So many choices to make, so little time

Every so often, I like to take stock of where things are in our fair city. I do it because it’s interesting to me and because if I don’t, who will? How’s that for pumping up one’s own self-importance.

Looking at the weekly calendar reminded me of just how far we’ve come in certain regards. Saturday alone is pretty telling. All by itself, the 3 Sisters Bluegrass Festival at Ross’s Landing is a very cool big deal.

Started as a gift from Fletcher Bright, the free two-day festival is now presented by several members of the Bright family. It has always featured some of the very best in bluegrass, and this year is no different with Bela Fleck and Abigail Washburn and Greensky Bluegrass among the performers.

Most cities would also be proud to call an event like Wine Over Water their signature event. Being able to sample a bunch of wine on the Walnut Street Bridge is pretty special — if the weather is right. It’s not a lot of fun if the sun is baking you, and drinking in the pouring rain can be fun at a football game, but it loses its novelty factor pretty quickly when you are dressed up and drinking a nice Chablis.

The fact that both events will be going on downtown on Saturday says a lot about the growth of not only our events calendar but the fact that we can support two such big-time events. Not that long ago, organizers of such events would have avoided t he double booking.

And i f you are into world music, Barry Courter 25 musicians from around the world will be in town Tuesday and Wednesday as part of OneBeat 2016. They will perform live on Tuesday with the New World Symphony from Miami Beach at the Chattanooga Public Library using low-latency technology from 3 to 5 p.m. They’ll head over to Granfalloon after that for a potluck dinner and will perform at Miller Plaza from 7 to 10 p.m. Wednesday.

The dinner is a $10 donation and you are asked to bring a dish, but there will be music and the chance to swap stories with the OneBeat fellows.

The group started its month-long program in Florida, then headed to New Orleans, then here and will end up in Chicago.

It was our library, our music scene and the fact that groups — charities, venues, artists, etc. — in Chattanooga are willing to work together to make this a better place that helped OneBeat organizers decide to make Chattanooga one of their stops.