Fall is here, and opportunities to make progressive change abound in Music City this weekend. Let’s take a look at a very full calendar covering Friday through Sunday.
FRIDAY, OCT. 2
- United for a Fair Economy and Working Films present Tomorrow’s Tennessee: Building for the Future. This conference, offering education, films, and “visioning exercises,” runs Friday through Sunday at Nashville’s Scarritt Bennett Center. The event’s goal is to organize for economic justice and the move toward building resilient and sustainable communities. Organizers say that by the end of the confab, they hope to have a plan for challenging austerity and injustice in the Volunteer State. Admission is free, and lodging will be provided for attendees. The center is at 1008 19th Ave. S, 37212. For tickets and info, contact United for a Fair Economy.
- The League of Women Voters holds its monthly lecture Friday. This month, the event features Deborah Fisher, executive director of the Tennessee Coalition for Open Government. This should be particularly valuable to progressives and activists seeking ways to best shine a light onto government activities and increase citizen access to public information. The lecture runs from 11:30 am-1 pm at Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee, 331 Great Circle Road, 37228. Bring a lunch, or buy one there for $12.
- It’s DOCtober at the Belcourt, Nashville’s nonprofit cinema. All month long, you can enjoy documentary films on a host of subjects — I’m particularly looking forward to This Changes Everything (Oct. 20) and Meet the Patels (Oct. 23-29). The special offering kicks off with Finders Keepers, which runs Friday through Sunday. Check out the trailer below. Friday’s screening features a Skype conversation with the doc’s directors, Bryan Carberry and J. Clay Tweel. Buy tickets and get showtimes here. The BelcourtTheatre is at 2102 Belcourt Ave., 37212.
SATURDAY, OCT. 3
Make a difference for our local environment by participating in Saturday’s Great Tennessee River Rescue. Bring a bag and help pick up trash from your nearest creek, stream, river, or lake. The event hosts are the Tennessee Environmental Council, the Cumberland River Compact, and TennesseeRiverRescue.org. For details on times and locations and to register, visit the event page. And tell your friends! We all have a responsibility to be good stewards for our rivers and streams.- Speaking of stewardship, that’s what the Edgehill Free Store is all about — taking responsibility for the stuff we own and no longer need. This twice-monthly event creates a win-win situation: By donating small household items, you keep items out of landfills. By coming to the Free Store to shop, you get items you need for free! The store is open the first and third Saturday of each month from 9 am to noon at 1502 Edgehill Ave., 37212. Come early; they serve breakfast.
- The diversity of Music City is one of its best attributes. Revel in it at the Celebrate Nashville Cultural Festival Saturday at Centennial Park. The event features opportunities for intercultural dialogue, dance and music performances on seven stages, food vendors offering authentic and exotic tastes from around the world, hands-on children’s activities, an area just for teens, a marketplace, and more. Admission is free. Bring the whole family and get info on parking. The festivities run from 10 am-6 pm.
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At 10:30 am, enjoy a lecture on Freedom of Religion organized by the Nashville chapter of Americans United for Separation of Church and State. The speaker will be attorney Gary Blackburn. The event takes place at the Green Hills Public Library, 3701 Benham Ave., 37215.
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The first Saturday of October means it’s time for the monthly meeting of Tennessee’s Citizens’ Climate Lobby. The gathering runs from 11 am-1 pm in room 118 of the Goodwill Lifsey Center, 937 Herman St., 37208.
SUNDAY, OCT. 4
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Tennessee NORML holds its monthly gathering Sunday at 2 pm. The meeting will be held at the First Unitarian Universalist Church, 1808 Woodmont Blvd., 37215. Come to hear about and join the fight for freedom and compassion in the Volunteer State.
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The Richland Creek Watershed Alliance holds the RCW Annual Gathering Sunday afternoon in Belle Meade. It’s an opportunity to meet others committed to our waterways and to learn about the group’s work to protect and restore Richland Creek habitats. The meeting takes place from 4-6 pm at 803 Lynnwood Blvd., 37205.