Hey Kingsport,
Spring arrived this week whether we were ready for it or not. The Bradford pears are doing their thing, the windows are cracked, and the weekend actually looks worth showing up for. That is enough reason to get out of the house.
This week we have got a feature on one of the more interesting community events coming to Kingsport in April, a couple of quick hits worth knowing about, three things to do starting tonight, and a House Hunch that looks a little different than usual. More on that at the bottom.
Let's get into it
In this week's post:
Taste of Small Business Kingsport: what it is and why it matters
Community Partners: M2 Construction
Quick Hits: GellyBall Easter event, Fun Fest 2026 merch reveal
What's Happening This Weekend
House Hunch: Presented by Selling Stateline
Community Partners
FEATURE
On Monday, April 20th, from 5:00 to 7:30 PM at MeadowView Convention Center, the Taste of Small Business Kingsport brings together 21 of the city's restaurants, food trucks, coffee shops, and vendors for a one-night sampling experience that is exactly what it sounds like. You walk in, you eat, you meet the people behind the food, and you leave knowing more about your own city than when you arrived.
The participating restaurants include Bellafina, Betty's Stockyard Cafe, Center Street Grill, Chef's Pizzeria, Chocolate Elegance, Cornucopia, Fusion, Krazy Chicken, Le Brique Bistro, Milly's Authentic Jamaican Restaurant, Momma D's, Ole Crow Tavern, Sloopy's Diner, SmashedMeals, Tacos el Mariachi, Taste & See Charcuterie, Taylored Venue & Events, The Reserve, The Wired Whisk, and Urban Brews & Creamery.
That is a wide cross-section of what Kingsport's food culture actually looks like: different cuisines, different neighborhoods, different owners, all agreeing to show up in the same room and let the city try what they have built. All proceeds go directly back to the participating businesses.
This is how Kingsport works at its best. These restaurants compete for your dollars every single week. They are all trying to earn your regular table, your birthday reservation, your Tuesday night takeout order. And yet here they are, side by side, handing you a sample and shaking your hand.
Competition makes everyone sharper. Collaboration makes the whole city better. April 20th is both happening at once.
Tickets are $30 in advance and available at most participating restaurants, or $40 at the door if they have not sold out. Mingle, eat, and enter for door prize giveaways.
If you have not been to half of these places, this is the night to fix that.
QUICK HITS
If your family needs something to do on April 4th that is not another egg hunt, the Glow Arena has a different idea. From 1:00 to 4:00 PM, the Easter Bunny, a baby chick, and a giant carrot will be roaming the glow-in-the-dark arena, and your job is to take them out with live-action GellyBall target shooting. Seven dollars per event hopper. Bring the whole crew.
The official Fun Fest 2026 shirts are out, and this year's design is a postage stamp theme that actually works. Four colorways, the classic sunny mascot, and all the Kingsport summer icons you would expect. If you are the type to grab your shirt before the crowds do, now is the time. Fun Fest is closer than it feels.
WHAT’S HAPPENING THIS WEEKEND
Blue Ridge Artisan Days Easter Festival | MeadowView Convention Center | Today, 3:00 - 7:00 PM | FREE
MeadowView is hosting over 75 local artisans this weekend for the Blue Ridge Artisan Days Easter Festival. Free admission, free parking, a Creation Station for kids, raffles, and a chance to meet the Easter Bunny. If you need a reason to get out of the house this afternoon, this is a good one. Saturday hours run 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM if today does not work.
Scratch Mold Workshop | The Inventor Center | Tonight, 6:00 - 8:00 PM
The Inventor Center is running a scratch mold workshop tonight where you scratch your own design into a five-inch sand mold, and professional artists cast it in molten iron during the Kingsport ARTS Festival on April 18th. Your finished piece comes home with you on April 27th. Open to all skill levels, ages six and up with an adult. Advance registration required at Eventbrite. Additional sessions run Saturday morning and afternoon if tonight is full.
Saul Brooks | The Sports Mill | Tonight, 8:00 - 10:00 PM
Live music at The Sports Mill tonight with Saul Brooks. Six hundred East Market Street, 8:00 PM. A good way to end a Friday.
HOUSE HUNCH
We are doing something a little different this week.
This one is not a family home with a big backyard. It is a commercial property on E Sullivan Street in the heart of Downtown Kingsport, and it is the kind of listing that makes you stop and think about what is possible.
Two parcels. A studio apartment. Flexible office or retail space. A grass courtyard in the middle of downtown, which is rarer than it sounds. Two detached buildings out back. A pergola. Dedicated parking. And an Opportunity Zone designation on top of it all.
Whether you are an investor looking to add income streams, an entrepreneur who wants a downtown presence, or someone who has been quietly sketching out a live-work setup in their head for years, this property is worth a look.
New HVAC. Roof inspected and confirmed in good condition. Some TLC needed, but the bones are there.
So here is the question. What do you think they are asking for a mixed-use downtown Kingsport property with this much potential?
Selling Stateline is a team of REALTORS with 10 years of experience across Tennessee and Virginia, bringing five times the personality, expertise, and heart to help Tri-Cities families buy, sell, and invest in the place they call home. sellingstateline.com
What Is The Listing Price
BE ON THE LOOKOUT
Beyond Dopesick | Healthy Kingsport Healthy Kingsport is hosting "Beyond Dopesick," a community event focused on addiction recovery and what healing looks like in our region. If this is something your family has been touched by, this is a room worth being in. [Registration link]
Grand Funk Railroad is Coming to the Fourth of July Kingsport's fifth annual Red White and Boom celebration just announced its headliner: Grand Funk Railroad, live on Main Street downtown on July 4th, with food trucks, fireworks, and games rounding out the day. Known for "We're an American Band" and "The Loco-Motion," this is the kind of announcement you mark the calendar for. More acts still to come.
COMMUNITY PARTNERS
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WHAT I NEED FROM YOU
This newsletter works best when it's a conversation. If you know a story that needs to be told, a person doing something interesting, or a place in Kingsport that matters to you, send it my way. Every documentary, every feature, every post starts with someone saying "you should look into this."
That's it for this week. Thanks for trusting me with your inbox. Let's tell some stories.
Talk soon,
Ryan