East Lake Festival

Celebrating Diversity and the Arts with 3^rd Annual Everyone East Lake Festival

On Saturday, April 8^th, East Lake Neighborhood Association will host the 3^rd Annual Everyone East Lake Festival. An event for all ages- youth activities will include a soccer tournament, Art 120’s Art Bikes, and the Book Fairy. The event will feature musical performances from well-known artists around the community. Acts include: "Heatherly" Heather Leigh Holt (competing in the Road to Nightfall this year), CSAS Choir, Jazzanooga Youth, The Unstoppable Jamal Traub, Josh Driver & the DLPB (competing in the Road to Nightfall this year), Opera Tennessee, Rafael Amaral-Latin Flavor, Joy Devlin and her Divine Jazz. The event will be emcee’d by Glady's Pineda-Loher. “This year’s event promises to be one of the best yet- we have such a wide variety of musical acts, there is something for everyone” said Buddy Shirk, the events Chairman for Publicity and Entertainment for EELF and Vice President of the East Lake Neighborhood Association (ELNA).

Everyone East Lake was conceived by the community’s neighborhood association several years ago as the group sought to celebrate the rich heritage of the East Lake Duck Pond and the diversity of the neighborhood’s residents. “We are so proud of this great resource [the duck pond] in our community- we knew others in Chattanooga would enjoy it as much as we do. A music festival seemed a natural fit to engage other Chattanoogans with our community”, said Lisa Davis, President of the East Lake Neighborhood Association (ELNA).

The East Lake neighborhood is undergoing significant revitalization thanks to support from the Lyndhurst Foundation, Empower Chattanooga, and the City, among others. A grant from the Lyndhurst Foundation will renovate the East Lake Duck Pond- the site of the City’s original Oxley Zoo. Water quality issues will be addressed, and a path will be created to daylight the water flowing from the natural springhouse that feeds into the pond. Additional plans are in place to create outdoor teaching zones and move some of the parks’ structures closer to the elementary school in order to provide more support to the students.

East Lake Neighborhood Association has been at the table for these conversations and its members are invigorated by the investment to improve their community. ELNA recently signed a contract with the City to open and operate the park’s concession stand- a facility that has been dormant for the past five years. ELNA volunteers have painted the building and are proud of its new sheen. The concession stand will be open for operation during the EELF Festival. Another building near the park, the East Lake Senior Center building, will soon also be under operation of ELNA. The group plans to make some minor renovations and use the building to facilitate more community gatherings- believing that providing an opportunity for neighbors to come together and engage in positive activities will lead to a safer and stronger community.