WHEN: March 20-22, 2015

WHERE: Kingsport Farmers Market and the new Pals Roundhouse

Tickets: Book Now at www.EngageKingsport.com

KINGSPORT – Join us for the 3rd Annual Brass Ring Gala on March 20th in the brand new Pals Roundhouse and the Kingsport Farmer’s Market from 6‚¬9 PM on Friday March 20, 2015.‚  Regional band, My New Favorites will provide lively music. Festive bard will have an ole-time carnival flair and the cash bar will also feature a signature cotton candy cocktail.‚  Over 25 fine art and craft exhibitors will be set up in booths throughout the Farmers Market ‚¬ exquisite jewelry, ceramics, pottery, baskets, fine furniture, textiles and a host of other regional and local artists to celebrate and shop. Tickets for the Brass Ring Gala are $50 each which includes admission all weekend long to the Carousel Fine Craft Show.‚  Tickets to the Carousel Fine Craft Show are $7 for both Saturday and Sunday and $5 for one day only.‚  The Carousel Fine Craft Show will be open on Saturday and Sunday 10 AM‚¬ 5 PM each day.

The Kingsport Carousel Project has captured the imagination of the region and will soon complete Pals Roundhouse which will house the 1956-vintage Herschel Carousel Machine, Animals and Artwork.‚  Though much care and artistry have gone into each facet of the carousel, this is a working ride and children of all ages (and their parents and grandparents) will enjoy this destination for generations to come. ‚ This is a true legacy project for Kingsport. The Brass Ring Gala will celebrate completion of the Pals Roundhouse which will house the Kingsport Carousel.‚  Pal and Sharon Bargers signature gift made the construction possible.

To honor the beautiful new Round House as well as the amazing work of the carvers, painters and machinists who work so diligently and with such care on the Carousel, the 3^rd Annual Brass Ring Gala will kick-off the weekend of celebration and shopping. ‚ My New Favorites will return to offer a toe tapping musical array, heavy hors douevres & a cash bar will be available.

This is the perfect time to celebrate with the volunteers of the carousel who have carved frogs, elephants, horses and tigers and to the painters many of whom painted these platform animals and also painted the Rounding Boards, Bird Features and more.‚  ‚ The Carousels working Band Organ will be on display and played over the course of the weekend.‚  Who can resist the merry waltzes and polkas!

The finest artists and artisans of the region join in the celebration and offer the Tri-Cities a chance to explore true treasures and the people who make them.‚  Weavers, woodworkers, porcelain and pottery will share the stage with fine furniture and amazing jewelry.‚  Support these amazing artists and invest in an heirloom work or art.

The Brass Ring Gala and Carousel Fine Craft Show take place at the Kingsport Farmers Market located on Clinchfield and Center Streets in Kingsport, TN.‚  The Farmers Market is quickly becoming and entertainment and event destination and the up-coming co-location of the Carousel and its adjacent park will further enhance its amenities.‚  Art and artists provide the framework of a creative community.

There are still many sponsorships available and the public can help assist with the final leg of fundraising by attending the Brass Ring Gala, becoming a sponsor or participating in Engage Kingsports Kickstarter.‚  All of these opportunities can be found at www.EngageKingsport.com

Tickets are available‚ by calling the Kingsport Office of Cultural Arts at 423-392-8414, in person in room 224 of the Renaissance Arts Center and online at www.EngageKingsport.com

The Kingsport Carousel Project is a volunteer-led community project involving over 300 volunteers with the dream of creating and operating a menagerie-style carousel featuring all hand-carved wooden animals and chariots and original paintings on a refurbished machine that is totally unique and iconic to Kingsport. The Kingsport Carousel Project is a joint effort by The City of Kingsport Office of Cultural Arts & Engage Kingsport, the Friends of the Cultural Arts group, a private 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation‚ governed by a volunteer board of directors and supported by the generosity of people who love the arts. The arts are transformative to places as well as individuals!

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My New Favorites

Featured musicians at the Brass Ring Gala

For the 3rd year in a row, we are very pleased to welcome back My New Favorites to the Brass Ring Gala!

MNFs song Got to have that giving on your mind is currently featured in our new Kickstarter campaign video.

Link to Kickstarter video: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1976554853/the-kingsport-carousel-project

My New Favorites is the union of five musicians with radically different musical backgrounds. Two of them are classically trained. Two cant read a note of music. Individually, they play old time, bluegrass, rock, gospel, jazz and classical. Together they are a fusion of all those styles. Speaking of fusion, check out how piano, organ and clawhammer banjo happily coexist on their track, “Got To Have That Giving On Your Mind.” Or the rock and roll accordion solo on “Go”. Or check out the four part harmonies in “Meet Me In The Water” and “Long White Robe.”

Playing in My New Favorites means bringing our own musical influences to the group, AND (this is important) being willing to learn from and be influenced by one another. The result is great music. But it’s a style that does not readily fit into any particular genre.

My New Favorites is billed as an Americana band. That’s the closest thing to a “non-label” label that we could come up with. But as one elderly concert attendee asked us one night before we started a show:‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Americana? You people play Americana? Why dont you just play music? Right on. Right on, Mr. Concert-goer, whoever you were and wherever you are. Right on that there doesn’t have to be a label, a category, or a genre. Music just IS.

We are songwriters as well as performing musicians. We write about 90% of the music we play. That just seems to work best for us. The songs have become our voice. And we use our voices to share them.‚  Everyone in the band has performed for years, but we all hooked up as My New Favorites in 2011. Since then, things have been busy. Weve played festivals, concerts and clubs all around the southern mountains. Were set to release our debut CD at the beginning of 2013.

About My New Favorites:

Jeff Benedict is a singer and songwriter who plays guitar and banjo in the band. He writes most of the stuff we play. Then he watches as we arrange it, change it and birth it out into the world.

Linda Waltner is a classically trained violinist, but doesnt let that get in the way of being a first-rate fiddler. Right at home with Bach or Bob Dylan, she can also do old-time and Celtic.

Amy Benedict, the little girl with the great big bass, is a veteran performer on the old time scene. A lifelong singer and dancer, she brings strong melodies and harmonies to the bands vocal mix.

Tracy Johnson plays the keyboards and the accordion for us, and does a great job singing. She’s the only one of us to play Carnegie Hall! Her strong musical style helps drive the music forward through every performance.

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About the Office of Cultural Arts & Engage Kingsport:

City of Kingsport Mission: To provide economic, educational and quality of life opportunities that create a safe, vibrant and diverse Community.

The Office of Cultural Arts, part of the City of Kingsport, connects, coordinates and engages the public with a creative community.‚  Programs & partnerships include: Flying Pig Gallery & Studios, Public Art Kingsport, The Engage Kingsport Performing Arts Series, the Kingsport Carousel Project, the Carousel Fine Craft Show and they provide a broad range of support to the areas arts organizations.‚  They also serve as coordinator for special events in the city. They work in tandem with Engage Kingsport, Inc., the Friends of the Cultural Arts group, a private, volunteer-led 501(c)3 non-profit community organization.

The City of Kingsport Office of Cultural Arts and Engage Kingsports goals are to collaborate with a variety of arts organizations as well as non-arts organizations, with the aim of increasing opportunities and outlets for artists of all types. As Kingsport becomes a destination for artists and art enthusiasts, new markets and opportunities emerge. The Office of Cultural Arts and Engage Kingsport are dedicated to cultivating cultural assets and promoting them as vehicles for economic and community development.

For more information or to purchase tickets to any event contact the

City of Kingsport Office of Cultural Arts at (423) 392-8414

Or go to www.EngageKingsport.com

The arts are transformative to places as well as individuals.

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KINGSPORT – Sales inside the City of Kingsport are on the rise, with December sales tax collections posting the second largest increase in a decade.

Sales tax collections jumped 11.10 percent for December, while collections through eight months of the fiscal year are up 5.8 percent. November sales were also up by 6.22 percent.

Theres been a good bit of conversation about retail sales in the region lately, and the results so far are closely following strong sales growth state wide, City Manager Jeff Fleming said Friday. Clearly, retail sales in the current fiscal year are on a strong upward trend in Kingsport.

In all, the City has collected $17.3 million in sales taxes so far this fiscal year beginning July 1, 2014. Under state law, half of that sum goes to support K-12 school systems in Kingsport, Bristol and Sullivan County on a per student basis.

The remainder goes to the City General Fund, although the City supplements state funding for Kingsport schools with $10.35 million annually from the General Fund. Another $3.25 million in General Fund dollars goes to cover Kingsport schools capital construction debt.

In all, about 65 percent of all sales taxes generated inside Sullivan County are generated inside the corporate limits of Kingsport, according to the latest report.

With strong industrial growth, and long term efforts to develop commercial retail and housing, we do believe this a trend that will continue, Fleming said. The impact of the national recession lingered longer than we would have liked, but the past few years have been on a gradual upward climb, with sales tax growth of .84 percent in fiscal year 2013 and 1.77 percent in FY 2014.

With the difficult weather of recent days, Fleming said its critical to remember Kingsport small businesses when making purchasing decisions, and to shop local whenever possible.

Sales are the key to funding a world-class school system, Fleming said. If sales tax dollars dont grow, its very difficult for the Board of Mayor and Aldermen to make that up on the property tax side.

On a budgetary basis, Kingsport sales tax collections are running about $126,700 ahead of budget, and $486,588 above last years collections at this point. While this is a good indicator of local economic activity, Fleming noted that many needs remain as the City heads toward its annual budget development sessions.

This will provide a little bit of breathing room, along with a continuing emphasis on increasing operational efficiency and holding headcount as low as possible, Fleming said. In the current budget, the BMA concentrated on increasing road maintenance funding, greater support for K-12 education, and covering increased solid waste costs.

In the end, there are a limited number of dollars to go around, and we look to the Board to set the agenda in terms of focus areas. At the same time, management continues to believe that the key to Kingsports success is in building the strongest possible workforce, so we will be looking to strengthen our workforce as capacity permits.