Well hey there, Buddy! Happy Monday!

This week’s issue is burstin’ at the seams like a bagel fresh outta the boil. We’re learnin’ all about Neature in preparation for Camp Lookout (spoiler: it’s like science class but with dirt under your nails), and we got to yap with Adam from Grabel’s Bagels, who might be the nicest guy to ever roll dough. Google’s out here lettin’ folks catch Pokémon on their phones like it’s 1999, and Clementine caught up with Cupid at the National Park City celebration - yep, the Cupid. Toss in some artsy goodness and a roundup of what’s happenin’ in town, and you’ve got yourself a mighty fine read.

Today's Issue Includes:

• Chattanooga's Upcoming Events

• Letters from Lookout: Nature School

• Stuff I saw on the internet: Google's Pokemon Game

• A Yap with Adam Grabel of Grabel's Bagels

• Clementine's Corner: The Cupid Shuffle

• Wrap Up

Get ready for this week’s issue by throwin’ this funky tune by our pal Adam Stone onto yer record player Spotify queue, and let’s get to readin’!

What’s Goin’ On in the Scenic City?

Community

• Be My Neighbor Day
  Saturday, April 26 @ WCTI | 10:00AM-2:00PM
  Won’t ya be our neighbor? This free community shindig brings together some real good folks—like the Creative Discovery Museum, Hamilton County 911, Read 20, and more! Plus, you can meet Daniel Tiger and Lyla from PBS Kids. Yep, it's gonna be a grr-ific time.

  👋 Come say howdy, neighbor

• Sensory Night @ CDM
  Thursday, May 1 @ Creative Discovery Museum | 5:30-8:00PM

  Got a kiddo who lives for adventure but knows the world can get a little too loud sometimes? Sensory Night’s got their back! Lights dimmed, sounds softened, smells mellowed, and fewer folks inside—so everyone gets a chance to play without feelin’ overwhelmed. It’s totally free, but spots go fast, so don’t dilly-dally!

  🌈 A Calmer Way to Play

• Frazier Festival
  Saturday, May 3 @ Frazier Ave | 11:00AM-6:00PM
  Fun fact: Frazier Ave is Clem’s favorite street in town—and now we all get to celebrate it! Come stroll, snack, shop, and cheer on the cool folks and local gems that make this vibrant lil’ stretch so special. It’s full of charm, and somehow keeps gettin’ better.

  ☀️ Take a walk down Frazier

Music & Entertainment

• Cast Iron Storytelling Live
  Sunday, April 27 @ Barking Legs Theater | 5:30PM-7:30PM
  Pull up a seat and gather ‘round the ol’ cast iron, folks—we’ve got a storytelling bonanza brewin’! This series brings real people to the mic, sharin’ real stories from their lives. It’s heartfelt, hilarious, and full of the kind of truth that sticks to your ribs.

  🍳 Hear Stories That Stick

• Valley Fest
  Saturday, May 3 & Sunday, May 4 @ Coops Creek Commons
  Big weekend comin’ to the valley! Live music, food trucks, craft vendors, and all kinds of fun hittin’ Dunlap for Valley Fest. It’s a small-town festival with a big ol’ sound, perfect for a day out with the crew.

  🪕 See what’s Cookin’ in Dunlap

• Free Comic Book Day

  Saturday, May 3 @ Infinity Flux (+ a few other comic book stores!)
  Nerds of Chattanooga… UNITE!! Infinity Flux is throwin’ down for the comic book event of the year - with giveaways, collabs, doorbusters, and even a real-life Star Wars comic artist in the building! Snag a few free titles and shop limited-edition drops while you’re at it.

  💥 Suit Up for Comic Day

Outdoors ‘n’ Stuff

• Earth Day: Art of Nature
  Saturday, April 26 @ Reflection Riding | 1:00-3:00PM
  It wouldn’t be Earth Week without a trip out to Reflection Riding! Join the Hunter Museum for a day of nature-lovin’ fun as part of the City Nature Challenge. You’ll explore the wild side of Chattanooga and even make your own pressed flower collage to take home.
  🌿 Celebrate Earth with Art

• Teddy Bear Check Up
  Saturday, April 26 @ Chattanooga Zoo | 10:00AM-1:00PM
  Northgate Animal Hospital and the Chattanooga Zoo are teamin’ up to give your kiddos (and their favorite stuffed buddies) a peek behind the scenes of animal care! From fluffy friends to wild zoo pals, you’ll see what vets really do: no appointment needed.
  🧸 RSVP for the Check-Up!

• Running of the Chihuahuas
  Saturday, May 3 @ First Horizon Pavilion | 12:00-6:00PM
  This ain’t just fetch and belly rubs, y’all Come cheer on a pack of determined lil' doggos as they race for glory. Plus, it all benefits the Humane Educational Society! With live music, local vendors, and Hits 96 hostin’ the chaos, your Saturday just found its bark.

  🐕 Cheer on the Chihuahuas

Got somethin’ cookin’ that the Scenic City oughta know about? Wanna talk about how cool your weekend was? Tell us all about it! We’d love to yap it up and holler all about it from the porch! Just reply to this message, or fill out our handy dandy Partnership form here!

Letters from Lookout: Nature School

Okay, so Camp Lookout don’t have a full-blown crash course to Survivin’ in the Woods 101, so Clem and I made one ourselves.

We call it Nature School, and it’s our very official, very muddy way of preparin’ for camp this summer. Classes meet behind the shed, attendance is optional, and the only supplies required are curiosity and snacks.

We figured, If we’re gonna be real-deal campers come June, we better know our mushrooms from our marshmallows, ya know?

So far, the syllabus includes:

•  Insect Observation 101 – Clem screams, I take notes

•  Leaf Identification, Probably – everything’s either “crunchy” or “not crunchy”

• Campfire Theory – mostly drawin’ pictures of fire and sayin “whoa” a lot

• Tent Practice – failed attempt #3 ended in us both trapped inside

We dunno exactly what Camp Lookout has planned for us yet, but we do know this place is all about growin’ in the wild: learning from the land, the leaders, and maybe even yourself (gasp!).

And until the real adventure begins, we’ll be out back in our little patch of grass, pretending it's the top of Lookout Mountain.

Stuff I Saw on the Internet: Google’s Pokémon Game

Hey y’all, Clem here! This week’s Stuff I Saw on the Internet comes straight from the one and only Google dot com… Yes, that Google.

Turns out, the Goog’s a Pokémon fan! All you have to do is search your favorite Pokémon on your phone, and boom - you can start catching them in little Google Pokéballs. It even keeps track of what you’ve found in an officially unofficial Pokédex. Honestly, who knew googling random stuff could get even better?

It only works on mobile for now, and it’s just the first 151 Pokémon. Plus, even Google hasn’t figured out what happens if you catch them all… but it’s a total blast.

When I’m not out battling gyms or exploring routes downtown, you’ll probably find me googling how to be the very best. Like no one ever was. I’m not saying I’m a Pokémon Master… but my browser history might be.

A Yap with Adam Grabel, and how he Rolled his Roots into Chattanooga’s Bagel Scene

Ever wonder what happens when a New Yorker with a big dream, a creative streak, and a craving for something familiar lands in a town with no decent bagels? Lemme introduce you to Adam Grabel: a man whose journey from film sets to flour sacks brought a chewy revolution to Chattanooga. His story doesn’t begin in some trendy bakery or glitzy storefront. Nope! it starts in New York, where bagels are less of a breakfast choice and more of a birthright.

Adam grew up around food that meant something - meals that came with history, holidays that smelled like brisket and fresh-baked challah, and a steady rotation of bagels that always seemed to bring everyone to the table. One of his clearest memories is hearing his grandma call his grandpa “Bubby” or “Bubbeleh”- a nickname filled with affection that stuck around over the years. So when Adam came across Chattynooga’s very own Bubby (that’s me!), it felt like a little moment of recognition. A soft nudge from the past. The kind that reminds you where you come from: warm, familiar, and just a lil bit toasty.

Now, Adam didn’t stick around the Big Apple. He had big dreams and wanderin’ feet. He worked all over in film and TV production and eventually landed in Portland, Oregon where he eventually transitioned into marketing. And lemme tell ya, Portland had its charm: towering trees, mountain mist, and a food scene that felt like a potluck of passion. That’s where Adam started dreamin’ about using his talent to nourish something bigger than himself.

A Bagel-Shaped Hole in the Scenic City

When Adam and his family settled into Chattanooga in 2021, it didn’t take long for him to notice something was missin’: bagels. Real bagels. Sure, there’d been a few chain shops, but they fizzled out faster than a soda left out on the porch. The Scenic City had become what I like to call a full-blown Bagel Desert.

And right around that time, Adam lost his job in marketing. Now most folks would’ve panicked, but Adam? He got to bakin’. He noticed more and more folks from up North and the West coast movin’ to town, drawn in by the natural beauty, affordability, and the growing food scene that reminded him of Portland’s earlier days. If there was ever a time for a bagel comeback, this was it.

So he started small. Real small. We’re talkin’ bagels baked there in the home kitchen, givin’ 'em out to friends, neighbors, and of course, his family gobble them right up. And folks? They loved it. Encouraged by the carb-fueled praise, he kept goin’. Experimentin’, tweakin', flour all over his shirt. Until one day, he hit it: the Grabel’s Bagel. Hand-rolled, boiled, and made with nothin’ but real-deal ingredients.

He didn’t chase trends or gimmicks — no sir-ee-Bob — he stuck with what he knew: simplicity, consistency, and care. That meant using clean, Non-GMO ingredients, organic wherever possible, and steering clear of preservatives or oils of any kind. Some folks chase shiny, but Adam knows that sometimes the best thing you can do is keep it simple, keep it honest, and do it right.

Late Nights and Rolled Dough Dreams

What started as a humble hobby snowballed into a mission. Adam didn’t just wanna make bagels for friends, he wanted to serve the whole dang community. So he connected with folks like Eric Zilen over at Niedlov’s, who gave him a tour of the bakery and shared a few tips to help fine-tune the process. Then, in 2023, he flipped his kitchen into a one-man micro-bakery: small-batch, scrappy, and turnin’ out gold.

Every single bagel? Rolled, boiled, and baked by Adam himself. His motto? Quality over quantity, every time. He didn’t chase trends or gimmicks—he stuck with what he knew: simplicity, consistency, and care. Some folks chase shiny, but Adam knows that sometimes the best thing you can do is keep it simple, keep it honest, and do it right.

The Rise (and Rise) of Grabel’s Bagels

Flash forward to now, and Grabel’s Bagels are the real deal. You’ll find ‘em in at least nine local spots across Chattanooga: from Rêve Coffee and Books in Hixson, Flame & Flavor in Red Bank (who just opened up for dine-in!), Asheville Dispensary Downtown to Ruddles Bread & Book in Cleveland. And the best part? These places are havin’ a blast creatin’ with ‘em. Think pizza bagels, pastrami-stacked masterpieces, and even an exclusive Mountain Bagel you can only score at Ruddles.

But no matter how big it gets, Adam keeps it grounded. When folks ask him how to chase their own dreams—bagel-shaped or otherwise—he doesn’t sugarcoat it:

His favorite advice? Comes from a book, The Ideal Team Player by Patrick Lincioni, that he remembers mainly for this simple passage:

And above all else? Just keep showin’ up.

That’s what built Grabel’s Bagels. And from the looks of it? That’s what’s gonna keep ‘em risin’. So if your stomach’s growlin’ and your curiosity’s peekin’, go find yourself a Grabel Bagel near you. Trust me, yer taste buds will thank ya.

Clementine’s Corner: The Cupid Shuttle

Okay guys, listen up, because I have got THINGS. TO. SAY.

Bubby and I really count ourselves lucky to have so many cool friends here in Chattanooga. I mean, we’ve been out here chatting with the coolest local celebrities. I mean, come on… Olivia Reeves? Noke’s Granola? Legends.

But this weekend I got to add a shiny new title to my imaginary resume:
✨ Clementine McBride, CELEBRITY REPORTER. ✨

That’s right. On Saturday, we helped kick off Earth Week at the National Park Party, and y’all… would you believe CUPID - as in THEEEE Cupid of the Cupid Shuffle™ - was there?! The line dance legend himself! And guess what? Turns out, he’s a fan of Chattanooga.

Now, I was totally fangirling on the inside, but a reporter’s gotta report! So, I snapped a selfie and asked Mr. Cupid what he thought about the Scenic City.
His response sure was sweet like tea with extra sugar:

Can confirm, folks: Cupid loves our hills. He came to boogie, but the Scenic City stole his heart.

We’re real proud to be the very first National Park City in the whole country, and even prouder to live here. Cupid brought the moves, but Chattanooga brought the magic… and keeps bringing it every single day!

Welp, there ya have it folks!

From bagels to bug-types, from forest classrooms to Cupid’s Chattanooga shuffle… this week’s porch post was full of heart, hustle, and hometown magic.

Whether you're headin’ out to catch a wild Pikachu or just cravin’ a cinnamon raisin moment of peace, we hope something in today’s issue made you smile, think, or feel a little more connected to this quirky, kind corner of the world.

'Til next time: keep showin’ up with curiosity, keep rootin’ for your neighbors, and keep dreamin’ up big ol’ dreams for this city.

Catch ya on the porch, and feel free to reply to this message if ya just wanna say howdy!

— Bubby & Clementine