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| A gift shop in the Nature Center, operated
by the Bays Mountain Park Association, stocks reasonably priced merchandise
for shoppers of all ages. For the school children, there is a wide variety
of types of toys, many of which help to teach some principle of science.
For adults, there are starfinders, sweat shirts, books on many scientific
subjects, and a wide variety of other gifts. The gift shop also has a large
stock of National Geographic, nature, space and astronomy videos that are
available for free checkout to Association members.
In spite of not trying to "make a killing," the gift shop is a major fundraiser for the Association. Profits are given each year to the City of Kingsport's Bays Mountain Park Commission (the Park's official governing board) and are used for improvements to the Park that would otherwise not be funded. Funds from the Association have paid for the various animal habitats, for construction of the astronomical observatory, for various types of equipment for the planetarium, and for a number of other things that contribute greatly to the Park's usefulness. |
