Bays Mountain Park to celebrate 55th anniversary

KINGSPORT — Bays Mountain Park is turning 55 years old this May, and the community is invited to help celebrate. Opened in 1971, Bays Mountain Park is the largest city-owned park in Tennessee, bringing in more than 150,000 visitors each year. Since opening, plenty of changes have taken place at the iconic park — from establishing animal habitats and offering planetarium shows, to creating new interactive exhibits and adding a first-of-its kind outdoor playground at the park. This summer, Bays Mountain Park plans to unveil its newest astronomy exhibit in the Nature Center just in time for its birthday. The new exhibit will be unveiled at 10 a.m. on May 16 and feature images and interactive features of the night sky, our solar system, stargazing and light pollution. "As you venture around the gallery there's a continuation of what we see in our area, going from nature and animals to what you see when you look up in the night sky and how we imaged what's going on up there," said Planetarium Director Jason Dorfman. "We believe our guests, particularly children, will be excited about the exhibit and the emotions it invokes." Earlier this year, Bays Mountain Park broke ground on a new state-of-the-art otter habitat. Once complete, the 2,300-square-foot habitat will house three river otters and will likely once again be a fan-favorite attraction. While the majority of the otter habitat is being funded by a state grant, a few items for the habitat still need funding. For the month of May, if you donate $55 to the Bays Mountain Park Association, you will receive your choice of a wolf or wood duck print by local artist Lorraine Brewer. Donations can be made online (bit.ly/bmp-55) or by mailing a check to the Bays Mountain Park Association (PO Box 3388, Kingsport, TN 37664). Please note "55th Anniversary Campaign" and include the type of poster you would like. For more information, contact Chief Ranger of Visitor Engagement Miranda Wanninger at 423-224-2861.