Category: Daily Life

Chattanooga, community, Daily Life, Diversity, Family, History, Love, Uncategorized

Chattanooga, the First National Park City in America

Written by Delaney Holman

Tim Kelly, Mayor of Chattanooga, Tennessee, speaks about the city becoming the first National Park City in the Americas. Chattanooga earned the title on April 3rd, 2025, after over two years of community effort. Also called the “Scenic City,” Chattanooga is acclaimed for its access to the outdoors and rich history.

Deep in the Appalachian foothills, and along the Tennessee River, lies America’s only National Park City (NPC). A historically significant city tucked in the Tennessee Valley, home to over 100 parks and a community uniquely invested in outdoor culture, helped make Chattanooga, Tennessee, the third NPC in the world. Chattanooga earned the NPC title on April 3, 2025, just 55 years after being named the dirtiest city in the United States. 

In 2019, Daniel Raven-Ellison founded the NPC movement by establishing London as the first city to adopt the vision of building a new collective understanding of what a city is and who it is for. The National Park City Foundation combines long-term and large-scale versions of National Parks within cities. 

Abraham Mako rows by the Bluff View Art District on the Tennessee River during sunrise Wednesday, September 24, 2025 (Photo by Clara Paulson).

“That’s the whole idea behind the NPC campaign – locals working hard to protect, cherish, enjoy, and celebrate nature all around,” said Scott Martin, Chattanooga’s former administrator for the Chattanooga Parks and Outdoors.

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Animals, Chattanooga, community, Daily Life, Environment, Farm Life, farming, Food, horse, outdoors, Sustainability, Uncategorized

Fertile Land

Written by Zoie Denton

Melissa Shepherd, Head of Operations at Quail Run Farm in Chattanooga, Tennessee, speaks about how the farm uses regenerative practices and gives back to the soil. The animals contribute to the farm’s practices by rotationally grazing and naturally fertilizing the soil.

On the outskirts of Chattanooga, Tennessee, nestled in the mountains and valleys, lies 80 acres of rolling green pastures and bustling farm life. Quail Run Farm, one of Lookout Valley’s most well-known farms, is a living example of regenerative agriculture. Bought in October of 2022 by Joe and Rachel Riley, Quail Run has turned this beautiful countryside from a quiet homestead to a community-driven ecosystem of animals and hospitality. 

Melissa Shepherd, head of operations, sits at the on-site farmer’s market. Stored inside were products like farm-fresh honey, eggs, and meat. Tuesday, September 30, 2025. Photo by Angelina Fraga.

“There weren’t any animals here at the beginning,” said Melissa Shepherd, Head of Operations. The land has transformed into a vibrant working community. It offers pasture-raised meats, locally grown produce, and honey—all cultivated with sustainable, regenerative practices.

Shepherd is originally from Yorkshire, England, and joined Quail Run through a program called Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) while traveling through the US.

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Animals, Chattanooga, community, Daily Life, Entertainment, Family, History, horse, outdoors

Carriage Chronicles

Written by Emily Mitchell

David Faulkner, the lead driver for Chattanooga Horse Trams, speaks about his 26 years of experience driving carriages through downtown Chattanooga.

The distinct clip-clop of hooves is a sound all too familiar to residents of downtown Chattanooga. Nearby drivers wait patiently as a spotted horse named Dewey steadily hauls an oldfangled carriage into the flow of traffic. Atop a black leather bench, David Faulkner takes one hand off the reins to pet his beloved Dalmatian, Indiana, seated proudly beside him. As the carriage rolls down Broad Street, he directs the passengers’ attention to an allegedly “haunted” parking lot coming up on their right. In the midst of rushing vehicles and busy pedestrians, the elderly coach has managed to make a career out of slowing things down.

Faulkner never applied to become a part-time carriage driver—he was recruited by the horses. While working for a nearby parking company, he took notice of Chattanooga Horse Trams, a 39-year-old carriage ride service stationed outside of the Tennessee Aquarium. 

“After about three weekends of sneaking the horse treats, [the owner] asked me if I’d go to work for him,” Faulkner said. “I started the next weekend.”

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Chattanooga, Chattanooga outreach, community, Daily Life, donate, Environment, Family, Food, Food Banks, Healing, Health, outdoors, Philanthropy, Sustainability

Table for All

Written by Alexis Carpenter

Katy Neusner steps in to help pack Sack Packs for children who may not have food at home to help sustain them through the weekend. Tuesday, April 29, 2025. Photo by Alexis Carpenter.

The warehouse lights flicker on as volunteers walk through the door and make their way to rows of stacked pallets and assembly lines. The scent of produce and cardboard boxes mingle in the humid atmosphere, and the sound of pop music fills the large warehouse. Volunteers begin to sort canned goods, bag fresh vegetables, and prepare boxes for distribution.

Yet, beneath this effort lies a growing crisis. The Chattanooga Area Food Bank, a lifeline for residents across 20 counties in Tennessee and Georgia, is dealing with significant funding cuts. A nationwide halt of $500 million in federal food aid, including the suspension of USDA’s Commodity Credit Corporation funding, has resulted in the cancellation of multiple truckloads of food. These shipments are now absent from the food bank’s inventory, leaving bare shelves within the warehouse.

In the midst of the working warehouse is Katy Neusner, the Advocacy and Communications Coordinator of the Chattanooga Area Food Bank. As the organization works to bridge the gap left by the funding cuts, Neusner and her colleagues face a task of sustaining their mission amid dwindling resources.​

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Animals, art, Chattanooga, Chattanooga Audubon Society, Chattanooga outreach, community, Daily Life, Dance, donate, Entertainment, Environment, Healing, Health, History, Immigration, K-Pop, Love, Music, outdoors, Philanthropy, Safety, Spelunking, Sports, Sustainability, teachers, UTC, women

Rising Rock Radio Showcase
Graphic by Kylee Boone

Rising Rock is excited to showcase some of our best audio stories from this past semester in a continued partnership with Scenic Roots.

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Chattanooga, Chattanooga outreach, community, Daily Life, Environment, outdoors, Safety, Spelunking, Sports, Sustainability, teachers, UTC, women

Spelunking Shenanigans

Written by Emily Petitt Dwyer

Rachel Sakar talks about her experience in caving and how she is involved in the caving community as a mentor and a teacher.

Beneath the rugged mountains of Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia, a region known as TAG, is a network that is somewhat unknown to most, boasting intricate passages, waterfalls, and hidden chambers that Blake Webber has devoted himself to exploring and preserving.

Webber, a civil engineering major at UTC and active member of the UTC Wind Ensemble and Men’s Ultimate Frisbee, first discovered caving in 2021 at a local festival.

“I was thrown off the deep end, completing a relatively challenging vertical trip my first time in a ‘real’ cave,” Webber said. “I was immersed in the challenge and felt like I had stepped into another world.”

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art, Chattanooga, community, Daily Life, Dance, Entertainment, Fashion, Health, K-Pop, Music, Sports

K-Nooga

Written by Drew White

Sarah Thomas is the Co-Founder of 42E3, a K-pop dance cover group dedicated to bringing K-pop choreography’s energy, precision, and artistry to life in Chattanooga.

K-pop has been a growing global phenomenon in the past ten years; even in Chattanooga, Tennessee. 42E3 is a K-pop dance cover group that semi-frequently releases dance covers on their YouTube and Instagram pages.  

Many of these dancers have experienced the rise of K-pop firsthand, having been fans themselves for over ten years. They have watched the landscape of fan interactions and song promotions shift over the years due to the rise of social media and COVID-19. 

“I became a fan of K-pop in 2013, but I didn’t start dancing to K-pop until 2015, because I was kind of embarrassed to be a K-pop fan at first.” said Sarah Thomas, one of the founders of 42E3.

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art, Chattanooga, community, Daily Life, Family, Healing, Love, Music, women

A Window to the Soul

Video by Clara Paulson

Marcy Paulson, a Chattanooga-based musician, was born with Leber congenital amaurosis, a degenerative eye disorder. As a child, Marcy often encountered pity from peers and strangers; one friend even expressed her concerns that Marcy would never be able to fall in love. But Marcy proved she could hear the world more vividly than most could see it. Through music, she found true joy, her husband, and a lifelong passion.

Meet the Storyteller

Clara Paulson is a Junior Communication major attending the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga with minors in Brock Scholars and Creative Writing. Clara has experience writing stories and working as an assistant Photo editor for the Echo, co-hosting a podcast on the Perch, and writing poems for the Sequoya Review. After graduation, her goal is to continue storytelling. She hopes to write—whether it’s with ink or light—the unheard stories of Chattanooga and beyond. If you want her to write your story, you can reach out to her at tnq894@mocs.utc.edu.

Chattanooga, Chattanooga outreach, community, Daily Life, Diversity, Family, Healing, History, Immigration, Love, Philanthropy, Safety, UTC

Still Here

Written by Connor Spelta

Olympia Garcia Lopez talks about her experience as a Guatemalan immigrant in Chattanooga and how she came to find La Paz.

For those building new lives in Chattanooga, the journey often begins with an organization like La Paz. Even at a time of rapidly shifting policy and funding changes, this organization isn’t going anywhere, and remains firmly committed to the people they serve.

La Paz is a Latino services non-profit organization with a stated goal of “empowering and engaging Chattanooga’s Latino population through advocacy, education, and inclusion.”

“From the very beginning we’ve encountered many Hispanic men coming to Chattanooga for work opportunities, and they started coming in with their families. The needs start changing from job opportunities or like documentation to other processes, more programs, more resources that they need for the whole family instead of just an individual” said Daniela Durán, the communication coordinator for La Paz.

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Animals, Chattanooga, Chattanooga outreach, community, Daily Life, donate, Family, Healing, Health, Hugs, Nurses, Safety

Medical Tails

Written by Addison Middleton

Elizabeth Olley, a VSCG Practice Manager, and Becky Howell, a VSCG Senior Nurse and Trainer, speak about their experience working for the Veterinary Care and Specialty Group in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

As a worried owner walks through the doors holding her trembling and sick dog, the receptionist is already calling the emergency team. ICU veterinarians begin their specialized care, blood work is rushed to the lab, and a surgeon is looking at scans planning the next steps for the pet; all services being done under the same roof in seamless coordination. 

This process is something very familiar to the Veterinary Care and Specialty Group (VCSG) in Chattanooga. With services such as emergency care, internal medicine, radiation oncology, surgery, rehabilitation and more, the mission of VCSG is to be a one stop shop for all pet needs no matter the time or lengths required. The treatments and equipment VCSG offer have allowed it to become one of the most advanced offices in America and a leading hub in the South Eastern area seeing around 10,000 – 12,000 pets every year, almost double compared to other vet offices. 

“What we’ve always tried to do with VCSG is give the convenience to owners so that people don’t have to take all that time off of work or so owners aren’t making thousands of appointments at 10 different hospitals trying to get the best care for their patient,” Liz Olley says. 

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