Hey y’all, and happy (almost) Earth Week!

This Monday, we’re diggin’ into the good stuff, and we mean that literally. From compost piles to community gardens, sustainable swaps to silly zombie chickens (yes, really), we’ve rounded up a bundle of backyard wisdom and Chattanooga charm just for you.

In this issue, you’ll meet the folks at Crabtree Farms who are keepin’ our city rooted in growth, get a lil’ Deep Thought with Bubby about what nature can teach us, and peek inside Clementine’s heart as she reflects on what it means to live lighter on the land. So grab your garden gloves (or just your favorite mug of coffee), put on this issue’s theme song below, and let’s get to readin’!

Heads up: Is yer email lookin’ odd? Try viewin’ it in your browser instead by clickin’ the “Read Online” button at the top!

Today's Issue Includes:

• This week's Front Porch Partner: 1440 Media

• Chattanooga's Upcoming Events

• Community Spotlight: Crabtree Farms

• Stuff I saw on the internet: The Chicken Jockey

• Deep Thoughts with Bubby

• Clementine's Corner: On Sustainability

• Wrap Up

Together with

Front Porch Partnerships: 1440 Media

This ain’t 1440 Media’s first rodeo with us, and we’re tickled to have ‘em back on the porch. Around here, we call this a Front Porch Partnership. That means while they ain’t strictly Chattanooga-local, their support helps keep this newsletter hummin’ and lets us dream bigger for our growing lil’ community.

Even if you don’t end up subscribin’, just clickin’ their link helps toss a few coins in the Chattynooga piggy bank. So thanks for takin’ a sec to check it out, I only partner with folks I truly think my porch pals would dig.

Alrighty then... take it away, 1440 Media!

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

UTC Mocs Parade of Champions and Pep Rally
Thursday, April 17 @ Miller Park | 6:00PM
Well butter my biscuit and paint me blue ‘n gold — THE MOCS DONE DID IT! We’re celebratin’ our UTC boys bringin’ home the 2025 NIT title with a Parade of Champions and Pep Rally this Thursday at Miller Park! Come for the music, the speeches, and a whole heap of hometown pride. Go Mocs!
🏀 Game faces on: the Mocs celebration starts right here 

423 Day Festival
Sunday, April 20 @ Miller Park | 11:00AM-7:00PM
423: we love the area code and we love this town even more! Join us Sunday at Miller Park for a full day of music, food, art, and community vibes as we celebrate the city we call home. Come kick it where the heart of Chatt beats loudest!
🎶 The portal to the party opens with a single click, right here! 

Opening Weekend at the Chattanooga Market
Saturday, April 26-Sunday, April 27 @ First Horizon Pavilion | 10:00AM-5:00PM
Y’all know how much Clementine loves a farmers market, and the best one in town is back for its 25th season! Come stroll the Chattanooga Market’s opening weekend for fresh produce, flowers, art, tunes, and good eats galore. Grab your tote and meet us at the pavilion!
🧑‍🌾 All the vendors, veggies, and vibes are right this way

Arts, Music, & Entertainment

Songbirds Spring Market
Saturday, April 19 @ Songbirds | 11:00AM-3:00PM
Songbirds is crankin’ up the volume with their very first Spring Market, and it’s gonna be a toe-tappin’ treasure hunt! Swing by for local art, ceramics, vinyl, flash tattoos, and thrift finds, all with drink specials and that signature Songbirds soul.
🐦 Start your spring shoppin’ serenade right here

Broadway at the Memorial Auditorium: Hamilton
Opens Tuesday, April 22 @ Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Auditorium
"Hamilton" is rollin’ into town, y’all — and the stage is ‘bout to be thunderin’ like a duel at dawn! Starting Tuesday, come see the show that shook Broadway like a can of Mountain Dew. Don’t throw away your shot, now!
⭐️ Reserve your spot in the room where it happens

Terrace at Twilight
April 24 @ Hunter Arts Museum | 6:00-10:00PM
Get out your fancy pants and come on down for a fancy schmancy garden party at the Hunter! It’s gonna be a twinkly night of dancin’, snackin’, and celebratin’ spring in full bloom.
🪴 Pull up a chair under the stars, all the twilight magic's waitin’ here

Outdoors ‘n’ Stuff

Chattanooga National Park City Celebration
Saturday, April 19 @ the Chattanooga Green | 12:00-7:00PM
We did it, y’all: Chattanooga is officially the first National Park City in America and we’re throwin’ a party to prove it! Come dance your heart out (yes, Cupid Shuffle style) and help us kick off Earth Week with pride, tunes, and a whole lotta local love.🏞️ Do the shuffle over to all the party details

Spring Plant Sale and Festival
April 25-27 @ Crabtree Farms | 9:00AM-3:00PM
Spring has sprung and Crabtree Farms is bringin’ the party, y’all! This ain’t just any ol’ plant sale, it’s a rootin’-tootin’ bloom bash with music, local vendors, and the best dang plants this side of the Smokies (bless their leafy little hearts). Come snag somethin’ for your porch, patch, or windowsill!
🪴 All the roots, tunes, and blooms right this way 

Hello St. Elmo! Corgi Street Festival
April 25-27 @ The Tap House | 10:00AM-2:00PM
One thing about Bubby - he loves a corgi, and this street fest’s got more fluffy loafs than a bakery on Sunday mornin’! Swing by for the cutest pups in town, a top-notch makers market, and some good ol’ St. Elmo magic.
🐾 Short kings, big vibes: the corgi fest awaits

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 fill out this handy dandy partnership form, or send a message to [email protected]!

Hand-Picked Community Spotlight: Crabtree Farms

Rooted in Goodness, Growing with Heart

Tucked right in the soil of our city’s story is Crabtree Farms, a space that’s more than just rows of veggies — it’s a full-blown love letter to sustainable living, food equity, and growin’ things that matter. We got the chance to yap with Cherita (who humbly calls herself “just plain old Cherita,” though we think she’s a Chattanooga treasure), and y’all... the spirit of Crabtree runs deep.

The Mission, Straight from the Garden

Crabtree’s all about expanding access to locally grown food. But it ain’t just about what’s on your plate — it’s about who’s at the table. Whether it's through affordable food options, community education, or just plain kindness, they’re workin’ hard to build a healthier, more connected Chattanooga.

The Plant Sale You Can’t Miss

Every spring, Crabtree hosts their biggest event of the year: the Spring Plant Sale & Festival. We’re talkin’ 20+ local vendors, music, a food truck roundup, and enough leafy greens to turn your thumb green just by lookin’ at ‘em. It's joyful, chaotic, dirt-on-your-hands goodness, and truly one of the best ways to connect with your community (and your compost pile).

Bugs, Bands & Broccoli Drama

Of course, we had to ask the real questions. According to Cherita:

• Employee of the Month? The bumblebees, hands down. These fuzzy lil’ floaters are top-tier pollinators and a daily dose of joy for the crew. Sometimes they even fall asleep on a flower mid-shift. And honestly? Mood.

• Bug employee always getting written up? Aphids. Classic troublemakers. Always showin’ up where they’re not wanted, no RSVP, just vibes and plant damage.

• Farm band name? Keep the Beat, playin’ zydeco, naturally.

• A problematic fave? Broccoli. “Such a (Meemaw said I couldn’t put that word in this issue) to grow,” says Cherita with love and a sigh.

Crabtree Farms proves that growing food and growing community aren’t separate goals, they’re one and the same. Whether you’re swingin’ by the plant sale, volunteering, or just droppin’ a hello on their Instagram, you’re stepping into something bigger than a farm. You’re stepping into a future that’s rooted in care.

Stuff I Saw on the Internet: The Chicken Jockey

Alright internet explorers, gather ‘round, cause we’ve got the scoop on the wildest movie moment of the week. This weekend, Bubby and I are headin’ to the Northgate AMC to check out the Minecraft movie because yes, we play, we build, and we live for creeper chaos. But y’all… the hype around this movie? It’s WILD. We haven’t even seen the dang thing yet and we’re already asking life’s biggest question: What in the blocky world is a chicken jockey?! (Spoiler: It’s when a baby zombie rides a chicken, and honestly? I’d let it.)

In the movie, Jack Black voices Steve - our cube-headed king - and let me tell you, the fans are losing their square-shaped minds. The second he drops the line “chicken jockey,” it’s a full-blown theater meltdown. We’re talkin’ folks screaming, tossing popcorn, howling like they just mined a diamond vein. It’s not just a movie, y’all, it’s a whole cultural moment.

So yes, we’ll be attending… but cautiously. I’m talkin’ sunglasses on, hood up, sittin’ in the back row with a large Sprite and a firm grip on my emotional support pretzel. If someone yeets a chicken nugget mid-“chicken jockey,” just know I did my best.

Deep Thoughts with Bubby: Compost Parties

“Compost is just a fancy word for nature’s leftovers party.”

Y’know y’all, I been thinkin’... Earth don’t ask for much, does she? Just a little respect, a bit less plastic, and maybe for us to stop actin’ like we can microwave our way outta every problem. But instead of lecturin’ y’all like my Meemaw just found me lightin’ firecrackers under Pawpaw’s favorite chair (again), let’s talk trash. No seriously—trash! The banana peel kind. The 'I swear I’ll recycle this later' kind. The 'whoops, forgot my tote bag again' kind.

With that said, I started a compost bin behind Pawpaw’s shed last week. Don’t tell him. He thinks it’s a possum hotel. But I told Clementine, “What if we all treated food scraps like treasure maps instead of garbage?” Turns out, a rotten carrot can turn into dirt magic if you give it time. Nature’s patient like that.

So maybe this week, instead of just thinkin’ green, we be green. Plant somethin’. Reuse somethin’. Thank a tree. (Huggin’s optional, but encouraged.) Just remember: Earth ain’t a rental, it’s a hand-me-down. Let’s leave it better than we found it.

Wanna get started with your own “possum hotel”? Check out this handy dandy guide from the folks down at the Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation!

Clementine’s Corner: On Sustainability

Okay y’all, gather ‘round. I’ve got somethin’ real important to yap about today. Ready for a big ol’ word with even bigger meaning? Say it with me now: SUSTAINABILITY. 🌎✨

Earth Week kicks off this Saturday in Chattanooga, and there’s a whole heap of things we can do to treat our planet like the queen she is. One of my absolute favs leading the charge is the crew over at Overlooked Materials. They’ve been shaking up recycling and sustainability in Chatt since 2024, and y’all… they are not playin’.

This company is seriously changing the game, especially when it comes to recycling glass. They believe a more sustainable Chattanooga starts with glass, and bestie, I could not agree more. You will not BELIEVE the magical contraption they’ve got. It’s called a glass pulverizer (I know, sounds intense), and it turns old glass into ✨sand and gravel✨. That means your empty salsa jar could end up helpin’ fix a sidewalk or build a trail. Like… what?! Iconic.

As Morgan and the Overlooked team say: "Glass isn’t Chattanooga’s enemy." Preach!

They’re not just recycling, they’re reimagining what’s possible. From highlighting the recycling we can do, to pushing for even more, Overlooked Materials is making big moves, setting big goals, and dreaming big for this city.

So do the earth (and me) a favor: check ‘em out, get educated, and start recyclin’, y’all. Chattanooga’s glow-up starts with us.

Woo, what a long day plantin’ kindness!

Alright buds, that’s a wrap on this week’s dig through the dirt! Whether you’re plantin’ seeds, swattin’ aphids, or just learnin’ how to be a better steward of this big ol’ blue marble, we’re mighty glad to have you on the porch with us.

As Earth Week kicks off, let’s remember: Real change doesn’t always come from the mountaintops. Sometimes it starts in a compost pile behind the shed, with a bumblebee snoozin’ on a zinnia.

We’ll see y’all next week - same porch, new stories (and maybe a bagel to go along with it 👀) Until then, keep growin’ good things. 🌱💛

— Bubby & Clementine