Once in a Blue Choo Choo
Saturday fundraiser benefits Sculpture Fields
An event benefiting Chattanooga’s Sculpture Fields will set the mood with color Saturday night.
The highlight of Once in a Blue Choo Choo is a four-course dinner aboard a Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum train. But guests will be counting the myriad ways blue hues sets the scene.
With any luck, the skies will be their brightest blue as proceedings get underway at 5:30 p.m. at the sculpture park, the largest in the Southeast.
Within its 33 acres are nearly 50 large-scale sculptures, 1.5 miles of walking paths and 100 trees in a Commemorative Forest. The grassy expanse is regularly used for artist demonstrations, yoga, kite flying, music and dance performances.
This is the sixth year for this “all aboard for sculpture” fundraiser with the TVRM. Guests are invited to don their favorite blue ensembles for the one-of-a-kind event, which not only features décor in an array from the blue spectrum, but also blues and old-time jazz music by Gino Fanelli, whose music has been described as the kind you might hear if you hopped a train from Detroit to New Orleans.
A selection of blue-themed hors d’oeuvres and cocktails will be served aboard the train before dinner, then desserts and coffee await passengers when they disembark. The pre- and post-parties take place among the 47 sculptures.
Each guest will receive an original commemorative cocktail cup created by artist Charlie Pfitzer.
“This wildly popular event will raise money and awareness for our 33-acre international and extraordinarily unique sculpture park with larger-than-life — some even colossal — art,” says Bill Chapin, chairman of the board of directors. “Visitors to the park are always treated to a fantastic blend of art and greenspace, but the education and programming will give visitors of all ages a deeper and more meaningful experience.”
But the experience “isn’t about just another art park,” explains John Henry, the sculptor who founded Sculpture Fields. “This is about culture, tourism, recreation, education and economic development with a Chattanooga city park contributing to the revitalization of the Southside.
“Sculpture parks in America draw hundreds of thousands of visitors to their home cities,” he adds. “Chattanooga’s reputation as an arts mecca already has been enhanced.”
The park is free to the public and open seven days a week from dawn until dusk (but will close at 5 p.m. for Saturday’s special event). Guided tours also are available by appointment.