Oak Ridge Today

‘Oak Ridge Has Talent’ fundraiser at Grove Theater on Friday

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Ridge City Ramblers

Members of the Ridge City Ramblers, who will play at Oak Ridge Has Talent on Friday, are, from left, Gary Coleman, Mary Tuskan, Scott Linn, Abbie Hoerner, Oak Ridge Mayor Tom Beehan and Steve Reddick. (Submitted photos)

The Grove Theater will host a fundraising talent show on Friday that will feature 10 groups from Oak Ridge and East Tennessee.

The show, called “Oak Ridge Has Talent,” starts at 7 p.m. Friday. It will mark the kickoff of Friends of the Grove Theater, a new nonprofit organization dedicated to maintain the Historic Grove Theater as a performing arts center for the Oak Ridge area.

Representatives from Sound Company Children’s Youth Choir will perform along with ensembles from Oak Ridge Community Band, Oak Ridge Symphony, and dancers from the Oak Ridge Civic Ballet. Bands will include the Ridge City Ramblers, an Oak Ridge Bluegrass band; the MOOD, a classic rock band; and an Irish music session representing the Traditional Irish Arts of Knoxville. Miss East Tennessee Scholarship Talent winners will also perform, and a distinctive surprise from the Emory Valley Center is planned. Comedian and humorist Tyler Gouch will serve as the master of ceremonies. [Read more…]

Boys and Girls Club has baseball sign-ups, evaluations this week

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The Boys and Girls Club of Oak Ridge has baseball sign-ups through March 28.

It’s for boys and girls from five to 12 years old.The sign-ups are $25 for active club members and $40 for inactive or non-club members.

Baseball evaluations are at 6 p.m. Thursday for children who are seven and eight years old, and at 6 p.m. Friday for kids from 9-12.

Breakfast with Legislators on Monday

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The Tennessee General Assembly is halfway through this year’s legislative session, and important bills are in committee or being brought forward for vote. On Monday, you have a chance to ask local legislators about the issues during the March Breakfast with the Legislators.

The breakfast is scheduled from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. Monday in the Social Room of the Oak Ridge Civic Center, located at 1401 Oak Ridge Turnpike. The public is invited, and a free continental breakfast will be served, a press release said.

Numerous issues impacting the education system are on the legislative agenda, including vouchers, charter schools, Common Core standards, and textbook commission composition, a press release said. Among the bills being considered are changes to lobbying law, the eligibility for TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families), and the distribution of information relating to the Affordable Care Act and other child health programs. [Read more…]

Coal Creek Miners Museum has March 29 chili supper, fundraiser

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Bank of America Lake City

The Anderson County Commission has agreed to buy this former Bank of America building in Lake City for a Coal Mining Museum, storage space, and satellite county offices.

Information from WYSH Radio

The Coal Creek Miners Museum will host a chili supper and fundraiser on March 29 at Main Street Baptist Church in Lake City to raise funds for the remodeling and display construction of the museum’s new home on Main Street. The 6 p.m event will include live entertainment provided by the Coal Creek Old Time String Band and a live auction. The plans for the remodel will also be revealed.

“Coal Creek, the city that is now known as Lake City, has a fascinating story to tell about its coal mining heritage,” said Tim Isbel, chairperson of the Coal Creek Miners Museum. “The miners that lived, worked, and died here left a significant mark on history and it is our goal to make sure that story gets told.”

The Coal Creek Miners Museum has set a goal of $500,000, which will fund the renovations to the former Bank of America building and construct the displays for the historical artifacts. [Read more…]

TN Mountain Writers’ conference in Oak Ridge in April

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The Tennessee Mountain Writers’ 26th Annual Conference, scheduled Thursday through Saturday, April 3-5, will be held at the DoubleTree Hotel in Oak Ridge. The conference will include writing contests, workshops, networking, manuscript evaluations, publishers, editors, book signings, a bookstore, vendors, and more.

The conference, which is funded in part under an agreement with the Tennessee Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts, will kick off with a 6 p.m. reception on Thursday, April 3. Conference sessions will be held from 9 a.m. through 5:15 p.m. Friday, and from 8:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. Saturday, followed by the banquet on Saturday evening.  The Writer’s Block, a bookstore featuring works published by workshop leaders and conference participants, will be open all day Friday and on Saturday morning.  [Read more…]

Third annual Parkinson’s walk fundraiser on April 5

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The Parkinson’s Disease Support Group of East Tennessee, or PK Hope Is Alive, will host its third annual walk on Saturday, April 5, to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research. The walk will be held at A.K. Bissell Park at the Oak Ridge Civic Center, with registration starting at 9 a.m. The walk will take place between 10 a.m. and noon.

Last year, PK Hope Is Alive raised more than $21,000.

The local walk will be in conjunction with the 20th annual Parkinson’s Unity Walk in New York City organized by the Parkinson Alliance, a nonprofit umbrella organization dedicated to raising funds to help finance the most promising research to find the cause and cure for Parkinson’s Disease. All the funds raised will be distributed to seven major U.S. Parkinson’s Disease foundations, including the Michael J. Fox Foundation. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge talent showcase, pub quiz benefit Grove Theater on March 28, 29

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High Places Community Church

An Oak Ridge talent show and pub quiz night will benefit the historic, renovated Grove Theater on March 28 and 29.

An Oak Ridge talent show and pub quiz night will benefit the historic, renovated Grove Theater on March 28 and 29.

On Friday, March 28, the new nonprofit organization Friends of the Grove Theater will have a showcase titled “Oak Ridge Has Talent.” It will benefit the Grove, a legacy of the Manhattan Project era that is celebrating 70 years of history and a decade since its re-opening by High Places Community Church, a press release said.

The Manhattan Project was a top-secret federal program to build the world’s first atomic bombs during World War II.

All proceeds from the March 28 show at the Grove will be used to maintain the facility as a performing arts center for Oak Ridge and East Tennessee organizations, the press release said. The show starts at 7 p.m., and it will include performances from community partners and other locals who want to support the Grove. Comedian and humorist Tyler Gooch will entertain between acts. [Read more…]

Lunch-4-Literacy on Tuesday features Denise Kiernan, raises grant money

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Denise Kiernan

Denise Kiernan, author of “The Girls of Atomic City,” is the featured speaker at the 2014 Lunch-4-Literacy luncheon.

A Tuesday luncheon will feature Denise Kiernan, author of “The Girls of Atomic City,” and it will raise money for literacy grants.

Lunch–4-Literacy has been organized by Altrusa International of Oak Ridge and the Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary Club. It starts at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday at the Oak Ridge High School.

“The purpose of the joint effort is to provide grants to help improve literacy in Oak Ridge and Anderson and Roane counties,” a press release said. “Each year, the grants are awarded to selected recipients. In 2013, $23,532.99 was awarded.”

Tickets are $40 each, and they are available from Altrusa and Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary Club members or they can be purchased at The Ferrell Shop at Jackson Square and Mr. K’s used book store next to Big Kmart in Oak Ridge. Tickets will also be available at the door. All tickets include a catered lunch. All proceeds from the event go to support local literacy programs, the press release said. [Read more…]

Enjoy music with a Spanish flare in Community Orchestra concert Saturday

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Oak Ridge Community Orchestra

The Oak Ridge Community Orchestra is pictured above during a Sept. 28, 2013, concert. (Photo courtesy Travis Witherington)

In a free Saturday afternoon concert, the Oak Ridge Community Orchestra will play Spanish music written by some very famous composers.

The provocative Spanish flavor can be savored in “España” by Chabrier, “Capriccio Espagnole” by Rimsky-Korsakov, “Malagueña” by Lecuona/Grofé, “Boléro” by Ravel, and “Andalucia” by Lecuona/Gould, a press release said.

“Just a few opening bars in each of these compositions will be enough to awake your heart to the welcome return of an old favorite,” the press release said.

The concert starts at 2 p.m. Saturday in the sanctuary of First Baptist Church of Oak Ridge on the corner of the Oak Ridge Turnpike and LaFayette Drive. Admission is free. But, modest donations at the door to support the orchestra’s routine operating expenses will be appreciated. [Read more…]

Alexander Inn removed from endangered places list

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Alexander Inn Groundbreaking

Local, state, and federal officials join volunteers and nonprofit and business executives for a groundbreaking ceremony at the historic Alexander Inn in November.

Note: This story was updated at 3:37 p.m.

The Alexander Inn, a historic Oak Ridge hotel being converted into an assisted living center, has been removed from an annual list of endangered places in East Tennessee.

The East Tennessee Preservation Alliance announced its 2014 East Tennessee’s Endangered Heritage on Monday in Knoxville. The list includes endangered historic buildings and places in a 16-county region.

The Alexander Inn, also known as the Guest House, had previously been on the list, which includes Magnet Mills in Clinton.

“ETPA was excited to remove the Alexander Inn from the list this year as construction continues in earnest on the new Guest House Alexander Inn Assisted Living Facility,” a press release said. [Read more…]

‘Dine and Donate’ on Monday helps ADFAC

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The Other One Jimmy Long and Amanda Caldwell

The Other One, located in Oak Ridge’s Grove Center, features an extensive menu with dozens of types of sandwiches, burgers, salads, side items, beer, and much more. On Monday, The Other One will be open from 10:30 a.m. until 8:30 p.m., with indoor and outdoor seating available.

Five local restaurants will donate a portion of their sales to support Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties, or ADFAC, on Monday.

It’s part of “Dine and Donate,” which officially launched last October. “Dine and Donate” is a yearlong event, with different restaurants participating on the second Monday of each month.

“We have truly enjoyed watching Dine and Donate grow over the last six months,” said ADFAC Board Member Cande Seay, who also chairs the Dine and Donate committee. “It has been wonderful to see so many families and individuals enjoying meals to support ADFAC’s work in the community!”

Restaurants participating on Monday are: [Read more…]

Krause to discuss mercury at Lunch with the League on March 18

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“Oak Ridge’s Mercury Saga” will be discussed at Lunch with the League on Tuesday, March 18, at 12 p.m.

Carolyn Krause will speak on the events leading up to mercury contamination in Oak Ridge, the role of the media in making the contamination public, the response of the scientific community to the pollution event, and its influence on decisions about the cleanup. She will talk about the role of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, a world center of expertise on mercury in the environment since the 1970s. [Read more…]