Community Calendar

Five guys who are artist friends invite you to the Breakout Show of Five Sketch Guys on July's First Friday at ClearStory Art, downtown Chattanooga. You will be dazzled by lustrous landscape art, ship shape maritime art, macro nature photography, intriguing Waffle House and lovingly crafted pottery on display and available. We hope you can come and be dazzled!

Freedom Fest – TN 250 BASH
📍 Graysville, Tennessee
📅 July 4, 2026
🕙 10:00 AM Start

Celebrate Independence Day and Tennessee’s 250th anniversary at Freedom Fest – TN 250 BASH in Graysville! This patriotic community celebration is the perfect way to honor our nation’s history while enjoying a full day of small-town charm, family fun, and festive activities.

Kick off your Fourth of July with a lively parade, followed by local vendors, food, entertainment, and activities for all ages. From red, white, and blue decorations to community spirit on full display, Freedom Fest captures everything we love about celebrating in Rhea County.

As part of the county-wide “Come for the History, Stay for the Fun!” TN 250 celebration, this event highlights the unique history and pride of Graysville while bringing together all three Rhea County cities for one unforgettable weekend.

🇺🇸 Patriotic Parade
🍔 Food Vendors & Local Eats
🎶 Live Entertainment
🎉 Family-Friendly Activities

Bring your flags, gather your family, and celebrate the Fourth of July the Rhea County way!

Free admission | All ages welcome

Named one of Holler's "10 Country Artists You Need to Know," Bella Lam brings her high-energy show to Riverfront Nights on Saturday, July 11. Fans can expect an engaging set of live music featuring her new single, "Bootfirst," a high-energy anthem that showcases her signature blend of heartfelt storytelling and modern country edge.

Presented by Mark Warren, “The Forest’s Gifts of Food: Medicine and Craft As Practiced By the Native Americans” demonstrates the valuable lessons and skills regarding how the Indigenous inhabitants of the Southeast used native plants for food, medicine, insect repellent, craft, and fire.

Mark Warren is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Georgia. At Medicine Bow, his nationally renowned wilderness school in the mountains of Dahlonega, GA, he teaches nature classes and primitive survival skills. In 1980, The National Wildlife Federation named him Georgia’s Conservation Educator of the Year. In 1998 Mark became the U.S. National Champion in whitewater canoeing, and in 1999 he won the World Championship Longbow title.

Mark has written extensively about nature for local and national magazines and has researched Western frontier history for more than 50 years presenting at museums and cultural centers around the country. He has 18 traditionally published books. He has been honored by the Spur Awards, The Historical Novel Society, the Will Rogers Medallion Awards, The New Mexico – Arizona Book Awards, and in 2022 Mark was honored with a Georgia Author of the Year Award for his book Song of the Horseman (Literary Fiction Finalist.)

This event is free and open to the public.

Presented by award-winning Georgia author Donna Coffey Little, “Wofford’s Blood: The Odyssey of a Cherokee Family” tell the true story behind her new book, which focuses on the life of James Daugherty Wofford- a mixed-race Cherokee boy who is caught up in the mounting tensions between Cherokee and Anglo-American worlds in early nineteenth century north Georgia. Wofford must come to grip with where his loyalties lie and the challenges of growing up in a society where racial slavery and its cultural consequence have increasingly becoming an establish part of everyday life.

Dr. Donna Coffey Little is a Professor of English at Reinhardt University and founded Reinhardt’s Etowah Valley Low-Residency MFA in Creative Writing. Her historical novel Wofford's Blood was published by Mercer University Press in 2024. It was named Book of the Year by the Southern Literary Review and Best Historical Novel of 2024 by the national Independent Press Association. Her other publications include the poetry chapbook Fire Street as well as creative nonfiction essays, poems and scholarly articles in StorySouth, Tiferet, Georgia Backroads, Calyx, The Atlanta Review, The Florida Review, Women’s Studies, Modern Fiction Studies, and Contemporary Women’s Writing.

This event is free and open to the public

Mark your calendars for September 14, 2026, as we celebrate a decade of making a difference at the beautiful Lookout Mountain Club golf course. Hosted by the Morning Pointe Foundation, this annual tournament supports our mission to provide caregiver support programs and fund clinical scholarships to advance the care of seniors.

Your participation helps us continue this vital work. Join us for a day of golf, camaraderie, and giving back. Together, we can make a lasting impact on senior care.

Art of Spirits: Cocktails. Canvas. Chattanooga.

Join Chattanooga artist Brandi Donan for Art of Spirits, a cocktail-inspired art exhibit at Townsend Atelier during First Friday.

This three-year project brings together Chattanooga’s restaurant, bar, and hospitality scene through original oil paintings inspired by local cocktails, non-alcoholic drinks, their stories, and the places behind them. Each painting began with a drink — its name, ingredients, mood, or backstory — and became a still life that tells a larger story about creativity, place, and the many kinds of artists who shape a city.

Guests will be able to view the original paintings, explore the stories behind the drinks, and enjoy select cocktails and non-alcoholic options from the project. Books, prints, and original artwork will be available for purchase.

All cocktail sales from the evening will benefit the Tennessee River Gorge Trust.

Free admission.

Date: Friday, October 2, 2026
Time: 5–8 PM
Location: Townsend Atelier, 301 E 11th Street, Chattanooga, TN 37403

Come raise a glass — with or without the booze — to Chattanooga’s artists, bartenders, restaurants, and the stories that make this city worth painting.