Oak Ridge Today

Secrecy, security, spies program is Saturday

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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, April 28, starting at 3:30 p.m. at the Turnpike Gatehouse in Oak Ridge. 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. This program is free and open to the public; parking is limited, so, please try to carpool if possible.

The Gatehouse is located at 2900 Oak Ridge Turnpike. Visitors can access the Turnpike Gatehouse from Oak Ridge by following the Oak Ridge Turnpike west as if you are leaving town. Parking will be next to the Gatehouse. For more information, visit the National Park desk in the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge.

For more information or directions, contact the Manhattan Project National Historical Park at (865) 482-1942. Visitors are encouraged to visit the park’s website for more information at https://www.nps.gov/mapr/oakridge.htm. Follow the park on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Manhattan ProjectNPS, follow them on Twitter at @MnhtnProjectNPS, or on Instagram @manhattanprojectnps.

Manhattan Project Park premieres Minuteman missile film on Saturday

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The Manhattan Project National Historical Park will have a special premiere showing of the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site film, "Beneath the Plains," in Oak Ridge on Saturday, April 21, 2018. (Submitted photo)

The Manhattan Project National Historical Park will have a special premiere showing of the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site film, “Beneath the Plains,” in Oak Ridge on Saturday, April 21, 2018. (Submitted photo)

 

The Manhattan Project National Historical Park will have a special premiere showing of the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site film, “Beneath the Plains,” in Oak Ridge on Saturday.

The film showing is scheduled at 3 p.m. Saturday at the American Museum of Science and Energy, which is at 300 South Tulane Avenue in Oak Ridge.

The 30-minute film gives visitors a glimpse of how 1,000 missiles were kept on constant alert, a press release said.

“Hidden in plain sight during the Cold War, these nuclear weapons stood as a deterrent against a nuclear attack to the United States and its allies,” the press release said. [Read more…]

‘HerStory:’ A special women’s history reception & celebration on March 22

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Kattie Lue Strickland

Kattie Lue Strickland

 

As part of Women’s History Month and the 75th Anniversary of Oak Ridge, there will be a special Manhattan Project event on Thursday, March 22. The program will start at 5:30 pm at the New Hope Visitor Center at the Y-12 National Security Complex on Scarboro Road in Oak Ridge.

During the event, the Manhattan Project National Historical Park will be presented with a biscuit pan secretly used by Kattie Strickland during the Manhattan Project. The biscuit pan is an important cultural artifact for the park that can help provide context of the story of a woman who worked on the Manhattan Project, a press release said.

Each person had a unique story of why they found themselves working in the Secret City, the press release said. [Read more…]

Today: Manhattan Project Park celebrates 75 years of Girl Scouts in Oak Ridge

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Camp Trefoil Girl Scouts on Steps (Submitted photo)

Camp Trefoil Girl Scouts on Steps (Submitted photo)

 

The Manhattan Project National Historical Park is partnering with the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge and the Girl Scouts of the USA to celebrate 75 years of Girl Scouts in Oak Ridge on Saturday, March 10.

Beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 10, individual Girl Scouts and/or troops are welcome to participate in hands-on activities at the Children’s Museum until 3:30 p.m. Admission to the Children’s Museum will be free to any Girl Scout in uniform and their immediate family. Girl Scouts of all levels are invited to participate and will have the opportunity to earn multiple patches, while supplies last, a press release said. Some of the activities include a Children’s Museum scavenger hunt, donating items to support the community, games, and a cupcake celebration.

Girl Scouts who bring a new or gently used book to be donated for the local Free Little Libraries can earn a patch, while supplies last. Participants are also asked to bring items to make hygiene kits for the American Red Cross. These items include toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, shampoo, lotion, soap, washcloths, razors, and shaving cream. Girl Scouts can earn a limited edition Oak Ridge 75th Girl Scout patch by participating in the various events offered throughout the day. [Read more…]

Park Service to discuss TVA role in powering Tennessee Valley, supporting war effort

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Norris Dam (Submitted photo)

Norris Dam (Submitted photo)

 

The National Park Service will have a talk on the Tennessee Valley Authority on Sunday while celebrating the 82nd anniversary of the completion of the TVA Norris Dam. During the program, the Park Service will discuss how the Tennessee Valley Authority changed the landscape and supported the war effort in East Tennessee, a press release said.

The Sunday program is free, and it is being offered by the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, a unique three-site park that includes Oak Ridge; Hanford, Washington; and Los Alamos, New Mexico. The program is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 4, at the American Museum of Science and Energy in Oak Ridge.

The American Museum of Science and Energy is located at 300 South Tulane Avenue in Oak Ridge. The National Park Service visitor desk is located at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge at 461 West Outer Drive. For more information or directions, call (865) 482-1942.

Oak Ridge, Hanford, and Los Alamos were part of the Manhattan Project, a top-secret program to build the world’s first atomic weapons during World War II.

Manhattan Project public program: Oak Ridge past to present through A.K. Bissell Park on Saturday, Feb. 17

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

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

 

Join National Park Service staff for a walk and talk tour through Alvin K. Bissell Park on Saturday, February 17.

The Manhattan Project National Historical Park will present this free program starting at 10 a.m. Saturday, February 17, at the American Museum of Science and Energy in Oak Ridge.

“During the program, we will discuss the different lifestyles and challenges that Oak Ridge residents faced during the project,” a press release said. “In this easy to moderate walk of about one mile, we will visit some historical structures and discuss how the town has changed and how it has stayed the same in the 75th anniversary of Oak Ridge. Visitors should be prepared for this walk with weather appropriate clothing and sturdy shoes.” [Read more…]

Three subcontracts awarded for new K-25 History Center

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This is a rendering of the exterior of the K-25 History Center, center, on the second floor of Oak Ridge Fire Station Number 4 at East Tennessee Technology Park in west Oak Ridge. Also planned are an Equipment Building and Viewing Tower. (Image courtesy U.S. Department of Energy Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management)

This is a rendering of the exterior of the K-25 History Center, center, on the second floor of Oak Ridge Fire Station Number 4 at East Tennessee Technology Park in west Oak Ridge. Also planned are an Equipment Building and Viewing Tower. (Image courtesy U.S. Department of Energy Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management)

 

The U.S. Department of Energy’s cleanup contractor URS|CH2M Oak Ridge LLC, or UCOR, has awarded three subcontracts totaling more than $5.3 million to construct, conduct site improvements, and fabricate and install exhibits for the K-25 History Center at the East Tennessee Technology Park.

The history center will occupy 7,500 square feet in the second floor of the existing, city-owned Oak Ridge Fire Station Number 4. The building is adjacent to the K-25 Building’s 44-acre footprint, which is now part of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park. The history center will include a theater and interactive galleries that display equipment, artifacts, and other media to highlight the site’s workers and numerous Manhattan Project and Cold War-era accomplishments, a press release said.

UCOR awarded two subcontracts for construction and site improvements to North Wind Construction Services LLC of Knoxville, and it awarded a third subcontract for exhibit fabrication and installation to Formations Inc. of Portland, Oregon, the press release said. [Read more…]

Regular operations resumed at Manhattan Project Park when shutdown ended

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National Park Service employees are pictured above at the American Museum of Science and Energy. (Submitted photo)

 

The three-day federal government shutdown ended Monday, and staff at the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, which includes Oak Ridge, resumed regular operations, officials said.

Congress passed a short-term spending bill on Monday that will fund the government through February 8, and President Donald Trump signed it Monday night.

On Tuesday, the National Park Service said employees of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park are “happy to be back at work, serving the American people and welcoming visitors to their national parks.”

The Park Service said it appreciated the support of local partners who “stepped up to offer support and continue to serve our visitors over the last few days,” and the NPS thanked the following partners: [Read more…]

Government shutdown: How it affects Manhattan Project Park

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National-Park-Service-Employees

During the federal government shutdown, the Manhattan Project National Historical Park location at the American Museum of Science and Energy on South Tulane Avenue will remain open to the public and continue to provide visitor services, but there will be no visitor services provided by the National Park Service. (Submitted photo)

 

The federal government shut down this weekend after federal funding expired Friday, and an official outlined the impacts to the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, which includes Oak Ridge, on Sunday.

During the shutdown, there will be no visitor services provided by the National Park Service at the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, including public information, said Kris Kirby, superintendent of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park in Denver. The Manhattan Project National Historical Park includes Oak Ridge, Tennessee; Hanford, Washington; and Los Alamos, New Mexico.

Because of the federal government shutdown, National Park Service social media and websites are not being monitored or updated and may not reflect current conditions, Kirby said. All park programs have been canceled.

Kirby said national parks will remain as accessible as possible while still following all applicable laws and procedures.

“During this time, the following locations will remain open to the public and continue to provide visitor services,” Kirby said: [Read more…]

AMSE could move into new location in June

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An artist's rendering of the entrance at the new American Museum of Science and Energy at Main Street Oak Ridge. (Image courtesy City of Oak Ridge/U.S. Department of Energy)

An artist’s rendering of the entrance to the new American Museum of Science and Energy at Main Street Oak Ridge. (Image courtesy City of Oak Ridge/U.S. Department of Energy)

 

The American Museum of Science and Energy could move into its new location at Main Street Oak Ridge in June, officials said Tuesday.

Crews began work on Friday and “increased activity can be expected in the area over the coming weeks as construction progresses,” a press release said.

RealtyLink, the South Carolina company developing Main Street Oak Ridge, selected Oak Ridge-based Summit Construction as the contractor for the project, the press release said.

The start of construction was announced Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office and the City of Oak Ridge.

The new space for AMSE is located between the current JCPenney store and a future Marriott hotel, which is also under construction. The museum entrance will be on Main Street East. AMSE will be all on one floor, occupying approximately 18,000 square feet. [Read more…]

Manhattan Project Park has World War II Film Festival on Jan. 13

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Photo courtesy National Park Service

Photo courtesy National Park Service

The Manhattan Project National Historical Park will have a National Parks World War II Film Festival on Saturday, January 13, at the American Museum of Science and Energy in Oak Ridge.

During the festival, the National Park Service will present films from national park sites that commemorate events and issues related to World War II, a press release said.

“National parks tell the stories of America’s World War II experience—from Pearl Harbor to the war’s atomic end,” the press release said. “The range of our nation’s national parks show how a resilient America mobilized its people to triumph over tyranny, explore places where technological and social barriers collapsed, confront the war’s darker legacies, and stand atop soils where American blood was shed, coastlines defended, and valor was memorialized forever. Across the nation, national park sites help tell the story of our nation during World War II and help us ensure President Truman’s promise that ‘America will never forget their sacrifices’ will always hold true.” [Read more…]

Manhattan Project Park has open house at Children’s Museum on Jan. 24

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The National Park Service, U.S. Department of Energy, and Children's Museum of Oak Ridge will have an open house celebration at the Children's Museum from 3-6 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2017, to celebrate the Manhattan Project National Historical Park’s newest location for providing information about the park. (Photo by Manhattan Project National Historical Park)

The National Park Service, U.S. Department of Energy, and Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge will have an open house celebration at the Children’s Museum from 3-6 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2017, to celebrate the Manhattan Project National Historical Park’s newest location for providing information about the park. (Photo by Manhattan Project National Historical Park)

 

Note: This story was updated at 4:30 p.m.

The National Park Service, U.S. Department of Energy, and Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge will have an open house celebration at the Children’s Museum from 3-6 p.m. Wednesday, January 24, to celebrate the Manhattan Project National Historical Park’s newest location for providing information about the park. Admission to the museum will be free during this event, a press release said.

This celebration will also feature a Parks in Focus photography exhibit that will be a tribute to Ed Westcott, the press release said. The exhibit will feature photographs taken by third- and fourth-grade girls from Girls Inc. of Oak Ridge using the Parks in Focus program curriculum, with inspiration from the black-and-white photography of Westcott. 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 year-long program has been connecting youth of Oak Ridge to the rich history of the Manhattan Project through the lens of a camera, the press release said. [Read more…]