Pets and the people who love them will command attention at two Chattanooga parks this weekend. Other events will celebrate the city’s historic Negro League team and first Black professional photographer. Here’s a chronology.
ARTS
› Ruby Falls, 1720 S. Scenic Highway, will open “Through the Lens: The Life and Legacy of Horace Brazelton” on Wednesday, celebrating the first African American to open a professional photography studio in Chattanooga. The exhibition will be on view 8 a.m.-8 p.m. daily through Sept. 15. Admission is free. Ruby Falls tickets are sold separately. rubyfalls.com.
› AVA Gallery, 30 Frazier Ave., will host an opening reception for “Shades of Black” at 6 p.m. Thursday, with a panel discussion, titled “Y’all Don’t See Me: Black Women in Visual Arts,” following at 7 p.m. The group exhibition, which runs through July 14, is one in a series of events included in the Chattanooga Festival of Black Arts & Ideas. avarts.org.
› Hunter Museum of American Art, 10 Bluff View, will host a Sunday Studio, a drop-in art experience for families, 2-4 p.m. Sunday. Regular admission applies: $20 for nonmember adults. huntermuseum.org.
› Stove Works, 1250 E. 13th St., has two art programs on the calendar. The June artist talks are 5:30-7 p.m. Thursday. A program called “Honoring Our Queer Ancestors: LGBTQ+ History From 5,000 BCE to Now,” is scheduled 4-5 p.m. Saturday. The Pride Month celebration explores queer history through art and storytelling. stoveworks.org.
COMEDY
› The Comedy Catch, 29 Station St., kicks off the weekend with an Open Mic Night at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. Tickets are $7. Moody Molavi, who finds humor in being a native of Iran living in Tennessee, will perform in a special engagement at 7 p.m. Thursday. Tickets are $20-$25. The weekend headliner is CJ Starr, whose routine explores his upbringing, biracial marriage and 10 years of community college. Shows start at 7:30 p.m. Friday, 7:30 and 9:45 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $19-$22. thecomedycatch.com.
› Walker Theatre, 399 McCallie Ave., will welcome Sam Morril, a regular on Comedy Central, on his Class Act tour at 7 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $29-$39. tivolichattanooga.com.
FILM
› Imax Theater, 201 Chestnut St., will debut “Ancient Caves 3D,” an award-winning film that explores how subterranean habitats can help us understand climatic changes on the surface, at 1:15 p.m. Friday. Tickets are $10. tnaqua.org/imax.
› Harry Potter Movie Night is Friday at Chester Frost Park Pavilion, 7989 Causeway Road. The Hamilton County Parks and Recreation event includes a costume parade at 6:30, movie trivia at 7 p.m. and the screening of the first film in the series, 2001’s “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” at 7:30 p.m. Bring your own seating and nonalcoholic drinks. The popcorn is free. 423-710-0274
MUSIC
› Songbirds, 35 Station St., will host blues band Eddie 9V at 7 p.m. Wednesday. Tickets are $15-$18. songbirdsfoundation.org.
› Barking Legs Theater, 1307 Dodds Ave., will welcome the Alan Wyatt Quartet for the weekly installment of Jazz in the Lounge at 7 p.m. Wednesday. Cover is $5. Award-winning multi-instrumentalists Mark Schatz and Bryan McDowell, both former musicians with the bluegrass powerhouse Claire Lynch Band, will combine their talents for a show at 8 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $15. barkinglegs.org.
› Nightfall, a summer concert series, continues Friday, rain or shine, at Miller Plaza, 850 Market St. The headliner is Southern soul band Bywater Call, playing at 8 p.m. Local act Bryanna Fuquea opens at 7 p.m. Food trucks and an art market will be set up by 6:30 p.m. at Miller Park across M.L. King Boulevard. Admission is free. nightfallchattanooga.com.
› Nokian Tyres Summer Nights concerts continue Friday with ’70s cover band Rhea Springs Revival performing at 7 p.m. outside the Rhea County Courthouse, 1475 Market St., Dayton, Tenn. Admission is free. Bring your own seating. rheaheritage.com.
› The Signal, 21 Choo Choo Ave., will present Gimme Gimme Disco, a disco dance party inspired by the music of ABBA, at 9 p.m. Friday. Tickets are $18-$40. thesignaltn.com.
› The Caverns, 555 Charlie Roberts Road, Pelham, Tenn., has two shows on the weekend calendar. Tchami, a French DJ considered a pioneer of the future house genre, will perform at 8 p.m. CDT Friday. Tickets are $65. Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers, whose music is an amalgam of jazz, folk, classical and rock, will play at 8 p.m. CDT Saturday. Tickets are $69. thecaverns.com.
› Barrelhouse Ballroom, 1501 Long St., will host acts that pay tribute to seminal rock bands in separate shows this weekend. The Stolen Faces: Celebrating the Music of the Grateful Dead starts at 9 p.m. Friday. The Dirty Doors: Celebrating the Music of The Doors starts at 9 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $15-$20 for either show. barrelhouseballroom.com.
› Jazz Brunch: The Ivy Rose Foundation and Pi Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority will sponsor a fundraiser for scholarships and community programs at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Chattanooga Convention Center, 1 Carter Plaza. The theme is “We’re Back and All Jazzed Up.” Tickets are $65. 423-413-5648, 423-802-5083.
› Music for Mutts, featuring almost 20 local acts, including Dayz of Deception, is set for noon-11 p.m. Saturday in Miller Park, 928 Market St. Admission is free, but proceeds from sales of a compilation CD by the featured bands will benefit the Pet Placement Center, a no-kill shelter. facebook.com/ChattanoogaMusic4Mutts.
› Bluegrass on the Rim, featuring Foggy Hollow, Cottonmouth Creek and Gary Waldrep, starts at 7 p.m. CDT Saturday at the Little River Canyon Center, 4322 Little River Canyon Rim Parkway, Fort Payne, Ala. The 10th annual event is presented by Jacksonville State University. Bring your own seating. Tickets are $25-$30. jsu.edu/epic/EventCC.html.
OUT & ABOUT
› Chattanooga BBQ Week is underway through Sunday. Eighteen establishments around the city are serving up $6 barbecue specials. chattanoogabbqweek.com.
› Stable 41 Farmers Market, 214 First St., Fort Oglethorpe, Ga., has set themes for its next offerings. Ask a Master Gardener Market is 3-6 p.m. Thursday. Bring a Furry Friend Market is 1-4 p.m. Sunday. stable41market.com.
› Free Fishing Day, when anyone may fish without a license in public waters, is Saturday in Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama. Learn more at takemefishing.org. In Rossville, children ages 5-13 may take part in the Mayor’s Kids Fishing Rodeo 8-10 a.m. in the stocked pond at John Ross Commons, 200 E. Lake Ave. Registration is required. rossvillega.gov/new-page-2.
› Reflection Riding Arboretum & Nature Center, 400 Garden Road, has two special events among its array of weekend programs. At 9 a.m. Saturday, a History Paddle on Lookout Creek will explore the Civil War events that happened on the property. The canoe trip is open to ages 7 and older, and no paddling experience is necessary. Tickets are $25-$30. Also Saturday, volunteers are needed 9 a.m.-noon for the next Weed Wrangle, a continuing effort to remove invasive plants. reflectionriding.org/events.
› Scavenger hunt: RiseUp Cooperative, which leads life and leadership workshops for teens and young adults, will host an Adventure Trek, an all-ages, interactive scavenger hunt, 9 a.m.-noon Saturday along CARTA’s downtown shuttle route. Free snacks and drinks will be provided at the start and finish at the Chattanooga Green, 140 Riverfront Parkway. Tickets are $60 for two to four people, $100 for a group of five to eight. riseupcooperative.org.
› NPC Battle at the River, a National Physique Committee national qualifier, is Saturday at the Chattanooga Convention Center, 1 Carter Plaza. The seven categories of competition include bodybuilding, fitness and bikini. Spectator tickets are $20 for prejudging at 9 a.m., $40-$60 for the night show at 5 p.m. npcbattleattheriver.com.
› Author Frank Varney will lead a National Park Service program and sign copies of his new book, “General Grant and the Verdict of History: Memoir, Memory and the Civil War,” 10 a.m.-noon Friday at the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center, 3370 LaFayette Road, Fort Oglethorpe, Ga. Admission is free. The book retails for $33. nps.gov/chch.
› Father’s Day Bash & Farmers Market is scheduled 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday at Collegedale Commons, 4750 Swinyar Drive. The themed art and farmers market will include vendor shopping, a dance floor and bratwurst and beer among the dining options. Admission is free. shopthemarketat.com.
› Paw Palooza, a benefit for the McKamey Animal Center, is scheduled 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday at Coolidge Park, 150 River St. The second annual event will feature more than 50 vendors, food trucks, a beer garden and dog contests, including pet/owner look-alikes, best costume and best trick. mckameyanimalcenter.org.
› Civil War history: “Reality and Memory: The Experience of Sam Watkins at the Battle of Chickamauga,” a free, 1-mile, ranger-led walking tour, starts at 11 a.m. Saturday, caravaning to the starting point from the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center, 3370 LaFayette Road, Fort Oglethorpe, Ga. Watkins, the author of “Company AYTCH,” was considered a common Civil War soldier, but not all of the record bears that out. nps.gov/chch.
› Creative Arts Guild, 520 W. Waugh St., Dalton, Ga., will host an all-you-can-eat Low Country Boil prepared by teams in competition, 6-9 p.m. Saturday. The menu also will include non-seafood options and a cash bar. Yard games and live music will add to the fun. Tickets are $10-$30. creativeartsguild.org.
› Greater Emmanuel Apostolic Church, 400 Tunnel Blvd., has planned a Summer Kickoff, with free food and carnival games, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday. Vacation bible school, with classes for ages 2 and up, meets 6-8 p.m. Monday through June 16. The theme is “Ready, Set, Move.” 423-624-3131
› Chattanooga Market plans a Sunday Funday 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday at First Horizon Pavilion, 1801 Reggie White Blvd. The weekly market features farm produce, artisan foods, flowers, arts, crafts and food trucks. Music for the day is by Magic Birds at 12:30 p.m. and Joe Chambers at 2 p.m. Admission is free. chattanoogamarket.com.
› Chalk Art Day, a Hamilton County Parks and Recreation event, is scheduled 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Tuesday in the Hubert Fry Center oval at the Tennessee Riverpark, 4301 Amnicola Highway. Chalk will be provided for artists of all ages to make the pathway glow with color. 423-710-0274
SPECTATOR SPORTS
› Chattanooga Lookouts, a double-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds, will present the second annual Negro League Appreciation Weekend as part of its home series against the Birmingham Barons underway at AT&T Field, 201 Power Alley. On Friday and Saturday, former players will be on hand to sign autographs, and both teams will play in commemorative jerseys: the Lookouts in Chattanooga Choo-Choos jerseys to honor the Negro League team that played at Engel Stadium from 1940 to 1946, and the Barons wearing the jerseys of the Birmingham Black Barons, who were members of the inaugural Negro Southern League in 1920. Friday also includes post-game fireworks. Saturday features free pennants to the first 1,000 fans through the gates and a used car giveaway. Nightly games start at 7:15, except for Sunday’s at 2:15 p.m. Tickets are $7-$12. lookouts.com.
› Chattanooga Roller Derby has three bouts planned Saturday at Camp Jordan Arena, 323 Camp Jordan Parkway, East Ridge. First up are the Chattanooga’s Ruby Regulators vs. the Steel City Slayers at 3 p.m., All-Stars vs. Charlotte Roller Derby at 5 p.m. and the B-Railers vs. Druid City Dames at 7 p.m. Tickets are $6-$12. Proceeds benefit the American Cancer Society. chattanoogarollerderby.com.
› Chattanooga Football Club, a National Independent Soccer Association men’s professional team, will play Pumas FC at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Finley Stadium, 1826 Reggie White Blvd. This Juan Hernandez testimonial game will pay tribute to the longtime player who is transitioning into coaching for the CFC. Tickets are $11-$45 ($5 more on game day). chattanoogafc.com.
THEATER
› Opera Tennessee will perform Puccini’s one-act opera “Suor Angelica,” the tragic tale of a woman who bears a child out of wedlock and is sent to a convent to repent of her sins, in four performances this weekend. Shows start at 7 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday and at 2 p.m. Sunday in Northside Presbyterian Church, 923 Mississippi Ave. The opera will be sung in Italian with English supertitles. Tickets are $15-$20. operatn.org.
› Trousdale School, which serves adults with intellectual disabilities, will present “Rise and Shine: Trousdale News,” about a morning broadcast filled with good news, at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday in Lee University’s Dixon Center, 1053 Church St., Cleveland, Tenn. Tickets are $20-$40. trousdaleschool.org.
› Dalton Little Theatre, 210 N. Pentz St., Dalton, Ga., ends its run of Monty Python’s “Spamalot,” a parody of the King Arthur legend, at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Tickets are $10-$15. daltonlittletheatre.com.
› Chattanooga Theatre Centre, 400 River St., opens a three-weekend run of August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning “The Piano Lesson,” part of the Chattanooga Festival of Black Arts & Ideas, with shows at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The 2:30 p.m. Sunday show will be followed by a cast meet-and-greet and a lecture by Pedro E. Alvarado of the August Wilson Society. Shows adhere to the same schedule through June 25, plus Thursdays at 7 p.m. Tickets are $20-$25. theatrecentre.com.
Find more events, and add your own, at timesfreepress.com/cnevents.
Contact Lisa Denton at ldenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6281.