Last week, our team at Times Digital Group completed a documentary which celebrates the recent 2009 Harvard Innovation in Government Award presented to the City of Kingsport earlier in the year. This excellent presentation features interviews with city leaders and describes the ideas and passion that helped earn this recognition and we were glad to be a part of this year’s celebration.

Unfortunately, it’s not always the glamorous news stories that bring attention to our hometown here in Kingsport. In fact, like most viral Internet stories, it’s the sensational or stupid stories that seem to attract the most attention

In the past we’ve caught attention for a variety of stories that were laughable and hardly glamorous here at Times-News.

Last week, we logged another “Dubious Achievement Award” for Kingsport, Tennessee and our tech folks saw plenty of traffic on a news story involving a shoplifter who bit a Walmart employee.

We first started to see Kingsport pop-up in the Twitter Universe with headlines from a parody website that reports on “Zombie activity” across the nation.

Did you know Kingsport was under an amber alert this past week too as the Zombie Nation caught wind of the headline?

I was surprised too when I heard popular late-night talk show host Jimmy Fallon refer to the story too in his Monday night monologue on NBC. Fortunately, he left out the town’s name, but he did reference the story.

Fallons comments are here at the 4.00 time marker.

He states…”In Tennessee, A Walmart employee was bitten while trying to fend off a shoplifter. Fortunately, since it was a Walmart employee, there were no teeth involved.”

We must be thankful for the small things I presume and like they say – Any press is good press – or is it?

It wasn’t long ago my attention turned to Bettie Page. It wasn’t the first time and it probably won’t be the last either because Bettie was a doll and may be one of the most influential pop-icons to be associated with Kingsport, TN (whether that’s true or not).

Bettie died last Thursday, December 11th from pneumonia in a Los Angeles hospital. She was 85 years old.

Born April 12, 1923, Bettie Page was the daughter of Walter Roy Page and Edna Mae Pirtle. She became famous as a fetish pin-up model in the 1950s.

Her dark raven hair, fair skin, bright red lipstick and curvaceous figure was certainly the fantasy of many a young man at the time too and her posters are still drop-dead sexy. Appearing in over 20,000 photos, one reviewer mentioned she was the fore-runner for every “Suicide Girl” since and even the foundation for fetish fashion.

I was outbid on Ebay after a $30.00 bid for this old postcard featuring our downtown offices in 1908. According the description of the seller, this is a picture postcard that features the old Bank of Kingsport on the corner of Main and Broad.

One of my friends tells me this is a rare photo because it shows the downtown building with no adjacent buildings. I like it too because of the car out front and my only question is whether the local parking police had a two-hour limit?

Nevertheless, this is a great picture of this old historic building.

David Oaks is a true gentleman. He has a Southern grace that typifies the very best you’ll find in a community minded neighbor. He’s a published author of the book ‘Misty Mountain Morn‘ and he’s an inspiring business partner for his tireless efforts as the ‘ring-leader’ of Kingsport’s Netherland Inn. He called a week ago and we couldn’t help but jump at the offer to cover his new Friday night picking party at one of East Tennessee’s enduring historic sites.

Last Friday, we covered one of the new Bluegrass at Netherland Inn events that David and several other volunteers and musicians are bringing to the Inn. There’s no charge for the entertainment and the warm acoustic sounds of some of East Tennessee’s most talented players sounds great inside this 200 year old inn. There’s old timers who bring a legacy of rich bluegrass roots and you’ll also treat yourself – like we did, to the hope of a new generation of young artists that left us spellbound.

Check out this new video feature from GoTriCities and hear David talk about the weekly event and enjoy the music of GC Matlock and others. Don’t miss the beautiful voice of Savannah Vaughn too. This 14 year old is a star in the making and you can hear more every Friday night at The Netherland Inn.

The mountains of East Tennessee and Southwest Virginia are home to many legendary musicians. From the Birthplace of Country Music , The Carter Fold and Dollywood, there’s a legacy of memorable players around the region and when it comes to Big Band Music, you might not guess that Kingsport is home to a legend too.

At 78 years of age, Charles Goodwin is a native son of Kingsport – a rarity whose talents include those of an arranger, performer and band leader and who’s still going strong. In the past, he’s performed with the likes of Charlie Spivak, Woody Herman and many others. The years haven’t slowed him down any either – he regularly performs with orchestras, festivals and many of the most prestigious venues and players in the region.

When Dave Carter called me a few weeks ago to tell me that Charles was going to perform live on his radio program Studio One, I immediately made the date to bring our video cameras and record this iconic musician. The thought had crossed my mind several months ago and when Dave said he was going to be bringing a quartet for this intimate setting, it was a dream come true.

Photos | Videos

There was hardly a place to park when we arrived at Kingsport’s MeadowView Convention Center a couple of weeks ago to see The Carousel. There wasn’t a convention, but there were plenty of parties going behind those doors on December 1st.

Gary Taylor’s daughter asked him several months ago if he would consider getting the old band back together for her wedding reception. Her dad played guitar for The Carousel in the late sixties and this turned out to be an important era of our small-town musical as this act cultured plenty of talent like Jim Shields, Bill Robinson, Ray Berry, Fred Goodwin and David Sproles. These guys hadn’t performed together for close to forty years and although he wasn’t sure he could pull it off – here they were for one night only – forty years later on December 1, 2007.

Straight to photos…

I’m certain no other grocery store in the country had a gala opening like Food City last night in the Crown Point Shopping Center in Kingsport. The mayor was there, the Chamber of Commerce, a state delegate or two, movers and shakers and there was plenty of food too as ‘Bristol’s Own Dixieland Band’ opened the doors to Kingsport’s new Food City Tuesday night.

It may have been raining outside, but the bustle of the holiday season was never more obvious as people gathered in the cold rain for the much-anticipated opening of one of Kingsport’s most popular grocery stores. It’s been in business for about 20 years at this location and it was a surprise when they shut the store last Spring, tore it down, rearranged all of small stores around the complex and opened one of the most stunning retail re-creations in our city.

Read on, or check out the pictures from the special event…

Lately I’ve discovered one of the many reasons I like living in Kingsport and Northeast Tennessee is the realization that I find bliss and happiness (in general) only a few steps away. My friends have even used the word “pollyanna” to add a bit more vocabulary to my self-perception.

At the moment, I’m fortunate to work with an inspiring and influential group of people to improve the quality of life in our region. Tonight, I ran across another blog entry at a site called “R a n D o M n E s s . . .” and it makes our story a bit more telling.

Kingsport resident, Paul Rebrovich is a Vietnam Veteran and he reminds me how fortunate we are to have citizens that are true heros. A son has blogged his father’s recent Letter to the Editor at Kingsport Times-News.

Glad to be in your hometown Paul. We honor all soldiers every day.

My dad wrote this:
From: “R a n D o M n E s s . . .”

Veteran honors citizens of Kingsport

In recognition of Veterans Day, I would like the reverse things. This veteran honors the citizens of Kingsport and Eastern Tennessee.

Upon our retirement nearly seven years ago, my wife and I relocated from western New York to Kingsport. We chose Eastern Tennessee for numerous reasons, such as climate, affordability, mountains and laid-back lifestyle.

Never being active in any veterans organizations, this past spring my wife and I joined the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 979. Subsequently, we participated in the Fourth of July parade in Kingsport. While marching in the parade I was overwhelmed with emotion by the genuine outpouring of appreciation and gratitude exhibited by the spectators lining the parade route. With tears flowing, I remarked to my wife “I left Vietnam 37 years ago, and now I feel as though I finally arrived home.”

Thank you Kingsport and citizens of Eastern Tennessee for giving me and my wife one of the most heartwarming experiences of our lives. It was an honor serving Americans such as you and makes me so proud to be an American veteran!

Paul Rebrovich