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Free Rides: Kingsport Carousel
Kingsport Carousel Offers Free Rides on New Year’s Eve
This New Year’s Eve, Kingsport Carousel is letting riders spin round-and-round as they round out the year. All those interested in riding the carousel on Friday, December 31st can do so for free, as the beloved attraction waives its usual $1 entry fee.
This free day of rides was sponsored by John Gilmer in memory of his late parents, John C. and Mitzi Gilmer.
The Kingsport Carousel is in its 7th year of operation in Downtown Kingsport, having first opened July 2015. The Carousel project took over 6 years to complete and is the product of thousands of hours of work from local volunteers, who handcrafted each wooden component of the ride. The ride now stands as a Kingsport landmark, hosting visitors 5 days a week, all year long.
“The community is so grateful to the Gilmer family for sponsoring the rides on New Year’s Eve. It allows riders of all ages to share in the joy of the carousel. This is a great way to honor and remember John C. and Mitzi Gilmer,” says Hannah Powell, Kingsport Cultural Arts Program Coordinator.
The Carousel will be open on New Year’s Eve from 12:30 -5:00 p.m. For more information, please visit arts.kingsporttn.gov or call 423-392-8416.
About the Office of Cultural Arts
The Office of Cultural Arts (OCA), part of the City of Kingsport, connects, coordinates and engages the public with a creative community. We operate the Renaissance Arts Center, the Farmer’s Market, the Kingsport Carousel, the Carousel Fine Craft Show, Kingsport Public Art Program, Engage Kingsport Performing Arts Series and a broad range of support to the area’s arts organizations. The OCA works in tandem with Engage Kingsport, Inc., the “Friends of the Cultural Arts” group, a private, volunteer-led 501(c)3 non-profit community organization.
About the City of Kingsport
Founded in 1917, the City of Kingsport (pop. 55,400) is located on the Tennessee-Virginia border at the crossroads of I-81 and I-26 near the geographic center of the eastern U.S. The city is widely known as a planned community, designed by renowned city planner John Nolen and wrapping around the foot of Bays Mountain – a 3,500-acre park, nature preserve, planetarium and observatory. Kingsport is recognized as an International Safe Community by the National Safety Council, a Healthier Tennessee community, and won the 2009 Harvard Innovations in American Government Award for its higher education initiatives. While many city names are duplicated throughout the U.S., there’s only one Kingsport – a fact that invokes community pride, known locally as the “Kingsport Spirit.”
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