Wetlands Water Park will open for the 2023 season, kicking off with a grand opening on Saturday, May 27 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The park is located within Persimmon Ridge Park in Jonesborough at 1523 Persimmon Ridge Road. Wetlands Water Park has been the premiere Tri-Cities summertime family destination for over 25 years!

The park offers a wide variety of family friendly fun including three flume water slides, two family otter slides, a lazy river, zero depth entry pool, full-service café and beach volleyball court. The park also plays host to numerous private parties, birthday parties, swim lessons and special events throughout the season.

Season passes are now on sale and may be purchased online at wetlandsjonesborough.com, by visiting the Jonesborough Visitors Center or calling 423.753.1010. Purchasing a season pass gives attendees access to the water park for the entirety of the season as well as discounted rates on birthday parties, swim lessons and other events. Season passes are $80 for adults (13-54 years), $60 for children (4-12 years) & seniors (55 and older), and free for 3 years and younger.

Swim lessons are $60 per child for one week. The weeks of swim lessons are June 13, June 20, July 11, July 18 and July 25. All sessions will be Monday through Thursday from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. If a lesson is cancelled due to weather, the make-up lesson will be on that Friday. Each level will have a maximum capacity of 15 participants with three instructors per level. Participants must be four years or older.

Regular hours of operation after Saturday, May 27 are Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 12 to 6 p.m.

Kicking off everyone’s favorite summer festival, the Jonesborough Days Parade is set to march down Boone and Main Streets in Downtown Jonesborough on Saturday, July 1st at 10am.  The Jonesborough Days Festival Committee is seeking floats and entries decked out in red, white and blue and playing everyone’s favorite patriotic music.  

The cost for registration is $25 for regular entries and $50 for political and commercial entries. Interested parties are welcome to apply online HERE

Questions can be directed to Rachel by e-mail at rachelc@jonesboroughtn.org or by calling 423.791.3869. 

The East Main Street Sidewalk construction project has begun on the north side of East Main Street. Motorists should expect traffic delays between the Forest Drive to Clay Avenue intersections with E. Main Street.

We project the work to be completed late June-mid July. The work will take place between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Flaggers will be onsite to help accommodate school traffic. Motorists should choose an alternate route if at all possible, during the work hours.

The construction area will be considered a ‘work zone’ so please keep travel speeds as low as possible. Thank you for your cooperation and patience.

Live music in downtown Jonesborough returns Friday, May 5 with Music on the Square in front of the Washington County Courthouse on Main Street in downtown Jonesborough. Music on the Square takes place each Friday evening May 5 through September 29 from 7 to 9 p.m. except Friday, June 30 due to Jonesborough Days.

Music on the Square is a free event open to the public. This season, Music on the Square will feature a diverse range of music including bluegrass, jazz, rock, americano and blues.

The 2023 Music on the Square lineup order is YeeHaw String Band, Aaron Vance, Cruz Contreras, Empty Bottle String Band, Dom Flemons, Johnson City Jazz Collective, Sarah Jean, Into the Fog, Charlie Maples, Ed Snodderly, Sam Collie & the Roustabouts, Gary Brewer and the Kentucky Ramblers, Polyphony Marimba, Bill and the Belles, Dave Eggar, Florencia & the Feeling, Stemwinder, Roxanne McDaniel, Beth Snapp, Sam Lewis and Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley. There will be a rotating food truck every week.

New Music on the Square t-shirts are available for purchase at the merchandise table every Friday night during the event. They are also available at the Jonesborough Visitors Center, located at 117 Boone Street.

For more information go to Jonesborough.com/mots or call the Jonesborough Visitors Center at 423.753.1010. This year’s event is sponsored by Humana, McLeod Organics and Wolfe Development.

The Town of Jonesborough was named a 2022 Tree City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation to honor its commitment to effective urban forest management.

The Town of Jonesborough achieved Tree City USA recognition by meeting the program’s four requirements: maintaining a tree board or department, having a tree care ordinance, dedicating an annual community forestry budget of at least $2 per capita and hosting an Arbor Day observance and proclamation.

The Tree City USA program is sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation, in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service and the National Association of State Foresters.

“Tree City USA communities see the positive effects of an urban forest firsthand,” said Dan Lambe, chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation. “The trees being planted and cared for by Town of Jonesborough are ensuring that generations to come will enjoy to a better quality of life. Additionally, participation in this program brings residents together and creates a sense of civic pride, whether it’s through volunteer engagement or public education.”

If ever there was a time for trees, now is that time. Communities worldwide are facing issues with air quality, water resources, personal health and well-being, energy use and extreme heat and flooding. Town of Jonesborough is doing its part to address these challenges for residents both now and in the future.

More information on the program is available at arborday.org/TreeCityUSA.