Have you taken great Kingsport pictures?

We need you!

The City of Kingsport is looking for great local photography to use for various publications and on the city website. Photos can be taken anywhere in Kingsport, showcasing city features and locations such as the clock tower, Church Circle, carousel, Bays Mountain, downtown, Kingsport Aquatic Center or even aerial shots of the city!

If you are interested in submitting your photos, please contact Adrienne Batara at adriennebatara@kingsporttn.gov or 423-343-9791.

The Centennial Commission invites you to join in the celebration as they host a grand opening for Kingsport Centennial Park. The celebration will open with the national anthem sung by Kingsport’s own Carla Karst with the Dobyns-Bennett Band as accompaniment. The ribbon cutting will be the first official turning-on of the interactive water feature, the park’s core.
Opening day will continue the celebrations after the ribbon cutting, so bring the whole family out for a fun-filled event. Festivities include Cheerwine and MoonPie visiting us as they, too, are 100 this year. Their samples will provide the perfect centennial snack.

Variety acts from the ballet to a church choir to a magician will light up the stage and make you want to stay all day. Showtime is even stopping by for one more appearance. While the festivities are finished at 2:00pm, the park is yours forever!

Along the wall of the pump station, you will find beautifully hand-crafted tiles by students from Lincoln Elementary and Dobyns-Bennett High School. This art project was made possible in part by an ‘Art Builds Community’ Grant from the Tennessee Arts Commission.

“Now that I’m going to be a grandfather, I have even more love for this park,” says city manager Jeff Fleming. “It was built for future generations, and I will bring my grandkids here every year to show them the importance of celebrating history and sharing values with family.”

Kingsport Centennial Park came to fruition through a collaborative effort between the Kingsport Community Foundation and the City of Kingsport Centennial Commission. In celebrating the ‘Kingsport Spirit’, the park provides a unique destination and link to downtown Kingsport that commemorates the community’s past, present and future.

The fundraising effort for this legacy project grew organically in a way that went beyond the chair’s expectations. Brenda White-Wright states, “We all hope for a time that we can be a part of something special. Many thanks to everyone from across our community who gave their time and support to make Centennial Park a truly special landmark for centuries to come.”

Centennial Park is located at 245 E Main Street, across from Main St Pizza. The grand opening park celebration will occur Saturday, August 26 from 11:00am – 2:00pm.

About the City of Kingsport
Founded in 1917, the City of Kingsport (pop. 53,000) is located on the Tennessee-Virginia border at the crossroads of I-81 and I-26 near the geographic center of the eastern U.S. The city is widely known as a planned community, designed by renowned city planner John Nolen and wrapping around the foot of Bays Mountain – a 3,500 acre park, nature preserve, planetarium and observatory. Kingsport is recognized as an International Safe Community by the National Safety Council, a Healthier Tennessee community, and won the 2009 Harvard Innovations in American Government Award for its higher education initiatives. While many city names are duplicated throughout the U.S., there’s only one Kingsport – a fact that invokes community pride, known locally as the “Kingsport Spirit.”

About the Kingsport Community Foundation
The Kingsport Community Foundation is a philanthropic organization governed by a local board of directors. Their mission is to help donors maximize their contributions to the community by awarding grands that enrich lives and strengthen the Greater Kingsport Community forever. The Kingsport Community Foundation is an affiliate fund of the East Tennessee Foundation.

About the Tennessee Arts Commission
The Tennessee Arts Commission invests in more than 700 nonprofit organization across the state benefiting communities through quality of life, economic development, tourism and providing a more balances education for our children.

In case you don’t know, here’s what you need to know.

Downtown Kingsport is the place to be. Just released is a brand new directory that highlights all the unique places in downtown. When you need a trendy, creative, urban place to go, this new directory boasts a fun-filled day or night in downtown Kingsport.

Downtown Kingsport identified four districts:

Church Circle
The Nolen Plan
Innovation Corridor
Warehouse District

Check out these categories to best capture what you’re looking for:

Art & Photography
Gifts & Collectibles
Entertainment Venues
Restaurants & Spirits
Health & Beauty
Antiques

Next time you’re in downtown, pick up one of these to learn about the new stores and happenings. You can also find a digital map online at www.downtownkingsport.org.

A follow up story to Highlighting Heroes Rodney Dye

Ever since he was healthy enough to be outside, Creed has had a fascination with his city’s garbage truck and driver, Rodney Dye. Every week, Rodney comes by his house and it’s a dream come true for the young survivor.

Rodney is a Kingsport Public Works employee with more than 17 years on the job. Over the years, he’s met some amazing people, but none as incredible as Creed.

Creed has many health issues, including heart problems. He’s had numerous operations and even though he won’t ever live a ‘normal’ life, he has one thing worth watching for – and that’s the weekly appearance of Rodney in his Kingsport garbage truck.

After Rodney noticed Creed every week, he started waving and stopping to visit with the young boy. As luck has it, Rodney and Creed’s grandmother attend the same local church where she was able to tell Rodney just how much it meant to him to stop at Creed’s house.

Rodney took this information to heart. He wanted to enhance Creed’s life the best way he knew how – get Creed in the driver’s seat of a garbage truck. This came true at the Kingsport Public Works Day. Public Works Day is held every year in the city of Kingsport and it’s an opportunity for the public to get up close with all the equipment the department uses, such as street sweepers, snow plows, bucket trucks and yes, garbage trucks.

Creed and his family arrived at the event and Creed instantly wanted Rodney to be the one to push him around in his big kid stroller.

The group made their way around the event, looking at all the machines and equipment, but Creed perked up and pointed to the garbage truck when it came into view. Rodney helped him climb into the driver’s seat. The instant Creed sat down, it was all smiles and laughs and screeches of excitement.

Creed pulled on levers. He pushed all the buttons he could reach. He pressed the petals as many times as he could. He even honked the horn, but only once because it was so loud. His smile fantasizing about having his own garbage truck one day was contagious – everyone around him, family and strangers, could see just how happy this young boy was living his dream.

Rodney eventually helped him out of the truck. Creed was exhausted and his family was ready to take him home.

Every week, Creed gets to watch for Rodney and in turn, Rodney gives this young boy a reason to watch for him.

For Rodney’s original story, please visit here. To learn more about Creed’s incredible journey, please visit Creed’s Mending Heart on Facebook.