Scenic Roots

Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly gives his inaugural address for his second term at Memorial Auditorium in downtown Chattanooga. (City of Chattanooga) On Monday, Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly - and all nine members of the Chattanooga City Council - were sworn in for their terms of office during a public ceremony at Memorial Auditorium. After his swearing in, Mayor Kelly began his second and final term in...

A Riverfront Nights concert in September 2024. (Riverfront Nights) (Aired Thu 4/10/25) At the end of May, free live music returns to Ross’ Landing in downtown Chattanooga. This year’s Riverfront Nights - the summer concert series presented by Tennessee Valley Federal Credit Union - is every Saturday evening, starting Saturday, May 31st through Saturday, August 30th. Samantha Wright is with Friends...

(UTC) (Aired Thu 4/10/25) The way the markets that have swung in the past week, the word “rollercoaster” barely scratches the surface to describe the turmoil. Here on our campus - the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga - students manage The SMILE Fund, an investment account that over the years has grown from 250,000 dollars to three million dollars. A few weeks ago, before the recent market tu...

A section of the Stars of David exhibit by Jen Lewis. (Jewish Federation of Greater Chattanooga) (Aired Thu 4/10/25) Walk into the Jewish Cultural Center here in Chattanooga - and you’ll see two exhibits with stars. The Stars of David Project by Jen Lewis features dozens of hand drawn panels with thousands of stars - symbolizing the millions of Jews who died in the Holocaust during World War II. A...

KB Ballentine (KB Ballentine) (Aired Thu 4/10/25) Poetry is always in season here in Chattanooga and the Tennessee Valley. Across the country, it’s National Poetry Month. One poet who has joined us here at WUTC from time to time is KB Ballentine. Her latest collection of poems is titled “All the Way Through.” (Sheila-Na-Gig Editions)

Kat Volzer (League of American Bicyclists) (Aired Weds 4/09/25) Kat Volzer knows a lot about bike safety for kids. As director of programming at White Oak Bicycle Co-Op in Red Bank, she has taught dozens of bike safety programs for thousands of people in the Chattanooga area. Kat has self-published a book, just for kids, on how and where to ride their bikes safely - titled, “The Bicycle Adventure...

(The Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga) (Aired Weds 4/09/25) For first-time entrepreneurs, economic opportunity is key to unlocking economic mobility. The Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga is one nonprofit that funds opportunities for some of those entrepreneurs to aim for - and achieve - that mobility. Montrell Besley owns and operates Chattanooga Rolling Video Games, a mobile...

The Space Store’s location in downtown Chattanooga. (The Space Store / Firecrown) (Aired Weds 4/09/25) A few months ago, the largest online retailer for space-themed merchandise opened its first brick-and-mortar location here in Chattanooga. The Space Store is located at 412 Market Street, owned and operated by Firecrown. Tim Dooner is Firecrown’s executive creator.

Gabe Thomas (RP Communities) (Aired Weds 4/09/25) How can builders here in the Chattanooga area construct new residential units while keeping them as affordable as possible for buyers and renters - despite economic concerns from inflation to tariffs? Gabe Thomas is CEO at RP Communities here in Chattanooga - and a former president of the Chattanooga Area Home Builders Association.

David Baird (Teach For America) (Aired Weds 4/09/25) Across the country, Teach for America recruits and retains high-performing college graduates to teach full time for at least two years in underserved schools. Here in the Chattanooga area, the organization runs two programs, both in partnership with the Hamilton County Schools: teacher recruitment, training and retention - and high-intensity tut...

A Tennessee Smart Yard. (Master Gardeners of Hamilton County) (Aired Tues 4/08/25) The Master Gardeners of Hamilton County educates generations of gardeners here in the Chattanooga area and beyond. This weekend, the nonprofit - in association with the University of Tennessee Extension - presents its annual Master Your Garden Expo at Camp Jordan in East Ridge, on Saturday from 10 AM to 6 PM and on...

(Chattanooga Ballet) (Aired Tues 4/08/25) Nearly a century ago, a female baseball player from Chattanooga struck out not one - but two - baseball stars of the New York Yankees: Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. Her name was Jackie Mitchell. On Friday, Chattanooga Ballet presents a new ballet inspired by her story: “Curveball.” The performances are Friday and Saturday at 7 PM - with a matinee on Sunday at...

(Choral Arts of Chattanooga) (Aired Tues 4/08/25) Next month, a conductor and choral singers from Chattanooga will perform in New York City - on Sunday, May 11th at Carnegie Hall. Darrin Hassevort is artistic director for Choral Arts of Chattanooga, choral director for the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera Chorus - and an adjunct faculty member here on our campus, the University of Tennessee at Chatt...

An infant treated by the team on the ground from CNP Haiti. (Children's Nutrition Program of Haiti) (Aired Tues 4/08/25) For more than twenty-five years, a nonprofit based here in Chattanooga and the Tennessee Valley has helped women and families to break the cycle of malnutrition in southern Haiti. Over the years, the work of the Children’s Nutrition Program of Haiti has endured crisis after cris...

A Sealight Festival structure, in the foreground, flanked by part of the collection from Sculpture Fields at Montague Park. (Sculpture Fields at Montague Park) (Aired Tues 4/08/25) Stop by Sculpture Fields at Montague Park here in Chattanooga - and you’ll see hundreds of Chinese lanterns. All handmade, the lanterns illuminate the sculptures to create a family-friendly nightwalk. The Sealight Festi...

(Rhyme ‘N Chatt) (Aired Tues 4/08/25) Here in Chattanooga, Rhyme ‘N Chatt is a community of poets and spoken word artists that describes itself as - quote - “a poetic family,” hosting open mic sessions free for the public. In time for this National Poetry Month, Rhyme N’ Chatt Day is this weekend in this city. Marsha Mills is executive director of Rhyme ‘N Chatt. (Marsha Mills / Rhyme ‘N Chatt)

Chris Thompson (Chattanooga Neighborhood Enterprise) (Aired Tues 4/08/25) Chattanooga Neighborhood Enterprise - or CNE - helps to develop affordable and mixed-income housing in this city. The nonprofit’s new CEO is Chris Thompson. He was hired to succeed Martina Guilfoil, who retired earlier this year.

The McNabb Center building on Shallowford Road in Chattanooga. (The McNabb Center) (Aired Mon 4/07/25) In the Chattanooga area - and beyond - the McNabb Center is the leading nonprofit provider in this region for mental health, substance use, social and victim services. On Thursday, April 17th, the Breakthrough Gala - an inaugural gala dinner and art auction - will be held at Parkside Hall in Chat...

Part of the mural “Flights of Hope and Healing.” (Hunter Museum Of American Art) (Aired Mon 4/07/25) Rondell Crier is a multimedia artist here in Chattanooga who created a mural unveiled last year at the Hunter Museum of American Art. “Flights of Hope and Healing” - standing 37 feet tall on the exterior of the east wing of the Hunter - was commissioned by the museum, and students at The STEM Schoo...

From “John Proctor Is The Villain” (UTC Theatre Co.) (Aired Mon 4/07/25) Who’s the hero? Who’s the victim? Who’s the villain? A story can morph in the telling. Take a tale from the Salem witch trials in colonial Massachusetts. Then, in the 1950’s, the tale is dramatized - and sprinkled with fiction - to become a Broadway play, a commentary on an early chapter of the Cold War. Fast forward the tale...

(Hinton & Company) (Aired Mon 4/07/25) Leadership is complex. A conference that returns to downtown Chattanooga this week for its second year aims to empower professionals to grow as leaders, at any stage of their careers. The Ascension Leadership Conference - organized by Hinton & Company, in partnership with the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce - is Thursday at the Marriott Downt...

“Stain Glass Mountains” - an oil / acrylic painting by Jamie Barks of Chattanooga. (4 Bridges Arts Festival / AVA) (Aired Mon 4/07/25) This weekend, the 4 Bridges Arts Festival here in Chattanooga will celebrate its silver anniversary. Dozens of visual artists from far and wide will be at the 25th annual festival - presented by the Association for Visual Arts - at First Horizon Pavilion on Saturda...

Mayfield Annex - at 7th and Walnut Sts. in Chattanooga. Once home to offices for Hamilton County Government, it was renovated into office, retail and restaurant space in 2017. (Preserve Chattanooga) (Aired Mon 4/07/25) For fifty years, what is known today as Preserve Chattanooga has protected the architectural heritage of this city. The only nonprofit of its kind in Chattanooga - founded as Landma...

(Reflection Riding Arboretum & Nature Center) Listen to the melodies in nature around the campfire. Four years ago, the Campfire Concert Series debuted at Reflection Riding Arboretum and Nature Center here in Chattanooga. Now twice a year - in spring and fall - the concerts host regional talent from the Chattanooga area and beyond. On Friday, the spring series premieres at Reflection Ridin...

(Be the Change Youth Initiative & Chattanooga Boys Choir) A brother and a sister join a boys choir to raise their voices for youth mental health at a free concert this weekend here on our campus, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. “Hope Sings! Songs of Youth and Mental Health” - from Be the Change Youth Initiative and the Chattanooga Boys Choir - is Saturday, starting at 6 PM, in...