Scenic Roots

A look at the crisis in affordable housing for Chattanoogans. “Working:  A Musical” comes to Chattanooga Theatre Centre. Part II of Richard Winham speaks with Strung Like A Horse. These voices - and more - on this edition of “Scenic Roots.”

(Strung Like A Horse) Richard Winham shares the first part of a conversation with the Americana band Strung Like A Horse, one of the headliners for the Get Off The Grid Fest at Camp Jordan later this week.

(Miami Herald) The deadly earthquake that struck Haiti over the weekend traveled through the same fault line as the one that devastated the Caribbean nation more than a decade ago. This latest one was stronger - but it will be some time before all of the casualties and all of the damage is clear.   Complicating the response to the quake:  Haiti is in the path of Tropical Storm Grace - while it is...

Dr. Anany Prosper & Patricia Cyr-Watlington of CNP Haiti. Richard Winham speaks with Strung Like A Horse, Part I. These voices - and more - on this edition of “Scenic Roots.”    

(Ian Mcfarlane) Richard Winham shares a session by Randall Bramblett - singer, songwriter, musician and headliner for the upcoming Get Off The Grid Fest - recorded live downtown at The Chattanooga Public Library.      

(UTC) Each year, the Challenger STEM Learning Center here on our UTC campus serves thousands of students and hundreds of teachers in Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina and South Carolina.   The center - one of dozens built as a living memorial to the Space Shuttle Challenger - provides simulated space missions that teach real-world applications of STEM principles, summer camps, workshops...

(Beverly Foster) This summer, Walker County, Georgia took a step forward in recognizing part of its own past. County commissioners unanimously approved the use of the Wardlaw Building in LaFayette as the home of a new African-American Museum and Heritage Center.   Once built, the museum and heritage center - along with a memorial park - will share the history of Walker County’s Black residents bey...

Reclaiming the African-American past in Walker County, GA. Thaddeus Taylor of UTC’s Challenger STEM Learning Center. These voices - and more - on this edition of “Scenic Roots.”  

(claystafford.com) Richard Winham speaks with author and filmmaker Clay Stafford about a few chapters in his many careers - and this month's annual Killer Nashville International Writers’ Conference.      

(Rising Fawn Gardens) Summer gardens are ideal for pollinators:  butterflies, bees and other insects who hold the food chain together - including for us. The weekend after next - on Saturday, August 21st - Rising Fawn Gardens in Georgia will show you how they do that, by hosting the Pollinator Project.   Karen Persinger is co-owner of Rising Fawn Garden - and Ann Brown of Lookout Mountain will be...

(MGHC) Time for a trip through a few gardens in the Chattanooga area. On Saturday and Sunday, the Master Gardeners of Hamilton County will present its annual garden tour - this year, featuring five gardens.   Suzanne Ford is president - and Ron McKitrick is vice president - of the Master Gardeners.       

Wandering through summer gardens in the Chattanooga area. The Pollinator Project at Rising Fawn Gardens in Georgia. Talking Writing:  Clay Stafford on the Killer Nashville conference. These voices - and more - on this edition of “Scenic Roots.”        

(brianhilligoss.com) Richard Winham shares the second part of a performance by singer-songwriter Brian Hilligoss for the Mountain Spirit Acoustic Series at Isis Music Hall in Asheville, NC.      

(A Deeper South) Pete Candler is a writer and photographer in Asheville, North Carolina. For more than twenty years, he and his friend John Hayes - a history professor at Augusta University in Georgia - have taken road trips across the South.   (Pete Candler / Twitter) Through still photos, essays and short films, they have chronicled their tours in “A Deeper South” - capturing the backroads of pe...

Pete Candler, writer and photographer of “A Deeper South.” Mountain Spirit:  Singer-songwriter Brian Hilligoss, Part II. These voices - and more - on this edition of “Scenic Roots.”

(stevehilligoss.com) Richard Winham shares the first part of a performance by singer-songwriter Brian Hilligoss for the Mountain Spirit Acoustic Series at Isis Music Hall in Asheville, NC.      

(ChaTech Council) ChaTech - the Chattanooga Technology Council - connects the local tech sector to drive economic growth across the region. Next week - on Wednesday, August 18th - the nonprofit will host a virtual presentation for its Technology Excellence, or TechX, Awards. Kristi Montgomery chairs the TechX committee.   

(Hamilton County Schools) For four years, Dr. Bryan Johnson has served as the superintendent of the Hamilton County Schools. Next week, he leaves the district - but stays here in Chattanooga - for a  newly-created job as Chief of Staff at US Xpress, the trucking and logistics firm.      A few days ago, I spoke with Dr. Johnson about his time as superintendent - and the transition ahead.     

Dr. Bryan Johnson on his service at Hamilton County Schools. ChaTech Council’s Kristi Montgomery on the TechX Awards. Mountain Spirit Acoustic Series:  Brian Hilligoss, Part I. These voices - and more - on this edition of “Scenic Roots.”        

(Jasmine Le’Shea) Richard Winham shares a session with Jasmine Le’Shea - singer, composer and arranger - recorded live downtown at The Chattanooga Public Library.

(Back Alley Productions) The Roaring 20’s come alive at the Mars Theatre in LaFayette, Georgia. Back Alley Productions brings “The Great Gatsby” - the novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald’s - to the theatre starting tomorrow night. Madison Smith is the director - and Chris Smith plays Nick Carraway.  

(Obvious Dad) “The Hairy Ape” is an expressionist play, written by Eugene O’Neill in the 1920’s. Starting tomorrow night, Obvious Dad - the new theatre company here in Chattanooga - will present the play as the second show in its first season, at the Fine Arts Center on our UTC campus. Blake Harris is the artistic director of Obvious Dad.

(CTC) TheatreQuest is the teen interest group at Chattanooga Theatre Centre. Tomorrow night and Saturday night, it will stage an Original Play Festival - four plays by its own members - at CTC. Sydney Terfloth - the president of TheatreQuest - is the producer of the festival.  

(Lookout Wild Film Festival) The Lookout Wild Film Festival brings outdoor adventure and conservation films from around the world to Chattanooga. This summer, the festival is screening the films on Friday nights at 9:45 PM in Miller Park - right after Nightfall - through Friday, September 10th. Andy Johns is festival director.

(Songbirds Foundation) Next month, Songbirds reopens its doors under new management in  downtown Chattanooga. The Songbirds Foundation will run what it calls “a new and improved venue plus a guitar-centric educational space,” with the grand opening set for Saturday, September 18th.   The interactive learning experience and performance hall at Songbirds will feature hands-on exhibits, Chattanooga m...