Lisa Denton and Barry Courter
BARRY COURTER: Lisa, have you thought about adding the vuvuzela to your musical repertoire? I mean if you added that to your talents on the kazoo and the tambourine, you could be a three-skills musician. Your phone would ring off the hook.
LISA DENTON: Well, No. 1, who's saying it doesn't? And No. 2, the vuvuzela can actually cause hearing loss. The kazoo just makes you wish for it.
BARRY: Both fair points. I mention it, of course, because the Chattanooga Football Club is back in action, and they are off to a good start. They have events at Finley Stadium this week. The first is Friday against Guinto Elemento, which sounds like a villain in a Transformers movie. Then on Saturday they have a match in the U.S. Soccer National Amateur Championship Cup.
LISA: It's worth going to a match just to catch the Chattahooligans in action. They are the team's most passionate fans, and they do cheers and chants and songs with choreography.
They also helped one of their own, a guy known as Lucha Nooga, win this year's Sandwich Throwdown at Mindy B's Deli. We tried all three of the sandwich finalists, remember? They were all good, but votes were tallied by sales, and there's no competing with the sales force that is the Chattahooligans.
BARRY: That was a good sandwich, and the Chattahooligans are a loyal bunch. And to be honest, I think most self-respecting futball fans frown heavily on the vuvuzela at matches. They're obnoxious. I wish people felt the same about bullhorns and cowbells. And yelling "Roll Tide!"
LISA: Ha. That reminds me. The Davenport Brothers, the bluegrass band that played at the North River Civic Center this past Friday, posted on Facebook that they only do "Rocky Top" when the requests come written on $100 bills. That's what happens when you do a song a few thousand times. I'd bet there are people who'd pay it though.
BARRY: I know people who will pay $101 for them not to play it.
LISA: Don't forget that Lake Winnepesaukah will open its SoakYa water park on Saturday.
And there are two events this week that are raising funds for one of the contestants in Dancing With the Chattanooga Stars, to be presented by the Partnership for Families, Children and Adults at the Tivoli on June 25.
The contestant is Austin Garrett, a 22-year veteran of the Chattanooga Police Department and a sergeant in the Special Operations Division; he's raising funds for the Partnership's Rape Crisis Center.
BARRY: I have no idea if he can dance, but Sgt. Garrett is a good man.
LISA: Tonight, he'll get the proceeds from the WUSY/US101 Concert for a Cause, featuring young country star Chase Bryant at Revelry Room. And Tuesday, Chicken Salad Chick locations in downtown Chattanooga and East Brainerd will donate a portion of sales to Garrett's fundraising effort. If he's working as hard on his dance moves as he is on his fundraising, he might just win that disco ball trophy.
BARRY: And on Friday and Saturday, Ringgold turns back the clock - I started to say that was redundant, but then I thought, 'Why pick on Ringgold?' I like Ringgold - for the 1890s Day Jamboree. They'll have live music, food, arts and craft vendors, parades, beauty pageants, a dance contest, a car show and fireworks. It's a good time.
Get event details every Thursday in ChattanoogaNow or online anytime at www.ChattanoogaNow.com.
Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354. Contact Lisa Denton at ldenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6281.