Oak Ridge Today

State park naturalist to lead adventure at Fall Creek Falls State Park on Saturday

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Join Randy Hedgepath, the state naturalist for Tennessee State Parks, on July 23 for an adventure at Fall Creek Falls State Park. Participants will meet at the park Inn and carpool to the Piney Falls area.

“The plan is to hike out the Lower Cane Creek Loop Trail for about a half-mile and learn about the forest of this part of the Cumberland Plateau,” Hedgepath said. “Then, the real adventure begins.

“We will not cross the suspension bridge, but go down under and explore the streambed down to the top of the falls. The forest along the stream is very different from the plateau top. There will be lots of chances to cool off in the stream, lots of scenic bluffs, and a dramatic view into the gorge. The return trip will backtrack to the bridge and out to the vehicles.” [Read more…]

Mountain land gift honors Myrick, a leader, volunteer, Nature Conservancy Board member

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John R. Dickey Birch Branch Sanctuary in Shady Valley is pictured above. (Submitted photo)

John R. Dickey Birch Branch Sanctuary in Shady Valley is pictured above. (Submitted photo)

 

Eighty acres of beautiful mountain land in Johnson County have been added to a Nature Conservancy preserve in Shady Valley, thanks to the foresight and generosity of a local couple. Sadly, the May 20 land donation is not just a gift, but also a loving tribute to a departed spouse and friend of conservation.

Back in 2007, Teresa Myrick and her late husband Tim wanted to leave a legacy of protected mountain land for future generations. That’s why they donated a conservation easement to The Nature Conservancy, restricting development on a treasured tract of mountain land they bought for their retirement. The property is located adjacent to the Conservancy’s John R. Dickey Birch Branch Sanctuary in Shady Valley. Teresa and Tim, a former Oak Ridge National Laboratory engineer and community leader and volunteer, became solid supporters of The Nature Conservancy, and Tim went on to become a board member for the Tennessee Chapter of the Conservancy. The couple looked forward to spending many years together on the scenic property.

However, Tim passed away far too early, in December 2014, at age 60, of cancer. As Teresa thought about the future of their mountain land, she knew what Tim would have wanted. She realized he would want her to donate it outright to The Nature Conservancy to be protected and cared for. [Read more…]

UT assistant professor to talk about chemical oceanography on July 20

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Andrew Steen

Drew Steen

An assistant professor of environmental geology at the University of Tennessee will talk about chemical oceanography in Oak Ridge on Wednesday.

The title of the presentation by Drew Steen, of the UT Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, is “Heterotrophic Organisms in the Deep Marine Sediments” or “What to Do When You’re Hungry but You’re 100,000 Years Late for Dinner.”

The Wednesday talk starts at 7 p.m. July 20. It’s hosted by the ORION astronomy club. [Read more…]

Special flag raised at Boys & Girls Club

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Raising the Colors

Color Guard Club Members: Isaiah Saxton-Barnes, Corrine Bailey, Jeremiah Holman, Cheyenne Baumann, and Ryker Armes. (Submitted photo)

 

A very special flag was raised at the Boys & Girls Club of Oak Ridge on July 1. Rick Dearholt, vice chair of the organization’s Board of Directors, worked through Congressman Chuck Fleischmann’s office to purchase the flag. It was flown over the United States Capitol on June 6, 2016, in honor of D-Day.

D-Day was June 6, 1944, when more than 160,000 Allied troops landed along a 50-mile stretch of heavily-fortified French coastline, to fight Nazi Germany on the beaches of Normandy, France.

Dearholt, a retired U.S. Marine, saw the Club’s flag needed to be replaced, and he wanted to do something special.

“I was honored to be able to coordinate this effort and equally proud of the color guard of Club members when they raised this flag over our Club,” Dearholt said. “The patriotism displayed by our members was amazing. It is clear to me that great futures do start at the Club.” [Read more…]

Dover Development wins national preservation award for Alexander Inn

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Alexander Guest House Front Entrance Sept. 23, 2015

The front entrance is pictured above at the Alexander Guest House, which converted the historic but long-vacant Alexander Inn hotel into a beautifully restored assisted living center. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Rick Dover and Dover Development of Knoxville have won a national preservation award for their work to convert the historic Alexander Inn, a dilapidated, vacant two-story hotel in Oak Ridge, into the Alexander Guest House, a beautifully restored assisted living center.

Knox Heritage, which played a key role in the project, announced the award on Friday. Also playing a key role was the East Tennessee Preservation Alliance.

Dover Development won the Chairman’s Award for Achievement in Historic Preservation from the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, or ACHP, a press release said. Members of the ACHP are appointed by the president of the United States.

It’s one of the highest awards given for historic preservation, the press release said. [Read more…]

Manhattan Project Park program: Oak Ridge, past to present, at Alvin K. Bissell Park

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Bridge-in-A.K.-Bissell-Park

Alvin K. Bissell Park in Oak Ridge is pictured above. (Submitted photo)

 

During a walk this month, the National Park Service will discuss how and why Oak Ridge was developed and how people were encouraged to stay during World War II. The free walk will be led by a ranger at Alvin K. Bissel Park at 10 a.m. Thursday, July 28.

The walk will begin at the Secret City Commemorative Walk, and it will end at the International Friendship Bell.

The walk will also feature Shigeko Uppuluri, who will discuss her role in bringing the Friendship Bell to Oak Ridge. She will discuss the history and meaning of the bell.

The Secret City Commemorative Walk is located at the end of the parking lot next to the Oak Ridge Public Library at 1401 Oak Ridge Turnpike, near the intersection of Oak Ridge Turnpike and South Tulane Avenue. [Read more…]

Beat the heat with Dine & Donate on Monday, July 11

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ADFAC Jamie LaRose at Chick-fil-A

ADFAC Development Director Jamie LaRose is already getting in the “spirit” for Monday’s Dine and Donate/Spirit Night at Chick-Fil-A from 5-8 p.m. ADFAC will receive 15 percent of all the receipts that are donated into containers at the registers. (Photo courtesy ADFAC)

 

On Monday, July 11, five local restaurants will donate a portion of their sales to support Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties, or ADFAC.

“Dine & Donate Mondays are always an easy way to treat loved ones to a special meal that also gives back to the community,” a press release said. “It’s also a great way to relax indoors and beat the heat!”

In Clinton, you can dine at the following participating July 11 restaurants:

  • Hoskins
  • Riverview Grill

In Oak Ridge, these July 11 restaurants are participating: [Read more…]

Column: Oak Ridge Elks celebrate 70 years, $1 million in charitable donations

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By John Calvert

Oak Ridge Lodge Number 1684 of the Benevolent and Protective Order for Elks, or BPOE, is celebrating its 70th birthday this week. The lodge was formally chartered on July 11, 1946.

Many people have probably passed by the local lodge located at the corner of Emory Valley Road and Briarcliff Avenue many times and wondered: Who are the Elks and what do they do?

Oak Ridge Lodge 1684 is one of the nearly 2,000 BPOE lodges located across the country that have a combined membership of nearly 800,000 members. The Elks organization was founded in New York City on February 16, 1868, under the name “Jolly Corks” by 15 actors, entertainers, and others associated with the theater. In ensuing years, membership expanded to other professions.

The Order spends more than $80,000,000 every year for benevolent, educational, and patriotic community-minded programs. These may be in such fields as benefiting physically handicapped children, sponsoring Elks National Foundation scholarships, scouting, athletic teams, veterans’ works, a national “Hoop Shoot” free-throw contest involving more than three million children, physical and occupational therapy programs, and patriotic programs. For many years the Elks were second only to the federal government in the dollar amount of college scholarships awarded annually. [Read more…]

Altrusa donates books, toys for distribution in Children’s Waiting Areas at MMC

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Members of Altrusa International of Oak Ridge visited Methodist Medical Center to assemble special activity bags to be distributed to children waiting for loved ones who are patients at Methodist. The women pose with the variety of books and toys they included in each bag. (Submitted photo)

Members of Altrusa International of Oak Ridge visited Methodist Medical Center to assemble special activity bags to be distributed to children waiting for loved ones who are patients at Methodist. The women pose with the variety of books and toys they included in each bag. (Submitted photo)

 

Altrusa International of Oak Ridge recently assembled and donated bags filled with books and toys for distribution to kids who are visiting Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge. The bags’ contents were all donated from businesses and individuals throughout the community. Methodist’s Volunteer Services will oversee the distribution through the hospital’s special Children’s Waiting Areas.

“These bags will make wonderful gifts for our patient families who utilize the Children’s Waiting Areas,” said Lois Ward, director of Volunteer Services at Methodist.

“Waiting while a loved one—especially a parent or grandparent—is in surgery or intensive care can be an emotional time for anyone, but for children it can be especially difficult,” Ward said. “Having a good book to read or a new toy to play with is a great way to help take some of the worry out of their wait.” [Read more…]

Free community trainings offered by United Way this summer

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United Way of Anderson County

As part of United Way of Anderson County’s new initiative to strengthen community leadership and facilitate partnerships, the organization is offering community trainings this summer. These trainings are free to attend and open to the community.

Robert’s Rules of Order: July 26, 3-5 p.m. Published in 1876, Robert’s Rules of Order codified parliamentary law and is now used as a manual for conducting meetings and managing group decisions. The training is perfect for agency leaders, business executives, volunteers, and board or committee members who want to learn how to conduct and contribute to productive meetings. Judy Poulson, long-time member of the Knoxville League of Women Voters, will lead the workshop. Poulson has extensive experience in parliamentary procedure, having served as editor, secretary, treasurer, and president of the League over the course of her membership. This training will be interactive, and manuals will be available for purchase. [Read more…]

Presentation on Manhattan Project National Historic Park on Thursday, July 14

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Niki Nicholas

Niki Nicholas

November 2015 marked the official beginning of the Manhattan Project National Historic Park, which has sites in three locations, including Oak Ridge.

On July 14, Niki Nicholas, who has been designated as the current manager of the Oak Ridge unit (in addition to her duties as superintendent of the Obed Wild and Scenic River and Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area), will be the featured speaker at the Midtown Community Center in Oak Ridge.

The presentation, which is free and open to the public, will begin at 7 p.m. Nicholas will address the new park and other topics, a press release said. [Read more…]

Reminder: Oak Ridge celebrates July 4 with fireworks at A.K. Bissell Park

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July 4, 2012 Fireworks

The Independence Day fireworks show in Oak Ridge has been scheduled for 10 p.m. Monday, July 4, at A.K. Bissell Park. (File photo by Charles Samuels)

 

Reminder: Oak Ridge will celebrate July 4 with fireworks at Alvin K. Bissell Park. The fireworks display, which is sponsored by the City of Oak Ridge, will start at 10 p.m. Monday, July 4.

The fireworks will be accompanied by music played live at the park by Merle 96.7 FM. Radio host Jack Ryan will be transmitting live from the park beginning at 6 p.m. and will conclude the live broadcast with a patriotic medley as the fireworks are shot, a press release said. The countdown to the fireworks begins at 9:30 p.m. Listeners can tune their radios to 96.7 Merle FM and enjoy the show.

The Oak Ridge Community Band will perform its annual Fourth of July concert at the A.K. Bissell Park Pavilion beginning at 7:30 p.m.

The best view of the show will be from the east end of Bissell Park, the press release said. [Read more…]