By Gwin Tugman

With spring officially here, it is time for parents to start thinking about summer activities for their children. There are so many summer camps that are offered, but I just wanted to remind you all about the one we have right here on the mountain. The Commons Camp has been in existence since the mid-1940s and is a very economical and safe camp for ages 4 and up. It runs from June 3 through July 19, and 4- and 5-year-olds meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to noon, and ages 6 and up meet five days a week from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. This is a drop-in camp, so children can come whenever they can.

There are lots of fun traditions. The campers always have the option of bringing their own lunch, but on Tuesdays and Thursdays, we order Mr. T’s Pizza, and Tressie Chandler sells snow cones for $1. There are many activities for all ages, including arts and crafts, tennis, baseball, basketball, dodgeball, and many other outdoor sports. We also plan some special days, like water days or a cookout. We are still making plans for a tennis program on Tuesdays and Thursdays and hope to hire a tennis instructor to teach the younger ones through fun activities. (Interested young adults should contact me about this position.)

The children are always closely supervised, and their safety is our No. 1 concern. The staff is committed to ensuring that your child has a safe and fun experience at Commons Camp.

The cost of the camp is very reasonable; fees for younger campers are $10 a day or $90 for the summer. For campers attending five days a week, fees are $15 a day, $50 a week or $200 for the summer. Contact Director Scott Shell at (423) 619-4944 or me at (423) 718-358 for more information. We are looking forward to a great summer!

by Gwin Tugman

The Lookout Mountain community yard sale, dubbed Fairyland Finds, is starting back up on April 6. Located at the Lookout Mountain, Ga., town hall’s parking lot, this event is open to anyone who wants to come and sell some wonderful treasures. And, of course, shoppers are welcome to come peruse these great bargains!

This grand event began over a year ago, going on hiatus for the winter months. With spring upon us, the community-wide sale is back again! There is no charge to set up a “booth” in any spot that you want in the parking lot. Some people might prefer to sell their items on Facebook, but this is a way for the community to come together, visit each other, meet new neighbors and sell any of the “white elephants” taking up space in your closet. Oriental rugs, fine china, wine racks and furniture have all changed hands at this sale, so who knows what the first Saturday of the month will bring?
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The sale starts at 8 a.m. and lasts until the vendors pack up and go home. It’s scheduled for the first Saturday of every month until the cold weather forces us inside again. So gather up your wares to sell, or come browse all the items your neighbors have for sale. You may find something that you can’t live without! Hope to see you there.

The 41st annual Chattanooga Area Leadership Prayer Breakfast is Tuesday, May 7, at the Chattanooga Convention Center. The speaker is Sherman Smith, former NFL player and Super Bowl Coach. The doors open at 6:45 a.m. and the program begins at 7:10 a.m.

Sherman Smith grew up in Youngstown, Ohio, and played collegiate football for Miami of Ohio. From there, he went on to be drafted in the second round of the 1976 NFL draft by the Seattle Seahawks. Sherman spent eight years in the NFL. Following his playing career, Sherman began teaching and coaching. He was an assistant coach for multiple NFL teams including the Houston Oilers, which became the Tennessee Titans. He coached the running backs for the Seattle Seahawks when they won Super Bowl XLVIII.

The Chattanooga Area Leadership Prayer Breakfast was established in 1979 by Ted DeMoss, John Steffner, John Wright and John Stophel. The first breakfast was held at the Chattanooga Choo Choo with Chuck Colson of Prison Fellowship as the main speaker.

The purpose of the Chattanooga Area Leadership Prayer Breakfast is to encourage morality and ethics in the lives of all people in positions of leadership in business, government and the professions. The prayer breakfast is under the sponsorship of a citizens committee chaired by T. W. Francescon, Jr.

Free parking is available at Finley Stadium, with free shuttle bus service from Finley to the Chattanooga Convention Center every five minutes beginning at 6:15 a.m. Tickets cost $20 per person and are available online at www.chattanoogaprayerbreakfast.com, or by sending a check payable to Prayer Breakfast and mailed to Jackson Wingfield, c/o Wingfield Scale, 2205 Holtzclaw Avenue, Chattanooga, TN 37404. For information, call (423) 698- 0100 or email cbrown@wingfieldscale.com.

by Jimmy Stewart

The BAD News: hemlock woolly adelgids, an Asian- introduced insect that has already killed millions of hemlock trees from Canada to Georgia, are now here on Lookout Mountain! In as little as two to five years, all untreated hemlocks will be dead!

The GOOD News: research has proven the effectiveness of several different products and treatment techniques in killing these nasty little critters. As a homeowner, you have these options:

Choose to do nothing and watch your hemlocks decline and eventually die, hire a licensed contractor to implement the best treatment plan for your particular landscape. Listed below are professional Certified Pesticide Applicators that service our area:
ABC Tree Company TN/GA | Milo | (423) 344-8732
The Lawn Doctor | Allen | (423) 987-1997
Green Tree Specialists TN/GA | Jim | (423) 508-5883
Reedy Landscaping TN | Galen | (423) 877-5810
W.D. Scott Company  TN/GA | Bill | (423) 622-0320

Do It Yourself: There are two products with special application methods: Safari 20SG and Imitacloprid. Call me or the Helmlock Helpline for product availability and application directions.
For more info, call Jimmy Stewart at (423) 413-6420 or the Hemlock Helpline at (706) 429-8010 or  go to www.savegeorgiashemlocks.org.

by Kenny Lee

This two-story rock building on the corner of Mockingbird Lane and Rock City Trail was one of Garnet Carter’s earliest additions to Rock City. Over time, it has housed the Fairyland Filling Station, the Cornerstone Station and the Fairyland Fire Station before becoming our mountain Starbucks in 2007.

Franklin Architects handled the new redesign, insuring our mountain gathering place is made even better. What is different? The indoor seating capacity is doubled, the restrooms are now located within the retail space, and the expanded section surrounds the patio mountain stone fireplace now equipped with gas logs. Did I mention the new polished gray concrete floors?

As you would expect, the patio and indoor space are ADA accessible for all guests, tourists, residents and students alike. The full scope of the renovation can be seen at different times of the day. The iconic Starbucks logo, based on an old 16th-century Norse woodcut of a two-tailed mermaid, is tastefully located at head height beside the Mockingbird and Rock City Trail doors. On those foggy nights, the mountain mermaids will guide you to safe harbor for your caffeine fill-up. On those beautiful spring, nights you can enjoy the new patio, which is equipped with up and down lighting to make the outdoor gathering experience that much better.

There are many more things I could share about our mountain gathering place, but I can’t do all the work for you. Go check it out, and while you are at it, try a glass of the Nitro-infused cold brew. Whether you enjoy this new beverage inside or outside, by the fire or a window, I think all will say, what was great is even better!

by Ann Henley Perry

​With great style, Alex Sachel hails from a small town in upstate New York where her mother is a real estate broker and her father owns a diner. From a very young age, Alex learned the value of hard work. She began working alongside her father in the diner when she was very young. In fact, she remembers begging her father to take her to work with him when he opened at 3 a.m.

Alex elaborated, “I just loved to work and the community of employees and people who dined there day in and day out grew to be my second family. I was completely unaware at that young age that my time spent there would prove to be the most integral learning experience of my life. The communication, customer service, and multitasking skills gained in my experience there are the basis for all of my future success.”

With a thirst for more than her small town could provide, Alex moved to New York City to study fashion merchandising at LIM College, a small private fashion school. She was unclear as to what she wanted to do, so she enrolled at LIM in order to graduate with a business degree while spending her days learning the ins and outs of the fashion industry, which had always enthralled her. While her studies were not as enticing as her internships and retail jobs were, she was able to thrive in the working world. After two years, Alex left LIM to work at a boutique. As Alex explains, “While I was always an excellent student, school never provided me with the excitement and fulfillment of hands-on work.”

While managing different boutiques in New York City, Alex spent her spare time working on the side with her frequent clients she met in the stores. With her strong sense of style, she soon realized she enjoyed being a stylist more than the role of operational manager.

This love of hard work is a natural fit for Alex since she is the daughter of two very hard-working parents. Alex grew up watching her father work six or seven days a week. He took over his family business as soon as he completed college.

Alex shared, “I loved listening to my father make deals with vendors. At the end of the day, we would wait for the moment when they would give out leftover cheesecakes, mozzarella sticks, and all other artery-clogging goodness! I would brag at school the next day about my delicious haul.”

“My mother was also extremely driven,” Alex said. “She raised three children and then began her career as a realtor later in life. After several years, she worked her way up to be the top realtor in our area, and soon she launched her own brokerage firm. I am my mother’s daughter; I learned everything about sales and interpersonal relationships from attending showings with her and listening to her on speakerphone with clients on long car rides. We have the same loud, obnoxious laugh, and we both love people-watching.”

With two business-oriented parents, it is not surprising that Alex now owns her own business. She is a personal stylist. When Alex first moved to Chattanooga, she began managing and buying for a local boutique. One day she realized she was ready to step out on her own as a stylist for clients. Her main services include closet organization, editing, design, personal shopping, styling for events, “wardrobing” for all of life’s occasions, packing people for travel, and so much more. Alex has clients in Chattanooga, Nashville, Atlanta, and Memphis who work with her on a weekly or monthly basis. Some use her seasonally, and still others pursue Alex’s expertise for a yearly refresh of their wardrobe.

“Each and every day is totally new and exciting, which is what I love about my work,” Alex said.

Alex continues to be inspired by all of the women in her life. While she has launched alexsachel.com, many of her good friends are also launching their own businesses. Alex is excited to see others making their passions a reality; this has given her much encouragement. Alex also feels that watching her clients and their transformations, along with their continued support, have also inspired her. She loves seeing “women making it happen and working together to push each other up.”

While Alex offers a variety of services, there is a mandatory initial closet consultation where Alex helps you purge old clothing. “We all need help in this task because we gain sentimental attachments to things, or we think, ‘What if I lose that 15 pounds and it will fit again?’ or we simply don’t realize how to style certain pieces that have been gathering dust for years. The closet consultation is the first step to having a wardrobe that works for you, rather than one where you have to work at it,” Alex said.

In addition to the closet consultation, Alex now offers shopping trips to Miami in addition to her trips to New York, Nashville and Atlanta!

Alex gushed, “The group trips are so much fun, because, in addition to shopping at some of the most amazing and under-the-radar boutiques, I take you around to some of the best restaurants, bars, galleries, showrooms, and beaches in the country! It’s a memorable experience!”

While Alex predominantly consults with women on their wardrobes, she does also work with men. Men are often so pleased with what a difference she makes for their wives that they seek her assistance, as well! Alex stated that many men who are just beginning their careers often gain great confidence from help with their wardrobes.

When Alex is not working, she loves to spend time with her dog, Frannie. She also spends time seeking out great food and drink with her boyfriend.
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If you would like to enhance your wardrobe, contact Alex Sachel at AlexSachel.com. Her website offers more detailed descriptions of the services she offers. Here’s to a new look this spring with the help of Alex Sachel!

by Forrest Simmons
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In April, I am starting the first Chattanooga chapter of Chronic Pain Anonymous (chronicpainanonymous.org) at Lookout Mountain Presbyterian Church. The meetings will be held at 7 p.m. ​every other Tuesday evening starting May 7. Meetings will last an hour, and I would like for as many people as possible to know about this support group.

I suffered from chronic pain for six years and can speak from experience to the sense of hopelessness, depression, and isolation I experienced, and there was no one with whom I could share my experience. I felt like I was the “only one.” There were times that I literally thought I was going crazy after days of constant pain and lack of sleep.

CPA is a nationwide 12-Step Program (patterned after the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous), and the purpose of the group is to create a safe environment in which chronic pain sufferers can share their experiences with others. Hopefully, after attending the meetings and working the 12 Steps, participants will begin to heal emotionally and spiritually and be able to lead of life of meaning, purpose, joy, and most of all, hope - all while still suffering from pain.

I hope to be able to serve as many people in chronic pain (and there are a TON of them) as possible. For more information, call (404) 323-4282 or email Fsimmons@keelpoint.com.