JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) – An official Tennessee historical marker recognizing Johnson City as the home of Mountain Dew has been unveiled.
The marker sits at the corner of West Walnut Street and Cherokee Street.
According to a press release from ETSU, the popular soft drink known as Mountain Dew was first produced in Knoxville in 1946, but the flavor was born in Johnson City when Tri-City Beverage, the company behind Dr. Enuf, was awarded the first Mountain Dew franchise in 1954.
“In 1960, Tri-City Beverage began placing Tri-City Lemonade, a citrus-lemonade flavored soda, into Mountain Dew bottles,” the release states. “This new flavor, as today, was the beginning of a soda now distributed across the nation and world.”
SEE ALSO | Dr. Enuf: “The original energy booster”
The rights to the drink were sold to Pepsi in 1964.
After the historical marker is unveiled on Friday, attendees will be invited to ETSU’s Reece Museum for a preview of “The Tri-City Beverage Story: A History of Dr. Enuf and Mountain Dew in Johnson City,” a collection of artifacts related to the company and the two drinks.
The exhibition will be on display at the museum from July 22 through September 30.
Click here to learn more about the Reece Museum.
