Chattanooga Is Home

Rock Point Books
401 Broad Street
Nov 17, 1:30 p.m
Jim Lehrer Visit

Tomorrow, Saturday, November 17th at 1:30 p.m. Jim Lehrer will be visiting Rock Point Books. He will speak about and take time to sign his book, Eureka.

Eureka is Jim Lehrer’s 17th novel. You might know him best from the PBS news show, The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.

Tim Dodge wrote of the book,

This one, No. 17, seems to have sprung effortlessly from a brain teeming with Big Band tunes and toys from childhood, midlife career angst and satirical barbs aimed at the obligatory status badges and appliances of conspicuous consumption.

The event is free to the public, so head on down to Rock Point Books tomorrow to meet and learn from Mr. Lehrer.

For more information on events at Rock Point Books, visit their website.
[tags]Rock Point Books, Jim Lehrer, Eureka, Chattanooga, Chattanooga bookstore[/tags]

I have raved about My Family Dinners all over the internet. From the first time I went there, I knew it would change my life. Our family eats better and I have so much less stress in my life.

One of my favorite things about My Family Dinners is it is a home grown, local business. It isn’t a chain, but a place that came from Bevelle’s heart to give to the Chattanooga area.

Well, My Family Dinners turns 3 this month, so they are having an open house to celebrate and give back.

My Family Dinners is Celebrating our 3rd Anniversary! We want to feed your family and help the hungry families in Chattanooga.

Join Us Wednesday & Thursday, November 7 & 8 from 9am-9pm for an OPEN HOUSE. Bring 10 items for the Chattanooga Area Food Bank and receive one free My Family Dinner. (Limit 1 per customer.)

I can’t make it, because I will be enroute to Las Vegas, but I encourage you to check them out. And if nothing else, you get a free meal for 10 cans of food!

Also, they have a Holiday Take Out Menu where you can just pop over to their location, go in and get anything from appetizers to desserts. It really will take some stress out of your Holidays.

[tags]Chattanooga freezer meal prep, freezer meal prep[/tags]

A potluck of chilis, soups, and fixings was the backdrop to the annualPolice/ Fire/ EMT appreciation dinner, sponsored by the Community Association of Historic St. Elmo (CAHSE). In lieu of their normal month meeting (always the first Monday of the month), the Chili Con CAHSE-O was a chili cookoff for any of the St. Elmo Neighbors to participate in. The area police officers (Charlie sector) and Fire department (station 14, squad 4) arrived to enjoy the food and judge the chili cookoff.

[tags]St. Elmo, Chattanooga, Chattanooga Fire Department, Chattanooga Police Department, appreciation dinner[/tags]

This Sunday’s Chattanooga Market experience will be punctuated with the sounds of Bluegrass. You will hear the foot stomping tunes of The Possum Hunters, Retrograss with Brian Blaylock, and Hurricane Creek. Kids can enjoy taking the time to create with the Memorial Art Lab for Kids craft: Sugar Pumpkin Painting!

Every time I head over to the Chattanooga Market, I get overwhelmed with the creativity at every booth. From photography to woodworking, from crochet to unique handmade jewelry, I find ideas for wonderful gifts and additions to my home. And I can always find local produce from area growers to help me make it through the week.

The Chattanooga Market is open every Sunday, rain or shine, 12 noon to 5pm under the cover of the First Tennessee Pavilion on Chattanooga’s Southside. Join them for some fun this Sunday.

[tags]Chattanooga, Chattanooga Market[/tags]

Looking for some fun tonight? Well, I’m not going to be there but I recommend you checking out the Artini: Black and White (presented by Allied Arts). You will find the fun at the Cypress Corner Arts District (1200 E. Main Street). Tickets are donations of $17 or more at the door.

Your entertainment for the evening will be music by several bands, short film viewings and other visual art by Chattanooga area sculptors.

Get into your best black and white (not necessarily a tux- it says creative ideas are welcome) and head on over to see what art Alli Arts has to offer.

[tags]artini, black and white, allied arts, Chattanooga allied arts, Chattanooga[/tags]

Our family has started talking about the upcoming holiday, Halloween, and what kind of costume to concoct for our three year old. We will probably attend at least one family friendly party and take him trick or treating on that Wednesday evening.

Chattanooga has a few goings on to celebrate the creepy and the crawlies and at the same time are all family friendly.

Friday, October 26 the Tennessee Aquarium will be hosting their Sea Monsters Halloween Party. Admission is $6/Member ($14/Non-Member) for children and $8/Member ($22/Non-Member) for adults. Your admission price will allow you to search the Aquarium for Penelope Penguin (don’t let the sea monsters get her!), listen to storyteller Jim Pfitzer, enjoy Lupi’s pizza, and play games. Costumes are welcome!

If you can’t get to the party, check out the other Thrills, Gills, and Chills at the aquarium through the rest of the month.

On Friday and Saturdays, October 19, 20, 26, 27 you can enjoy Boo in the Zoo. This is a fun family Halloween event at Chattanooga Zoo at Warner Park. There will be candy, costume contests, pony rides, and games. Admission to the zoo is $6 for adults, $4 for seniors, $3 for kids, and free for children under 3.

Also, did you know that for this year, as part of the celebration of the Chattanooga Zoo’s 70th birthday, everyone can enjoy $1.00 admission on the 7th of each month. Sounds like a party to me.

Our favorite family museum, the Creative Discovery Museum, is hosting their members only (and member’s guests) Monster Bash on Friday and Saturday, October 20- 21. Go in costume, listen to scary stories, and see some creepy animals.

The 8th annual Festival of the Jack O’Lanterns will be held Saturday, October 20 from 2 to 9 p.m. at the Chattanooga Nature Center. Admission is CNC Members-$10 per adult, $8 per child, Nonmembers-$12 per adult, $10 per child, Children 3 & Under - Free. Families can enjoy the petting zoo, pony rides, kids costume contest, games for toddlers and even an opportunity to watch the Tennessee vs. Alabama football game on television. There will be pumpkin carving, storytelling, a bonfire for cooking s’mores, live music, hayrides and an outdoor showing of “It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown.”

[tags]Chattanooga, Chattanooga Halloween events, Creative Discovery Museum, Chattanooga Nature Center, Chattanooga Zoo, Tennessee Aquarium[/tags]

Tis the season for Fall Festivals. It is a time where families can enjoy being outdoors amongst a backdrop of oranges, browns, pumpkins, and face painting. Sometimes hay bales are involved.

This week’s featured festival is the Ronald McDonald House Autumn Children’s Festival. It will be held on Saturday, October 6th and Sunday October 7th at the Tennessee Riverpark. There is no admission fee and parking is free as well. Games and activities cost anywhere from 50 cents to $3.00. Festival goers can enjoy jumping in giant inflatables, going on pony rides, making arts and crafts, seeing fun magic shows, playing carnival games, enjoying the petting zoo, eating free Mayfield ice cream plus some health, wellness and educational activities.

All proceeds from the fun benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities® of Greater Chattanooga.

Chattanooga’s local Ronald McDonald House® was founded in 1990. The house serves as a “home-away-from-home” each year for 600-700 families of critically injured and seriously ill children receiving treatment at nearby hospitals in Chattanooga. The cornerstone programs are the 26-bedroom Ronald McDonald House, Ronald McDonald Family Room located inside T.C. Thompson Children’s Hospital and the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile, a mobile dental clinic providing free dental care to children ages 5 – 21, those without dental insurance or enrolled in TennCare. Ronald McDonald House Charities also offers 40 $1,000 scholarships to area high schools’ seniors. For more information, please contact Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Chattanooga at 423.778.4300, or visit their website at www.rmhchattanooga.com.

[tags]Chattanooga, Chattanooga Fall Festival, Ronald McDonald House, charities[/tags]

Mark your calendars for Saturday, December 1st. St. Elmo will once again have their tour of homes from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. More details to come as they are available.

[tags]Chattanooga, St. Elmo, St. Elmo Tour of Homes[/tags]

Welcome October!

I have a fondness for October because it seems that fall has finally arrived, the leaves really start to turn, and pumpkins inexplicably make their way to my house. The cooler weather is welcome, and the chilly nights allow me to snuggle under the covers and get a good night’s sleep. It also seems to be an invitation to our dogs to try and sneak into our bed for some extra square inches under our covers.

Rock City’s
Enchanted Maize
271 Chattanooga Valley Rd
Flintstone, GA

One of my favorite Chattanooga area activities for fall is Rock City’s Enchanted Maize. For $8.50 ($6.50 for kids 4 to 12) you get to get lost in a maze of corn nestled at the foot of Lookout Mountain. The maze has two paths to explore, with questions at specific junctions to help aid you in your journey.

Last year our family took a Sunday afternoon to get lost and we were in there for somewhere between an hour and an hour and a half. It was fun, though it was a bit hot for the afternoon. After we stumbled out of the path, we toured the rest of the grounds. Fuller took a ride on the cow train, we had some snacks, and took some pretty pictures. (We didn’t take a hay ride due to allergies. But it looked like fun!)
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Clothesline Show
The Sessions House
113 Ochs Highway
Friday September 7
5 p.m. Artist Reception
Saturday September 8
11 a.m. until 7p.m.
Sunday September 9
1 p.m. until 5 p.m.

Last time the Sessions House (113 Ochs Highway) was open to share the art of eleven talented women, I was able to spend about an hour there. But even in such a short time, I was overwhelmed by the creativity that was displayed in various mediums- pen and ink, etchings, oil on canvas, and photography (to name a few). I had an excellent conversation with photographer Maria Cardillo and enjoyed just being in the presence of all things creative. When I went home, I was thrilled to have purchased two pieces of art to give as gifts. One was an etching from Linda Thomas and the other a pen and ink drawing from Kelly Wilkes.

This weekend I am making plans once again to support our local artists this weekend in a different setting than a traditional gallery. The women of the Clothesline show are sharing their creations. The artists line up has grown to 14 and I am itching to see what will be displayed.

If you are wondering what the Sessions House is, all I can tell you is it is the home of Jim and Laura Pettit. It is situated at the bottom of Lookout Mountain, under a magical canopy of trees and foliage that makes me feel as though I was in a remote cabin hundreds of miles from civilization. In reality you are about two seconds from the business district of St. Elmo.

The Sessions House transitions well as a gallery, since the Pettit’s have allowed every single room and porch space to be used to display the artwork. Feel free to bring your children to relax on the lawn and enjoy meeting the artists.

Friday there will be an artist’s reception beginning at 5 pm. Saturday the Clothesline will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. And Sunday you can visit from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

[tags]Chattanooga art, women’s art, Clothesline, Sessions House[/tags]