Kingsport Aquatic Center’s got some Halloween fun headed your way! “Splash & Treat,” a new Halloween event, will be held on October 23 from noon – 3 p.m.

There will be trick-or-treat stations set up in the lobby with candy for the kiddos, as well as door prizes. Jump in the water for some pumpkin races to win a candy prize—individual and relay so the whole family can get involved.

“We are so excited to bring this fun, seasonal event to the Aquatic Center,” KAC Assistant Manager Chassy Smiley said. “We’ll be hosting our ‘Splash & Treat’ event during normal operating hours so that kids coming to splash for the day can also pick up a few treats and some water safety tips, too. There will even be a drawing to win a decorated Halloween pumpkin so we hope everyone will join us for this family friendly event.”

The “Splash & Treat” event will be free with paid admission or KAC membership and will be open to all ages.

To see other fun events, programs and classes coming up, visit swimkingsport.com.

The beloved Christmas Connection is celebrating 42 years of bringing some of the region’s best arts and crafts vendors to Kingsport. Whether you are refreshing your home décor, trying to find that perfect gift, or treating your taste-buds, the Christmas Connection is here to connect you just in time for the holiday festivities. You can find unique gifts and support artisans in our region. Free admission all weekend!

As the weather turns colder, the Civic Auditorium will be filled with a warm and festive holiday glow to put customers in a holiday mood for shopping. The sights, sounds and smells of Christmas will surround shoppers as they shop from the region’s best craftspeople, artisans, artists and creatives. A few of the items you will find include Country Crafts, Home Décor, Fine Woodcrafts, Leathercrafts, Handmade Soaps and Lotions, Candles, Jewelry, Christmas Ornaments, Stained Glass, Wheel Thrown Pottery, Fabric Crafts, Needlework, American Girl Doll Clothing, Pet Accessories and Clothing, Dichroic Glass, Handmade Greeting Cards and Paper Art, Snowmen, Santas, Candied Pecans, Baked Goods and much more!

For this merry 42^nd celebration, the vendors will be keeping the event hopping, and music will be serenading the Christmas customers as they shop. On the Main Stage you will find the Christmas Connection Café, serving up country favorites. Outside the front entrance make sure to stop by the food trucks to satisfy your salty, savory or sweet taste buds. We will also welcome the Kingsport Ballet to the entry foyer with their homemade baked goods for sale.

Whether you have been enjoying the Christmas Connection for years or you are trying it out for the very first time, this artisan and craft fair has something for you! Kingsport’s Annual Christmas Connection, a free admission event, is to be held November 12 and 13 at the Kingsport Civic Auditorium and is sponsored by the Kingsport Office of Cultural Arts. Staff will be working with the Civic Auditorium and following all the current protocols carefully. There will be socially distanced booths among other safety precautions.

Kingsport Office of Cultural Arts is excited and blessed to be able to continue this tradition for its 42^nd consecutive year serving the artists and the community. Thank you for supporting your local artisans!

DATES/HOURS:
Friday                    Nov. 12            10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Saturday              Nov. 13            10 a.m. – 7 p.m.

For more information on the Christmas Connection event, please visit www.EngageKingsport.com  or call 423-392-8414.

When the Office of Cultural Arts (OCA) put out a national call for artists for the show, artists all across the country responded.

“With an artist from New Jersey and an artist from Key West, Florida, we are proud that we can bring a diverse group of artists to exhibit in the show,” said Hannah Powell, Coordinator for the Cultural Arts program. “Our department strives to not only highlight the local talent that we have in the Kingsport area, but we also like to import various artists’ work to share diverse creativity with the community of Kingsport.”

This year, the OCA is bringing eight new sculptures to the downtown area of Kingsport. Two of the artists are new to the exhibition, while two of the artists have exhibited in Kingsport before.

“For those who really enjoyed C.R. Gray’s ‘Popsicles’ at the Kingsport Farmers Market, I’m sorry to report the sculpture has been replaced,” said Powell. “The good news is, it has been replaced by another one of the same artist’s treasures that is perfect for the market location: ‘Watermelons.’”

Jim Gallucci is also returning, this time bringing two arches, one at City Hall, “Monarch Migration,” and one on the corner of East Market and Commerce Street, “A Flock of Blackbirds.”  Powell hopes that those visiting the art galleries like Cindy Saadeh, Suzanne Justis and Up Against the Wall will find his blackbirds arch to be a nice touch to the artistry found on Market Street.

New artist, Nathan Leslie, comes from North Carolina. Three of his sculptures can be found along the downtown strip of Broad Street. Two, “Family” and “Growth,” will be at the intersection with Main Street, and his third one, “Joy,” is a pop of color in the City Hall garden along Church Circle.

The other new artist is Mary Angers of New Jersey. Mary brings a sculpture called “Twisted” at Broad and Center Streets that resembles the line structure found in the Noland Plan for the city. Her second sculpture, “Timeless,” can be found on Broad Street at its intersection with New Street.

Though sculptures have been delivered and installed throughout the month of October, the official opening of the exhibition is October 23 with a reception at City Hall, 415 Broad Street.  Shuttle rides to view the sculptures will begin at 10 a.m. Maps will also be provided for those who prefer to walk. Charlie Brouwer, guest juror, will be visiting to share his insight into the artwork he chose for show.

For more information on the Sculpture Walk, please visit www.EngageKingsport.com  or call 423-392-8414.

The City of Kingsport is asking residents to participate in its upcoming community survey. The survey is designed to provide a baseline of how the Kingsport government is serving residents, to gauge perceptions of the city, and to make comparisons with peer communities.

Kingsport contracted with Polco/National Research Center, Inc., an impartial third-party firm that provides municipal governments with a low-cost, high-quality method to conduct community research. The survey centers on community livability and includes questions about the quality of life in the community, local policies, demographics, rating of local government services, the emergency services departments and questions about how residents are getting city information.

“We’re excited to engage with our residents and hear their feedback on the services the city provides and any additional wants or needs we could work on for our community,” said Jessica Harmon, assistant to the city manager. “From this survey, we’ll have the ability to see where Kingsport stacks up by benchmarking ourselves against over 600 communities across the county that have administered the National Community Survey.”

A random and scientific sample of 2,700 households will receive invitations to participate in the mail and their confidential responses will be weighted and analyzed. Kingsport strongly encourages all households who receive the survey to respond, since the more responses received, the more accurate the results will be.

In addition to the survey of randomly selected households, the city will also provide an online survey that all Kingsport residents will have the option to respond. The online survey will be posted on the city website and promoted across social media channels beginning about six weeks from now.

For more information, please visit www.kingsporttn.gov or call 423-229-9381.