Out & About | Arts & Entertainment

The Reece Museum at East Tennessee State University presents “Local Art in the Age of the 2020 Global Pandemic,” an exhibition featuring the work of 40 artists living or working in Tennessee’s 1st Congressional District during the early days of the pandemic. The exhibition is on display now through Sept. 30. A public reception will be held Aug. 25 from 5-7 p.m. The Reece Museum is located on the campus of ETSU and is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information visit etsu.edu/reece or call 423-439-4392.

Local attorney and author Robert L. Arrington will sign copies of his latest book, “Snowstorm of Magic,” Aug. 12 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Kingsport Area Chamber of Commerce. 

The Kingsport Carousel is a totally renovated 1956 Allen Herschell carousel located inside the temperature-controlled “Pal’s Roundhouse” at 350 Clinchfield St. It is open Wednesday through Sunday from 12:30 to 5 p.m. All rides are $1.

Tri-Cities Vinyl Collectors Shows will be held Aug. 28 and Oct. 30 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Double Tree Hilton, 211 Mockingbird Lane, Johnson City. Admission is $2. Come shop for rare vinyl LPs and 45s, plus CDs, music DVDs, memorabilia, and more. Masks are recommended for all customers and vendors.

August Under the Stars — a free summer concert series — will take place every Thursday in August at the Allandale Mansion 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 is: Aug. 11, Queens of Country with Hearts Gone South; Aug. 18, Elliott and the Untouchables; and Aug. 25, Big Daddy Love.

The Southwest Virginia Museum Historical State Park will host its next event in the weekly “Lunch on the Lawn” series Aug. 12 at noon featuring musical duet Strawberry Jam. “Lunch on the Lawn” is free and open to the public. Participants may bring their own lunch, or the Dough & Joe food truck will be on site serving doughnuts, coffee and ice cream.

Morningstar Flute Ensemble will perform Aug. 21 at 3 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church, 100 W. Church Circle, Kingsport. Admission is $15, with students admitted free. For more information contact Charlotte Ellis 423-323-4933.

The Pinnacle Summer Concert Series offers entertainment for shoppers and those dining in the Plaza at The Pinnacle. Each concert will begin at 6:30 p.m. and is free and open to the public for family-friendly fun while dining. The free concerts will be held each Friday and Saturday through Labor Day weekend.

Beach Boys co-founder Brian Wilson is back on the road with his 2022 U.S. Summer Tour with his former bandmates, Al Jardine and Blondie Chaplin. They will perform Sept. 24 at 8 p.m. at East Tennessee State University’s Martin Center for the Arts. To purchase tickets visit https://etsutickets.com/martincenter/Online/default.asp or call 423-439-2787.

Music on the Square takes place in front of the Washington County Courthouse on Main Street in downtown Jonesborough each Friday evening through Sept. 30 from 7-9 p.m. Music on the Square is a free event open to the public.

Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox will bring its jazzy vintage covers to the ETSU Martin Center for the Arts’ Grand Hall Oct. 4 at 7:30 p.m. For ticket information visit ETSUMartinCenter.org or call the Martin Center box office at 423-439-2787.

Chart-topping, all-male a cappella group Straight No Chaser will perform Oct. 29 at 8 p.m. at the ETSU Martin Center for the Arts. To purchase tickets, visit ETSUMartinCenter.org or call 423-439-2787.

Grammy winner Michael W. Smith is embarking on his popular Christmas tour this holiday season with special guest Michael Tait of the Newsboys. Smith will perform Dec. 13 at 7:30 p.m. at the ETSU Martin Center for the Arts. To purchase tickets, visit ETSUMartinCenter.org or call 423-439-2787.

Larry Prevatte Memorial Duffield Jam will be held the first, third and fifth Thursday of each month from 6-8 p.m. at the Thomas Village Community Center, 355 Cecil D. Quillen Drive in Duffield, Virginia. For more information call 276-431-1083.

The 13th annual Dancing with the Tri-Cities Stars will be held Aug. 27 at MeadowView in Kingsport. Jeremiah School will benefit from this year’s fundraiser. Jeremiah School is a therapeutic day school for children in this area with neurological delays in relating and communicating, including autism. Tickets are on sale now at https://one.bidpal.net/dwts22 or visit  www.dancingwiththetricitiesstars.com.

Historic Jonesborough Dance Society has moved to Serenity Knoll Farm for the summer. Serenity Knoll is an outdoor venue with a covered pavilion located at 542 Bacon Branch Road, Jonesborough. Contra dances will be held every second and fourth Saturday from 7-10:30 p.m. Contra dances are family-friendly, alcohol-, tobacco- and fragrance-free events. A beginners lesson is held prior to each dance where the basic moves are taught.

With sponsorship from Eastman, the Appalachian Resource Conservation and Development Council has launched Farmacy Fit, a farmers market walking program, in partnership with the Kingsport Farmers Market and Healthy Kingsport. Everyone is welcome to participate Wednesday and Saturday mornings from 9-11 a.m. through the end of October. Participants will sign in upon arrival at the Farmers Market and walk a one-mile walking route at their own pace. At the completion of the route, participants will receive $4 in tokens to spend on fresh fruits and vegetables from participating vendors.

David Crockett Birthplace State Park in Limestone will celebrate the 236th birthday of the famed pioneer, frontiersman, soldier and congressman with the Crockett Days Celebration Aug. 12-14. The celebration begins Aug. 12 at 7 p.m. with a free public concert at the pool pavilion featuring Ten Penny Drive and Greeneville’s The Flying J’s. Crockett Days will officially kick off on Aug. 13 at 9 a.m. with the opening ceremony at the park’s Crockett Homestead featuring the David Crocket High School choir and guest speaker State Rep. David Hawk. The rest of the weekend will be filled with 18th century activities including living history reenactors, demonstrations of 18th century skills and trades, historic firearm demonstrations, merchants selling traditional items, and a live 18th century-style auction. Several food trucks will also be in attendance. The event will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Aug. 13 and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Aug. 14. The park and this event are free and open to the public.

Bloomingdale Ruritan Fall Fest and Car Show will be held Aug. 13 from 4-8 p.m. at Ketron Elementary School. The Fall Fest is free, and the Car Show has a $10 entry fee. Music by Emily Lane and the Mason Dixon Boys. Open to the public.

The Chester Inn State Historic Site and Museum in Jonesborough is open with no admission price, but there is a suggested $2 donation per visitor. History town tours have also returned. Jonesborough’s Historic Strolling Tour is available every Saturday at 1 p.m. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased at the museum.

The Wilderness Road Blockhouse at Natural Tunnel State Park is open every Saturday and Sunday from 2-4 p.m. The Blockhouse was built in the spring of 1775 on the North Fork of the Holston River by John Anderson. Tour a replica of the Anderson Blockhouse as members of the Daniel Boone Wilderness Trail Association provide information about the history of the building and area.

Andrew Johnson National Historic Site in Greeneville is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday and closed Monday and Tuesday. The Andrew Johnson National Cemetery will continue to remain open seven days a week, 8 a.m. until dusk. Guided tours of the historic Andrew Johnson Homestead are offered at 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. Call 423-638-3551.

The Kingsport Public Library is hosting a Tuesday morning walking group. Meet in the library parking lot Tuesdays at 7:30 a.m. through October. Strollers, kids and friendly dogs welcome. For more information call 423-224-2539.

The Kingsport Public Library has StoryWalks next to the library in Glen Bruce Park, in Ridgefields Park and in Preston Forest Park. Each StoryWalk features a different story, and stories are changed quarterly.

Hands On! Discovery Center is an all-ages science center that offers a guest experience that includes fun, interactive programs and immersive, STEM-based exhibits for the whole family as well as exhibits and information about the Gray Fossil Site, an active fossil dig site dating back 5 million years. Tesla Experience Shows are offered at 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Tickets are $2 per person with general admission. Paleo Tours are offered at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. Tickets are $2 per person with general admission. Operating hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1-5 p.m. General admission is $11 for adults and children 4 and older, free for children 3 and under, and free for members. Tickets may be purchased at https://visithandson.org/tickets.

The Kingsport Aquatic Center’s outdoor water park will be open weekends only in August. The outdoor lap pool will be open every day — weather permitting — through the end of October. 

The Kingsport Splash Pad, 1101 Martin Luther Jr. Drive, will remain open until the end of September. The splash pad will be active from 10:30 a.m. until 7:30 p.m. every day during the summer.

Appalachian Sustainable Development and Appalachian Teas & Botanicals are hosting a tea blend launch party on Aug. 13 at 6 p.m. at 112 Court Street NE, Abingdon, Virginia. The event is free and will feature tastings of the specially created Appalachian SustainabiliTea blend, live music by K.T. Vandyke, and a chance to meet Appalachian Teas & Botanicals founder Lori Briscoe and your local herb farmer who supplied the tea ingredients.

Jonesborough Repertory Theatre will present “Annie Get Your Gun” Aug. 26 through Sept. 11. Tickets are $18 general admission, $16 for students and seniors. There is also a special group rate for parties of 15 or more. To purchase tickets call the Historic Jonesborough Visitors Center at 423-753-1010 or visit jonesboroughtheatre.com. The theater is located at 125.5 W. Main St., Jonesborough.

The Heritage Alliance will host two performances of the original play “Nancy” on Sept. 10 at 2 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. The show is a fundraiser for the Telford Ruritan Club and the Heritage Alliance. The show will be performed onstage in the old Telford School, located at 101 Telford School Road. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at Jonesborough.com/tickets or by calling the Jonesborough Visitors Center at 423-753-1010. Seating is limited to 50 people per performance.

The U.S. tour of “Blue’s Clues & You! Live On Stage,” a brand-new theater production based on the hit preschool television series “Blue’s Clues & You!” will stop in Johnson City at ETSU’s Martin Center on Sept. 28 at 6 p.m. For tickets and additional information visit ETSUMartinCenter.org.

The George L. Carter Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society and East Tennessee State University’s George L. Carter Railroad Museum will sponsor two scenic train excursions and an afternoon at the Tennessee Aquarium over the Labor Day weekend in Chattanooga and Blue Ridge, Georgia. Tickets must be purchased no later than Aug. 12, and the tour is limited to 55 participants. More information about the trip, ticket order forms, payment options and liability waivers are available at etsu.edu/railroad. Choose “events” and then “rail excursions.” For more information call (225) 229-5653.

The Kingsport Model Trains Project has returned its fully detailed representation of the Santa Train to the Lynn View Community Center where it already operates six rooms of model train layouts including a sanitized kids room with “hands on” activities for all ages. The group hosts birthday parties and has an open house every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with guided instruction. Work days are the first and third Tuesdays from 2-6 p.m. For more information check the group’s Facebook page or email kingsportmodeltrains@gmail.com or call 423-502-5359.

The Chuckey Depot Museum in Jonesborough is hosting the exhibit “Good Morning, America, How Are Ya?: Railroad Americana, A Pop Culture Phenomenon” featuring pop culture artifacts from multiple decades. The exhibit will be on display at the museum through August. The Chuckey Depot Museum is free of charge, but donations are appreciated. Attendees can visit the museum Thursday, Friday and Sunday from 1-4 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information visit Jonesborough.com or call 423-753-1010.