A Chattanooga native with strong roots in Georgia, Janie Dempsey Watts writes both fiction and non-fiction stories. Her first novel, “Moon Over Taylor’s Ridge,” (Little Creek Books, 2012) follows a woman’s unexpected trip home to the Cherokee country of northwest Georgia that takes her on a journey of the heart.
Nominated for a Georgia Author of the Year Award and a Southern Independent Booksellers Award, the novel was also Catoosa County’s 2013 pick for the “One Book, One Community” program. Watts’ short stories have been published in anthologies and literary magazines. Her non-fiction pieces have been published in the “Chicken Soup for the Soul” series, in anthologies and in magazines including “Catoosa Life” where she pens a column, “Boomerang.”
A graduate of Chattanooga High School, Watts studied journalism at the University of California, Berkeley (B.A.) and at the University of Southern California (M.A.). After many years in California, she returned to Georgia. She now lives near Taylor’s Ridge with her husband and an American bulldog, Bella.
Poet
Got a surprise coming here my friends..... stay tuned!
Musicians
Lon Eldridge (a native of Chattanooga, Tennessee) is often said to have talent and style well beyond his years. His warm and infectious musicality is sure keep you tuned in throughout the night, coupling masterful fingerstyle guitar with clever, brilliant vocals. You'll swear there's more than one person playing on stage! Lon has toured both the USA and Europe, taking his unique blend of traditional blues, ragtime, and jazz to whole new audiences. This is a show you definitely don't want to miss!
Erin Rae Hailing from Nashville, Erin Rae is a soft-hearted young singer sharing tales of hope and heartache through song. Pulling inspiration from her father's repertoire of tunes by the great Merle Haggard, Doc Watson, John Prine, Mississippi John Hurt, Nancy Griffith, and the like, Erin creates a familiar and often nostalgic pull towards the roots of folk and Americana music while maintaining a sound all her own.
McCall Waldrop only thirteen years old delivers with a voice that belies her age; will be ushering in the season with Summertime. A personal favorite and sure to be yours after hearing this performer.