TEDxJohnsonCity's third annual return brings a bigger crowd and variety of topics

—The third annual return of TEDxJohnsonCity left its mark on attendees as seven speakers took to the stage in the East Tennessee State University Martin Center for the Arts on Friday evening. While this year didn't have a specific theme, its slogan was titled "Ideas Worth Spreading". McKenzie Ketron, organizer of TEDxJohnsonCity, said she believed each speaker reflected the overarching idea with their discussion topics. "Everyone that's come to the table was able to bring their true passion," she said. "They weren't trying to fit any certain theme or fit in any sort of box, and I think that's what made this one feel especially inclusive, for attendees also. Everyone can come and pull something out of it." The speakers for the event included Alexandra Battle, Joshua Britt, Kate Craig, Dr. Sarah Long, David Nelson, Jessica Stollings and Dr. Karah Sprouse. Of the seven, only Britt and Sprouse are non-locals, while the rest of the speakers are from the district. Nelson, Stollings and Sprouse also made TEDxJohnsonCity history on Friday. Nelson has been the only returnee speaker to a TEDxJohnsonCity event — previously speaking at the very first TEDxJohnsonCity in 2023 — and Stollings and Sprouse became the first ever duo to host a TEDxJohnsonCity talk. Ketron said seeing the impact the event has on its audience through the speakers and their topics is what helps drive the theme to spread ideas within the region and encourage anyone to apply to be a TEDxJohnsonCity speaker themselves. "The one thing we always try to remind people of is that anyone can give a TEDx talk, especially [with] five of our participants this year being from Johnson City specifically," Ketron said. "Being able to go against that imposter syndrome and say, 'Hey, if you're passionate about something, this is your stage too.' This is the event for our community." Jennifer Brickman was a first-time attendee of the event. She said she was drawn to participate because she is best friends with speaker Long. While she wasn't sure what to expect from the other speakers, she commended each person going onstage for their commitment to their community. "I think these people are bold and they're doing really awesome things in a very hyper-local area," Brickman said. "It's bound to be entertaining." Two other attendees, Erika Ashford and partner Alex Smith, were also first-time participants at TEDxJohnsonCity. Smith said he was encouraged to attend because of the popularity of TED talks and the insight they can provide. "I have known about TED presentations my entire life, and I just wanted to be able to come out and see one hosted in person and see what they have to say," Smith said. "I want to see the inner-workings of things, how these get recorded, who speaks and the variety of topics," Ashford added. "Even if it was something we didn't agree with or like, it's still good to know what people are talking about." Ashford also said she was curious to know about the types of speakers brought to the TEDxJohnsonCity stage and the different narratives each person would share in their discussions. "I want to see who all we're platforming and letting talk at events like this," she said.