Every year, thousands of residents and visitors spend time boating, fishing and swimming in Tennessee’s lakes and rivers. Spending an afternoon on the water can be a fun and relaxing time for you and your family, if you use common sense and sound judgment.

By doing so, everyone will have an enjoyable experience on the water and go home safe at the end of the day.

Unfortunately, accidents do happen. The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency reports 134 boating incidents took place in 2022 with 78 being a collision with another vessel. Forty-two of those incidents involved an injury and 29 resulted in a fatality. The leading cause of accidents was the careless or reckless operation of the vessel.

Matt Cameron, the communications and outreach coordinator for the TWRA, offers some rules and suggestions for folks to follow while spending time on Tennessee’s lakes and rivers.

Before you head out on the lake or the river, Cameron said to make sure your boat or watercraft is in good, working condition, that everyone is wearing a life jacket and to be sure you let someone know where you’re going and when you’ll be home.

“Sometimes when you let things sit all year, you launch them and you’ll have a problem like a leak or engine trouble,” said Cameron. “Make sure your maintenance is caught up and that you have safety equipment on board and in good condition as well.”

Every boat should have fire extinguisher and a U.S. Coast Guard rated life jacket for every passenger. And whether they’re on the boat or in the water, be sure everyone always wears a life jacket.

“If a boat starts sinking or is capsized, you may not have time to put your life jacket on,” Cameron said. “You may find yourself in the water unexpectedly and that’s where wearing the life jacket could make the difference between life and death.”

If your vessel is 16 feet long or longer, you also must have a throwable device, such as a ring buoy or flotation cushion. Other recommended items to have on a boat include a flashlight, first aid kit, flares, a waterproof container for a phone and an air horn or whistle.

“Whistles are cheap and attach to a life jacket or key ring. People are going to hear that further away than if you just yell,” Cameron said.

SAFETY TIP REMINDERS

• Always wear a life jacket when you’re on the water.
• Watch the weather and avoid being out in a storm.
• Have a proper spotter on board, especially when towing someone.
• If you swim from a boat, make sure the boat is anchored first.
• Be mindful of the turning radius of your boat or watercraft.
• Keep a sober operator and never operate a boat while drunk.

Kingsport’s Communications Department is conducting a multi-part series this year on “Living with Nature,” which will highlight outdoor safety and tips on how to protect you and your family from some of the animals found in our region (bears, deer, skunks, raccoons and snakes).

The “Living with Nature” press releases can be found at www.kingsporttn.gov and on the Kingsport Alerts Facebook page.

The ocarina is a truly modern instrument with ties to the ancient past. Music lovers of any age or skill level can enjoy this wonderful flute-type instrument with minimal effort. If you are looking for a unique instrument that will bring a lifetime of joy, then look no further, for the ocarina is pure musical magic.

Now you have the chance to make one of your own.

Local artisan Russell Lawson is offering a two-part course next month to help you create your own one-of-a-kind ocarina. Over the course of these classes, you will learn the mechanics and fundamentals of flute making and create a beautiful, one of a kind instrument with your own hands.

SCHEDULE OF CLASSES:

• September 8 (6 p.m. to 9 p.m.): Crafting the basic shape of the clay instrument and making the sound box and mouthpiece.
• September 9 (10 a.m. to 12 p.m.): Filing the dried clay shape, drilling the musical holes and adding your own personal artistic engravings to the clay, prior to the instrument being fired and glazed.
• Return 3 to 4 weeks later to pick up your finished ocarina.

The classes are for adults and children ages 12 and up (with adult supervision).

Both classes will be held in Room 228 at the Kingsport Renaissance Center (1200 E. Center Street). To register visit https://bit.ly/3NXA3xJ or click the “Buy Tickets” link at www.engagekingsport.com. The cost of the two-part class is $95.

For more information or to register over the phone call the Kingsport Office of Cultural Arts at 423-392-8414 or 392-8415.

The Upper East Tennessee Human Development Agency will return to City Hall (415 Broad Street) next month to help low-income households apply for assistance in paying their delinquent utility bills.

On Friday, September 15, UETHDA officials will be in the lobby of city hall and in their RV in the city hall parking lot assisting residents from 9 a.m. to noon and from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

NOTE – The assistance program is scheduled to end September 30, 2023.

UETHDA received federal COVID grant money to help low-income families pay utility bills through the Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP). Income limits depend on the number of persons in your household. For example, a household of 4 can earn as much as $50,902 annually and still qualify for assistance.

If you qualify, the LIHWAP grant will pay $250 to your account, even if you owe as little as $10. Some customers receive as much as $5,000.

You will need to bring a copy of at least one social security card for someone in the home, a copy of a driver’s license or an ID card of the person completing the application, along with proof of income for the last 30 days for everyone in the home over the age of 18.

Since August 2022, the LIHIP program has helped more than 900 Kingsport customers with bills totaling $400,000.

If you want to turn in your application or ask for assistance sooner, please go to UETHDA’s office at 301 Louis Street or call them at 423-246-6180.

If you have a delinquent balance and don’t qualify for federal assistance, you can make a payment arrangement with Customer Service, including paying the balance over a 12-month period to prevent your water from being cut off.

You can call Customer Service at 423-343-9860 or visit City Hall on Monday – Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Kingsport Office of Cultural Arts is offering a course in beginner wire sculpture later this month. In this hands-on class, you will learn the beginner techniques to create beautiful wire sculptures from master wire sculpture artist Russell Lawson.

This introductory course will give the artist the necessary skill set and knowledge base to explore the unlimited media of wire with confidence. Participants will be guided through three specifically chosen projects that encompass a broad range of fundamental techniques.

The course will be held in Room 239 of the Kingsport Renaissance Center (1200 E. Center Street) on August 26 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Cost is $85, and all tools and materials will be provided. For students ages 13 and up. No experience is necessary.

To register for the course, please visit https://bit.ly/441Uj8N or click the “Buy Tickets” link at www.engagekingsport.com. Registration will end 48 hours prior to the class.

For more information about the Kingsport Office of Cultural Arts, please visit www.engagekingsport.com.