There's lots of summer fun for the taking this weekend: festivals, music, movies ... even Christmas in July. Seriously, Christmas in July, and we're not playing games - but people will be Friday night at Eastgate Town Center.
Here are five ideas that sound like fun that you might want to check out this weekend.
Hand removing block from Jenga tower. / Getty ImagesBOARD, NOT BORED
» What: Adult Game Night
» Where: Eastgate Town Center, 5600 Brainerd Road
» When: 7-11 p.m. Friday, July 19
» Admission: $20
» For more information: www.eventbrite.com/e/adult-game-night-tickets-61743649919
Call your friends and get together for a night of friendly competitiveness when Adult Game Night is held at Eastgate Town Center to benefit the Mary Walker Historical and Educational Foundation and #GiveWomenandGirlsEducation, which supports literacy for females and orphans in Cameroon, Africa.
Wear comfy, casual play clothes because the variety of games will range from Twister and sumo suits to card games like Uno and Spades. There will be Jenga, inflatable jousting, board games and Sega. Team up with your friends to play "Family Feud" and relay games.
Chef Mike Sylman of Belinda Sue's Fresh and Fast is cooking up some nibbles, which are included in the ticket price, and there will be mocktails and other beverages.
Don't take a chance on getting tickets at the door. Call 423-316-5319 and buy them now because space is limited. Or purchase them on eventbrite.com.
Close up of a 5 string banjo. / Getty ImagesTHE SUMMER TRIFECTA: BARBECUE, BLUES, BLUEGRASS
» What: BBQ, Blues & Bluegrass Festival
» Where: Edwards Park, 3508 Cleveland Highway, Dalton, Georgia
» When: 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday, July 20
» Admission: Free
» For more information: 423-486-7597
If the mouthwatering aroma of grilling ribs, chicken, brisket and pork isn't enough to draw you to the park, maybe arts and crafts, live music and kids' activities will.
CHRISTMAS IN JULY
» What: Christmas in July Arts and Crafts Show
» Where: 1517 Tombras Ave., East Ridge
» When: 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, July 20
» Admission: Free
» For more information: 423-598-2538
Santa holding a starfish. / Getty ImagesThe fall craft-show circuit continues to start earlier every year with so many events to be scheduled in a limited number of weekends. So it shouldn't be surprising that the first Christmas in July Arts and Crafts Show is launching on Saturday.
Organizer Kim Krause was a crafts vendor for 15 years, and has now struck out on her own to organize events. She's off to a good start; she's filled all 32 exhibitors' spots for Christmas in July, the maximum amount the venue will hold.
"This is the first in what I hope will become an annual event," she says.
This show will be a mix of original handwork (jewelry, quilting, wooden toys, holiday decorations) and direct sales (Scentsy, Avon, Mary K). There will also be bakers and a silk-screen T-shirt vendor selling their products.
Krause is asking visitors to bring donations of school supplies or a new, unwrapped toy for T.C. Thompson Children's Hospital at Erlanger, the Ronald McDonald House, the Forgotten Child Fund or the Salvation Army.
Of course, it's not Christmas until there's a Santa sighting, and the man in the red suit will be on hand for photos with kids. Parents bring your cameras or have your cellphone handy.
Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, was used as fictional Amity Island in the making of "Jaws." Residents were paid as extras to scream and run across the beach. / Facebook.com'JAWS' RESURFACES
» What: "Jaws"
» Where: Tivoli Theatre, 709 Broad St.
» When: 3 and 7 p.m. Saturday, July 20
» Admission: $12 adults, $10 children and senior adults
» For more information: 423-757-5580
Just when you felt safe going back in the water, "Jaws" resurfaces on the silver screen. And if you thought that great white shark was terrifying when the movie was released in 1975, just wait until you see its gaping maw on a 50-foot screen and hear those ominous cello notes - dunn, duh, dunn, duh - in surround sound!
The Steven Spielberg-directed thriller is next up in the Bobby Stone Film Series on Saturday at the Tivoli. Roy Scheider plays the police chief of a resort town who enlists the help of a marine biologist and an old seafarer to hunt down a great white shark terrorizing the beach town.
Movie challenge: Try to sit through the entire movie without drawing your feet up into your theater seat.
Buzz Aldrin exits the lunar module. / Tennessee Aquarium Contributed ImageRELIVE THAT GIANT LEAP FOR MANKIND
' What: "Apollo 11: First Steps Edition"
» Where: Tennessee Aquarium Imax Theater, 201 Chestnut St.
» When: 6 and 7 p.m. Saturday, July 20
» Admission: $11.95 adults, $9.95 children 3-12
» For more information: www.tnaqua.org
This weekend marks the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 spaceflight that landed the first men on the moon.
Cmdr. Neil Armstrong and lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin landed the Apollo's lunar module Eagle on July 20, 1969. Armstrong became the first person to step onto the moon's surface on July 21 (Greenwich Mean Time), and Aldrin joined him 19 minutes later. Michael Collins flew the command module Columbia alone in lunar orbit while they were on the moon's surface.
A worldwide audience watched and heard Armstrong's famous description of his first step on the moon: "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."
The Imax is observing this historic milestone with two special screenings of "Apollo 11: First Steps Edition" on Saturday night. In addition to regular concessions, a cash bar with beer, wine and space-themed cocktails will be available.
Registration is not required, but highly suggested due to increased interest in the anniversary of the historic mission.
- Compiled by staff writer Susan Pierce