You are here: / City Press Releases
Parks and Recreation Logo

Take aim with Kingsport’s Beginner Archery Classes

,

Kingsport Parks and Recreation is accepting registrations for its Beginner Archery Classes. If you’re interested in learning a unique and exciting sport, then this beginner’s class will certainly hit the mark.

Classes will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. every Wednesday from September 27 through October 25 in the Lynn View Community Center auditorium (257 Walker Street). The classes are for anyone ages 7 and up and the cost is $35 for city residents and $40 for non-city residents.

Participants will use compound bows during the classes and all equipment will be provided.

To register, visit bit.ly/3QN08E9. You can also click on the CivicRec link in the Connect Kingsport app or go to www.kingsporttn.gov and click on the “CivicRec” link, then search for “archery” in the search bar.

For information about other classes, programs and activities offered by the Kingsport Parks and Recreation Department, visit www.kingsportparksandrecreation.org.

Kingsport offers Beginner Skateboarding Lessons

,

Before you become a seasoned skateboarder able to pull off the perfect crooked grind, noseblunt slide or ollie 540, you first must start with the basics. And a good place to do that is with the Kingsport Parks and Recreation Department.

Starting this month, the department will be offering Beginner Skateboarding classes at the Scott Adams Memorial Skatepark (2016 Brickyard Park Drive). Classes will take place from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. every Monday from September 18 through October 16.

Participants will learn the basics of skateboarding in a friendly, safe environment. Parents are encouraged to remain onsite during the class. Bring your own skateboard if you like. Water will be provided.

The cost for the lessons is $25 for city residents and $30 for non-city residents. The lessons are open for boys and girls ages 6 to 12. The maximum number of registrants is 10.

To register for the lessons, visit bit.ly/47S749e. You can also click on the CivicRec link in the Connect Kingsport app or go to www.kingsporttn.gov and click on the “CivicRec” link, then search for “skateboarding” in the search bar. For information about other classes, programs and events from Kingsport Parks and Recreation, visit www.kingsportparksandrecreation.org.

kingsport logo

Information Resources – Code Enforcement

,

The City of Kingsport has taken a more proactive approach to code enforcement in recent years, especially when it comes to dilapidated structures.

Tearing down a dilapidated structure helps a neighborhood on several fronts – it improves the value of nearby properties, removes any squatters who may have taken up residence and curbs the spread of dilapidation. When one house gets dilapidated, the phenomenon tends to spread to other nearby properties.

On the flip side, when people take pride in their homes, their neighbors tend to do so as well.

Kingsport offers several ways to inform citizens about important ordinances and ways to report code violations.

Code enforcement page (www.kingsporttn.gov)

The enforcement of code violations is important to the city, and the code enforcement page found at the city’s website offers quick connection to Kingsport code ordinances, adopted international ordinances, as well as a helpful code enforcement FAQ.

The ConnectKingsport app

Using the ConnectKingsport app is the fastest, easiest way to report a concern within the City of Kingsport. With the app, residents can report any non-emergency issues, stay in the know about city events and connect with important city services and social media.

To report a violation, click the Building & Planning tab, then submit your feedback in the Neighborhood – Code Enforcement section. For links to these and other information sources, visit www.kingsporttn.gov/info.

Parks and Recreation Logo

Kingsport hosting an “End of Summer” Bash

,

Though the weather is still warm and there’s plenty of activities to do outdoors, kids will soon be going back to school. But before that happens, the Kingsport Parks and Recreation Department wants to have a big “bash” to round out the summer vacation season.

On July 29, the department will be hosting an “End of Summer” Bash at the Kingsport Miracle Field (2017 Brickyard Park Drive). The free event will take place from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. and will include kickball, yard games, free slushes to the first 100 people and more.

Families of all ages are encouraged to come out and enjoy a Saturday evening of outdoor fun and games with your Model City neighbors.

“August under the Stars” returns to Allandale Mansion

,

The live concert series – “August under the Stars” is returning to Allandale Mansion next month with an exciting line-up of Jazz, Blues and Country music performers. Just bring a chair or a blanket and enjoy a free outdoor concert with friends and family.

The concerts will take place on August 3, 10 and 17 at the Allandale Amphitheater. Gates open at 5 p.m., craft beer and food will go on sale at 5:30 p.m. and the concert begins at 7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

SCHEDULE OF PERFORMERS

  • Aug. 3: Sugar Lime Blue
  • Aug. 10: The Everly Brothers Experience
  • Aug. 17: The Beth Snapp Band

A variety of food trucks will be on for the concert series, with Bays Mountain Brewing, Los Pollitos Loco Tacos, Uptown Cheesesteak Company, Dip’s Ice Cream, and a lemonade stand being set up every week. In addition, Eshta Egyptian Street Food will be set up on August 3 and Baked and Loaded on August 17.

ABOUT THE PERFORMERS

Sugar Lime Blue is an established Nashville group that is redefining Americana, drawing from the three main American stylings of Jazz, Blues, and Country to create a purely unique sound.

Dylan Zmed and his brother Zach are the Everly Brothers Experience, and both are remarkable in their renditions of one of the most renowned musical duets in history.

Beth Snapp is one of the most popular regional artists performing today. She fits around and between folk, bluegrass, pop, early R&B, and jazz to create a unique sound with one purpose – to serve a story.

“August under the Stars” is sponsored by Eastman, Eastman Credit Union, Visit Kingsport, Ballad Health and BAE Systems. For more information about the concerts visit www.augustunderthestars.com.

Parks and Recreation Logo

Registration opens soon for Fall Adult Softball

,

Kingsport Parks and Recreation will soon begin accepting registrations for the 2023 Fall Adult Softball Leagues.

Teams can have a maximum of 20 players on their roster. Divisions offered include Church, Industrial, Seniors 50+, Co-Ed and Men’s Open.

The entry fee is $400 per team with a $10 non-resident fee for all players who live outside the Kingsport city limits (max: $50). Registration will take place from July 24 through August 11.

To register, click on the CivicRec link in the Connect Kingsport app or go to www.kingsporttn.gov and click on the “CivicRec” link, then search for “softball” in the search bar.

All games will be played at Brickyard Park and the season will begin the week of August 21. Participants must live inside the Kingsport city limits, attend Kingsport City Schools and/or own Kingsport city property to be eligible to participate.

library logo

Kingsport Public Library coordinating firefly science project

,

The Kingsport Public Library is encouraging families to embrace their inner scientist this summer by participating in a special program about lightning bugs.

The project is called the Firefly Watch Community Science Project and its goal is to enlist volunteers from across the country to collect data about fireflies. Are firefly populations growing or shrinking and what is causing these changes in their population? You can help answer these questions and more by participating in this project.

Learn how to join in by coming to an introductory session at the Kingsport Public Library on June 6 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. There you will be provided instructions and your own Citizen Science journals to record your observations about fireflies or the lack of them in your neighborhood.

You can then upload and share your results at the wrap-up meeting on June 27 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The information volunteers collect will be used by scientists to learn more about changes in the firefly populations across the United States. The project is a Citizen Science project sponsored by the Massachusetts Audubon Society and Tufts University.

For more information about the project visit https://bit.ly/3q8m8On.

Parks and Recreation Logo

Kingsport Parks & Recreation offers Fishing 101

,

Children of all ages interested in taking the bait and learning how to cast a rod can do so through a program offered by the Kingsport Parks and Recreation Department.

Throughout the month of June, the department will be offering Fishing 101 – a four-week program that will teach children the basics of fishing, including how to bait a hook, tie knots and what bait can be used to catch certain fish.

The sessions will take place every Tuesday in June (6, 13, 20 and 27) from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Allandale Mansion ponds. The cost is $30 per person and the fee includes bait and the four instructional sessions. Participants will have to bring their own rods.

To register for this program, click on the CivicRec link in the Connect Kingsport app or go to www.kingsporttn.gov and click on the “CivicRec” link, then search for “fishing” in the search bar.

For more information about other Kingsport Parks and Recreation programs, visit www.kingsportparksandrecreation.org.

kingsport logo

Open House for the Lynn Garden Community

,

The City of Kingsport wants to hear from the residents, businesses and property owners in Lynn Garden on what could make the community a better place to live, work and raise a family.

If you’re interested in sharing your ideas and opinions on how to improve the Lynn Garden community, then please plan to attend an Open House on June 13 from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Kennedy Elementary School (1500 Woodland Avenue).

You are welcome to stop by any time between those hours, hear the ideas being discussed and talk to members of the team leading the project to improve the Lynn Garden community.

This open house is being held in connection with a corridor study currently underway for Lynn Garden Drive. A Nashville-based consulting company is analyzing the short and long-term potential for the corridor and recommendations are expected to be presented to the city later this summer.

Parks and Recreation Logo

Go Outside and Celebrate National Trails Day

,

The City of Kingsport is encouraging everyone to participate in National Trails Day this Saturday (June 3) by going outside and either walking, running or biking along one of the many trails found within our fair city.

National Trails Day is an annual event held on the first Saturday in June and is sponsored by the American Hiking Society. In Kingsport, you can join in on the fun with these scheduled events:

Guided History Hike at Bays Mountain Park (10 a.m.): Take a four-mile round trip hike along sections of Lakeside and Lake Road Trails listening to stories about the families who once lived on the mountain.

The cost is $5 per person and the event is expected to take approximately three hours. You can register by clicking on the CivicRec link in the Connect Kingsport app or go to www.kingsporttn.gov and click on the “CivicRec” link, then search for “history hike” in the search bar.

Griddy on the Greenbelt (10 a.m.): Families of all ages can come out to the Indian Trail Drive trailhead (behind PetSmart) and participate in a dance that’s taken TikTok by storm. Participants will perform the griddy dance at various stations with music and children’s activities (sidewalk chalk and bubbles), then after crossing the finish line, families can go to the Marble Slab and receive a 20% group discount on their order.

Each year, tens of thousands of hikers, bikers, paddlers, horseback riders, trail clubs, federal and local agencies, land trusts, and businesses come together on National Trails Day to advocate for, maintain, clean up and celebrate trails and nature.

Last year, more than 700 sites across the U.S. brought people together for various recreational and volunteer opportunities. More than 12,314 trail volunteers built and maintained more than 347 miles of trails as part of the festivities.

“From Borden Park to the Kingsport Greenbelt to Bays Mountain Park, Kingsport has trails for all ages and all abilities,” said Travis Sensabaugh, program administrator for Kingsport Parks and Recreation. “Even if it’s only for 20 minutes, we encourage you and your family to go outside this Saturday and participate in National Trails Day.”

You can also share your trail experience by tagging #NationalTrailsDay and @AmericanHiking on your social media channels.

Link to: City of Kingsport
City of Kingsport, Tennessee