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.
Chattanooga Zoo’s annual Banana Ball
The Chattanooga Zoo will host its annual Banana Ball on Saturday, Oct. 10. The day will start at 2 p.m. with the Banana Split event, at which children ages 3 and up will enjoy a presentation by Jack Hanna and his animal friends. The Banana Ball will begin at 5:30 p.m. with a VIP meet-and-greet with Hanna. The VIP ticket includes admission to the Banana Ball as well as the VIP reception. From 6:30-11 p.m., guests will be able to stroll through the Zoo and enjoy a presentation by Hanna, up close animal encounters, dinner catered by Lee Towery, live music by The Michel Jons Band, an open bar, and a cigar bar providing signature hand rolled cigars. The Banana Ball is the Chattanooga Zoo’s signature fundraising event, with the proceeds going to the care of the Zoo’s animals, as well as its conservation, education, and rehabilitation efforts. For more information and to purchase tickets, call (423) 697-1322 or visit www.chattzoo.org/events/banana-ball. The Banana Ball and the VIP reception are 21 and older only events.
Scenic City Wings
Cooking Competition
The Chattanooga Market’s annual wings competition, Scenic City Wings, returns Sunday, Oct. 11 with six restaurants vying for the title of Scenic City’s Best Wings of 2015. All proceeds from the event will benefit the Chattanooga Area Food Bank. Teams from Chatter Box Café, Diamond Billard Club, Mrs. B’s Reggae Café, The Feed Company & Alchemy Spice, The Honest Pint, and Tupelo Honey will appear on The Chattanooga Market stage, where they will attempt to out-cook their competitors. Patrons can pay $10 to sample two wings from each establishment and cast their vote for the best wings. The event will culminate with two winners—Popular Vote and Judge’s Choice. The Chattanooga Market is open from 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
Photographic Society open house
The Photographic Society of Chattanooga will hold its annual open house Thursday, Oct. 15 at 6 p.m. at St. John United Methodist Church. Special guest Bill Fortney will present a program titled, “A Photographer Reborn: How I gave up photographic prostitution for the joy of becoming a serious amateur shooter!” Refreshments will be served and door prizes will be won. St. John United Methodist Church is located at 3921 Murray Hills Dr.
Free metabolic seminar
On Tuesday, Oct. 20 at 6 p.m. at North River Civic Center, Jack F. Rutledge, M.D., and CHI Memorial Metabolic and Bariatric Care will host a free seminar on surgical weight loss options. The seminar is designed to help people better understand metabolic surgery and how it may benefit their health. Topics include who is a good candidate for the procedure, what to expect during the recovery period, and lifestyle changes needed to foster a successful outcome. Call (423) 495-2501 to register or for more information. Walk-ins are also welcome.
Pumpkin Smash Festival
The Pumpkin Smash, Crabtree Farms’ 3rd 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.
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.
Rock climbing class
A free class teaching the basics of rock climbing will be held Tuesday, Nov. 3 from 4:30-6:30 p.m. at Coolidge Park. The class will take place on The Walnut Wall, which overlooks the Tennessee River from a 50-foot high limestone pier of the Walnut Street Bridge. Topics will include how to wear a harness, tie knots, handle the rope, move, use a belay device, and communicate effectively.