Join Kingsport Public Library and the Friends of the Kingsport Public Library for the first in the Behind the Book series on January 28^th at 6:00 p.m. Behind the Book will feature discussions with regional authors and illustrators to find out more about their books. The first discussion will be held virtually via Google Meet (link available at www.kingsportlibrary.org).

Charles Dodd White is the first author in the series. Mr. White is an Associate Professor at Pellissippi State Community College in Knoxville, Tennessee. He is the recipient of the Thomas and Lillie D. Chaffin Award for excellence in Appalachian Literature, the Appalachian Book of the year award in fiction, and multiple other honors.  We will be talking with Mr. White about his recently published book How Fire Runs. How Fire Runs is a timely page-turner that addresses radicalized tensions in a rural community and local government of eastern Tennessee.

“We want to share the work of regional authors and illustrators with the community and this series will provide us with the opportunity,” said Kate Woodworth, librarian and coordinator of the series. “By beginning the series with virtual talks we are able to safely provide this conversation to the community.”

Upcoming Behind the Book discussions will feature Angie Hyche, Robert Gipe, and Kelli Brown. Visit the Library website, www.kingsportlibrary.org for more information or contact the Kingsport Public Library at 423-224-2539.

The city is beginning the formal hiring process to replace Police Chief David Quillin, who retired late last year after 35 years of service. In the meantime, Dale Phipps has been named Interim Police Chief. Phipps has nearly 33 years of service himself with almost half that time as Deputy Chief overseeing administration and operations. He is also a husband, father of three, grandfather of six, and is active in the community.

He is a graduate of East Tennessee State University (A.S. Law Enforcement / B.S. Criminal Justice) and the F.B.I. National Academy. Prior to entering the law enforcement profession, he served four years in the United States Air Force Security Police.

During his career with the Kingsport Police Department he has served as Patrol Officer, Field Training Officer, and Supervisor of the Vice and Narcotics Unit before eventually returning to the Patrol Division as a Watch Commander. Throughout the years he has served in several specialized roles including S.W.A.T. Team Operator, Community Relations and Crime Prevention Officer, and Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) Instructor.

The Kingsport Police Department has been internationally-accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) for 29 years—an achievement earned by only 1,148 of the more than 17,000 state and local law enforcement agencies in the U.S.

“Police Chief is one of the most important selections a city must make,” said City Manager Chris McCartt. “We will use a thorough and competitive process comprised of both internal and external candidates, but until then the department is in Phipps’ very capable hands.”

The Kingsport Office of Cultural Arts is looking for regional and local artists to be featured in the new city hall main lobby. Art submissions will be entered into an artist database and future exhibits at the new city hall will draw from this database of submissions. Exhibits will be temporary, lasting one month to three months. If you would like to be considered for exhibiting your work, you may submit via email or mail a packet to the Kingsport Office of Cultural Arts.

If emailing, please send all inquiries/submissions to KingsportArtEntry@gmail.com.

When submitting your work, please include the following information, along with 5-9 photos of your work and a copy of your artist statement.

Subject line of your email:  “City Hall + [Your last name]”

Please include all of the following information in the body of your email:

Name:

Company Name (if applicable):

Phone Number:

Email address:

Type of Art (Art Medium):

How many pieces do you have available to exhibit?

Have you exhibited your artwork before?      If so, where?

Please attach the following items to your email: 

• Your Artist Statement (If you have one.)
• 5-9 pictures of your work (Please make sure your images are a small enough file size to send through email if choosing this option. Do not exceed 12MB per email)

If mailing, please include all application info, a copy of your artist statement and 5-9 pictures of your work. Mail your submission packet to the address below:

City of Kingsport, Office of Cultural Arts
1200 East Center Street
Kingsport, TN 37660

For more information about submitting art for the new city hall gallery, please email KingsportArtEntry@gmail.com.

One of the most popular Kingsport traditions for many residents is to attend the “Christmas at Allandale” tours to view all of the beautifully decorated Christmas trees.  These trees have been decorated annually by Friends of Allandale for the enjoyment of the community and region.

Due to the spread of the pandemic, Allandale has elected to adjust their Christmas plans to ensure a safe holiday for all. Allandale, along with Friends of Allandale and a collection of sponsors, will be offering a free Allandale campus drive-thru tour this year.

The drive-thru tour will take visitors through the 25-acre Allandale campus, fully decorated and decked out in Christmas cheer. As you go through the drive-thru, you will see lighting on the mansion, barns, and in the garden, as well as various standalone lawn decorations.

The drive-thru tour will run nightly from dusk to 11 p.m.  Visitors should enter through the main mansion entrance, dim car lights, drive behind the mansion, by the barns and ponds, and finally exit past the barn. For their safety, all visitors will be asked to remain in their cars.

Thank you to all of the wonderful sponsors for making this event possible: Armstrong Construction, Buddy and Debbie Waggoner, Citizens Bank, Dalton Direct Carpets, Friends of Allandale, Jerry and Emma Miller, Hamlett-Dobson Funeral Home and Town & Country Realty.

For more information about Allandale Mansion, please visit allandalemansion.com.

Starting December 23, the Kingsport Carousel will be closed for the holidays.

The carousel is usually closed for certain days in the holiday season, but this year it will be closed for the week of Christmas and New Year’s out of an abundance of caution for both patrons and staff. City staff will reevaluate opening the facilities after January 3, taking into consideration the current viral spread in the Kingsport community.

Thank you for your understanding as we do our part to help slow the spread of COVID-19 in our community.

For updates about the Kingsport Carousel, please visit arts.kingsporttn.gov or follow the Kingsport Carousel Facebook page.