Category: Holidays

Churches Plan Holiday Events

12/11/2017

Lookout Mountain Presbyterian Church
From a Christmas Hymn Sing-a-Long to a New Year’s Eve service on December 31, Lookout Mountain Presbyterian Church has a full month of activities for members and visitors.

A Family Night that includes pizza and bingo is set for December 6, followed by the annual Christmas Concert on December 10 at 5 and 7 p.m. Caroling through the neighborhood begins at 6 p.m. on December 17. Go to lmpc.org for more information about these and other events.

Church of the Good Shepherd
A dinner (6 p.m.), followed by a service meditation in nature with a brief celebration of the Holy Eucharist, will be held December 16. The Youth Christmas Party is on December 20 from 6-8 p.m. Students should bring a White Elephant gift and an appetizer. Go to gslookout.com for more information.

Christmas Eve Church Services
Christmas Eve is Sunday, December 24, and below is the schedule for morning, afternoon and evening services at several churches on Lookout. There is no Sunday School unless noted.
Our Lady of the Mount Catholic Church will hold a worship service and communion at 11 a.m., a Christmas concert at 5 p.m. and Mass at 5:30 p.m.
Reformed Baptist Church has Sunday School at 9:30 a.m., followed by a worship service at 10:45 a.m.
Lookout Mountain Presbyterian Church has worship services at 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. in the sanctuary, as well as candlelight services at 3 p.m., 5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
Rock Creek Fellowship has a 9 a.m. worship service at Lula Lake Road church, a 10:30 a.m. worship service at Durham Road church and a 5 p.m. Christmas Eve service at Durham Road (no nursery).
Church of the Good Shepherd is planning a worship service at 8 a.m. Christmas Eve services include at 3:30 p.m., Rite II with a Children's Pageant, a 6 p.m. Rite II (prelude music begins at 5:45 p.m.), and a 10:30 p.m. candlelight service (prelude music begins at 10:15 p.m.) and a champagne reception follows.

Information about your church's events can be sent to B.B. Branton at williambranton1962@gmail.com.

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Parade, Tree Lighting, Holiday Open House Planned

11/27/2017

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Santa will be making an appearance during the Lookout Mountain, Ga., Christmas parade on Thursday, November 30!

Get in the holiday spirit this weekend on Lookout Mountain! There are several fun Christmas-y events planned, beginning with a parade on Thursday!

The Lookout Mountain, Ga., Christmas Parade and Christmas Tree Lighting is on Thursday, November 30, at 5 p.m. Lookout Mountain’s firefighters and police will be riding with Santa throughout Fairyland to collect toys for Walker County’s Sherrif’s Department’s Stocking Full of Love. Stocking Full of Love provides Christmas toys and gifts for needy children ages 1-14 in Walker County. After the parade, head to Lookout Mountain, Ga., City Hall for Christmas music, refreshments and the lighting of the tree and business area at 6:30 p.m. Stay tuned for more details.

Love Lookout is hosting another fun community event on Friday, December 1! Gather your friends and family and head to Caldwell Commons, across the street from the Town Commons for the annual tree lighting ceremony in Lookout Mountain, Tenn. Monkeytown Donuts will be on site, selling delicious treats and hot chocolate, and everyone will enjoy bluegrass music and sing Christmas carols, accompanied by the band Morning Watch, before the tree is lit. The tree lighting is from 6-7 p.m., and organizers ask that you park at the Commons and walk over to the tree.

Once again, members of the Lookout Mountain Beautiful Garden Club will decorate the historic Craven’s House for its annual holiday open house that will be held December 1 and 2. An important Civil War observation post, the home of iron industrialist Robert Craven will depict Christmas decor that is in keeping with its original time period. Several re-enactments can be observed during the tours of the historic house that will take place from 6-8 p.m. each evening. There is no admission fee, however reservations are required. Call the Lookout Mountain Visitors Center at (423) 821-7786 to reserve a spot.

Happy holidays!

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Forgotten Child Fund Needs Your Help

12/14/2016

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Since the early 1960s, the Forgotten Child Fund assists needy families and their children at Christmas. The FCF Santa Train (a long parade of emergency vehicles) delivers the presents on Christmas Eve.

This year, fund organizers say its resources are spread thin due to a number of tragedies, including the Woodmore Elementary bus accident, fires in Gatlinburg and tornadoes. Please consider donating to this cause if you are able. Toys, gloves and hats for all ages are still needed. Find out more about how you can help make Christmas special for people in our community at the Forgotten Child Fund's website. Donations can be dropped off at Chattanooga Fire or Hamilton County EMS locations.

The Forgotten Child Fund is operated and supported by volunteers with many emergency response agencies, including the Chattanooga Fire Department, Chattanooga-Hamilton County Rescue, Chattanooga Police Department, Hamilton County Emergency Services, Hamilton County Sheriff's Department, Red Bank Fire Department, Signal Mountain Fire Department and several volunteer fire departments.

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Christmas Services Planned at Mountain Churches

12/14/2016

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Christmas falls on a Sunday this year, so most churches in our community will hold services on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Here is a helpful schedule for December 24 and December 25.

Church of the Good Shepherd
Christmas Eve: 3:30 p.m. children’s
pageant, 6 p.m. and 10: 30 p.m.
Christmas Day: 10 a.m. in the chapel

Our Lady on the Mount
Christmas Eve: 5 p.m. concert;
5:30 p.m. vigil mass
Christmas Day: 9 a.m. mass

Lookout Mountain Presbyterian
Christmas Eve: 3 p.m. children’s program,
5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
Christmas Day: 11 a.m. service;
no Sunday school
New Year’s Eve: 6 p.m. service

Reformed Baptist
Christmas Eve: no service.
Christmas Day: 11 a.m. church service;
no Sunday school

Rock Creek Fellowship
Christmas Eve: 6 p.m. service at
Durham Road church
Christmas Day: 9 a.m. service at
Lula Lake church;
10:30 a.m. at Durham Road church
Lookout Mountain United Methodist
Christmas Day: 11 a.m. service;
no Sunday school

New Salem United Methodist
Christmas Eve: 6 p.m. service
Christmas Day: 11 a.m. service;
no Sunday school

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Find Holiday Magic at Ruby Falls

11/29/2016

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Meet Santa underground at Ruby Falls!

Christmas Underground returns this holiday season to Ruby Falls! From December 1-18 on Thursdays through Sundays, then daily from December 19-23, take a magical adventure deep within the heart of Lookout Mountain where children discover a secret underground passage to see Santa!

Visit the decorated gemstone mines in this unique setting 26 stories underground. Adventurers go on a journey past the Northern Lights and Sugar Plum Fairy Village, into a tunnel (optional), through an ice cave and to the North Pole where Santa awaits!

This festive event is made for children. Kids will meet Ruby Falls gemstone miners and enjoy interactive fun like panning for gems called "joystone" (which spreads the spirit of Christmas), using the joystone tester and cracking their own joystone geode.

Ruby Falls remains 60 degrees year-round making it the perfect atmosphere to experience nighttime magic during the day. Christmas Underground is in a separate part of the cave from where regular Ruby Falls tours are held. Combo tickets are available for the holiday event and the cave and waterfall tour. Click here for more information and to purchase tickets. Admission is $11.95 for everyone ages 3 and up.

Ruby Falls is America’s deepest commercial cave and largest underground waterfall open for public viewing. It features a 145-foot waterfall located 1,120 feet beneath the surface of Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga, Tennessee. LED lighting is used throughout the castle and waterfall.

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Mountain Shops Holding Open Houses

11/28/2016

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Cindy Stiles at Mountain Escape Spa thinks Rustic House candles or McClain Made jewelry make great gifts.

by Gwin Tugman
Once again, the Christmas season is here, with all of its craziness. To take some of the hassle out of Christmas gift-giving, shop right here on Lookout Mountain!

The Fairyland Pharmacy has added many new items, including a battery-operated luminaire candle with an automatic shutoff, a bottle opener/corkscrew/magnet, a vinrella (a wine bottle with an umbrella inside), folding reading glasses in neon colors, picnic wineglasses, boot cuffs, adult coloring books (which are so hot right now), Gund soft stuffed animals, new Melissa and Doug toys, baby gifts, a big variety of sleds, Vitabath products, hilarious cocktail napkins, the nearly-famous Moo Mixer and lots of stocking stuffers, including travel products of all sorts. It always amazes me how one small store can offer so much variety.

Remember, despite our warm fall, snow will come, and the pharmacy has the best selection of sleds in town. The pharmacy’s open house is December 3 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and there will be a 20 percent storewide discount and delicious food. I know I’ll be there because our granddaughter already picked out half of the Melissa and Doug toys!

The stores at the newly-named Lookout Mountain Village on the Tennessee side also have a big selection of gifts and will offer open houses on December 1 through 3. Yessick’s is the place to go if you want wardrobe accessories. You will find beautiful handbags, as well as lots of beautiful scarves and jewelry, and a new line of soaps that makes wonderful gifts. I found fur throws, lovely paper plates and napkins for the holidays, baby items, and a fiber optic safety leash for your dogs, which is awesome. New items will be arriving all through the holiday season, so be sure and stop by and see what they have.

Lots of new items are arriving daily at the Mountain Escape Spa, including Marigot pajamas and Faceplant Dreams satin and bamboo loungewear. You can also find fuzzy open-toed slippers, nightshirts, and satin sleep masks, as well as fingerless gloves/mittens, candles in brass coffee mugs, popular Royal Highnies products, cashmere scarves and machine-washable slippers for kids and adults indoor/outdoor play slippers. There are many things for the bath or shower, including fizzers for your bath that leave behind a surprise gift and very soft skin. The spa also carries local products, like McClain Made jewelry collection and Rustic House candles. Of course, there are the very popular Frasier fir candles, plus many other items. Expect deep discounts during the open house!

Market on the Mountain offers many new items, including Molly & Me Pecans from Charleston, which come in cinnamon sugar, bourbon, praline and salted and roasted. The Market also carries Betsy’s Cheese Straws and Miss Ginny’s English Toffee, both perfect hostess gifts. Grandma’s Coffee Cake is always great for out-of-town guests and it comes in several new flavors, including pumpkin spice, chocolate, and cappuccino. The Market has large Argentine red shrimp, which are perfect for shrimp cocktail. And, check out the chocolate Yule log; it would be beautiful on the Christmas table (it’s also delicious). The Market will also cater your Christmas dinner, as well as make gift baskets for any occasion.

Don’t forget that you can purchase gift certificates at any of our shops or restaurants. Remember to support our local businesses and save yourself some stress. Merry Christmas! (I heard a rumor that there might be a special visitor in a red suit at the Open House!)

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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

Churches Plan Holiday Events

Parade, Tree Lighting, Holiday Open House Planned

Forgotten Child Fund Needs Your Help

Christmas Services Planned at Mountain Churches

Find Holiday Magic at Ruby Falls

Mountain Shops Holding Open Houses

Cravens House Christmas Program is Dec. 2 and 3

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Churches Plan Holiday Events

Parade, Tree Lighting, Holiday Open House Planned

Forgotten Child Fund Needs Your Help

Christmas Services Planned at Mountain Churches

Find Holiday Magic at Ruby Falls

Mountain Shops Holding Open Houses

Cravens House Christmas Program is Dec. 2 and 3

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Archives

Stay up-to-date

Contact US

Stay Connected

Lookout Mountain
Happenings