• About
    • About Us
    • What We Cover
  • Advertise
    • Advertise
    • Our Advertisers
  • Contact
  • Donate
  • Send News

Oak Ridge Today

  • Home
  • Sign in
  • News
    • Business
    • Community
    • Education
    • Government
    • Health
    • Police and Fire
    • U.S. Department of Energy
    • Weather
  • Sports
    • High School
    • Middle School
    • Recreation
    • Rowing
    • Youth
  • Entertainment
    • Arts
    • Dancing
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Television
    • Theater
  • Premium Content
  • Obituaries
  • Classifieds

Pre-Festival tonight: Battle of the Bands at A.K. Bissell Park

Posted at 9:24 am June 7, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

There is a Battle of the Bands at the pavilion at Alvin K. Bissell Park tonight (Thursday, June 7).

The Battle of the Bands is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, and it is presented by United Way of Anderson County, the Oak Ridge Youth Advisory Board, and MERLE FM.

It’s a pre-festival event for the Secret City Festival this weekend.

The first pre-festival event was Monday, a live radio broadcast by WDVX 89.9 FM, featuring Ridge City Ramblers and Kukuly and Gypsy Fuego. Then, there was a Children’s Movie Night on Wednesday featuring “Despicable Me 3.”

There are many events scheduled for the Secret City Festival this weekend, on Friday, June 8, and Saturday, June 9.

A main stage concert on Friday night will feature Dennis DeYoung and the Music of Styx. The opening band is The Band Legacy. The show starts at 7 p.m.

The main stage concert on Saturday night will feature the Little River Band. The opening band is Janelle Arthur. The show starts at 7 p.m.

Tickets are available online or at Citizens First Bank at 1298 Oak Ridge Turnpike for $25.

“As always, beer (and this year cider!) will be available at the concerts,” organizers said.

Organizers said there will be more crafters than ever at this year’s festival, more food trucks—with a focus on local vendors—and a kid’s area that will be double the size of previous years.

“There will be bounce houses, water slides, laser tag, and so much more!” organizers said.

Friday events include:

  • A.K. Bissell Park—opening ceremony, music, magic, a juggler, a K-9 search demonstration, and best of of Battle of the Bands;
  • festival grounds and various locations—FIRST Robotics Secret City Invitational, Y-12 National Security Complex public tours, Dream Big, Tennessee Creates Juried Arts and Crafts Show, Technology Village, children’s activities, Nine Lakes wine tasting (additional purchase required), food vendors, arts and crafts, and historic exhibits;
  • Oak Ridge Public Library Auditorium—historic talks that will include discussions of spies, nuclear medicine, the Secret City, Chapel on the Hill, and the Friendship Bell, and a lecture by the U.S. Department of Energy’s “gadget guru”; and
  • Main Stage—concert with The Band Legacy, and Dennis DeYoung and the Music of Styx.

Saturday events include:

  • A.K. Bissell Park—a tribute to veterans, music, magic, a juggler, martial arts, and a ventriloquist;
  • festival grounds and various locations—FIRST Robotics Secret City Invitational, veterans parade, golf tournament, Oak Ridge National Laboratory tours, Dream Big, Tolling of the Boats, Tennessee Creates Juried Arts and Crafts Show, Technology Village, children’s activities, Nine Lakes wine tasting (additional purchase required), food vendors, arts and crafts, historic exhibits, and a Guinness Book of World Records attempt at largest game of knockout basketball;
  • Oak Ridge Public Library Auditorium—historic talks that will include discussions of spies and assassins and Chapel on the Hill, a lecture by the U.S. Department of Energy’s “gadget guru,” and another by a preschool teacher who became a university president;
  • Main Stage—concert with Janelle Arthur and Little River Band.

“Come and join us for the best weekend of the year in Oak Ridge!” organizers said.

More information is available at www.secretcityfestival.com.

See the pre-festival events for the Secret City Festival here.

See the Friday events for the Secret City Festival here.

See the Saturday events for the Secret City Festival here.

More information will be added as it becomes available.


Do you appreciate this story or our work in general? If so, please consider a monthly subscription to Oak Ridge Today. See our Subscribe page here. Thank you for reading Oak Ridge Today.

Copyright 2018 Oak Ridge Today. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Filed Under: Community, Entertainment, Music Tagged With: Alvin K. Bissell Park, Battle of the Bands, Secret City Festival

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Posts

  • SL Tennessee Supports New Anderson County Chamber Headquarters
  • ORAU 2025 Pollard Scholarship recipients announced
  • Democratic Womens Club Hosts State Rep. Sam McKenzie
  • Flatwater Tales Storytelling Festival Announces 2025 Storytellers
  • Laser-Engraved Bricks Will Line Walkway of New Chamber Headquarters
  • Democratic Womens Club to Discuss Climate Change, Energy and Policy
  • Estate Jewelry Show at Karens Jewelers Features Celebrity Jewelry
  • Keri Cagle named new ORAU senior vice president and ORISE director
  • ORAU Annual Giving Campaign exceeds $100,000 goal+ORAU Annual Giving Campaign exceeds $100,000 goal More than $1 million raised in past 10 years benefits United Way and Community Shares Oak Ridge, Tenn. ORAU exceeded its goal of raising $100,000 in donations as part of its internal annual giving campaign that benefits the United Way and Community Shares nonprofit organizations. ORAU has raised more than $1 million over the past 10 years through this campaign. A total of $126,839 was pledged during the 2024 ORAU Annual Giving Campaign. Employees donate via payroll deduction and could earmark their donation for United Way, Community Shares or both. ORAU has remained a strong pillar in the community for more than 75 years, and we encourage our employees to consider participating in our annual giving campaign each year to help our less fortunate neighbors in need, said ORAU President and CEO Andy Page. Each one of our employees has the power to positively impact the lives of those who need help in the communities where we do business across the country and demonstrate the ORAU way taking care of each other. ORAU, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, provides science, health and workforce solutions that address national priorities and serve the public interest. Through our specialized teams of experts and access to a consortium of more than 150 major Ph.D.-granting institutions, ORAU works with federal, state, local and commercial customers to provide innovative scientific and technical solutions and help advance their missions. ORAU manages the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Learn more about ORAU at www.orau.org. Learn more about ORAU at www.orau.org. Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OakRidgeAssociatedUniversities Follow us on X (formerly Twitter): https://twitter.com/orau Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/orau ###
  • Childrens Museum Gala Celebrates the Rainforest

Search Oak Ridge Today

Copyright © 2025 Oak Ridge Today