I Love This Place

By: Will Akard In Kingsport, when the calendar flips to July, that means it’s Fun Fest season. Since 1981, the Model City has spent the last weeks of July partying…

Several years ago, I was watching Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan’s PBS documentary, The National Parks: America’s Best Idea, when I saw a reference to John Cook. I immediately texted my…

Owning a pet is a universal joy, but owning an aquarium is unlike any other experience. Anaquarium doesn’t just add a pet to your life—it brings a distinct peace into…

For more than a decade, Joshua Wampler has owned and operated Wampler’s Barber Companyin Colonial Heights. The hometown barbershop is a three-chair shop that specializes in andcaters to men. Wampler,…

The Dobyns-Bennett Band traces its beginning to 1926, when Professor S.T. “Fess” Witt organized the first school band and helped launch what would become one of Kingsport’s proudest traditions.

There are some places in a city that quietly become part of its identity. Not because they are flashy or famous, but because they endure. They remain while everything around…

Today is Graham Clark’s birthday. Last week I found myself walking through Kingsport, thinking about the layers of this place—how it builds over time. It took me back to when…

Dilly’s Curiosity Shop is a gift shop unlike any other in the Model City. Sterling silver and gemstone jewelry greet you when you walk through the door, but as you…

Calling all music lovers – Twilight Alive is back, this May, for another summer of great music, yummy meals, and lasting memories! For nearly 20 years, Kingsport has hosted Twilight…

In 2026, the Dobyns-Bennett Band marks its centennial, a full century of music, discipline, and public pride. That milestone is more than just a birthday for a school organization. It…

If you’ve lived in Kingsport for any amount of time and owned a pair of dress shoes, work boots or sandals in need of repair, then you’ve probably paid Harold…