BARRY COURTER: Lisa, I need some etiquette advice. A friend was talking about body shapes and said that she had an hourglass figure. Was I wrong to tell her that might be the case, but that it was later than she thinks?
LISA DENTON: Oy. You're lucky she didn't clock you.
BARRY: You are probably right, but as you know, I've acquired a taste for shoe leather. Putting my foot in my mouth is my superpower.
Lisa Denton and Barry Courter
In any case, I don't think I need to tell you that when Sonia "The Purple Lady" Young makes a personal request, the smart man obliges. Actually, she's one of my favorite people, so only too happy to share the information she has passed along.
The Chattanooga Theatre Centre is hosting a Star-Spangled Supper on Tuesday, July 3, in conjunction with the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera's Pops on the River concert that same night in Coolidge Park. I know we are a week ahead, but folks need to pick up their parking passes by this Friday if they are going.
The supper includes barbecue from Sugar's Ribs and ice cream from Clumpies, beer, wine and sodas for sale and, of course, the option to watch the fireworks show from the CTC veranda. Cost is $50 for adults and $10 for kids under 12. Youngins under 3 get in free.
LISA: That's a great show, but it's not the only patriotic event we need to plan for. The Chattanooga Music Club's annual Patriotic Organ Concert is Tuesday night at Memorial Auditorium. Richard Hills from Great Britain will be the guest organist for the program, which will include a salute to the military as well as organ accompaniment to a silent movie.
And several cities in the region will light the fuse on the Fourth of July this weekend. The Freedom Festival in LaFayette, Georgia, is Friday. And two towns in Rhea County, Tennessee, will celebrate Saturday - at Freedom Fest in Graysville and Shake the Lake in Spring City. Fort Payne, Alabama, will gather a week from today.
And a lot of places, including Signal Mountain and Soddy-Daisy, do theirs day of, so we have a little more time to plan for those.
And if you want to see fireworks, Lake Winnepesaukah will be doing two pyrotechnic shows, on July 2 and July 4, and the Chattanooga Lookouts will do post-game fireworks on July 4 and July 6.
Which reminds me of the last words of "The Star-Spangled Banner" - Play ball!
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.