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Lookout Mountain
​Happenings

Check back often for up-to-date news, events and article previews between issues of the monthly Lookout Mountain Mirror.

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Sign up for Mountain Rec Leagues Online

10/29/2015

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PictureA screenshot of the new recreation department website
One of the many benefits of living on Lookout Mountain is the focus on childhood recreation. During every season of the year, cheers can be heard echoing from the fields at the Town Commons and Carter Field, the gyms of Lookout Mountain School (LMS) an  Fairyland School or the football field behind LMS. Children are playing sports, learning team spirit and just being kids. Families are slowing down, enjoying time together outside of their busy schedule.

The Recreation Board, a joint venture between Georgia and Tennessee, has 12 volunteers who meet throughout the year, with the purpose of planning and implementing the recreation programs. The members from Georgia include Angie Sutherland, Brian Salter, Nelson Williams, Ramsey Brock and Councilmember Jim Sabourin. Tennessee members include Jenny Silberman, Joseph Wingfield, Trey Carico, Will Haisten and Commissioners Walker Jones and Brooke Pippenger.

With guidance from Rick Dockery, recreation director, and Scott Shell, sports manager, Marshall Brock leads as the Recreation Board president.

In its most recent meeting, the board felt a real push to make the registration and communication process simpler for families and participants in the recreation programs. “The discussion at hand was, ‘How we can honor and hold onto our rich heritage and tradition while we seek to innovate and improve our community?’” said Marshall Brock.

The answer was to take the registration process, as well as other details about rec league sports, online. The board signed on with Blue Sombrero, a free service. The website is leagues.bluesombrero.com/lmrb.

Parents will be able to sign up for any sport that the mountain offers – basketball, baseball, softball, soccer, football and wrestling. Upon registering with the website, parents will be able to pay fees, sign pertinent forms, and get team specific information like schedules, location and cancellations.

Parents and visitors to the site can view photo galleries and find contact information for further questions. One of the many benefits of using an online registration site is that once a family registers, the information for each child will be saved from year to year.

Scott Shell said, “This is an exciting time for the Lookout Mountain Recreation Board and for all the sports on Lookout Mountain. We will be able to showcase each sport and provide an easy registration process, along with an informative site for all our parents. We can keep our parents up to date on each sport and provide them with important information quickly.”

Basketball will be the first sport to register online, beginning November 1, and wrestling sign ups begin November 16. For information on the opportunity for sponsorship, please contact Scott Shell at (423) 821-6212.

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Tour Cemetery with History Writer John Shearer

10/26/2015

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PictureRyan Lowery, founder of Chatt Aspie History Hunters at famous baseball promoter, Joe Engel's gravesite in Forest Hills Cemetery.
John Shearer, a contributing Mountain Mirror writer, will lead a walk through Chattanooga history in Forest Hills Cemetery, 4016 Tennessee Ave. in St. Elmo. This event is open to the public and free. Meet at the front gate at 11 a.m., October 31 for a tour of some of the resting places of some of Chattanooga’s most interesting characters.

Forest Hills houses the gravesites of Civil Wars officers, entertainers, industrialists and even a United States postmaster general. However, Forest Hills is more than a burial ground. It is also a monument of history and art.


Shearer worked for the Chattanooga News Free Press as a writer and is an avid collector of interesting stories of the history of Chattanooga and the area. He covered everything from obituaries to sports. He now lives in Knoxville and continues to write as a freelance sports, news and feature writer for Knoxville News Sentinel, as well as the chattanoogan.com and the Mountain Mirror. “Printer’s ink has remained in my system all these years,” says Shearer, as he continues to write and publish books.


For more information, contact Ryan Lowery, Chatt Aspies History Hunters, at (423) 320-0665 or visit http://chattaspieshistoryhunters.weebly.com/


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History Center Hosting Walking Tour

10/16/2015

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The Chattanooga History Center will present a Walnut Street Bridge walking tour on Tuesday, October 20 at 5:30 p.m. Registered participants will meet outside the Walker Pavilion in Coolidge Park. The fee is $10 per person or $5 for CHC members.

Space is limited and pre-registration is required by Monday, October 19. For more information or to register, call (423) 265-3247 or email caroline.sunderland@chattanoogahistory.org. You can also visit chattanoogahistory.org/wgo to register.


Completed in 1890, the Walnut Street Bridge provided a convenient connection between a growing neighborhood, Hill City, and the commercial district downtown. Today it serves as a pedestrian bridge and unifies the parks along the Tennessee Riverfront. Join us as we explore previous efforts to connect communities across the Tennessee River, how the bridge came to be, and how Chattanoogans saved it from destruction.

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Sculpture Fields Gets New Art, Hosting Fundraiser

10/7/2015

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Picture
It was like something from science fiction. Looming on the horizon, a 330-ton crane stood still, its cables poised to hoist a 65-ton structure from deep within the earth to an upright position.

This was public art at its most raw and enterprising core.


Peter Lundberg, an artist from Vermont, created this public art structure out of concrete. Its form: the earth’s crust. Its function: a tribute piece to honor the Chattanooga Fallen.


“We created this mound like many other berms around the park,” said Bill Chapin, the dedication ceremony’s narrator. “He used a track hoe to dig the form in the ground. It was then lined with visqueen (a plastic liner) and structural strength steel was placed in there so that the structure will have the strength to stand on its own and withstand any weather element.”


Two weeks passed as the concrete cured and torrential rains bathed the one exposed edge. Then the dirt surrounding the structure was hauled away, revealing the positive form. “These cables are going to hook to the crane, and in a moment we will have Wally from Mike Battery raise the United States flag, and we will ask all of y’all to join me in singing the national anthem,” said Chapin.


At first the monumental structure didn’t want to let go of its earthly tomb as gravity weighed heavily on the pieced named “Anchors.” The crane’s stabilizers and feet rocked loudly and teetered back and forth as machine and man worked together to tug it free and upright.


For a moment it felt like the massive cables would snap, leaving the art where it lay comfortably in the warm, dark earth. Then, the pulley system high in the air gained traction and dirt started to shed off as the concrete began to stand at attention.


“The base of the concrete will be buried so it will look like two spires reaching toward the heavens,” said Chapin. Service members and friends of the fallen looked on in amazement.  Some even wondered aloud what it was.


“As a sculptor, one of the most frequent questions I’m asked is what is it; I always respond that it is not what it is, it is what it does,” said John Henry, chair of the board for the Sculpture Fields at Montague Park.


“This morning we are witness to a great work of art built as a tribute to five great human beings who sacrificed their lives protecting all of us. We also recognize our community’s first responders who served and protect us each day,” said Henry.


Captain Chris Cotton of the Navy Operational Support Center on Amnicola Highway spoke, “To me, even though this is named “Anchors,” a very proper name in honor of our sea traditions, it goes beyond just us. It goes out to our first responders there that day.


“And to the citizens of Chattanooga that day, I was humbled by the outpouring of support they showed. I watched as thousands of people that felt the way we did were hurting for us, and I thank you for that,” said Capt. Cotton.


Dirty and sweaty after wrestling with his creation, Peter Lundberg said, “The stories I just heard break my heart. I’m a very emotional person, so I’m crying inside right now.
I’m very proud to be here and be with you all, and making this piece was a tremendous experience for me. It was heartwarming when the service members came out repeatedly to watch the process, because as you can see, this is a lot about process, and it’s very dirty.

“My sculpture can’t do anything to bring back those lives we lost, but the word ‘celebration’ is appropriate and we celebrate their lives in the best way we can. We can do this by going forward and being the best we possibly can,” said Lundberg.


For more information, go to Facebook or SculptureFields.org.


Catch a Train at the Sculpture Fields

Those wanting to see the Sculpture Fields at Montague Park in person have a perfect opportunity on October 8 at 5:30 p.m. That’s when a train from the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum will pull into the Sculpture Fields depot to pick up passengers for an enchanting dinner, entertainment and cocktail excursion. Tickets are limited so make your reservation now.


It’s a fundraiser for the Sculpture Fields. “The event will raise money and awareness for the 33-acre international and extraordinarily unique sculpture park. It will also give a select few an experience they’ll not soon forget,” said Cathy Clifford, executive director of the Sculpture Fields.


Tickets to the event are $200 per person and include cocktails at the depot home of Pamela and John Henry, an on-board Ambassador’s Challenge and scenic tour of Chattanooga, while enjoying a Latin-inspired dinner with cocktails served aboard the train.


If that isn’t enough, there will also be one of a kind entertainment provided by sculptor and chef STRETCH, who has been featured on the Food Network and Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. STRETCH has toured with Guy Fieri on his 21-city Foodapalooza Roadshow showcasing his custom 25-gallon monster margarita machine.


This is the third year for the excursion, which was sold out last year. You can catch the Tennessee Valley Museum Train on October 8 at 5:30 p.m. at the Sculpture Fields, 1100 E. 16th St. The event has limited seating, so reservations will be made on a first come, first served basis. Call (423) 266-7288 or email Cathy at clifford@sculpturefields.org.


The park will be open free to the public on weekends beginning November 21. Grand opening is scheduled for spring 2016. For images of all works currently in the park, visit sculpturefields.org. For more information on STRETCH, go to stretchsculpture.com.


by Michelle Michaud


 

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Garden Club Selling Mailbox Decorations, Planting Trees

10/5/2015

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This fall the Laurelwood Garden Club (LGC) will plant 50 trees around the mountain to celebrate the club’s 50th anniversary. To kick start this project, there will be a dedication ceremony at the Commons honoring club founder, the late Nancy Caulkins, in October. "We are working with both towns and the Council of Garden Clubs to find the best locations for these trees, to benefit and beautify the mountain for years to come," says Project Chair Susan Philips.

"By planting these trees now we hope to have a sustainable source of greenery to use in the future for our annual fundraiser that benefits both schools," says Susan Philips. The club hopes that these trees will bring more beauty to the mountain and be enjoyed by generations to come. Please contact Susan Philips at (423) 991-9228 or susanvphilips@gmail with any questions or location ideas.


In addition to planting trees in the many pocket parks, the club plans to plant fruit trees at Lookout Mountain School to use in conjunction with the new greenhouse, as well as donate trees to Fairyland School projects. With this project, the LGC will also plant trees to help supply greenery for its annual Mailbox Decoration fundraiser.


Mailbox decorations are on sale now. The lovely displays are $35, and this year the club plans to replace the hemlock used as the base of the mailbox decoration with a mix of Cryptomeria, yew and cypress in response to the infestation of woolly adelgid on Lookout Mountain. Download this form (pdf) and send it to the club to reserve your decoration.


The woolly adelgid is a small, aphid-like insect that threatens the health and sustainability of the beloved hemlock trees on our mountain. If you suspect your hemlock trees are infected, decide whether to treat or remove infected trees. There are two proven and effective methods of treatment.


More information can be found by calling Green Trees at (423) 508-5883 or  the W.D. Scott Company at (423) 622-0320. Both companies can assess the damage and give an estimate on treatment.
Infected trees that need to be removed must be destroyed, most effectively by burning. Do not compost or put in landfill!

Please call Jimmy Stewart with any questions at (423) 413-6420.


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Rocktoberfest Starts This Weekend

10/1/2015

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Picture
Rocktoberfest returns for the beautiful fall season at Rock City begininng this weekend, October 3 from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday through October 25. Take in the scenic views and autumn colors while celebrating the 10th anniversary of Rocktoberfest, with German bands, food and lots of fun.
Set out on a guided tour at 9 a.m., 12 p.m. or 3 p.m., to learn about Rock City’s founder Frieda Utermoehlen Carter and her love of German folklore and fairytales. Kids can enjoy many activities like interacting with a mime, watching the Birds of Prey Show and searching for the Fall Fairy on a scavenger hunt.


Hear live German music from bands including The Wurstbrats, Die Mitternaechters and The Musik Meisters. Stay for polka lessons, watch German dance performances and hear Ik the Troll King tell stories. Try some German food like bratwursts and beer cheese soup in the pavilion and German chocolate cake in the Big Rock Grill. Cafe 7 is also open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is featuring a German dish for this event!


Rock City Gardens continues to partner with the MaryEllen Locher Foundation® honoring breast cancer awareness month during October. Several pink products including Survivor Birdhouses and ornaments are for sale, with a portion of proceeds benefitting this organization and their scholarship program. Visit Rock City’s gift shops or go to www.seerockcity.com/survivor.


For the event entertainment schedule, visit www.seerockcity.com/rocktoberfest. Rock City is one of the south’s most popular natural attractions. Known for its unique geological and botanical wonders, the enchanted 4,100-foot walking trail is a true marvel of nature featuring massive ancient rock formations, a 140-foot waterfall that cascades down Lookout Mountain and the Swing-A-Long Bridge that spans nearly 200 feet.



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