If you’re looking for a reason to laugh, Chattanooga’s yearly Lookout Comedy Festival features 30-plus comedians from across the U.S. (and locally) Oct. 16-19.
With notable performers from all over the country like headliners Laura Peek, AJ Wilkerson, Drew Morgan and LeClerc Andre, this year’s four-day festival is proof that Chattanooga’s comedy scene is a special place for comics and audiences alike.
“This year’s festival will feature 11 shows over four days with some of the best rising and top headlining comics in the country,” says LCF organizer and local comedian Donnie Marsh. “Chattanooga’s comedy scene has long punched above its weight, and it’s very easy to get great comics to visit here. If you can only make it to one show I encourage comedy fans to follow these comics on social media beforehand and decide which ones they’d most like to see.”
Locations for the shows range from local staples like Comedy Catch and JJs Bohemia to Gate 11, Humanaut and AT&T Field.
“The festival is a labor of love for comedy and our local scene. Every comic at my level of experience does stand up at night as often as they can, stringing small tours together and promoting small gigs while juggling their other jobs and commitments,” Marsh adds. “This festival wouldn’t exist without the everyday grind of jobs that have nothing to do with the arts. It’s a rewarding process, though, and it is an honor to bring these great performers to a city that’s given me so much since I moved here back in 2012.”
Festival passes, which include access to all shows from Oct. 16-19, are on sale now in limited quantity. The schedule, tickets, and description for all individual shows are available on the website.
Information
Red Bank community workshop Saturday
The city of Red Bank is hosting a community engagement workshop for the small area study of the former Red Bank Middle School site scheduled for Saturday, noon-2 p.m., at 3715 Dayton Boulevard.
The purpose of the meeting is to gather additional input on desired uses of the site and of Red Bank as the city continues to develop a citywide comprehensive plan.
The on-site event will have food and drink options available for purchase from Clever Ale House and free frozen pops from The Local Paletas while supplies last.
“The 12-acre former Red Bank Middle School site has been at the epicenter of planning discussions for our city since I took office in 2020,” says Red Bank Mayor Hollie Berry. “It is of the utmost importance to us that we gather as much public feedback as possible and make sure everyone’s voice is heard as we draw closer to a decision on how these 12 acres of publicly-owned land can most benefit the people of Red Bank for generations to come.
Michael Pham, community planner for the City of Red Bank, says the community survey from early spring garnered more than 1300 responses about land use preferences for the site with the average survey answer for open space size being 8 acres and the top three preferred uses for the site were parks/recreation, civic and education.
During the Saturday engagement workshop participants will have the opportunity to further define their dream scenario for the 12-acre site with a park design activity.
CRMA, Chamber announce partnership
Chattanooga Regional Manufacturers Association (CRMA) and the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce have announced a new partnership that will strengthen the manufacturing industry in the Chattanooga region.
The Chamber will provide staffing, events and operational support to the manufacturers group, while the CRMA and its board of directors will continue to advocate for the interests and needs of its members.
“We are excited to collaborate with the Chamber, which has a long history of supporting the manufacturing community in Chattanooga,” says Bill Minehan, chairman of the CRMA. “This partnership will allow us to leverage the Chamber’s resources and expertise to better serve our members and continue promoting our region’s manufacturing sector.
“The manufacturing industry is a vital part of our economy, providing jobs, innovation and growth,” says Jay Dale, chairman of the Chamber. “We are honored to work with the CRMA, which represents some of the most successful and diverse manufacturers in the area. This partnership will enable the Chamber and CRMA to enhance our collective impact on the regional economy.”
The partnership took effect on Sept. 15. The Chamber will provide operational support to the CRMA, which will retain its autonomy and governance as a separate entity.
Collegedale forms first-ever honor guard
Five Collegedale officers have successfully completed a four-day course with Competitive Outcomes, a military drill team and honor guard training company which provides specialized instruction across the country, including for the nationally recognized service members at the Arlington National Cemetery.
The Collegedale Police Department is now one of the few agencies in Hamilton County to have an Honor Guard.
The concept of the Honor Guard has a rich history with formal military and police proceedings and can be utilized in school and or community sporting events, funerals, and gatherings where national and state honors will be presented.
Collegedale’s Honor Guard is currently planning to present state and national honors during the agency’s annual awards banquet in February. The members of this elite drill team are also looking forward to collaborating with other law enforcement agencies in the future.
UTC sets enrollment record with 11,834
This fall’s final 14-day enrollment figure is the largest in University of Tennessee at Chattanooga history, the University’s official census data confirms.
The total head count at UTC, as reported to the Tennessee Higher Education Commission and the UT System, is 11,834, a 4.0% increase from last year. That includes 10,245 undergraduates and 1,589 graduate students. The previous high of 11,695 was established in fall 2020.
For the second consecutive year, UTC welcomed a record number of freshmen. This fall’s incoming freshman class of 2,473 represented an increase of 4.8% from last fall’s then-record 2,359.
In a sign that the market for advanced education continues to grow, the campus saw a 13.7% increase in its graduate student enrollment. The overall graduate school total – 1,589 – includes 451 new UTC students, an increase of 17.5% from last year.
CO.LAB announces new sustainability cohort
The Company Lab (CO.LAB) and gener8tor have announced the selection of five startups for the second Sustainable Mobility Accelerator cohort. The five were selected through a competitive application process with 132 applications from 19 different countries.
Each chosen startup will get an initial $20,000 investment with potential for an additional funding of $100,000 and pilot programs tailored to Chattanooga’s technology ecosystem.
“As part of EPB’s mission to support more economic opportunity in our local economy, we’re proud to support CO.LAB in working with these promising companies,” says EPB CEO David Wade. “Each of these companies reflects strong positive potential for developing products and services that could support the growth of Chattanooga’s existing industries. And, at the same time, we would welcome any of these startups to locate operations in our community and become a local employer.”
Companies making up the 2024 cohort include:
• SensFlo (La Jolla, California) offers a software-as-a-service production optimization platform that is redefining efficiency in the metal and plastic manufacturing industries.
• WEAV3D (Norcross, Georgia) is tackling global carbon emissions in the transportation and built environment with inexpensive, high-performance, lightweight materials.
• RueData (Mexico City) is a software-as-a-service solution for transport fleet tire management. Clients like Cemes, Heineken, and JBS have seen up to 30% reduction in tire costs with RueData.
• Moduly (Montreal) is reducing peak energy consumption and carbon emissions with a plug-and-play home battery storage solution.
• Motoring Labs (Indianapolis, Indiana) leverages advanced computer vision technology to extract actionable insights in real time from commercial fleet and warehouse traffic for clients in the logistics sector.
“The opportunity to match the top mobility startups with Chattanooga’s world-renowned resources is always incredibly exciting,” says CO.LAB CEO Tasia Malakasis. “Our goal is to not only help these founders gain unparalleled experiences in Chattanooga, but to fully integrate them as the next up-and-coming technology business in the Southeast.”