Scenic Roots

(Credit: Friends of the Festival) Collegedale will celebrate Independence Day on the eve of July 4th. The Freedom Festival is Monday, starting at 4 PM and ending with a fireworks display at 9:30 PM, at The Commons at 4950 Swinyar Drive. Mickey McCamish is executive director of Friends of the Festival.

(Chattanooga Presents) Fun on the Fourth is Chattanooga’s official celebration for this Independence Day. It takes place Tuesday in Miller Park, starting at 2 PM and ending at 9:30 PM with a laser light show. Carla Pritchard is the owner of Chattanooga Presents. For more information, visit the Fun on the 4th page on Facebook .

Students on the UTC campus in April 2023. (UTC) Moc Up is one of the onramps for incoming students to our campus, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. In the past few weeks, students in the program were hosted on campus for free. Among the activities for Moc Up: play-based team building sessions, thanks to the Arts-Based Collaborative at UTC - or abc@utc. Dr. Crystal Edenfield is director o...

Play-based team building for incoming students at UTC. Looking forward to the Fourth in the Chattanooga area. Culture Fest coming to the Rossville Boulevard corridor. These voices - and more - on this edition of “Scenic Roots.”

Alex Paul Loza, at right, sculpting the Little Debbie statue with a photo of the real Little Debbie, at left. (Alex Paul Loza) Think of a playground - and you might expect swing sets, structures to climb, balance beams, hills, trees, shrubs, ponds. How about a Cosmic Brownie that you can climb? Or maybe a statue of Little Debbie? You’ll find it all in Collegedale - at Little Debbie Park, opening F...

Some of the photos taken by Horace Brazelton on display in the “Through the Lens” exhibit at Ruby Falls. (Ruby Falls) Horace Brazelton was the first African-American to open a professional photography studio here in Chattanooga. His specialty: portraits. Brazelton documented middle-class families and individuals - as well as church, civic and professional groups - from Black communities during the...

“Through the Lens” of Horace Brazelton at Ruby Falls. Sweet sculptures for Collegedale’s new Little Debbie Park. These voices - and more - on this edition of “Scenic Roots.”

(Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga) Woodson Carpenter speaks with Ella Livingston, Bob Bosworth, DeJuan Jordan, Sarah Mattson and Jermaine Freeman about the entrepreneurship ecosystem and wealth in the latest episode of “One for All” - a storytelling partnership between the Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga and “Scenic Roots.” (CAM FLAISCH) Ella Livingston, founder & owner...

“Syria: Ruins by the Sea” - oil on canvas, 1873 - 1874, by Frederic Church - part of the exhibition “In Nature’s Studio” at the Hunter Museum. (Hunter Museum of American Art) As this country has evolved over nearly 250 years, so has the painting of its vast and varied landscapes. That artistic journey is at the heart of “In Nature’s Studio: Two Centuries of American Landscape Painting” - now on di...

Cover of Chattanooga Parks and Outdoors Plan. (Chattanooga Parks and Outdoors) How should we improve the parks and outdoors we now enjoy here in Chattanooga? How should we add more acres for parks and outdoors across the city’s neighborhoods - with access for all - as Chattanooga grows over the next generation? The Chattanooga Parks and Outdoors Plan - now before the City Council for consideration...

Scott Martin on the Chattanooga Parks and Outdoors Plan. The Hunter Museum’s Lauren Nye on “In Nature’s Studio.” These voices - and more - on this edition of “Scenic Roots.”

(Unsplash) The SMILE Fund is a learning opportunity for students here on our campus, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Students at the Gary W. Rollins College of Business manage the fund, a real stock portfolio like a mutual fund at an investment firm - for a real client: the UC Foundation. Arie Veltenaar is a client ambassador for Acumen Wealth Advisors here in Chattanooga, which works...

Chloé Morrison (LaunchTN) LaunchTN is a public-private partnership that cultivates entrepreneurs and startups across the state, from Memphis to Nashville to Knoxville to Chattanooga and many places in between. This September, LaunchTN will host its tenth 3686 Festival - gathering founders and investors from around the Southeast - in Nashville. Chloé Morrison - based here in Chattanooga - is direct...

Chloé Morrison of LaunchTN on this year’s 3686 Festival. Learning for success: Acumen and UTC’s SMILE Fund. These voices - and more - on this edition of “Scenic Roots.”

Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly (Olivia Ross / Chattanooga Times Free Press) On Wednesday afternoon, live here on WUTC, Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly joined us for our monthly conversation. Among the topics: the just unveiled Parks & Outdoors Plan, the city’s first in 25 years.

Karen Collins (Velvet Chair Experience) June is Black Music Month - created in 1979 by President Jimmy Carter to celebrate African-American contributions in music. Here in Chattanooga, the Velvet Chair Experience - a concert series fusing jazz and uptown soul - premiered last month at the Bessie Smith Cultural Center, where the next concert will be held on Sunday, June 25th starting at 6 PM. Vocal...

A map of Hamilton County, TN. (Koordinates) Data - when properly collected and interpreted - can paint a picture of what is happening, and why, in a community. Jennifer Baggett - for years, an analyst with the Chattanooga Police Department - recently started a new job as data analyst for Hamilton County Government. She’s gathering and studying data on overdoses, homelessness and crime for a new mo...

A deeper dive into data for Hamilton County Government. Act II for The Velvet Chair Experience in Chattanooga. These voices - and more - on this edition of “Scenic Roots.”

(Cempa Community Care) Next week, a chance to dine out and give back in Chattanooga. Nearly two dozen restaurants will open their doors on Thursday, June 22nd for this year’s Dining Out for Life to support Cempa Community Care. Miles Huff is with Cempa.

(Carbon Cowboys) “Roots So Deep (you can see the devil down there)” is a documentary series about farmers, scientists and how we can use land to help curb climate change. Two parts of the four-part series will be screened next week here in Chattanooga - at the AMC Classic Majestic 12 - on Tuesday at 1 PM and 6 PM, and on Wednesday at 1 PM and 7 PM. Peter Byck - the director of “Roots So Deep” - is...

Bessie Smith Cultural Center. (Bessie Smith Cultural Center) In downtown Chattanooga this weekend, a jam for the Juneteenth holiday at the Bessie Smith Cultural Center. The holiday - which is Monday - commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African-Americans after the end of the Civil War. On Saturday, the Bessie will host its Juneteenth Freedom Celebration, from Noon to 6:30 PM. Elijah Cameron...

A front-lawn Juneteenth at the Bessie in Chattanooga. Digging into climate-friendly farming in “Roots So Deep.” Food, drink and care: Dining Out for Life - for Cempa. These voices - and more - on this edition of “Scenic Roots.”

A bee sits on Bluebells at Reflection Riding Arboretum and Nature Center in Chattanooga. (Olivia Ross / Chattanooga Times Free Press) Citizen conservationists, the pollinators are waiting for you on Lookout Mountain, Georgia. On Saturday, a pollinator festival and native plant sale will be held at Lookout Mountain City Hall - 1214 Lula Lake Rd. - from 9 AM to Noon. Ann Brown is a member of the Loo...

Calaghan Rudd is Archer in Obvious Dad’s “Sagittarius Ponderosa.” (Obvious Dad) What’s in a name? What do those symbols mean? What about that encounter under the pine tree? Just a few of the questions raised in “Sagittarius Ponderosa,” the first play in this summer’s season from theatre company Obvious Dad. It opens on Friday at 7:30 PM in the Fine Arts Center on our campus, the University of Tenn...

From last year’s Southside Juneteenth Jubilee. (The Bethlehem Center) This weekend, celebrations for Juneteenth will be held around Chattanooga. The holiday - which is on Monday - commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African-Americans after the end of the Civil War. On Saturday, in Alton Park, the Bethlehem Center at 200 W. 38th St. will host the Southside Juneteenth Jubilee, from 1 PM to 4 P...