Your Monday at a glance:
- Weather: Stormy with a high of 73.
- What to do: Spring is in the air and festivals are back. Here are 38 Chattanooga area events in this year’s spring festival guide.
- What’s helpful: Chattanooga has plans to help landlords cover damages and rehab costs to boost housing for those experiencing homelessness.
- What to eat and drink (soon): Boneyard Bar is coming to downtown Chattanooga and Mariscos Vallarta is making its way to East Brainerd.
Good morning, Chattanooga!
For retired school teacher John Turner, Summerville, Georgia, is the friendliest town in the world. And he wants to make sure people know it.
“Since we have so many friendly people and such beautiful country, we want to try and encourage people to come and visit our small towns and see all the pretty little parts of nature God has given us,” Turner said, calling the area the Big Friendly, like New Orleans’ the Big Easy.
He’s been traveling all over the region and the county with his large Friendship Flag, raising awareness. He even held a Friendship Festival in the town last year.
“I feel like it has a destiny. I wouldn’t be doing it. I’m 75 years old,” Turner said. “If I didn’t feel like it didn’t have a destiny, I wouldn’t be doing all this. But I do feel like we need it.”
Now for some recent stories:
LOOKOUT FOR THE LOOKOUTS: While the MLB schedule may be up in the air, the Chattanooga Lookouts are prepping for their upcoming season.
GIGS FOR EVERYONE: A TVA grant will aid broadband connections in Chattanooga’s Orchard Knob neighborhood.
HELPING HAND: If you’re looking to donate to help those in Ukraine, here are some tips on doing your research and a list of accredited charities.
-Tierra Hayes, thayes@timesfreepress.com
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