Why howdy, neighbor! Happy Monday!

This week, we’re in bloom and in tune, celebrating Record Store Day with Clementine’s curious questions, peeking through windows 'round the world (literally), and sittin' down for a heartfelt Yap with Regina Gee of Wellspring Coaching. We’ve got block parties, spring carnivals, and haikus to boot. Whether you're lookin’ for something loud, something gentle, or just a new view, we saved you a seat right here. But first, we have some mighty excitin’ news to share!

NEWS FROM THE PORCH SWING:

Phew nelly, y’all. I’ve got some real big news stuffed in my backpack right next to my trail map and emergency snacks. Anyway, Clementine may have mentioned a couple'a issues ago that Meemaw was considerin’ lettin’ us go to camp.

Welp, IT’S OFFICIALY OFFICIAL Y’ALL! Clementine an’ I are headed to Camp Lookout!

Now, normally they don’t do this, but I told them I had a newsletter (like all cool an’ stuff) and they said that we can bring y’all with us for a brand-new Chattynooga series: “Letters from Lookout”

From now ‘til the beginnin’ of June, we’ll be sharin’:

• Interviews with real-life camp counselors

• First-time camper tips from yours truly (plus Clemmie’s campfire wisdom)

• And all the behind-the-scenes hijinks of us two goobers gettin’ ready for a Summer on the mountain

It’s our biggest adventure yet, and you’ll get the whole scoop right here in the newsletter and our Instagram account, so keep your eyes peeled and your trail mix packed in the near future! Anyway, let’s get this show on the road!

Today's Issue Includes:

• This week's Front Porch Partner: 1440 Media (Again!)

• Chattanooga's Upcoming Events

• Out Here Askin' with Clementine: Record Store Day

• Stuff I saw on the internet: Window Swap

• A Yap Session with Regina Gee at Wellspring Coaching

• Clementine’s Corner: Vital Haikuformation for Your Everyday Life

• Wrap Up

Front Porch Partnerships: 1440 Media (Again!)

Woahh! Y’all ate up last week’s issue that 1440 said "Run it back, ASAP!”, so thanks again buds!

Now, before we jump into the local goodness, here’s a lil’ shout from our weekly Front Porch Partnership sponsor. It ain’t homegrown right here in Chattanooga, but supportin’ it helps keep the porch lights on and fuels the fun we’re dreamin’ up for y’all and this ever-blossomin’ Chattynooga community.

Even just tappin’ the link tosses a shiny coin in our tip jar—no strings attached. And don’t worry, I wouldn’t share somethin’ with ya if I didn’t think it had some porch-sittin’ potential. Go on, 1440 Media: Show the folks of Chattynooga what’s in store!

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What’s Goin’ On in the Scenic City this week?

Community

• Spring Carnival at Northgate Mall
  April 4–20 @ Northgate Mall (Duh)
  The fair’s rolled into Northgate and it’s got everything - rides that’ll flip your stomach, games you swear you almost won, and snacks that taste like childhood. Show up, spin around, eat somethin’ fried, repeat.
  🎡 All the details, wristbands, and whirly-fun right here

• Glass Street Block Party
  April 19 @ 2500 Glass Street | 10AM–5PM
  Live music, food trucks, vendors, and even an Easter egg hunt? Say less. The whole neighborhood’s showin’ up for this all-ages shindig, and it’s lookin’ like a good ol’ fashioned spring celebration.
  🎉 Check out the block party info here

• Chattanooga Autism Celebration Walk
  April 12 @ Coolidge Park
  Lace up your walkin’ shoes and celebrate our local autism community with the Chattanooga Autism Center’s 12th annual walk. Whether you’re flyin’ solo or rallyin’ a team, every step helps raise support for programs that matter. Plus: vendors, music, kids’ activities, and free t-shirts if you register!
  🚶🏻‍♂️‍➡️Sign up, spread the word, and let’s walk the talk

• WanderLinger Brewing’s 4th Annual Crawfish Boil
  April 12 @ Chattanooga Choo Choo | 11AM ‘til they run out
  Y’all better come hungry! WanderLinger’s throwin’ down piles of spicy crawdads right next to the ol’ train tracks. Cold beer, hot food, and the kind of vibe that says “we ain’t leavin’ ‘til the pot’s empty.”
  🦞 Follow the boil trail here

Music & Entertainment

• Record Store Day 2025
  April 12 @ participating Chattanooga shops
  It’s the holiest of vinyl holidays, folks! Whether you’re a crate-diggin’ veteran or just here for the vibes. Expect limited releases, live music, and some sweet sales from local legends like Yellow Racket, For the Record, and more.
  💿 Keep scrollin’ for Clementine’s special scoop on RSD in Chatt!

• 4 Bridges Arts Festival – 25th Anniversary!
  April 12–13 @ First Horizon Pavilion
  This ain’t your average art stroll: 4BAF is bringin’ together over 140 artists from across the country to turn Chattanooga into a big ol’ canvas. It’s their 25th year, y’all, and there’s cash prizes, one-of-a-kind pieces, and enough creativity to make your brain do somersaults.
  🎨 See the artists and event scoop here

Outdoors ‘n’ Stuff

• Pink Moon Guided Hike
  April 12 @ Greenway Farm
  Under the light of April’s Pink Moon, you’ll take a slow stroll through Greenway Farm with Outdoor Chattanooga—think moonbeams, mindfulness, and maybe a little magic. It’s part hike, part soul stretch, and it’s all about what you’re ready to bloom into.
  🌕 Go on now, grab your glow-spot 'fore it's gone

• Hug A Bunny at the Zoo
  April 18–19 @ Chattanooga Zoo
  Pet some bunnies, meet the Easter Bunny, and keep your eyes peeled for a golden egg that could win ya a free Zoo membership (seriously). There’ll be crafts, critters, and plenty of springtime mischief for the whole fam.
  🐰 Hop to it! Tickets and details right here

• Chatt’s a National Park City! Let’s Boogie.
  April 19 @ Chattanooga Green | 12PM–7PM
  Chattanooga’s officially America’s first National Park City—so naturally, the city is throwin’ a free party with live music, good vibes, and a whole lotta Cupid Shuffle. Come dance your heart out downtown with local faves, food, and fun to kick off Earth Week the Chattanooga way.
  🎶 See the lineup and plan your groove

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 submit a partnership request below!

Out Here Askin’ with Clementine: Record Store Day!

Back by popular demand (okay, I just really wanted to yap), it’s time for OUT HERE ASKIN’ WITH CLEMENTINE!

Y’all liked it last time, so I figured why not do it again? This week, we’re talkin’ vinyl, good vibes, and the magic of your local record shop. That’s right... it’s Record Store Day this Saturday!

If you haven’t heard of it, Record Store Day is an international celebration of music and the community built around independently-owned, brick-and-mortar record stores. It kicked off back in 2008 and has been growing ever since with bigger crowds, exclusive releases, and more reasons to show up and show love to the coolest music stores around!

Oh, and get this! There’s an official Record Store Day ambassador every year and this time around, it’s none other than Post Malone. Bubby’s pumped and says he’s gonna find the perfect Posty album. He even drew little face tats on with a marker “for the vibes.” I support it, bud.

These days, music’s easier to find than your left shoe. You can pull up any song in two seconds flat. But stepping inside a record store? That just hits different. It’s intentional. It’s about taking your time flipping through every record in the crate, chatting tunes with other music fans, and letting the right album find you. It’s not just about the tunes. It’s an EXPERIENCE, y’all!

There are four official Record Store Day pledge stores in Chattanooga: McKay’s, For the Record, Yellow Racket Records, and Inherent Records. Being a pledge store means they’re sticking to the spirit of the day. They’ve agreed to sell the special releases in person, fair and square, the way it oughta be.

Now let’s get to the yappin’! I caught up with Ben over at Yellow Racket and Gwen from For the Record to get the inside scoop. These two know their stuff and they’re fired up for Record Store Day!

Ben VanderHart - Owner, Yellow Racket Records

• What part of Record Store Day feels the most special to you?
  Record Store Day just feels like a love letter to record stores. It’s such a gratifying feeling to see the space filled with people who are incredibly passionate about music and to see the joy on their faces as they share it with each other. It’s a beautiful picture of how music builds community.

• What’s something people should know before showing up to Yellow Racket for RSD?

  RSD is all about the love of music. It’s not about speculative collectibles. We try to make sure that RSD stays fun and breeds a spirit of camaraderie by putting the music and the listener first. That means no price-gouging, no more than one copy per person, no pushing or shoving… just love for music and love for one another.

• If Yellow Racket had a theme song, what would it be?

  “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by Tears for Fears

Gwen Bell - Owner, For the Record

• How would you describe the vibe at For the Record to someone who’s never been?

  Fun, anticipatory, the thrill of finding that treasure you've been waiting for.

• Anything special happening in-store for RSD?

  On RSD, we usually have trivia games with small prizes for the line as we wait for the store to open. We have goodie bags for the guests (while supplies last) and, also while supplies last, Dogfish Head Beer posters (on request).

• If records got trophies on RSD, what categories would you give out?

  #1 requested record (Taylor Swift "Fortnite"). #1 store owner favorite (George Harrison "All Things Must Pass"). #1 Movie related ("Wicked"). Most popular release (again, "Fortnite"). #1 of each genre, i.e. Jazz, Rock, Rap. And, of course, don't forget the children's listening category, with a runoff between "Bluey" and "Rockafire Explosion.”

Alright friends, that’s a wrap on the yappin’ (for now, anyway). I’ve got an old Shania record spinnin’ and a wish list to finish before Saturday rolls around. I’ll see y’all out there where the magic happens!

Stuff I Saw on the Internet: Window Swap

Y’all ever get the itch to look out a window that ain’t yours? Not like in an introspective, Nicolas Cage kinda way. More like, maybe you’re sittin’ in your kitchen eatin’ a bagel (respect), but you start wonderin’ what the clouds look like in Copenhagen or what kinda trees folks got growin’ in Peru?

Well, WindowSwap lets you click a button and boom - you’re lookin’ out someone else’s window from anywhere in the whole dang world.

I saw a cat lickin’ dew off a railing in Austria and a biker gang roll through a sleepy French village, all in the same five minutes. It’s like borrowin’ somebody’s porch view without askin’. Kinda magical. Kinda nosey. Kinda perfect.

A Yap Session with Regina Gee at Wellspring Coaching

What if healing just needed a chat with a good bud?

Ya ever wonder what it'd be like if your best porch-swing pal was also a pro at helpin' you rebuild your happiness from the inside out? Well buckle up, buttercup, 'cause today's Yap Spotlight is a good'un! I'm chattin' with Health Coach Regina Gee, the big-hearted, soul-smart gal behind Wellspring Coaching. Ya may have also seen her in our mini-series on Instagram last month, Grown-Up Dreams, Childhood Roots. So today, we get a bit more of a deep dive into that dream of hers!

Now I know yer already picturin' gym shoes, green smoothies, and screechin’ over ya while yer sweatin’ Froot Loops on the treadmill, lemme stop ya right there. Regina’s got a whole different way of walkin' beside folks, helpin’ 'em climb outta the heavy fog of depression and burnout with grace, grit, and a whole lotta kindness.

From COVID Chaos to a Calling in India

Her story of change starts like many of ours have the past few years — durin’  the wild whirlwind that was the COVID Era. While the world slowed down, Regina kept pressin’ forward, finishing up her studies and chasing her dream job of helping people come back to themselves. That dream took her all the way to Northern India, where she studied abroad for five months, learnin’ firsthand how different cultures understand healing, balance, and what it means to feel truly well. 

It was one of the most life-givin’, eye-openin’ experiences of her life. So far from home yet feelin’ more like herself than ever, that spark really caught fire. She realized this kind of work, the kind that meets people with deep care and practical support, was exactly what she was made for.

Bringing the Wellspring Back Home

When she got back to Chattanooga, Regina had another realization: you don’t gotta cross the globe to change lives. Right here in her hometown, folks were needin’ that same kind of gentle nudge and big-hearted guidance. And just like water carvin' its own path through stone, Wellspring Coaching began to flow into the good folks of Chattanooga—born from the belief that healing ain't just for emergencies. Sometimes, it's the slow rebuild that makes us strongest.

These days, Regina wears many hats (way more than I can fit on my noggin at that.) She’s the force behind the Chattanooga Depression Care Collective and also a talented visual artist to boot. She’s on a mission to reshape how we understand depression–not as a disorder, but as a signal of disconnection. A sign it’s time to slow down, listen in, and rebuild in a way that feels whole.

Since 2018, she’s been weaving together lived experience, neuroscience, anthropology, spirituality, and integrative wellness coaching to help people reconnect with their body, place, people, source, and hope. She knows firsthand how painful it is when conventional treatments don’t work, and she offers a different path for folks who feel like the word "depression" doesn’t quite capture their experience.

A Different Kind of Helper

Unlike traditional therapy, which often focuses on diagnosing or diving deep into the past, Regina’s approach is more like a walkin’ buddy with a flashlight, gently helpin’ you find your footing again, right where you are. It’s not about fixin’ folks, It’s about remindin’ 'em they were never broken to begin with. With a mix of goal-setting, reflection, habit-building, and plain ol’ human connection, Regina offers something refreshin’ in a world that moves too fast: space to breathe, reflect, and rebuild.

And don’t let her down-to-earth nature fool ya–Regina's packin' some serious brainpower and heart-knowin’. She’s studied everything from how the human brain works to how different cultures approach healing. She earned not one but two degrees from the University of Pittsburgh–one in neuroscience and the other in anthropology (that’s right, y’all–brains and people smarts).

She also trained at the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine, where she became a certified health and wellness coach, diggin’ deep into holistic healing that connects mind, body, and spirit. Plus, she's got a badge of honor from a mindfulness-based stress reduction program–proving she walks the walk when it comes to slowin’ down and tunin' in.

Ya Ain’t Broken Buckaroo – You’re Just Rebuilding!

So, if you're feelin’ like your spark’s gone dim, or like your days are just passin’ by in a gray blur, don’t count yourself out. Regina Gee and Wellspring Coaching might just be the soft place your heart’s been lookin’ for.

Sometimes, healing don’t come in a lightning bolt—it comes in little ripples, slow and steady, like water finding its way back to the spring. And if you're ready to take that next small step, well, Regina’ll be right there beside ya - flashlight in hand, snacks in her bag, and all the hope in the world for what’s ahead.

Clementine’s Corner: Vital Haikuformation for Your Everyday Life

This week, I’m switching things up. That’s because it’s my corner and I’m the boss of it. And also because I recently discovered that I am extremely gifted at writing haikus.

Don’t worry, I’m still a very serious reporter and hard-hitting journalist. But I contain multitudes inside my soul, and one of those multitudes writes poetry now. My teacher taught us about haikus this week, and it’s like the poetry gods opened a poetic portal in my brain and said, “Go off, child.”

So please enjoy this exclusive collection of my very important opinions written entirely in haiku form.

I call it… "Vital Haikuformation for Your Everyday Life."

You’re welcome in advance.

ON YARDWORK:

oh no, the horror
i look out at all my work
but i just see weeds

ON FINE DINING:

hot round and cheesy
ooey gooey yumminess
pizza pizza please

ON BASEBALL SUPERSTARS:

hit it out the park
the man, the bear, the legend
ozzie for the win

ON CURRENT EVENTS:

a wise man once yapped,
“THIS IS A MORAL MOMENT”
it was booker, y’all

ON WEATHER:

is it spring or not?
the rain and pollen say yes
but why’s it so hot?!

That’s all for today, folks! I’m keeping my notebook close for when inspiration strikes again. And hey, if you’re feeling creative, why don’t you try writing your own haiku about Chattanooga and send it my way? I am the editor of this corner, after all. I might just publish it next time! This corner’s always got room for more magic.

‘Til Next Time, Porch Pals!

Thanks for wanderin’ through today’s patchwork of porch yaps, sweet tunes, and faraway views. Whether you’re journalin’ after a coaching sesh, hummin’ along with your favorite vinyl, or just daydreamin’ out a borrowed window, we hope this issue gave you a little joy-spark to carry into your week.

We’ll be back next week with more local lore, good-hearted mischief, and a fresh pot of curiosity brewin’.

Bubby & Clementine