Building (City of Chattanooga) Here in Chattanooga, Mayor Tim Kelly has proposed a new city budget for the next fiscal year. The City Council, with many new members, is diving into the details - as William Newlin of Chattamatters tells us.

Burial Marker No. 53 at The Field (Megan Ledbetter / The Bitter Southerner) Outside Chattanooga, there is The Field. Thousands of people - most of them, Black - were buried there from the late 19th into the early 20th century in a cemetery known as a “potter’s field,” the final resting place for those who could not afford to buy their own plot. And then, the cemetery was abandoned - and forgotten...

A close-up of the Crankie box for “Paranormal,” a story by Russell Jones. (Barking Legs Theater) Storytelling in a box was a handheld art form in Appalachia before electricity and the many screens that we watch today. Think of a long scroll - illustrated, wound around two spools and loaded into a decorated box with a viewing window. Then, turn the scroll - cranking the spools by hand while narrati...

The entrance to BOOM on Glass St. in East Chattanooga. (BOOM / Facebook) On Glass Street in East Chattanooga, a new chapter for community small business began this spring. BOOM - or Black and Brown Owned and Operated Marketplace - opened its doors where Allgood’s Used Books and Coffee served customers until it closed last fall. Shateria Smith is director of creative arts programming at RISE Chatta...

(SORBA Chattanooga) (Aired Thu 5/22/25) If you’re a mountain biker in this area, the trails you in enjoy the outdoors have a common destination: SORBA Chattanooga. For more than twenty years, the nonprofit with its volunteers and partners has built and maintained trails for mountain bikers of all skill levels, along with hikers and runners. Sunshine Loveless is executive director of SORBA Chattano...

(Barking Legs Theater) (Aired Thu 5/22/25) There’s the Sun, there’s the Moon - and together, they meet in a new play at Barking Legs Theater in Chattanooga. “Night and Day” - presented by The Seed Theatre - opens Friday at 7 PM at Barking Legs, with performances on Saturday at 2 PM and 7 PM. Mixy Mixon is the playwright, director and producer of “Night and Day” - suitable for all audiences, adults...

Jacob Moore, left - and Kashun Parks, right - from Scenic City Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing.” (Scenic City Shakespeare) (Aired Thu 5/22/25) “Some Cupid kills with arrows, some with traps.” That’s a phrase from William Shakepeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing,” which none other than the Royal Shakespeare Company describes as the Bard’s “original rom-com.” Here in the Chattanooga area, Scenic C...

Chad Everett, left - and Troy Kemp, right - at Chattanooga Preparatory School earlier this month. (Chattanooga Preparatory School) (Aired Thu 5/22/25) This week, all of the seniors in the first class to graduate from Chattanooga Prep received their diplomas on time. Two months ago, new leadership came on board at the all-boys public charter school in the Highland Park neighborhood. At that time, g...

Nick Moore, owner of Cassette Skate Shop (Cassette Skate Shop) (Aired Thu 5/22/25) The City of Chattanooga plans to begin renovating its only skate park this summer - which means during construction, local skaters will have no skate park. What’s popping up, instead? William Newlin with Chattamatters spoke with a skater in the St. Elmo neighborhood. _____ For more stories on local government and ex...

Dana Shavin (Creative Arts Guild) (Aired Weds 5/21/25) In Dalton, Creative Arts Guild is stepping up opportunities for writers and publishers in Northwest Georgia. Dana Shavin is the new program coordinator for literary arts at the Guild.

(Food As A Verb) (Aired Weds 5/21/25) Here in the Chattanooga area, Food as a Verb tells the stories of local food and its connection to our community. David Cook is co-founder and main writer of the media startup, which has launched a new offering to sample - dubbed “The Table.”

Highway 321 on the outskirts of Chattanooga. (Tennessee Infrastructure Alliance) (Aired Weds 5/21/25) In time for Memorial Day weekend, a public awareness campaign encourages drivers to use alternative routes to beat traffic and reduce congestion on interstates in our area. Rhett Bentley is with Thrive Regional Partnership, which is teaming up with the Tennessee Infrastructure Alliance on the camp...

(Ian Aberle / Creative Commons) (Aired Weds 5/21/25) Monday is Memorial Day. The Chattanooga Area Veterans Council is coordinating the program that will be held that day at 11 AM at Chattanooga National Cemetery. Mickey McCamish, retired U.S. Navy Captain, is with the Council. Mike Faust is the director of the Chattanooga and Nashville National Cemeteries. Linda Moss Mines is Chattanooga and Hamil...

(Lookout Comedy Festival) On Wednesday - and then from Friday through Sunday - the first Lookout Comedy Competition brings the laughs to The Comedy Catch in downtown Chattanooga. Donnie Marsh is founder of the Lookout Comedy Festival, which is presenting the competition.