Out & About | Arts & Entertainment

Friends of Steele Creek Nature Center and Park is accepting digital submissions for the 18th annual Wildlife Weekend Photography Contest that is held each year in conjunction with Wildlife Weekend. Amateur photographers of all ages are invited to submit photos that capture the natural beauty of Steele Creek Park and its inhabitants. The submission deadline is Sept. 23 at 11:59 p.m. Complete rules and instructions for submitting entries are available at www.friendsofsteelecreek.org. Prizes will be awarded in adult and youth categories. For more information, contact Robin Feierabend at 423-764-3336.

Johnson City’s Wildabout Walkabout scavenger hunt includes 28 bronze animal sculptures. All the pieces have been installed downtown in and around King Commons and Founders Park and around Main and Market streets. Printed copies of the scavenger hunt clues are available at various downtown businesses and at the Johnson City Public Library. Clues are also available online on the Johnson City Public Art website.

“Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” is coming to Tusculum University, and Tusculum Arts Outreach invites anyone in the region who wants to be in the cast to audition. Arts Outreach will hold auditions for the musical, Sept. 1-3 from 6-9 p.m. in Behan Arena Theatre. If necessary, call-backs will occur Sept. 4. Arts Outreach is seeking to cast 25 to 35 people who are 14 and older and 10 to 20 children who are 8-13 years old. Performances will be Nov. 14-24. To sign up for auditions, please visit bit.ly/46yN9fd. For more details about the auditions, please visit bit.ly/3YF8uBP.

The monthly meeting of Birding Kingsport will be held Aug. 27 at 7 p.m. in the fellowship hall of St. Michael’s Episcopal Church at 584 Lebanon Road, Kingsport. The program will be “Southern Expansion: How Tree Swallows Beat the Heat” by Dr. Elizabeth Derryberry, associate professor specializing in ornithology at UT. Visitors are welcome and encouraged to attend.

The Junior Appalachian Musicians is currently in open enrollment for old time and bluegrass instruction. Please visit jaminthemountains.com for more information. Enrollment will end on Aug. 18. This particular opportunity is open to grades 4-12 in small groups.

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.

Goshen Valley Volunteer Fire Department will present “The Firehouse Sessions.” On Sept. 28 at 7 p.m., “The Lonesome River Band” and Linda Lay and Springfield Exit will appear at Volunteer High School in Church Hill in what is to be the first of many of the firehouse sessions. Contact the fire department for tickets.

The Black Jacket Symphony presents Elton John’s “Madman Across the Water” on Sept. 28 at 8 p.m. at the ETSU Martin Center. You can order tickets online anytime by visiting ETSUMartinCenter.org.

Ben Folds: Paper Airplane Request Tour is coming to East Tennessee State University’s Martin Center Oct. 17 at 7:30 p.m. During the show, fans will be invited to launch their song requests to the stage via paper airplanes. To purchase tickets visit ETSUMartinCenter.org or call the Martin Center box office at 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.

Outdoorsmen, 4535 Highway 11W, Blountville, will host  NightShift on Aug. 23. Line dance from 6-7 p.m. The band plays from 7-10 p.m. Other scheduled bands include Limited Edition on Aug. 31.

The Historic Jonesborough Dance Society holds dances at the Jonesborough Visitors Center, 117 Boone St., the second and fourth Saturday of each month. Dancing to live music is open to community members of all ages. There will be a lesson of basic contra dance moves for beginners at 7 p.m. with dancing from 7:30-10:30 p.m. Tickets will be sold at the door. Contra dance is for all ages. No partner is needed. Contra dances are family friendly, alcohol-, tobacco- and fragrance-free. For more information visit the group’s site on Facebook.

“Fall for Youth Builders” themed Trivia Night fundraiser will be held Nov. 16 at The Warehouse at Wilson Hill in Greeneville. Youth Builders of Greeneville recently celebrated 78 years of providing volunteer services for the children and youth in Greene County. It is seeking Trivia Night sponsors. For more information about sponsoring the event, reserving a table or to make a donation, contact Abigail Tiefenthaler at 954-804-9413 or [email protected]. 

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.

The Washington County-Jonesborough Library will host Open Mic Word Nights on the fourth Thursday of each month from 5:30-7:30 p.m. This new program is free and open to all. Performances must be appropriate for a general audience and should not include language that is inappropriate for young audience members. Performances should be 10 minutes maximum and can include storytelling, poetry, comedy, riddle, spoken word and more. All ages welcome. For more information visit wclibrarytn.org or call 423-753-1800.

Thanks to the generosity of the Northeast Tennessee Association of Realtors, entrance to Bays Mountain Park on Aug. 25 is free for everyone. The park will be open Aug. 25 from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. The Nature Center will be open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. that day. (While gate fees will be waived, program fees (planetarium show, barge ride) will still be in effect. For more information about Bays Mountain Park visit www.baysmountain.com.

The Kingsport Aquatic Center is hosting a two-day Drool Party next month, offering dogs of all breeds and sizes a chance to run, play and socialize in the outdoor water park.  The Drool Party will take place from 5-7 p.m. on Sept. 6 and from 10 a.m. to noon on Sept. 7. A session for small dogs (25 pounds and less) will take place from 1-3 p.m. on Sept. 7. Admission is $5 per dog and free to owners. Limit two dogs per person, and the dogs’ handler must be over 18 and bring leashes with them. Dogs must be up to date on all vaccines. To register for the Drool Party, visit https://bit.ly/3P2HNBD.

The first of a two-part program is showing in the Bays Mountain Park Planetarium throughout the summer. “One Sky: To Seek Far” is showing through Aug. 30 and includes two stories highlighting the theme of developing tools — “Thunderbird” and “Jai Singh’s Dream.” The show will take place Tuesday through Friday at 4 p.m. and on Saturdays and Sundays at noon and 4 p.m. The 35-minute show is followed by a live tour of the night sky using the planetarium’s optical star projector. The second part of the program — “One Sky: Finding Patterns” — has not been scheduled yet but will be shown at a future date. The alternate planetarium feature showing Saturdays and Sunday at 2 p.m. through Aug. 30 will be “Appalachian Skies.”

Project Friendship by the Kingsport Altrusa Club is continuing its meet-and-greet events at Shooters Billiards in Kingsport on the second and fourth Fridays at 6 p.m. This event is for anyone who works from home, is new to the area, or just doesn’t get out often. It’s a low-key way to meet others and have fun! Text to 423-384-0425 for more information.

The annual Compton family reunion will be held Sunday, Aug. 18, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Keith Memorial Park-Community Building, Nickelsville Virginia. All family and friends are welcome. 

Gardner family reunion for the descendants of William and Elizabeth Palmer Gardner and their families and friends will be held on Saturday, Aug. 31, at 1 p.m. at the home of Terry Gardner, 4162 Ann Goode Cooper Road, Hiltons, Virginia, on the North Fork of the Holston River. Please bring a potluck dish.

The annual Newton family reunion, for the descendants of James Madison Newton, will be held on Saturday, Sept. 7, at Eastman Shelter No. 8 beginning at 4 p.m. Call Pamela Newton Osborne at 423-245-1704 for more information. 

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. Tickets may be purchased at https://visithandson.org/tickets.

The International Storytelling Center in Jonesborough’s next storyteller in residence will be Sarah Brady, a performer who specializes in sweeping historical stories, enduring myths, and spirited fairy tales. Brady will perform daily at 2 p.m. from Aug. 20-24. She has invited a special guest for her final performance on Saturday: her longtime friend and storyteller Hannah Harvey, who lives in the area. Reservations for all performances throughout the week are recommended. A streaming option is also offered. To purchase tickets, visit www.storytellingcenter.net or call 800-952-8392.

Graveyard Tales returns to Jonesborough Sept. 7 at the  the McKinney Center. Presented by the Jonesborough Storytellers Guild, Graveyard Tales will include spooky stories of local legends, creepy creatures and bone-chilling lore. Due to this event’s sometimes true and chilling tales, the concert is not intended for children under the age of 12. Featured storytellers include Linda Poland, Cynthia Millhorn, Jim Priesmeyer and Anne G’Fellers-Mason. The McKinney Center is located at 103 Franklin Ave. in Jonesborough. Tickets can be purchased by calling 423-753-1010 or visiting jonesboroughtn.org.

The Kingsport Aquatic Center’s outdoor water park will weekends only through Sept. 1, with the last day of operation being Sept. 2. Season passes and memberships can be purchased at www.kingsporttn.gov or in person at the KAC front desk. For more information call 423-343-9758 or visit swimkingsport.com.

The Riverview Splash Pad (1101 Martin Luther Jr. Drive, Kingsport) will be active from 10:30 a.m. until 8 p.m. every day during the summer. The splash pad can be turned on during these hours by rubbing the silver activator pad located on the wall between the restrooms.

Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Virginia, will present ”The Play That Goes Wrong” Aug. 31 to Nov. 9 on the Gilliam Stage. For ticket information call 276-628-3991 or visit www.bartertheatre.com.

Theatre Bristol will bring “The Mockingbird Sings” to its ARTspace Stage Sept. 6-8 and 11-12. Tickets are on sale now for this limited engagement staged reading and live music presentation at www.theatrebristol.org/tickets. For more information call 423-212-3625.

The Jonesborough Repertory Theatre’s production of “Anastasia: The Musical” will run Sept. 6-29. To purchase tickets go online to jonesboroughtheatre.com or visit the theater box office. Box office hours are Saturday and Monday, 10 a.m. to noon and Tuesday and Wednesday, 5-7 p.m.

Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Virginia, will present ”Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Jersey Lily” Sept. 14 to Nov. 8 on the Gilliam Stage. For ticket information call 276-628-3991 or visit www.bartertheatre.com.

Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Virginia, will present ”The Trip To Bountiful” Sept. 20 to Nov. 2 at Barter’s Smith Theatre. For ticket information call 276-628-3991 or visit www.bartertheatre.com.

Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Virginia, will present ”A Christmas Carol” Nov. 14 to Dec. 22 on the Gilliam Stage. For ticket information call 276-628-3991 or visit www.bartertheatre.com.

Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Virginia, will present ”Go Tell It On The Mountain” Nov. 20 to Dec. 29 at Barter’s Smith Theatre. For ticket information call 276-628-3991 or visit www.bartertheatre.com.

“A Charlie Brown Christmas Live on Stage” is coming to East Tennessee State University’s Martin Center Dec. 17 at 7 p.m. After the final bow, the audience will be invited to join the Peanuts gang in singing traditional Christmas songs and carols. To purchase tickets visit ETSUMartinCenter.org or call the Martin Center box office at 423-439-2787.

The Watauga Valley Railroad Historical Society and Museum will sponsor a steam train excursion on the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad on Sept. 14. The scenic steam excursion departs from the historic depot in Bryson City, North Carolina, travels through the countryside of Western North Carolina, into the Nantahala Gorge, and back to Bryson City. Passengers ride in antique restored passenger cars. There are restrooms throughout the train. Tickets and pre-purchased meals must be ordered online by credit card at Click on the Excursions link. For more information go to www.wataugavalleynrhs.org or email [email protected].

The Kingsport Model Trains Project operates eight model train layouts in six rooms at the Lynn View Community Center including a 24-by-20 “O” scale representation of the Santa Train. There is a workday every Tuesday from 1-4 p.m. and an open house the first Saturday of each month from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Special hours/days are possible for events/birthday parties. Call 423-502-5359, email [email protected] or check us on Facebook.

The Chuckey Depot Museum in Jonesborough is open 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.