Search-and-rescue stories from a National Park Service ranger, Cherokee art on Chattanooga's riverfront and the relationship between jazz and indigenous cultures will be highlighted in the upcoming Moccasin Bend Fall Lecture Series.
In its 15th year, the series will be presented virtually and take place in a single month rather than three.
"It is a little different this year, like all things seem to be. We are doing back-to-back events in October via webinar rather than one a month like in previous years," said Mary Barnett, projects and programs manager for National Park Partners, an advocacy group formed by combining the Friends of Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park and the Friends of Moccasin Bend.
As it has each fall, the series will feature experts on topics such as national parks, conservation, history and American Indian culture. Registered guests will have an opportunity to submit questions to the speakers during each program's question-and-answer session.
The series will be held at noon on the last three Mondays in October. The topics are:
* Oct. 12: "When the Walk in the Park Goes Wrong: Emergency Response in Our National Parks."
* Oct 19: "Revisiting The Passage: Ancient Cherokee Art Meets the 21st-Century Waterfront."
* Oct 25: "The Co-Evolution of Jazz Music and Indigenous Cultures."
Leading off the series on Oct. 12 is Lisa Hendy, chief ranger of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Hendy, who grew up in Chattanooga, will recount stories from her 26-year career in the National Park Service, including stints at Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Arches, Rocky Mountains and Big Bend national parks. She has extensive experience in search-and-rescue, fire and emergency response events.
The series continues Oct. 19 with a virtual panel discussion featuring Bill Glass and Demos Glass, the Glass Studio artists who created The Passage as part of Chattanooga's 21st Century Waterfront. They will be joined by Ken Foster, the project linguist who researched the Cherokee alphabet and translations. Facilitating the panel will be Barnett and consultant Ann Coulter, who in 2017 created "One Road," a documentary short about the creation of The Passage as told from the artists' perspective.
The series wraps up Oct. 25 with an afternoon of music and a discussion of the influence of indigenous cultures on the evolution of jazz music and vice versa. Nez Perce musician and educator Julia Keefe will share her music and extensive knowledge of how jazz music is rooted in American Indian cultures.
All events are free, requiring only registration to receive the Zoom access link. To register, visit this story at timesfreepress.com or go to https://www.npp-ccm.org/upcoming-npp-events.
Email Lisa Denton at ldenton@timesfreepress.com.