Author John Scales will sign copies of his new book, “The Battles and Campaigns of General Nathan Bedford Forrest: 1861-1865” on Saturday, March 10 from 10 a.m.–3 p.m. at Chickamauga Chattanooga National Military Park, 3370 Lafayette Road.
Books and articles on Forrest run the gamut from hero worship because of his battlefield victories to condemnation for his involvement with the slaughter at Fort Pillow and his association with the Ku Klux Klan. Scales examines Forrest’s wartime activities and how his actions affected the conflict in the Western theater.
Scales is a retired Special Forces brigadier general with more than three decades of service – including combat tours in Vietnam and Afghanistan. A past president of the Tennessee Valley Civil War Roundtable, he leads Civil War campaign tours in Alabama, Tennessee and Georgia.
Hunter Underground
The Hunter Museum of American Art’s young patron group, Avant-art, will host its annual museum fundraiser, Hunter Underground on Saturday, March 10, 8 p.m. During Underground, the museum’s basement will be converted from a maze of art storage to a night club with music, entertainment and art.
The evening will feature DJ Summer Dregs, heavy hors d’oeuvres, cocktails and a dance party in the loading dock. Silent auction works will be available from several local galleries, with additional works from Charlotte, North Carolina galleries Hidell Brooks, Alison Sprock Fine Art and Shain Gallery.
The evening will also include the Smash & Grab Gallery. Underground attendees whose tickets are drawn will have 30 seconds to enter the gallery to grab a work of art to add to their personal collections. This year’s gallery will include more than 40 works donated by artists such as Myles Freeman, Daryl Thetford and Aloyse Blair.
Tickets: www.huntermuseum.org/events/2018/3/10/hunter-underground.
Chattanooga Ballet annual scholarship fundraiser
The Chattanooga Ballet will hold its annual fundraiser on Thursday, March 15 at the William L. Montague Jr. Center for the Dance, 817B N. Market St. The event will take place 6-9 p.m. and feature a sit-down dinner, an open bar and a performance from the ballet’s upcoming spring concert, “The Sleeping Beauty.” Proceeds from the event will benefit the Chattanooga Ballet Scholarship Fund, which provides tuition support to children whose families are in need. Tickets may be purchased at the ballet or at 423 265-0617.
Masterpiece Experience wine dinner
WTCI, the Tennessee Valley’s PBS station, will host the Masterpiece Experience wine dinner at the Westin Hotel on Tuesday, March 20. The Westin chefs have created a five-course meal for the evening and paired each course with a specific wine. Tickets are $175 each. Individual and corporate seating is available, and most table configurations can be accommodated.
Silent auction items will include special lots of wine, round-trip airline tickets, weekend stays at the Doubletree and the Westin Hotel and an Alor diamond necklace from Dayle May Jewelry. Proceeds from the evening will support WTCI in its effort to reach a 35-county region and serve over 400,000 households with programming, events and educational outreach. Information and reservations: www.wtciTV.org/wine, Lisa McDowd, 423 702-7817.
Rescues on the Runway
The Humane Educational Society will host its annual Rescue on the Runway fundraiser Saturday, March 24 at 6 p.m. at the Chattanooga Convention Center. Guests may sip on complimentary beer or wine while they sample appetizers and bid on an array of silent auction items before sitting down for a three-course meal. During the runway show, guests will have the opportunity to bid on live auction items ranging from vacations to one-of-a-kind pieces of art. Formal attire is required. Tickets and tables: www.heschatt.org/fm/events/detail/id/118.
CSO fundraiser returns May 12
The Chattanooga Symphony & Opera will host its 2018 fundraiser, UnCorked, on Saturday, May 12 from 6:30-9:30 p.m. at Renaissance Park. The event will feature a wine tasting, local cuisine, live music by OGYA World Music Band and a silent auction. Tickets: www.chattanoogasymphony.org, 423 267-8583.