River City Co. will introduce an eerie-sistible new event Saturday in downtown Chattanooga. Three and a half months before Halloween arrives, area residents can preview their trick-or-treat costumes, watch magicians and fire walkers perform and bring a carved watermelon for contest judging at Summerween at Patten Square.
Marcus Ellsworth, program manager for River City, said the idea for a summer Halloween grew from conversations with "Halloween-minded community members and some of the businesses" in Patten Square.
"It's also a way to feature some of Chattanooga's more spooky artists the more theatrical performers more than once a year," he said in a phone interview.
Ellsworth recommended a Google search for watermelon carving ideas.
"We hope Chattanooga can come through and show off their carving skills a little early this year," he said.
More details are below.
OUT & ABOUT
- Summerween, a summer version of Halloween, with costume contests, watermelon carving and trick-or-treating, debuts 6-10 p.m. Saturday at Patten Square, 818 Georgia Ave. Performers include the progressive metal band Cosmic Twelve and other local musicians, plus magicians and fire dancers. Food, drink and art vendors will have their specialties for sale. Participants in the carving contest should arrive with their watermelon ready for judging at 8 p.m. Costume contests start at 7:30 p.m. for children and at 9:30 p.m. for adults. Winners receive Chattanooga Express digital gift cards. The Honest Pint, 35 Patten Parkway, will host the after-party at 10 p.m. rivercitycompany.com
- The Comedy Catch, 29 Station St., will welcome Killer Beaz, a stand-up comedian and "Moonshiners" regular, in a special engagement this weekend. Shows start at 7:30 p.m. Thursday ($17-$19), 7:30 and 9:45 p.m. Friday and Saturday ($20-$25). The next Open Mic Night is 7:30 p.m. Wednesday ($7). thecomedycatch.com
- Ice Cream Crawl, celebrating National Ice Cream Day (the third Sunday in July), will take place Friday through Sunday at eight eateries in downtown Chattanooga. Taking part are the North Shore and Southside locations of Clumpies, 26 Frazier Ave. and 1401 Market St.; Downtown Dough, 100 Market St.; Peach Cobbler Factory, 301 E. M.L. King Blvd.; The Ice Cream Show, 105 Walnut St.; Milk & Honey, 135 N. Market St.; Community Pie, 850 Market St.; and Coldstone Creamery, 100 Chestnut St. Patrons can try out special selections and have a chance to win gift cards and other prizes by scanning a QR code at each location. rivercitycompany.com
- Lemonade Stand Challenge: Be on the lookout for neighborhood lemonade stands Friday through Sunday as area youths raise money for the Chambliss Center for Children's Isaiah 117 House that will serve foster children in Hamilton County. Find registration information at chamblisscenter.org/lemonade-stand-challenge. Also, Feed Company Table + Tavern (201 W. Main St.) and the 1885 Grill restaurants in Ooltewah and St. Elmo (9469 Bradmore Lane, 3914 St. Elmo Ave.) will donate a portion of their lemonade drink sales from Saturday and Sunday to the cause.
- Master Gardeners of Hamilton County will offer a free class on "Attracting Beneficial Insects to Your Yard & Garden" at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Hamilton County Extension Office, 6183 Adamson Circle. A Zoom link also is available. Register either way. mghc.org
- Rivertown Pitt to Port, a paddling event that connects South Pittsburg, Tenn., to Bridgeport, Ala., via the Tennessee River is Saturday. Paddlers will leave the South Pittsburg Municipal Park boat ramp, 1 Rivers Landing, at 9 a.m. CDT for the 6.2-mile trip downstream to the Bridgeport River Park. Lunch will be provided after the two- to three-hour trip, along with shuttles back to South Pittsburg. Loaner kayaks are available, while supplies last, for anyone lacking a canoe, kayak or standup paddleboard. rivercitycompany.com
- Chattanooga Market will host its Top Tomato Festival 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday at First Horizon Pavilion, 1826 Carter St. A highlight will be a Bloody Mary sampling, with Old Gilman Grill, Burger Republic, Southside Social, Bitter Alibi and High Rail offering up their best drinks for People's Choice and Judges' Choice awards. Tickets for the five samples, with or without alcohol, are $15. Admission to the market is free. Musicians Toby Hewitt and Eric Jordan will entertain at 12:30 and 2 p.m. respectively. chattanoogamarket.com
MUSIC
- Singer Songwriter Series, a monthly offering at McLemore, a resort community at 32 Clubhouse Lane, Rising Fawn, Ga., continues Thursday with folk rocker Shawn Mullins behind the mic. Tickets are $55. themclemore.com
- Blue Springs Valley Anniversary Singing, hosted by Southern gospel group the Singing Echoes, is underway at 150 Bryson Lane, Cleveland, Tenn. The event, in its 53rd year, includes daily devotionals at 10 a.m. and concerts at 6 each night. The hosts will sing nightly, joined Thursday by The Freemans and 2x2 Quartet; Friday by the Inspirations, Watson Brothers Trio and Wilma Smith; and Saturday by Michael Combs, Trinity Trio and Tim Frith & The Gospel Echoes. Camping is available. Tickets are $18 at gate, $50 for a multiday pass. singingechoes.com
- Nightfall, a free summer concert series, continues Friday with funk artist Boulevards (aka Jamil Rashad) headlining at 8 p.m. and local artist Amber Fults opening at 7 p.m. at Miller Plaza, 850 Market St. Artists, games and food vendors will be set up across M.L. King Boulevard at Miller Park. Admission is free. nightfallchattanooga.com
- The Caverns, 555 Charlie Roberts Road, Pelham, Tenn., has two underground shows this weekend. Friday features electronic music by DJ/producer Mersiv, with support from Mlotik, Molokai, Mystic Grizzly and Meso. Tickets are $50-$60. Saturday features folk artist Todd Snider, with Tommy Womack supporting. Tickets are $45-$55. Both shows start at 8 p.m. CDT. Tickets may be upgraded to include cave tours and accommodations. thecaverns.com
- Riverfront Nights, a free summer concert series, continues 7-10 p.m. Saturday at Ross's Landing, 201 Riverfront Parkway. The featured band is Rubiks Groove, a Nashville-based band that covers the hits of the '80s, '90s and '00s. The evening will start with a "Remembrance on the River" at 6:45 p.m. for Chattanooga's "Fallen Five," commemorating the five members of the military who died in a terrorist attack on July 16, 2015. riverfrontnights.com
(READ MORE: A minute-by-minute timeline of the Chattanooga terrorist attack)
- Songbirds, 35 Station St., has two shows coming up. Blues guitarist EG Kight performs with her band at 7 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $20. Durry, an indie rock band fronted by siblings Austin and Taryn Durry, will play at 8 p.m. Wednesday. Tickets are $12. songbirdsfoundation.org
FILM
- Bobby Stone Film Series continues a summer run at the Tivoli Theatre, 709 Broad St., with these titles in the coming week: "Into the Wild," about an adventurer's Alaska sojourn, at 11 a.m. Thursday ($5 admission), the showbiz saga "La La Land" at 7 p.m. Saturday ($10-$12), the historical drama "Lawrence of Arabia" at 2 p.m. Sunday ($10-$12) and "Ratatouille," about a rat who dreams of being a chef, at 11 a.m. Tuesday ($5). tivolichattanooga.com
- Chattanooga Jewish Film Series will offer a free virtual screening of director Avi Nesher's critically acclaimed anti-war epic "Image of Victory" next week as a gift to the community to celebrate the series' 15th anniversary and to preview the ticketed series starting Aug. 17. The film will be available from noon Sunday to noon July 22. Register for the link: jewishchattanooga.com
MUSIC & FILM
- Music & Movies at Miller continues at 6 p.m. Saturday at Miller Park, 928 Market St. Blues band Luke Simmons & the Lovestruck will headline. "The Princess and the Frog" will be screened at dusk. Music, games, artists and food trucks will be set up by 6 p.m. Bring your own seating. Admission is free. rivercitycompany.com
- Barking Legs Theater, 1307 Dodds Ave., will host the premiere of the modern dance film "Tracing Abandoned Tracks" at 7 p.m. Saturday. Loosely based on Glenn Miller's "Chattanooga Choo Choo," the film is meant to show how dance can lead to community-led change. The premiere will feature the movie's principals: Collaborative Roots, a collective of dance artists, filmmaker Tane Hopper, reggae band Milele Roots and poet Marcus Ellsworth. Suggested donation is $10. barkinglegs.org
SPECTATOR SPORTS
- Soccer Fest, the largest sanctioned adult soccer event in the United States, is underway through Sunday at Camp Jordan, 323 Camp Jordan Parkway. The event offers men, women and coed teams of players ages 40 and older the chance to get back on the field. Spectator admission is free. adultsoccerfest.com
- Chattanooga Red Wolves, a USL-League One men's professional team, will play North Carolina FC at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at CHI Memorial Stadium, 1 Stadium Way. Tickets are $15-$52. chattanoogaredwolves-sc.com
THEATER
- "Anastasia," a Broadway musical based on the legend of a Russian grand duchess, will conclude its three-day run at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Memorial Auditorium, 399 McCallie Ave. The touring production is the last show in the 2021-22 Broadway at Memorial series. Tickets are $38-$83. tivolichattanooga.com
(READ MORE: Five award-winning shows in 2022-23 Broadway at Memorial series)
- "The Play That Goes Wrong," a play within a play that wraps a Sherlock Holmes-style mystery in a Monty Python-esque farce, opens this weekend at the Ringgold Depot, 155 Depot St., Ringgold, Ga. The Ringgold Playhouse will present the Broadway hit at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday, (same schedule July 21-24). Tickets are $8-$10. Eventbrite.com
- "Brief Chronicle, Books 6-8," Agnes Borinsky's history play about the bond between a mother and son, will conclude its run this weekend at the UTC Fine Arts Center, 752 Vine St. Show times for the Obvious Dad production are 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $15. obviousdad.com
- "Monkey in the Middle: The Scopes Evolution Trial," will be presented this weekend in the same courtroom where the prosecution of science teacher John Scopes took place in 1925 inside the Rhea County Courthouse, 1475 Market St., Dayton, Tenn. Performances are scheduled at 7 p.m. Friday, 1 and 6 p.m. Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $10-$15. A festival outside on the lawn and surrounding streets will include arts, crafts and food vendors all three days; a songwriters showcase and cruise-in on Friday; and bluegrass, country and rock music Saturday. rheaheritage.com
- "The Music Man," about a con man who deceives a Midwestern town about his musical abilities, will be presented the next two weekends by East Brainerd Community Theatre at Christ United Methodist Church, 8645 East Brainerd Road. Shows start at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, plus July 21-22, with a matinee at 2:30 p.m. July 23. Tickets are $10 if purchased through Thursday, $15 at the door. Buy at the church or online. ebctchatt.com
- "Matilda the Musical," based on Roald Dahl's novel, continues this weekend at the Signal Mountain Playhouse's outdoor amphitheater, 1104 James Blvd. Shows start at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays through July. Ticket sales and camp chair setup start at 6 p.m. Picnic dinners are welcome (no alcohol). Tickets are $5-$15. smph.org
ARTS
- Hunter Museum of American Art, 10 Bluff View, will continue special programming for its "Enchanted" exhibition 6-7 p.m. Thursday with Hip-Hop Fantasy, featuring performances by KG, Konstruct, Tryezz and Image Novek inspired by Dragon Ball Z, Thriller and Rerun rhythms. Sunday offers a Sensory Studio, a low-sensory painting class, with a tour of the "Enchanted" exhibition, noon-1 p.m. Admission fees may apply. huntermuseum.org
- River Gallery, 400 E. Second St., will showcase James Courtenay James in a painting demonstration 2-4 p.m. Saturday. Works by the Chattanooga artist are featured this month, along with art by Lee Malerich and Cynthia Tollefsrud. Admission is free. river-gallery.com
Contact Lisa Denton at ldenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6281.