Spring is in the air! The weather is warming, plants are blooming, and folks are starting to spend more time enjoying the outdoors. Outdoor Chattanooga is ramping up our programming to help get you outside to enjoy this spectacular weather. This month's newsletter highlights some of that awesome programming as well as some local events happening in our community. We are also extending a warm welcome to the new administrator of the Department of Parks and Outdoors, Scott Martin. Read about this and more below! |
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Outdoor Chattanooga Programs and Events |
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Introduction to Mountain Biking
April 8 | 6-8 PM
April 14 | 6-8 PM
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Spring is just around the corner and one of our favorite ways to get outside and enjoy the warmer weather is to explore Chattanooga area trails on a mountain bike. Join Outdoor Chattanooga for our Introduction to Mountain Biking clinics this April! These 2-hour clinics are designed to introduce beginners to the exciting sport of mountain biking. The goal for this class is to teach you the basics of riding a bike in the fun, relaxed atmosphere of Greenway Farms park in Hixson.
Our PIMBA certified instructors will get you ready for the trail by teaching everything form basic safety checks and bike fitting to maneuvering and pedaling techniques. Whether you are a true beginner looking to get into the sport or have some experience and want to practice specific skills, this class is perfect for you!
Outdoor Chattanooga has equipment (including bikes!) that you can borrow or you can bring your own equipment. It is appropriate for anyone age 10-110 as long as you already know how to comfortably ride a bike. All you will need to bring is athletic clothes, closed-toe shoes, and some stoke to learn about mountain biking! Click here to register and reserve your spot today.
Contact Outdoor Chattanooga if you have any questions! Email [email protected] or call (423) 643-6888
Covid-19 Note: These clinics will be held outside so masks will not be required. However, individuals are still encouraged to maintain 6 feet of social distancing when possible.
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Learn to Ride a Bike
April 11 | 4 PM
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Let our League of American Bicyclists Certified Instructors teach you how to ride a bike using the gliding technique! With this simple and effective technique, most students are pedaling within an hour and off riding in no time.
Students will learn the ABC quick check, proper bicycle and helmet fit, safety checks, how gears and brakes work, balancing, starting and stopping, pedaling, the different types of bicycles, rules for sidewalks, greenway and neighborhood riding, roadway signage, hand signaling and more!
Contact Outdoor Chattanooga if you have any questions! Email [email protected] or call (423) 643-6888
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Classes are an hour and a half with a maximum of 5 people for quality instruction. Bikes and helmets are available to borrow, or you may bring your own. Reservations required in advance. Recommended for ages 5+
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Learn to Skateboard class
April 9 and 23 | 9:30 AM - 11 AM
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Just like in previous years, Outdoor Chattanooga is partnering with Chatt Town Skate Park to offer FREE learn to skateboard clinics! Hosted by Outdoor Chattanooga as well as local skateboarding enthusiasts and volunteers, these classes will introduce you to all things skateboarding! Whether you are just figuring out how to stand on a board or dialing in your kickflip, these classes are for you.
Each class is 90 minutes long. Outdoor Chattanooga will provide all the gear you need (skateboard, helmet, wrist guards, and elbow and knee pads). You are also welcome to bring and use your own equipment. The class will be taught by our wonderful local volunteers. Click here to register and reserve your spot today!
2022 Classes:
9:30-11am
- April 9
- April 23
- May 14
- June 11
Contact Outdoor Chattanooga if you have any questions!
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We are extremely excited to welcome Scott Martin as the new administrator for the city of Chattanooga's Department of Parks and Outdoors, the agency that delivers Outdoor Chattanooga's programming. Prior to being recruited to Chattanooga by mayor Tim Kelly, Scott has been fortunate enough to be a part of teams in Idaho, Virginia, and Kentucky that have built some of our nation's largest new public park and urban open space conservation systems over the last twenty years. He has also made mistakes, failed, and half-started many initiatives. It is these failures and false-starts that he feels are most important in terms of lessons to be gleaned. He will freely admit that he is simply between swims.
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Scott holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from Boise State University, serves as North American Chair for the World Urban Parks Congress, is an elected Fellow in the American Academy for Parks & Recreation Administration, and has given talks across the globe on the vital importance of outdoor park and conservation systems in our increasingly urban environment. He and his wife, Jennifer, are both passionate outdoors lovers that enjoy hiking, birding, boating, and spending time outdoors with their two marginally well-behaved Dalmatians. |
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Spring is already upon us, and with spring comes Earth Day! Earth Day offers us a wonderful opportunity to celebrate natural spaces and reflect upon what environmental protection and conservation means to us. In the spring of 1970, Senator Gaylord Nelson decided that he was fed up with trying to convince his colleagues to stand up against an impending climate crisis. He instead turned to the public, creating Earth Day as a day for people to speak up about the lack of regulation on industrial waste. And it worked! Over twenty million Americans demonstrated in different U.S. cities, an event that was influential enough to convince Congress to authorize the creation of a new federal agency, the Environmental Protection Agency. This agency, as well as initiatives such as the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act, leads the charge in regulations to protect the environment in the United States. We invite you to spend Earth Day celebrating these planetary protections and enjoying the magnificent outdoor recreation that Chattanooga has to offer.
Cost:
Free
Location:
Planet Earth
Date:
April 22
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April 9-10 | 10 AM - 5 PM
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4 Bridges Art Festival is back! After a hiatus due to the pandemic the festival will return to a live event on April 9-10. The 4 Bridges Arts Festival has cultivated and inspired an appreciation for the visual arts by creating opportunities for exchange between working artists and the public. The festival is a juried art show that attracts visual artists from across the country and was ranked in the top 20 fine art festivals in the country. Attendees can expect a showcase of the distinctive talents of 140 artists with of $20,000 in cash awards. |
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Photo Credit: Times Free Press
Cost:
$5 entry (purchase at the gate); students and those under 18 enter free!
Location:
First Horizon Pavilion, 1826 Reggie White Blvd
Date and Time:
April 9-10 from 10am to 5pm
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Get stoked for the 2022 National Cornbread Festival! On April 23rd and 24th, over 27,000 festival-goers from throughout the southeast will gather to enjoy the sights, sounds and tastes of the 25th annual festival. Attendees can expect games, carnival rides, handmade arts and crafts, live music, a 5k race, and, of course, lots of cornbread. South Pittsburg is located less than 30 miles west of Chattanooga and is right off of interstate 24. Every year, this quaint southeastern town hosts this festival to celebrate all things cornbread. Need we say more? Click here for more information.
Cost:
$10 per person (preschool children free!)
Location:
221 S. Cedar Ave., South Pittsburg, TN 37380
Date and Time:
Saturday, April 23rd from 9:00am to 6:00pm CDT
Sunday, April 24th, 2022 from 9:00am to 5:00pm CDT
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April Calendar
22: Earth Day
30: Normalpalooza
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