Category: History

Animals, Chattanooga, Chattanooga Audubon Society, community, donate, Entertainment, Environment, Healing, History, outdoors, Philanthropy, Sustainability, Uncategorized

Healing Wings

Written by Alexis McMurtry

John Stokes transfers one of his two eagles, Yazta, from the pen to his enclosure at his and his wife’s house in Trenton, Georgia. Monday, November 11, 2024. Photo by Alexis McMurtry.

At the end of a rugged, unpaved mountain road in Trenton, Georgia, John Stokes and Dale Kernahan’s home stands as a sanctuary surrounded by the wild beauty they work to protect. Outside, hand-built enclosures house majestic birds of prey, while bird feeders invite a chorus of smaller birds. Here, nature is more than a backdrop – it’s the heartbeat of their lives.

Wings to Soar, a nonprofit organization founded by the duo 11 years ago, serves as a sanctuary for birds of prey that can no longer survive in the wild alone. These raptors – many of whom are injured or have imprinted on humans – are given to them by various wildlife veterinarians and rehabilitation facilitators. This organization also focuses on education by offering programs that help the public understand the vital role these birds play in maintaining the balance of nature.

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art, Chattanooga, community, Entertainment, History, Love, Uncategorized, women

In Search of Dolly

Written by Drew White

Dolly Parton was married to her forever husband, Carl Dean, in Ringgold in 1966, because of the legacy of the town, proximity, and the name, “Ringgold,” rings of gold, delighting Dolly.

Ringgold, Georgia is a town known for love. Ringgold has been a popular spot for marrying since the 1800s because of its unique one-stop-shop quality. Blood work to test for sexually transmitted diseases was a required step of the marriage process until 2003. In Ringgold, couples were able to get their blood work completed and approved the day of the ceremony. The proximity to Fort Oglethorpe paired with simple blood work completion created a boom in the marriage market in Ringgold throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. 

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Animals, Anxiety, art, Chattanooga, Chattanooga outreach, community, Daily Life, Diversity, Entertainment, Environment, Family, Folklore, Healing, Health, History, Hugs, Love, Music, outdoors, Sports, teachers, Trains

Rising Rock Radio Showcase
Graphic by Kylee Boone

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

Nature vs Nurture

Taryn Brooks sits with Taylor Reed, a member and volunteer of Forest Families of Chattanooga. Reed, along with her daughter, has grown alongside the organization and seen the benefits of nature firsthand.
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Chattanooga, Chattanooga outreach, community, Daily Life, Family, Health, History, Sports, teachers, women

Friends Fight

Written by Silas Panktraz

Katelin Hickman and Heather Elmore fight during the Guns ‘n Hoses charity boxing event. Friday, November 1, 2024 (Photo by Silas Pankratz).

A high-pitched beep cuts through the air, just as it does every three minutes during training sessions at the YMCA Y-CAP boxing gym in Chattanooga, Tennessee. This beep is soon followed by a clash of gloved fists and padded heads, as two opposing forces wish to refine their fighting skills in the ring. 

For the past twenty-five years, this same beep has been heard by countless fighters, young and old, several of which would go on to become national and even international champions in their sport. Today, however, the gym hosts the final night of training before the 15th annual Guns and Hoses charity boxing night. 

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Chattanooga, community, Diversity, Healing, Health, History, Love, Prison, Religion

Get Out, Stay Out

Written by Miller Richardson

Mark Casson, Ministry Director, Mission to North America (PCA) at his office desk. Monday, November 20, 2024. (Photo by: Lexi Foley).

From the outside Walker State Prison looks like any other state penitentiary. Brick walls, wire fences, and a hidden location away from the public eye. When driving past it one would never expect it to have the lowest recidivism rate in the state of Georgia. This is the result of Walker State being a faith and character-based prison. By running this prison with values and beliefs rooted in love for one another Georgia has seen incredible results out of Walker State.

Back in 2004, the Georgia Department of Corrections implemented the Faith and Character Based initiative to provide Georgia with a model for positive change. This program runs on a holistic approach and allows inmates to partner with volunteers to strengthen their minds, body, and spirit in a positive way. 

Walker State is the only prison in the state of Georgia that is partnered with a faith and character-based initiative and subsequently the only prison in Georgia with a recidivism rate of less than 2%. 

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Chattanooga, Chattanooga outreach, community, Diversity, Family, Folklore, History

River Culture

Written by Ava Nessell

Grand glass cases welcome museum-goers to the Museum and Cultural Center at 5ive Points. Tuesday, November 12, 2024. (Photo by Ava Nessell)

Rays of sunlight beam through onto the glass display cases illuminating the relics of history that lay just behind the glass. Laughter echoes down the hallway as members of the Rotary Club of Cleveland catch up before a meeting. It’s just a day at the office for Lucy K. Rhymer, executive director at the Museum and Cultural Center at 5ive Points. 

5ive Points is committed to fostering an environment of diversity and inclusion. As a great cultural center, its goal is to engage young people in art and history. The museum aims to have something for every member of the community regardless of age, gender, or race.

“I would say we try to appeal to all ages of people and in all socioeconomic levels,” Rhymer said. “We don’t want to be just a place for upper class, highly educated people to come and be bougie together.” 

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Chattanooga, Chattanooga outreach, community, Daily Life, Diversity, donate, Family, History, Philanthropy, Sustainability, Uncategorized, UTC, women

Home Sweet Home

Written by Connor Spelta

Trish King, the Construction Office Manager at Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga Area talks about her experience working with volunteers and homeowners in the local community.

A public park, a mountain view, colorful homes, and bustling construction sites: these are all things you wouldn’t typically expect to see in a community with subsidized housing, but thanks to the work of the city and Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga, this is the scene at the Villages of Alton Park.

Construction Office Manager Trish King has seen firsthand the effect that they’ve had fostering a community in the neighborhood.

“We are not building one house for one person in isolation,” said King. “It’s that there are people around here who’ve been through the same process, it’s being part of something bigger.”

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Chattanooga, community, donate, Entertainment, Family, History, Trains, Uncategorized

Tennessee Tracks

Written by L’Nyah Mattress

Jason Fields, a trainman and railroad historian for the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum, talks about his love for trains and how he’s living out his childhood dreams.

Racing through the pitch black of the tunnel, dense clouds of steam funnel out the chimney and coal residue fills passengers’ airways as the whistle blares; here comes Southern Railway 4501 charging down the track. The massive steam locomotive is one of many engines in the care of the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum (TVRM).

Jason Fields, a qualified trainman for the TVRM, works to share his lifelong passion for trains and preserve train history in Chattanooga and for anyone who passes through. His position entails working in passenger train service as a historian who gives train tours—from sharing interesting facts to occasionally aiding engineers, he has experienced it all.

“I’ve been going there even before I was in Rail Camp when I was 13, so any chance I could’ve gotten to go out and get involved there, I took it,” said Fields.

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art, Chattanooga, History, Music, Photography, Trains, Uncategorized, UTC

A Tin Type of Man

Written by Taryn Brooks

Bill Steber, a Mississippi Blues photographer and one of the Hoodoo Men musicians, speaks about the value in analog art forms and revisiting the past through historical and modern perspectives.

The backdoor of a well-loved white van swings open with a squeak, revealing a fully functional darkroom that transforms tin plates into photographs. Upon closer look a collection of instruments inhabits the corners, mirroring how the two devotions appear in the life of photojournalist and musician Bill Steber. 

Steber describes his job title as a “chief cook and bottle washer at preserving the old weird America,” a culinary term meaning his responsibilities in his field rank from high to low and everywhere in between, illustrating the journey his professional career has taken. 

Along with strumming to an array of instruments and joining friend Sam Baker in the HooDoo men, Steber also spent 15 years as a photojournalist for the Tennessean and embarked on a documentary journey through the Mississippi’s Blues Trail. Photography and music have been life-long passions of Steber’s, both of which were born out of a love for illustrating modern times through a historical lens.

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Chattanooga, Chattanooga outreach, community, Environment, History, outdoors, teachers

Ecliptic Education

Written by Taylor McKinley

Courtney Lewis, activity director for the Chattanooga Public Library, discusses what an eclipse is and why it is important for people to learn about it.

As the moon intercepts perfectly between the earth and the sun, casting a shadow, a solar eclipse brings individuals from all walks of life together, all pausing to gaze upward and witness history.

Over 200 patrons gathered around the Chattanooga Public Library on April 8, 2024 starting around 2:30 P.M. to witness the rare solar eclipse through Oreos, protective glasses and interactive games. 

“For this eclipse we really made sure that people know that they can get glasses here,” Courtney Lewis, Chattanooga Public Library activities director, said. “That we are going to be celebrating with them, so there are going to be a lot more people that have a central place where they can come do fun things and experience it in a safe place. “ 

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