Oak Ridge Today

Council unanimously approves AMSE land transfer

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The American Museum of Science and Energy property is pictured above in central Oak Ridge. The wide road running vertically at center-right through the aerial photo is South Tulane Avenue. The proposed Main Street Oak Ridge would be on the right side of South Tulane Avenue at the former Oak Ridge Mall. The road running horizontally at bottom is South Illinois Avenue. AMSE is the brown-roofed building at top-center.

The American Museum of Science and Energy property is pictured above in central Oak Ridge. The wide road running vertically at center-right through the aerial photo is South Tulane Avenue. Main Street Oak Ridge is being built on the right side of South Tulane Avenue at the former Oak Ridge Mall. The road running horizontally at bottom is South Illinois Avenue. AMSE is the brown-roofed building at top-center.

 

Note: This story was last updated at 11 p.m.

The Oak Ridge City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved the transfer of the American Museum of Science and Energy property. The roughly 17.42 acres will be transferred from the U.S. Department of Energy to the City of Oak Ridge. It could then be transferred in two phases to a company set up by the developer of Main Street Oak Ridge.

Under the agreement, the AMSE missions will be relocated within about one year to 18,000 square feet of space in a two-story building that once housed a Sears store next to JCPenney at Main Street Oak Ridge. That space, once finished, will be provided by TN Oak Ridge Illinois LLC, a Main Street Oak Ridge company, to the city at no cost for 15 years.

The city will, in turn, sublease the former Sears space to DOE at no charge for 15 years, and it can be used for the public outreach and education missions now conducted at AMSE—as well as for a temporary visitor center for the Manhattan Project National Historical Park. That visitor center is now housed at AMSE.
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Secret City Festival to expand into week-long celebration in June

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Secret City Festival World War II Re-enactment 2015

A Flak 88 firing during a Battle of Normandy re-enactment at the 2015 Secret City Festival in Oak Ridge. (Photo by Rob Welton)

 

The Secret City Festival will expand into a week-long celebration in June, and it will be called the Secret City Celebration.

The change has been announced by Celebrate Oak Ridge, a nonprofit organization created by the Oak Ridge City Council to take over the production of the festival from the city.

The Secret City Celebration will include a full week of events celebrating the arts, culture, and history of Oak Ridge, organizers said. It will kick off with an opening ceremony at 11 a.m. Friday, June 2, 2017. It will include events presented by Celebrate Oak Ridge and other partner organizations.

“A crowd favorite, World War II Living History, will serve as the kickoff event on June 2 and 3, with re-enactments scheduled on Saturday,” a press release said. [Read more…]

First Presbyterian offers service of memory, hope Wednesday

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Rev. Sharon Youngs

Rev. Sharon Youngs

For those who have had a challenging year and need the comfort and peace that come from spiritual enrichment, special music, and candles, First Presbyterian Church offers its annual service of memory and hope.

The special service will be held on Wednesday, December 14, at 6:30 p.m., in the sanctuary of the church, located at the southeast corner of Oak Ridge Turnpike and Lafayette Drive.

“The service is designed for all who desire a quiet, reflective worship experience during this bustling holiday season, particularly those for whom this time of year is difficult, for whatever reason,” said the Reverend Sharon Youngs, church pastor. [Read more…]

Photos: Oak Ridge Chamber’s Christmas Parade

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The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce's annual Christmas Parade was Saturday, Dec. 10, 2016. (Photo by Eli Welton)

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce’s annual Christmas Parade was Saturday, Dec. 10, 2016. (Photo by Eli Welton)

 

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce’s annual Christmas Parade was Saturday. Here are photos by Eli Welton. [Read more…]

Christmas Concert by Community Band this afternoon

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The Oak Ridge Community Band performs in a Christmas concert at First Baptist Church in 2015. (Submitted photo)

 

To help you ring in the Christmas season, the Oak Ridge Community Band/Wind Ensemble has a free Music of the Season concert this Sunday afternoon, December 11. The performance begins at 3:30 p.m. and will be held in the sanctuary of the First Baptist Church at 1101 Oak Ridge Turnpike. It’s open to the public, dress is casual, and there will be refreshments at the conclusion of the program, a press release said.

“This concert is a wonderful opportunity to bring family and friends to relax and enjoy hearing familiar holiday tunes and sing favorite Christmas carols,” the press release said.

Among the numbers on Sunday’s program are two of Leroy Anderson’s most well-known holiday tunes: “A Christmas Festival,” featuring a medley of carols, and the time-honored piece “Sleigh Ride,” in which you can not only hear the bells on the horse pulling the sleigh but the crack of the whip, the clip-clop of the horse’s hooves, and the horse’s distinctive neigh. [Read more…]

Photos, video: See plans for the new International Friendship Bell Pavilion

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Design of the Peace Pavilion for the Oak Ridge International Friendship Bell by Demian\Wilbur\Architects, Washington, D.C.

 

ORAU donated $100,000 on Friday, and organizers said they have now raised $525,000 in a drive to  build a new Peace Pavilion for the International Friendship Bell in Alvin K. Bissell Park in Oak Ridge.

Organizers have said it could cost $750,000 to build a new structure for the 8,000-pound bronze bell.

The Japanese-style bell symbolizes unity between the United States and Japan. The two countries fought in World War II. Uranium enriched in Oak Ridge fueled the first atomic bomb used in wartime. It was dropped over Hiroshima, Japan, on August 6, 1945, shortly before the end of the war. [Read more…]

ORAU donates $100,000 to International Friendship Bell Peace Pavilion

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ORAU President and CEO Andy Page, left, surprises Pat Postma, second from left, and Alan Tatum, second from right, co-chairs of the Advisory Committee of the International Friendship Peace Pavilion, with a $100,000 donation from ORAU to go toward the new pavilion on Friday, Dec. 9, 2016. Also pictured is ORAU Executive Vice President Eric Abelquist. (DOE photo courtesy Lynn Freeny)

 

Surprise announcement made at ETEC annual awards luncheon

ORAU President and CEO Andy Page presented a $100,000 donation for the International Friendship Peace Pavilion during a surprise announcement at the East Tennessee Economic Council’s annual awards luncheon on Friday.

The plans for the new International Friendship Bell Peace Pavilion, which includes moving the 8,000-pound bronze cast bell from its current location in Alvin K. Bissell Park in Oak Ridge to another location within the park, were unveiled recently.

Organizers and volunteers have now raised $525,000 in the drive to  build the new Peace Pavilion. They have said it could cost $750,000 to build the new structure and pavilion. [Read more…]

Manhattan Project: Secrecy, Security, Spies program on Saturday, Dec. 17

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The Oak Ridge Turnpike Gatehouse is pictured above on the west end of town. (Submitted photo)

The Oak Ridge Turnpike Gatehouse is pictured above on the west end of town. (Submitted photo)

 

The Manhattan Project National Historical Park will present a program on Saturday, December 17, at 3:30 p.m. at the Turnpike Gatehouse.  The program will give visitors some insight to what life was like in Oak Ridge during the Manhattan Project with all the security, the need for secrecy, and the worry of spies, a press release said.

The program is free and open to the public; parking is limited, so please try to carpool if possible, the press release said.

The Gatehouse is also at a trail head for the North Boundary Greenway, and visitors can go for a self-guided hike after the program. [Read more…]

Manhattan Project photography exhibit all month at Children’s Museum

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The Manhattan Project National Historical Park, in partnership with the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge, will be featuring a Parks in Focus photography exhibit during the month of December. The photography exhibit is located in the Imagination Gallery at the museum located at 461 West Outer Drive. (Submitted photo)

The Manhattan Project National Historical Park, in partnership with the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge, will be featuring a Parks in Focus photography exhibit during the month of December. The photography exhibit is located in the Imagination Gallery at the museum located at 461 West Outer Drive. (Submitted photo)

 

The Manhattan Project National Historical Park, in partnership with the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge, will be featuring a Parks in Focus photography exhibit during the month of December. The photography exhibit is located in the Imagination Gallery at the museum located at 461 West Outer Drive.

This exhibit features photographs taken by third and fourth grade girls from Girls Inc. of Oak Ridge using the Parks in Focus program curriculum, a press release said. The Udall Foundation, based in Tucson, Arizona, created the Parks in Focus program to connect youth from under-served communities to nature through photography, environmental education, outdoor recreation, and creative expressions. This program has been providing outdoor experiences for youth who have limited exposure to nature to increase their appreciation for their environment, the release said.

Girls Inc. youth were introduced to this pilot photography program in September. [Read more…]

First year: More than 80,000 visit three Manhattan Project Park sites in 2016

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The late Bill Wilcox by the International Friendship Bell in Oak Ridge. (Courtesy of Friends of the International Friendship Bell via Atomic Heritage Foundation)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 12 p.m. Dec. 8.

More than 80,000 people have visited the three sites of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, which includes Oak Ridge, according to a nonprofit organization in Washington, D.C.

Besides Oak Ridge, the park includes Hanford, Washington, and Los Alamos, New Mexico.

In Oak Ridge, the Manhattan Project National Historical Park has a volunteer or ranger at the American Museum of Science and Energy in Oak Ridge when the museum is open. The park also has activities. For example, there is a program on secrecy, security, and spies at the Oak Ridge Turnpike Gatehouse in west Oak Ridge on Saturday, December 17. And the park, in partnership with the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge, will be featuring a Parks in Focus photography exhibit during the month of December. The photography exhibit is located in the Imagination Gallery at the museum located at 461 West Outer Drive.

Also, a virtual tour of the K-25 Building can be found at the new K-25 Virtual Museum website. And from March to November, admission to AMSE includes a three-hour bus tour of the Oak Ridge Reservation, including the X-10 Graphite Reactor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, New Bethel Church at ORNL, the visitor overlook at the East Tennessee Technology Park (former home to the K-25 gaseous diffusion building), and Y-12 New Hope History Center. [Read more…]

Photos: Oak Ridge Christmas tree lighting

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The Oak Ridge Christmas tree lighting was Friday, Dec. 2, 2016, in Alvin K. Bissell Park. (Photo by City of Oak Ridge)

 

The Oak Ridge Christmas tree lighting was Friday in Alvin K. Bissell Park. Here are photos by the City of Oak Ridge.

The annual Christmas tree lighting and reception are sponsored by the Oak Ridge Woman’s Club and the Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department. The reception includes seasonal music and entertainment in the Oak Ridge Civic Center gymnasium. [Read more…]

City explains how to request use of athletic facilities in 2017

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Organizations are invited to request use of athletics facilities by the end of January for the time period of March 1, 2017, to October 31, 2017.

Please be aware that your request is not a reservation until it has been reviewed and approved. Organizations or groups with delinquent paperwork or fees will not be considered in the reservation process. Only requests for the stated period of time will be considered. Facilities will be block-booked ahead of time for expected city and school use.

The City of Oak Ridge is asking that all facility requests be submitted by 5 p.m. January 31, 2017. Requests received by this date will be given priority over later requests, but please understand that city and school use of facilities will have priority throughout the year. [Read more…]