Riverfront Nights in the music mix for Chattanooga area’s weekend entertainment

Riverfront Nights kicks off with a Beach Boys tribute, Nightfall parties with a zydeco band and Parliament Funkadelic gets its groove on in a cave as the holiday weekend gets underway in the Chattanooga area.

MUSIC

> Nightfall, a free summer music series coordinated by Chattanooga Presents, continues Friday at Miller Plaza, 850 Market St., with zydeco music by headliner Dwight “Black Cat” Carrier at 8 p.m. Local act Scarlet Love Conspiracy will open the show at 7 p.m. Food trucks, a video game truck, local artisans and the Chattanooga Football Club’s inflatable soccer field will be set up across M.L. King Boulevard at Miller Park. nightfallchattanooga.com

> The Caverns, 555 Charlie Roberts Road, Pelham, Tenn., will host George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic on the band’s One Nation Under a Groove Tour at 6 p.m. CDT Saturday. Supporting are The Motet, Dopapod, Pimps of Joytime and Blu Eye Extinction. Tickets to the underground show are $59. thecaverns.com

> Riverfront Nights, a free summer music series presented by Friends of the Festival, kicks off 7-10 p.m. Saturday at Ross’s Landing, 201 Riverfront Parkway. First in the nine-week lineup is Sail On: A Beach Boys Tribute, with local act Fresh Mind opening. riverfrontnights.com

> Barking Legs Theatre, 1307 Dodds Ave., will feature guitarist Damien Jurado with Chris Pureka at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at the door. barkinglegs.org

SPECTATOR SPORTS

> Chattanooga Lookouts, the Class AA affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds, continue a homestand against the Birmingham Barons at AT&T Field, 201 Power Alley. Promotions include Thirsty Thursday drink specials, a used car giveaway Saturday and fireworks after games Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Game time is 7:15 p.m., except for Sunday’s at 6:15 p.m. Tickets are $6-$11. lookouts.com

> Chattanooga Lady Red Wolves, a USL-W league amateur soccer team, will play their last home match of the season against the SSA Royals at 7:30 p.m. Friday at CHI Memorial Stadium, 1 Stadium Way. Tickets are $12-$24. chattladyredwolves.com

> Chattanooga Football Club, a men’s professional team in the National Independent Soccer Association, will play AC Syracuse Pulse at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Finley Stadium, 1826 Carter St. Tickets are $7-$16. chattanoogafc.com

OUT & ABOUT

> Imax Theater, 201 Chestnut St., has first-run blockbusters among its movie offerings for the Fourth of July weekend. “Minions: The Rise of Gru,” a prequel to the original “Minions” and “Despicable Me” animated films, will open Thursday for a weeklong run. Tickets are $15. “Top Gun: Maverick,” the Tom Cruise starrer that has grossed over $1 billion worldwide, returns with daily screenings Friday through Monday. Tickets are $15. Friday also marks the debut of the nature film “Wings Over Water 3D,” which follows three species of wetland-dwelling birds (sandhill cranes, mallard ducks and yellow warblers). It will be shown through the end of the year. Tickets are $10. tnaqua.org/imax

> Reflection Riding Arboretum & Nature Center, 400 Garden Road, will begin a weekly series of “Save the Red Wolves” programs at 1:30 p.m. Friday to introduce visitors to the facility’s red wolf pack, part of the American Red Wolf SAFE Program Action Plan (SAFE stands for Save Animals From Extinction). Participation is by donation. reflectionriding.org

> Open-air market, a monthly event in Rossville, is 4-8 p.m. Friday at 207 Chickamauga Ave. Local musicians will entertain, and vendors will be selling produce, flowers, original artwork and food. rossvillega.gov/ rossville-blvd-market

> The Comedy Catch, 29 Station St., welcomes Jesse Jones, who works as a stand-up, improv and sketch comedian, for shows at 7:30 and 9:45 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Tickets are $17-$19. Open Mic Night, a showcase for regional talents, is 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. Tickets are $7. thecomedycatch.com

> Rabbit Valley Farmers Market, 96 Depot St., Ringgold, Ga., plans an Independence Day-themed market with local produce, arts and crafts 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday. rabbitvalleyfarmersmarket.com

> Charles H. Coolidge National Medal of Honor Heritage Center, 2 W. Aquarium Way, will hold a Bricks of Honor dedication ceremony at 11 a.m. Saturday. Army Brig. Gen. Mike Scholes, deputy commissioner for Tennessee’s Department of Veterans Services, will be the guest speaker. The personalized bricks are a fundraising tool for the museum. They may be purchased to honor anyone who has served in America’s armed forces. The deadline for orders for the next dedication ceremony is Monday. mohhc.org

> Chattanooga Market will celebrate Red, White & Blueberries 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday at First Horizon Pavilion, 1826 Carter St. Among the highlights are blueberry pie eating contests for visitors at noon and 2 p.m. (sign up at the front desk) and one for vendors at 3 p.m. Customers will find fresh-picked blueberries as well as salsas, breads, cookies and other products that incorporate the fruit, plus other in-season produce. Shawnessey Cargile will perform at 12:30 p.m., followed by the Lone Mountain Band at 2 p.m. chattanoogamarket.com

> Rafting 4 Freedom: Hiwassee/Ocoee Scenic River State Park is offering free rafting on the Ocoee River for military veterans and active-duty personnel, plus 50% off regular rafting fees for their family members, Monday. Trips must be scheduled by Friday. The promotion is a partnership between Tennessee State Parks and all 23 Ocoee outfitters. Veterans may contact any outfitter to schedule a trip. See the full list at timetoraft.com.

THEATER

> Obvious Dad theater company offers the regional premiere of Agnes Borinsky’s “Brief Chronicle, Books 6-8,” the second of three summer productions, starting this weekend. Director Blake Harris, the company’s artistic director, also directed the Los Angeles premiere of the production. “Bringing a spotlight to LGBTQ+ stories and an experimental style of theater that audiences around here don’t have regular access to is always our ultimate goal,” Grace Holtz, associate artistic director, said in a news release. The production will be presented at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2:30 p.m. Sundays through July 17 in the UTC Fine Arts Center, 752 Vine St. Tickets are $15. obviousdad.com

> Signal Mountain Playhouse, 1104 James Blvd., will present Roald Dahl’s “Matilda the Musical” at 8 p.m. every Friday and Saturday in July at the outdoor amphitheater. More than 50 child and adult actors are involved in the production at the playhouse, which had its first show in 1972. Camp chairs may be set up after ticket purchase, starting at 6 p.m. Cost is $5-$15. Picnic dinners are welcome (no alcohol). smph.org

ARTS

> Hunter Museum of American Art, 10 Bluff View, will host a Fantasy Collecting Panel 6-7 p.m. Thursday as part of programming for the exhibition “Enchanted: A History of Fantasy Illustration.” Guests Meagan Frey and Jason Mink of Infinity Flux Comics, writer/designer Richard Starkings and comics artist Andy Duggan will discuss the hows and whys of collecting and provide a mini gallery of rare titles. huntermuseum.org

> Northside Gallery at Northside Presbyterian Church, 923 Mississippi Ave., will open a show by 11 members of the Lookout Mountain Art Group with a reception 5-7 p.m. Friday. “Mountain Musings” features paintings, fabric art, mixed media and photography. The show will hang through Sept. 22, with first Friday receptions each month.

> In-Town Gallery, 26A Frazier Ave., plans an opening reception for “Ukraine Blue and Yellow” 5-8 p.m. Friday. Many of the works, which include paintings, pottery, textiles and jewelry, feature the colors of the Ukrainian flag as well as sunflowers, the national flower. The show runs through July 31. Funds raised will be donated to Chattanooga’s Ukraine Gospel Church to purchase food and blankets for displaced citizens. intowngallery.com

> ClearStory Arts, 1673 Holtzclaw Ave., will host an opening reception at 6 p.m. Friday for “My Work Is Me,” a career retrospective by retired Chattanooga artist Mary B. Lynch, who founded the Tennessee Watercolor Society in 1971. Featured alongside are newly created reaction/response pieces to Lynch’s works by five of ClearStory’s resident artists. The show runs through Aug. 13. ClearStoryArts.com

> Area 61 Gallery, 721 Broad St., opens a show by a new featured artist, Chattanoogan Bob Fazio, with a reception 6-8 p.m. Friday. The paintings and sculptures in “Tondo, Tondo, Tondo” were inspired by the Renaissance term for a circular work of art. Fazio also will be on hand for a second first Friday reception in August and a later sculpture demonstration. His works are among those of more than 20 local artists and crafters shown at the gallery. 423-648-9367

> Stacy Beam Fine Art Gallery, 19643 State Highway 56, Beersheba Springs, Tenn., will present “Art on the Mountain,” a show to raise funds for the Beersheba Springs Medical Clinic, a nonprofit facility that provides free care to Grundy County patients in need. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. CDT Friday through Monday, with a cocktail reception 6-9 p.m. CDT Sunday. Beam began his career as a portrait artist and now focuses on the American South. A second fundraiser, Dash to the Door, a 3-mile walk or 5K run, begins at 7:30 a.m. at the clinic, 19592 State Route 56. stacybeam.com, racesignup.com

Contact Lisa Denton at [email protected] or 423-757-6281.