A college football legend is in Scottsboro, Alabama, thought-provoking art is on view at the Tennessee Aquarium and a poetry performance will explore what it's like to be a sculptor's portrait model. Elsewhere, egg hunts and other Easter activities are at the forefront of this holiday weekend.
BUNNY PHOTOS
The Easter Bunny will be available for professionally made photos through Saturday at area malls and through Sunday at East Ridge's Bass Pro Shop.
- Chattanooga: Easter Bunny hours are the same at Chattanooga's two CBL-owned malls: 11 a.m.-3:30 p.m. and 4-7 p.m. Thursday-Saturday (closed Easter Sunday). The photo setup is at Center Court at both malls: Hamilton Place, 2100 Hamilton Place Blvd. (lower level), and Northgate Mall, 271 Northgate Mall Drive. Visit for free, or purchase a photo package. Reservations encouraged; walk-ups allowed as space permits. hamiltonplace.com, visitnorthgatemall.com
- Cleveland, Tenn.: The Easter Bunny is set up next to American Eagle at Bradley Square Mall, 200 Paul Huff Parkway. Hours: 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Saturday (closed Sunday). shopbradleysquare.com
- Dalton, Ga.: Easter Bunny hours at Dalton Mall, 816 Walnut Square Blvd., are 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday (closed Sunday). Reserve a time with the QR code at Facebook.com/ShopDaltonMall
- East Ridge: The Easter Bunny at Bass Pro, 1000 Bass Pro Drive, will be available 4-8 p.m. Thursday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday. Guests get a free 4-by-6 photo, with the option to add packages. basspro.com/shop/en/easter
EASTER EVENTS
- Hug-A-Bunny days at Chattanooga Zoo, 301 N. Holtzclaw Ave., are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Activities include a scavenger hunt, animal encounters, animal enrichment, crafts, golden egg hunt and a free photo with the Easter Bunny. Three entry times are available. Cost is $7-$9 for members, $16-$19 for nonmembers (free for children 2 and younger). chattzoo.org
- Swing Into Spring, coordinated by the Hamilton County Parks and Recreation Department at McDonald Farm, 16705 Coulterville Road in Sale Creek, is 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Saturday. Activities will include an Easter egg hunt, music by the New Dismembered Tennesseans, an exhibition game by Chattanooga's Lightfoot and Mountain City teams from the Tennessee Association of Vintage Base Ball, tours of the historic McDonald residence, seasonal arts and crafts, a petting zoo and inflatables. Admission is free. 423-209-6899
- Great Adult Egg Hunt is 1-3 p.m. Saturday at the Sculpture Fields at Montague Park, 1800 Polk St. Adults will hunt for eggs containing coupons for prizes donated by area businesses and one-of-a-kind souvenir eggs created by local artists. The hunt will be followed by Hoppy Hour at five eateries along Main Street offering discounts to hunt participants. "Sunday best" attire is encouraged. Tickets are $7 in advance (through 5 p.m. Friday), $10 day of. thechattery.org
- Easter at Coolidge: This annual event presented by Stuart Heights Baptist Church begins with a hunt for 100,000 candy-filled eggs at 9 a.m. Sunday at Coolidge Park, 150 River St. The Easter message will follow at 10 a.m. The park opens at 8 a.m. Bring lawn chairs for seating. easteratcoolidge.com
- Moriah Baptist Church, 2864 Battlefield Parkway, Fort Oglethorpe, Ga., will host gospel trio Brian Free & Assurance in a combined Easter service with Temple Baptist Church at 10:30 a.m. Sunday. 706-866-8843
SUNRISE SERVICES
At least four community sunrise services are scheduled.
- Chattanooga National Cemetery, 1200 Bailey Ave. (use Holtzclaw Avenue entrance). The Salvation Army will lead this service Sunday, with music by Jericho Brass. Guests are asked to arrive by 6:30 a.m. to be ready for sunrise at 7:07 a.m. csarmy.org
- Chattanooga Memorial Park: 501 Memorial Drive, Red Bank (at the duck pond). Northside Presbyterian Church Pastor Paul Rader will conduct this service at 7:30 a.m. Music and a dove release will be included.
- Hamilton Memorial Gardens: 5351 Highway 153. Teen Challenge President and CEO David McNabb will officiate at this 7:30 a.m. service in the "Good Shepherd" section facing the Three Crosses. Fred Guilbert is the featured soloist. A dove release will be included.
- Soddy Municipal Park, 150 Depot St. Oak Street Baptist Church will lead a service at 7:30 a.m. at the stage on the lawn between the two sets of ballfields at Soddy Lake. 423-332-2300
MUSIC
- Songbirds, 35 Station St., has four events on the calendar. Thursday at 7 p.m. is Jumpin' Jazz Night, featuring music by Djoukil, a jazz and swing band from Lyon, France, and dance by The Pop-Up Project. Tickets are $15. Proceeds benefit Songbirds' Guitars for Kids program. Best-dressed prizes will be awarded for those in 1930s-40s attire. Friday at 7 offers "An Evening With Matt Heckler," a folk artist. Tickets are $15. Singer/songwriter Pony Bradshaw plays at 7 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $12. Band of Other Brothers, a who's who of artists who've played with other acts, plans an album release show at 7 p.m. Tuesday. Tickets are $25 in advance, $28 day of. songbirdsfoundation.org
- Southern Adventist University presents the Steel Band in concert at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in Mabel Wood Hall's Ackerman Auditorium on the Collegedale campus, 4881 Taylor Circle. The program will feature traditional and contemporary steel band music. Admission is free. Livestream: southern.edu/streaming
- The Caverns, 555 Charlie Roberts Road, Pelham, Tenn., will host rock band Blackberry Smoke, with Red Shahan, in standing room only shows at 8 p.m. CDT Friday and Saturday. Tickets are $69 either night (two-night tickets are sold out). thecaverns.com
- Granfalloon, 400 E. Main St., hosts the Road to Nightfall competition the next two weekends. Five bands will perform at 7 p.m. Friday, Saturday and April 22-23, with the top scorer each night competing in finals May 6 at Miller Plaza. Winner gets a headlining gig at the Nightfall summer concert series. Tickets are $10. gigcityproductions.com
- Walker Theatre, 399 McCallie Ave., has issued a "low ticket warning" for Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox at 8 p.m. Saturday, a stop on the Grand Reopening Tour. Bradlee, a New York City pianist, created PMJ in 2011 to give today's pop hits a classic sound (Bruno Mars in the style of Frank Sinatra, Guns N' Roses as Bessie Smith). Tickets are $35-$85. tivolichattanooga.com
- Memorial Auditorium, 399 McCallie Ave., will host the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera's one-hour open rehearsal for its upcoming season finale, "Coleridge-Taylor and Sibelius," at 8 p.m. Tuesday. Arrive early, at 7:30 p.m., for a Q&A with featured violinist Elena Urioste. The full performance will be April 21. chattanoogasymphony.org
- Barking Legs Theater, 1307 Dodds Ave., continues its midweek jazz series with the Tortora/Turnure/Powers Trio at 7 p.m. Wednesday. Admission is $5. barkinglegs.org
Contributed Photo by Doug Strickland / Tennessee Aquarium / Seemore the Sea Lion Pup, on view in the Tennessee Aquarium plaza, is among the works in the "Washed Ashore" art exhibit. The sculpture was constructed from various pieces of discarded plastic and other litter.ARTS
- Hunter Museum of American Art, 10 Bluff View, features a Vision + Verse in celebration of National Poetry Month at 6 p.m. Thursday. Creative strategist Erika Roberts will explore social justice through visual art and poetry as inspired by Black contemporary artists included in "Beyond the Frame: Celebrating 70 Years of Collecting." Admission is free. huntermuseum.org
- Tennessee Aquarium, 1 Broad St., on Saturday will open an art exhibit meant to raise awareness of the threat waterborne plastic pollution poses to aquatic life. "Washed Ashore," featuring more than a dozen artistic installations made out of recovered plastic debris, will be on view through Oct. 30 inside and outside the aquarium and at the Imax 3D Theater, 201 Chestnut St. The exhibition was initiated by the Tennessee Department of Transportation's Nobody Trashes Tennessee litter prevention campaign. Most of the works were created by the Oregon-based nonprofit Washed Ashore. Aquarium employees created a trout sculpture using plastic items collected internally. tnaqua.org
- River Gallery, 400 E. Second St., will host a painting demonstration by Mary Agnes Ingvalson 1-3 p.m. Saturday. She will be working on an abstract oil painting inspired by pieces of nature. Visitors also may view the featured exhibit, which continues through April, showcasing paintings of biblical scenes by James Conner and pottery by Mitch Yung. river-gallery.com
THEATER
- Chattanooga Theatre Centre will offer a Zoom chat with the guest director of its June production, "Joe Turner's Come & Gone," at 7 p.m. Thursday, in advance of next week's auditions for the August Wilson play. Alicia Haymer is a playwright, actor and director from Nashville. theatrecentre.com/adult-auditions
- Townsend Atelier, 301 E. 11th St., will host "Intimacy of a Stranger," a performance of original poetry by Moll King and Erika Roberts 6-8 p.m. Friday. The poetry is based on their experiences of spending 21 hours over three days as portrait models for a sculpture workshop as students intensely observed them. The event will include process photographs from the workshop and a live demonstration by sculptor Maria Willison. A $5 admission donation is suggested. townsendatelier.com
- UTC Theatre Company and UTC Opera next week will jointly present "The Threepenny Opera," best known for the song "Mack the Knife." Set in Victorian London, the revolutionary play by Bertolt Brecht explores the consequences of crime, corruption, greed and love. Performances start at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through April 22 and at 2 and 7:30 p.m. April 23 in the Fine Arts Center, 752 Vine St., on the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga campus. Tickets are $10-$12. utc.edu
OUT & ABOUT
- Stuff the Truck: Crown Subaru, 900 Riverfront Parkway, is accepting donations through Thursday for the Chattanooga Community Kitchen, which serves the homeless. Donations will be given in memory of Olivier LeMaitre, a former employee of the dealership who served briefly as the CEO of the Community Kitchen before his death. The most-needed items are 5-pound bags of grits, sports drinks, quart- and gallon-size resealable baggies, brown paper bags, sweetener and creamer packets, travel sizes of shampoo and conditioner, deodorant, razors, underwear (but no socks), and pop-top cans of tuna, chicken and soup. Donations may be dropped off between 7:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. 423-498-9444
- Ooltewah Farmers Market, which operates weekly at Ooltewah Nursery, 5829 Main St., concludes its Spring Fling, celebrating the start of its 10th season, 3-6 p.m. Thursday. Featured are local farms and food artisans, arts, crafts and other vendors, and door prizes drawn every 15 minutes. ooltewahnursery.com
- The Comedy Catch, 29 Station St., has three upcoming events. Thursday at 7 p.m. features the Tim Wilson Revival Tour, a tribute to the comedian who died of a heart attack in 2014. The evening includes a two-hour documentary produced by Wilson's two children and features a guest appearance by Reno Collier as the Wilson character "Uncle B.S." Tickets are $20. The weekend act is "The Tennessee Tramp," Janet Williams, with shows at 7:30 and 9:45 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Tickets are $17-$19. Wednesday is Open Mic Night at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $7. thecomedycatch.com
- Reflection Riding Arboretum & Nature Center, 400 Garden Road, will offer guided programs this weekend. Friday includes a Wildflower Walk (9-11 a.m., $15-$20) and Meet Our Animal Ambassadors session (1:30-2:30 p.m., by donation). Saturday features a Plant Ramble: Medicinal and Edible Plants (10 a.m.-noon, $15-$25). reflectionriding.org
- Scottsboro Sports Card & Memorabilia Show is 9 a.m.-2 p.m. CDT Saturday at the Scottsboro Civic Center at Goose Pond Resort, 826 Ed Hembree Drive, Scottsboro, Ala. Eighty dealers will have multiple displays of merchandise, including Pokemon, autograph memorabilia and sports cards, plus sports store Nashcards will be grading cards. Special guest Chris Davis will be signing autographs ($25 for the first item, $20 for each additional item). The former Auburn University cornerback became known as "Mr. Kick Six" after returning a failed field goal attempt for 109 yards on the final play of the 2013 Iron Bowl against Alabama. Admission is free. jacksonssportscards.com
- EarthDayz will happen over two weekends at Rock City, 1400 Patten Road, Lookout Mountain, Ga. New for the 13th year is a partnership with Reflection Riding Arboretum & Nature Center offering "predators and prey" animal shows at 10 a.m., noon, 2 and 4 p.m. Returning favorites include the living ground, living magnolia and living vine characters, who replant themselves in different locations throughout the day. Performances by percussionist Kofi Mawuko begin at 10 a.m., and Stephen Humphries will play hammered dulcimer 12:30-2:30 p.m. The park's restaurants will have themed foods, including dirt cake. Hours are 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, Sunday and April 23-24. Admission is $18-$28. seerockcity.com
- Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park will have events at two sites Saturday. For the first day of National Park Week, Point Park, 110 Point Park Road, Lookout Mountain, will offer free entry 8:30 a.m.- 5 p.m. The battlefield 2,100 feet above Chattanooga Valley has 30 miles of walking trails and signage detailing the history of the Civil War's "Battle Above the Clouds." Programs by park rangers will start at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. At 2 p.m. Saturday at the Moccasin Bend National Archaeological District's gateway site, 10 Hamm Road, rangers will lead a 30-minute talk, "Tecumseh Among the Cherokee," about the Shawnee chief's visit to this area. nps.gov/chch
- Chattanooga River Market will be open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday on the Tennessee Aquarium plaza, 1 Broad St. This is the final Sunday for the gathering of arts, crafts and food vendors and local musicians. The market will continue Saturday only through Oct. 8. chattanoogamarket.com
- Plant a Tree for Tennessee: Sunday is the deadline to reserve bare-root seedlings in this Earth Day initiative of the Green Interchange and the Tennessee Environmental Council. Reserved trees may be picked up next weekend at two locations in Chattanooga. Available trees are native to Tennessee: eastern redbud, dogwood, shumard oak, false indigo and fragrant sumac. Donation is $2 per tree. greeninterchange.org
SPECTATOR SPORTS
- Chattanooga Lookouts, a Class AA affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds, continue their first home series through Sunday against the Birmingham Barons at AT&T Field, 201 Power Alley. Game time is 7:15 p.m., except Sunday's at 2:15 p.m. Promotions include Thirsty Thursday drink specials, Friday fireworks, a used-car giveaway Saturday and Dogs at the Diamond ($5 for each Pooch Pass) and post-game catch on the field Sunday. Kids can run the bases after every game. Tickets are $6-$11. lookouts.com
- Aries Fight Series 6, a Southeastern amateur and professional combat sport event highlighting mixed martial arts, muay Thai, kickboxing and Brazilian jiu jitsu, starts at 5 p.m. Saturday at Camp Jordan, 323 Camp Jordan Parkway, East Ridge. There will be 20 matches in several weight classes. Tickets are $40; VIP tables are sold out. fightertix.com
- Chattanooga Red Wolves, a professional men's team playing in the United Soccer League, go up against the Richmond Kickers at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at CHI Memorial Stadium, 1 Stadium Way. Tickets are $15-$52. chattanoogaredwolves-sc.com
Contact Lisa Denton at ldenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6281.