Wanda Sykes, more sandhill cranes on weekend calendar
An Emmy-winning comedian, a history fair and continuing tributes to Martin Luther King Jr. highlight the weekend entertainment calendar.
Two Friday events are sold out: indie/folk singer Gregory Alan Isakov at The Signal and comedian James Gregory at the Gem Theatre in Calhoun, Ga.
ARTS
› Southern Adventist University, 4881 Taylor Circle, Collegedale, will open a photography show by associate professor Mindy Trott at 6 p.m. Thursday in Brock Hall’s John C. Williams Art Gallery. “But Only So an Hour” will be on view through Feb. 16. southern.edu/artgallery
› Athens Arts Center, 320 N. White St., Athens, Tenn., will host a reception for “A View From the Sycamore,” a watercolor exhibit by Marie Spaeder Haas, 5:30-7 p.m. Friday. The exhibition runs through Feb. 6. athensartscouncil.org
› Franklin County Arts Guild will hold a reception at 6 p.m. CST for two shows opening Friday at the Artisan Depot, 204 E. Cumberland St., Cowan, Tenn. Marion Buholzer’s show, “Transformation,” will run indefinitely. The Banner Art show is a group effort by Artisan Depot artists who’ve used the same basic color and material to form their works. It will be on view through February. franklincoarts.org › Hunter Museum of American Art, 10 Bluff View, plans a hands-on paint pour with abstract artist Ally Manno for a Sensory Studio session 10-11 a.m. Saturday. Cost is $16-$20. huntermuseum.org
COMEDY
› The Comedy Catch, 29 Station St., has an Open Mic Night for new talents at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. Tickets are $7. The weekend headliner is Irish comic Sean Finnerty, with shows at 7:30 and 9:45 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Tickets are $19-$22. thecomedycatch.com
› Memorial Auditorium, 399 McCallie Ave., will welcome comedian Wanda Sykes at 8 p.m. Saturday (a reschedule from October). Sykes’ 14 Emmy nods include a win for her writing work on “The Chris Rock Show.” Tickets are $44-$84. tivolichattanooga.com
MLK EVENTS
› Lee University, 1120 N. Ocoee St., Cleveland, Tenn., continues its weeklong tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. Evening Conversations With Clevelanders, at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, features community members Lillian Gaines, Helen Miller and Terril Littrell sharing stories about life before and after desegregation. The discussion will take place in the Walker Lecture Hall in the Science and Math Complex. “Songs and Stories,” a sing-along tribute to Grammy-winning gospel singer Andrae Crouch (1942-2015), will start at 7 p.m. Friday in the Chapel. Events are free, but registration is required. leeuniversity.edu/ethnic-relations
› University of Tennessee at Chattanooga will welcome author and educator Angela Davis of the University of California at Santa Cruz as the speaker for its annual Martin Luther King Jr. tribute. The program starts at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Fine Arts Center, 752 Dr. Roland Carter St. The theme is “A Call for Civility.” Register at utc.edu/angela-davis.
MUSIC
› Barking Legs Theater, 1307 Dodds Ave., continues its weekly Jazz in the Lounge series with classically trained acoustic guitarist Alan Shikoh at 7 p.m. Wednesday. Cover is $5. Blues/rock artist Alex Lopez and his band The Xpress will make their Chattanooga debut at 8 p.m. Friday. They’ll perform British-infused blues from new album “Nasty Crime.” Tickets are $15-$20. barkinglegs.org
› Friendship Baptist Church, 1005 Gadd Road, will welcome Southern gospel group The Perrys at 7 p.m. Thursday. Local group Resurrected Vision will open the concert. Admission is free; a love offering will be collected. perrysministries.com
› Chattanooga Symphony & Opera will offer its next Masterworks concert, “Masterful Tchaikovsky,” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in Memorial Auditorium, 399 McCallie Ave. Special guests are guitarists Isaac Bustos and Alejandro Montiel, who’ll perform Joaquin Rodrigo’s Concerto Madrigal for two guitars. Tickets are $15-$90. The first 50 ticketholders will be admitted to a Spotlight Talk at 6:45 p.m. Entry is through the red door at the backstage entrance, corner of Oak and Lindsay streets. chattanooga symphony.org
› Barrelhouse Ballroom, inside Five Wits Brewing, 1501 Long St., has four shows on the weekend calendar. Thursday features country singer Trey Lewis at 9 p.m., with support from Connor McCutcheon. Tickets are $15-$18. Friday is a two-fer, starting with blues/country/rock artist Paul Thorn at 7 p.m. (tickets are $25-$30) and ending with Chattanooga rapper YGTut, performing with members of TheHouse and T-Rizer, at 10 p.m. (tickets are $12-$15). Saturday offers Chattanooga hard-rock quartet Sevenstones at 9 p.m., with support from Nectar Collector and Sleep Cycles. Tickets are $12-$15. barrelhouse ballroom.com
› Gate 11 Distillery, 1400 Market St., hosts the second of four preliminary rounds in the Songwriters Stage competition for singers and songwriters 7-10 p.m. Friday. Preliminary rounds continue Feb. 3 and Feb. 17 before the March finale. Cover is $5 cover. Entry forms: chattown.net
› Athens Area Council for the Arts features the next installment in its House Blend Concert Series, ‘64-‘71: The Music of a Changing World, at 7:30 p.m. Friday at The Arts Center, 320 N. White St., Athens, Tenn. Tickets are $12-$17 and include light hors d’oeuvres. A cash bar opens at 6:30 p.m. athensartscouncil.org
› Memorial Auditorium, 399 McCallie Ave., will rock with the sounds of Fleetwood Mac’s “Rumours,” as performed, note for note, by the Black Jacket Symphony, at 8 p.m. Friday. Tickets are $35$40. tivolichattanooga.com
› Walker Theatre, 399 McCallie Ave., will present Australian guitarist Tommy Emmanuel in concert at 8 p.m. Friday. Gareth Pearson supports. Tickets are $34-$54. tivolichattanooga.com › Songbirds, 35 Station St., will welcome blues singer and guitarist EG Kight at 7 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $20. songbirds foundation.org
› Chattanooga Bach Choir will perform a cantata at 5 p.m. Sunday at Christ Church Episcopal, 633 Douglas St. Scheduled for the third Sunday after Epiphany, the concert is titled “What My God Wants Should Always Happen.” Tickets are $20 (free for students). chattanoogabachchoir.org
OUT & ABOUT
› Soddy, Daisy and Montlake Historical Association will present its annual History Fair 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday at Soddy-Daisy High School, 618 Sequoyah Access Road. More than 70 tables will be set up with artifacts and information related to coal mining, industrial potteries, American Indian and Civil War history and family genealogy, among other topics of regional interest. The guest list includes Sam Hall of ChattanoogaHistory.com, whose archived historical photos form the basis of the Chattanooga Times Free Press’ “Remember When, Chattanooga?” series, and The Photo Doctor, a Chattanooga-based restorer. A donation of $3-$5 is requested. tinyurl.com/SDMHAhistoryfair
› Reflection Riding Arboretum & Nature Center, 400 Garden Road, plans a Sandhill Crane Safari 12:30-4 p.m. Saturday. The program starts with an introduction to the resident sandhill cranes and a program by University of Tennessee at Chattanooga ornithology professor David Aborn. Participants will then travel on their own to see the migrating birds at the Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge in Birchwood. Registration is required. reflectionriding.org/events
› Chattanooga Zoo, 301 N. Holtzclaw Ave., is offering FrogWatch USA training for citizen scientists who wish to volunteer their time to monitor frogs in the area. Training is available 2:30-4:30 p.m. Saturday or Jan. 28. The season runs March through August, but some volunteers monitor year-round. The training is free but limited to 15. chattzoo.org
THEATER
› Dalton Little Theatre, 210 N. Pentz St., Dalton, Ga., will offer “Hellman v. McCarthy,” a dark comedy about the feud between authors Lillian Hellman and Mary McCarthy, the next two weekends. Shows start at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday, 7 p.m. Jan. 27-28. Tickets are $10-$15. daltonlittletheatre.com
› Artistic Civic Theatre, 907 Gaston St., Dalton, Ga., will present Shakespeare’s romantic comedy “Much Ado About Nothing” the next two weekends. Performances start at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday, 7:30 p.m. Jan. 26-28. Tickets are $12-$16. actdalton.org
Find more events, and add your own, at times freepress.com/cnevents. Contact Lisa Denton at ldenton@timesfreepress. com or 423-757-6281.