Chattanooga Rocks!
If you love Chattanooga, you’ll love this issue of Chatter! Inside, you’ll find everything you need to know about RiverRocks, the city’s brand new outdoor festival. Despite its array of festive gatherings, events and activities during the first ten days of October, RiverRocks is not a festival as much as a gala celebration of the city’s Renaissance over the last 40 years-at least in the eyes of co-founder Mike McGauley.
Mike and his wife, Stormy, created the concept and helped organize the revelry aimed at showcasing Chattanooga’s competitive advantages and natural resources. RiverRocks is a perfect venue to promote the substantial benefits of healthy lifestyles, local foods and stewardship of land conservation in a compelling way. We are proud to join hundreds of civic, governmental and business leaders in sharing the excitement, and we urge everyone to get out, get fit and have fun exploring our outdoor neighborhood!
We’re also highlighting a RiverRocks ally who puts a tremendous effort into making Chattanooga a better place to live-The Tennessee Aquarium. An obvious treasure as an entertainment attraction, the Aquarium doesn’t get enough credit for its many ongoing educational programs and activities. During its current daily “Thrills, Gills and Chills” encounters, and just in time for Halloween, visitors can get up close and personal with some pretty scary creatures including Mexican red-knee Tarantulas, Madagascar hissing cockroaches and a Colombian red-tailed boa.
Of course, October’s Chatter wouldn’t be complete without a ghost story, and in this issue writer Veronique Bergeron spins one you may not want to read if you’re alone! We’ve also included a piece about Katie Bishop’s extraordinary volunteer efforts to put healthy food in front of needy people, and a nonrelated piece about identifying, treating and supporting those suffering from eating disorders. Kim Coulter’s fashion spread is outstanding as always, and we are pleased to include several other features we think you’ll love!
Thank you for spending time with Chatter again this month!
Karen Berry
Executive Editor