Oak Ridge Today

Anti-nuclear weapons activists to commemorate Hiroshima bombing

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The sign at the main entrance to the Y-12 National Security Complex is pictured above on Sunday, Aug. 6, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The sign at the main entrance to the Y-12 National Security Complex is pictured above on Sunday, Aug. 6, 2017. (Oak Ridge Today file photo)

 

Citizens calling for the abolition of nuclear weapons will gather in Oak Ridge on Saturday, August 4, at 10:30 a.m. at Alvin K. Bissell Park to commemorate the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan, in 1945 and to call for the United States to sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which was adopted in July 2017 by 122 nations, a press release said.

The Oak Ridge events on August 4 are sponsored by the Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance, and they will include music and political theater as well as a report on ongoing nuclear weapons production activities at Y-12, the press release said.

“Y-12 represents the full circle in time,” said OREPA coordinator Ralph Hutchison. “The age of nuclear weapons started here, with the enrichment of the Little Boy bomb’s uranium. And it continues today, in the face of world condemnation, with the production of thermonuclear secondaries and plans for a new bomb production plant, the Uranium Processing Facility, which will continue to make nuclear bomb cores for decades to come.” [Read more…]

UT Arboretum Society hosts Butterfly Festival on Saturday

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Photo courtesy University of Tennessee Arboretum Society

Photo courtesy University of Tennessee Arboretum Society

 

Everyone interested in both butterflies and beautiful landscapes is invited to attend the Butterfly Festival hosted by the University of Tennessee Arboretum Society, a press release said. The family-friendly event is scheduled for Saturday, August 4, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. This event will host various speakers and activities for adults and children.

Monarch butterflies will be released at noon from the patio and yard outside the auditorium. Butterflies are available for purchase at $10 each. You can claim your butterfly with your claim ticket at 11:45 a.m., the press release said.

The festival will host a wide variety of activities for children. Each activity requires a ticket to participate, and you can purchase tickets for $1. There will also be different food vendors, as well as artisans at the event. [Read more…]

Puppy Pool Party is Sunday, Aug. 19

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A dog enjoys the Puppy Pool Party at the Oak Ridge Outdoor Pool on Providence Road. (Photo by City of Oak Ridge)

A dog enjoys the Puppy Pool Party at the Oak Ridge Outdoor Pool on Providence Road. (Photo by City of Oak Ridge)

 

The Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department will host a Puppy Pool Party after the city’s Outdoor Pool closes for the season. The last day for open swim will be Saturday, August 18, from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m. The puppy pool party will take place on Sunday, August 19, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

This is the third year for the puppy pool party, an event which marks the end of the summer swimming season at the outdoor pool. Owners may only wade in water up to knee deep and must clean up after their pet. Children are not allowed in the pool during the event. [Read more…]

Celebrate summer in the park with Community Band on Sunday

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The Oak Ridge Community Band is pictured above at A.K. Bissell Park. (Submitted photo)

The Oak Ridge Community Band is pictured above at A.K. Bissell Park. (Submitted photo)

 

Although Oak Ridge students returned to school this week, it is still officially summer, and you are invited to “come on down” to A.K. Bissell Park on Sunday evening, August 5, for the 7 p.m. “Summer” concert performed by the Oak Ridge Community Band. This is the third concert of the summer season, and if you missed the Memorial Day and July 4 concerts, make your plans now to hear the Community Band in Sunday evening’s performance, a press release said.

This is a free event and a great opportunity for family and friends to enjoy a casual evening in the park, the press release said. Bring chairs or blankets for outdoor seating. Refreshments will be available for sale.

This concert will have a variety of music featuring jazz, swing, show tunes, marches, and Broadway hits, the press release said. [Read more…]

Scarboro Community Alumni Association 2018 Reunion is Saturday

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The Scarboro Parade is pictured above. (Submitted photo)

The Scarboro Parade is pictured above. (Submitted photo)

 

secme picture

The Scarboro Community Alumni Association 2018 Reunion is Saturday.

The activities include a parade at 9 a.m., a Fun Day from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., a Meet and Greet from 6-10 p.m., and a Banquet from 6-10 p.m. See the flyer below for more information.

Submitted image

Submitted image

Here are press releases and more information about the 2018 Reunion. [Read more…]

ORNL Director Thomas Zacharia to present community lecture Thursday

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Thomas Zacharia

Thomas Zacharia

Thomas Zacharia, director of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, will give a community lecture on Thursday. It’s the 21st season of the Dick Smyser Community Lecture Series.

Besides being ORNL director, Zacharia is also president and chief executive officer of UT-Battelle LLC, which operates ORNL for the U. S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science.

On Thursday, Zacharia will talk about the scientific agenda at ORNL in a presentation titled “Science and the State of the Lab,” a press release said. The event is co-sponsored by Friends of ORNL (FORNL) and the Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation (ORPSEF). It is free of charge, and it will be held at the Pollard Technology Conference Center at 210 Badger Avenue in Oak Ridge. A reception will be held in the auditorium lobby starting at 5:30 p.m. (snacks will be served), and the lecture starts at 6 p.m. in the auditorium, the press release said.

“The talk will be of interest to students and the general public,” the press release said. [Read more…]

Tonight: AKIN representative to speak to Democratic Women’s Club

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Karen Latus, representing Allies of Knoxville’s Immigrant Neighbors (AKIN), will be the guest speaker at the Anderson County Democratic Women’s Club meeting on Monday, July 23. The club will meet at 6 p.m. at Swifty’s Atomic Grill, 119 South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge.

Latus will discuss immigration and how the current political climate affects families, teachers, and school children, a press release said. She is active in AKIN, a network of people in the Knoxville area who work to encourage dialogue about issues related to immigrants and refugees.

“The network works to promote just and reasonable policies toward immigration and asylum and to foster a welcoming atmosphere in which all people are treated with dignity and respect,” the press release said. [Read more…]

DOE bus tour to start at New Hope Center during AMSE move

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DOE Public Bus Tour

A U.S. Department of Energy public bus tour in August 2012. (File DOE photo/Lynn Freeny)

 

Members of the public who want to take the U.S. Department of Energy Facilities Public Bus Tour will need to go to the New Hope Center to register starting Monday, July 30.

The New Hope Center is at 602 Scarboro Road at the Y-12 National Security Complex.

“The American Museum of Science and Energy located at 300 South Tulane Avenue will close its doors for the last time at the close of business on Sunday, July 29, to prepare to move to its new location at 115 Main Street East, which will open this fall,” a press release said. “During the move, bus tour registration will take place at the Y-12 New Hope Center.”

Bus tour registration is offered two ways: 1) online at www.amse.org or 2) walk-in registration the day of the tour with seating first come, first served. [Read more…]

Scarboro Community Alumni have reunion, festivities this month

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Picture of African Dancers in the 2016 parade in Scarboro. (Submitted photo)

Picture of African Dancers in the 2016 parade in Scarboro. (Submitted photo)

 

The Scarboro Community Alumni Association will have a weekend of festivities this month as part of Oak Ridge’s 75th anniversary celebration.

It’s a reunion scheduled from July 27-July 30.

The 2018 theme, “Connecting the Dots,” commemorates the generations that made lifestyle choices that affect the growth and development of a vibrant Scarboro and Oak Ridge community, a press release said.

“Some additional 200 persons will return back to Oak Ridge to rekindle old memories of growing up in the Scarboro community,” the release said.

Festivities will begin with the Meet and Greet held Friday, July 27, from 6 to 10 p.m. at the Scarboro Community Center at 148 Carver Avenue. There, people may receive their registration information, talk with old friends, and enjoy music and appetizers, the press release said. [Read more…]

BioBlitz at Worthington Ecological Study Area in Oak Ridge on Saturday

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Submitted image

Submitted image

 

Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning will partner with the Tennessee Valley Authority in a Discover Life in America “BioBlitz” at Worthington Cemetery in Oak Ridge on Saturday.

A BioBlitz is an event in which the public is invited to help with plant and animal identification, an event notice said.

The event’s organizer, Melinda Watson of TVA Natural Resources, said Worthington was selected because of its unique and varied habitats, including a cedar barren, native warm season grass meadow, hardwoods, marsh/swamp, hemlocks, among other habitats, the event notice said.

Each participant needs to have access to a smartphone, tablet, or a camera with GPS capability, the TCWP said. [Read more…]

Painting with a Twist fundraiser Thursday to benefit Emory Valley Center

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Paint this painting while helping Emory Valley Center!

Paint this painting while helping Emory Valley Center! (Submitted photo)

 

Painting with a Twist in Knoxville is holding a “Painting with a Purpose” fundraiser for Emory Valley Center at its Farragut location, 11000 Kingston Pike, on Thursday, July 12, from 6-8 p.m. A portion of each $35 registration fee will be donated to Emory Valley Center’s Early Learning Center renovation project. Pre-registration is required and there are some seats still available. Please reserve your seat with this link today:

https://www.paintingwithatwist.com/studio/knoxville/event/1603240/

“Painting with a Twist is a fun way to create your own piece of art with friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors while also meeting new friends!” a press release said. “For your registration fee, you will receive all instruction and supplies to create a beautiful painting you can take home at the end of the evening. You may also bring snacks to share and soft drinks for the event, wine will be provided by a donor (for people 21 and older)!” [Read more…]

Faith, community organizations to discuss substance misuse tonight

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Oak Ridge Recovery Interfaith Forum July 9 2018

Faith leaders and community organizations will discuss substance misuse at a forum in Oak Ridge tonight (Monday, July 9).

“Addiction and recovery impacts all of us, and the interfaith community plays an important role in recovery from substance misuse,” a press release said.

The Oak Ridge Recovery Interfaith Forum will bring together faith leaders and community organizations across Anderson County, the press release said. ASAP of Anderson partnered with the Child Advocacy Center of Anderson County, First United Methodist Church of Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, and United Way of Anderson County to plan and organize the forum.

The forum is scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, July 9, at Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike in Oak Ridge.

Attendees at the forum will learn about: [Read more…]