BARRY COURTER: Lisa, maybe it's all the rain we had there for a while, or the many cold days, or maybe I'm just getting old, but it sure seems inconceivable to me that Nightfall and Lake Winnepesaukah open this week. I'm still wearing my flannel Christmas PJs.
LISA DENTON: You seem to be forgetting that we can have 40-degree temperature changes in a day, so I'm thinking we could be seeing highs in the 80s by the end of the week. I was hoping to find time to paint my house this spring, but finding a chance between my days off and good weather, I think I had a two-hour window.
Lisa Denton and Barry Courter
That's OK, though. There's plenty I want to do this spring that will keep me from obsessing over all the things I need to do this spring. And now, of course, I have the visual of you in your Christmas PJs to obsess over.
BARRY: We call painting a house summer vacation at my house. Ditto remodeling a bathroom, snaking a sewer line and cleaning the gutters. Good times.
Anyway, don't forget that Saturday is Cinco de Mayo, and that means it's time for the Running of the Chihuahuas. The crazy little event that Hits 96 started in their parking lot 11 years ago has become a full-blown extravaganza big enough to pack First Tennessee Pavilion. It's an all-day thing on Saturday starting at 2 p.m., and in addition to the more than 110 four-legged athletes already registered to compete, there will be food and drink and live music from Nina Nesbitt, Livvia, The Unlikely Candidates, Bryce Vine and our own Nick Lutsko.
LISA: Who knew so many people owned Chihuahuas. That's a really fun event for sure. You should wear a sombrero with your Christmas PJs when you show up.
And Lake Winnepesaukah opens Thursday. I love riding the Cannon Ball roller coaster. And being out on the lake on the paddle boats. And feeding popcorn to the carp.
I would say you could add swim goggles to your Christmas PJs/sombrero ensemble, but the water park, SoakYa, doesn't open until Memorial Day weekend, so hold off on those.
BARRY: It's pretty crazy the number and quality of the things on the calendar this week. So many live music options. Black Jacket Symphony returns with Guns 'N' Roses' "Appetite for Destruction," and Songbirds is basically booked solid this weekend with shows upstairs and downstairs each night.
LISA: Friday morning, you can go downtown to salute our active-duty and reserve military personnel at the Armed Forces Day Parade. I'm thinking Christmas PJs, sombrero and a little flag to wave.
Then that night, Texas punk-country band Vandoliers will kick off Nightfall on Friday night. So add cowboy boots to your get-up.
BARRY: And Henry Cho returns to town for a comedy show at the Walker Theatre. He's one of the good guys in the entertainment world, and he's funny.
LISA: He was born and raised in Knoxville, but he likes to riff on his Korean ancestry.
"I'm an Asian with a Southern accent," he says. "To a lot of people, that right there is funny."
Get event details every Thursday in Chattanooga Now or online anytime at www.ChattanoogaNow.com.
Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354. Contact Lisa Denton at ldenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6281.