Labor Day weekend arrives with $3 movies for National Cinema Day, a beer festival and the final Nightfall concert of the season.
ARTS
-- Shuptrine's Gallery, 2613 Broad St., plans a drop-in fall open house 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Thursday. The featured artists are Mike Smelcher, Robert Calcagno, Hunter Eddy and Alan Shuptrine. shuptrinesgallery.com
-- Hunter Museum of American Art, 10 Bluff View, has a double feature Thursday. Throwback Thursday, 4-8 p.m. offers free admission to the permanent collection and $5 admission to the current exhibit, "Enchanted: A History of Fantasy Illustration," which runs through Monday. Thursday is also Fantasy Game Night, 5-7:30 p.m., which includes a short Dungeons & Dragons campaign and other tabletop games. huntermuseum.org
-- In-Town Gallery, 26A Frazier Ave., will introduce its September exhibition, "Cup-A-Palooza," by master potters Laurie Graham and Jonathan Clardy, at an opening reception 5-8 p.m. Friday. intowngallery.com
-- River Gallery, 400 E. Second St., will feature works by Julia Giarardini and Ken Girardini in September. An opening reception is scheduled 5:30-7 p.m. Friday. river-gallery.com
-- ClearStory Arts, 1673 S. Holtzclaw Ave., plans a First Friday open studio, with live demonstrations and music, 5:30-8:30 p.m. Friday. RSVPs are appreciated. clearstoryarts.com
-- Area 61 Gallery, 721 Broad St., will hold an opening reception 6-8 p.m. Friday for local artist Joe Helseth's "Old Images/New Formats," which evolved from drawings of his morning coffee cup into more abstract images. Works are available for viewing and purchase through Nov. 2. 423-648-9367
FESTIVAL
-- Rail & Hops Brewers Festival is set for 5-10 p.m. Saturday at Miller Park, 910 Market St. The tasting event features handcrafted beers from regional brewers, food trucks and music by Lee Fields & The Expressions, Strung Like a Horse and The Shady Recruits. IDs will be required for this 21-and-older event. Tickets are $50 in advance, $65 day of. Proceeds benefit SoundCorps, which works to grow the music industry in Chattanooga. railandhops.com
FILM
-- "Jaws," Steven Spielberg's 1975 shark-centric classic that gave rise to summer blockbusters, is set for a weeklong run at the Tennessee Aquarium's Imax Theater, 201 Chestnut St. Screenings start at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, 6:30 and 9 p.m. Friday through Sunday, 6:30 p.m. Monday through Sept. 8. Tickets are $15. tnaqua.org/imax/jaws
-- National Cinema Day will offer movie tickets for $3 Saturday in more than 3,000 theaters across America. According to The Associated Press, the Cinema Foundation, a nonprofit arm of the National Association of Theater Owners, initiated the nationwide discount day to lure film fans into theaters during the traditionally slow Labor Day weekend. AMC and Regal Cinemas in the Chattanooga area are participating, as is the UEC Theatres location in Cleveland, Tenn. The discount applies to all movies in all formats at all showtimes. Before each showing, a sizzle reel of upcoming films from a dozen major studios will be shown to interest ticket buyers in future releases. nationalcinemaday.org
-- "Access Control," a faith-based, buddy-cop comedy produced locally by AJB4 Entertainment, will have its red-carpet premiere starting at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at the Colonnade, 264 Catoosa Circle, Ringgold, Ga. The film will be shown at 8 p.m., and a Q&A with the cast will follow. Tickets are $20 general, $50 VIP. ajb4.com
-- "A Kaddish for Bernie Madoff," a musical docudrama about the financier who ran the largest Ponzi scheme in history, is the next offering in the 15th annual Chattanooga Jewish Film Series. The film may be viewed virtually from noon Sunday through noon Sept. 9 or at an in-person screening at 7:15 p.m. Tuesday at the Jewish Cultural Center, 5461 North Terrace. Registration is necessary for either option. Cost is $12 (discounts for students with a school ID). A recorded interview with Alicia J. Rabins (writer/actor), Alicia Rose (director) and Lara Cuddy (producer) by Chattanoogan Alison Lebovitz also is available. jewishchattanooga.com
MUSIC
-- Songbirds, 35 Station St., has three upcoming events. Thursday at 7 p.m. is the kickoff of the Songbirds Radio Hour, a music and interview show hosted before a live audience. The inaugural episode focuses on "Bessie & The Big 9," with Michelle Scott, author of "Blues Empress in Black Chattanooga: Bessie Smith and the Emerging Urban South," and local singer Neshawn Calloway as guests. Admission is free. Saturday features singer/songwriter Jonathan Peyton and Chattanooga duo In the Company of Wolves in a Be the Change Youth Initiative show. Music starts at 7 p.m., with a $20 ticket. Wednesday, pop artist Jordy Searcy, a Season 7 contestant on NBC's "The Voice," will be in concert at 7 p.m. with Julianna Zachariou. Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 day of show, $50 VIP. songbirdsfoundation.org
-- Nightfall, a free summer concert series, ends its season Friday with Chicago blues agents Lil' Ed & the Blues Imperials headlining at Miller Plaza, 850 Market St. (replacing previously announced Miko Marks). Local artist Butch Ross, a master of the mountain dulcimer, opens the show at 7 p.m. Artists, games and food vendors will be set up at Miller Park, 910 Market St. Postponed from last week, Sanofi, an international pharmaceutical company with an office in Chattanooga, will give away products such as Gold Bond and Icy Hot as part of a Career Night. nightfallchattanooga.com
-- Pikeville Summer Nights finishes its season with bluegrass artist Carrie Hassler on the Main Street Stage at 7 p.m. CDT Saturday. A farmers market and classic car cruise-in start the downtown festivities at 6 p.m. Admission is free. facebook.com/events
-- The Caverns, 555 Charlie Roberts Road, Pelham, Tenn., has two shows over the weekend. Saturday is a reggae fest as UB40 stops on its Bigga Baggariddim tour, joined by The Original Wailers with Al Anderson, plus Maxi Priest and Big Mountain. Music starts at 6:30 p.m. CDT. Tickets start at $59. Sunday features alt-rock band Switchfoot, with Little Image opening, at 6 p.m. CDT. Tickets start at $49. thecaverns.com
-- The Signal, 1810 Chestnut St., will welcome rock band Pop Evil on the Vortex Tour at 8 p.m. Sunday. Zillion supports. Tickets are $22-$40. thesignaltn.com
-- Barking Legs Theater, 1307 Dodds Ave., has two events on the calendar. The second installment of Chattanooga Super Sessions, a monthly recurrence, circumvents Labor Day with a one-time move to Tuesday at 7 p.m. Host Nathan Bell, a local singer, songwriter and guitarist, hosts some of the area's best musicians in a free-form setting. There's no cover, but donations are appreciated. Jazz in the Lounge, a weekly feature, features the Alan Wyatt Quartet at 7 p.m. Wednesday with a $5 cover. barkinglegs.org
-- The Pop-Up Project presents Classical X Candlelight, one in a series of limited performances at Coosa Mill, an abandoned textile mill at 1800 S. Watkins St., at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. This intimate evening of classical music by candlelight features Chattanooga Symphony & Opera cellist Ben Van Winkle playing original pieces he has composed for this concert, accompanied by the Figment Chamber Ensemble. Tickets are $20. Wine and beer will be available for purchase. thepopupproject.org
OUT & ABOUT
-- Craft Axe Throwing, 619 Camp Jordan Parkway, East Ridge, will turn on black lights for a Glow Throw this weekend. Hours are noon-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2-9 p.m. Sunday. Reservations are not required but are strongly recommended for the event, which is available all day but is especially striking at night. craftaxethrowing.com
-- The Comedy Catch, 29 Station St., will welcome Derek Richards, a regular on the Las Vegas Strip and veteran of several USO tours, this weekend. Shows start at 7:30 and 9:45 p.m. Friday and Saturday and at 7:30 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $17-$19. Open Mic Night, for up-and-coming comics, is 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. Tickets are $7. thecomedycatch.com
-- Rabbit Valley Farmers Market, which happens weekly at 96 Depot St. in Ringgold, Ga., will mark Ringgold's 175th birthday twice Saturday: during the market's regular hours, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., and again during an evening Brews & BBQ celebration, 5-9 p.m. The event will include barbecue and beer vendors, along with face painting and a free bounce house for children. Live music begins at 5 p.m. with Atlanta musician Sam Bybee, followed at 7 p.m. by the headliner, Edgewood Heavy, a rock and soul band out of Atlanta. Admission is free. Seating is bring your own. Leashed dogs are welcome. rabbitvalleyfarmersmarket.com
-- Wreaths Across Chattanooga, a nonprofit organization that places wreaths at Chattanooga National Cemetery each December, will benefit from donations collected 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday at Elder's Ace Hardware, 4921 Highway 58. The Alpha Beta chapter of Epsilon Sigma Alpha, a service organization, has organized the fundraiser. 423-227-6206
-- RK Gun Show, featuring vendors with guns, hunting supplies, military surplus and outdoor gear, is this weekend at Camp Jordan Arena, 323 Camp Jordan Parkway, East Ridge. Hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday. General admission is $4-$12; VIP tickets are $6-$14. rkshows.com
-- National Association of Watch & Clock Collectors is moving the annual convention from Chattanooga to the Dalton Convention Center, 2211 Tony Ingle Parkway, Dalton, Ga. This Mid-South regional meeting, which features a wide variety of timepieces for show and sale, as well as lectures and workshops, will be open to the public 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and 8 a.m.-noon Sunday. Admission is free to the exhibits and lectures, $10 for the shopping mart. nawcc.org
-- Chattanooga Market plans a Fall Food Truck Rally 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday at First Horizon Pavilion, 1826 Carter St. Twenty-five trucks will be parked on site, selling specialties ranging from barbecue to waffles. Other purveyors will have a selection of local produce, arts and crafts. Admission is free. chattanoogamarket.com
SPECTATOR SPORTS
-- Chattanooga Lookouts, the Class AA affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds, are at home against the Pensacola Blue Wahoos at AT&T Field, 201 Power Alley. Thursday's game is the last of three being played with a Montañas de Chattanooga (Mountains of Chattanooga) theme as part of Minor League Baseball's Copa de la Diversión (Fun Cup) initiative recognizing Hispanic traditions. There are also Thirsty Thursday drink specials. Friday offers a chance to win $100,000 if the Lookouts hit a grand slam in the bottom of the fifth inning and a mega fireworks display after the game. Saturday includes a used car giveaway and pregame entertainment by the Chattanooga Juggling Club. Sunday is Suicide Awareness Day. Fans also can trade a nonperishable food for the Chattanooga Area Food Bank for a free general-admission ticket. Games start at 7:15 p.m., except for Sunday's at 2:15 p.m. Tickets are $6-$11. lookouts.com
Find more events, and add your own, at timesfreepress.com/chattanooganow. See a comprehensive calendar of events in Sunday's Life section.
Contact Lisa Denton at ldenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6281.