A barbecue guru, a psychic medium, free comic books and two county fairs are on the entertainment calendar. Here's a chronology.
- Wreaths Across America will bring a national tour of its mobile exhibit, paying tribute to veterans and active-duty military personnel, to the Hixson Walmart parking lot, 5764 Highway 153, for free tours 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Thursday. Events include Chattanooga National Cemetery and WAA education activities (10-11 a.m.), a gathering of Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Young Marines and Sea Cadets (11 a.m.-noon), a Vietnam veterans tribute (noon-2 p.m.), Medal of Honor tribute (2-3 p.m.), a JROTC and ROTC cadets tribute and a musical tribute to veterans (3-5 p.m.) and youth craft activity (5-6 p.m.). This stop is sponsored by the Chattanooga Daughters of the American Revolution Regents Council. This museum on wheels will be in Cleveland on Aug. 20. wreathsacrossamerica.org/mee
- Back Alley Boogie animates Cooper's Alley, 10 E. Seventh St., 6-9 p.m. Thursday with music, food and drinks. The gathering is presented by Hip Hop for Humanity Cha and host C Grimey. Free admission. rivercitycompany.com
- Station Street Live, a summer music series on the Chattanooga Choo Choo campus, 1400 Market St., features Luke Simmons & The Lovestruck, 6:30-9 p.m. Thursday. The street event includes art vendors, is family-friendly and dog-friendly. Facebook.com/events
- Chattanooga Theatre Centre, 400 River St., will continue its Concerts on the Lawn Series with a performance by Rick Rushing & the Blues Strangers at 7 p.m. Thursday. Happy hour begins at 6 p.m. Bring blankets and lawn chairs. Tickets are $10-$15 in advance or at the door. 423-267-8534, theatrecentre.com
- Barking Legs Theater, 1307 Dodds Ave., will welcome the Keith Brown Trio in a "Top Flight Jazz Piano" show at 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Tickets are $12.50 in advance, $15 at the door. Advance tickets are recommended due to capacity limits in the theater. barkinglegs.org
- The Comedy Catch, 29 Station St., will host "Big Irish" Jay Hollingsworth this weekend. Shows start at 7:30 p.m. Thursday ($12-$14), 7:30 and 9:45 p.m. Friday and Saturday ($17-$19). thecomedycatch.com
- Rhea County Fair, a showcase of produce, livestock and other farm life, continues at 334 Eagle Lane in Evensville, Tennessee. Highlights include a nightly midway, tractor parades and a rodeo Friday and Saturday; and a chili cook-off, car show and horseshoe tournament on Saturday. Hours are 4-9 p.m. Thursday, 4-9:30 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday. Admission is free on Thursday; $15 for ages 12 and older Friday and Saturday. facebook.com/therheacountyfair
- Back to School Bowling for Shafer: A celebration marking Shafer Daves' 10-year kidney transplant anniversary is 5-9 p.m. Friday at Spare Time Entertainment, 5518 Brainerd Road. Lane sponsorships are $500, which covers a lane for six bowlers, shoe rental, two hours of play, pizza and soft drinks. The evening also will include a silent auction. All proceeds support the Children's Organ Transplant Association, a national charity. Shafer, an 11-year-old home-schooled sixth-grader, received his first transplant at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital in June 2011, when he was 20 months old, after being diagnosed with Denys-Drash syndrome, a rare condition characterized by abnormal kidney function. Shafer is due for a second transplant soon. cota.org/campaigns/COTAforShaferD
- Nightfall will feature the old-time Southern music of the Hogslop String Band on Friday, with the local improvisational jug band The Other Brothers opening the show at 7 p.m. at Miller Plaza, 850 Market St. Food trucks, artisan vendors and lawn games will be set up at Miller Park across M.L. King Boulevard. Due to complaints of noise, the block of M.L. King between Market and Broad streets will be the only space available for motorcycle parking this week. After the music, the Lookout Wild Film Festival will show an hour of short adventure films. The Hamilton County Health Department will offer free Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines 6-8:30 p.m. in Miller Plaza's Waterhouse Pavilion. nightfallchattanooga.com
- Theresa Caputo, who rose to fame on the TLC reality series "Long Island Medium," will attempt to connect members of her Chattanooga audience to the spirit world during an appearance at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Memorial Auditorium, 399 McCallie Ave. Tickets are $39-$89. tivolichattanooga.com
- Photo contest: The Athens Area Council for the Arts in Athens, Tennessee, announced this week that entries are due Friday for its fourth annual Exposure photography competition and exhibition. Amateur and professional photographers may enter digital and film submissions for the chance to win cash prizes. Entry fees are $5-$10. The exhibit will run Aug. 23-Sept. 30 at The Arts Center. Register online or by phone. 423-745-8781, athensartscouncil.org
- The Arts Avenue, 1800 Rossville Ave., has two shows this weekend. The Atlanta-based Dave Matthews Tribute Band, the only nationally touring DMB tribute act, plays Friday with a $15 ticket. Chattanooga's Lenox Hills plays Saturday, with Nordista Freeze and Daniel Nunnelee, for a $10 ticket. Both shows start at 8 p.m. theartsave.com
Photo from Jonas Public Relations / Theresa Caputo, the star of TLC's reality series "Long Island Medium," will bring her live experience to Memorial Auditorium on Friday.- Museum Center at Five Points, 200 E. Inman St., Cleveland, Tennessee, has two free events this weekend. The weekly Movies at the Museum series continues 8:30-11:30 p.m. Friday with "12 Angry Men." Bring your own lawn chairs, blankets and snacks. A walking tour of historic properties is 1-2 p.m. Saturday around downtown. museumcenter.org
- Cumberland County Playhouse, 221 Tennessee Ave., will open the two-time Tony Award-winning "The 39 Steps" on Friday for a seven-week run through Sept. 30. The comic whodunit has been likened to a blend of Alfred Hitchcock and Monty Python. Tickets are $16-$30. 931-484,5000, ccplayhouse.com
- Free Comic Book Day, delayed from May, is set for Saturday. Fifty titles, with heroes ranging from Archie to Zorro, will be available, though selection varies by store. Area shops participating include B&M Amusement Co., 5036B Highway 58; Epikos Comics, Cards & Games, 5864 Brainerd Road; Infinity Flux, 3643 Hixson Pike; Comics Unlimited, 204 Grove Ave. SW, Cleveland, Tennessee; Fantasy Factory No. 1, 257 N. Hamilton St., Dalton, Georgia; and The Battlegrounds Games, 2708 Airport Road, Dalton. freecomicbookday.com
- FarleyCon, an expo of comic books and collectibles, is Saturday at Camp Jordan Arena, 323 Camp Jordan Road, East Ridge. Guests include professional wrestlers, Marvel Comics' editor in chief and other artists and authors of the genre. VIP tickets are $20 with a 9 a.m. admission and commemorative print; general admission is $10 at 10 a.m. farleycon.com
- Myron Mixon, a five-time world champion on the competitive barbecue circuit, will be at the Elder's Ace Hardware, 8164 East Brainerd Road, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday. Along with members of his Jack's Old South Grilling Team, he'll greet fans, do cooking demos and sign copies of his new book, "Keto BBQ: Real Barbecue for a Healthy Lifestyle." 423-892-0112
- Riverfront Nights will welcome Mississippi rock combo The Weeks as headliners Saturday (after originally scheduled CBDB bowed out), with local funk-rock combo Over Easy opening at 7 p.m. Free admission. riverfrontnights.com
- Sunset Cinema in Miller Park, 910 Market St., will screen "Dolittle" on Saturday. The Chattanooga Zoo will have its animal ambassadors on site at 7:30 p.m. for a meet-and-greet, and the movie starts at 8:30 p.m. Admission is free, but registration is requested. eventbrite.com
- Sounds of Summer, a biweekly concert series, will feature Nashville-based singer/songwriter Lera Lynn at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Market Park Pavilion, 106 S. Jackson St. in Athens, Tennessee. Free admission. athensartscouncil.org
- Master Gardeners of Hamilton County will offer tours of the Bonny Oaks Arboretum and four private gardens in the Ooltewah area this weekend. Hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. The $20 tickets and addresses for the self-guided tour can be found online. mghc.org/garden-tour
- The Caverns, 555 Charlie Roberts Road in Pelham, Tennessee, features women headliners this weekend. Saturday's show by bluegrass band Rhonda Vincent & The Rage is sold out. Sunday's show by Christian/pop artist Amy Grant starts at 8 p.m. CDT. Tickets start at $49. thecaverns.com
- Water for Life, a free event to promote the significance of H2O, is 1-4 p.m. Sunday at Coolidge Park, 150 River St. Activities will include handmade water treatment processes, water cycle beaded bracelet, an interactive wetland demonstration and an appearance by Tennessee American Water's duck mascot, Puddles. The event is sponsored by the Young Professionals of the KY/TN Section of the American Water Works Association and the Clean Water Professionals of Kentucky and Tennessee as part of their annual Water Professionals Conference. kytnwpc.org
- Soul Sundays continues at 5 p.m. Sunday at Miller Park, 910 Market St., with three-time Grammy-nominated jazz duo The Baylor Project. Free admission. Facebook.com/RiseCha.org
- Fries for School Supplies is a new fundraiser cooked up by local McDonald's owner-operators. Monday through Aug. 20, 10% of proceeds from a la carte fry sales at area McDonald's restaurants will be donated back to local school districts.
- Chattanooga Red Wolves, a men's professional soccer team, will play the North Texas Soccer Club, at 7 p.m. Tuesday at CHI Memorial Stadium, 1 Stadium Way. Tickets start at $14. chattanoogaredwolves-sc.com
- Sequatchie County Fair is next week at 103 Heard St. in Dunlap, Tennessee. A midway will open at 6 p.m. CDT daily with unlimited rides priced at $15 Tuesday and Wednesday, $18 and $20 the rest of the week. Admission to the fair is free. sequatchiecountyfairassociation.com
- Chair-ries Jubilee, a fundraising auction by the Allied Arts Council of the Cleveland/Bradley Chamber of Commerce to support arts in education, will take a hybrid form for its 23rd annual installment, allowing for in-person attendance or participation via Facebook. The auction of art, furniture and prize packages is set for 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Aug. 18-19 at the Chamber, 225 Keith St. SW. clevelandchamber.com/cleveland-chamber/chamber-news/
To search for more things to do in the Chattanooga area by topic, visit ChattanoogaNow.com.
Contact Lisa Denton at ldenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6281.