What? Monday already? Let’s do this then!

I gotta say, there’s just somethin’ in the air this week, y’all. Maybe it’s the hum of a summer song, maybe it’s the fireflies gettin’ ready to dance, or maybe it’s just the city stretchin’ its limbs and lettin’ out a big ol’ "We're alive!" It’s the kind of week where stories find you, whether that be in tree shade, on stage, in sidewalk chalk, or halfway through a June jam session.

From moon meditations, singing internet wanderers to sidewalk markets, this issue is a front-row seat to Chattanooga’s creative rhythm and natural wonder. Let’s shake off the dust, lean into the magic, and see what’s bloomin’ this week, buds!

Today's Issue Includes:

• This week's Front Porch Partner: 1440 Media

• Chattanooga's Upcoming Events

• Community Spotlight: CitiLimitz

• Stuff I Saw on the Internet: The Guy who Sings Songs about Cities & Towns

• A Yap with Author, Illustrator, Filmmaker (the list goes on): Bonnie Blue Edwards

• Clementine's Corner: The Chattanooga Market

• Wrap Up

Together with

This week’s Front Porch Partner: 1440 Media

We like to think of Front Porch Partnerships as the folks who might not live right down the street, but still swing by with a pitcher of lemonade and somethin’ interesting to say. This week, that’s our friends at 1440 Media — a daily newsletter that serves up the news without the noise. No rants, no rabbit holes, just the facts (plus a few brainy tidbits to impress your trivia pals).

Even better? Every time you click their link, it gives our little digital porch a $1.20 boost, like tossin’ a coin in the community jukebox so we can keep the good stuff comin’ atcha and keep growing this little crew. We don’t share nothin’ we wouldn’t read ourselves, and we think you’ll be glad you peeked. Click on through and tell ‘em Chattynooga sent ya!

The Daily Newsletter for Intellectually Curious Readers

Join over 4 million Americans who start their day with 1440 – your daily digest for unbiased, fact-centric news. From politics to sports, we cover it all by analyzing over 100 sources. Our concise, 5-minute read lands in your inbox each morning at no cost. Experience news without the noise; let 1440 help you make up your own mind. Sign up now and invite your friends and family to be part of the informed.

Join for free today!

What’s Goin’ On in the Scenic City?

Community

• Kitten Yoga
  Friday, June 13 @ Humane Educational Society | 12:00 PM
  Grab your mat and your stretchy pants and come on down to HES for the snuggliest yoga shindig around! They’ll have a certified yoga instructor and the class is beginner friendly so even Memaw can get her namaste on. The best part… all the kittens (black or otherwise) are available for adoption!
  🐱 Time for a biiiiig stretch.

• Witch Walk: A Friday the 13th Market
  Friday, 6/13 @ Frazier Ave | 2:00-7:00 PM
  Almanac Supply Co. and Verre Noir are bringing the charm and chills this Friday the 13th! Come shop plants, crystals, tarot, and all the other dark art goods your witchy little heart desires. Come look for a bit of luck and leave with a whole lot of magic.

  🕷️ Something witchy this way comes.

• Donuts with Dad
  Saturday, 6/14 @ Little Lion’s Den | 10:00 AM
  It’s a day for Dads at Little Lion’s Den! You and your kiddo(s) will be treated to brunch, crafts, Dad + Me photos, giveaways, and more! Tickets are limited, so grab yours today!
  🍩 It’s gonna be a real sweet time.

• Southside Juneteenth Jubilee
  Saturday, June 14 @ The Bethlehem Center | 1:00-4:00 PM
  This bash is all about freedom, culture, and community! This free family-friendly event honors the legacy of Juneteenth with music, food, local vendors, and more. Bring the whole crew and join in as we celebrate the power of the past and the promise of the future.
  🤠 Freedom, joy, and a whole lotta soul.

Music & Entertainment

• Vision + Verse
  Thursday, June 12 @ Hunter Museum of Art | 6:00-7:00 PM
  Come join local creatives for an evening of music and poetry alongside the new exhibit, Walk this Way: Footwear from the Stuart Weitzman Collection of Historic Shoes. This event is sure to be a special way to experience art, music, and of course, shoes.
  🎼 Feel the beat right this way.

• Lon Eldridge Album Release Party
  Thursday, June 12 @ The Woodshop | 8:00-10:30 PM
  Lon Eldridge is one of the best jazz and blues artists to from Chattanooga since… ever. And he’s got a new album called “Lipstick on Mai Tai” releasing this week! Come out to support this local artist and let him blow your mind with his guitar, lap steel, and smooth voice!
  🎸 Toe tappin’ and soul stirrin’.

Outdoors ‘n’ Stuff

• Moonrise Meditations: A Strawberry Moon Celebration
  Wednesday, June 11 @ Tennessee Riverwalk | 7:00-9:00 PM
  We’ve got a real special full moon comin’ and Outdoor Chattanooga is ready for the adventure! They'll be leading the celebration with mindfulness and ecological awareness. It’s all happening under the glow of the Strawberry Moon!
  🍓 Time for some moonrise magic.

• Urban Birding Workshop
  Saturday, June 14 @ Stoveworks | 9:00-10:00 AM
  It’s no secret that we’ve got birds flying all over the place around here. Join local bird enthusiast Clay Aldridge as he leads a birding walk around town! He’ll help you identify the birds that also call Chattanooga home.
  🪶 Talk birdy to me.

• Chattanooga Tree Party
  Saturday, June 14 @ Mean Jeens’s | 4:00-8:00 PM
  The Chattanooga Tree Project’s goal is to plant trees while educating the community and making a big environmental impact. Thanks to amazing volunteers, they’ve already planted 800 trees this year! Come celebrate and learn how you can be part of making our city happier and healthier than ever.
  🌳Let’s par-tree!

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 send a separate one to [email protected]!

Chattynooga’s Community Spotlight: Citi Limitz

One thing about me is that I. LOVE. REALITY TV. You know, the competitive type shows. Dancing with the Stars, Jeopardy (specifically Pop Culture Jeopardy, I see you Colin Jost), The Great British Bake Off… the really dramatic and intense ones. Right now I’m all about America’s Got Talent. A lot of great acts have auditioned so far, but last Tuesday, one act captured the hearts of Americans everywhere. And the best part? They’re from right here in good ol’ Chattanooga!

I’m talking about Citi Limitz, a couple of brothers and their cousin from around East Lake. They’re an R&B group made up of Marion, A.T., and Dre, and I’m tellin’ you what, they will knock your socks off with their smoooooth harmonies. Seriously, musical perfection from the first note. The group performed their version of “All My Life” by K-Ci and JoJo and it felt just like I was back in ancient times (the 1990’s). They repped Chattanooga on stage, too, with jackets that said “423” and “Chatt” on the arms. Literal hometown heroes.

When they finished their performance, the audience lost their minds. Folks were on their feet cheerin’, clappin’, hoopin’, and yes, also hollerin. The judges were big fans, too, and ALL FOUR OF THEM said yes. This means we’re gonna get to hear a lot more from CitiLimitz and I, for one, am stoked. In the meantime, you can check out their music on Spotify, SoundCloud, and Apple Music. 

Marion, A.T., and Dre, Chattynooga is rootin’ for ya!

Stuff I Saw on the Internet: The Guy who Sings Songs about Cities & Towns

Y’all ever stumble across somethin’ online that just gets it? Like it taps into your hometown pride and makes you wanna tap your toes? That’s how we felt watchin’ this guy serenade cities across the country with his wildly catchy, wildly accurate songs. Every verse is a love letter wrapped in a beat, and honestly, we had to check out Chattanooga’s diddy. It’s kind of a vibe!

Whether it’s New York, Nashville, or Nowheresville, he finds the rhythm in every zip code, and it’s the kind of quirky creativity that makes the internet feel like a magical front porch full of storytellers. Don’t believe he’s got every city? Give ‘em a test by searching through his discography on Spotify! So far we’ve found Red Bank, Soddy-Daisy, East Ridge, and if ya listened to the song at the beginning of this issue, Chattanooga!

A Yap with Author, Illustrator, Filmmaker (the list goes on): Bonnie Blue Edwards

Last week, instead of enjoyin' my Summer Break post-Camp Lookout rest, I headed over to Mean Mug Coffee on Southside (a favorite yappin’ spot for me an’ Clem) to sit down with someone who knows a thing or two about organized chaos. Her name’s Bonnie Blue Edwards, and if ya ain’t heard of her yet, don’t worry, ya will. She’s a Southern-born filmmaker, big-time producer, and now, the author and illustrator of Stressed Out & Scatterbrained, which is like a children’s book… for adults. Which, if yer anything like me, immediately drew ya in wantin’ to learn more.

We got comfy after I double-fisted dirty chais like a fiend, my notebook in hand, and Bonnie’s energy that makes ya feel like you’re already halfway through a good story just by sittin’ near her. So naturally, I asked her the big question first:

“What in the world possessed ya to travel from Alabammy to New York City? And how did ya get all the way there and back to sittin’ in a courtyard with me in the Scenic City now?”

To which she smiled real wide, and began to spill the beans on her journey as I awkwardly nodded and made little “wowzers” comments in between to make sure she knew I was still payin’ attention.

From Alabama to NYC (and Back Again)

Bonnie’s story winds like the Tennessee River, while completin’ her degree at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where she found her way into the world of storytelling one unlikely grocery shift at a time. She was workin’ at a Whole Foods in Birmingham when she got a clever idea, “After six months here, why don’t I just transfer to the Whole Foods in New York City?” as her ticket into a bigger, wilder world. And it worked.

In 2011, she took that leap. While most folks’ first NYC visit might involve the Statue of Liberty or Central Park, Bonnie’s was a bit more… functional. She plopped into different Whole Foods locations across the boroughs, hopin’ one of 'em would say yes. Eventually, one did, and with that; she found her crew. From there, New York wrapped her up in a warm, cozy bear hug of a welcome. She stayed. She thrived. She interned by day, and bagged groceries at night, soon findin’ herself orbiting the storytelling scene at The Moth, and co-producing Helen & Edgar, a stage play that catapulted her into film, theater, and documentary work.

Her creative path twisted through post-COVID event production in Brooklyn, the creation of her short film Out in Alabama, and a whole other slate of creative projects. But all along, there was a pull back to the South — a need for slower moments and softer stories.

A Tale of Two Cities

Though Bonnie spends much of her time chasin’ stories from boroughs to backroads, she calls Chattanooga her creative home base in the South; a cozy porch to return to between the wild swings of freelance life. But don’t be fooled, this gal’s also got roots firmly planted in the concrete of New York City, where she’s held onto a rare gem: a spacious, sunlit apartment she’s lived in for over a decade. With beautiful views of the city around her, and plenty of light that soaks in the skyline, it feels like a deep breath above the hustle and bustle. These two locations play a key role into what would eventually form Stressed Out & Scatterbrained.

Originally, Bonnie imagined Stressed Out & Scatterbrained as a kind of lifelong conversation, like childhood Bonnie chatting with future Bonnie in her 30s, 40s, 50s, and so on. But over time, the idea evolved. With all her traveling and project-hopping, she realized the real chapters weren’t about age; they were about places she would experience life in.

A Book for the Scatterbrained, the Sentimental, and the Still-Growing

Bonnie’s Stressed Out and Scatterbrained is a pocket-sized pep talk wrapped in rhyme and doodles. It reminds us that grown-up life is messy, marvelous, and often misunderstood. Whether you’re ridin’ subways in the city, or strollin’ river trails in the South, her pages offer a soft place to land.

Volume one gives voice to her New York years, full of grit, hustle, and rooftop revelations. Volume two, now in the works, will bring it all home to Chattanooga, where slower moments and sunny sidewalks stir up just as many stories. If that sounds like the cat’s pajamas for ya, she’s gonna be at the Barnes & Noble at Hamilton Place Mall on June 21, 2025 for a book signing and reading from 2PM to 4PM!

So grab a copy, hug your inner kid tight, and remember: scatterbrained or not, you’ve still got chapters worth tellin’.

Clementine’s Corner - The Chattanooga Market

You know what’s better than a sunny Sunday at the Chattanooga Market? Not a whole lot, that’s what. For real, Bubby and I are there just about every week to snack, dance, and see what treasures we can find. Even though we go all the time there’s always something new to check out! Today I am excited to share with you: “Clementine’s List of Five Cool Things I’ve Gotten at the Market This Year (So Far).”

1. CANDLES: I love the candles Jade from Strange Wicks makes. They’re not just candles, they’re waxy masterpieces with creative names and incredible scents. I’ve got an Edgar Allen Poe themed one that literally smells like what that raven was quoting and a pink sparkly Chappel Roan inspired one. AMAZING.

2. GRANOLA: It’s no secret that we love Noke’s Granola around here at Chattynooga. Bubby is hooked on the Ryan’s Blend granola for his morning yogurt. If we’re at the Market, you better believe we’re stopping by to say hi to Luther and his granola crew!

3. COFFEE: Our first stop every week is all the way at the back of the pavilion by the stage - Velvet Robot Cold Brew! Bubby mixes it up every time (this week was a Peaches and Cream Latte) and I keep it classic with a London Fog. Hey, we may be kid reporters, but sometimes we need a tasty caffeine boost, too! 

4. PICKLES: This one feels like a no brainer, but I love stopping by the Evergreen and Market [Pickles] table. They sell (wait for it)... pickles. GOOD PICKLES! Sometimes I get a jar of flavored pickles or pickled veggies, sometimes I just get a whole pickle to snack on. What can I say… I’m a girl that loves her pickles.

5. 3D PRINTED POSSUMS: Okay, Bubby’s making me add this one, but I’m not even mad about it because it’s so dang cool. Breach of Reality Geekery sells fiber and 3D-printed art creations of critters and gadgets and gizmos galore. Today Bubby got a 3D printed possum that he’s been playing with ever since. I think it was the highlight of his whole day.

Who’s your favorite vendor at the Market? I’m always on the lookout for nifty finds and hidden gems, so let me know. Bubby and I take our market exploring very seriously and I want to add your faves to my list for Sunday! And hey, consider this your official invite to come explore it all with us!

Alright y’all, go on and git.

Whether you’re tappin’ your toes at a local show, stretchin’ under the sun with a sleepy shelter kitten, or wanderin’ through a tree party with a donut in hand, we hope this issue reminded you that joy’s always nearby if you tune in just right.

The beat of a community doesn’t always come from a drum. Sometimes it’s a bird call, a laugh from your neighbor, or a little kid yellin’ about granola at the market. Wherever you hear it, let it move you. We’ll be here next week with more songs, sights, and soul.

'Til then, stay curious and stay kind, pals.

— Bubby & Clementine