Category: Educational

Visit Point Park for Free

4/18/2018

As part of National Park Week, admission to Point Park is free on April 21.

On Saturday, April 21, to encourage all Americans to visit their national parks, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park will waive the entrance fee to enter Point Park, atop Lookout Mountain. This fee free day is part of National Park Week, a celebration of America's treasures with the National Park Foundation. NPF is the official charity of our national parks, and National Park Week is a time to explore these amazing places, discover stories of history and culture, volunteer and more.

On this fee free day, visitors can contemplate the reasons soldiers struggled along the mountain slopes during the 1863 "Battle Above the Clouds," while also taking in the majestic views of Chattanooga and the surrounding area.

Ranger-guided walking tours of Point Park will be given at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. These tours begin just inside the Point Park entrance gate and last approximately 30 to 45 minutes.

For more information about upcoming programs at Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, please contact the Lookout Mountain Visitor Center at (423) 821-7786, the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center at (706) 866-9241, or visit the park’s website at www.nps.gov/chch

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FES Hosting Community Art Show

1/31/2018

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Some of the art at last year's Fairyland School Community Art Show. This year's show is on February 13.

The annual Fairyland Elementary School Art Show takes place on February 13, from 3-8 p.m. at the Lookout Mountain Methodist Church. Anyone in the community is welcome to submit two pieces of work per person. It can be something they created years ago or even as recently as last week. The age of the piece doesn’t matter.

The art show committee loves for entire families to get involved and encourages each family member to enter a piece. Submissions can be any medium, including pottery, written poetry, quilting, paintings, sculpture and virtually anything under the sun! Awards will be presented in each category, and all artists are eligible for these honors, not only FES students. Awards and cash prizes will be presented on the evening of the show.

This year, FES is very excited about the artist in residence, Craig Steele. He creates his work using fire spinning. He is going to actually spin fire outside the church on the evening of the art show. He is very talented, and you can find him on Facebook.

Lookout Mountain residents can drop off their artwork at the school Tuesday, February 6, through Friday, February 9 in the Parent Room at Fairyland Elementary between 7:30 and 8 a.m. or 2:30-3 p.m. If those times are inconvenient, contact DeAnna Willingham at (423) 593-7505 to make arrangements. Your submissions should have the artist’s name, medium and title labeled somewhere on the piece.

Hope to see both you and your creations at the FES Art Show!

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70th LMS Carnival is a Success

11/2/2017

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Lookout Mountain Elementary School's 70th Annual Carnival was a roaring success. Kids and parents enjoyed old Carnival favorites like the Marketplace booth, jail and casts, and also had fun at several new inclusions. The event raised lots of money for the school and was a great way for families to enjoy a beautiful fall day together. We're already looking forward to next year's Carnival!

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LMS Carnival Marketplace Preview

9/26/2017

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LMS students have been hard at work on murals that will be auctioned off at the Carnival on October 3.

Lookout Mountain School's 70th annual Carnival is next Tuesday, October 3, from 3-7 p.m. at the Town Commons. Under the direction of Ryan Patterson, LMS art teacher, the Carnival Marketplace proudly presents the 2017 LMS class murals!

The auction for these priceless works of art will begin at 3 p.m. and end promptly at 6 p.m. on Carnival Day, October 3! Just grab a Bid Number at the Marketplace booth and start bidding!

Additionally, mugs and stationary can be purchased with these adorable mural images as well as Lookout Mountain Directories and pewter ornaments. The Marketplace Booth is your most convenient "one stop shop" for all of your gift needs!

New carnival booths this year include a "Grab the Cash" booth; participants stand in a booth, and Carnival Cash swirls around them with the help of a fan. Grab as much cash as you can to redeem for prizes! Another new booth is the Costume Shop, featuring 30 bins of old costumes, including Mexican tops, racoon hoodies, and more unique, one-of-a-kind outfits -- perfect for playing dress up or finding this year's Halloween costume!

A big thanks to the volunteers who chair the event and make it happen! Elizabeth Barnes and Jessica Youngblood are Carnival co-chairs, working alongside assistants Paula Plating and Melinda Redberg.

In case of rain, the Carnival will take place on October 5.

Click here to see a slideshow of pictures from last year's Carnival.

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Workshops Will Teach You How to Save Your Hemlocks

4/11/2017

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Jimmy Stewart tagging a hemlock tree that is infested with the hemlock woolly adelgid

The hemlock trees on Lookout Mountain are in danger of totally disappearing because of an infestation of the hemlock woolly adelgid, a small aphid-like insect that covers itself with a white woolly coating for protection. The larva attach themselves to the undersides of needles and branches on hemlock trees, and remain there their entire lives, sucking sap 24 hours a day from the needles. The needles then fall off, depleting the flow of nutrients, which causes the tree to die. The woolly adelgid can be recognized by what appears to be tiny cotton balls at the base of the hemlock needles. Their numbers increase exponentially and rapidly because both the male and female are capable of laying 300 eggs three times a year. These insects have been present on Lookout Mountain in small numbers for about two years, but the population has exploded this year because the trees were stressed and weakened by the drought last summer.

The pests originally were brought from Asia to Canada and have been spreading south rapidly because there is no local natural predator. The insects cannot fly, but spread by floating on the wind, and hitching rides on birds, animals or people.

“Trees that are infested can live around two years, and that is where we are now,” said Jimmy Stewart, a professional garden designer and community volunteer. If not treated, it is inevitable a tree will die, he said. The good news is that there are effective treatments that can save a tree even after it is covered in the insects. It is important to treat trees that already have the adelgid, to kill them, and to treat the ones that are not yet affected, to help prevent the spread. Once treated, he said, results can be seen within months. It is the responsibility of homeowners to treat trees that are in their yard, and of the towns of Lookout Mountain, Tenn., and Ga., to treat those on municipally-owned property. “Everybody needs to do their part,” Stewart said.

To help the community identify and become aware of the quantity of diseased trees, Stewart plans to mark some of them with yellow caution tape. A note to homeowners who find their trees flagged will be left near mailboxes to explain the yellow streamers. He also is planning to conduct two public meetings, on April 15 and April 29, where he will demonstrate how homeowners can adminster the treatments themselves. The April 15 lesson is at Temple Park from 9 a.m.-noon. On April 29, he’ll teach another class at Fairyland Club from 9 a.m.-noon.

The attempt to eradicate the hemlock woolly adelgid can be done by either professionals or homeowners. Stewart said there are two very effective systemic products that are recommended if individuals want to treat the hemlocks themselves. One is sprayed on the lower 5 feet of the trunk and will be absorbed through the bark. The other is applied as a soil drench. Both are safe for humans and pets once they dry and when used as directed, he said. The spray he recommends is not harmful to bees as long as it is sprayed directly on the trunk of the trees. These treatments offer protection from two to five years. Stewart said trees should be checked each year, and the ones where the insects are still present should be treated again yearly.

The hope for a long-term solution is that a predator beetle can be found to create a natural balance. Beetles have been bred and released in other areas around Chattanooga, but this method is not working yet because the beetles have died. The University of North Carolina and University of Georgia are both actively trying to breed beetles that will survive here. There is an experimental breeding station now at the Lula Lake Land Trust.

Flyers about treatment options that include a list of licensed contractors for treating the hemlocks will be available at the post office, at both town hall buildings and from the garden clubs on the mountain. Recommended companies that service both Tennessee and Georgia include: Lawn Doctor (423) 708-7900; W.D. Scott Company (423) 622-0320; ABC Tree Company, (423) 344-8732; and Green Tree Specialists (423) 508-5883.

The website www.SaveGeorgiasHemlocks.org is recommended for additional and reliable information. The Hemlock Help Line number is (706) 429-8010, or you can email [email protected] for more information. Jimmy Stewart is also available and willing to talk to homeowners and can be reached at (423) 413-6420.

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Community Art Show Seeks Submissions

1/26/2017

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Pictured at last year's art show are FES fifth grade teacher Emily Haney with daughter Kate and Deanna Willingham, art show chair

The Fairyland Elementary School and Community Art Show is set for February 28 from 3-8 p.m. at Lookout Mountain United Methodist Church. Local artists are invited to submit two pieces of art for the show. Submissions can include quilting, pottery, drawings, paintings or any other art you have created.

This is a fun event that celebrates all the creativity in our community. There will be music and food, and a potter will be demonstrating his craft during the show.

Email DeAnna Willingham or call her at (423) 593-7505 for more information. You can submit your artwork in the Parent Room at Fairyland Elementary School at 7:30 a.m. (before school starts) or from 2:30-3 p.m. Or, coordinate with DeAnna for a pickup at your home.

This is a juried art show and there will be cash and prizes for student and adult entries.

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Cravens House Christmas Program is Dec. 2 and 3

11/28/2016

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Chris Bailey and Chrisi Hopper put finishing touches on a Christmas tree at Cravens House.

by Candace Chazen
Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park will sponsor the Historic Cravens House Christmas Program on December 2 and 3. There will a living historical interpretation of how a traditional Christmas could have been observed on this very site. The National Park Service relies on the talents of the Lookout Mountain Beautiful Garden Club to make the transformation of the Cravens House a magical Christmas event. Chairwomen Mrs. Glynda Warren and Mrs. Chris Bailey researched extensively to understand the décor of that era, and their findings might very well surprise you.

Instead of rustic decorations, Christmas in America in the 1860s was under the Victorian influence of Prince Albert and Queen Victoria, who loved the extremely sophisticated German affects of the day. By the time of the Civil War, families were sending Christmas cards to faraway family members and friends, and these cards, portraying Victorian scenes of Christmases past, were saved and used as paper chains around the tree. Gold and silver garlands, made from foil chocolate wrappers, adorned the tree, and ladies searched their sewing boxes to make silk and velvet ornaments. Fruits were dipped in sugar to provide a little sparkle, and angels were seen throughout the homes, watching over the families. Knitted stockings danced in front of the fireplace, waiting to be filled with oranges, candy and nuts. Along with replicating these realistic decorations, the Lookout Mountain Beautiful Garden Club members will cut greenery and flowers native to Lookout Mountain to decorate the Cravens’ House: magnolia; fir; holly; beauty berries; spruce; pine; hydrangea and nandina.

Robert Cravens (1805-1888) was a pioneer Chattanooga industrialist who helped organize the East Tennessee Iron Manufacturing Company, chartered in 1847. This company consisted of a blast furnace and a foundry with a machine shop for the manufacture of both railroad engines and freight cars. He built the first blast furnace, which was coke-fueled, in Chattanooga, and it still remains operational.
In 1854, Robert Cravens purchased 1,000 acres, where he maintained orchards, grew cotton and built an L-shaped summer home, which he called “Alta Vista” because of its magnificent views. His home became the site for the Civil War’s “Battle Above The Clouds” on Nov. 24, 1863. This historic landmark witnessed some of the most intense and decisive fighting of the Civil War. His home, which was the only remaining Civil War-era structure on the mountain, was used as a headquarters for both armies. On Nov. 24, 1863, Union troops took possession of the Cravens House from the Confederates and it became the headquarters for Gen. W.C. Whitaker’s command. The Union soldiers used the floorboards, siding, walls and ceiling boards for firewood. The monotony of camp life caused many soldiers to stray to less desirable activities, and there was more and more fighting, gambling and drinking in the camp. The house was burned down by a Union soldier in a drunken brawl, but Cravens rebuilt in the style it is today in 1866.

War encampments brought disease, starvation, lack of clean water and death in these cold desolate months for both Confederate and Union soldiers. Soldiers in cold bleak winter quarters were reminded more acutely than ever of the domestic bliss they had left behind by the letters and packages from home during the Christmas holidays.

As the guests of the Craven House step back into the holiday season of the Civil War soldiers and their families, one can imagine the air of profound melancholy that had settled over our entire nation.

The Lookout Mountain Beautiful Garden Club will decorate Craven’s House exquisitely as a “Designer Showcase Christmas House” illuminating the Civil War period. Tickets are free, but limited, and last year many were turned away. To make a reservation, and for more information about this event, please contact the Lookout Mountain Battlefield Visitor Center at (423) 821-7786. Tours begin at 6 p.m. each day, and run every 30 minutes until 8:30 p.m.

You will be captivated by the beauty of the city lights glistening in the distance as you step back in time to experience a vivid glimpse of a Victorian Civil War Christmas.

For more information about upcoming programs at Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, please contact the Lookout Mountain Visitor Center at (423) 821-7786, the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center at (706) 866-9241, or visit the park’s website at www.nps.gov/chch.

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Lookout Mountain
Happenings

Visit Point Park for Free

FES Hosting Community Art Show

70th LMS Carnival is a Success

LMS Carnival Marketplace Preview

Workshops Will Teach You How to Save Your Hemlocks

Community Art Show Seeks Submissions

Cravens House Christmas Program is Dec. 2 and 3

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Lookout Mountain​Happenings

Visit Point Park for Free

FES Hosting Community Art Show

70th LMS Carnival is a Success

LMS Carnival Marketplace Preview

Workshops Will Teach You How to Save Your Hemlocks

Community Art Show Seeks Submissions

Cravens House Christmas Program is Dec. 2 and 3

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Contact US

Stay Connected

Lookout Mountain
Happenings