Not everyone has the time and talent to wrap a gift the way Rodney Simmons does, but the techniques favored by the owner of Revival Uncommon Goods can add layers of luxury to make the gift as well as its packaging unforgettable.

HENAGAR, Ala. -- When it's time for the Christmas tree to go up, some families might be hard-pressed to come up with 140 ornaments.

The Nitty Gritty Cafe would feel right at home in Mayberry. It’s a friendly place, a cozy space, with cooks who know their way around a kitchen. Five days a week, Tuesday through Saturday, The Nitty Gritty serves up a feast of Southern favorites.

ArtCrafters in Dayton, Tenn., will offer a chance to "Meet the Puzzle Guy" when its showcase of Tim Baisley's jigsaw puzzles goes on display.

Times Free Press staffers who contributed to this season’s Idol Chatter column weigh in on Lauren Alaina’s new CD.

Barry, I got so far off the couch last week that I didn't make it back in time to help with the column, so thanks for filling in. I thought you might try to impersonate me and say something crazy, but to paraphrase Tyler Perry, I can do crazy all by myself.

Barry, I'm not sure how much rock climbing, caving, cycling, hiking, paddling, swimming and running you do, but you'll get a chance to do all those things when the second annual RiverRocks outdoor festival starts Friday.

Lisa, we are eat up these days with fairs, festivals and corn mazes. Our own Hamilton County Fair is this weekend, which means I’ll have that Dalton Roberts theme song in my head for two weeks.

Lisa, there are so many things coming up this week worth mentioning, it's almost hard to know where to start. I may sit right here on the couch and think about it for days.

I picked up food at Rafael's Pizzeria & Italian Restaurant as a favor for someone last week and immediately regretted the fact that I had already eaten. Waiting in line for the Malibu chicken sandwich, I fell in love with the cheese pizza on a nearby table.

Hey, Barry, what do you get when a hurricane crosses the desert? Soggy Arabia. Wa-ha-ha. Sorry, I cribbed that from “A Prairie Home Companion.”

Barry, have you ever been run out of town on a rail? Once upon a time, that was a punishment. This coming weekend, you might consider a variation of that more of a privilege.

BARRY COURTER: Lisa, I was going to start this off by talking about the crazy good musical lineup at this year's Southern Brewers Festival, but the number 150,000 keeps rattling around this ol' empty skull of

Lisa, finally someone has come up with an event I'm good at -- wallerin' in mud and eatin'. Habitat for Humanity is holding a two-part fundraiser Saturday.

Barry, did you notice anything different about my picture today? That’s not menopause setting in. That’s me getting ready for ’80s and Moustache Night at the Chattanooga Lookouts game on Wednesday.

Barry, you’ll get your chance to relive the ’70s in Southern-rock style Saturday as Riverfront Nights kicks off. Revival — An Allman Brothers Experience should bring back some memories for a lot of folks — although the people who experienced everything the ’70s had to offer probably have very little memory of the era.

TORNADO RELIEF A recent Shoe Carnival campaign to raise funds for areas affected by the April 27 tornadoes brought in more than $49,300 in contributions for the American Red Cross Alabama Tornado Relief Fund.

Barry, it's time to grab your Jed Clampett clodhoppers and mosey down to the Folk Stomp. This musical benefit for the Folk School of Chattanooga is taking place today through Wednesday at the St. Elmo Firehall.

OK, Barry, pop quiz: The band coming to Nightfall Friday night features one of the three musical instruments I can actually play. What is it?

“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2” opens nationwide Friday, and local theaters plan midnight screenings, including Rave’s East Ridge 18 and the Wilderness Outdoor Movie Theater in Trenton, Ga. (gates open at 10:30 p.m.).

Lisa, it’s the Fourth of July, and that means that you won’t have to travel too far to find the celebration up in your neck of the woods, right?

After 34 years, Soddy-Daisy’s Fourth of July celebration, scheduled Monday at the ballparks at Soddy Lake, holds a reliable trio of favorites: family fun, firemen’s muster and fireworks.

Dunlap, Tenn., will add a little shimmer to the Sequatchie Valley over the long holiday weekend.

The Fourth of July Firemen’s Muster is a long-held tradition in Soddy-Daisy, but the amount of manpower will remain a mystery until Monday.

Barry, I’m not sure I’d normally get overly excited about an organ concert, but the one coming up at 7 p.m. Thursday at Memorial Auditorium might be an exception.

The latest best-sellers may have avid readers hanging on every word, but for the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Bicentennial Library, the numbers tell a story.