Hiketoberfest debuts on Signal

SCHEDULEMusic* Noon. Mario Piccolo & The Carolina Hotgrazz Quartet* 1 p.m. Mike Defosche (fiddler)* 2 p.m. New Art Trio (strings and flute)* 3 p.m. The Cumberland Band* 4 p.m. Fiddling Mike Defosche and Friends* 4:45 p.m. Mario Piccolo & The Carolina Hotgrazz QuartetSit-down programs in Outdoor Classroom* 12:45 p.m. "Geology of the Cumberland Plateau"* 1:30 p.m. "American Chestnuts and the Future"* 2:15 p.m. "Insects Everywhere"* 3 p.m. "Grasses and Growing"* 3:45 p.m. "Stories of the Cumberland Trail and Shackleford Ridge Park"* 4:15 p.m. "Hawks and Owls"* 5:15 p.m. "Miles and Miles of Reptiles"Field trips* 10 a.m. "Bird Walk: Woodpeckers and Wandering Migrants"* 12:30 p.m. "Grasses and Wild Plants"* 1:30 p.m. "Rock Walk to Mushroom Rock"* 2:30 p.m. "Chestnuts and the Forest"* 3:30 p.m. "Spineless Walk: Insects, Arachnids and Inverts"* 4:30 p.m. "Seeding the Cumberlands"

The Friends of the Cumberland Trail will introduce a new event Saturday designed to foster an appreciation of the "backyard" portion of the eventual 283-mile Cumberland Trail.

A work in progress, the trail will pass north to south through 11 Tennessee counties on the eastern escarpment of the Cumberland Trail between Chattanooga and the Cumberland Gap at the Tennessee/Kentucky/Virginia border.

Hiketoberfest, scheduled 10 a.m.-6 p.m., will highlight the natural, historical and musical traditions of the Chattanooga area. Included are music by six acts, field trips to learn about the flora and fauna of the region and history lessons.

Exhibitors will include the American Chestnut Society, Chattanooga Native Plant and Wildflower Group and the Cumberland Trail Conference.

The event takes place at Shackleford Ridge Park, next to Signal Mountain Middle/High School, 2650 Sam Powell Drive. The park features more than 12 miles of trails.

Admission is free to Hiketoberfest, but a $15 donation to the Friends organization is requested. The nonprofit organization has no paid staff, and all funding goes into activity and preservation funds, according to event organizers.

For information, visit www.cumberlandtrailchallenge.org.

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