Barry Courter

When the novel coronavirus pandemic became a real threat in early March, among the first things to be shut down were bars and live music venues.

What started out as a seemingly simple, but good, idea to help local people in the service industry who found themselves without incomes because of the coronavirus pandemic has gone national. In a big way. As in, half a million dollars big.

Chattanooga WorkSpace, founded in 2013 by Chris Thomas as a communal place for local creatives to have studio spaces, will cease operation as of April 30.

Bones' Smokehouse co-owner Tim Hennen has seen a lot in his almost 50-year career in the restaurant business locally, but he's never seen anything like the damage and randomness of the tornado that destroyed the East Brainerd restaurant on Sunday night.

As the retail manager of Niedlov's Breadworks, Ian Kizer has seen better days.

A group of bluegrass enthusiasts led by Mike and Yvonne Harvey hope to save the Mountain Opry, the 40-year-old weekly live performance showcase that took place at the Walden Civic Center. Presenter Ken Holloway announced earlier that the final show was March 28, but Harvey said he and others hope to revive it, with some changes.

After more than four decades of pickin' and grinnin' at the Mountain Opry, the smiles and the music have stopped.

Normally, Chattanooga Community Kitchen Chief Financial Officer Vanessa Blevins spends her workdays counting beans, not loaves of bread, but these are hardly normal times as the coronavirus pandemic continues.

The Chattanooga Convention and Visitors Bureau was all set to roll out a new branding campaign complete with a new logo and name when the coronavirus pandemic became everybody's top priority.

Being able to offer beer, mixed drinks and wine via takeout or delivery has helped several area restaurants stay open and keep employees working, but not everyone who can is choosing to offer delivery.

Mad Priest bartender Morgan Young will present an online how-to episode on Wednesday, April 8, as part of the social initiative Tip Your Bartender, which was created to allow viewers to connect with and support their bartenders online during the coronavirus pandemic.

Even famous Hollywood actors are getting frustrated with sheltering in place, but Leslie Jordan has turned his angst into a series of videos that have gone viral and kept others entertained.

Rhythm & Blues Music Hall of Fame inductee Mitch Ryder has been traveling overseas to perform at least once and sometimes twice a year since 1979. In that time, he has been somewhat of a germaphobe, uncomfortable shaking hands and hyper-conscious of singing into someone else's microphone.

Grocery stores, like hundreds of other businesses, are adapting to the novel coronavirus, and while it could take weeks or months before we fully understand the ramifications, they are still the safest and best option for getting the things that we need to sustain ourselves, experts say.

"This is no joke."

I wrote something the other day listing Jfest, Moon River, Riverbend and Bonnaroo as the four largest music festivals in our area, and I was suddenly struck with the idea that we have four good-sized music festivals in our area.

The Bobby Stone Film Series is moving online with four films that you can watch on your phone, computer, tablet or even your own home theater setup while the Tivoli remains closed.

Phoning a friend has taken on an entirely new meaning with social distancing, but the folks at Mad Priest are hoping to have a little fun helping some out-of-work bartenders make money.

Because of safety concerns stemming from the spread of the COVID-19 virus, the Southern Lit Alliance has postponed its SouthWord Literary Festival, originally set for April 3-4 to Oct. 30-31.

It's long been understood that viewers invite TV anchors and reporters into their homes when they turn on the news, but the coronavirus outbreak has flipped the script a little bit.