Where is Kingsport, Tennessee?
Look at the top right hand side of the state. No, not the infamous Bristol of Nascar fame and the birthplace of country music. (That's right folks, it's not Nashville.)
Kingsport is this great town just below the Virginia/Tennessee line, and barely west of Bristol.
Honestly, I don't know much about this area. That's why I quickly said 'yes' when my side-gig of working with exchange students required a student check-in in the area. I don't need an excuse to explore, but this was a perfect reason.
Let's go!
I knew I wouldn't have a ton of time to explore and did some research for key locations. MANY things came up for what I considered a very small town. (As of 2021: Population 55,582)
I will need to be choosy. When I saw the original restaurant of Pal's Sudden Service restaurant, I knew I needed to to see it up close. Small towns hold so much nostalgia, and this place was en point!
The original restaurant concept started in 1956 by Fred "Pal" Barger after meeting Ray Kroc and Fred Turner at a restaurant convention. Do those names sound familiar? Well, Ray Kroc had acquired/purchased McDonald's from the McDonald brothers.
This restaurant has certainly changed over the years. They have the
most kitschy looking restaurants today – and I mean that in a great way. You can't miss them! They're light blue tiled, with enormous hotdogs and hamburgers all over them. And if you don't believe me, please click HERE to see the restaurant.
I'm okay with a rebranding (it's mainly what I do aside from the art cards). I have to admit, though, I do have heart for the nostalgic, especially in this case. And well, that's why I wanted to draw it.
This makes the third addition to the Places Card Collection.
Where should I go next?
(PS: The original made from watercolor and color pencils is still for sale at the time of this blog being posted.)
This has been entirely written by a human (me), and all grammatical errors are my own. Thanks for supporting 100% Human Generated art.
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