February 18
Bicycling Traffic Skills 101
Outdoor Chattanooga will offer the League of American Bicyclists’ Traffic Skills 101 course from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at its facility in Coolidge Park. The course covers bicycle safety checks, fixing a tire, on-bike skills and crash avoidance techniques, and includes a student manual. Classroom instruction in the morning is combined with parking lot drills and on-road training in the afternoon. Adults and children age 16 and older may attend. Cost is ten dollars. Pre-registration is required. Limit: 10 students. Email or call Ruth Thompson at 423-643-6889 to register or learn more.
February 18
Concert for Kofi
The Barking Legs Theater will be jumping at 8 p.m. with music from the Lumbar Five and Ogya in a benefit concert for Kofi Mawuko, who performs with both bands. Lumbar Five plays rock with a world beat; Ogya is a world music band founded by Mawuko. Tickets are ten dollars and available at www.barkinglegs.org or at the door. Proceeds will help Mawuko make a journey to Ghana due to his father’s passing.
Through February 20
Theatre to debut spring plays
The play, “Eleemosynary,” will open the spring theatre season at Lee University. Performance dates are February 17-20 at 7:30 p.m. and February 19 at 2:30 p.m. in the Edna Minor Conn Theatre. “Eleemosynary” focuses on the lives of three Wesbrook women: eccentric 75-year-old Dorothea; her jaded middle-aged daughter, Artie; and Artie’s bright 16-year-old daughter, Echo. Playwright Lee Blessing presents vignettes of the lives of the three women as they struggle to define themselves both as individuals and as part of a family unit. In this poignant study of familial relationships, Blessing highlights the human need for connection and forgiveness. This play is recommended for ages 12 and up.
February 21
Senior Arts Council hosts Booker T. Scruggs
For its second anniversary celebration, the Senior Arts Council is hosting the Booker T. Scruggs Ensemble at the Bessie Smith Cultural Center at 1:30 p.m. The five-piece ensemble consists of clarinet, bass, keyboard, guitar and drums. They specialize in old standards, jazz classics and traditional gospel. This event is free and open to the public, and there will be refreshments.
February 24
Author Cindy Harris book reading
Harris, a resident of Hixson, Tenn., will be reading from her children’s book, “Raoke and the Camp Raid,” at Belvoir Christian Academy, located at 800 Belvoir Avenue, from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. In “Raoke and the Camp Raid,” Raoke, a racoon, is faced with a tough decision: Will he remember the lessons his parents taught him, or will his friends pressure him into stealing food from the humans?
February 24-26
Unique antiques
Take in the Houston Museum Antiques Show & Sale, coming to the Chattanooga Choo-Choo’s Centennial Hall February 24 and 25 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and February 26 from noon to 4 p.m. A special preview brunch with early buying privileges will take place Friday from 8:30 to 10 a.m. The event will feature more than 30 well-known dealers who display and sell antique furniture, glass, ceramics, paintings, prints, linen and jewelry. Call 423-267-7176 for ticket information. All of the proceeds will benefit the Houston Museum for Decorative Arts.
February 25
Let’s plant something together
In an ongoing effort to promote community and school gardening in Chattanooga, Crabtree Farms is offering a 4th annual Community Garden Start-up Workshop on February 25 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The interactive workshop will teach the basics of community gardening, from site planning and building, to growing vegetables and raising community support. Currently, there are over 25 sites in Chattanooga that provide a place for people to grow together, and more are sprouting each year. For a registration form, or more information, visit www.crabtreefarms.org.