Re-grow the Pumpkin Patch Playground
After 18 years of use, the Pumpkin Patch Playground on Signal Mountain is in need of repair and updating to meet new safety standards. To raise the necessary funds, the playground’s Board will host a Harvest Supper Friday, Oct. 23 from 6-9 p.m. The event will include farm-inspired cuisine, cocktails and wines, live bluegrass, and a silent auction. It will be held at McCoy Farm, located at 1715 Anderson Pike on Signal Mountain. Tickets are $100 per guest, and can be purchased at www.pumpkinpatchplayground.org. The Pumpkin Patch has been a destination playground since it opened in 1997, thanks to its 40-foot slide, 50-foot zip-lines, Walnut Street Bridge and Chattanooga Choo Choo replicas, the W Road foot path, and the forts, swing sets and balance structures, all housed in the three-acre wooded setting. For more information, email thepumpkinpatchplayground@gmail.com, or visit the Pumpkin Patch Playground Facebook page.
Pumpkin Smash Festival
The Pumpkin Smash, Crabtree Farms’ third annual festival fundraiser, will be held Saturday, Oct. 24 from 4-7 p.m. Trebuchets built by teams from Roper Engineering and Shaw Industries of Lafayette, Ga., will compete to launch pumpkins the farthest. Guests are invited to bring their own pumpkins to smash following the contest. New this year, guests will be able to enjoy a chili dinner made with Crabtree Farms vegetables; both vegan and meat chili options will be available. Visitors will also be able to sip hot chocolate by a bonfire as they enjoy live bluegrass music. Proceeds from the festival support Crabtree Farms’ educational programs. For more information, call (423) 493-9155, extension 13, or email info@crabtreefarms.org.
Spooktacular Home Improvement Fair
Chattanooga Neighborhood Enterprise (CNE) will host a Spooktacular Home Improvement Fair Saturday, Oct. 24 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at its offices. The fair will consist of workshops centered on energy efficiency, gardening, painting, and tiling. Chic-fil-A will provide a free lunch, and children will be able to enjoy face painting, balloon animals, and the Home Depot Kids’ Zone. There will also be a special trick or treat event after lunch. CNE’s office is located at 1500 Chestnut
St. No registration is required. For more information, log on to www.cneinc.org or call (423) 756-6201.
Celebrate the spoken word
Christian Collier returns to Charles & Myrtle’s Coffeehouse (105 McBrien Road) on Saturday, Oct. 24 for a celebration of poetry. Sharing the stage will be Emily Joy, a nationally-known poet and performer. Collier is a writer and musician who has performed with several members of HBO’s “Def Poetry,” Minton Sparks, and poet Ishmael Reed. He is a 2015 recipient of The Loft Literary Center’s Spoken Word Immersion Fellowship. In 2013, he released his debut EP, “Between Beauty & Bedlam,” and since 2009, he has sold close to 1,000 copies of his chapbook, “Ghosts & Echoes” at his live performances. His work has also been featured on The Guardian website and the IndieFeed Performance Poetry Channel. Joy is a spoken word poet and Midwest native currently residing in Nashville, Tenn. She cut her teeth on the Chicago slam poetry scene while getting a degree in theology. She now makes her living as a freelance writer. The performance will begin at 8 p.m. There is a suggested donation of $10 for the night.
Free Halloween portraits
Portraits Innovations will take free portraits of kids in costume Monday, Oct. 26 from 4-6 p.m. at The Shoppes at Hamilton Place. Parents will receive a free 5x7 portrait and three digital images. No purchases can be made during the event. Parents can also opt to submit their children’s portrait for a chance to win $5,000.
Fireside at Greenway Farm
Outdoor Chattanooga is hosting a free, family friendly music series known as Fireside at Greenway Farm Thursdays in October from 7-9 p.m. Take your blankets, camp chairs, marshmallow roasting sticks, and a picnic supper, and then sit back and enjoy an autumn evening with live music from local artists in a rustic setting behind the gardens at the Sniteman Log Cabin. Greenway Farm is located in Hixson, Tenn.
Local makers showcase
On Saturday, Nov. 7 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m., Hunter Museum will host a local makers showcase featuring handcrafted items by 423 Soaps, Bear Paw Jewelry, Dreamweaver Creations, EE Ironworks, and Jewelry by Christina.
Chamber music treasures
The UTC Music Department will open the 2015-16 season of its Faculty Concert series with clarinet faculty Nikolasa Tejero in recital with pianist Tim Hinck. They will perform Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 7:30 p.m. at Roland Hayes Concert Hall, located in the UTC Fine Arts Center (752 Vine Street). Admission will be free. Dr. Tejero has played across the US, as well as in Europe, Australia, and South America. The program will include Carl Maria von Weber’s “Grand Duo Concertant, Op. 48,” Johannes Brahms’ “Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 120,” and Claude Debussy’s “Premiere Rhapsodie.” Rounding out the program will be contemporary clarinetist-composer Béla Kovács’ Klezmer-inspired work, “Sholem-alekhem, rov. Feidman.”