Oak Ridge Today

Programs manager at MTSU Center for Historic Preservation to speak Thursday

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Lydia Simpson

Lydia Simpson

 

The programs manager at a historic preservation center in Middle Tennessee will speak in Oak Ridge on Thursday evening.

Lydia Simpson will be the featured speaker at the 7 p.m. meeting of the Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association at the Midtown Community Center at 102 Robertsville Road.

“The importance of heritage and science tourism for Oak Ridge cannot be overstated,” a press release said. “Our story is one that many other cities would love to have. We have been told that numerous times. Yet, we can’t seem to capitalize on the tremendous story that is Oak Ridge! Why? What are we missing?”

Simpson has a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and a master’s degree in history with a concentration in public history from Middle Tennessee State University. She is currently writing her dissertation on a 20th century rayon-mill community as she works toward completion of the Public History Ph.D. program at MTSU, the press release said. [Read more…]

Former astronaut to speak during eclipse activities at AMSE on Saturday, Aug. 19

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A former astronaut originally from Jamestown, Tennessee, will share stories and answer questions regarding his experience as a payload specialist aboard a NASA Space Shuttle mission in 1997 as part of solar eclipse-related activities at the American Museum of Science and Energy on Saturday, August 19.

Roger Crouch will be at AMSE at 1 p.m. August 19.

The activities at AMSE that day are in preparation for the total solar eclipse occurring on Monday, August 21. They’re scheduled from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Hands-on “Explore Science: Earth & Space” activities will allow visitors to explore the eclipse phenomenon, a press release said. The activities were developed and distributed nationwide by the National Informal STEM Education Network (NISE Net) and used in more than 250 museums during the spring and summer of 2017. [Read more…]

ORHPA having 75th anniversary for Oak Ridge on Sept. 15

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ORHPA city 75th Birthday Celeb Flyer 2

Photographer Ed Westcott will be the honored guest and author Denise Kiernan will be the guest speaker at a 75th anniversary celebration for Oak Ridge on September 15.

The 75th anniversary celebration is presented by the Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association. It’s scheduled to start with historical displays at the Historic Grove Theater at 2 p.m. Friday, September 15.

The celebration is free and open to the public, an event flyer said, but donations to Friends of the Grove and the ORHPA are welcome.

Westcott was the official government photographer in Oak Ridge during the top-secret Manhattan Project during World War II. He will be the honored guest from 4 to 5:30 p.m. September 15. There will be a photo slide show presented by Don and Emily Hunnicutt, as well as a question-and-answer session. [Read more…]

‘Race to Space’ photos focus on Manhattan Project scientists who later joined U.S. space program

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Edward Teller

Edward Teller

 

A photo exhibition that opens next week at the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce will focus on Manhattan Project scientists who went on to join the United States space program.

The “Race to Space” photo exhibition is hosted by the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce and Explore Oak Ridge. The month-long exhibit will open Tuesday, August 15, with a reception from 8 to 9 a.m. The photo exhibit is sponsored by the National Park Service, U.S. Department of Energy, Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce, and Explore Oak Ridge.

It is part of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park’s activities that highlight this month’s once-in-a-lifetime total solar eclipse, a press release said.

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce is located at 1400 Oak Ridge Turnpike. It is open to the public Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. [Read more…]

INVO PEO donates more than $8,500 in school supplies to Boys & Girls Clubs of Clinch Valley

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INVO PEO, a professional employer organization based in Clinton, recently partnered with the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Clinch Valley to collect school supplies for students to prepare for the upcoming school year, a press release said. (Submitted photo)

INVO PEO, a professional employer organization based in Clinton, recently partnered with the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Clinch Valley to collect school supplies for students to prepare for the upcoming school year, a press release said. (Submitted photo)

 

INVO PEO, a professional employer organization based in Clinton, recently partnered with the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Clinch Valley to collect school supplies for students to prepare for the upcoming school year, a press release said.

Employees at both INVO PEO’s Clinton and Oak Ridge offices collected more than $2,600 in monetary donations, 116 pairs of shoes, 85 backpacks, 416 packs of paper and notebooks, 1,130 writing utensils, 274 pocket folders, 550 glue sticks, and 919 other miscellaneous items, the press release said.

All the supplies collected will be donated to the Boys & Girls Clubs so they can distribute to students as needed. The total dollar amount of all items collected is estimated to be more than $8,500. [Read more…]

Families in need appreciate ADFAC backpacks, school supplies

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Oak Ridge Utility District employees packed 156 backpacks for Robertsville Middle School students. (Submitted photo)

Oak Ridge Utility District employees packed 156 backpacks for Robertsville Middle School students. (Submitted photo)

 

Becky Hook’s back-to-school shopping list includes 3,500 backpacks, 5,100 dry erase markers, and 700 clipboards, among thousands of other items. That’s because she is shopping for ADFAC, which is giving away the backpacks filled with supplies to children whose families can’t afford them.

A mother of six students at Sunbright School in Morgan County said the backpacks and school supplies ADFAC recently provided for her children came just at the right time.

“This has been an extremely difficult summer. I lost my job and am going through a divorce, but regardless of what is happening in my life, my children still have needs and lives that go on,” Mary Ann Massey said. “These backpacks have been a godsend.”

ADFAC (Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties) is distributing the 3,500 new backpacks with supplies to children in need at 33 schools in Clinton, Oak Ridge, Anderson County, and Morgan County.

“I wish you could see the joy that students have when they come to pick out their backpack and the relief that their grown-ups feel to know that their children have the supplies they need to start the school year,” said Jo Bruce, director of Oak Ridge Schools Family Resource Center. [Read more…]

Second Annual Puppy Pool Party is Saturday, Aug. 19

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A dog enjoys the Puppy Pool Party at the Oak Ridge Outdoor Pool on Providence Road in 2016. (Photo by City of Oak Ridge)

A dog enjoys the Puppy Pool Party at the Oak Ridge Outdoor Pool on Providence Road in 2016. (Photo by City of Oak Ridge)

 

The Second Annual Puppy Pool Party is at the Outdoor Municipal Swimming Pool on Saturday, August 19.

It’s scheduled for the day after public swimming ends for the season. The last day for public swimming will be Friday, August 18, from 9 a.m. until 12 p.m. The puppy pool party will take place on Saturday, August 19, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The Puppy Pool Party is hosted by the Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department.

“This is the second year for the puppy pool party, an event which marks the end of the summer swimming season at the outdoor pool,” the City of Oak Ridge said in a press release. “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…]

ORHS Class of 1982 to hold 35-year reunion

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The Oak Ridge High School Class of 1982 will be holding its 35-year reunion September 1-3.

Activities include a Friday night social, a Saturday night dinner and dance, and a Sunday picnic. The cost for the weekend’s events is $65 per person.

For more information or to register for the reunion, contact Mark Boatner at (865) 483-0402 or by e-mail at boatnerm@comcast.net.

Girls Inc. art on display at Library in August

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Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge

Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge

 

The art exhibit at Oak Ridge Public Library for the month of August is a collection of drawings and paintings by young artists from Girls Inc. of Oak Ridge.

This organization first began in 1976 as a girls-only sports program, but quickly grew into an after school, summer camp, and sports program for girls between five and 18 years old. Girls Inc. serves more than 850 girls per year, a press release said.

Girls in the program are encouraged to be strong, smart, and bold, the press release said. [Read more…]

City tree board has workshop on emerald ash borer on Aug. 29

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An ash tree is pictured above in Oak Ridge. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

An ash tree is pictured above in Oak Ridge. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

 

The Oak Ridge Tree Board is hosting a workshop focused on the impact of the emerald ash borer in the area. The event, scheduled for the evening of Tuesday, August 29, will provide important information regarding the emerald ash borer for property owners, landscapers, and others involved in the maintenance of green spaces, a press release said.

“Ash trees make up a significant percentage of our urban forest and have traditionally been a landscaping staple,” the press release said. “Many of these trees in Oak Ridge are already dead or beyond treatment, but a significant number can be saved. At the workshop later this month, experts from around the area will address issues such as identification of affected ash trees and responses to EAB (emerald ash borer) infestation, including appropriate treatment.”

Those who attend will learn about these pests and their origin and how they spread across the country, as well as the techniques used in diverse areas ranging from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to urban areas, such as Knoxville and surrounding municipalities. [Read more…]

Peace activists will remember Hiroshima, Nagasaki bombings, call for ban on nuclear weapons

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OREPA-Ralph-Hutchison-Aug-6-2016-2

Ralph Hutchison, coordinator of the Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance, is pictured above during a rally at Alvin K. Bissell Park on Saturday, Aug. 6, 2016. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Peace activists will have events in Oak Ridge and Knoxville starting Saturday and ending Wednesday that will recall the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, during World War II, and the activists will call for a ban on nuclear weapons.

The events have been organized by the Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance. OREPA has events each August remembering the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki near the end of World War II. The Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge enriched uranium for the first atomic bomb used in wartime. Code-named “Little Boy,” the bomb was dropped over Hiroshima, Japan, on August 6, 1945, shortly before the end of the war.

OREPA has scheduled a Saturday event called “And We Are Saying Peace.” It will start at 12:30 p.m. with a concert and theater presentation at Alvin K. Bissell Park in Oak Ridge. Those who attend will call on the United States to join the countries that passed a legal treaty prohibiting nuclear weapons at the United Nations on July 7, a press release said.

The Saturday event will also mark the conclusion of a peace pilgrimage from Asheville, North Carolina, to Oak Ridge, led by the Buddhist order Nipponzan Myohoji, the press release said. The walk left Asheville last Sunday and is expected to arrive at Bissell Park on Saturday. The final leg will leave Solway at 9 a.m. Saturday. [Read more…]

Mental health program on Saturday to focus on early childhood trauma, brain development

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Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church

Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church

 

Michael Yates of Ridgeview Behavioral Services will discuss Building Strong Brains—Tennessee’s ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) Initiative on Saturday, August 5, at 10:30 a.m. It’s part of the free community mental health program series at Grace Lutheran Church in Oak Ridge. Yates’ presentation will focus on the effects of early childhood trauma on brain development, a press release said.

“Science indicates the structure of a young child’s brain is shaped by the interaction between genes and experience, and this can have a positive or negative result,” the press release said.

Science makes it clear that adverse childhood experiences can negatively impact the architecture of the developing brain, while children alternatively thrive in a safe, stable, nurturing environment of supportive families, caregivers, neighborhoods and communities, Yates said in the press release. [Read more…]