The power couple behind a MotorTrend reality show and the breakout star of a 1970s sitcom will be among the celebrity guests this weekend at World of Wheels, the classic car expo that fills the exhibition space at the Chattanooga Convention Center for three days each January.
Also on the calendar are an Appalachian Christmas celebration and a show that makes science not just fun but funny. Here's a chronology.
ARTS
-- In-Town Gallery, 26A Frazier Ave., plans an opening reception for its January exhibition 5-8 p.m. Friday. "Splash," on view through January, features works by eight artists of the Splash Youth Arts Workshop. intowngallery.com
-- River Gallery, 400 E. Second St., will feature works by Jacqueline Green, Linda Kerlin and Anna Marie Pavlik through February. An opening reception is scheduled 5:30-7 p.m. Friday. river-gallery.com
COMEDY
-- The Comedy Catch, 29 Station St., will offer an Open Mic Night at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. Tickets are $7. The weekend headliner is Matt Mitchell, who spent three years as a correspondent on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno." Shows start at 7:30 and 9:45 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Tickets are $19-$22. thecomedycatch.com
-- Barley Chattanooga Taproom, 235 E. M.L. King Blvd., will host Ben Miller's Stand-Up Science show, exploring topics ranging from milk to thermodynamics, 8-10 p.m. Saturday. Miller has a degree in materials science and engineering from Columbia University, according to his website, and the multimedia show is designed to make science "approachable and delightful." Its recommended audience? "Nerds, scientists, teachers (and) curious people." Tickets are $7. eventbrite.com
MUSIC
-- Barking Legs Theater, 1307 Dodds Ave., opens the new year with the Alan Wyatt Quartet at the weekly Jazz in the Lounge show at 7 p.m. Wednesday. Cover is $5. The first of Nathan Bell's Chattanooga Super Sessions of 2023 starts at 7 p.m. Monday. Bell and guests Craig Pratt, Gordon Inman and Pate Russell will perform "songs that irritate fascists and encourage free love," according to the website. Admission is free, though donations are appreciated. barkinglegs.org
-- Gate 11 Distillery, 1400 Market St., will host the first of four Songwriters Stage competitions for singers and songwriters 7-10 p.m. Friday. Each round will feature eight to 10 performers with two winners each: one from the judges' ballot and one chosen by the audience. The four preliminary rounds, which continue Jan. 20, Feb. 3 and Feb. 17, will produce eight qualifying contestants for the finale, to be held March 3 at The Camp House. Friday's cover is $5. chattown.net
-- Barrelhouse Ballroom, inside Five Wits Brewing, 1501 Long St., has two shows that celebrate arena rock and glam rock this weekend. An Evening With Perpetual Groove starts at 9 p.m. Friday. Tickets are $20-$40. Van Halen tribute band 84 will play at 9 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $12-$25. barrelhouseballroom.com
-- JJ's Bohemia, 231 E. M.L. King Blvd., will be the site of a David Bowie Birthday Celebration at 9 p.m. Saturday. Hosted by The Diamond Dogs, a local David Bowie tribute band, the evening will include music by the Tennessee Ruminators, Milele Roots, Iris Carter, Uncle Lightnin', Scarlet Love Conspiracy, Tropic Sol, Ryan Oyer Band and The Unsatisfied. Admission is a suggested $10 donation. Proceeds will go to Reflection Riding Arboretum & Nature Center. tinyurl.com/DiamondDogsBowie
OUT & ABOUT
-- EPB Holiday Windows, 10 W. M.L. King Blvd., may be viewed through Thursday, before the elves strike the set until the next Christmas season. The holiday scenes are in the windows facing Market and Broad streets. epb.com
-- An Old Christmas Celebration, featuring music and stories that relate the history of this Appalachian tradition, is set for 6 p.m. Thursday (Old Christmas eve) at the Museum Center at Five Points, 200 E. Inman St., Cleveland, Tenn. Old Christmas is known more widely as the Feast of the Epiphany after the conclusion of the 12 days of Christmas. Members of the Cleveland Storytelling Guild will offer stories. Concessions will be available. Admission is $5, with a $15 maximum for families. tellone@bellsouth.net
-- World of Wheels, a custom auto show, returns to the Chattanooga Convention Center, 1 Carter Plaza, this weekend. Hours are 3-9 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.- 9 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday. Saturday's celebrity guests are Joe and Amanda Martin, who rose to fame on "Iron Resurrection" as cameras followed the restoration work at Martin Bros. Customs in Dripping Springs, Texas. They'll be available 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and 4-6 p.m. Saturday only. Jimmie "JJ" Walker, who made "Dyn-o-mite!" a household phrase during the six-season run of "Good Times," will be available noon-3 p.m. Sunday. Champion drag racer John Laboose will have his 1969 Roadrunner, "Loose Caboose," on view Friday and Saturday. Available to fans all weekend are Jim Howe of "Street Outlaws No Prep Kings," the KITT car from "Knight Rider," pin-striper Von Hot Rod, a bicycle stunt team and film and television characters posing for photos during designated hours. During the first hour each day, children will receive a free Hot Wheels car to race on a custom drag strip. Tickets are $15 for adults at O'Reilly Auto Parts stores, $18 at the gate or online; $5 for ages 6-11. worldofwheels.net/chattanooga
-- Dread Hollow, 321 Brown's Ferry Road, will offer its final New Year's Nightmare to kick off 2023 8-10 p.m. Saturday. The haunted attraction has been transformed into an abandoned toy factory where monstrous experiments to achieve immortality have left grotesque, half-human creatures to roam. Escape rooms also are open 7:30-9:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 for any experience. Timed-entry reservations are required. dreadhollow.com
Find more events, and add your own, at timesfreepress.com/cnevents.
Contact Lisa Denton at ldenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6281.