A new spring festival emerges, Lyle Lovett sings and an Afghanistan war veteran, whose story is streaming on Netflix, speaks to a virtual Siskin Possibilities audience in the coming week.
At least three events are sold out: Erlanger's Dinner of Distinction, a Dropkick Murphys show and the Annie Moses Band's concert with the East Tennessee Symphony Orchestra.
OUT & ABOUT
- The Comedy Catch, 29 Station St., welcomes Jerry Harvey for shows at 7:30 and 9:45 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Tickets are $17-$19. Exiled Comedy night, at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, provides a larger venue to the best comics from Exile Off Main Street's comedy nights, plus regional favorites. Tickets are $12. thecomedycatch.com
- Coin show: The Tennessee State Numismatic Society will be set up this weekend at Camp Jordan, 323 Camp Jordan Parkway, East Ridge. Dealers will showcase coins, related items and jewelry 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday. A young numismatists program, with giveaways, starts at 1 p.m. Saturday. Admission is free. tsns.org
- Rock the Riverfront, a monthlong spring festival presented by River City Co., debuts Friday on the Chattanooga Green, 100 Chestnut St. The central attraction is the Impulse art installation, consisting of lighted seesaws that will be open for play 10 a.m.-10 p.m. daily through April 3. Also on Friday, DJ Corleone Tone will play music at 6 p.m. on the main stage. Saturday's special events start at 6 p.m. with music by Pandora's Box on the main stage and skate rentals from Moonlight Roller on Riverfront Parkway, followed at 6:30 p.m. by the Light Up Chatt Lantern Parade, coordinated by Playful Evolving Monsters and Art 120. Coinciding with the Erlanger Chattanooga Marathon, Sunday events start early, at 8 a.m., with opportunities to cheer on the runners at miles 3 and 17, plus DJ music by MillionDollaMan Keenan Daniels on the main stage. Art vendors and food trucks will be open 11 a.m.-5 p.m. rivercitycompany.com/rock
- Book signing: Former Chattanoogan Donald E. Palmer will sign copies of his latest release at 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday in the lobby of the Read House Hotel, 107 W. M.L. King Blvd. Palmer said "Me and Johnny" picks up where his book about his childhood, "Memories of a Chattanooga Street Kid," left off. The latest relates the adventures of a friend who "ran away to join the circus" and ended up at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Palmer said.
- A'Museum, an adults-only fundraiser for the Creative Discovery Museum, 321 Chestnut St., is 7-11 p.m. Saturday. The "Hard Hats Required" theme highlights the renovations underway at the children's museum, with tours, music and dancing. Tickets are $125-$175. cdmfun.org
- Family Literacy Festival, presented by Hamilton County Schools, is 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday at Northgate Mall, 271 Northgate Mall Drive. Free books will be available while supplies last, and visitors may enter to win a free Kindle Fire. visitnorthgatemall.com
- Superhero Defense Training: Kids can learn some moves from Batman and his friends from Pope's Martial Arts Academy at 10:30 a.m. Saturday in Story Land (near American Eagle) at Bradley Square Mall, 200 Paul Huff Parkway in Cleveland, Tennessee. The training will follow a story. shopbradleysquare.com
- Wild About Wildflowers, a four-week series of walks to see what's blooming, will be held 1-3 p.m. each Saturday in March at Reflection Riding Arboretum & Nature Center, 400 Garden Road. Cost is $15-$20. reflectionriding.org
- Scenic City Rumble, a professional wrestling fundraiser for Soddy Daisy High School athletics, is 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the school, 618 Sequoyah Access Road. The event features seven matches with wrestlers from 12 states and a 30-person rumble match. Among the wrestlers are A.J. Gray, ranked among the Top 50 wrestlers last year by Pro Wrestling Illustrated; Independent World Wrestling Television world champion AC Mack; and Soddy-Daisy High's Jaden Newman and former National Wrestling Alliance world heavyweight champion Jax Dane. Tickets are $10-$20 (free for kids under 10). sciwrestling.com
[READ MORE: Jaden Newman learning the ropes]
- Civics 101: Voting, a nonpartisan webinar, will be offered 6-7 p.m. Monday by The Chattery. Instructor Sasha Lee of Common Power, a civic engagement and voting ethics organization, will talk about Tennessee's voting history, how state elections affect federal ones, the impact of redistricting and how to register to vote, among other topics. Cost is $20. Register for the link to watch in real time or a later recording. thechattery.org
- Siskin Possibilities: U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Travis Mills, the subject of a movie streaming on Netflix, "Travis: A Soldier's Story," will be the keynote speaker for the 19th annual fundraiser for Siskin Hospital for Physical Rehabilitation. Mills lost both arms and legs in an explosion while serving with the 82nd Airborne in Afghanistan. Livestreaming of the event begins at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday. Tickets are $50. siskinrehab.org
- CTC Book Club continues its monthly meetings with a discussion of Bruce Norris' "Clybourne Park," winner of a Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award, at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the mainstage lobby at Chattanooga Theatre Centre, 400 River St. A PDF of the script, written as a spin-off to "A Raisin in the Sun," can be found on the club's private Facebook page; search for CTC Book Club to join.
ARTS
- Hunter Museum of American Art, 10 Bluff View, will welcome photographer Abelardo Morell in a Virtual Art Wise presentation 6-7 p.m. Thursday. Morell's "Camera Obscura: Times Square in Hotel Room," was recently acquired by the Hunter and is featured in the latest exhibit, "Beyond the Frame: Celebrating 70 Years of Collecting." It's also Throwback Thursday, which means that between 4 and 8 p.m., admission is free to the permanent collection and $5 to "Beyond the Frame" (normally $20 for nonmember adults). huntermuseum.org
- Stitches in Time, a quilt show in its 22nd year, continues at the Museum Center at Five Points, 200 E. Inman St. in Cleveland, Tennessee. Special events for quilters are scheduled Thursday and Friday. Family Fun Day, set for 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, will include hands-on quilting demonstrations, children's activities and bed-turnings, in which the stories of quilts are told as each is turned back from among the layers on a bed. Cost is $9 for a single day, $15 for a multiday pass. museumcenter.org
- In-Town Gallery, 26A Frazier Ave., features a "Garden Personality" show of paintings by Lora Miller this month. An opening reception is scheduled 5-8 p.m. Friday. intowngallery.com
- Women in History: From Then to Now Showcase, a Tennessee Arts Collective event commemorating Women's History Month, will be presented Saturday at The Arts Avenue, 1800 Rossville Ave. Project installations by preprofessional artists encompass 2D and 3D visual art, theater and dance. Tours start at 7 p.m., performances at 8 p.m. You must be 16 to attend. Tickets are $30-$42. theartsave.com
MUSIC
- Chattanooga Symphony & Opera will perform Beethoven's Symphony No. 3, "Eroica," one of his most celebrated works, at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in Memorial Auditorium, 399 McCallie Ave. The evening also will include a piece from famed 19th-century French composer Louise Farrenc and Brahms' "Schicksalslied (Song of Destiny)" with accompaniment from the CSO Chorus. Tickets are $15-$90. chattanoogasymphony.org
- Chattanooga State Community College, 4501 Amnicola Highway, presents "A Night at the Movies!" music by the Symphonic Band at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in the Humanities Theatre. The band includes students of Chattanooga State, Hamilton County Collegiate High, STEM School of Chattanooga and community volunteers. Admission is free. 423-697-2460.
- Lee University will present its Choral Union in "Gratias: Songs of Thanksgiving" at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in Pangle Hall, 340 Church St. NE in Cleveland, Tennessee. The concert includes music by Bach, Barrett, Byrd, Forrest, Hogan and Holst. Admission is free. Or stream at leeulive.
- The Signal, 1810 Chestnut St., has four shows booked. Indie rock trio The Happy Fits play at 8 p.m. Thursday, with Sarah and the Sundays opening; tickets are $18. Friday's show by the Dropkick Murphys is sold out. Country band Flatland Cavalry plays at 8 p.m. Friday, with Jake Worthington and Keller Cox opening; tickets are $22-$40. Rock band Theory of a Deadman plays at 8 p.m. Tuesday, with Shaman's Harvest opening; tickets are $15-$70. thesignaltn.com
- Walker Theatre, 399 McCallie Ave., has three acts with a country vibe booked over the next week. Home Free, an a cappella quintet who won the fourth season of "The Sing-Off" on NBC, stops on the Dive Bar Saints World Tour at 8 p.m. Thursday; tickets are $39-$59. Four-time Grammy winner Lyle Lovett and His Acoustic Group will perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday, playing stripped-down arrangements of Lovett's standards and previewing songs from his next album, coming in May; tickets are $69-$99. Anderson East, touring in support of new album "Maybe We Never Die," plays at 8 p.m. Wednesday; tickets are $30-$40. tivolichattanooga.com
- Cousin Jake Tullock Memorial Bluegrass Festival returns for its 27th year at the Gem Theater, 700 Tennessee Ave. in Etowah, Tennessee. The kickoff for the festival, at 7 p.m. Friday, is the John Studdard Memorial Gospel Concert with Just Us and Alan Bibey & Grasstowne performing. Doors open at noon Saturday for performances by Just Us, Clearview, Valley Grass Express, Blue Ridge Grass and The Monroe Troubadours, and there's a bluegrass jam for all comers noon-4 p.m. at the L&N Depot across the street. Tullock was an Etowah native who played bass with Flatt and Scruggs' Foggy Mountain Boys for 20 years. Studdard was a local musician who started the Tullock festival. Adult tickets are $12 Friday, $18 Saturday, $25 for the combo; $5 and $10 daily admission for children 12 and younger. Facebook.com/EtowahArts
- Paul Belcher Gospel Revue, featuring the Triumphant Quartet, Karen Peck and New River, The Inspirations and the Primitive Quartet, starts at 6 p.m. Saturday at Memorial Auditorium, 399 McCallie Ave. Tickets are $20-$25. tivolichattanooga.com
- Songbirds, 35 Station St., has scheduled "An Evening With Joe Robinson" at 7 p.m. Saturday. The virtuoso guitarist and vocalist won the 2008 season of "Australia's Got Talent." Tickets are $20. songbirdsfoundation.org
- The Caverns, 555 Charlie Roberts Road in Pelham, Tennessee, hosts two shows this weekend. Saturday features the Del McCoury Band, fronted by the most awarded artist in bluegrass history, at 7 p.m. CST; tickets are $40-$345. Sunday showcases country band The Mavericks, with Sweet Lizzy Project opening, at 6 p.m. CST; tickets are $59-$292. thecaverns.com
- Faulkner University Chorus, a large, mixed choral ensemble from the Montgomery, Ala., school, will sing at 10:45 a.m. Sunday at Central Church of Christ, 515 N. Tibbs Road in Dalton, Georgia, on its spring tour of the South. Facebook.com/centralcocdalton
- Jazz Vespers, a service of music performed by the David Walters Quartet and Kathy Tugman, starts at 5 p.m. Sunday at St. Timothy's Episcopal Church, 630 Mississippi Ave., Signal Mountain. The contemplative service also will include poetry, prayers and scripture. A love offering will be taken. 423-886-2281
- Southern Adventist University will present its Symphony Orchestra in concert at 7:30 p.m. Sunday at Collegedale Church of Seventh-day Adventists, 4829 College Drive East. The performance will include music by Bernstein, Mahler and Mozart. Admission is free. Livestream at southern.edu/streaming.
- Chattanooga Lookouts will begin scheduling national anthem singers Monday. To be considered, fill out the form at lookouts.com and email it back with a video of you singing "The Star-Spangled Banner." The home season opens April 12.
THEATER
- The Hilltop Players of Bryan College continue their production of "See Rock City," about a married couple in World War II, at 7:30 nightly through Saturday in Brock Hall, 825 Bryan Drive on the Dayton, Tennessee, campus. Tickets are $12. Eventbrite.com
- The Ringgold Playhouse, offering proof that brevity is the soul of wit, opens its ninth season with the interactive comedy "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)," with three actors presenting all 37 of Shakespeare's plays in 97 minutes. Showtime is at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at the Ringgold Depot, 155 Depot St., Ringgold, GA. Tickets are $8-$10. Eventbrite.com
- "Menopause: The Musical," a romp through memory loss, hot flashes, night sweats and the changing needs of intimacy, set to a backdrop of classic tunes from the '60-'80s, will be presented at 3 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Walker Theatre, 399 McCallie Ave. Tickets are $45-$55. tivolichattanooga.com
FILM
- Bobby Stone Film Series wraps up its latest offerings Sunday at the Tivoli Theatre, 709 Broad St., with two films starring Sidney Poitier: 1967's "To Sir, With Love" at 2 p.m. and 1958's "The Defiant Ones" at 6 p.m. Tickets are $10-$12. tivolichattanooga.com
- Film project: Chattanooga Theatre Centre has announced that Anzhela Protsenko, whose parents immigrated to the U.S. from Ukraine, is seeking volunteer actors for a short film she's producing in support of Ukraine. Needed are two children ages 9-12, two men ages 25-35 and an African American man age 45+. For more information, call the film's videographer at 615-275-5791.
- Chattanooga Jewish Documentary Film Series concludes with "The Legacy of Aristides" available for streaming for 72 hours starting at noon Tuesday. Aristides de Sousa Mendes was a Portuguese diplomat who at great personal sacrifice saved the lives of tens of thousands of Jews during the Holocaust. Cost is $12. Register for a log-in code. jewishchattanooga.com
Contact Lisa Denton at ldenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6281.