Beginning next week (November 28), the City of Kingsport will be closing Brickyard Park/Miracle Field and the east side parking area at Domtar Park for the winter season.
The two facilities will remain closed until the spring of 2023. However, the Scott Adams Memorial Skate Park will remain open during the winter season.
For more information about other recreational facilities in Kingsport, visit www.kingsportparksandrecreation.org.
For the 22nd year in a row, the City of Kingsport’s Finance Department has received the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting by the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA).
Kingsport received the award for its Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2021.
“Receiving this award shows our citizens and customers that city finances are being managed well and reported using the highest possible standards,” said City Manager Chris McCartt. “I’d like to thank all of the employees in the finance department for their hard work and commitment to creating an award-winning ACFR.”
The ACFR is a detailed review of city government (including schools, utilities, and economic development). The document covers 36 separate funds and all manner of financial issues from cash flow to long-term debt to governmental assets.
The Certificate of Achievement is the highest form of recognition in governmental accounting and financial reporting, and its attainment represents a significant accomplishment by a government and its management.
The GFOA established the ACFR Program in 1945 to encourage and assist state and local governments to go beyond the minimum requirements of generally accepted accounting principles to prepare comprehensive annual financial reports that evidence the spirit of transparency and full disclosure and then to recognize individual governments that succeed in achieving that goal.
To view the city’s Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, visit www.kingsporttn.gov and search for “ACFR.”
The Barking Lot dog park is being reopened today (November 18) as a result of the City of Kingsport purchasing the property from the Downtown Kingsport Association.
“We are excited to bring the Barking Lot under the umbrella of the Parks and Recreation Department and are happy to partner with PEAK on special events and programming for the park,” said Assistant City Manager Michael Borders.
Located on Cherokee Street behind The Main Street Pizza Company, the Barking Lot provides an off-leash, fenced recreation area where dogs can run, play and socialize with other dogs. The park includes benches, doggie waste stations and a water fountain for dogs and their owners.
The Barking Lot does not have a membership requirement, and anyone can bring their dog to run and play with other dogs. All dogs using the park must wear a collar with current ID and rabies tag.For more information on this dog park and the others in town, please visit www.kingsportparksandrecreation.org.
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Kingsport, so now is the perfect time for you and your family to plan a month of holiday cheer. And the best way to do that is by visiting ThisIsKingsport.com and checking out the Christmas in Kingsport page.
This is Kingsport is partnering with the Downtown Kingsport Association to bring you the best holiday events this year. The excitement kicks off December 3 with the Christmas Parade and Tree Lighting and continues throughout the month of December.
“Christmas in Kingsport will be a unique, festive and fun holiday experience that can be enjoyed throughout the Christmas season,” said Alderman Betsy Cooper.
Christmas in the Park was an amazing holiday event last year and this year, we’re more than doubling the amount of Christmas trees, adding decorations to two downtown parks, and creating the first ever holiday light walking trail.
Experience the Christmas magic not only at Glen Bruce Park, but also in Centennial Park. Over 100 trees will be decorated by local businesses and individuals and each park will include thousands of lights to make it feel like you are in your own holiday movie.
“If you want to feel like you’re in a Christmas movie or want the perfect holiday season selfie, Christmas in Kingsport is the place to be,” said Alderman James Phillips.
Decorated trees will go up in both parks and will continue to shine through January 3, so grab your families and friends and take a walkthrough our downtown Winter Wonderland.
With events planned each weekend in December, your holiday season is sure to be merry and bright. Plus, if Mother Nature doesn’t bring the flakes, we will.
“We’re excited to make it ‘magically’ snow every Friday and Saturday in the month of December in Kingsport, too,” exclaimed Alderman Phillips.
Here are some of our favorite events planned for December:
Want to get into the Christmas spirit a tad early? Wander through downtown and check out the six lighted displays! You can find gifts at the intersection of Market and Broad Street, a snowflake in the 100 block of Broad Street, and an ornament at the intersection of Main and Broad Street.
For the map of all display locations and a full list of Christmas events taking place in December, visit www.ChristmasInKingsport.com. You can also sign up for our free email and text alerts, so you don’t miss any of the festive fun.
The City of Kingsport will be adjusting garbage routes next week due to the Thanksgiving holiday.
Garbage route changes will be as follows:
Thursday (11/24) garbage will be picked up on Friday (11/25).
Friday (11/25) garbage will be picked up on Saturday (11/26).
Trash/Yard Waste route changes will be as follows:
Thursday (11/24) trash/yard waste will be picked up on Friday (11/25).
Friday (11/25) trash/yard waste will be picked up on Saturday (11/26).
In addition to the route changes, the city’s demolition landfill will be closed to the public on Thursday, November 24 and Friday, November 25. The landfill will be open on Saturday, November 26 from 8:00 a.m, to 11:45 a.m. and will resume normal hours of operation on Monday, November 28.
City offices will be closed Nov. 24-25 and will reopen on Nov. 28.
The Kingsport Senior Center will be hosting its annual Old-Fashioned Christmas Fair on Nov. 18-19 at the Kingsport Renaissance Center.
Come out and browse through baskets, greeting cards, and woodworking crafts, hand-sewn and crocheted items and much more – all created by our Kingsport senior artisans. Refreshments will be on hand from the Food Traffickers food truck and T’s Spilled Milk mobile bakery.
Friday will feature a variety of entertainment, including:
On Saturday, the Chamber Ensemble will perform at 11 a.m. and Handbells at 2 p.m. Ron Porter will be performing background music throughout the day from the main gymnasium.
The Old Fashioned Christmas Fair is sure to get you in the holiday spirit. We hope you’ll join us.
For more information on The Old Fashioned Christmas Fair, visit seniors.kingsporttn.gov or call the Lynn View branch of the Kingsport Senior Center at 423-765-9047.
Kingsport’s Library of Things has become more “entertaining” in recent months with the collection growing to include board games, athletic equipment, and a classic head-to-head action toy.
And in case you need something for the fall season, the collection also includes a leaf blower, a rake, a bean bag toss game, and a set of horseshoes.
The Library of Things (found at the Kingsport Public Library) contains items that community members might need to use infrequently or want to try before they purchase it. From garden tools to outdoor games, to crafting tools, the collection literally contains a variety of things.
Since debuting earlier this summer, the collection has added a basketball and football along with several tabletop games, such as checkers, tic tac toe, Chutes & Ladders, Clue, Jumanji and the classic Rock ‘em Sock ‘em Robots.
Library of Things items are available to adults with a Kingsport Public Library card. The items check out for 7 days and may be renewed one time if there are no holds on the item. All items must be returned to the circulation desk.
While the Library of Things collection is small, the suggested borrowing limit on items in this collection is one at a time.
“We want to provide the community with access to the resources they need,” said Chris Markley, Manager of the Kingsport Public Library. “This collection will continue to grow to support the varied interests and needs of the community.”
Other items available in the Library of Things include – a cultivator, electric air pump, embroidery hoops, pickleball set, post hole digger, soccer ball and goal, stud finder, volleyball set and wrenches.
To discover what is available, search “Library of Things” at www.kingsportlibrary.org or visit the Kingsport Public Library.
The Kingsport Veterans Memorial – located at J. Fred Johnson Park – features six granite tablets with the names of more than 370 fallen Kingsport soldiers from World War I to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The memorial includes 2,120 granite pavers with many bearing the names of local veterans. A recent addition to the memorial includes a kiosk that allows visitors to search for a veteran’s paver, while displaying a map of where the paver is located.
The kiosk also displays photographs and biographical information about a particular veteran, which can be uploaded through the memorial’s website – www.kingsportveteransmemorial.org.
However, very few people have done so, which is why the City of Kingsport wants to remind folks about this important feature.
“If you’ve got photographs of a veteran listed in our database, we want to encourage you to upload it,” said David Cate, creative director at Volume Interactive. “We’re trying to personalize the memorial a little bit more and put a veteran’s face to the name on the paver.”
To upload a picture or information about a particulate veteran, visit www.kingsportveteransmemorial.org and click on the “Search Now” button, then select “Update a profile” and follow the directions.
Note: All pavers have been claimed and there are no plans at this time for an expansion of the memorial.
An inspirational story of one man’s dream to bring a traditional carousel to the Model City has now been published and is available for order.
“The Kingsport Carousel – A Flight of Imagination Given Wings by a Community” is a 164-page hardcover book that tells the seven-year journey of how the Kingsport Carousel became a reality, from its initial idea to its grand opening.
The six-chapter book tells the story of how the late Gale Joh pitched the idea of bringing a carousel to Kingsport, the years long process volunteers took to assemble and create the ride to the final attraction we enjoy today.
In addition to the story, the book includes hundreds of photographs from every step of the project, along with a timeline of milestones, information about the riding animals, chariots and sweep animals, biographies on the carvers, a glossary of carousel terms and details on how a carousel works.
You can order a copy of the book online at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/466012023507 or at the Kingsport Carousel (350 Clinchfield Street) or during this weekend’s Christmas Connection event at the MeadowView Conference Resort and Convention Center (Nov. 11-12 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.). The cost is $75 per copy and all proceeds go to the Kingsport Carousel Endowment Fund.
