Outdoor Chattanooga Grand Opening This Saturday!

Outdoor Chattanooga to Open New Facility during Outdoor Expo Mar. 28

What: Outdoor Chattanooga’s Outdoor Expo and Grand Opening

When: Saturday, March 28, 2009

10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Outdoor Expo (Rain Date: Sun., Mar. 29, 12 to 4 p.m.)
10:30 a.m. Mayor’s Bridge Walk/Bike

11:00 a.m. Grand Opening Ceremony

Where: Coolidge Park, Chattanooga, TN

Outdoor Chattanooga Center, 200 River St., Chattanooga

Who: Outdoor Chattanooga and the City of Chattanooga Parks and Recreation Department

Cost: FREE

Outdoor Chattanooga will host the third annual Outdoor Expo and Gear Swap, and the Grand Opening Celebration of their new facility, at 200 River St., on Sat., Mar. 28, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in north Chattanooga’s Coolidge Park.

The event is free and open to the public.

The public is encouraged to join Mayor Ron Littlefield for a family walk/bike from the south end of the Walnut St. Bridge to the new Outdoor Chattanooga facility at 10:30 a.m. The Mayor and City of Chattanooga officials will preside over an official grand opening ceremony at 11:00 a.m. in the Outdoor Chattanooga Center.

Leadership Chattanooga will present the finalists from the “Children Changing Chattanooga” essay contest from 12 noon to 2 p.m. in the Outdoor Chattanooga building. Dignitaries will read finalist essays written by Hamilton County middle school students about how they would lead Chattanooga in the future.

In case of heavy rain or thunderstorms, the Outdoor Expo will be postponed until Sun., Mar. 29, from 12 noon to 4 p.m. The Grand Opening ceremony and Children Changing Chattanooga essay contest will continue as planned on Saturday.

Fifty exhibitors from outdoor clubs, outfitters, retailers, and conservation organizations show the public the latest ways to get outside and play in the Chattanooga area, with activities and prize drawings at the Outdoor Expo. Gear swappers will be on hand to trade everything from kayaks to backpacks.

Demonstrations and special activities will go on all day, including a guided birding hike with the Chattanooga Chapter of the Tennessee Ornithological Society, retriever dog demonstrations from Roddy Dogs, a tree identification hike with Take Root Chattanooga, OutVenture’s mini-disc golf course, scuba demo’s by Leisure Time Dive, bicycle maintenance clinics from the Trek Store, and StandUp paddleboard demos on the Tennessee River.

The Adventure Guild’s Walnut Wall will be open for teaser climbs for $3 per person all day. The Coolidge Park Carousel will be open, $1 per ride, and the Delta Queen Hotel will be open for tours from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Cost is $8 for adults, $4 for kids 12 and under.

The Outdoor Chattanooga Center climbing wall will be open from 2 to 4 p.m. for the public, and the Adventure Guild will offer special Expo rates on the Walnut Wall.

Activities Schedule (Water Activities are dependent on weather):

10 a.m. Expo Exhibits Open Coolidge Park
10:30 a.m. Mayor’s Bridge Walk/Bike South end of Walnut St. Bridge

11 a.m. Grand Opening Ceremony Outdoor Chattanooga Building

11:30 a.m. Roddy Dogs Retrieving Demo Coolidge Park Green

12 noon Leisure Time Dive Scuba Demo Old Canoe/Kayak Launch
12 - 2 p.m. Children Changing Chattanooga Outdoor Chattanooga Center
12:30 p.m. Stand Up Paddleboard Demo Market St. Canoe/Kayak Launch
1:00 p.m. Tree Identification Hike Coolidge/Renaissance Parks

1:30 p.m. Roddy Dogs Retrieving Demo Coolidge Park Green
2:00 p.m. Climbing Wall Open Outdoor Chattanooga Center
Leisure Time Dive Scuba Demo Old Canoe/Kayak Launch

2:30 p.m. Stand Up Paddleboard Demo Market St. Canoe/Kayak Launch