April 19, 2024

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Today’s Forecast

67º | 20% chance of precipitation | Sunrise 6:07 a.m. | Sunset 7:24 p.m.

It’s game time

A cat mascot pointing its finger at the camera while standing in front of the Nashville skyline.

The team name isn’t the only thing making a comeback: Kool Kat has returned as the mascot. | Photo provided

The Arena Football League (AFL) returns to Music City this month with a team name known and beloved by many: the Nashville Kats.

The team opens the season at Nashville Municipal Auditorium on Saturday, April 27 against the Minnesota Myth. Today, we’re sharing everything you need to know before the claws come out.

“Play wild as mountain dew”

Let’s play catch up. The first Nashville Kats franchise prowled onto the field in 1997 at Nashville Arena (now Bridgestone Arena) with a name inspired by the 1966 hit “Nashville Cats” by The Lovin’ Spoonful. The team made it to two ArenaBowl appearances, but in 2001, the Kats became the Georgia Force and moved to Atlanta.

After the original team’s departure, the Kats were revived as an expansion team by the late Titans owner Bud Adams. This second incarnation played from 2005 to 2007, and you may recall seeing Tim McGraw during this era, as he was a minority owner. There’s more to the story, but you can relive those memories on the team’s website.

The new Nashville Kats

Fast forward nearly two decades, the Kats are back and rocking a new logo (the vintage logo will serve as an alternate) under the leadership of head coach Dean Cokinos and former Titans coach Jeff Fisher, who is serving as president of football operations.

Bookmark the schedule so you don’t miss the action at six home games (includes game at F&M Bank Arena)
Single-game and season tickets are on sale. Can’t make it to a game? Tune into102.5 The Game or 93.3 Classic Hits to hear play-by-play broadcaster Eli Gold.
If you’re going to the season opener, arrive at 5:30 p.m. for the Tailgate Party. Head inside the arena at 7 p.m. for a pre-show performance by Blanco Brown.
Check the FAQ page for nearby parking options, box office hours, prohibited items, and other tips.

Asked

Will you be cheering at a Nashville Kats game this season?

A. Of course — I have my ticket in hand or will soon.
B. Maybe — I haven’t thought much of it, but now I’m interested.
C. Not this year — I may keep up with the score, though.
D. I’ll pass — Football isn’t really my thing.

Go long

Events

Friday, April 19

Author Signing: Brian Brigantti | Friday, April 19 | 2-6 p.m. | Gardens of Babylon Landscapes, 900 Rosa L. Parks Blvd. | Free+ | Brigantti will sign copies and read excerpts from his new book, “Gardening For Abundance.”
Firepit Fridays | Friday, April 19 | The Adventure Park at Nashville, 801 Percy Warner Blvd. | $42 | Cozy up by the fire after two hours of climbing.

Saturday, April 20

Monster Energy Supercross | Saturday, April 20 | 5:30 p.m. | Nissan Stadium, 1 Titans Way | $43+ | Gates open at 11 a.m. for Fan Fest — activities include a pump track, exhibitions, and toy play tables.
Bourbon, Tequila & Bites | Saturday, April 20 | 9-11 p.m. | Analog Nashville, 1808 West End Ave. | $45 | Sip on award-winning bourbon and tequila while enjoying signature bites and live music.
Top Dawg Festival | Saturday, April 20-Sunday, April 21 | 10 a.m.-5 p.m. | Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park, 600 James Robertson Pkwy. | $25+ | Bring your pups to try out agility courses, participate in frisbee competitions, and other dog-friendly activities.
“Dazed and Confused” | Saturday, April 20 | 9:30 p.m. | Belcourt Theatre, 2102 Belcourt Ave. | $9+ | See the Richard Linklater flick on the big screen.

Sunday, April 21

Beyond the Haus Sustainable Market | Sunday, April 21 | 12-4 p.m. | Beyond the Haus, 105 24th St. | Cost of purchase | Shop items from ~20 local vendors at the inaugural monthly market.
All Ages Learn to Ride | Sunday, April 21 | 1-4 p.m. | Paragon Mills Elementary School, 260 Paragon Mills Rd. | Free | Bike Fun will lead this all-ages class of the basics of bike riding — registration required.

Monday, April 22

The Andrew Carney Quartet | Monday, April 22 | 6-8:15 p.m. | Rudy’s Jazz Room, 809 Gleaves St. | $16+ | Andrew Carney has been playing trumpet and flugelhorn professionally since the age of 15 and has performed with artists like Pink, Aretha Franklin, and Andrea Bocelli.

Events calendar here

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👀 See how easy composting can be

Compost bin on a counter with a person cutting veggies on a wood cutting board. A set of three white Mercedes vans. Food scraps on a white table.

Spooky stat alert: More than a billion tons of food is wasted at events each year in the U.S. | Photos provided by Compost Nashville

Let’s talk about making the most of your compost. Why? Because food scraps are a valuable resource that ends up in landfills all too often.

Enter: Compost Nashville, a full-service curbside compost pickup that proves composting doesn’t need to be dirty or complicated — in fact, they’ve made it easier than ever to adopt this eco-friendly habit.

🥕 Putting food waste to work

Since 2014, Compost Nashville has diverted 10 million pounds of food scraps and other compostables from landfills. They offer curbside pickup at homes, offices, and even events like weddings or parties. Here’s how it works:

Sign up for service.
Compost Nashville provides an airtight bin to hold your scraps.
Every week, they pick up your full bin curbside like city trash + exchange it with a clean one.

The result: Instead of creating methane among piles of garbage, your food waste is turned into compost and donated to local farms and gardens as nutrient-dense, natural fertilizer.

See how easy composting can be

News Notes

Announced

Chris Young will take the stage at this year’s “Let Freedom Sing! Music City July 4th,” along with Yola, Girl Named Tom, and Blessing Offor. For the first time, the fireworks show is set to include drone light elements synchronized to live music from the Nashville Symphony.

Sports

The Nashville Predators will face the Vancouver Canucks in the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The teams play in Vancouver on Sunday, April 21 at 9 p.m. Nashville will host Games 3 and 4 as well as Game 6, if necessary. (The Tennessean)

Coming Soon

Hart, a Charleston-based jewelry brand with Nashville ties, plans to set up shop in 12 South at 2309 12th Ave. S. Vanderbilt alum Hart Hagerty founded the brand, which specializes in bracelets, necklaces, earrings, and anklets. (Nashville Business Journal)

Festival

The Nashville Film Festival will take place Thursday, Sept. 19 through Wednesday, Sept. 25. Stay tuned for the lineup of 150+ film screenings. Fun fact: NashFilm was founded in 1969, making it one of the longest-running film festivals in the US.

Biz

Grocery store chain Sprouts Farmers Market is planting seeds for yet another Nashville location, this time at Mt. Juliet’s Everette Downs development. As a reminder, the organic grocer’s forthcoming Madison store (2156 Gallatin Pike N.) is slated to open in 2025. (The Tennessean)

Answered

On Wednesday, we asked if you knew what 2nd Avenue was named prior to 1903. The correct answer was Market Street, which 75% of respondents guessed. Learn more about the roadway’s history as a commercial center.

Cause

In for a wild night? Sips for Species returns to the @nashvillezoo on Friday, April 26. Secure your spot to meet animals up-close, sample local drinks, chat with zookeepers, and more — all to raise money for the Zoo’s conservation efforts.*

Wellness

Looking to eat plant-based? Purple Carrot delivers plant-based meals right to your door. This month’s chef-prepared meal kits are spring-themed, filled with seasonal ingredients, and 50% off.*

Arts

Help choose our poetry champion

A hand holding a book by Edgar Allan Poe flipped to a page with a poem titled "The City in the Sea" in front of a rose bush.

Y’all are poets and know it. | Photo by NASHtoday

This month, we ran a poetry contest to celebrate National Poetry Month. We challenged our readers to craft a poem using only the words that appeared in one of our newsletters (here are the original contest guidelines if you want to give it a try).

While prose is our newsletter’s bread and butter, it turns out that you all certainly aren’t op-prose-d to verse; we received several creative, intriguing, and beautiful poems that we narrowed down to our top three finalists.

Give them a read below, then vote on your favorite + we’ll announce the winner next week.

“CHAMP” by Suzanne H.
“Of Bluegrass and Pine” by Chad A.
“Wait to See the Sunrise” by James Y.

Read the poems

The Buy

Biz that gives back. Check out these brands that are committed to sustainability and giving back to the environment to celebrate Earth Day.

The Wrap

Today’s edition by:
Dylan

From the editor

One of my favorite low-cost activities is going to laser shows at Adventure Science Center. ($11 to kick back, look at pretty lights, and listen to music? Don’t mind if I do.) If you enjoy this, too, here’s a scoop: The science center plans to install new digital projectors this fall. In the meantime, check out the May calendar for shows featuring the music of Taylor Swift, Foo Fighters, and Pink Floyd.

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