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Letter from the Publisher
FOUNDER/PUBLISHER Angela J. Baker CO-OWNER Mickey J. Baker CREATIVE DIRECTOR Angelica Ares
She Says ...
DIRECTOR OF SALES Felicia Conners SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGIST EVENT COORDINATOR Jon Lester ACCOUNT MANAGERS Lark Adams 423.612.3583 Lark@vipseenmag.com April Barnes 423.646.4626 april@vipseenmag.com Sally Dodson 423.612.3758 sally@vipseenmag.com Jacqueline Joseph 423.367.6785 Jacqueline@vipseenmag.com Becky Ramsey 423.646.9490 becky@vipseenmag.com COPY EDITOR Lucy Honeychurch CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Jennifer Ares Emma Ayers Pam Blair Liz Bushong Linda Coffey Sherri Jessee Jonathan Lester Savanna McDavid Beth Street PHOTOGRAPHY Mickey J. Baker Lark Adams Emma Ayers Liz Bushong Linda Coffey Jonathan Lester Savanna McDavid
acting
The leaves have mostly all turned the bright colors of Fall. There are some on the ground and families are raking the leaves into piles to jump headfirst into the crunchy concoction of fun. We, as Americans, sometimes take our freedom and what it means to be free for granted. We go about our days blinded by the ever-increasing responsibilities of adulthood. In November, we celebrate the veterans that have made it possible for us to “forget” those sacrifices. It is impossible for us to fully represent the gratitude for those sacrifices that many have endured and continue to endure to provide us with the liberties that we are accustomed to. The veterans that we have met throughout our lives are, in essence, our daily heroes. They are brave, compassionate, patriotic, and selfless to give so much of themselves to many of us whom they will never get to meet. Their bravery, their selflessness, their commitment to a country that stands for freedom and honor cannot go unnoticed. We at VIPSEEN may not be able to reach every veteran in our area, but in this issue we will try to highlight some of our fellow Americans that have become our everyday hero. While putting this issue together, I have come to realize, that it is not only the men and women that stand on the front line that we must recognize, but those that have contributed to all aspects of the military. Those brave men and women behind the lines often go unnoticed as well, so we dedicate this issue to ALL the veterans, whether you have seen the horrors of a war or you’ve helped intelligence find the enemy brigade that will be attacking your fellow American. Freedom comes at a cost. Take the time, not only in November, but everyday to stand together and support the men and women that work relentlessly to protect that very freedom that we sometimes take for granted.
Angelica Ares, Creative Director, angelica_a@vipseenmag.com
DISTRIBUTION Katie Day Bobby Flowers Charles Kilgore Martin Kilgore Mark Kilgore WEBMASTER Robert Neilson Wired Web Development VIPSEEN, Inc., Tri-Cities 151 E. Main Street, Suite 5 Kingsport, TN 37660 423.398.5321 info@vipseenmag.com WWW.VIPSEENMAG.COM
4 | VIPSEEN | NOVEMBER 2016
ON THE COVER
Lt. Colonel Jimmy Bunn (See page 28)
Contents
80
EVENTS
50
FEATURES 8
HONORING OUR VETS
82 2016 HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE
DEPARTMENTS 6 HAPPY 7
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
56 ARTSEEN SWEET & DIRTY’S HANDMADE GOODS 66 NONPROFIT PROFILE
NIGHT OF HOLIDAY MIRACLES
70 VIP BEAUTY
EASY TIPS FOR A FRESH FACE
77 SERVE IT UP SASSY PUTTING ON THE GLITZ! 93 VIP MEN BAND YOUR TIME 94 WIT BIT THANKFUL IN NOVEMBER AND
EVERY OTHER MONTH, OF COURSE.
96 NEW ON THE SCENE
17 24 42 43 48 49 50 50 52 54 55 59 60 61 62 63 63 64 64 65 69 72 73 74 76 80 87 88 89 90 90 91 95
Medal of Honor Luncheon Welcome Home Celebration for our Vietnam Veterans Bootleg Bash & Talent Connect Brewfest at Bristol 2016 MSHA Dragon Boat Festival Kingsport Chamber Halloween Press Release Regional United Way Kickoff 6th Annual Elected Officials Volunteer Day CASA of Northeast TN Par-Tee & Golf Tournament Lawn by the Lake Concert Prestige Aesthetics & Penny Woods Skincare 1-Year Anniversary Abingdon Main Street Busker Fest Crumley House Polynesian Beach Party Celebration of Women Artists Performance Medicine Ladies Night Out Dawn of Hope Golf Classic Kingsport Chamber Fourth Friday Breakfast Home Instead Caregiver Appreciation Luncheon Monkee’s of Johnson City After Hours Gourmet Chef Michael McKnight at Olive Oil Divine Low Country Boil & The Elephant Revival Ride for Memories 6th Annual Motorcycle Event Tri-Cities Apartment Association After Hours Event The Farmer and the Chef Downtown Kingsport Association’s Sip & Stroll Battle at Bristol Grown & Gathered Benefit Dinner Family Fun Ride The Bristol Hotel – Christening Ceremony Outdoor Sculpture Competition Expedition Hokie vs. Smokie Golf Tournament 2016 Eastman Road Race Sushi at Sunset NOVEMBER 2016 | VIPSEEN | 5
Happy November
Happy Birthday Chase! I Love You My Sweet Boy!
Happy Birthday Shelly Garber! We Love You!
Happy 45th Birthday Stephen Baker! Happy 40th Birthday Josh Doty!
Happy Birthday Robyn Berrigan!
Happy Birthday My Sweet Niece Aislyn! I Love You!
Happy Birthday Linda! We Love You! Your VIPSEEN Family!
Happy 27th Birthday Erica Seals!
Happy Birthday Donna Crawford!
Happy Birthday Chadi Jarjoura!
6 | VIPSEEN | NOVEMBER 2016
Happy Birthday Brian Shelby!
Happy Birthday April! We Love You! Your VIPSEEN Family!
An AMAZING 31 years & looking forward to the rest of our lives together! I Love You!, Love, Kim Pace
Happy 25th Birthday Hailey! Love, Dad & Mom (Stan & Kim Pace)
Happy Birthday Christie Willis!
Happy Birthday Stephenie McMillan!
Happy Birthday Sam Pulitzer!
Happy Birthday Beth! We Love You! Your VIPSEEN Family!
Happy Birthday Jenny Vicars!
Happy Birthday, Jurnee Carr!
Happy Birthday Christe Jennings!
Happy Birthday Jonathan Lovelace!
Happy Birthday Brian Trent!
Happy Birthday Janyce Dudney!
Happy Birthday Carol Hicks!
Happy Birthday Amy Lawson!
Happy Birthday Wendy Thompson!
Happy Birthday Toby Franklin!
Happy 56th Birthday Rick Pannell!
Happy Birthday Gary Stevens!
Calendar of Events / NOVEMBER 2016 NOVEMBER 3 Sippin’ & Shoppin’ The Carnegie Johnson City, TN 6 pm 423-926-6528 www.cac1st.org The Holiday Merchant Open House Downtown Kingsport Kingsport, TN 5 pm – 8 pm 423- 246-6550 sherri@downtownkingsport.org Mistletoe Gala Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center Abingdon, VA 7 pm – 10 pm 276-628-5005 ext. 111 www.williamkingmuseum.org/mistletoemarket NOVEMBER 4 Mistletoe Market through November 6th Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center Abingdon, VA 4th – 5th 9 am to 6 pm 6th 11 am to 5 pm 276-628-5005 www.williamkingmuseum.org/mistletoemarket Stigma Stops Now Gala The Millennium Centre Johnson City, TN 6 pm 423-467-3742 www.stigmastopsnow.com Spirits of the Season 2016 Johnson City Country Club Johnson City, TN 7 pm – 9 pm www.spiritsoftheseason.org Gangster Gala Kingsport Farmers Market Kingsport, TN 7-11 pm www.JLKingsport.org Romeo & Juliet: An Appalachian Adaptation Broad Street Kingsport, TN 7 pm 423-276-3546 www.statetheatrecompany.com The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Jonesborough Repertory Theatre 125 W Main St. Jonesborough, TN 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm 423-753-1010 www.jonesboroughtheatre.com NOVEMBER 5 Romeo & Juliet: ShakesBEER Broad Street Kingsport, TN 10 pm 423-276-3546 www.statetheatrecompany.com
Ladies’ Pinterest Party Boones Creek Bible Church Johnson City, TN 10 am 423-477-3011 bcbc_office@comcast.net
NOVEMBER 12 YWCA Turkey Trot & Gobbler’s Gait 5k YWCA Bristol, TN 8 am ywca@ywcabristol.org
ACS Masquerade Semi-Formal and Silent Auction DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Johnson City, TN 6 pm – 10 pm 423-975-0635 Jessica.poff@cancer.org Or OglesbyT@etsu.edu
Travis Tritt: In Concert NPAC Niswonger Performing Arts Center Greeneville, TN 7:30 pm – 9 pm www.npacgreeneville.ticketforce.com
Red Shoe Masquerade Kings Centre Johnson City, TN 423-461-3500 www.facebook.com/CASANETN FRIENDS Family Movie Day: “Trolls” Marquee Cinemas at The Pinnacle Bristol, TN 11 am 6webbs@centurylink.net Orphan Run 4 Hope Tweetsie Trail Head Johnson City, TN 4 pm – 7 pm www.thegoosechase.org/the-smores-run 2016 Walk for Wellness Expo 400 Clinchfield St. Kingsport, TN 10 am – 1 pm www.healthykingsport.org NOVEMBER 6 ETSU Homecoming 5k ETSU Johnson City, TN 2 pm 423-439-7980 www.etsu.edu/rec A Walk in their Boots 2016 Living History Event Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park Elizabethton, TN 10 am – 4 pm NOVEMBER 8 The Cherry Bounce Show: The Election Day Hootenanny William King Museum of Art Abingdon, VA 12 pm – 12 am 276-708-6868 eds9g@uvawise.edu or 276-628-5005 ext. 119 chietala@wkmuseum.org NOVEMBER 11 37th Annual Christmas Connection through November 13th Civic Auditorium Kingsport, TN 11th 12 pm – 6 pm 12th 10 am – 6 pm 13th 12 pm – 5 pm 423-392-8414
NOVEMBER 13 6th Annual Speedway in Lights 5k Race/ Walk Bristol Motor Speedway 6 pm betsy@bristolmotorspeedway.com phil@fleetfeetkingsport.com NOVEMBER 15 Casting Crowns: In Concert Freedom Hall Civic Center Johnson City, TN 7 pm www.premierproductions.com NOVEMBER 18 Honoring Our Heroes Boys & Girls Club Kingsport, TN 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm 423-230-4160 x231 www.kbgc.org Night of Lights Gala Hands On! Regional Museum Johnson City, TN 6:30 pm 423-434-4263 x108 www.handsonmuseum.org
Little Women, The Broadway Musical through December 4th Theatre Bristol ARTspace Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 Pm Sundays at 2:30 pm 423-212-3625 www.theatrebristol.org NOVEMBER 19 2nd Annual Turkey Throw Down Fit 4 Life Farm Limestone, TN 9 am – 2 pm www.fit4lifefarm.sites.zenplanner.com 37th Annual Santa Train Downtown Kingsport Kingsport, TN 3 pm 423- 246-6550 sherri@downtownkingsport.org Kingsport Christmas Parade Main Street Kingsport, TN 3:30 pm 423- 246-6550 sherri@downtownkingsport.org NOVEMBER 24 Johnson City Up and At ‘Em Turket Trot Downtown Johnson City www.jcturkeytrot.com info@thegoosechase.org 423-946-0519 NOVEMBER 25 Pea Pickin’ Hearts Yee-Haw Brewing Company Johnson City, TN 7 pm www.yeehawbrewing.com
NOVEMBER @ BARTER THEATRE Winter Wheat Oct 6 – Nov 12 (BARTER THEATRE STAGE II)
“As history often proves, truth is much more exciting than fiction.” Book and lyrics by Catherine Bush | Music and vocal arrangements by Ben Mackel The world is about to change. In the small East Tennessee town of Niota in 1920, the Burn family is experiencing a lot of change all at once: Their first tractor, indoor plumbing, and a young girl who unexpectedly comes into their lives, while the country is abuzz over the controversial Constitutional Amendment that might give women the right to vote. This musical journey explores the personal relationships, the change in lives, and the stakes for the men and women in a time of deep conflict and controversy. How can one person’s action affect history? In the end, it comes down to a single state: Tennessee, and the Tennessee vote is to be decided by a single man, Harry Burn from Niota. A true story. Winter Wheat is play number five of this new and exciting series. OTHER SHOWS FOR THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER: CHICAGO; THE GIVER; A CHRISTMAS CAROL; OVER THE RIVER AND THROUGH THE WOODS; ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS MY TWO FRONT TEETH
Visit www.bartertheatre.com or call 423-628-3991 for show times and to purchase tickets.
NOVEMBER 2016 | VIPSEEN | 7
VIPSEEN
Honoring Our Veterans Thank you to these great companies for making this Special VIP Exclusive Section possible:
A Partnership of Top-Ranked Universities with a Space for You.
8 | VIPSEEN | NOVEMBER 2016
BY LUCY HONEYCHURCH
M
any of us take for granted the freedoms that have been earned for us by generations of fighting men and women. Those who join the military often do so with different reasons and goals in mind, but one thing is certain: they do their job with pride. Whatever the reason for going into the military, the different branches offer positive and lifelong learning experiences that many of the region’s veterans use in his/her communities once they leave the service. Leadership skills, quick-thinking, calm under pressure, and an all-encompassing worldview are just a few of the skills that veterans bring to civilian jobs. This month we celebrate and recognize just a few of the veterans in the Tri-Cities who have worked and still work to make the East Tennessee/Southwest Virginia region a great place to live. They lend their skills learned in the Armed Forces to those in the civilian workplace and civilian community in order to better the world we live in. If you have no family member that is a veteran then thank any veteran, not just on November 11th, but every day of the year. Let all of our veterans know that we are thankful and proud of his/her service both to the country at large and for our small corner of the world.
Honoring Our Vets Special Section Table of Contents 10 HONOR FLIGHT 14 PROFILE: LAWRENCE SHOEMAKER 16 WREATHS ACROSS AMERICA 18 PROFILE: JACK BLEVINS 22 PROFILE: DAVID COFFEY 28 PROFILE: JIMMY D. BUNN 30 TC-MAC RESOURCES GUIDE 32 FOOD CITY PVA AWARD 33 THANK YOU’S
NOVEMBER 2016 | VIPSEEN | 9
VIPSEEN Honoring Our Vets
HONOR FLIGHT
If
you were watching the local news at all on Friday October 9, you saw news accounts of the Honor Flight leaving and returning. You probably didn’t think much about what was going on, but I’m going to try and explain how important these flights are. The youngest of the veterans that served in World War II are now about 85 years old – most are close to 90. A WWII veteran dies about every 2 minutes (over 500 a day). And with every death, we are one step closer to losing our connection with what has been proven over and over to be the “greatest generation.” These men and women, like everyone who serves in the military, wrote a symbolic check made out to the United States of America. In the amount space, it said “up to and including my life”. Think about that! It is hard to imagine if you have not ever been in the military what that commitment is. About 1.2 million military members have died during wartime. Millions more left something behind in their service. Limbs are the most visible scars, but there are millions more suffering less apparent issues. For the men on this Honor Flight, many who will die in the next few years, this trip was probably their last opportunity to see the World War II Memorial. By the time this memorial opened 10 years ago, the vast majority of the veterans of World War II were already dead. We owe these men and women so much, that it is our obligation to honor those who remain. I was fortunate to be a part of this latest Honor Flight as a Guardian. My veteran served in the military during the Korean War at the Battle of Pork Chop Hill.
The Battle of Pork Chop Hill comprises a pair of related Korean War infantry battles during the spring and summer of 1953. These were fought while the U.S. and the Communist Chinese and Koreans negotiated an armistice. In the U.S., they were controversial because of the many soldiers killed for terrain of no strategic or tactical value, although the Chinese lost many times the number of US soldiers killed and wounded. Four of the thirteen U.S. company commanders were killed. Total U.S. 10 | VIPSEEN | NOVEMBER 2016
STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY KATHY J. MATNEY
casualties were 243 killed, 916 wounded; one of which was the veteran I was with, and nine captured. 163 of the dead were never recovered. To have the opportunity to help him, and so many others, visit the war memorials in Washington was a privilege and an honor. More impressive was the reception these heroes received at every place they visited. Conservatively, a thousand people shook my veteran’s hand and thanked him for his service; a hundred took their picture with him. For several with little to say, it was a bit overwhelming, and yet they and every other veteran deserve this praise and respect. After a long tiring day of travel, the homecoming at the Best Western in Johnson City, Tennessee was humbling. As we walked down the concourse towards the lobby where you often see a couple people waiting for their loved ones, we began to hear voices. As we came into view of the lobby, the voices became cheers, and the cheers became a roar. Every veteran, as tired as they were, stood and walked a little bit straighter. Those in wheelchairs sat up as tall and proud as they could. I’d guess almost 500 people were on hand, clapping, yelling, waving flags, shaking hands, taking pictures while a band and bagpipes played. They were young and old, soldiers, sailors, police officers, bikers, other veterans, and just citizens of the area who thought these men deserved something special. As we passed through this crowd, again shaking hands, posing for photos, it was hard to tell if the veterans or the crowd was more excited. Some of the veterans had tears in their eyes. Some were outright crying. Many in the crowd were crying as they yelled and clapped. Needless to say it was both an emotional and joyous occasion. Now, it’s time for you to do your part to help the remaining WWII veterans in the Northeast Tennessee area fulfill their destiny and see the monuments that were built to honor their service. If you know a World War II veteran, get them signed up for an honor flight. At least get their name on the list. There are limited openings, and the oldest and sickest are given priority.
HOW CAN YOU HELP?
Make a donation! It costs about $500 per veteran to make the trip. Consider funding a veteran. It that’s too much, get together with a few friends and fund a trip. Honor Flights accepts donations of any amount – except – they will not accept donations from WWII veterans. These flights honor them, and are provided free of charge. Consider becoming a Guardian. You will never feel better about anything you have ever done. To see the quiet dignity of these veterans, and know you played a small part in helping them achieve a day they will never forget is priceless. However being a Guardian does have a price. You have to pay your own way, so it costs $375.00 to be a guardian (tax deductible) – probably the best money you will ever spend. If your civic organization, company, or church, wants to be a major sponsor, $20,000 will take an entire contingent of veterans on their Honor Flight. While you will get some recognition, I hope that’s not why you would make the investment. You can make donations, fill out an application for a veteran, or to be a guardian at their web site Contact us by Web-Site www.honorflightnetn.org, our Facebook page Honor Flight of North East Tennessee, or call Edie Lowry @ 423-330-6189.
I want what I write today, to serve two purposes. To pay tribute to the veterans and to encourage whoever might read this, to thank a veteran. Many times our veterans are taken for granted. For the dozens of freedoms that we ordinary citizens have enjoyed every single day of our lives in America, we are grateful to you. We take it all for granted, you know, and only express our thanks one day a year. I’m ashamed of that, truly ashamed. We hardly ever stop to even consider the sacrifices you have made in far away places, with scant comfort, if any at all, and yet you didn’t complain. You just continued to serve and give and demonstrate genuine love for us every day. Day in and day out; In danger; In fatigue; In strange places all over the world. We are more indebted to you than we will ever even comprehend. And it is also true, that unless one has been in battle, one does not truly understand the depth of your passion for liberty. You have served and fought for the greatest Nation in the history of civilization. There has never been a grievous wrong that good Americans have not sought to rectify. There has never been a just cause on which America has turned her back for long. You, our soldiers, have been and continue to be, the greatest force for freedom and human rights ever gathered. You have raised our flag around the world, not for domination, but to bring greater liberty and a better way of life. You are the reason America remains a beacon of hope to the entire world. You seek neither glory nor riches, nor even fame. You are our best, our brightest, our bravest. Please always know that even when we don’t show it, we love you. We appreciate you. We thank you. And we will never forget you or forsake you. From the days of the Revolutionary War through the two World Wars of the 20th century and the regional conflicts of the 21st, our veterans have stood on the front lines to preserve all of the freedoms that the United States of America enjoys. As a result, every veteran deserves our gratitude. NOVEMBER 2016 | VIPSEEN | 11
Elizabeth Dye Financial Advisor 114 East Main St. Kingsport, TN 37660 (423) 723-0321
Les Wright, CFP® Financial Advisor 444 Clinchfield St. Suite 301 Kingsport, TN 37660 (423) 378-5678
Stacey Roberts Financial Advisor 3616 Netherland Inn Rd. Suite 5 Kingsport, TN 37660 (423) 246-9248
Robert Hollo Financial Advisor 1323 Hwy 394 Suite F Blountville, TN 37617 (423) 279-7752
Edward Jones Salutes the courage and loyalty of our troops, both now and in the past. Thank you.
Stu Fisher, CFP®, CLU®, AAMS® Financial Advisor 1567 N Eastman Rd. Suite 10 Kingsport, TN 37664 (423) 245-0021
Stu Fisher, CFP®, CLU®, AAMS® Financial Advisor
www.edwardjones.com
Member SIPC
MKT-9811-A
.
Bryan Hawk, CFP® Financial Advisor 135 Marketplace Blvd. Suite 107 Johnson City, TN 37604 (423) 929-9093
1567 N Eastman Road Suite 10 Kingsport, TN 37664 423-245-0021
Joe Holifield, AAMS® Financial Advisor 2020 Northpark Suite 1F Johnson City, TN 37604 (423) 929-2066
Howard Hunt, CFP®, AAMS® Financial Advisor 3300 Browns Mill Rd. Suite 205 Johnson City, TN 37604 (423) 610-0465
David Dau, CFP®, AAMS® Financial Advisor 406 Roy Martin Rd. Suite 5 Gray, TN 37615 (423) 477-2870
James Lawson, AAMS® Financial Advisor 405 E Main St. Suite A Wise, VA. 24293 (276) 328-6293
Rob Simis, AAMS® Financial Advisor 26 Lee Street Bristol, VA. 24201 (276) 466-5224
Rita Kiscaden, AAMS Financial Advisor 191 Bristol East Rd. Suite 101 Bristol, VA. 24202 (276) 669-7188
Teresa Ring Financial Advisor 309 Eighth Street Bristol, TN 37620 (423) 652-2850
Jason Sturgill, AAMS® Financial Advisor 41854 East Morgan Ave Pennington Gap, VA. 24277 (276) 546-2650
Cindy Thurlow Financial Advisor 2913 Boones Creek Rd. Suite 8 Johnson City, TN 37615 (423) 282-4354
Dustin Jackson Financial Advisor 337 E Elk Ave. Elizabethton, TN 37643 (423) 543-7848
Thomas Davis Financial Advisor 305 Lawson Ave. Suite 2 Elizabethton, TN 37643 (423) 543-2018
Lee House, CFP®, AAMS® Financial Advisor 3465 E Andrew Johnson Hwy. Suite 2 Greeneville, TN 37745 (423) 638-6956
VIPSEEN Honoring Our Vets: Profile
Lawrence STORY BY HEATH OWENS
It
SHOEMAKER
was a chilly night in early May of 1945, just after American troops received knowledge that World War II was ending in Europe. After the news arrived, Lawrence Shoemaker and 73 members of his company decided to leave their camp in Czechoslovakia a night early, not wanting to wait a minute longer to get back to the American camp across the German border. They asked their guard if they could leave alone that night instead of waiting until the war was officially over the next morning, and although they knew it was unsafe, they wanted to make the journey immediately. After leaving around 6:00 p.m. and eight following hours of walking in safety, the group was commanded to “halt,” by a 12-13 year old German boy around 2:00 in the morning. Much to their surprise, he spoke English, and the first words out of his mouth were “are you Americans?” Shoemaker and his company responded in the affirmative and the boy said “follow me, I’ve been taking prisoners in all night.” They were shocked to be lead to an American outpost just across the German border. The boy got on the phone and a truck came to pick them up. They stayed at that outpost until daylight, then loaded the truck which took them to a satisfying breakfast—the first one they’d had in months. “The war was over. We were making our way back,” said Shoemaker. He and his company flew that day from Germany to Reims, France. They spent one night there then flew from Reims into Le Havre, France where they stayed at camp Lucky Strike (named after the cigarettes). They arrived around 2:00 p.m. on May 9 and waited there until June 6 when they loaded the ship and headed back across the Atlantic to the U.S. Nineteen months prior to being sequestered by the young German boy, Shoemaker was drafted into the Armed Forces. The 18-year-old hadn’t been “any further than Pulaski, Virginia,” when he was drafted and was in no hurry to leave home. That’s how he ended up in the Army. “They initially wanted to put me into the Navy but you only have seven days to stay at home after induction,” said Shoemaker. “But you got 14 days for the Marines and 21 days for Army. I didn’t know what difference each branch would entail but I knew that with the Army I got to stay home longer, so that’s what I chose.” His first camp was Fort Mede, Maryland where he stayed for 10 days, followed by Fort Eustis, Virginia, Fort Benning, Georgia, and finally Camp McCain, Mississippi, for his 20 weeks of infantry basic training. “I was home on leave on June 6 of 1944, the day they invaded France (D-Day) and I left the states on the 26 of July. I arrived in that same spot on Omaha Beach on August 12, 1944 and joined my company the very next day.” And from there it began.
14 | VIPSEEN | NOVEMBER 2016
It was two months and one week after D-Day when Shoemaker arrived in France. The day he landed, his company was in battle. After that battle was finished, they waited in Saint-Lo, France for about two weeks before being shipped to the Germany/Belgium border. He worked in Kemnath, Germany starting the first week of October. “I worked in an automobile factory. One day, the village was bombed and the factory where I worked was destroyed – so from then on out we just did our best to save those who were trapped in buildings or in fires after the bombings. One time I pulled someone out of an elevator who was on the top floor of the building and the elevator fell all the way down to the basement.” They were finally relieved by 106th division on December 10 of 1944. Without much time for recuperation, the infamous Battle of the Bulge followed shortly after on the 16th at 5:30 a.m. That night, going into the battle, Shoemaker experienced one of his most life-threatening situations during the war as his company had to march through a mine field. They walked single file with nothing more than a wire to hold onto, staying along the path away from the mines that the engineers had quickly tested. After making it through by the break of daylight, they rescued prisoners from surrounding buildings and went directly into battle. His division, and one other, held out until 1:30 the next day on December 18. They stopped the Germans cold at the crossroad leading them out of Bastogne (as part of the Siege of Bastogne) until his company was wiped out. Only 12 men were left. They were all captured. “We marched for three days and nights after we were captured, and the first place the Germans took us was a training camp in Muhlenberg, Germany where we stayed for about two weeks. Then we were loaded in box cars and taken to another German camp on the Czech border.” There, the directions fighter planes flew in the sky above was the only indication of the circumstances of the war. “On Christmas Day 1944 I heard that we had lost about 100 bombers in a raid – 1,000 men right there –killed and captured. We saw all the fighter planes in the raid go right over our head before they got our men,” said Shoemaker. “We had stopped working for lunch and watched our planes going over head when suddenly there was a loud noise. We looked up and here was coming a German plane just about 100 feet over our head. And then one of our B-51 fighter planes came right behind it and shot it down—right over us! We said that was our Christmas present for the year.”
They were kept at that camp in Czechoslovakia until the end of the war. Until that evening around 6:00 p.m. on May 7, 1944 when Shoemaker and his company made that 8-hour walk through Czechoslovakia and into Germany. That evening that he saw the German boy: the point that began his journey out of Europe, out of WWII, and back to home. “The day we were liberated was the happiest day of my life I guess. In fact, I know it was,” Shoemaker said. “When we would go walking without the guards we would have to be careful, even though the war had ended. Once, we met German troops along a road and there were two or three trucks and a tank of German soldiers who stopped—so we stopped. After a minute of tension, the rest of my company walked on but I stayed behind to talk with one of the Germans who spoke good English.” “We had a chat, I wished him luck and said that I hoped he found his family and all. He was relieved it was over too. You know, I even felt sorry for him,” said Shoemaker. “At one time or another I wouldn’t have cared if every German there died, children and all, you just reach that point in war. You get into that thing and it eats on you. But in reality they were just like us—they had to do it. And if they hadn’t have done it they would’ve been put in prison.” Coming back after he left Europe, the war was still going on in the Pacific. Shoemaker and all the other troops coming home from Europe were given a 70-day leave before having to go back for more training. Luckily, he was still pretty healthy when he returned home aside from some weight loss.
After returning home for good, Shoemaker moved to Kingsport and worked for the Kingsport Times Press. After only a couple of days back to work, he met his wife there at the plant. “I started back on January 7 1946 and we were married on the fourth of July 1946,” he laughed, after all, that was considered a little hasty. “It worked out though!” After he retired, he joined the Honor Guard with American Legion and helped to do more than 4,500 military funerals over his 24-year tenure. That, along with traveling the world with his wife, are what kept him busy after retirement. “In 1989, I went back over to Europe on a 15-day trip with my wife. We flew into London and boarded a ship over to Caen, France and then a bus took us all the way back to Omaha Beach. We toured our way through France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany and Czechoslovakia. And I didn’t like it. I went back to show [my wife] where I had been, and I’m glad we did it together, but I wouldn’t care if I never see those places again after that.” After 69 years of marriage, Shoemaker’s wife passed away last September due to Alzheimer’s disease. They did not have any children so once she became ill, they moved into an assisted living community where the 91-year-old man still lives today. As he sits at his arm chair, looking at his case of medals and honors sitting on a glass shelf, digging through photo albums of old tattered sepia-toned prints in uniform, his time during WWII is reflected through
“But me? I’m not a hero,” said Lawrence Shoemaker. “I’m just a member of the team.” “I weighed about 165 pounds when I was captured and probably 120 when I was liberated. I was a lucky one though. Some of the others who had weighed 200 pounds at first were down under 100. Some of them turned up just skin and bones.” More than anything, after returning home, Shoemaker was worried about the war in Japan. He was afraid that after his leave he would probably have to go fight in the Pacific. But his experiences as a German prisoner of war changed things for him. “I had made up my mind that if I did have to go, I was not going to surrender. I was going to make them kill me. I did not want to face the Japanese as a prisoner. The Japanese seemed unhuman—they didn’t care. You train for the things that you expect, but when you get into the battle it is altogether different,” Shoemaker said. “What they train you for is impossible to really know once you’re there.” Despite these worries, he enjoyed his time at home: It was just like old times after a week or so. He ate a lot, gained his weight back and moved into a new house with his mother and brothers (who have also both served in the Armed Forces). Once his leave was finished, he was sent down to Asheville for nine days then to South Carolina, just outside of Spartanburg. He stayed there until they had news that the war was finally over in September of 1945. He was stationed at his camp until just after Thanksgiving, then was officially discharged. “I was glad with President Truman’s decision to drop the bombs and end the war. I know it was hard and there were a lot of men, women, and children who lost their lives. But if we would have invaded Japan we were estimated to lose at least 1.5 million men and they would’ve lost 3.5 million (as opposed to an estimated 200,000 killed by the bombs). It was a hard choice. A lose-lose situation. But it needed to be done.”
the core of his being. He remembers exact dates and numbers so precise that he says he can remember “better back then than he can yesterday.” With every story told and with every intricate detail, it is evident that time is what shaped the man he became throughout the rest of his life. “I mentioned the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Once I was doing a military funeral at Oak Hill, and after, a service a lady came to talk to me (he was Color Guard Commander at that time). She walked up and said that of all the military services she had ever been to, that we had done the best. Of course that made me feel great—but you’ll never guess who she was,” he said. “She told me that she was the daughter of Colonel Paul Tibbets, the pilot of the Enola Gay, the plane that bombed Nagasaki. Her father had just passed away 4 or 5 years ago.” Shoemaker says that recognitions like this make him proud to have served in the Armed Forces, especially during WWII. He says that he fought amongst some heroes in his own company, and even more so respects the true forgotten heroes—those who didn’t get to come back. One of these being William D. Soderman, a man in his company who received the Congressional Medal of Honor during the Battle of the Bulge. Another, Billy B. Hill, who was wounded and came home early in December 1944 when he went out on patrol and felt a landmine under his feet. He told the 11 others that he was with he was standing over the mine and told them to scatter. He had nothing to do but to dive off as it exploded—but he survived. “But me? I’m not a hero,” said Lawrence Shoemaker. “I’m just a member of the team.” NOVEMBER 2016 | VIPSEEN | 15
VIPSEEN Honoring Our Vets
Don’t Say I Should Have. Say I Did.
For those who do not know about Wreaths Across America, if you have ever seen a picture of Arlington National Cemetery covered in snow, with green wreaths adorning the headstones… that was because of Wreaths Across America. On Dec. 12, 2015, Wreaths Across America, with the help of thousands of volunteers, placed wreaths on the headstones of more than 235,000 Veterans at Arlington National Cemetery. Across the U.S., over 900,000 wreaths were placed in honor of Veterans at 1100 locations. There have been ceremonies at Valley Forge, at overseas cemeteries, and on ships at sea. The American Battle Monuments Commission administers, operates and maintains 25 permanent American military cemeteries and 27 federal memorials, monuments, and markers, which are located in 16 foreign countries. This year’s Remembrance ceremony for Mountain Home is set for December 17, at 12:00 Noon…rain or shine…or snow. But, regardless of the weather, for those of us there, it will be a beautiful day. Last year, over 3,100 wreaths were placed at Mountain Home. As of September 1st of this year, Mountain Home had over 16,000 Veterans interred, including approximately 2,500 Vietnam Era Veterans. We hope to cover as many of those
fallen heroes as possible. But, we do not gather to merely decorate Veterans’ graves. We gather to Remember…not their passing...but their lives, and their service. Every day, in cemeteries all across America, more Veterans are laid to rest. Taps is played, and rifle volleys are fired. A flag is gently folded and presented to a grieving family member in recognition of, and thanks for, that Veteran’s service. We want to honor not only those Veterans, but also Remember the sacrifice and service of those who, like soldiers from long ago, no longer have family members who visit their grave sites to thank them for their service. A WWI Veteran said, “To be killed in war is not the worst that can happen. To be lost is not the worst that can happen...to be forgotten is the worst.” Hopefully, some day, after the names on those stones have been worn away by wind and rain, someone will still come to Remember and to Honor those Veterans. Thank you for joining with us to continue to Remember them. And, not just our local Veterans. For when you honor one Veteran…a husband, father, brother, a friend…you have honored all Veterans, wherever we may be.
Date: December 17 Time: 12:00 Noon – Rain or Shine Place: Mountain Home
Wreath sponsorship forms are available online at tc-mac.org 16 | VIPSEEN | NOVEMBER 2016
FOOD CITY
SEEN IN KINGSPORT
Medal of Honor
Luncheon PHOTOGRAPHY AND STORY BY JON LESTER
It was September 20th, 2016 that the Medal of Honor Luncheon was held at Food City on North Eastman Road where the honoring of Hershel “Woody” Williams (USMC, Ret.), recipient of The Medal of Honor in World War II for the Battle of Iwo Jima. This event was hosted by the Kingsport Chamber and Leadership Kingsport and was presented by Raymond James. Title sponsor was BAE Systems and associate sponsors included Food City, Tri-Cities Military Affairs Council, and WCYB.
Bradley, Ted, and Brad Hoover
A luncheon was held prior to the honoring of Williams; which was in all respects somewhat of a blur. I say this in terms of the words and the delivery in which he spoke, was simply and profoundly indelible. And those very words resonated with the entirety of the room. While listening to Williams, I could not help myself but to examine the room. And what happened was neither surprising, nor was it unfathomable. Silence. Mere and utter silence was present at this very moment. Williams spoke on his deployment to Iwo Jima, where he played a vital role that resulted in one of the most iconic photos in history: the American flag being raised on Mount Suribachi. Joe E. Thompson III, John Davison, Hershel “Woody” Williams, Lt. Gen Fred McCorkle, and Brian S. Lindamood
Miles Burdine
There was not a single person that did not evoke the sight of attentiveness, the hearing of HIStory, and the heart of respect.
PJ Johnson
Hershel “Woody” Williams and Kingsport Mayor John Clark
NOVEMBER 2016 | VIPSEEN | 17
VIPSEEN Honoring Our Vets: Profile
HONOR. COURAGE. COMMITMENT. This is the best of who we are. As Marines, it’s more than that. It’s a life style: the very ethos of the Corps itself. Like the Marines that came before him, these words weren’t just a motto for Staff Sergeant Jack Blevins either. STORY BY SGT. ROBERT BLEVINS USMC I’m going to do my best to tell this story for no other reason than it simply needs to be told. As I begin to think about it I’m not really sure where to start. For me, I could start at the beginning. Jack was my brother and my best friend. We were close growing up and the older we got the better friends we became. We did everything together from playing sports, to hanging out with friends. Jack even followed me into the Marine Corps where we deployed to Iraq together. As brothers, we did a lot together, but for you to understand Jack means you have to know how others viewed him as well. Jack was definitely a “people person.” He had an infectious smile and people were automatically drawn to him. It amazed me then and still does when I think about it. He was a dominant high school athlete in whatever sport he was playing. He would be out there destroying the other teams and for some reason they loved him anyway. No matter how well Jack did against the opponent they still loved him. I was way too competitive for that and I didn’t understand why they all liked him so much. He liked them too, something else I didn’t understand, and he knew all the kids on the opposing teams. I’m sure he would remember what jersey number they wore too if he were still here. I thrived on the competition. I had to win. I hated to lose: still do. Jack loved winning too, but it was more than that for him. He loved to play. He loved interacting with the people he played with and against. Our personalities were different in that way but sports were equally important to us. I think it was that being part of a team that we missed so much after high school that ultimately led us to join and to love the Marines. As my time in the Marines was coming to an end, I found my desire to be a part of a team led me back to coaching. This is where the story is going to change. I was the coach of the varsity boy’s team at TCCS and Jack had started helping with the girl’s team. By this time in his life I should mention 18 | VIPSEEN | NOVEMBER 2016
that he was already a couple years into a devastating cancer diagnosis. Jack’s story isn’t about cancer though; it’s about loving other people and about the relationships that he built with them. I know somewhere he’s reading those words and smiling because he knows I get it now; at least better than I did then. This particular story is about the girls as much as it is my brother Jack. He always referred to them as “my girls” and they had a special connection with him too. The girls had all been through quite the ordeal before Jack started coaching them: they lost a beloved middle school coach to cancer. It was tough on them and I can still remember the tears and the heartache that they carried with them through the end of that season. Somehow, though, the girls rallied around each other and were able to fight their way to the school’s first state championship: played in memory of their lost coach. Since they’d already had such a powerful experience with cancer, when Jack joined the team they were immediately connected to him. He had the attention of those girls like no one else could have. They can all tell better stories than I can about how much they meant to each other. The girl’s basketball team went back to back that season in dominating fashion and had five players make the all-state team: a much deserved feat. Carol Hensley was the state’s most valuable player. She was fun to watch, but she reminded me a lot of Jack. They both smiled while they played, like it was effortless and like there were no cares in the world when they were on the court. They were both very popular too: the kind of people that made everyone feel like they were their best friend. I loved seeing them win that championship together. I’m going to fast forward now to the next season. I was still coaching the boys, but Jack was helping with the girls in a more limited fashion. He’d
STAFF SERGEANT JACK BLEVINS lost a ton of weight and his hair. He was weak and sick a lot. He also had to travel to MD Anderson in Houston for many of his treatments and he’d be gone for weeks at a time. The illness was taking a lot out of him, so much so, that just getting through the airport would wipe him out and he was in a lot of pain. As luck would have it one of those trips to Houston was right in the middle of the state tournament. Both Jack and the girls were heart broken that he couldn’t make it, but his treatment needed to come first. The girls understood of course and they set out to win their third in a row for him. The morning that we were slated to leave for the state tournament was filled with excitement. The boy’s team was happy to be going to state but we had drawn the top team first round and the writing was on the wall. The boys were still excited to be getting out of school if for nothing else. The girls were excited because they were convinced that a third state title was just around the corner. I got a call from the office as we were loading the bus. It’s the type of call no one ever wants to get. Carol Hensley, the former state MVP, had been in an accident at work. Carol had married her high school sweetheart, Cooper Singletary, the year before and was living in wedded bliss, but she had been in an accident at work. She had fainted and fallen through a glass display case. All anyone knew was that it was bad. We heard they were air lifting her to Knoxville and the only thing I could think to do was call Cooper. He had played for me a couple years before on the boy’s team and when I reached him it was clear that he was scared. Cooper was in a panic. I asked him to call me when he had news and let him jump off the phone. I was scared too: for both of them. I knew Carol was hurt and I knew Cooper was in his car; driving way too fast on his way to Knoxville. We made the decision then that the tournament could wait. Knoxville was on our way anyway and we thought being there for both of them would help calm everything down and cheer them up. We were worried, but no one thought the worst. It wasn’t possible, so we loaded the bus with forty kids, all friends of Carol and Cooper, and hit the road to Knoxville. About thirty minutes to an hour into the trip, though, Cooper called me. He said, “Coach I’m in Sevierville. I went to Knoxville and she wasn’t there! They told me she was here so I flew back here as fast as I could. Coach I just walked into the ER, coach they took me into a counseling room or something. This can’t be good coach. This can’t be good. Wait someone’s coming in I got to go.” I tried to tell him I loved him and that we were praying but he was gone and I knew she was too. A few minutes later he called back. He said, “Coach she’s gone she just couldn’t make it she’s just gone.” We were both in shock, it was unreal, and all I could say was “Cooper l love you.” I didn’t want to lose him without him hearing that this time. He said, “I love you too coach I got to go.” Everything for the rest of the bus ride is a blur. We pulled off the interstate to tell the kids and to cry and pray. The ER wasn’t a place to unload all those kids and, although we wanted to be there for them, we thought it was best that we let the family have that time. So we kept driving to Nashville, but everyone’s heart was left there on the side of the road where we stopped. The kids did their best to pull together but it was just too much for any of us. When I got a minute I called Jack and told him the news. A piece of glass had severed Carol’s aorta; she was gone in an instant and way too soon. Jack said two words. “I’m coming.” He said, “I don’t know if I can make it
but I’m coming.” He was worried he physically wouldn’t make it there but he was going to try if it killed him. He asked me not to tell them in case he didn’t make it. He didn’t want the girls to experience any more loss. “Their emotions are already maxed out and they can’t handle that,” he said. I was worried he wouldn’t be able to make it or that if he did that he would have over done it so much getting there that he’d end up in the hospital or worse. I didn’t even try to talk him out of it though. I knew better. Those were “his girls.” He loved those kids, and he was a father figure not just a coach, and I believed he would make it or die trying. I knew something else too. Marines don’t quit. I’ve seen a lot of stuff and I know the only thing more determined than a Marine in a fight is a wounded Marine in a fight. Jack was wounded. He was hurting and he needed those kids as bad as they needed him. The first round of games was the next morning and Jack was going to have to burn the roads up to make it. The first people to see him walk into that gym were parents and fans. The team was in the locker room. He walked in the gym and it came to life. “There’s Coach Jack!” I’d be lying if I said I didn’t start crying right then, but I can promise you I wasn’t the only one. He was almost bouncing as he came into the gym wearing a bow tie and a smile. He waved at me and pointed to the locker room door. I nodded that that was it. He walked over to the door and banged on it—no polite knocking from Jack—three times. The gym was pretty quiet so you could hear someone say come in. He literally burst through the door and shouted “ARE YOU READY!” Squeals. Nothing but squeals. Not screams - squeals. I have three daughters so I know the difference. The kind of squeals that mean unbelievable joy and surprise. I can only imagine what happened next but I know nothing that resembled any kind of that measure of happiness had been present in there before. They came back down pretty fast too. There were tears and hugs instead of pregame speeches or strategy. There was more crying in warm ups and throughout the game. I’m talking about kids playing as hard as they can with tears streaming down their faces. The chant to break the huddle was changed to “FOR CAROL”, which of course brought more tears and they’d left a seat open on the bench with her jersey hanging on it. This went on for three straight days and nights too. I’ve never seen anything like it. It was love, that’s what it was. It was a picture of love for one another in the face of adversity when quitting would have been, not just easier, but accepted. It wasn’t just on the court either. It was in the stands where tears of hurt and joy flowed until brokenness came around again. It was in the other teams they played too, hugging and praying with our kids. When it was over, they’d won their third championship in a row, but it only mattered because it was for Carol, it was for “Coach Jack,” and it was for each other. In the next year those kids would learn loss again in losing Jack to cancer. They’ve had some tough lessons for being so young but I know they’ve come out of them knowing that no one is lost when we know where they are. They’ve also learned that the spirit that’s in each one of them has the power to impact so many if they’ll teach it to love. And the best part? The best part is this story isn’t over. To my brothers: I want to challenge you to remember that our Corps Values make up who you are - not who you were. We may have left our battlefield but there will be others. Fight them the same way you did the first time with Honor, Courage, and Commitment, and always strive to instill that spirit in others the way Jack did. NOVEMBER 2016 | VIPSEEN | 19
MILLENNIUM AUTO COLLISION IS A PROUD
SUPPORTER OF THE US ARMED FORCES CODY HONAKER
CHARLES HONAKER, SR Cassie Honaker, co-owner of Millennium, is proud of her father-in-law Charles. He is retired Army and was an SFC-E-7. He is a Vietnam Veteran, Heavy Equipment Operater with 18th Engineers. Charles served 3 tours as a Combat Engineer assigned to the 589th and 577th Combat Engineers in Vietnam. He also served 6 years in Germany, 1 year in Korea and the rest of his 20 years of service with the 1st Infantry Division at Fort Riley, Kansas. CODY HONAKER Cody, son of Charles (co-owner) and stepson of Cassie is currently in the 3-41 Infantry battalion 1-1 armored division in Fort Bliss Texas. He is a PV2 in a Stryker unit. WILLIAM BAKER JR. (BILL) William Baker is Cassie’s father and she couldn’t be prouder. He was stationed in Jacksonville, Florida’s Mayport Naval Base from 1972-1978. E5 USS Roosevelt Boiler Maker 1978-1984 Reserves Served in Vietnam War 1972-1973 JEFFREY NEWTON Jeff Newton is a close friend of the Honakers and an estimator at Millennium. Pvt. Newton A-2-1 Ft. McClellan Alabama, 1981 Sgt. A CO 16th Signal BN, 3rd Signal Brigade
CHARLES HONAKER, SR
SPC BRIAN NEWTON Brian Newton is Jeff’s son. Brian was injured by an IED and is medically retired He currently works for our local VA hospital. D CO 1-22 4th Inf Div. Camp Falcon Baghadad Iraq SPC BRIAN NEWTON
20 | VIPSEEN | NOVEMBER 2016
ROY NEWTON Roy is Jeff’s father and also a vet. Sgt. Roy Newton 2nd Infantry Division 1952 South Korea
ROY NEWTON
“Your family’s safety is our family’s first priority”
BILL BAKER
Family owned & operated
SERVING TENNESSEE, VIRGINIA, KENTUCKY, AND NORTH CAROLINA.
423.392.2001
JEFFREY NEWTON
2005 Brookside Lane Kingsport, TN NOVEMBER 2016 | VIPSEEN | 21
VIPSEEN Honoring Our Vets: Profile
David D. Coffey WWII Veteran of the U.S. Navy
STORY BY LINDA COFFEY, DAUGHTER OF DAVID D. COFFEY
In
the Spring of 1941, Dave graduated from Tennessee High and decided to work for Glenn L Martin Aircraft, located in Baltimore, Maryland. It did not take long for him to decide that college was a better option and he enrolled at the University of Cincinnati. He was impressed with their Engineering Program and it also allowed him to co-op in Saltville, Virginia on a twomonth rotation. Meanwhile, the nation was in shock over the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. He still remembers receiving a phone call from his Father, telling him that he had to come home to Bristol to enlist in the Army due to the draft. Traveling to Bristol was a problem, since he didn’t have transportation, so he asked his Dad to check and see if he could enlist in
22 | VIPSEEN | NOVEMBER 2016
Cincinnati. He got approval to go to the recruiting office in Cincinnati and on his way to the Army office, he noticed a sign outside the Navy Recruiting Office. He walked in the office and asked if the sign was correct – would the Navy pay for his college if he enlisted in the officer’s training program. They confirmed the offer and he signed up immediately. The Navy sent him to Purdue University as part of the V-12 Navy College Training Program. The program was designed to supplement the force of commissioned officers to meet the demand of World War II. He graduated from Purdue with a degree in Chemical Engineering in October of 1944. After graduation, he entered the United States Naval Reserve Midshipmen’s School in New York City at Columbia University.
Upon completion, on March 8, 1945, Dave was commissioned as an Ensign in the U.S. Naval Reserve, with orders to go to Miami to attend Diesel School. Upon completion of Diesel School, Dave was assigned to the USS Eisner 192 in Brooklyn, New York. The USS Eisner was a Cannon-class destroyer escort that provided escort service against submarine and air attack for Navy vessels and convoys. Eisner sailed from New York on June 9, 1945 for Eniwetok in the Pacific Ocean. The European hostilities had ended on June 8th. The Eisner escorted convoys between Eniwetok and Ulithi, then screened Achemar to Wake Island with forces to repossess the island. Dave was assigned to assist the Engineer Officer with the repair and maintenance of the Destroyer Escort. Most Destroyer Escorts in WWII were equipped with depth chargers containing explosives which were manufactured at Holston Army Ammunitions Plant in Kingsport, Tennessee. Dave was discharged from the U.S. Navy on December 6, 1946 with the rank of Lieutenant - Junior Grade.
NOVEMBER 2016 | VIPSEEN | 23
SEEN IN JOHNSON CITY
MOUNTAIN HOME
50th Anniversary
& Welcome Home Celebration for our
Vietnam Veterans STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY LINDA COFFEY
A 50th Anniversary & Welcome Home Celebration for Our Vietnam Veterans was held on Saturday, July 30 at the Mountain Home VA Healthcare. The event began with a parade that had many entries from the Tri-Cities area. After the parade, visitors were invited to tour the Museum at Mountain Home and enjoy a picnic on the grounds. A celebration was held to honor the veterans, with Lt. General (Ret.) Ronald V. Hite, United State Army, giving the keynote address.
Congressman Phil Roe
Veterans were presented with lapel pins to recognize, thank and honor those who served during the Vietnam War.
Volunteers for the Museum at Mountain Home
Mack Begley, Sam Vanzant, and Jerry Allen
Ben and Mary Vols
Shorty and Linda Menendez
24 | VIPSEEN | NOVEMBER 2016
Showing support for our veterans!
Naval ROTC from Cherokee High School
Jericho Shriners of Kingsport
Dog Tag Brigade
Marietta and Robin McIntyre
Serving with pride!
Joseph Schauer and Sam Vanzant
Welcome Home!
The Miata Service Truck!
Chris Lancaster, Wilbur Henderson, Bill Lancaster Jr. with Bill Lancaster
NOVEMBER 2016 | VIPSEEN | 25
This holiday, let’s give a little more than our thanks. Through the Eastman Supplies for Soldiers program, you can send a few comforts of home to our local service men and women deployed overseas.
Eastman employees David and Brenda Fox are proud parents of Corporal Parker Fox, United States Army.
“Eastman proudly supports the U.S. military and their families,” says David A. Golden, senior vice president, chief legal & sustainability officer, and corporate secretary. “Our employees are our greatest asset, and as a company, it’s an honor to support them both at home and abroad.”
In 2015, we shipped 784 care packages to 65 soldiers—colleagues, family members, and friends who have left the safety of home to serve in conflict areas. This year, we hope to do even better by donating simple luxuries, practical items, hygiene products, books, magazines, snacks, pillows, games, and other mementos of home to these brave people. But to succeed, we need YOU. Let’s give to those who give so much every day.
Here’s How you can Help. • Drop off donated items at – 237 Broad Street, Kingsport – The Toy Reid Employee Center, 400 South Wilcox Drive, Kingsport – Participating CVS stores throughout the area The holiday pickup deadline is December 5. • Make a monetary donation at responsibility.eastman.com/S4S For more information, email publicaffairs@eastman.com.
Eastman Corporate Responsibility responsibility.eastman.com/S4S
EMN-CC-3656 10/16
VIPSEEN Honoring Our Vets: Profile
JIMMY D. LIEUTENANT COLONEL
BUNN STORY BY JENNIFER ARES, DAUGHTER OF JIMMY D. BUNN
J
immy Bunn came from humble beginnings in Eastern North Carolina. The second child of David and Dixie, the family moved around a lot farming other people’s land. “We didn’t have much, but we had more than some. We always had what we needed; my parents made sure of that.” Jimmy’s parents were determined to make sure he would have a better life than they had. They sacrificed to make sure he would go to college and in 1970 he enrolled at East Carolina University. The times were tough still and the country was in the middle of a protracted war in Vietnam. Jimmy applied for, and was granted, a student deferment so that he could attend school, which he set about doing in 1970. Working and going to school kept the young man busy, but he was focused on obtaining the college degree that he knew would help him succeed; then life threw a curveball. “I got drafted. I wasn’t supposed to, but I got drafted into the Vietnam War in the middle of my sophomore year. I was working at Bryan’s drugs, going to school as Applied Physics major. Things weren’t supposed to work this way, but life doesn’t always go according to plan.” His deferment card had been misplaced, wedged between two pieces of paper in the admissions office, so the military had no idea that Jimmy was enrolled in school: he was swept up in the tide of military draft. “I got all of the paperwork fixed, but I had already been drafted so the draft board told me to join ROTC. I would be allowed to defer, but I had to join up anyway.” He could continue his education at East Carolina, but since he was drafted he would need to go into the military upon graduation. After graduating with a Bachelor’s of Science in Applied Physics, Jimmy was commissioned into the Air Force as a 2nd Lieutenant.
“I was slated to go to Pilots School at Webb AFB, Big Spring, TX. The Vietnam War ended in August 1974, however, and the requirement for pilots was no longer there; after just four months at Pilot School my class was cut.” The young Lieutenant and his new wife were forced to move, this time to South Dakota. “I was placed into Minuteman II Missile Maintenance as a Targeting Officer at Ellsworth AFB in South Dakota. After three years in Combat Targeting, I was selected as one of the first Science Officers in the Air Force.” His career was moving forward quickly, but so was his family so three years and two children later, Lt. Bunn and his wife Avis were moving again. There new and exotic location? Nebraska. “Being selected as one of the first science officers was a fantastic honor, but it also meant another move, so we packed up and headed out. I was stationed at Offutt AFB in Nebraska as the Scientific Analyst for the Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence. In this capacity, I developed software to convert Army Grid Coordinates to Longitude/Latitude Coordinates.” Don’t fall asleep at this point in the story, because the military talk is just a shortened way of saying that the young officer was doing important work. The conversion of coordinates meant that the accuracy of close air support would be greatly improved, “This improved accuracy meant that friendly fire casualties were greatly reduced. This software was, of course, used prior to the development of and was the precursor for Global Positioning System or GPS.” After three years at Offutt AFB, the young family was on the move again; this time with another child added to the brood. The family of five headed out for a warmer climate and to a location that was smack in the middle of the burgeoning space program; the Space Coast of Florida. “I had the opportunity to do data analysis for the Air Force at the National Aeronautical Space Administration (NASA). As a Data Analyst, I worked with NASA and the Air Force to determine the feasibility and payload requirements for launching the Space Shuttles that would launch out of Vandenberg AFB in California.” The family’s time in Cocoa 28 | VIPSEEN | NOVEMBER 2016
was the longest deployment of his career coming in at almost seven years. Lt. Bunn was promoted to Captain during this time and while he was a part of the very popular space program, his family was treated to numerous launches: memories that his kids hold dear to this day. His son Jason still remembers the special time he was a part of as a youngster, “We got to see night launches, we got to see launches during broad daylight and in the early morning. Those shuttles don’t launch anymore and being right across the river from the launch pad meant that we were all a part of a time that won’t soon be repeated.” Captain Bunn and his family had settled in for the long haul, but fate again had different plans and the family would soon be on the move. “The Challenger accident happened in January of 1986 and that changed everything. I’m fairly certain that I would have finished my career at NASA, but the accident meant that the space agency was shut down for nearly two years. The Air Force was not about to let me sit around for two years to see what was going to happen, especially since NASA didn’t need me at the moment, so we moved again.” The move was the toughest one on the family since they had been at that location for so long, but duty called and after many tearful goodbyes the Bunn crew loaded up and headed to Maryland. “Our move to Maryland was tough. The kids were in a great school in Florida and we were in a wonderful neighborhood and had a fantastic church family, but I had decided to make the Air Force my career. None of us were happy to leave, but a commitment is a commitment and I firmly believe that. I taught my kids to stick to what they had promisedno matter how hard: stand by your word. Besides, a move would mean somewhere new and different: there are always positives to counter balance the negatives.” Captain Bunn was selected to go to the National Security Agency (NSA) at Fort Meade in Maryland where his assignment was to streamline the gathering and analysis the massive amounts of data that the NSA collected. The family arrived and after just a few months was treated to Mother Nature’s unique welcome: a crippling blizzard. “There was this huge snowstorm and my wife and I had left the base for the day to look for a rental home. Another mom had to bring our kids back to the temporary housing complex we were in. There were no cell phones, traffic was snarled, the ice and snow were horrible, and it was just a mess all over the metro D.C. area. The First Gulf War started in 1990 and our work at NSA became ever more important since our team helped to break the Iraqi code. The war ended in 1991 and I was eventually promoted to
Major.” The family moved again in February of 1992, this time heading west toward Colorado. After four and a half years at Fort Meade, Maryland, Major Bunn was assigned to Peterson AFB, Colorado where he was tasked with becoming the test director for the Air Force’s newest Satellite Tracking Facility. “My new job had me working at a facility that was designed to track every Satellite and other objects in near earth orbit. Colorado was great. It was different and we could open the front door of the house to see Pike’s Peak. The weather was different and the kids were either in high school or middle school by now, which meant they were involved in sports activities and school stuff. I had been promoted again, which meant I was now a Lieutenant Colonel.” After two and a half years at Peterson AFB in Colorado he was assigned to Gunter AFB, Alabama where his new responsibility was to develop an Air Force specific Transportation System also known as the Air Force FedEx or UPS System. Lt. Colonel Bunn’s team developed the software and deployed the system throughout the Air Force prior to his retirement on March 1, 1995. Lt. Colonel Bunn retired to Johnson City, where he still resides, with his wife and three children. His two sons graduated from Science Hill High School and all three of his children were students at ETSU. “My wife and I used to drive through here on our way back to North Carolina to visit family and we always talked about how beautiful this region of the US was. When the time came and I was ready for retirement this is the first and only place we considered.” There are countless veterans in all of the Armed Forces who do quiet work behind the scenes. Doctors, nurses, military police, chaplains, transport specialists, welders, construction workers, and pilots are just some of the many who have long and storied military careers that involve no direct combat. Many of the stories we hear about veterans involve those on the front lines, but those who serve all over the world in other capacities should be thanked this Veteran’s Day as well. Each veteran and his/her family knows that when the call comes they will be tasked with picking up and moving and that mom or dad don’t always get to come home for dinner or won’t be in town to see that high school game or middle school music performance. Each job in the military, no matter the branch of service, is integral to the protection of the United States from foreign and domestic threats. Thank a veteran this November and let him/her know how much their hard work and sacrifice is appreciated. NOVEMBER 2016 | VIPSEEN | 29
VIPSEEN Honoring Our Vets
LOCAL VETERAN RESOURCE GUIDE COMPILED BY TC-MAC
VETERANS SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS
Tri-Cities Military Affairs Council (423)-398-5443 American Legion Hammond Post 3 (423)-246-6991 American Legion Kings Mountain Post 24 (423)-929-1251 AMVETS, Post 37 (423)-502-3304 (Mobile) DAV Chapter 39 (423)-573-6924 Korean War Veterans, Mt. Empire Chapter 289 (423)-239-9778 Marine Corps League (423)-765-8623 (Mobile) Military Officers Association of America (423)-202-8162 (Mobile) Reserve Officers Association Watauga Chapter (423)-416-5116 (Mobile)
Veterans Service Officers Danny Breeding, HAWKINS COUNTY ONLY (423)-272-5077
Caregivers / Health Care Aid & Assist at Home (423)-764-5000
David Batchelder, Carter County (423)-542-1824
Alzheimer’s Tennessee (423)-330-4532
Don Grindstaff, Survivor Outreach Services (423)-467-3131
Amedisys Hospice of Elizabethton (423)-547-0852
Ellen Birchfield, American Legion Hammond Post 3 (423)-246-6991 Gerald Story, Washington County (423)-753-1628 Jami Kinkead, Virginia National Guard (276)-525-6284 Michael Harman, DAV Chapter 39 (423)-573-6924 TN Department of Veterans Services, VAMC (423)-434-3008 COUNSELING/REFERRAL FOR VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILIES
Avalon Hospice (423)-282-0062 Crown Cypress Assisted Living (423)-378-3100 Dominion Senior Living (423)-930-9001 Home Instead Senior Care (423)-247-0116 Smoky Mt. Healthcare & Hospice (423)-246-1005 The Crumley House (423)-257-3644 VA Medical Center (423)-926-1171 Visiting Angels Living Assistance (423)-207-0241
VFW Post 6975 (423)-764-0381
Johnson City Vet Center (VA Readjustment Counseling Service) (423)-928-8387
Vietnam Veterans of America, Tennessee State Council (615)-479-8619
Knoxville Vet Center (VA Readjustment Counseling Service) (865)-633-0000
702nd Engineer Company, U.S. Army Reserve (423)-467-2176
Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter 979 (423)-276-8181
24-Hour Assistance VETERANS CRISIS LINE (800)-273-8255
National Guard Recruiting Command (423)-467-2124
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MILITARY UNITS
U.S. Army Recruiting Command, Johnson City, TN (423)-282-8981 EMPLOYMENT Advanced Call Center Technologies (423)-283-5023 At Work Personnel Services (423)-765-2628 CITI (423)-477-6641 ShoffnerKalthoff Mechanical Electrical Service (423)-282-6049
LEGAL ASSISTANCE Legal Aid of East Tennessee (423)-928-8311 HOUSING Appalachian Regional Coalition on Homelessness (877)-754-VETS Eastern 8 Community Development (423)-232-5097 VA Help For Homeless Veterans (877)-424-3838 BANKING/FINANCIAL
TN Dept. of Labor (423)-224-1800
Appalachian Community Federal Credit Union (800)-378-3778
Volunteers of America TN (423)-900-8444
Benchmark Home Loans (423)-292-1766
Horizon Credit Union (423)-229-9463 Stonegate Mortgage (423)-218-1166 EDUCATION ETSU Office of Veterans Affairs (423)-439-5273 ETSU Veterans Affairs Coordinator (423)-439-7161 Northeast State Community College, Office of Veterans Affairs (423)-354-2528
Food City Receives Achieve: ABLE Award
from Paralyzed Veterans of America “If there has been one partner that has really stepped up to help Paralyzed Veterans of America’s Mission: ABLE campaign, it’s Food City,” says Richard Petty. “They have helped raise significant funds over the last six years.” Paralyzed Veterans of America is the only congressionally chartered veterans service organization dedicated solely for the benefit and representation of veterans with spinal cord injury or disease. For 70 years, they have ensured that veterans received the benefits earned through their service to our nation; monitored their care in VA spinal cord injury units; and funded research and education in the search for a cure and improved care for individuals with paralysis.
Food City
was named the recipient of this year’s Paralyzed Veterans of America’s Achieve: ABLE Award. The award is among the highest honor bestowed upon the organization’s benefactors. Over 400 esteemed guests gathered in Washington, DC last month for the 2016 Mission: ABLE Awards ceremonies, including Governor Terry McAuliffe, Washington dignitaries, distinguished service members, veterans, friends and supporters of Paralyzed Veterans. The Mission: ABLE Awards honor those individuals and organizations who have dedicated themselves to creating an America where our nation’s disabled heroes are able to fully live the lives they deserve and access what they need most: health care, benefits and jobs. This year’s awards raised $631,000 from corporate supporters in advance of the event. These funds will benefit Paralyzed Veterans’ programs and services, including benefits and employment assistance and rehabilitative sports opportunities, all of which are provided free to veterans. For a number of years, Food City and seven-time NASCAR Champion, Richard Petty have teamed up with Smithfield to host Food City’s annual Paralyzed Veterans of America’s Mission: ABLE campaign. The fundraising efforts take place each Summer and extend throughout the company’s retail supermarket chain. Customers wishing to make a contribution, simply select their desired dollar amount - $1, $3, or $5 and it’s conveniently added to their order total. 100% of the donations collected remain local and benefit Paralyzed Veterans within the region.
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“We are proud to have the opportunity to partner with Richard Petty and Smithfield to support such a worthy cause,” says Steven C. Smith, Food City president and chief executive officer. “Thanks to the generosity and support of our loyal customers, we raised over $172,000 during this year’s campaign – bringing Food City’s total contribution over the past six year to more than $731,000!” “Food City is a long-standing partner and friend of the Paralyzed Veterans of America family. Their dedication to our mission is unwavering and invaluable to our fundraising efforts to support veterans and their families,” said Al Kovach, Jr., national president of Paralyzed Veterans of America. “We are continually grateful for the opportunity to work with Food City, Richard Petty and Smithfield on this important campaign to ensure veterans receive what they’re owed and deserve.” Food City also supports a number of other initiatives that benefit our local veterans, including flag raisings at new store locations, sponsorship of numerous veteran celebrations, parades, events, local Medal of Honor luncheons, monthly birthday cake donations to the Ben Atchley Veteran’s Hospital, plaques and contributions to numerous veteran memorials and parks. The company was also a major sponsor of the 2014 Medal of Honor Convention held in Knoxville, TN and Food City’s “Salute” commercial honoring veterans has been shared and viewed around the globe. Headquartered in Abingdon, Virginia, K-VA-T Food Stores (Food City’s parent company) operates 135 retail outlets throughout southeast Kentucky, southwest Virginia, east Tennessee, Chattanooga and north Georgia.
thank you
Thank you to our veterans! VIPSEEN
VIPSEEN
to our veterans!
A
small section in a magazine seems too little of a space to say thank you to the veterans of this area. So many of those we know, and many more we don’t know, have served in the Armed Forces over the generations in order to preserve the way of life that we in America have come to be so fond of. November, along with being the month that we celebrate Thanksgiving, is also the month we celebrate our veterans with Veteran’s Day being on the 11th. Originally called Armistice Day, Veteran’s Day, is celebrated on November 11th because the hostilities in Europe ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918. November the 11th is still set aside as Remembrance Day so that the entire continent of Europe can take pause in order to remember those who have fought in past wars and to vow never to fall into such global conflict again. Take the time in November to thank a veteran, either living or dead, and to think about the sacrifice that he/she has made or continues to make in the service of their country. Long hours away from loved ones, frightening situations in far away lands, and hard work with little to no thanks are just a few of the situations our veterans proudly put themselves in. Take pause on November 11th to remember that war should always be the last resort and God-willing global conflict will never envelope the human race again.
Sargent Major Billy Douglas Morrell US Army
PV2 Cedrick E. Pierson
I would like to thank my son, PV2 Cedrick E. Pierson, a college student now serving with the Tennessee Army National Guard. Both my parents— along with many other family members—served in our U.S. Armed Forces. It is a privilege to see that tradition of honor, integrity, servantleadership, and sacrifice carried forward in my son. Thank you for your service! God Bless America!
Jay Sandos
I would like to thank my husband, Jay Sandos. Jay is the Voice of the Bucs at ETSU and served in the US Army Reserves for 12 years and is a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom, where he was stationed at Camp Bucca, Iraq from January – November 2004.
Joe Nelson
Navy as E3 Seaman
Donald T. Bennett Thank you for your service.
NOVEMBER 2016 | VIPSEEN | 33
VIPSEEN Thank you to our veterans!
Johnny Worley
Glade Spring, VA Served in Germany during WWII
Robert Morgan
Served 2 years during WWII in Scofield Barracks Hawaii as Military Police and later returned to the Tri-Cities and worked at Mountain Home VA.
Jon See
Thank you to Jon See for his service to our country. Jon is the Executive Director of Annual Giving at ETSU and is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, from which he retired in 2003.
E5 Motor Pool Mechanic & Truck Driver Stationed 28 months in Germany
Roy “Papa Moe” Cloud Jr. SFC Larry Barker Grateful for this Korean War Navy Veteran Roy “Papa Moe” Cloud Jr.
Holston Valley Broadcasting Company
Vietnam and Iraq Veteran Thank you from your family we love you and welcome you home!
Joey Salyer – OS2 (operations specialist – 2nd class) NAVY George Devault, Captain, United States Naval Reserve (USNR) – now Retired. R. Lamar Reid, Sergeant – Army Fred Falin, Technical Sergeant – U.S. Air Force and Tennessee Air National Guard Jim Bailey – Specialist 5 – US Army Jeff Fugate - Specialist 4 - US Army 34 | VIPSEEN | NOVEMBER 2016
Leslie Morgan
Leslie Morgan Jr.
Served 9 years in Germany as truck driver/instructor started driving local in 1995.
Steve Crosswait
Thank you for your service as a Vietnam Veteran
Thank you to all who have served.
Mike Rush
I would like to recognize my husband, Mike Rush. He served as a Kiowa warrior pilot in the army. Thank you! Caroline Rush
Bueford C. Stanley
Big thank you to our father, Bueford C. Stanley, WWII, for your service to our country and being a great dad! Bueford served with 4 of his older brothers during WWII! We Love you and thank you for meeting our wonderful mother in Germany during the occupation!
Freedom isn’t free, some continue to pay, and some bought us freedom with the ultimate sacrifice. Thank you veterans for your service!
Thank you to our veterans! VIPSEEN
Darren Exkind
Ed Conners
Cecil Lee Miller, E-5 Army
Onzie Woods
David Clark, US Army
Robert Shelton
Chad Conner, Navy
Steve Coates, Air Force
Dennis Phillips
Fred McCorkle
Arlen Hensley, Marine; Fred Himelwright - Army
Doc Wood
Gary Mabrey
John Lundberg
David Carter, Moe Baines, and Don Grindstaff
Jimmy Farley NOVEMBER 2016 | VIPSEEN | 35
VIPSEEN Thank you to our veterans!
The management and staff of Preston Place would like to thank our veterans for their service.
Front row (L-R) Earl Feathers, Larry Tester, Charlie Baker, Pat DePendleton Back row (L-R) Clarence Daugherty, RZ Hensley, John Schlingman, Jack Kilday, Charlie Sydnor
The management and staff of The Village at Allandale would like to thank our veterans for their service.
The management and staff of Preston Place II would like to thank our veterans for their service.
Front row (L-R) Ellerbe Trapp, Jack Phillips, Lula Bishop, Martha Rector Back row (L-R) Jearl Pearcy, Jim Trent, Herman McAninch, Billy Gilreath, Henry Godsey
Front row (L-R) Billy Joe Craig, Henry Connell, Laura Fulkerson, Harry Stanley Center row (L-R) Truman Casteel, Lon Shuler, Andy Andresen, Ed Brown Back row (L-R) Kenneth Scott, Ernie Marshall, Fred Hughes, David Sams, James Tate
SSG Blaine McCellan
SGT Jason Hutchinson 36 | VIPSEEN | NOVEMBER 2016
SFC Wayne Cross
SGT Brandon Jaynes
Frank Gilliam
US Army Private First Class Stationed at Ft. Carson, CO Dad says it was an honor to serve his country.
Korean War Veterans - Army
SGT Michael Morrell
SGT Kayle Woods
SPC Michael Sloan
SGT Matthew Danner
SGT Tedy Klimczynski
Thank you to our veterans! VIPSEEN
Charles Worley
Emerson Smith
Jerry Allen
Jim Hagie
Joseph “Sandy” Robinson, E-5 Army
Paul Rebovich
SGT Eric Crowe and SPC AJ Weede
SGT Eric Crowe
Ernie Rumsby
Jim Vaughn
Ken Ball
Past National Commander AMVETS Bill Kilgore, Kingsport Mayor Dennis Phillips, TCMAC President Ernie Rumsby
SSG Matt Dickson
SGT Alexander Vandergriff NOVEMBER 2016 | VIPSEEN | 37
VIPSEEN Thank you to our veterans!
Jack Blevins
Jack at FOB Black In Iraq in 2006. We were both corporals at the time. I got out as a Sergeant and Jack is a Staff Sergeant. I’m on the left and Jack is on the right.
Charles Hertzog
Retired E6 USNavy 1958-77; 2 tours Vietnam. Wife: Shirley Baker Hertzog 2002-14. Son: Chuck Hertzog, PA; Deceased Agent Orange complications 5-16-14.
Charles W. Johnson, Jr. United States Marine Corps Master Gunnery Sergeant, Retired Vietnam Veteran, 20 yr Service
Thank you for your service and the sacrifices made for our country and for our family. I love and miss you!! Semper Fi.
David Coffey
Thank you, David Coffey, for serving as an Ensign in the U.S. Navy on the USS Eisner during WWII. Linda Coffey
Love your daughter, Patty Owens and Family
“Premier Pharmacy would like to thank the only people whose service is better than ours. Your dedication protects our freedom, and we thank you for your personal sacrifices.”
Nicholas Cooper
With a great degree of sincerity, humility and pride, “Thank You” for all you’ve done for all of us and your country. Serving since 2010, veteran of war in Afganistan Captain Nicholas Cooper, United States Air Force, hometown Kingsport, TN
R.B. Louthian 38 | VIPSEEN | NOVEMBER 2016
Larkin C. Ketron
Brandon Willis
A member of the United States Navy back in the 1950’s.
SFC Lynette Blair & SSG Joseph Martinez
Recently returned home from his tour in Afghanistan serving in the United States Army as a medic specialist (4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Battalion unit 2/1 Calvary).
Paul Williams
Sam Monk
Thank you to our veterans! VIPSEEN
Ronald D. Pamperl Daniel A. Berry
Tech Sergeant Daniel A. Berry, currently serving in the United States Air Force Reserve. After spending 13 years in the United States Marine Corps and doing three deployments to Iraq, he became a member of the Air Force in September 2013. He’s posing with 3 year old daughter, Eliza.
Luther S. Hoskins
Age 88, Bristol, Tennessee - U.S. Army, WWII and Korean War Veteran – While serving as a Combat Infantryman with the Army, he was decorated with the World War II Victory Ribbon, Good Conduct Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Theater Ribbon, One Bronze Service Star, One Bronze Arrowhead and a Philippine Liberation Ribbon. Thank You Dad for serving your country with honor and dignity.
Richard T. Shew
My hero, my helper, my friend, my dad. Thank you for all you have done and continue doing. Vietnam, Air Force
My granddad is very special to me. He served in WWII in the artillery while my grandmother held down the fort at home, as well as serving in the Korean campaign. He will be 94 in July and we always celebrate our birthdays together (mine is August 4). First Lieutenant Ronald D. Pamperl US Army Thank you for your service! We love you!
Jack Baker
USArmy 1953-55, married to Shirley Baker Hertzog 1959-1988. Dad to Sandy Baker DeBord and Mickey Baker. Passed away 2/27/88.
Ernest Frye, Jr.
A very special thank you to our wonderful veteran whom we love and cherish very much. Love, Your Wife, Children & Grandchildren
Ashley English
Jimmy D. Bunn
Jimmy D. Bunn joined the AFROTC while in college at East Carolina Universrity. He worked for SACS Air Command, NASA, and the National Security Agency among others. He retired in 1995 as a Lt. Colonel after spending twenty years in the Air Force.
Nat Wheelock
Thanks to Nat Wheelock - WWII Veteran
Joey Salyer
Served on the USS Valley Forge OS2 Operations Specialist 2nd Class 1996-2000
Kermit Dean
6th Battalion 14th Artillery US Army C Battery. AN-KHE, Vietnam. We love you, Your kids
James Robert Hunter
Thank you for your service, Jim. As your CrestPoint family, we’re proud to have you on our team.
Randy Blackwell
This is my husband Randy Blackwell. He proudly served in the USMC for 6 1/2 yrs. Blessed to have this man in my life. Thank you for your service!! NOVEMBER 2016 | VIPSEEN | 39
VIPSEEN Thank you to our veterans!
Ralph Yellen, Army; Korean War Veteran
Donald Bennett
Keith Barrack
Jimmie S. Necessary
“Uncle Sam” Sproles
Thank you to our real “Uncle Sam” Sproles (and wife Retha) for your Thank You Daddy, We Love & Miss You! dedication to the U.S. Army. Mom,Debra, Cherie’ & W. Scott Love, Dan, Mary Ellen and Skyler Miller U.S.M.C, 1934-2013
Your Kingsport Chamber of Commerce honors and thanks those immediate family members of our team who have served in our nation’s armed forces. We remain forever grateful for your extraordinary courage and tremendous sacrifice in securing and protecting our freedom!
Douglas Mack Fleming (No Picture Available) Father of Nicole Austin
Specialist 4 United States Army, 1966-1967
Our sincere thanks to Thomas Tolson for serving our country in Korea and Vietnam.
Wayne Cross SFC Cross, Army 663 Eng Co Afghanistan
Ronnie B. Ledford
Ward Huddleston
Private First Class United States Army 1942-1946, World War II
E-5 Sergeant United States Army 1968-1971, Vietnam War
Staff Sergeant United States Air Force 1942-1945, World War II
Father of Bob Feagins
Jean V. Giesler, Jr.
Lieutenant Commander Retired United States Navy 1965-1989, Vietnam War
United States Army World War II
40 | VIPSEEN | NOVEMBER 2016
Thomas Tolson
Edward R. Feagins
William Doster McColl
Father of Amy Margaret Allen
Tony Shipley
Stan Pace
Father of Lucy Fleming
Miles Burdine
Husband of Barbara Ledford
Gene R. William
Father of Lea Ann Rasar Active Reserve Navy 1962-1968
Father of Judy Francisco
Emory Fleming
Father of Elaine Bodenweiser
United States Army World War II Pictured (Far Left) with three of his brothers who all served in the U.S. Army during World War II.
SEEN IN JOHNSON CITY
FOUNDER’S PARK
Bootleg Bash & Talent Connect STORY BY CRYSTAL DAWN CARTER | PHOTOGRAPHY BY CRYSTAL DAWN CARTER AND PARKER BOHON
There was plenty of orange and maroon to be found at a Johnson City event for Battle at Bristol weekend. The Bootleg Bash was held at Founder’s Park on September 8th, 2016. The event was organized by the Johnson City Development Authority in order to welcome both UT and VA Tech fans to downtown and headlined by The Black Lillies, a Knoxville based band; as well as two local bands: Comet Conductors and These Are the Angels.
Overmountain Outdoors owner Matt Whitson
“They usually only get to play this area about once a year, and it has been at Rhythm & Roots the past several years, but we aren’t playing there this year. This is such a big event (Battle at Bristol) that we thought it would give us the chance to play the area and be a part of it”, according to Chyna Bracken, Manager of The Black Lillies. Several merchants had pop-up-shops on display at the concert. First and 10 Gameday Dresses owner Gindy Terry offered a variety of clothing in favorite school colors perfect for wearing while tailgating or for the game. While they brought plenty of orange and maroon, the Johnson City based online business also had plenty of blue and gold for ETSU fans.
The Black Lillies
Gilbert’s Gallery was also on hand to sell his handmade signs made with reclaimed wood. Owner Thomas Gilbert said he started out making the signs for friends and a business developed out of it. Both Gilbert and Terry have based their businesses in the area, but do mostly online sales. While concertgoers couldn’t agree on orange or maroon, they all agreed: The Black Lillies, Comet Conductors and These Are the Angels put on a fantastic show. In connection with the “Bootleg Bash”, The Washington County Economic Development Council hosted 19 visiting college students for a new workforce initiative, Talent Connect. The program, in partnership with 7 local industry employers, connected college students from around the Southeast United States with the Johnson City area, its top employers, and the limitless career paths available here.
Beka and Ian Watson with baby Hannah
Heath Owens and Stephanie Burton
The three-day event, designed to showcase our region, included a VIP reception at the Bootleg Bash, a hike on Buffalo Mountain hosted by Overmountain Outdoors, tour of YeeHaw Brewing, a VIP package to the Battle at Bristol, and much more. These students came away with a great impression of the region and all Northeast Tennessee has to offer.
Hike on Buffalo Mountain hosted by Overmountain Outdoors
VIP package to the Battle at Bristol
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Tour of YeeHaw Brewing
Brewfest DOWNTOWN CENTER BRISTOL
at Bristol
Sue Ellen Lester, Jason Lester, Sean Herron, and Heather Herron
PHOTOGRAPHY AND STORY BY BECKY RAMSEY
The Battle of Bristol kicked off on Thursday September 8th to celebrate the big game between Virginia Tech Hokies and the Tennessee Volunteers. Brewfest at Bristol was part of the celebration. It was held at the Downtown Center to Shelby Street in Downtown Bristol. Nearly 300 people joined and enjoyed over 40 different craft brews and live music from, Cedar Valley, The Fiddle Scene and Jason D. Williams, the headlining act. Real Hot Yoga sponsored the event and was on hand to do a pregame session with DJ Craig. The event was from 5:30pm-9:30pm. This was a ticked event to benefit Tailgating for a Cause, which has been hosting events year around as a way to bring communities together for fun and charity.
Dustin Dickson, Sara Tilson, Chris Boyd, and Allen Boyd
Christinea Beane and Chad Bennett
Susie Anderson, Tracy Nunley, and Krysty Cross
Chris Kibler and Greg Drewery
SEEN IN BRISTOL
Brandon and Nicole Dickson
Terry and Casey Cross
Lauren Hendrix and Kenny Harrison
Sean Lockwoood, James Koone, and Greg Simpson
Michelle Resson, Sue LaForce, Nancy Gilmore, and Jane Anne Frulla
Bridgett Gammon and Dannielle Eller
NOVEMBER 2016 | VIPSEEN | 43
Featured Speaker
MONICA MCCOY Founder, MonicaMotivates & Acting Global Director, Strategy & Innovation for The Coca-Cola Company
MONICA MCCOY is the Acting Global Director, Strategy and Innovation for the McDonald’s Division where she leads a range of visionary business initiatives in Canada, Mexico, Asia-Pacific, Europe and Latin America. Since starting her career with The Coca-Cola Company in 2002, her innovative approach and passion for pushing the envelope have earned her a variety of strategic positions and expanded responsibilities. Monica sits on the executive board of Women’s Lead, Inspire, Connect (LINC), The Coca-Cola Women’s Business Resource Group that engages women at the company to drive business performance and reinforce its reputation as a great place for women to work. She chaired LINC’s Global 2015 Leadership
Conference, reaching more than 1,000 members in 32 countries. She is also Vice President, Ambassadorship, for LINC, responsible for developing relationships with organizations and individuals to help advance women and girls. In 2011, Monica McCoy noticed the amount of women struggling to find their passion and purpose. Sparking her to action, she founded MonicaMotivates, providing executive-level speaking, coaching and consulting services to professional corporate women and female business owners. Monica initially thought she wanted to be a cardiologist when going to college, but quickly learned that she wanted to help save people’s lives in a different manner—her degree from Emory University is in Psychology.
Q & A with Monica Q: What is it like working for a giant corporation like The Coca-Cola Company? What challenges have you encountered? A: By nature, I am a driven individual who sees challenges as opportunities. I have always been open to diverse experiences, so I have never been one to manage my career by staying in a silo. I wanted to explore and The Coca-Cola Company has allowed me to do just that. My modus operandi is to take on one to two-year assignments that others may not raise their hands for. You don’t have to stay in the same role for 10 years. I don’t mind doing things that really stretch me. I have a background in Psychology, but I have held various roles in Finance, Marketing, Strategy and Innovation—because I don’t put any limits on myself. I think that if you are passionate about something, you should go for it and welcome new opportunities to grow. I don’t chase job titles. Instead, I strategically consider what experience I can gain and what disciplines I can add to my toolbox that will strengthen the breadth of knowledge that I bring to my organization, and will make me a well-rounded asset. Q: What is your secret to balancing work and family? A: Personally, I have given up on the term balance. I prefer to focus more on being a whole authentic person. It’s critical that we all have someone we can count on who complements us, understands us and supports us. When balls start dropping, this person is going to be there no matter what. I have learned that you will never achieve perfect balance all the time. My husband is an amazing man, a true friend to me, and my partner. We’ve been married for 12 years; we have two children together: Mathew (10) and Morgan (7). There are five things I always take into perspective: my Faith, Family, Fitness, Fortune and Fun. All of these things impact everything else that comes afterward. Q: Tell us about an AHA moment you’ve experienced most recently. A: I realized that we really have to be comfortable letting go of trying to be in control of how it’s going to happen—whatever that is. So many times, I see people give up way too soon. They had a plan for how something was supposed to go, they met with a rejection, and they just quit. They stopped pursuing their dream altogether. In my career, both personally and professionally, and in owning my own business, I’ve had far more rejection than stories to celebrate promotions, deal closings and the like. I think we sometimes fall into a place of saying, “If it doesn’t happen when and the way I want it to happen, then it’s just not meant to be.” Quite frankly, we must embrace 44 | VIPSEEN | NOVEMBER 2016
rejection and failures, and take time to reflect and even write down lessons learned and key takeaways. Some of the most beautiful moments—your AHA’s—come in a moment of silence and solitude. Q: You recently wrapped up a women’s conference in Atlanta, which you produced and hosted. Tell us about that. A: In 2007, I founded MonicaMotivates, to help inspire women to actually get inside the arena, and stop being spectators of their lives. A lot of times, we want to do great things; we have big dreams; and we have larger-than-life visions for ourselves, but we are not taking time to document our goals and understand fully who we really are— our real life purpose. We must relentlessly remove the “takers” from our lives and replace them with givers. The half-day conference that I produce and host around the country is called “Are You Ready to Get Inside the Arena?” It’s not your typical conference, where women go get excited (just for one day) but there is no post-event accountability. I help attendees get comfortable with their genuine identities, and put together an individual plan of action outlining their life pursuits. Q: What are your thoughts/comments on the gender wage gap that still prevails? Do you believe we will ever achieve parity? A: The problem, from my viewpoint, is two-fold. As a mom of a son, it is important for me to model a successful business woman and being someone who can have honest conversations with him about the treatment of women in organizations. As a mother raising a daughter, it is important for me to visibly advocate for women and girls, and to make sure that we continue to close the gap. This has been an issue since women have joined the workforce and, unfortunately, the data in the last 10 years doesn’t show much improvement. Women are still being paid less for the same job as men. Women have to become better negotiators, communicators and debaters. Also, women must take time to analyze their value on a regular basis. I see women who want the next job or promotion, or who want to be successful with their business, but they are giving away their services for free—not earning any respect as an entrepreneur. They take the time to build a great business, but then turn right around and devalue their products and services. I’ve decided that if I’m having success it’s up to me to reach back and help the next woman. I make it a priority to find ways I can add value for women as a group. Q: Coming up in December you will be talking to a room full of business owners and entrepreneurs about “Cultivating Winning Partnerships.” Give us a little sneak preview. A: I am honored and humbled to be chosen to speak at the 2016 KOSBE Awards. I have had a chance to review the list of past winners, and I am impressed with the variety of business types, sizes and stages of life. Some are already out there doing some of the things that I will be speaking on. Foremost, it is critical for small business owners to understand their brand and the key value that their brand brings to the table in a partnership. What they should not do is misalign their brand in a partnership. Whether they are a sole proprietor looking to bring someone else into the business, or they are outsourcing work, or partnering with other brands, it’s important to know their attributes, values, purpose, strengths and passions better than anyone. Synergy must be part of the total plan. Otherwise, they will go out too early trying to find a strategic partner, and be back at square one before the relationship even begins. To learn more about Monica McCoy and MonicaMotivates™, visit www.monicamotivates.com.
Thursday December 8, 2016
Entertainment by
6:00pm to 9:00pm
$75 per person Meadowview Marriott 1901 Meadowview Parkway Kingsport, TN 37660
www.kosbeawards.org
2016 Contenders 7ofUs Building and Remodeling Are You Puzzled LLC | Autism Cube The Art of Fine Sewing Aspire Financial Services The Bagel Exchange Begley Fitness LLC | CrossFit Manic Bellafina Chocolates LLC Cassia’s Salon and Spa Chocolate Elegance LLC Cruise Planners Edwards Ragan & Associates LLC
F&L Limo and Livery Fanatics 101 The First Lady Day Spa Fish Window Cleaning Hibbert-Davis Urban Brews JT&O Technologies | College GameDay Helmets Junkyard Revival Resource Group Kontos Creative The Loafer Maven Roth Group LLC MedFit Center | The Great Body Company
Pal’s Business Excellence Institute Rae Design The Reeves Eye Institute Shipshape Solutions SippaSanity Tea & Events Storybrook Farm Wedding & Events Sugar Mama Waxing Unbound Digital Computer Repair and Networking The Video Guy
2015 Award Winners JWP Rentals –Young Entrepreneur MedFit Center – Innovation East Coast Wings –New Business TUC Technologies – Business Excellence Under 10 Employees Mullins Company – Commercial Industrial Brushstrokes N’ More –Woman-Owned SubcoEast – Franchise
Per Vivo Labs– Small Manufacturing Vintage Timbers–Ecopreneur Martin Dentistry – Business Excellence 10+ Employees Tele-Optics – Veteran-Owned Premier Pharmacy –Gazelle Jeff Lane – IMPACT Angela Baker, VIPSEEN –Caped Crusader
VISIT DOWNTOWN KINGSPORT
SHOP. EAT. PLAY.
ABINGDON
Olive Oil Company HAPPY VETERAN’S DAY
ALL OUR OILS ARE DAIRY - free
free!
SALT - free
SUGAR - free
GLUTEN - free
152 E. Main St. Abingdon, VA. 24210 276.525.1524 102 E. Main St., Suite 1 Kingsport, TN 37660 423.530.7676
AbingdonOliveOilCo.com
SEEN IN KINGSPORT
WARRIOR’S PATH STATE PARK
2016 MSHA Dragon Boat Festival STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY SAVANNA MCDAVID
Dragon Boat racing is an ancient Chinese tradition dating back more than 2,000 years ago. It celebrates the strength of individuals working together as a community. That is just what Mountain States Health Alliance enjoys doing with their Dragon Boat Festival. In its 11th year, held on August 12th, 2016, the Dragon Boat Festival encourages camaraderie and fun and celebrates the strength of a committed group of community members. All teams are always encouraged to be as creative as possible with their names, shirts and tents.
Soldering Serpents
In over a decade of racing the Mountain States Dragon Boat Festival has raised over $900,000 to support Mountain States Foundation. All of this year’s proceeds were used to provide expressive therapy tools for patients at Woodridge Hospital due to the positive effects of art music and movement for both mental and physical health. This year the Tri-Cities community was out in force to support a wonderful cause and to enjoy a beautiful day of competitive racing. To learn more about MSHA or the Dragon Boat Festival visit them at mshadragon.org.
Team Drug Runners
Allie Hubbard, Kerrie Hubbard, Teresa Hubbard, Barry Monroe, and Willie Hamilton
Asburys Rowlaters
Bush Family
Trever Weaver and Rebekah Ragan
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Trish Baise, Stephanie Cook, and Patty McNutt
A League of Their Own
KINGSPORT CHAMBER
SEEN IN KINGSPORT
Kingsport Chamber Halloween
Bash Press Conference STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY CRYSTAL DAWN CARTER
The Kingsport Chamber held a press conference on September 13th to announce the 2016 Halloween Bash. Kingsport threw the largest Halloween party in the tri-cities, to attend you needed to be over 18 years old. The Halloween Bash on October 29th at the Farmers Market, featured games, food and beverage trucks, a DJ, and three hours of music by Acoustifried. Proceeds from the bash will go to Keep Kingsport Beautiful. Incoming Chairman James Phillips is the organizer of the event and says Kingsport needed an event like this, ”Keep Kingsport Beautiful Director Robin Cleary and I just got to talking one day about the need for a really big and fun Halloween event in Downtown Kingsport . I know there was one for a few years and we really missed it last year so I just said let’s put one on and raise some funds for KKB.” The Bash followed the “Haunted Half” marathon, from earlier in the day. Doors opened at 6pm with a DJ, games, a costume contest, and two music sets by Acoustifried. The event is sponsored by Bud light, Bank or Tennessee, The Beer Run, Holston Valley Broadcasting, and Halloween Express awarded the $1000 prize for the costume contest.
Robin Cleary (Director KKB) and James Phillips (Incoming Chair Keep Kingsport Beautiful/event organizer)
Tiffany Hickman (Holston Valley Broadcasting) and Mike Hubbard (General Manager, Holston Distributing)
Tim Banion (Halloween Express)
Dennis Phillips
Miles Berdine (Kingsport Chamber President)
SEEN IN ABINGDON
SWVA HIGHER ED CENTER
Regional United
Way Kickoff STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY CRYSTAL DAWN CARTER
The United Way of Southwest Virginia hosted six Northeast Tennessee United Way organizations as they started their yearly fundraising efforts with a combined regional goal of over 8 million dollars. The invitation-only event, held on August 18th, kicked off the campaign with the Battle at Bristol in mind.
Coaches Frank Beamer and Phil Fulmer
Event Chair Wayne Austin, wife Jeannie Austin, and granddaughter Caroline Redderson
Contest winner Cathy Bolling. Cathy runs Backpacks United program to feed hungry kids.
Frank Beamer (former coach for Virginia Tech) and Phil Fulmer (former University of Tennessee Coach) signed books, footballs, and memorabilia. After meeting with guests the two took the stage to talk football, and share their thoughts on the importance of community involvement and the upcoming Battle at Bristol to be held at Bristol Motor Speedway. One extra special VIP at the event was Richlands, Virginia resident Cathy Bolling, who won a Facebook contest hosted by United Way of Southwest Virginia that awarded a deserving volunteer in the community entry into the event. Bolling runs the Backpacks Unite program at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Tazwell, Virginia. The program provides food for around 250 children every week. Her husband Randy, who says the community, has named her “Backpack Lady”, and that he is proud she always finds a way to feed the children, nominated her. While the maroon and orange rivalry was a fun way to kick off the campaign, United Way event volunteers wore shirts that best describe the border state rivalry “our teams duel but our communities are united”. The goal of United Way is to fight for health, education, and financial stability for every person in every community. SEEN IN ABINGDON
Staff members and board members of local United Ways; Deb Icenhour, Mary Anne Holbrook, Ashley Bartee, Dr. Daryl Carter, Josh Mckinny, Lola McVey, Lisa Cofer, Danelle Glassock, Craig Dennison, and Joel Mears
FEED AMERICA SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA
6th Annual
Elected Officials
Volunteer Day
State Senator Bill Carico speaks
STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY CRYSTAL DAWN CARTER
Feeding America Southwest Virginia held the 6th annual Elected Officials Volunteer Day on September 1st at their distribution center in Abingdon, Virginia. Those currently holding office, as well as political hopefuls, helped sort food for distribution to one of the 130 feeding programs in the area. President and CEO of FASWVA Pamela Irvine say events like this are crucial to bringing awareness to the need in Southwest Virginia communities. That need has seen an increase in the last few years with loss of jobs in the coal industry and a lack of employment options in the region.
David Millsap (Abingdon Branch Director FASWVA) and Pamela Irvine (CEO, FASWVA)
Helping out were staff members of Vice Presidential nominee Tim Kaine, 9th District U.S. Representative Morgan Griffith, and the man that hopes to take his seat in the next election, Derek Kitts. Also lending a hand, 5th District Delegate Israel O’Quinn and State Senator Bill Carrico, who both spoke of the work that FASWVA does and its positive impact on their communities. They also came with a proclamation by Governor Terry McAuliffe naming September as Hunger Awareness Month. Aside from the almost 8 million pounds of food distributed by FASWVA in Abingdon and far Southwest Virginia, they also offer free meals provided to any resident at their Harvest Home Community Kitchen, and multiple adult and children’s food programs. All Feeding America Southwest Virginia facilities and processes are regularly inspected by the AIA (American Institute of Baking), an independent auditor. 50 | VIPSEEN | NOVEMBER 2016
All Volunteers for the event
George Hearl and Willis Blevins
Get the Results You Expect!
“
Make the right move, today!
“
Redefining Concierge
SEEN IN JOHNSON CITY
JOHNSON CITY COUNTRY CLUB
CASA of Northeast Tennessee
Par-Tee & Golf
Tournament STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY CRYSTAL DAWN CARTER
Golfers, volunteers, and supporters gathered at Johnson City Country Club for two great days of food, spirits, and golf to support CASA of Northeast Tennessee. While August 22nd was all about the golf, the Par-Tee held the night before was all about celebrating CASA and their work as courtroom advocates for abused and neglected children.
Reeves Eye Institute, Marquee sponsor for the Par-Tee
Jamie Thomas (CASA Board President) and Dan Bragg (Golf Fundraiser Chairman)
The Par-Tee A string of rainy days ended just in time for to enjoy the ParTee both inside and on the golf course at the Johnson City Country Club. Guests were entertained with music by Kriss Dula & Friends while enjoying wonderful food and drink. The event, sponsored by Reeves Eye Institute, featured CASA volunteer Don Dale, who told about his experience as an advocate for area abused children. The Par-Tee then moved to the greens, where Mrs. Ashley Baker, in a dress and heels, bested other participants by winning the putting contest. Golf Tournament With the sun slowly seeping through the fog on the greens, players were gathering in teams of two or four to start a day of golf competition.
Dan Bragg (Tournament Chair) with Young Shil Bragg, and Peter Carden
The tournament’s marquee sponsor, Mountain States Health Alliance, was joined by a host of other local businesses made generous donations providing food, prizes, goodies, and helped to keep everyone hydrated on and off the links. Golfers also had a chance at putting their way into winning a Titleist golf wedge. The winner from the previous night’s putting contest Ashley Baker was joined by husband Phillip Baker in the winner’s circle on Monday. Tournament winners were WKPT in four person play and TriSummit Bank in the two player category.
Kathy and Ed Simerly
Tammy Hyatt and Freddie Malone working the TriSummit putting contest
Amy Pate, Whitney Thomas, Emily Tester, and Shirley Stoner (CASA representatives from Northeast Tennessee)
Kloye Peters and Jurnee Carr; Miss Teen and Miss Tennessee International 2016
Ashley Baker winner of putting contest at Par-Tee
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Tricia Nguyen joins Ashley Baker as she enjoys the night before competing in the tournament
Matt Elmore and Keddrain Bowen
Team – TriSummit Bank
Team – EBS
Team – United Capital
Aaron Shankle, Chris Veach, Pat Moore, Josh Elliot – Team Camelot Care
SEEN IN WISE
THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA’S COLLEGE AT WISE
Lawn by the Lake Concert STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY SAVANNA MCDAVID
A cool breezy evening by the lake, UVa-Wise on Saturday, July 23 was the perfect setting for one of the region’s most loved entertainment. Symphony of the Mountains performed a free concert at sunset for anyone who wanted to attend the magical evening. The spectacular performance included solos from Scott Kallestad on Saxophone, Steve Sensenig on Piano and an enchanting opera solo from Bree Jordan, Soprano. Families gathered with their lawn chairs and blankets to be taken on an adventure from Chicago to New York and many other places. Symphony of the Mountains, Pro-Art Association and the Marcia and Marvin Gilliam, Jr. Foundation along with the University of Virginia’s College at Wise teamed up to create an evening to remember under the stars. Pro-Art Association is celebrating it’s 40th year and could not be happier to support the Symphony of the Mountains. To learn more or to find their concert schedule, please visit symphonyofthemountains.org.
Mark Leonard and Steve Lawson
Gil and Martha Blackburn with Phylis Hatcher and Lu Ellsworth
Marvin and Marcia Gilliam with Pete and Ann Holler
Amilia Harris, Debra Wharton, and Mike Still
Rob Widner and Melissa Roberts
Bree Jordan, Cornelia Laemmli, and Scott Kallestadt
PRESTIGE AESTHETICS
SEEN IN JOHNSON CITY
Prestige Aesthetics & Penny Woods Skincare
1-Year Anniversary PHOTOGRAPHY BY JACQUELINE JOSEPH | STORY BY WENDY WILGUS
Jean Hunt and Michelle Corley
Wendy Wilgus and Dr. Jeff Hopland
Jennifer Jones, Susan Oliver, Rachel Morrison, Hayley Moss, Penny Woods, Wendy Wilgus, and Gretchen Carrubba
On August 22, Prestige Aesthetics & Penny Woods Skincare celebrated their one year anniversary in their building on Unaka Avenue. Since moving from their previous location, Penny and Wendy have added a hair and nail salon, permanent makeup, massage therapy, and yoga. These ladies commemorated this special occasion with an afterhours event including wine, appetizers, and discounts on products and services. Representatives from Obagi, glominerals, and Galderma were present and over 150 clients stopped by to celebrate with Penny and Wendy. Be sure to drop in to see them for all your beauty and aesthetic needs-you won’t be disappointed!
ARTSEEN
SWEET &
DIRTY’S • HANDMADE GOODS • A
s far back as I can remember I have always been a maker. One of my earliest childhood memories is of drawing on a giant piece of fabric on the kitchen floor. The entirety of the memory is fuzzy, but the action is so clear. To be given the chance to create on such a scale at a young age was magical. The other memory that stands out is of my Mamaw teaching me to sew. It was a small handbag constructed from the back pocket of a pair of jeans, with ribbon handles, and my own hand stitches. There are other moments peppered in between, but Those two serve as centerpieces in my creative endeavors. East Tennessee has always been my home. After growing up in Kingsport I migrated to Johnson City for college at East Tennessee 56 | VIPSEEN | NOVEMBER 2016
State University. I was fortunate to have a family who supported my pursuit of a degree in art. I graduated in the Spring of 2006 with a BFA in Painting, where I focused on creating large scale painted fiber pieces. It was such an enjoyable and creative time, I even met my husband in a figure drawing class. It was also during this time that I began machine sewing. It started as a want to make myself clothes, and after some minor frustration, evolved into more functional art pieces. With sewing I went the self taught route, which proved to be equal parts frustrating and rewarding. Once I was able to get a good grasp on it, I began sewing for family and friends. The entire motions of art school, painting, sewing, and supportive folks is really what helped usher in the next stages of making and planning. In the fall of 2007, newly married, and sitting at our kitchen table, my husband and I began to daydream of turning my sewing into a small business. It was a conversation filled with lots of hope and lots of nervousness on my part. The most productive part of that whole evening was the creation of a name, Sweet and Dirty’s Emporium of Good Stuff. The Emporium of Good Stuff was wishful thinking of a future store, and the Sweet and Dirty’s stemmed from our nicknames. After months of talk, it took my first pregnancy to really push the business along. We began to toy with the idea of my staying home with the baby and running this business. So I began sewing a small batch of bags and officially opened up an ETSY shop in the winter of 2009. From there I began doing local and regional setups, my first large scale was at Bristol’s Rhythm and Roots in September of 2009. That first Rhythm and Roots was such a positive experience, it really gave me a renewed confidence in what I was doing. From there my husband and I decided that I should officially make a go at this full time.
Over the course of the past seven years we added two more children to our brood, moved a few times, and settled permanently in Johnson City. It has been tricky finding a balance between raising three kids and working from home. There are constant tweaks to the making process. In the beginning I found myself sewing during nap times, and as nap times faded away, I ushered in the current era of late night sewing. I don’t see that one ending anytime soon, which is fine by me. Sweet and Dirty’s is, at its core, a labor of handmade love. I began with sewing bags, using vintage and recycled materials, and have over the years added hand painted fabrics, pouches, and embroidery hoops. I really place a lot of emphasis on the fabrics I use. I’m particularly fond of vintage material, from the patterns, to the colors, to the quality, it can‘t be beat. I am also a big proponent of reusing material, constantly cutting up curtains, clothes, and sheets, I love the notion of giving new life to something. Also this past year I began painting my own fabric, which feels like such a positive direction creatively. Fabric aside, the embroidery hoops have taken on their own life. Four years ago I stitched a quote from the film Harvey: “In this world you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant. Well for years I was smart, I recommend pleasant.“ I haven’t stopped stitching since. The hoops are a blend of song, film, television, wit, crass, and hilarity. They’ve been such a fun addition and a great point of conversation. Not to mention, I enjoy the ability they give me to stitch wherever I go, which is helpful with small children in tow. In all honesty, I really am completely, and totally in love with the process of making it all. The way the fabric runs through the machine, and the
way it feels to hand stitch, no matter how tired my hands get, it’s such an amazing feeling to have made something. Long term I have dreams of a brick and mortar shop, but for now I am more than happy with where things are. I participate locally in several events, Rhythm and Roots, Little Chicago, Insta-Crafty, etc. As well as showcase at ArtCurious Gallery, and still keep up that old ETSY shop. That nervousness I had in opening Sweet and Dirty’s is always there in the background, but I have found that the more I do, the more I push, the further away that feeling gets. This area is fortunate to have an amazing handmade collective, full of folks who continuously support each other, and I feel really lucky to have found that. Equally, there are so many here who support local and handmade, which is really wonderful. All the years of making, from bed sheet drawings, to jean pocket purses, to fiber paintings, to all that is Sweet and Dirty’s, have come full circle in a way. I plan to keep pushing this business, creating as much as I can. In all honesty, the days just aren’t long enough for all that I want to sew. And with each turn this all takes I am forever grateful for a husband who supports my work, for kids who wear me out, but keep my heart full, and for a family that has supported my artistic endeavors from the get go.
How to find Sweet & Dirty’s Homemade Goods www.sweetanddirtys.etsy.com sweetanddirtys@gmail.com NOVEMBER 2016 | VIPSEEN | 57
SHOP HISTORIC DOWNTOWN ABINGDON, VA
magnolia
HOME DECOR|LIGHTING|PILLOWS|DESIGN SERVICES
IN ROANOKE 4710 STARKEY ROAD 540.204.4774 MON - SAT 10 TO 6
IN ABINGDON 180 E. MAIN STREET 276.206.8134 TUES - SAT 11 TO 5
Monday - Saturday 9am - 6pm
Custom Jewelry. Personal Service.
276.676.3110 • www.goodmanjewelers.biz 108 E. Main Street | Abingdon, VA
HISTORIC DOWNTOWN
SEEN IN ABINGDON
Abingdon Main Street
BuskerFest STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY CRYSTAL DAWN CARTER
Performers staked their territory along Abingdon during the Main Street Busker Fest over Labor Day Weekend. Buskers are street performers that put on a show for tips. Acrobats, Musicians, magicians, jugglers, yo-yo champions and many novelty performance acts gathered in free spaces along the street to entertain audiences. Silver Drummer Girl Jessica Smith
Anna Osborne Sings Rocky Top
The Juggling Jesters were rowdy twin talents that used magic, trick shots, and of course juggling to wow the audience. They brought raucous laughter using audience participation for their zany antics. Anna Osborne used college decorated jars to collect her money, and help her decide which college to attend. The high school vocalist delighted audiences, and her University of Tennessee jar was overrun. The Silver Drummer Girl aka Jessica Smith attracted attention with her wonderful costuming and drumming. Smith, who lives in Asheville, said this audience was very different from what she usually sees at busker events. “There just seems to be more older people and families than what you see in Asheville. It’s been a different experience,” she said.
Anna’s “Busker Bench” will also help her decide on a college to attend
Several stores were open for browsing. Robin Bundy Ferrell owns Necessities, a specialty shop on Main. She and fellow business owner Polly Mallory of Mallory Fine Arts both agreed that attracting audiences with diverse interests to the downtown helps local businesses. The night ended with more matured themed acts. Those over age 21 could gather at the Market Pavilion to get up close and personal with unedited acts and meet their favorite busker performers. Abingdon Main Street BuskerFest occurs annually on Labor Day weekend.
Juggling Jesters
Sisters Lilly Osborne and Helen Shivers Dan Schull and Sundance enjoy the music
Audiences watch Busker Shows
Kytchyn Sync plays soulful music
Michelle Goodman, Goodman Jewelers
NOVEMBER 2016 | VIPSEEN | 59
SEEN IN LIMESTONE
CRUMLEY HOUSE
Crumley House Polynesian Beach Party STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY EMMA AYERS
The beautiful evening of August 6th was a great one indeed for those at the Crumley House in Limestone, TN. It was the organization’s annual Polynesian Beach Party and the guests were aplenty- as was the fun! Under the shade of a massive tent, party goers were treated to a delicious island-themed buffet, a silent auction, and much more. Brightly colored decorations swayed in the breeze, and everyone was able to enjoy the incomparable views from Crumley House as they chatted with friends old and new. All in all, the best part of the soiree was the knowledge that the proceeds ultimately benefited the mission of Crumley House, a wonderful organization that is based in compassion and hope.
Beth and Drew Pettit
Jurnee Carr and Jordan Stout
Crumley House is a first-class facility that is designed to cater to the needs of those who have sustained traumatic brain injuries. This includes victims both from the Tri-cities and beyond! In its fully accessible building which sits on 32 acres of stunning farm land, Crumley House offers 14 apartment units, vocational training facilities, and day program classes. All of this comes to together to make Crumley perfectly suited to assist victims who want to regain their independence. This is Crumley’s mission, and every day they are making advances to reach that goal. Those at Crumley House are also grateful to the supporters that made the event possible! The sponsor of the party was Dermatology Associates of the Tri Cities. Entertainment sponsors were Mountain States Health Alliance and NN, Inc. They would also like to thank the Friends of Crumley House and the table sponsors for all of their support, for realizing the vision of Crumley House, and for coming alongside to lend a hand.
Brian and Amy Horton of Horton Sports
Whitney and Junior Carr
To find out more about Crumley House, visit crumleyhouse.com or like their page on Facebook!
Amber and Jay Koonce
Jim Edgemon and Deborah Martin Jodi Giddens, Susan Breeden, and Pam Stewart
Heather Brack and Andy Marquart
Debbie and Joe Carr with Will and Jessica Barrett
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Tracy Whitson and Kim West
Dr. Caroline Abercrombie and Valda Jones
MCKINNEY CENTER
SEEN IN JONESBOROUGH
Celebration of Women Artists STORY BY PAM BLAIR | PHOTOGRAPHY BY CRYSTAL DAWN CARTER
The creative work of women artists living in East Tennessee was showcased in the Journeys of Women Art Show IV held at the McKinney Center in Jonesborough on Sep. 9-17. The juried art show was an exhibit of women’s art that was visually stunning and beautifully displayed at an event that has attracted a large audience for the past three years. A preview party for the art show was held at the McKinney Center on Sep. 8 with many of the artists present to discuss their work. A portion of the proceeds from each item sold went to the Women’s Fund of East Tennessee, a public nonprofit charitable organization serving 25 counties in East Tennessee, and one of the only local funds dedicated to a regional approach in researching, vetting and granting funds to organizations focused on improving the lives of women and girls. Patrons at the party enjoyed meeting the artists and viewing the variety of art represented in multiple mediums, including oils and pastels, photography, pottery, jewelry, sculpture and encaustics. Major sponsors for the event included The Trust Company and Hilliard Lyons. Women’s funds and similar organizations around the world provide critical financial power to help women find solutions to family and community challenges such as poverty, domestic violence, education, job training, health concerns, and the many other issues that challenge individuals’ ability to develop their personal assets to be successful citizens. The Women’s Fund of East Tennessee believes that when you invest in a woman, you invest in a family, a community, and ultimately a region. By helping women and girls, we create better communities for all of us. For more information, visit the Women’s Fund website at www.womensfundetn. org or contact Terry Morgan, Executive Director at tmorgan@wfet.org or (865) 394-9701.
Linda Spence, Cynthia Burnley, Judy Ingala, and Theresa Hammons
“Egg and Change” carving by Tina Collison
Caroline Scharfstein with Rena and Phil Scharfstein
Kiran Singh Sirah (President, International Storytelling Center) and Carol Transou
Hathorn’s work “Empty Nest” done after her daughter left for college.
SEEN IN KINGSPORT
PERFORMANCE MEDICINE
Performance Medicine
Ladies Night Out STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY LINDA COFFEY
Performance Medicine hosted a Ladies Night Out in Kingsport, Johnson City and Knoxville during the month of September. Specials were offered on Botox, Juvederm, Voluma, SkinPen, Microneedling, Vitatrim and Skincare Products. Several local vendors were also present to offer shopping opportunities while ladies enjoyed wine, hors d’oeuvres, and the chance to visit with friends. Dr. Tom Rogers spoke with the group about achieving their maximum potential toward total health. For more information about the services available, visit their website: www.performancemedicine.net
Ernie Dickson and Tom Rogers
Lisa Hall
Dr. Rogers and Staff
Melanie Laws and Heather Wilhelm
Nurse Practitioner, Amber Butler
JOHNSON CITY COUNTRY CLUB
SEEN IN JOHNSON CITY
Dawn of Hope
Golf Classic STORY BY LISA PAWLEY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY EMMA AYERS
Rick Bishop
Harry Page
Travis Duggar and Gene Deaton
Peggy Williams
Robin Rickers and Scotty Coleman
Presented by Cantech Industries, the Dawn of Hope Golf Classic fundraiser, held August 15, 2016 at the Johnson City Country Club, raised more than $25,000 for the Dawn of Hope Developmental, Residential, Vocational and Health Service Programs. A beautiful day with a bit of everything; sunshine, an afternoon rain sprinkle, a cool breeze and good times with new and old friends! Dawn of Hope Service Recipients Ricky and Becky greeted players as they checked-in and then cheered them on as they headed for the course. Both the 8:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. tournament tee-times were kicked off by ceremonial shots made by service recipients Bud and Ralph. Players enjoyed a delicious breakfast and lunch, compliments of ChickFil-A of Elizabethton and Outback Steakhouse of Johnson City, respectively. Throughout the day, golfers stopped by the Honey Hot Dogs’ stand to sample their signature dogs, a traditional all-time favorite for tournament participants. Players and volunteers enjoyed complimentary beverages provided by Cherokee Distributing Company and Pepsi Bottling Group. A heartfelt THANK YOU from DOH goes out to more than 73 tournament sponsors, 96 players and 50 volunteers who helped to make this such a successful event! Dawn of Hope counts itself truly blessed and grateful that these valued friends and businesses chose to partner with them in this very important fundraising event.
John Somich and Frank Hare
Danny Blackburn and Cody Long
Congratulations to the winners; Championship Flight – Cody Long and Danny Blackburn, Second Flight – Russell Sikora and Josh Ruff, Third Flight – Mike Stott and Louis Jones, Open Flight – Karen Frederick and Jenny Brock, Putting Contest – Chick King And Chris Vaughn, Most Accurate Drive – Derek Adkisson, Closest to the Pin – Ed Lewis, Longest Drive – Cody Long. MEADOWVIEW CONFERENCE CENTER
SEEN IN KINGSPORT
Kingsport Chamber
4th Friday Breakfast PHOTOGRAPHY AND STORY BY CRYSTAL DAWN CARTER
Heather Cook, Marketing and Public Relations Director for the City of Kingsport
Casey Peddicord, Regional Sales Manager at YP (Guest Speaker) with Jeff Hostetler of Tele-Optics
The fourth Friday in August, business leaders gathered at MeadowView Marriott Conference Resort and Convention Center for the Kingsport Chamber Fourth Friday Breakfast. Jeff Hostetler hosted presentations from YP and information about the “What’s Your 100?” campaign for Kingsport’s upcoming Centennial celebration. Heather Cook told members that the campaign theme is open to interpretation of “What’s Your 100?”. Cook hopes to have several businesses participating and contributing ideas for the campaign. Cook said more information on that and the centennial celebration is available at Kingsport100.org. Sponsoring the breakfast was YP, a rebranded version of Yellow Pages. Regional Sales Manager Casey Peddicord delivered a presentation on digital marketing advice to those in attendance. He says there are three steps every business should be implementing for a successful strategy. First, a mobile friendly site will attract more business. The easier it is to use, the more it will be selected. Second, a business should make sure its listing is correct across the Internet. A wrong address or phone number on a search site could mean a loss of revenue, and staying on top of your Internet listings is crucial to success.
New Kingsport Chamber Members representing 16 businesses.
Lastly, Peddicord told the audience that what position your business is listed on search engine results is linked to how often it is chosen by a user. The closer a listing is to the top, the more it is used. The key is getting your business listed in the top spots. The presentation ended with tips and suggestions to help take advantage of digital and social media target marketing. Kevin Korpot, Matthew Smith (Tri-Ciies Behavioral Therapy), John Rotty, Brian Bishop (MARSH)
Abby Gilliam and Jim Stout, Kelly Services (New Chamber Members)
The event ended with recognition and celebration of 16 new members to the Kingsport Chamber. NOVEMBER 2016 | VIPSEEN | 63
SEEN IN JOHNSON CITY
ETSU AND GENERAL SHALE NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM
Home Instead
Caregiver Appreciation
Luncheon STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY APRIL BARNES
Marian Meyer and Nancy Sparks
Hannah Sick and Sarah Faulk
It was a day of fellowship, celebration, and recognition at Home Instead Senior Care’s 1st Annual CAREGiver® Appreciation Celebration and Awards Ceremony, which was held on Saturday, September 17th at the East Tennessee State University and General Shale Natural History Museum. CAREGivers and administrative staff from the Bristol, Greeneville, Johnson City, and Kingsport offices gathered for a family-friendly afternoon of conversation, games, door prizes, face painting, and a potluck lunch that was the product of family recipes shared from the heart. An awards ceremony followed the meal to honor all CAREGivers, including those who were chosen from each office as 2016 CAREGivers of the Year. “At Home Instead, we are one big family”, said George Smith, one of Home Instead Senior Care’s local owners. “We encourage and celebrate one another, and make it a priority to express to our caregiving family how much they are appreciated. They are an inspiration to us all.”
SEEN IN JOHNSON CITY
Home Instead Staff
Caregivers of the Year with Owners
PEERLESS CENTER
Monkee’s of Johnson City Celebrates 1st Anniversary PHOTOGRAPHY AND STORY BY JACQUELINE JOSEPH
Monkee’s of Johnson City celebrated its 1st anniversary on Saturday, August 13, 2016, with cupcakes, champagne, and giveaways! Monkee’s is an upscale ladies boutique that features designer shoes, clothing, handbags and accessories, located in the Peerless Center on N. Roan Street in the heart of Johnson City. Thanks to their customers, it was an amazingly successful first year for the popular boutique! Monkee’s was built on a love of fashion and grown through a focus on personal customer relationships. Monkee’s is proud to exclusively carry clothing lines including Kate Spade, Trina Turk, and Tolani; shoe lines including Jack Rogers, Chocolat Blu, and Donald Pliner; and handbag lines including Rebecca Minkoff and Hammitt LA. Monkee’s is also very proud to announce that they are the first and only boutique in the country to carry the very popular Reese Witherspoon line, Draper James! Happy anniversary to Monkee’s! Please follow on Facebook & Instagram: @monkeesofjohnsoncity
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SuEllen Whitson, Christine Robins, Krista Wharton (owner), and Jill Dayton
Rene Zervos, Krista Wharton, and Marsella Teachey
Stephanie McAlister and Lloyd Brownlow
George Smith, Sandra Smith, Erica Newman, and Rick Regen
OLIVE OIL DIVINE
SEEN IN JOHNSON CITY
Gourmet Chef
Michael McKnight at Olive Oil Divine PHOTOGRAPHY BY JACQUELINE JOSEPH | STORY BY GREG MUELLER
Guests enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere of Olive Oil Divine as owners Greg and Shirley Mueller hosted Gourmet Chef Michael McKnight. Chef Michael has been a professional chef in Asheville, NC for over 20 years. Taking a contemporary approach, Chef Michael sources local ingredients whenever possible, and almost everything is made from scratch. This after hours, private event offered 28 participants the opportunity to learn how to prepare some delightful dishes made with Olive Oil Divine’s products. Chef Michael’s recipes for the evening consisted of Traditional Greek Salad with a Sevillano EVOO Mediterranean Dressing, Lemon-Parmesan Trout Pan Seared in Tuscan Herb Infused EVOO with a White Wine Butter Sauce; Chocolate Profiterole with Blueberry Balsamic drizzled. These sold-out classes are usually offered monthly, and as future classes/chefs, or wine pairing events are confirmed, they become posted on Olive Oil Divine’s website or social media page so that those connected get the first chance at obtaining the coveted tickets!
Stu and Kris Fisher
Owners Greg and Shirley Mueller
Chef Michael
Carly Owens, Tanya Young, Judy and Mike McKnight, with Greg and Shirley Mueller
Be spirited away during the Night of Holiday Miracles. Friday, Dec. 2 • 6:30 p.m. MeadowView Conference Resort & Convention Center With carols in the air, you and your friends can stroll among various tasting stations of seasonal specials with food pairings. You’ll also enjoy a sprawling silent auction marketplace, unique entertainment and a wholly festive atmosphere. And above all, your heart will fill with holiday joy knowing the proceeds from this event will help support Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. All money raised in this area is used by Wellmont Health System to purchase state-of-the-art equipment for its pediatric departments, neonatal intensive care unit and emergency departments and to fund community partnerships that advance children’s health.
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One tic VIP P ket: $100 Inclu ackage $ : des t wo ti 500 Want ckets Call 1 a room fo r th -88 a spe 8-632-3 e night? 6 cial d iscou 97 for nt.
Buy ticke your t tod ay! 66 | VIPSEEN | NOVEMBER 2016
Visit WellmontFoundation.org or call 423-230-8592 to purchase tickets or learn more.
NIGHT of
Holiday Miracles
Charlotte and Caroline Herrig Alison Herrig was eight weeks pregnant when she heard, “You’re having twins!” The news overjoyed the Herrigs, and they quickly began preparing for their arrivals.
At 34 weeks, though, the doctors discovered the bad news: One baby had no amniotic fluid and had developed the potentially fatal Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome. In an effort to save the baby’s life, both twins were delivered a few hours later via emergency C-section.
Charlotte and Caroline Herrig were welcomed to the world on July 8 – six weeks early – and were immediately whisked to the neonatal intensive care unit at Holston Valley Medical Center. Twin Charlotte weighed only 4 pounds, 5 ounces, and her sister Caroline was even smaller at 3 pounds, 4 ounces.
After two months of specialized, around-the-clock care from NICU staff, the twins were finally able to go home, Charlotte at 8 pounds, 13 ounces, and Caroline at 7 pounds, 3 ounces. Big brother Grant immediately loved having his sisters home and quickly adjusted to the big brother role.
“ We are so thankful for the exceptional care Dr. Christopher Mitchell with Seasons OB-GYN and the staff of Wellmont Medical Associates Perinatology provided during our high-risk pregnancy. In addition, we would like to thank Dr. Christopher Martin, Dr. Sharon Lail and the entire NICU staff at Holston Valley Medical Center for the excellent, specialized critical care our premature daughters received.”
Beckett Taylor Jennifer and Brett Taylor were the proud, happy parents of a 5-year-old daughter when they decided to expand their family. Son Beckett was born Sept. 14, 2015, following a healthy, non-eventful pregnancy and delivery. Jennifer, however, couldn’t shake the feeling something would go wrong. And then, on Oct. 16, Beckett’s fever spiked to 102.7, and he was immediately rushed to Holston Valley. During the next few days, tests for flu, RSV and other common illnesses were all negative, and his fever continued to climb. Following a spinal tap, Beckett’s doctor decided to treat for the worst case scenario: bacterial meningitis, which meant 10 more days in the hospital with a course of IV antibiotics. By Oct. 22, Beckett’s fever had broken, and his tests showed no sign of further infection.
The Taylor family will forever be grateful and indebted to those who had a hand in Beckett’s healing: the doctors, the nurses and the many who have donated to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. Those gifts may be spare change to some, but to Beckett’s family, there is no amount of money large enough to pay for the blessing they received.
The Night of Holiday Miracles has everything you need for a casual, festive evening of fun! Premier sponsors:
Media sponsors:
Virginia Electric Supply
The NICU Next Generation campaign – furthering our legacy of care With thousands of NICU graduates grown up and thriving, it is time to equip Wellmont Health System’s neonatal intensive care unit for the next generation of miracle babies.
This $2.5 million project is desperately needed to improve care and create an atmosphere that’s better suited for patient and family needs, as well as emerging and advanced technology. Thanks to community support, the new NICU: • Is relocating to Holston Valley Medical Center’s third floor as part of the newly announced Center for Women and Infants. This new unit will consolidate the birthing unit, post-partum care, neonatal intensive care unit, pediatrics and gynecology on one floor, with its own entrance. • Significantly expands floor space, nearly doubling the available amount of room per baby. This extra area will allow parents to be more comfortable at bedsides, while also accommodating babies’ developmental needs. • Features an innovative layout that flexes to accommodate mixed caseloads and better allocate our resources. • Offers a private step-down room where parents can spend the night with their infants as they prepare to go home. • Includes a specialized procedure room where infants can be taken for invasive treatments. The new area will allow parents to stay by their babies’ sides, while also protecting the sterilized area. • Contains airborne contaminants in a dedicated isolation room, which will be capable of maintaining negative air pressure and specialized filtration. • Creates a larger nurses’ center to aid in caregivers’ communication, management and safety.
Learn more about NICU care at wellmont.org/NextGen.
Make a miracle and win your dream vacation. For the first time, Wellmont Foundation’s Night of Holiday Miracles will feature deluxe vacation packages as part of its silent auction. The highest bidders can win dream trips:
Kentucky Bourbon Trail: Three-night stay for two. Includes distillery tours and tastings at Stitzel-Well, Maker’s Mark and Jim Beam.
Sonoma vineyard: Three-night stay with airfare for two. Private winery tour and reserve tasting, as well as a six-course dinner with wine pairings.
New York City: Three-night stay with airfare for two. Your choice of a Broadway show and dinner.
Fairmont Bermuda: Four-night stay with airfare for two. Includes a stay at the stunning Fairmont Southampton.
Masters Golf Tournament: Two-night private home stay for two during the practice round for the 2017 Masters tournament.
You can win these one-of-a-kind excursions during the Night of Holiday Miracles! Visit WellmontFoundation.org for tickets. 68 | VIPSEEN | NOVEMBER 2016
NIGHT of
Holiday Miracles
Neonatal care at Holston Valley • The Holston Valley NICU opened in 1986 – one of the first in the state. • The NICU cares for babies born as young as 24 weeks, weighing as little as 15 ounces. • Many NICU babies are born prematurely and suffer complications, such as respiratory distress, heart defects and infections. Other causes for admission include multiple births, such as twins or triplets, poor prenatal care or maternal health problems. • Up to 50 percent of the babies in the NICU are struggling through opiate withdrawal, a condition known as neonatal abstinence syndrome. Complications from withdrawal can include birth defects, low birth weight, premature birth and problems with growth and development. • Newborns frequently stay in the NICU for weeks or even months. As such, the unit is usually filled to capacity. • The equipment used to treat a single baby in the NICU typically costs $100,000 to $250,000. • Wellmont is our region’s Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals affiliate, a partnership that began in 1986.
THE BRAMBLE
SEEN IN ERWIN
Low Country Boil PHOTOGRAPHY AND STORY BY CRYSTAL DAWN CARTER
The sounds of The Carolina Gator Gumbo Band mingled with the scent of seafood on the streets of Erwin during a low country boil. The event was part of The Elephant Revival, a week-long festival held to raise awareness of a Tennessee based natural habitat for abused African and Asian elephants. Todd Montgomery, Education Manager at The Elephant Sanctuary, was there to provide information about the program and how it can be supported. The week’s events also helped to heal the stigma of Mary, an elephant sentenced to die in Kingsport, but hanged in Erwin, the town with a railroad crane able to do the job. Lori Ann Wright (Unicoi Drama Teacher, Director of Mary’s Story: A Hundred Years Later)
Ryle Scott, Logan Engle, Tyler Engle (Event Volunteers), and Todd Montgomery (Education Manger of The Elephant Sanctuary)
Events were sponsored by RISE, a group that promotes luring younger business owners into the town. Supporters like Gloria Mouton and friends said they came out to support both organizations. Mouton points to The Bramble event space co-owners Kristin Anders and Jamie Rice as a success story. Rice was also the event organizer for the low country boil. As a rainbow pierced the cloudy haze, a steady wind blew artfully arranged lanterns and newsprint tablecloths. It gave notice of rain that would soon come pouring down. That wouldn’t slow the festivities, or enjoying Chef Rachelle Hyder’s low country delights. Hyder’s students in Culinary Arts at Unicoi County High School assisted with the preparations. Culinary students weren’t the only ones helping with elephant education. Storefronts in town were adorned with elementary artwork. Drama students in Unicoi County raised over 600 dollars for the sanctuary for their presentations of “Mary’s Story 100 years later”, a show that teacher Lori Ann Wright said was original student works. Greene County Librarian Mary Gavlik said her students presented research on Mary during an annual Tennessee History Day, and that she thinks the town should provide a historical marker. Over 7,000 dollars was raised during The Elephant Revival.
Kristin Anders (The Bramble), Rachelle Hyder (Chef at Unicoi County Culinary), and Jamie Rice (Event Organizer, The Bramble)
Tom and Mitzi with Barbara and Bob Stiltner enjoying food
Lynnsey Lewis and Stacy Wilcox
Greg Sayler, Cindy Sayler (Unicoi County Health Department Director), and Riki Forney (Unicoi County Public Works)
Carolina Gumbo Band provides entertainment
NOVEMBER 2016 | VIPSEEN | 69
VIPBEAUTY
Easy Tips for a Fresh Face. Preferred stylist for Miss Virginia USA, Sherri Jessee, shares tricks of the trade to creating a beautiful look for gorgeous Gracyn Blackmore, Miss Virginia USA 2016. BY SHERRI JESSEE
1 Begin with a clean, moisturized face. Tweeze any stray brows. Correct and enhance brow shape using shadow in True Taupe.
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Cover the entire eyelid with a light shadow in Bisque.
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5 Hair & Makeup: Sherri Jessee Photo: Mickey Baker Model: Miss Virginia Teen USA 2016, Gracyn Blackmore
70 | VIPSEEN | NOVEMBER 2016
Sweep and blend Teak shadow in crease.
Apply Super Wear Gel Liner in Noir close to the lash line and smudge with Teak shadow to soften the line.
Apply Mary Kay Lash Love mascara to top and bottom lashes.
6
Sweep Shy Blush from the apples of the cheeks toward the hairline.
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Photo by Nathan Mays
For natural looking flawless finish use Temptu Airpod Airbrush Foundation.
Using a lip brush for accurate application apply lip gloss in Super Coy.
SEEN IN KINGSPORT
THE ALZHEIMER’S REGIONAL RESOURCE CENTER
Ride for Memories
6th Annual Motorcycle Event STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY SHARON DURNIN
On September 17, 2016, The Alzheimer’s Regional Resource Center hosted the 6th annual Motorcycle Charity Event, Ride for Memories, with proceeds benefiting Alzheimer’s education and awareness in the Tri-Cities, as well as surrounding areas. The event was sponsored by Preston Place Community and The Village at Allandale. Each year, the event features a near 100-mile scenic ride that is mapped out by 2 men who volunteer their time to help make this charity event a success. Joe Harris and Keith Harkleroad spend countless volunteer hours behind the scenes, planning the route to be travelled, distributing flyers to clubs and riders and gathering terrific door prizes that are donated by local businesses. The businesses who donate each year help make this an exciting event. We could not host this annual event without the help of our community! Event Coordinator, Sharon Durnin, staff volunteers from Preston Place Suites, Preston Place 2, The Village at Allandale and friends of the cause, work diligently to make sure riders enjoy their day, which includes lunch, bike show, trophies, and fun for everyone. Thank you to all who participated in the Ride for Memories this year. There were 53 registered motorcycles! Many riders and their clubs and friends have participated every year and this year we welcomed several new participants, and for that, we say THANK YOU! Next annual event will be in September 2017. Please plan to join us! What a great way to give back to the community as well as make a difference in the lives of those living with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia-related diseases. TOGETHER, WE DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE! Alz. Stats: Over 5 million people live with Alzheimer’s disease. It is the 6th leading cause of death in the United States and has no prevention, no slowing the progression, and no cure.
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THE VILLAS AT BOONE RIDGE
SEEN IN JOHNSON CITY
Johnson City Chamber of Commerce
& Tri-Cities Apartment Association
After Hours Event STORY BY JACQUELINE JOSEPH | PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRAD SIMONS
The Villas at Boone Ridge is a 251-unit townhome community located in North Johnson City. The community hosted its ribbon cutting on July 28th with a “Chamber After-Hours Event” with Johnson City Chamber of Commerce and the Tri-Cities Apartment Association (TCAA) along with Mitch Cox Companies (MCC) and Universal Development & Construction (UDC). “We’re excited to see the finishing touches throughout the community as the construction phase reaches completion. This has been a great project for us and I hope it’s something our region can be proud of.” UDC Co-founder Shane Abraham said. The Villas at Boone Ridge offers 1, 2 and 3 bedroom units with and without garages. Units include; laminate flooring, stainless steel appliances, large closets and washer/dryer connections. Community amenities include; saltwater swimming pool, fitness center and tanning facility. MCC and UDC are partnering on other projects as well. Together they are bringing two new multifamily communities, The Villas at Island Road and The Villas at River Bend to Bristol and Kingsport, respectively.
Jason Sheets, Lance Williams, Kyle Gibson, Will Barrett, Michael Estes, Joe Carr, Larry England, Cheryl Songster, Gary Mabrey, Shane Abraham, David Henderson, April Street, Shannon Castillo, Scott Wilkerson, Amber Proctor, and Stephanie McConnell
Amber Proctor, David Henderson, Shane Abraham, Cheryl Songster, April Street, Stephanie McConnell, and Brad Simons
Rose Neese, Scott Wilkerson, Joe Carr, Shane Abraham, and Gary Mabrey
SEEN IN JONESBOROUGH
THE BLACKTHORN CLUB
The Farmer & the Chef STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY SALLY DODSON
The Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Tennessee annually organizes a unique event as a part of fundraising efforts to feed the hungry. The Farmer and The Chef, held August 4 at the Blackthorn Club pairs local chefs with local farmers to provide a unique culinary experience. Chefs created their signature dishes from fresh product grown locally. Rhonda Chaffin, Executive Director – Second Harvest Food Bank began the event with a warm welcome to everyone. Chris Chandley, VP – Second Harvest Board of Directors talked about the need for food assistance in the region, the food bank’s mission and how the food bank fills the need with your assistance.
Amy Lynn, Daytime Tri-Cities WJHL TV – 11
Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey
The mission of Second Harvest Food Bank is to feed the hungry in NE Tennessee by securing and distributing food and engaging our community in the fight to end hunger through regional partnerships, programs, and education. In addition to serving partner agencies, Second Harvest has programs that directly benefit individuals and families at risk for hunger. Participating farmers and food providers included the following: Food City fresh produce Lori and Arvil Love – Grains John and Elizabeth Malayter – JEM Farm Joe and Laura Fitzgerald – Lil’ Sprouts Dale and Rebecca Myers – R & D Farms Reinhart Foods Steve and Fran Scott – Scott’s Farms Adam and Abby Borden – Sunset View Farm John and Andrea Woodworth – Ziegenwald Dairy Mountain View Country Market Chef James Allen – Blackthorn Club Bakers Lauren, Katelyn and Joshua Jones – Scott’s Farm Chef Jane Karuschkat – Raw Chef Jane Chef Tony Mammarella – Food City K-V-A-T Foods Chefs Shirley and Greg Mueller – Olive Oil Divine Chef Heather Ricker- Wellington Chefs Shawn and Jennifer Stanley – Fire in the Hole Pizza Truck Chef Niki Giles – One Acre Café Attendees participated in a silent and live auction to raise funds to feed the hungry. Allen Ramsey and his brother, Ron Ramsey and Associates, Realtors and Auctioneers, conducted the live auction. For more information on helping feed the hungry visit www.netfoodbank.org 74 | VIPSEEN | NOVEMBER 2016
Rhonda Chaffin, Executive Director, Second Harvest
Olive Oil Divine
SEEN IN KINGSPORT
DOWNTOWN
Downtown Kingsport Association’s
Sip & Stroll STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY LINDA COFFEY
The first Thursday in September provided another opportunity to “Sip & Stroll” in Downtown Kingsport. Several merchants stayed open until 8:00 and shoppers enjoyed refreshments, music, and the opportunity to shop with friends. The weather was perfect and several of the stores were having season end sales. Don’t miss the next opportunity to shop, sip, stroll downtown and see friends!
Strolling…
Watch Charlie’s story online.
Max and Lorie Norman
Charlie Lowe Patient of Dr. Sanders
Whitney Wright and Miranda Owens
For years, Charlie Lowe wanted to make a change to his smile; yet, he kept putting it off. Finally, after learning of Dr. Kathy Sanders, he decided “enough is enough.”
Jeffrey Stoner
Meet Dr. Kathy Sanders
Today, Charlie absolutely loves his new smile, saying when meeting strangers, a quick smile “changes the whole conversation.” What does he have to say about Dr. Sanders? “She’s the h utmost professional -- an artist! There’s nothing halfhearted about her dentistry. She’s absolutely amazing!” Dr. Kathy Sanders is one of only eight dentists in the state of Tennessee to earn accreditation with the AACD and one of only 300 worldwide.
Lidany Rouse, Featured Artist at Cindy Saadeh’s Art Gallery
tricitiessmiles.com
•
(423) 239-7899
Donna Bird and Faye Boushely
Serve it up Sassy
Putting on the Glitz! RECIPE DEVELOPMENT, FOOD STYLING, PHOTOGRAPHY, AND ARTICLE BY LIZ BUSHONG
T
he stage is set for festive gatherings and your dining room table is the star. Discover just how bright the table can shine with a revolving cast of brilliant details. Striking poinsettia china poses pretty on black chargers with tree-shaped napkin folds. Fresh cut boxwood form a wreath surrounding a large glass urn filled with shiny red ornaments; while the soft flicker of candlelight glows with radiance and dances about the room. Get ready for a curtain call because you will certainly get rave reviews. The poinsettia dinnerware has been in my family for several years and plays a leading role for this table setting. This seasonal setting has complimentary serving pieces that can be used for floral containers, Christmas ornaments, and displayed. The dinnerware is too decorative for food service instead it is used for display during the holiday season. When guests arrive the table
is set with the decorative plates so they can enjoy the festive table; however, the dinner is served on classic white china. You can place the classic white dinner plate over the top of the decorative if you desire or remove the plate during the appetizer. With pretty linens and the classic white china you only need to supply some shimmer with ornaments, fresh greenery, and a few candles to make your table holiday ready. Poinsettia decorated butter cookies play a title role for each dinner guest. They can be eaten before the dinner or packaged as a take home favor. These small delicate cookies are snowflake cutout shapes that bake the same size you cut them. They are frosted with red and green buttercream frosting and piped into large leaves resembling a singular poinsettia. The cookies can be baked a few weeks ahead and frozen undecorated. The NOVEMBER 2016 | VIPSEEN | 77
Serve it up Sassy Serve it up Sassy
frosting can be made ahead and kept in the refrigerator in disposable piping bags until ready to use. “Too pretty to eat” will be a cue that your baking skills are appreciated. Another cast member of this setting includes the tree-shaped napkin fold. It begins with a large 20 x 20 napkin folded in half and half again to form a square. The outside edges are loose and layers of folds are tucked under each layer to form the tree shape. Stand the napkin upright in front of the setting or add a tiny red bow to the top of the tree and a pretzel stick for a trunk and lay the napkin horizontal on the dinner plate. The visual of this napkin fold is impressive and everyone will want to know how you made it. The superstar of this holiday table is the boxwood wreath centerpiece. The wreath provides the base for a large glass urn filled with shiny red ornaments that glisten in the soft glow of candlelight. The traditional red and green Christmas color scheme draws our attention center stage and supports the festive and merry season. The boxwood wreath can perform multiple roles this season; as a centerpiece, hung on windows, banisters, above the fireplace or on the front door. Boxwood is an evergreen shrub that is ideal for sculpting, manicuring or left free growing. The foliage is small green cloud’s almost waxy but firm. Because of the firmness of the stems you can stick the cut stems directly into floral foam without the use of wire. Boxwood is mildly fragrant which adds to the fresh scents of Christmas and will not interfere with the aroma of your dinner.
The wreath is made with a 15” round caged Oasis florist foam that is soaked in water. Fresh boxwood stems were cut into 6” lengths and inserted into the oasis foam going in a circular direction so the stems are balanced making the circumference of the wreath 20- 26”. Depending on the size of your dining table you can adjust the fullness of the wreath with the clippings. For more information about wreath making and hanging around the house go to my website, lizbushong.com Not to upstage the star and standing on both sides of the wreath centerpiece are several white candles. Two glass canisters are filled with standing stems of boxwood around a pillar candle. The stems are not in the region of the flame. If you prefer, you can use the flameless candles with the boxwood stems. If you don’t have boxwood growing in your yard you can use magnolia, Frazier, pine or other evergreen type foliage. Mixing the evergreen foliage adds texture and makes a beautiful wreath. It’s almost show time and family festivities for the Christmas season begin with a spectacular dining table. Orchestrate the cast and crew to help with the decorating details. Not only will the table be a shining star but you will be too! So take a bow and get ready for a standing ovation! Helping you Make a Statement, Make it Sassy and Make it Yours!® Go to lizbushong.com to see Christmas Cookie Countdown recipes and Deck it Out for Christmas decorating ideas as presented on Daytime Tri-Cities, Daytime Blue-Ridge, and Good Day Tri-Cities.
How to make Boxwood Door Wreath SUPPLIES: 15 Oasis florist foam wreath 30 or more 6”stems of fresh boxwood clippings Pruning shears Florist wire – heavy gage or pipe cleaners for hanging Red velvet bow – 5 yards of ribbon to make a bow INSTRUCTIONS: Soak foam wreath in lukewarm water until foam is saturated. Set the form over an empty gallon bucket on workbench. Cut boxwood stems and place in bucket of water until ready to use. Insert cut boxwood stems directly into the foam, no need to wire stems in groups, arrange in one direction all around the wreath. Attach 2 green pipe cleaners or heavy florist wire to back of wreath, form a loop for hanger. Attach red velvet bow to door wreath. Hang wreath on front door or use as centerpiece with or without the bow. Once you make the purchase for the wreath forms, you can reuse the foam next season by turning over the used foam and use the other side, of course the following seasons you will need to replace. Don’t have boxwood, use easy-to-find fresh greenery from your yard such as magnolia, hemlock, Frasier fir, or white pine.
Make a Statement, Make it Sassy and Make it Yours!® Liz Bushong is an expert in the three-dimensional art of entertaining. She transforms simple dining occasions into beautiful and memorable moments by adding a touch of her own “sassy” style. For the past several years Liz been entrusted to decorate the White House for several Holidays. She is a featured monthly guest chef/designer on Daytime Tri-cities, Daytime Blue Ridge and other television shows. Liz is the author of the Just Desserts and Sweets & Savories cookbook as well as a contributing writer for VIPSEEN and Bella Magazine. For more information about Liz go to www.lizbushong.com or www.serveitupsassy.com 78 | VIPSEEN | NOVEMBER 2016
Poinsettia Cookies www.lizbushong.com
Yield: 24 small cookies
24 baked cut out butter cookies- small snowflake cutter Butter cookie recipe – www.serveitupsassy.com/red-high-heel-cookie-recipes/ 2 cups butter cream frosting- divided Americolor -gel color Decorating leaf tip- large #366 for poinsettia leaves- small #352 green leaves BUTTER CREAM FROSTING RECIPE 1/4 cup butter- softened 1/4 cup vegetable shortening 1 tablespoon half and half 1 teaspoon crème bouquet extract 2 cups confectioner’s sugar Americolor, Lemon Yellow- 1 -2 drops Americolor, Leaf Green- 2-3 drops Americolor – soft pink 3 drops first, then add 3-5 drops of Super Red INSTRUCTIONS: Cream together the butter and vegetable shortening. Add in half & half, crème bouquet and ¼ cup powdered sugar. Beat until creamy add remaining confectioner’s sugar. Separate frosting into three bowls with ¼ cup frosting tinted yellow, divide the remaining frosting in half, tint one half with leaf green and the other half with soft pink and super red. Stir to combine. Cover frosting bowls with plastic wrap and allow to rest at room temperature over night to deepen the colors. TO DECORATE: Fill red frosting in disposable decorating bag fitted with large leaf tip # 366. Fill green frosting in disposable decorating bag fitted with small leaf tip #352. Fill yellow frosting in disposable decorating bag with small clip off end of bag, no tip necessary. Pipe green frosting on long points of snowflake cookie, pipe red frosting over remaining points forming 5 long poinsettia leaves add yellow dots to center of cookie for the stamens.
SEEN IN BRISTOL
BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY
Battle at Bristol STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY CRYSTAL DAWN CARTER
Combine a race, ballgame, headline music festival, fun fan extravaganza, then toss in more fans than have ever attended a football game (156,990), and you have a mere glimpse at the Battle at Bristol. The game has been in the works since the mid 1990’s when speedway General Manager Jeff Byrd and owner Bruton Smith offered the two teams $20 million each to play a game at the speedway. It didn’t happen then. Fast forward through years of work to get it going, three years to plan, months of hype and finally it was here on September 10th, 2016.
Holcomb Family with daughter Shannon of the High Techs dance squad
It was red carpet treatment for fans all weekend with a pre-event concert featuring two headliners with ties to the area. Kenny Chesney attended ETSU and is a VOL fanatic, and The Band Perry is from Greeneville. Chesney brought along his good friend, former UT/Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, and ESPN brought College Game Day to broadcast live. The royal treatment continued on game day. A sea of orange and maroon flooded the gates early in the morning. Access to the actual stadium was limited until late afternoon, so fans spent their day enjoying two stages of music performances, carnival rides, cooler races, and a variety of fan interaction games and of course tailgating, BMS style. Fans could sign Chesney’s Blue Chair Bay Rum bus and climb on board to cool down from the scorching sun Fans helped with an ultimate tribute during the National Anthem. Audience members created mirror image waving American flags as Jennifer Nettles belted out the salute to old glory. Also in attendance were ROTC cadets from both schools, and outside the track Bristol’s 253rd was set up. Lee Greenwood continued the patriotic tribute at half-time singing “God Bless the USA” with the Pride of the Southland Marching Band.
Christine Riser Director of Research and Statistics BMS with Voice of BMS Tom Taylor
The broadcast booth at BMS was working in overdrive. The voice of the speedway Tom Taylor and Director of Research and Statistics were hard at work in the booth, where they controlled it all with precision. Tiers of techies were on hand to make the event run smoothly. A cloud of confetti came reigning down after 4 quarters of football as the Tennessee Volunteers emerged victorious with a 45-24 victory.
Volunteers Win (photo courtesy of WXBQ’s Marc Tragler)
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Jennifer Miller and Kelly Kincaid
Melanie White with Melissa and Audra Stephens
Super fans Josh and Kevin show school spirit
Bristol 253rd
Nevaeh shows her UT best
Tailgate Party
Hokie Cheerleaders
Lyndsey Bible and Justin Roberts
Give the give of Luxury this Holiday Season with PRE de Provence Soaps. They come in a variety of scents. Sold exclusively at Foxglove Antiques & Etc.
FOXGLOVE ANTIQUES
Fine English & American Antiques 289 W. Main Street Abingdon, Va 276-628-8598
Mill Beer Kits Not sure what to get your home brewer for Christmas? We have made to order fresh beer kits, any style. Grains milled in house. Fresh refrigerated hops and yeast. Full kits available for the want to be home brewer.
LIBATION STATION 4471 N Roan Street Johnson City, TN 423-928-6667 libationplaza.com
Give the gift of beauty this Holiday Season. The Bio-Ionic Gold Pro Speed Dryer reduces drying time up to 50%, leaving the hair with superior shine and condition. The Bio-Ionic Gold Pro Styler hydrates, seals and smooths the hair making sleek styles or curling easier. Available at Lloyds on Shelby.
LLOYD’S ON SHELBY
430 Shelby Street Kingsport, TN 423-378-4042
Gameday Bangles by Sticks & Stones Jewelry “Be your fashionable best on Gameday and everyday!”
SHELLZ
4411 N Roan St | Johnson City, TN | 423.434.4880 120 E Main St | Jonesborough, TN | 423.913.0339
Thanksgiving Special (1) Mushroom & Sage Olive Oil (1) Black Mission Fig Balsamic Vinegar (2) Weighted Pourers and Gift Wrap
ABINGDON OLIVE OIL COMPANY 152 E. Main St. 2W Abingdon, VA 24210
102 E. Main St., Suite 1 Kingsport, TN 37660
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Unlock Healthy Skin with Revision® Skincare available at Tri-Cities Skin and Cancer.
THE LASER CENTER AT TRI CITIES SKIN AND CANCER 1009 N State of Franklin Rd Johnson City, TN 423-929-7546 www.tcskincare.com
Liquid Glass Thinking Putty Transparent putty turns from clear to black. Great children’s gifts for Christmas or stocking stuffers.
BEAR N’ FRIENDS TOY SHOPPE 107 E. Market Street Downtown Kingsport, TN (423) 245-5046
Discover the beauty in Campo de’ Fiori designs. This naturally mossed terra cotta planter was made by the hands of a skilled artisan from materials drawn from the earth. Visit T Tilly Garden and Gallery today and choose from a wonderful selection of Campo de’ Fiori planters.
Everyone loves their Tervis Tumbler! This double wall insulated tumbler keeps drinks hot or cold! Choose from many designs and colors. Available at Alfresco Lifestyles.
ALFRESCO LIFESTYLES
T TILLEY GARDEN
100 North Court Street Abingdon, Va 276-525-4880
Enjoy a world of Archipelago Botanicals - where warm candlelight, exquisite fragrance, and soothing products make a house a home. Each candle is hand poured, using only the finest ingredients and fragrance oils available. Try one today, sold exclusively at Magnolia Home Furnishings in Abingdon, Va.
450 Commerce Drive (I-81 Exit 17, near Hampton Inn) Abingdon, VA 276-628-4797 www.alfrescolifestyles.com
MAGNOLIA
180 East Main Street Abingdon, Va 276-206-8131
Stocked up for the holidays with a variety of accessories. Come on by and you won’t be disappointed.
TURQUOISE BOUTIQUE
238 E. Market Street Kingsport, TN 37660 423-343-9627 Turquoiseboutiquektg.com
HEALTH • PERFORMANCE • ANTI-AGING Give the gift of therapy! Improves circulation, quickly recover from stiffness and soreness while burning 500-800 calories per session!
CRYORX
1061 Old Abingdon Hwy, Suite 8 (I-81 Exit 5, Black Wolf Plaza) Bristol, Va. 24201 276-644-3600 www.cryorxwbc.com NOVEMBER 2016 | VIPSEEN | 83
We Believe in Handmade …. Support Local Artists in the heART of Downtown These handmade Wine Nooks would make a great holiday gift this season! They are also great way to serve wine to your guest at your next Holiday party.
CINDY SAADEH FINE ARTS GALLERY 128 E. Market Street Kingsport, TN 37660 423-245-2800 www.cindysaadeh.com
Discover empowering wellness with Infra Red Sauna. R & R Medicine offers individual sessions and package prices. Our Infra Red Sauna offers programs for detoxification, weight loss, pain relief, skin rejuvenation and more! Give the gift of wellness this season!
R&R MEDICINE
Are you having trouble finding the right gift for the person who has it all. We’ve got the perfect idea. Give them a gift certificate from Little Cake.
28 Midway Street Lower Level Bristol, TN 37620 423-217-1174 www.rrmedicine.com
Tucked into the heart of downtown Kingsport, we bake fresh cupcakes every morning and brew lots of coffee. We are passionate that life is about the small things.
Add wonderful flavor to your Holiday dishes this season! Choose from a variety of Flavored Oils, Balsamics and Spices. These are perfect for any Thanksgiving or Christmas meal. Available only at Olive Oil Divine.
LITTLE CAKE
231 Broad Street Downtown Kingsport, TN 423-765-2992 www.littlecakekingsport.com
OLIVE OIL DIVINE
Shoppes at Peerless Centre 2517 N. Roan Street Johnson City, TN 423-707-7087 www.oliveoildivine.com
These unique baskets with handcrafted soaps and bath products, is sure to be a hit with that person on your list that has it all.
Indulge your temptations. Glominerals lip temptations gift set $32 retail value $78
PRESTIGE AESTHETICS 217 E. Unaka Ave Johnson City, TN (423) 302-0858
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All Natural, Fresh Goat Milk, Shea Butter, Kid Friendly, Babassu Oil, Sweet Almond Oil, Coconut Oil, Avocado Oil.
FOR THE LOVE OF SUDS
119 East Market Street Downtown Kingsport, TN 423-416-1887 www.ForTheLoveOfSuds.com
Discover UNO de 50’s edgy collection of jewelry from Spain and original 100% handcrafted designs. Discover Exclusive Styles and Quality!
SIEGNER’S
226 East Main Street Abingdon, Va
Gift certificates are available at Millennium. We offer very competitive pricing for car detailing starting at $25 for a basic cleaning.
150 West Main Street lobby level of the Martha Hotel & Spa Abingdon, Va 276-739-9934
MILLENNIUM AUTO COLLISION REPAIRS LLC 2005 Brookside Lane Kingsport, TN 423-392-2001 www.mill-autobody.com
Spa Blue Write. Collect. Pray. So many times we hear of a prayer request at church, Bible study, through social media or email, and we pray for that person at that time. Often, we quickly forget to offer a prayer again while we shuffle back into our daily routine…but God tells us to pray continuously.
NOV. 25th 10am - 6pm
RUMORS BOUTIQUE
10am-6pm, all day refreshments, specials, and door prizes. Free consultations and makeovers all day. Bring this ad for a free gift with any purchase on November 25th.
3119 Bristol Hwy. Johnson City TN 37601 423-262-0433
CHANGES MEDICAL SPA 106 Pinnacle Drive #106 Johnson City, TN Stackable bands for your wedding day, anniversary or other milestone in your life. We have a large selection in stock, or we would love to help you design your own.
GOODMAN JEWELERS
108 E. Main Street Abingdon, VA 276-676-3110 www.goodmanjewelers.biz Family coming? Need a dessert or appetizer that will impress, but won’t take all day to make? Try our Wind & Willow mixes. Wind and Willow provides you with the finest ingredients available, quick and easy directions and a wellspring of creative ideas. Stop in and choose from a large variety.
Moon & Lola Charm bar featuring customizable bangles and necklaces.
GAZEBO PARTY AND GIFT SHOP
AUSTIN SPRINGS SPA
225 East Market Street Kingsport, TN 423-245-0771 facebook/GazeboPartyShop
www.AustinSpringsSpa.com 423-979-6403 Located on the Lower Level of The Carnegie Hotel, Johnson City NOVEMBER 2016 | VIPSEEN | 85
THE PAVILION AT FOUNDER’S PARK
SEEN IN JOHNSON CITY
Grown & Gathered
Benefit Dinner STORY BY DIANNA CANTLER | PHOTOGRAPHY BY JACQUELINE JOSEPH
Grown & Gathered, a farm to table experience, took place on Sunday, August 28th, in the Pavilion at Founders Park, sponsored by the Downtown Johnson City Foundation. The seasonal feast was prepared in traditional Italian coursing by Jamie Dove and Elise Clair and their team from The Main Street Pizza Company and River Creek Farm. The dinner featured the bounty from 30 local farms and producers, including Abingdon Olive Oil, Hope Farms, Smith Farm & Produce and Ziegenwald Dairy Farms. “The event brought people together around the table to share a meal at the peak of harvest and demonstrated how the community is growing and gathering together to create a vibrant downtown,” said Shelley Crowe, event team coordinator. The first time event was a sell-out, prompting individuals in attendance to make sure their names were on the list to find out about future events. Proceeds from the event went toward the redesign effort for the Giant Foods sign located in Downtown Johnson City. Sponsors for the event include The Torbett Group-Ameriprise, with in kind donations from YeeHaw Brewing Company, One Stop Wine and Reclaimed Inspired Goods.
NOVEMBER 2016 | VIPSEEN | 87
SEEN IN KINGSPORT
DOWNTOWN
Family Fun Ride STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY LINDA COFFEY
Healthy Kingsport and Reedy Creek Bicycles held a Family Fun Ride in Kingsport on Thursday, September 8th. Riders met in the parking lot of the Kingsport Chamber and departed on a 5-mile bike ride around the Greenbelt and downtown Kingsport. All ages were on the ride – children, parents, and grandparents. The ride is escorted by officers from Kingsport Police. Riders met at 5:30 and departed at 6:00 – after several lucky riders received door prizes from local businesses. After the rides, riders received discounts at Healthy Kingsport’s Eat Good-Feel Good restaurants.
Tony and Amelia Williams
The next ride will be held on Thursday, October 27th and will be a costume themed event – just don’t forget your helmet!
Riding along the Kingsport Greenbelt!
D es i g n
Stephen Jones
Kandy Childress and Logan Bailey
P ro d u ct
V i d eo
ST rat egy
Web
Norma Mullins
cumberlandmarketing.com
THE BRISTOL HOTEL
SEEN IN BRISTOL
Celebrate the Beginning
of The Bristol Hotel
Christening Event STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY LINDA COFFEY
Bristol Leaders and Charlestowne Hotels celebrated the start of construction on Bristol’s newest and only downtown Hotel. A christening ceremony was held in front of the historic building where the hotel will be located. The building was built in 1925 and was known originally as the Reynolds Arcade. LaDonna DeCaterina and Jim Bowie
The Christening Ceremony included live music by Bill and the Belles and catering by the Burger Bar. Storms cut the ceremony a little short, but not before the Executive Plaza was christened the Bristol Hotel!
The Bristol Hotel
Beth Rineheart, President, Bristol Chamber of Commerce
Gavin Philipp, Charlestowne Hotels Regional Operations Director stated that the plan is for the Bristol Hotel to open by August 2017. The hotel will have 65 guest rooms and suites, valet parking, street-front dining, a public rooftop cocktail lounge, fitness center, retail shops, banquet space and spa services.
Gavin Philipp and Joe Stevens
Carolyn Cook, John Sanslow, and Rick Keller of Absolute Communications
SEEN IN BRISTOL
COUNTRY CLUB OF BRISTOL
SEEN IN ABINGDON
WILLIAM KING MUSEUM OF ART
Hokie vs Smokie Out in the Open: Golf Tournament Outdoor Sculpture STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY CRYSTAL DAWN CARTER
On an unusually hot September day (September 9th), two rival groups kicked off an epic football weekend with a day-long golf tournament. It was Hokies vs Smokies in Bristol as over 100 golfers packed the country club to raise money for The Boys and Girls Club of the Mountain Empire, which serves children from both states. Friendship Ford of Bristol and J.A. STREET hosted the tournament and Associates based in Blountville, Tennessee. Teams competed in groups of four with two Hokie fans and two Smokie fans. At stake, were bragging rights for not only the golfers that won, but for their chosen team at the Battle of Bristol. The losing side would also donate over $2000 dollars to the Boys and Girls Club of the Mountain Empire. In a foreshadowing of what would come on Saturday, Mitch Walters, who was team Smokie all the way; brought an early golf victory for the Vols. The money raised goes toward providing programs to the children attending the Boys and Girls Club of the Mountain Empire. They had their own Hokies vs Smokies game at their primary facility. Kids from Virginia competed against their Tennessee counterparts in a variety of fun games.
Whit Babcock(VA Tech Athletic Director), Jim Street, Mitch Walters, and Dick Collins (CEO Boys and Girls Club of Mountain Empire)
Dr. Quinton Nottingham (former VT basketball standout/VT faculty) and Ladonna DeCaterine
Competition Expedition STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY BECKY RAMSEY
On Thursday August 2, William King Museum of Art held an opening reception for three new exhibitions as part of Abingdon First Thursday. The Museum hosted a Private Preview Champagne Reception for the artists, donors, and patrons of the Museum, and opened to the public from 6-8 p.m. Bill Rutherfoord, a Roanoke-based artist, presented his Allegory of No Region in WKMA’s Price-Strongwell Galleries. Allegory is a collection of eleven large-scale paintings that explore regionalism in the art world. Rutherfoord employs Brer Rabbit as a re-claimed character to contextualize societal themes ranging from the BP oil spill, to the Civil War, to JFK. Jocelyn Mathewes, a Johnson City-based artist, debuted her work in the Panoramic Gallery. Titled “Heaven and Earth,” hers is a collection of cyanotypes, an old-time photography method, which she supplements with mixed media. In the Student Gallery WKMA hosted student work from the Highlands Festival. The Museum also welcomed back Betsy White, WKMA’s Founder and long-time Director, as Executive Director.
Dane, Lindsey, and Boone Carlyle Ratliff, with Braddley Dodson
Louise and Chase Mitchell
Patrick MacNeil and Renee (Country Club Manager) Mark Hurt and John Lentz Cathy Lowe and Allison Mays
Barbara Street and Danea Walters act as drink cart ladies.
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David and Marilyn Thomas
Duplexity
TENNESSEE EASTMAN
SEEN IN KINGSPORT
2016 Eastman
Road Race STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY LINDA COFFEY
The 37th Annual Eastman Road Race took place on Saturday, September 3rd in Kingsport, Tennessee. Participants could enroll in the Food City 10k Race, the Day & Zimmerman 2 Mile Race or the BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee 2 Mile Fitness Walk. Each participant received a race shirt, a pair of socks, and an invitation to a wonderful Pre-Race meal sponsored by Sodexo. Cigna sponsored a Fitness Expo in the Toy F. Reed Center on Friday and Saturday. Elizabeth Henderson and Savanna McDavid
The Mission of the race is to encourage healthy lifestyles in our community. All ages were encouraged to attend the weekend activities.
After Directing the Race for 17 years, David Fox finally gets to fire the starter pistol!
Tennessee Eastman
Bob Hart, Former President of Eastman
Ellie Hall and Stephanie Place
Mark Hubbard and Tommy Stanley of Food City
Cornerstone Christian Academy of Abingdon
Nathan and Marcie Lovell
Lindsay Hensley, CeeGee McCord, Deb Hansen, and Sherry Morelock
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FEATURE
BAND YOUR TIME
A & Q
Frequently Asked Questions
THE WATCH EDITION
Q: Can I wear the same watch year round? A: Yes and No. Think of your watch as you would yourself: you can keep the same face, but change the bands. This also is the opportune moment to showcase your personal style.
WORDS BY JON LESTER
Q: So, I change the bands? What color do I choose? A: You can never go wrong with a black leather band; however, that can become quite wearisome. Why not go for something with color? Compliment the face with a beige, olive, or an orange. Q: Analog or Digital? A: Now, are you asking what the difference is between ‘Analog’ and ‘Digital’, or are you asking which one to wear? [Sigh] Do we even have the time? Of course we do! We have an extra hour, so I’ll answer both for you. An Analog watch is what you’re most accustomed to seeing, traditionally: it showcases a numbered dial upon which displays a rotating hour hand and a longer, rotating minute hand. A Digital watch displays a face that showcases the time as a number. Now, which of those I suggest you wear? It’s up to your personal preference, but I find a Digital face to be most appealing—but, I’m more of a traditional type of man. Q: Who wore the first wristwatch? A: Military men first wore Wristwatches in the 19th century. In doing so, they were able to engineer maneuvers without being recognized by the enemy.
Now that’s what I like to call ABOUT FACE
Follow. Like. Be SEEN. NOVEMBER 2016 | VIPSEEN | 93
November is the month we take time to reflect upon the things for which we are most thankful. Here are just a few of the things I am thankful for: • I’m thankful that ‘40 is the new 20’, because I turn 24 this month. Please forward all gifts and gift cards to the VIPSEEN office. Thank you in advance for your generosity. • I’m thankful for elastic waistbands, tunic tops, and stretchy fabrics that cover a multitude of sins, like eating my weight in Halloween candy. • I’m thankful that the longest election season in history comes to an end this month. I can finally “unhide” many of my Facebook friends and go back to being annoyed by them for reasons other than their politics.
Thankful in November and Every Other Month, of Course.
• I’m ever so thankful that I still haven’t appeared on the “People of Walmart” website. This is amazing considering the inordinate amount of time I spend at Walmart. • I’m so grateful for the approximately 19,698,453 ‘selfies’ my Facebook and Instagram friends posted this year, because without them, I would have totally forgotten what all my friends look like. • I’m beyond thankful that my childhood fear of a snake coming up through my toilet has never actually happened. • I’m extremely thankful for how my sarcasm skills have progressed in 2016 and I look forward to honing those skills to perfection in 2017.
BY BETH STREET
• Thankful that the majority of guys have realized that the “man bun” is completely ridiculous looking. If you’re a male who is still trying to rock the “man bun’ look, please stop.
Happy November! Love, Beth
• I’m thankful to have escaped another year without doing a Tough Mudder, Color Run, a 13.1, or a 26.2, because I can’t understand paying money to bring myself to the point of death while wallowing in mud or running in public wearing a tutu while people throw paint on me. To be honest, I’m totally proud of the “0.0” sticker on the back of my car. (If you have no idea what any of those numbers mean, you’re my tribe.) • I’m thankful I don’t understand Snapchat or how Snapchat filters work, because the last thing this world needs is another nut posting pictures of themselves with a dog nose and dog-ears. • So thankful that I don’t hear the phrase, “on fleek” or the non-word “bae” as much as I did this time last year. Also, I’ve noticed a marked decrease in the use of “jelly” for the word ‘jealous’. If you haven’t done so already, please remove all of these from your vocabulary immediately. • I’m so very thankful that the trend of people wearing leggings with cropped tops seems to be on its way out, because no one looks good in that ensemble. This is real life in the real world, not Flashdance. • I’m thankful that I don’t see many cars with eyelashes anymore and prayerful that people are not going to be putting those jacked up reindeer antlers and Rudolph noses on their cars when this month is over. • I’m thankful that the word “upchuck” is not as prevalent as it once was. • I’m very thankful that I still have a few true friends even though I’m the least politically correct person I know. • And finally, I’m thankful for Jesus, for my husband, my boys, and I’m thankful that God blessed me by allowing me to live in the greatest country on the planet.
Beth is a wife to Stephen, mother of 2 boys, and business owner who is passionate about Jesus. She likes the color orange, good grammar, and junk food; she detests misspelled words, laziness, and mouth noises of all kinds. She is also passionate about helping people create residual income by working part time from home. www.bethstreet.myrandf.com 94 | VIPSEEN | NOVEMBER 2016
CHATEAU SELAH
SEEN IN BLOUNTVILLE
Sushi at Sunset STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY CRYSTAL DAWN CARTER
Amanda Bracken and Leah Winegar of Chateau Selah joined with St. Jude parent and event organizer Amanda Barrow to host the sushi dinner and both silent and live auctions to raise money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Divine Catering, a part of the Stir-Fry group supplied the Asian cuisine, and several local groups donated time and services for auction items, picture booths, and music.
FREE 10 DAY TRIAL
Among the more poignant moments of the evening was a gallery located downstairs that allowed guests to see the faces of St. Jude patients and read about their fight against cancer. Two simple flames respectfully kept vigil by two photographs, honoring those now at rest from the fight.
Come enjoy a free trial of all that Exhale Fitness Studio has to offer! With over 15 different programs and over 20 classes per week, you’ll find something you love. Signing up is easy! Visit our website to learn more.
The evening’s specials guest was Christina NesSmith. Her daughter Christian was a patient at St. Jude. Sadly, Christian lost her battle with neuroblastoma in 2009. Since then, NesSmith and her family travel from their Louisiana home across the country to raise funds for St. Jude. Describing St. Jude’s main campus in Memphis, NesSmith stated “It’s not what you expect when you think of a hospital filled with children fighting cancer. You walk through the doors and you feel hopeful. The staff is so caring and everyone is there for one another for support and to lean on.” It was so successful that Amanda Bracken and Chateau Selah have already set a date for the 2nd Annual Sushi at Sunset, September 2, 2017.
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LIVE
exhalefitstudio.com | 423.979.0060 118 W Sprinbrook Dr Johnson City, TN
Jessica Lovell and Ashley Wiggins - Divine Catering (Stir Fry Group)
Amanda Burrow (event organizer), with Amanda Bracken and Leah Winegar (Chateau Selah)
Betsy Wooten, Jo Lynn Shelton (owner Mox Supply), and Elizabeth Willoughby
Makenna Hoffman, Sejal Neas, and Britt Neas
Matt and Sandy VanGerpen
Andrew Begley, Heather Leach, and Jamie Skeen
Guitarist Paul Farrior and Vocalist Hannah Farrior
VIPSEEN EXCLUSIVE COMMUNITY COVERAGE NOVEMBER 2016
New on the Scene
KACEY’S KORNER (BRISTOL, TN) A number of city officials were on hand for the Kasey’s Korner ribbon cutting that took place Oct. 12 at its location on 1393 Volunteer Parkway in Bristol, Tenn. Kasey’s Korner features sewing/quilting accessories, fabric, vintage textiles, revamped furniture and home décor.
KB’Z MOBILE KITCHEN (BRISTOL, TN) KB’z Mobile Kitchen held its ribbon cutting at the Bristol Chamber of Commerce on Oct. 11 with Mayor Chad Keen (Bristol, Tenn.) and a number of other city dignitaries on hand. KB’z served up delicious soups and quesadillas that quickly sold out.
Find out more about Kasey’s Korner on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/KaceysKorner6
For more information about KB’z, visit them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kbzkitchen
KT’S BOUTIQUE (KINGSPORT, TN) Sisters Kaley Franklin & Taylor Beedle have opened up KT’s Boutique in Colonial Heights. The locally owned shop offers a wide array of unique and affordable fashions (sizes S – 3X) and an eclectic collection of home accessories and gifts – Kissing Kuzins Kandles by Donna Hansen, Sassy Lady gifts and jewelry by Vickie Sullivan are just a few of the frills offered at the boutique. KT’s Boutique is located at 4260 Ft. Henry Dr in the heart of Colonial Heights. Check out their facebook page KT’s Boutique for daily specials and new arrivals!!
HVNC SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE HAPPY WHEELS PROGRAM RIBBON CUTTING (KINGSPORT, TN) On Tuesday, August 2nd, representatives of Ronald House donated a Happy Wheels Hospitality Cart to Holston Valley that will provide a source of fun for children who have been admitted to the hospital and another measure of comfort for adults. The cart will move through the pediatric and the women’s care areas at Holston Valley offering snacks, soft drinks, water, coffee and small gifts for children and their families. The cart is an extension of services available from the Ronald McDonald House and Southern Appalachian 20 Ronald McDonald House Charities, which serves a county area in the region.
THE REEVES EYE INSTITUTE (KINGSPORT, TN) On Thursday, September 29, The Reeves Eye Institute hosted a Ribbon Cutting celebrating our new location at 444 Clinchfield Road in the Press Building. Several members of the Kingsport Chamber came to enjoy our half tier cake, and were excited to enter our raffle for a Fall themed prize package. 96 | VIPSEEN | NOVEMBER 2016
SUGAR MAMA WAXING GRAND OPENING (JOHNSON CITY, TN) Kingsport’s premiere waxing and facial salon has expanded to an additional location in Johnson City. The new salon is located at 2313 Browns Mill Rd #3, behind the Kroger shopping center. The locally owned and operated beauty studio provides waxing, custom spray tanning, facial, and makeup services in their original Kingsport location already. For more information on the salon, or to book an appointment at either location, please visit www.sugarmamawaxing.com.
TRI-CITIES JOY RIDES Tri-Cities affordable Party Bus and “Drink Local Tours” We make a night out in the Tri-Cities unforgettable with our awesome tours of local craft breweries, craft distilleries and local wineries. We also offer party bus rentals and group transportation for events of all kinds. Our comfortable ride offers safe transportation and allows you to truly enjoy your night on the town. Our party bus rentals are all-inclusive, which means you won’t see additional fees for fuel, mileage, or supplies. The bus is stocked with bottled water, cups, and ice. Just sit back, relax and let Tri-Cities JoyRides take you on the ride of your life. We’re pretty sure you’re going have more than a few stories that start with, “Remember when we rented that bus…”
MODEL CITY TAP HOUSE (DOWNTOWN KINGSPORT) On Tuesday, October 25th, Model City Tap House held a ribbon cutting ceremony to officially announce it’s arrival to Downtown Kingsport with many of Kingsport’s leaders in attendance. Model City Tap House specializes in oldfashioned steamed deli sandwiches and a wide variety of local and regional craft beers.
We also offer corporate and group transportation for any type of event. For details and pricing: www.TriCitiesJoyRides.com Contact: Adam Carver, 423.433.9365 Instagram: @trijoyrides Facebook: www.facebook.com/tricitiesjoyrides
PHOTO CREDITS: WALDORF PHOTOGRAPHIC ART (WWW.WALDORFPHOTOGRAPHICART.COM)
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The Olde Farm Experience CALL TO SCHEDULE YOUR VISIT 276.645.4482 L B O G G S @ T H E OL D E FA R M . C O M
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