If you go
› What: MainX24 festival.› When: 8 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 3, to 8 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 4.› Where: Numerous locations in the Southside, primarily along East Main Street.› Admission: Most events are free; others have nominal charges.› Website: www.facebook.com/mainx24.
MainX24 events
› 8-10 a.m. Pancake breakfast, Fire Hall No. 1, 218 E. Main St. $5 for all-you-can-eat pancakes and drink. Benefits Forgotten Child Fund.› 9 a.m.-7 p.m. “Circle” exhibition at Townsend Atelier, The Arts Building, 301 E. 11th St. Free admission; art priced $10 to $300. Circle of Words poetry readings at 6 p.m.› 10 a.m. Mutt Strutt, down Main Street from Jefferson to Cowart.› 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Wildflower Winter Warmer, a pop-up shop featuring local makers whose products are sold at Wildflower Tea Shop, 1423 Market St.› 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Indie Makers Fair, GreenSpaces, 63 E. Main St.› 11:30 a.m. World Heavyweight Chili Championship, Office Coordinators Inc., 326 E. Main St.› Noon-3 p.m. Sumo Wrestling, Velo Coffee Roasters, 509 E. Main St.› 1-5 p.m. Area 61 Holiday Open House, holiday shopping and artist mixer at 61 E. Main St.› 1-5 p.m. Cake Walks and Truffle Shuffles, The Hot Chocolatier, 1437 Market St.› 1:30 p.m. Adult Big Wheel Race, Chattanooga Choo Choo, 1400 Market St.› 4:30-7 p.m. Illumination of Songbirds’ neon signs, Chattanooga Choo Choo, 1400 Market St.› 5-8 p.m. Whiskey Tastings, Hart Gallery, 110 E. Main St., $10 donation to Hart Gallery for four pours and souvenir tasting glass, sponsored by Tennessee Whiskey Festival.› 9 p.m. Granfalloon, 400 E. Main, $5, Summer Dregs sound and light show; 10:30 p.m. SoCro; 11:30 p.m. Veronica’s Tribute to Drag; midnight Warsaw Intl.› 9 p.m. Hillbilly Holiday Ball with Strung Like a Horse at Revelry Room, 41 Station St. $12 at the door; must be 18 or older to attend and provide valid photo ID.
For the 10th anniversary of MainX24, merchants and neighbors living in the Southside community have planned a celebration with more than 100 events – everything from sumo wrestling to salsa dancing.
MainX24 is the 24-hour party along East and West Main streets that celebrates the burgeoning Southside community.
The festival kicks off at 8 a.m. with Biscuits Be Poppin’ at Main Street Meats, 217 E. Main St., and a pancake breakfast at Fire Hall No. 1, 218 E. Main St. During the day there will be face-painting, caroling, dancing, music, a parade and contests. And of course with so many artists living and working in the Southside, there is a wide variety of art on display.
For many merchants along Main, this event brings visitors through their doors who don’t live near the Southside, introducing their food or products to a new range of customers.
Main Street Meats manager Renee Wells says last year her restaurant did “20 times what we usually do in biscuits” during its Biscuits Be Poppin’ debut at MainX24.
“We highlight biscuits as the thing to get, whereas people usually come here for burgers,” she explains.
This year Main Street Meats will offer biscuits and gravy, sausage biscuits or bacon, egg and cheese biscuits.
Likewise, Rene Hernandez, manager of Conga Latin Food, says MainX24 has been “our best day of the year for the nine years they’ve done it.”
“We moved into a new location two weeks ago. So we are having a salsa party from 8 to 10 p.m. We have a patio with a back space in the back side toward the parking lot. We will have Latin music on the speakers and somebody playing conga drums, and we plan to have the party with pinatas,” Hernandez says.
Bluegrass Grill, 55 E. Main St., will host the second annual International Food Market, with foods from such far-flung locales as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Philippines, South Africa, Mozambique, Senegal, Sudan, Greece and Turkey. Each portion is priced under $3. Immigrants also will offer stories with the theme “Coming to America: The Story of Us.”
Highlights of this day of fun include the 10:30 a.m. EPB Southside Parade, down Main Street from Jefferson to Cowart streets, and the big block party that takes place from 2 to 5 p.m.
The Block Party will offer events spaced throughout three locations: Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga, 1201 E. Main St.; the Sculpture Fields at Montague Park, 1800 Polk St.; and The Wheelhouse, 1220 E. Main St. A free shuttle will run from the main entrance of MainX24 (Main at Market streets) to the three event sites.
Visitors to the Habitat for Humanity party will find a family carnival with 50-cent hot dogs and 25-cent popcorn and cotton candy. There will be carnival-style games (complete with prizes), face-painting and crafts. Habitat’s ReStore will be open with extended hours and special sales.
At the Sculpture Fields, visitors can walk off lunch on its 1.5-mile path, winding among 32 large-scale installations. Guests can create their own art making aluminum holiday castings by Duncan Sculpture and Services. The Chattanooga Aerial troupe will be on-site demonstrating their art and giving performances – 35 feet in the air – at 2 and 4 p.m. Visitors can try their skill at aerial choreography at 3 p.m.
The Wheelhouse will host building tours and a painting exhibition featuring the work of Devon Kronenberg, Laura Little and Artists on the Loose. Make a s’more and peruse the art while DJ Southtek provides music.
Pick up a full schedule of events and MainX24 map at any Main Street merchant.
Contact Susan Pierce at spierce@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6284.