Ready or not, Chattanooga is opening up it's events calendar and I'm here to highlight the best of the best. With the Black Lives Matter movement in full swing leading up to Juneteenth, featured events include commemoration and community building. Plus, for those health conscious folks not quite ready for the brave new post-quarantine world, I have some COVID-SAFE options. Here's my list for best going-ons in the next couple weeks.
June 19 (Juneteenth)
Juneteenth Commemoration 2020 - A Bridge Over Troubled Waters
When: June 19th / 7:00 pm
Where: Wallnut Street Bridge
Cost: FREE and Open to the Public
I love The Chattanooga Festival of Black Arts & Ideas, whose mission is to advance the arts and to celebrate the contributions of artists of African descent. Their 3rd Annual Juneteenth Independence Day Commemoration celebrates the 155 years since the ending of slavery in the United States. The commemoration will feature a flag presentation on the Walnut Street Bridge with 155 RBG Pan-Africanism flag bearers and an open mic for artists to perform songs, poems and spoken word pieces. The flag is a symbol of Black global solidarity. Participants are encouraged to wear a face covering and socially distance.
Juke Joint Chattanooga
When: June 19th / 6 pm - 11 pm
Where: Stone Cup Cafe, 208 Frazier Avenue, City of Chattanooga, Tennessee 37405
Cost: $10 donation (includes cloth mask)
Super excited to check out this event featuring Black Owned crafts vendors and food trucks, BYOB with mocktail mixers, Funk and Blues tunes from Juniverse Music, Games and plenty of Dancing, Juke Joint CHA is a monthly micro-festival with the vision of bringing citizens together for a night of stress relief! A portion of proceeds goes to local organizations assisting with protest bonding and grant funding.
June 20
Landry at The Comedy Catch
When: June 20 / 7:30 pm - 9:15 pm & 9:45 PM - 11:15 PM
Where: The Comedy Catch, 1400 Market Street, City of Chattanooga, Tennessee 37402
Cost: $16
I haven't had a chance to see this Canadian Comedy pro in person yet, but The Comedy Catch is a great venue and I can't wait to get back there. From The Comedy Catch Website: "Winner of the 2012 World Series of Comedy and The Boston Comedy Festival, Landry is downright hilarious and you're sure to have a good time once you see what he does on stage... His charismatic style is kind of what you'd get if you mixed Charlie Chaplin with somebody who spoke; it would be just as physical, but in color."
June 21 & 28
The Chattanooga Market
When: Sundays / 10 am - 2 pm
Where: First Tennessee Pavilion, 1826 Carter Street, Chattanooga TN
Cost: FREE (... but support your local vendors)
The Chattanooga Market is back! We went last weekend and stocked up on some fresh produce. Due to concerns over the COVID-19 Pandemic this is an essentials market experience with shopping only, reduced vendor size to exceed social distancing guidelines and all the vendors wear masks and gloves. With the extra precautions we felt safe and comfortable... and honestly, enjoyed the efficiency of getting what we needed and getting out. The essentials-only format is expected to continue through July to allow opportunity for shoppers to come in a more dispersed manner. Patrons are expected to wear face masks (per state guidelines) and asked to observe social distancing, and limit your visit to under one hour. Parking for the Chattanooga Market will be reduced to intentionally limit the number of customers shopping at any one time period.
June 26
Good, Old-Fashioned, Virtual Improv Show
When: June 26 / 8:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Where: Improv Chattanooga (Live Stream)
Cost: FREE
When the pandemic started and we all went into quarantine, Chattanooga Improv began hosting weekly improv comedy shows LIVE in the comfort of your home! The show will begin with games similar to the TV show "Who's Line is it Anyway." After that you can stick around for some Long Form Improvisation. The show is PG-13, so you can invite the older kids to come to the couch and watch... or even, participate in the Twitch Chat show.