BARRY COURTER: Lisa, when it comes to Valentine's Day celebrations, are you of the high-minded ilk or the low-brow type? In other words, would you prefer a fancy meal and a Broadway show or a good burger and a "Dumb and Dumber" marathon at home?
LISA DENTON: I don't know. Can we mix it up - a burger and a Broadway show?
Lisa Denton and Barry Courter
Although I might have to watch "Dumb and Dumber" again, now that you've brought it up. For nuggets like: "According to the map, we've only gone 4 inches."
BARRY: Or this one, which seems apropos: "Life is a fragile thing, Har. One minute you're chewin' on a burger; the next minute you're dead meat." That movie is so deep.
LISA: There are a lot of Valentine-y things on the calendar already. I think my favorite may be the Looiegrams delivered by Looie, the Chattanooga Lookouts mascot. They have gift packages for men, women and children, all with a pair of tickets. Kids also get a T-shirt and mini bat. Men get a baseball cap and koozie. And women get a pair of Lookouts earrings and - wait for it - a red foam finger. Because nothing says "You're my No. 1" like a red foam finger.
BARRY: Depends on the finger.
But you're right. There are a lot of events that say Happy Valentine's Day. The Chattanooga Symphony & Opera has its annual "Big Band Fever" shows on Friday and Saturday. This is the event where you get to dance on the Tivoli stage while the band plays. Officially, I mean. I might have done it once before, but uninvited. If you go early, they're offering dance lessons.
LISA: That's always a fun night. If you're leaning toward classical music, there are a couple more can't-miss shows this week, even if they're too early to count as a Valentine's date.
Tonight, Eighth Blackbird performs in the inSight Patten Performances series at UTC. They do classical music with a contemporary twist, and they look very stylish doing it.
Tuesday, there's a String Theory concert with the Dover String Quartet and Avi Avital, the first Grammy-nominated mandolin player.
BARRY: And Yacht Rock Revue returns to town for a show Saturday at Track 29. The Up! Shania Twain tribute is the same night at Revelry Room. You can also take a romantic sunset cruise aboard the River Gorge Explorer on Sunday.
LISA: And the Chattanooga Zoo is doing a Cocktails for Conservation fundraiser called Wild at Heart on Friday.
What's interesting, though, is that there seems to be more alternative programming for people who don't have a plus-one to party with. The Chattanooga Public Library will kick off a new Salty Craft Hour series Saturday with an Anti-Valentine's Day craft.
The Chattanooga Theatre Centre is billing its Circle Theatre production, "Love/Sick," as an un-romantic comedy, and Ocoee Theatre Guild in Cleveland is debuting an original comedy, "i \3 u," about online dating that's half-scripted, half-improvised with three members of the audience each night.
And Gwendolyn's Bleeding Heart Ball is open to singles and couples, but it's "Deadly Ever After" theme sure doesn't sound like the average pink and frilly Valentine's event.
BARRY: On Thursday, the bartenders from Flying Squirrel will be mixing up something called Cocktails in Color: Love American Style. Now that's life imitating art. Or is it the other way around?
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Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354. Contact Lisa Denton at ldenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6281.