“Bats, Beer, & Bluegrass” in Chickamauga to raise money for bat preservation
Southeastern Cave Conservancy Inc. will host a fundraiser in Chickamauga to protect the endangered gray bats living in Frick’s Cave.
“Bats, Beer, & Bluegrass” concert festival, set for Saturday, Sept. 24, will feature the Barefoot Nellie and Company band. Space is limited and only 200 tickets are available.
The goal of Chattanooga-based Southeastern Cave Conservancy Inc., which is celebrating its 25th anniversary, is to raise $2.5 million for the Stewardship Endowment Fund to pay for the conservation and stewardship of all of SCCi’s caves, including Frick’s.
According to SCCI executive director Ray Knott, tickets for the event are only available online at www. scci.org/bats-beer-andbluegrass.
“We currently manage 170 caves on 30 preserves in six southeast
states,” Knott said.
The event will kick off with a dinner at 5 p.m., followed by a night of bluegrass music from 6 p.m. until dark.
Big River Brewery in Chattanooga will provide the beer, while 212 Market Street restaurant in Chattanooga will cater the food.
The dinner and concert is priced at $50 per person, with $25 for the concert itself.
Of the 200 tickets, 80 have been sold, leaving only 120 available tickets for the event.
Knott said about 30 bats remain in the cave year-round, while more than 9,900 others leave during the winter.
The 34-acre site includes a pavilion and is often used as a permitted campsite that has been managed by SCCi volunteer E.T. Davis for the past 20 years. Frick’s Preserve doesn’t have bathroom facilities.
“It’s history,” Knott said of the importance of the cave’s preservation, adding that Cherokee Indian writings can also be found inside the cave.
About SCCi
Southeastern Cave Conservancy is calling this event its comingout party, even though the organization was started in 1991 with a small group of cavers.
Now, 25 years later and with more than 1,000 members, the SCCi is the largest land conservancy devoted specifically to caves. SCCi owns and leases 170 caves on 30 preserves in six states.
According to the SCCi mission statement: “We are interested in caves anywhere in the Southeastern U.S. that need protection or management for conservation or access reasons. The SCCi is particularly interested in caves that are threatened with closure or destruction or those which provide a habitat for endangered species such as the gray bat, Tennessee cave salamander, or Hart’s Tongue Fern. Our mission is to preserve caves and cave environments and to manage them responsibly.”