We’re back among the livin’! The flu came knockin’ a couple weeks ago, and apparently decided to unpack its bags and stay awhile. Meemaw says there's no use arguin’ with a body that needs rest, so we took her advice for once. Thanks a heap for bein’ patient with us while we got ourselves back on our feet!

Now grab somethin’ cozy, find yourself a comfy spot, and come sit a spell on the porch. We’ve got some catchin’ up to do!

As always, we’ve added a fresh track to this week’s issue purely for vibes as you read. Click the link below before ya start reading if you wanna listen, or listen to the full Chattynooga playlist on Spotify!

Our marketing budget is pretty much whatever’s rattlin’ around in Meemaw’s coin jar. Still, if you’re one of our neighbors helpin’ run the show for a local business or nonprofit, this one’s worth a peek. They’re throwin’ a free online festival all about where creators fit into the bigger marketing picture.

Take it away, modash!

If you're deciding how much of your budget influencer marketing deserves, start with people who've already made that call.

At the virtual Return on Influence Festival '26 marketing leaders talk about where creators sit in the wider marketing mix, and how to budget for them.

On stage:

It's free, it's online, and you'll take away something you can apply to your job the very next day. (Or the day after. We're not your boss.)

October 21, 2026, 10 am – 5 pm ET.

Save your spot

Roundabout North Chatt Coffee Week Meetup
Friday, October 16 @ Daily Ration | 10:00 - 11:00 AM

Good coffee tastes even better with good company. Roundabout North Chatt is getting together at Daily Ration to celebrate Chattanooga Fall Coffee Week and sample the restaurant's limited-time specialty offerings. Stop by for a seasonal sip and a chance to get to know the folks in your neighborhood!

☕ Love you a latte, North Chatt

Downtown Library's 50th Birthday Block Party
Saturday, October 17 @ Downtown Library | 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM

The Downtown Library is turning 50, and that's worth throwing a party for. They’re taking the festivities to Broad Street with live performances, food trucks, a kids' zone, author talks, a book sale, and free birthday cake. Whether you've been a library regular for decades or just got your first card, you're invited to the party! 

📚 Having fun isn’t hard when you have a library card

Chattanooga Pride Parade & Festival
Saturday, October 17 @ Ross's Landing | 12:00 - 8:00 PM

Chattanooga Pride is back at Ross's Landing for its annual parade and festival! This year's theme, A River of Color, celebrates the city's LGBTQ+ community and the many identities that make Chattanooga what it is. Come as you are, bring who you love, and be proud of what makes you, you. 

🌈 I see your true colors shining through

Lookout Comedy Festival
Wednesday, October 14 – Saturday, October 17 @ Various Locations | Times Vary

Chattanooga, I hope you’re ready to laugh. The Lookout Comedy Festival is back with four days of stand-up comedy featuring established headliners and up-and-coming comedians. Check the festival schedule to see who's taking the stage and where you can catch them! 

😂 Chattanooga’s got jokes

Witches Night Out
Friday, October 16 @ Scenic City Burlesque | 6:00 - 8:00 PM

Something wicked this way comes! Grab your pointy hats and favorite witchy attire for a night of dancing, food, and a little spellcasting with Scenic City Burlesque. Enjoy witch-inspired pole-esque choreography, char-BOO-terie boxes, and a chance to get together with your fellow witches! 

✨ There’s a little witch in all of us

Bookanooga BOOks and BOOze Fair
Saturday, October 17 @ Renaissance Park | 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Calling all the spooky bookworms! Bookanooga is bringing more than 90 authors and vendors to Renaissance Park, along with food, drinks, live music, and a bookish bake-off full of tasty literary-themed creations. Stick around for the Literary Grave Rave, a spooky finale to a day dedicated to all things books!

👻 Read ‘em and creep

Chattanooga Apple Festival
Saturday, October 17 - Sunday, October 18 @ Camp Jordan | Sat 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM, Sun 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Looking for some fall family fun this weekend?  The Chattanooga Apple Festival returns to Camp Jordan for a weekend of shopping from local vendors, pony rides, a petting zoo, inflatables, and a car show. There's no shortage of things to see and do, so bring the kids and stay awhile! 

🍎 How you like them apples?

Chattanooga Oktoberfest
Saturday, October 17 - Sunday, October 18 @ First Horizon Pavilion | Sat 10:00 AM - 8:00 PM, Sun 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM

It's Oktoberfest season, and Chattanooga knows how to celebrate! The 25th annual festival brings German-inspired food, an expanded beer selection, and live Oompah music to the Chattanooga Market for two days of festivities. Break out your lederhosen, raise a stein, and join the celebration!

🍻 Prost, y’all

Green Eyes Festival
Saturday, October 17 @ Downtown Chickamauga | 11:00 AM

Who says spooky season is just for ghosts and goblins? The Green Eyes Festival celebrates the legend of Old Green Eyes and other Southern cryptids with live music, folklore speakers, local makers, costumes, and food in downtown Chickamauga. Believers, skeptics, and the cryptid-curious are all invited to this free festival! 

👀 The hills have green eyes

Got somethin’ you wanna tell the community about?

Tell us all about it with our new and improved events form, or just reply to this email with your event details and we’ll go from there!

I’ve spent a whole year runnin’ around Chattanooga with a notepad and more questions than Meemaw knows what to do with, and I feel like I’m onto somethin’.

Everybody loves a good ribbon cuttin’ or grand openin’ (especially if there’s cake involved), but what about the folks still doin’ their thing long after everybody’s wandered off? I reckon their stories deserve a little fuss after the matter, too. That’s why we started our Yap Sessions with folks, and now, after a whole lotta shoulda-coulda-wouldas on my part, they finally have a home of their own!

Meemaw’s always said that there ain’t much sense in makin’ a pretty quilt just to hide it in a closet, so we went and hung all our neighbors’ stories out on the clothesline for everybody to see! Give it a tug, and you’ll meet a whole new bunch of folks worth knowin’ if you haven’t had the pleasure of meetin’ them from previous issues.

If you’re just gettin’ started or have been doin’ your thang for years, we’d be tickled to hear your story. And the best part? It don’t cost a single penny to be featured. Never has, never will.

Know somebody who oughta be on the line? Give us a holler at [email protected] (or just reply to this email) and let’s make it happen!

Clementine’s birthday is this Thursday, Halloween’s creepin’ around the corner, and there’s enough fall festivals poppin’ up around town to keep a fella busy till Christmas. Shoot, even the Walnut Street Bridge got it’s own well deserved welcome-back celebration! If there’s one thing Chattanooga knows how to do, it’s findin’ a good reason to gather folks together.

Meemaw says the secret to a good party ain’t the decorations or how much food you put on the table (though I personally think a party without snacks oughta be investigated), but makin’ sure the folks you invited know you’re glad they came. I reckon that goes for our whole community, too.

Behind every festival, fundraiser, and big ol’ celebration are neighbors spendin’ their afternoons makin’ decorations, settin’ up chairs, wranglin’ volunteers, and doin’ about a hundred other things nobody ever sees. All so the rest of us can show up and have ourselves a good time.

So while we’re out enjoyin’ everything this season’s got cookin’, I hope we remember to make a little fuss over the folks who make it all happen.

Tell somebody they did a good job, save the host an extra cupcake to savor after a job well done, or stick around to help fold up the chairs. A good party gives us somethin’ to celebrate, but celebratin’ each other is what makes it worth throwin’ in the first place.

And if anybody’s wonderin’, I already called dibs on the corner piece of Clementine’s birthday cake.

One thing you should know about Clementine McBride… I love spooky season. Like really, really love it. Creepy creatures, jump scares, elaborate costumes, CANDY… I mean what’s not to love?

Halloween time in Chattanooga is extra special, and there's plenty of spooky business happening all over town. Whether you like your Halloween absolutely terrifying or prefer your ghosts a little more friendly, I've rounded up a few places to get into the spirit of the season.

If you're looking for a good scare, look no further! Dread Hollow is back with terrifying haunted houses and horror-themed escape rooms. Lake WinnepeSPOOKah combines amusement park rides with haunted houses, creepy characters, and nighttime thrills. Over the Georgia line in Ringgold, the Haunted Depot has a haunted train depot, ghost tours, and hayrides, and Fort O Fright in Fort Oglethorpe is bringing the screams to a haunted stable, along with blacklight skating and local ghost stories.

Now, if being chased by something with a chainsaw isn't your idea of a good time, there are plenty of less spine-chilling ways to enjoy Halloween. Rock City's Enchanted Pumpkin Patch fills the gardens with glowing jack-o'-lanterns and enchanted trails, and the Tennessee Aquarium's ODDtober explores the weird side of nature with unusual animals and underwater pumpkin carving. At the Chattanooga Zoo, Boo in the Zoo brings trick-or-treating, costumes, and Halloween fun to your favorite animal friends.

If you prefer a little magic and mystery, the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum's Rails, Wizards & Spells takes aspiring witches and wizards through an enchanted forest and aboard a magical train ride. Or head underground for Ruby Falls' Lantern Tour: Ghost Walk Edition, where you'll explore the cave by lantern light while hearing eerie stories from its past.

Personally, I think Halloween is better when you have a little bit of everything. A few pumpkins, a giant candy haul, maybe a ghost or two. Just be sure to check each attraction's website for dates, times, and tickets before you go, since not all of these spooky festivities take place every day!

Did I miss any haunted happenings around town? Let me know! I've got a whole lot of spooky season plans to make.

Thanks for spendin’ a little piece of your day with us. We sure are glad to be back in your inbox, and even gladder to have good neighbors like y’all to share it with. Go enjoy yourself out there, and we’ll see ya right back here next week!

Till then, don't let the goblins getcha!

— Bubby and Clementine