Melton Lake Park Archives - Oak Ridge Today

Road detour for USRowing Masters National Championships this weekend

Posted at 3:53 pm August 15, 2017
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

The USRowing Masters National Championships will be at Melton Lake Park this weekend, August 17-20.

There will be a detour for non-local traffic at Melton Lake Drive and Emory Valley Road to reduce congestion and increase pedestrian safety, a press release said. The Melton Lake Greenway will be open as usual, but users should be cautious as there will be considerably more activity on the section that parallels the rowing course, the press release said. The parking lot and boat ramp at Melton Lake Park will be closed to the public from Thursday through Sunday.

Oak Ridge Rowing Association is the local host of the regatta. Questions or concerns should be directed to the regatta director, Sarah McAuliffe, at (508) 488-0868.

Explore Oak Ridge will be on site supporting the event and providing visitors with information about Oak Ridge, the press release said.

Flatwater Festival is Friday at Melton Lake Park

Posted at 11:57 am June 1, 2017
By Carolyn Krause Leave a Comment

The three Rotary clubs of Oak Ridge will hold a fundraiser on Friday, June 2, at five that’s full of fun. It’s called the Flatwater Festival, and it is open from 5 to 11 p.m. You can watch teams of two build boats of plywood with simple hand tools in two-and-a-half hours. Then you can watch them paddle their boats as they race across the lagoon at Melton Lake Park.

The event is free and you can listen to area bands Ridge City Ramblers, The Unnamed, and Four Leaf Peat, as they play folk, blues, and Irish/Appalachian music on the stage, starting at 5:30.

But bring money so your kids can play in a bounce house ($5) and you can be a contestant in a cornhole tournament ($10). You will also want to drink and eat. At the festival for a small price, you can buy beer, barbecue, and burgers. Other offerings include hot dogs, wine, ice cream, and bottles of “flat” water. [Read more…]

Reminder: First-ever Nine Lakes Wine Festival is today

Posted at 8:59 am May 20, 2017
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Reminder: The first-ever Nine Lakes Wine Festival is today (Saturday, May 20) at the Melton Lake Park peninsula in Oak Ridge.

The festival focuses on the wine trails of the eastern half of Tennessee and their award-winning wines, a press release said. It bears the name “Nine Lakes” from the nine lakes made by the Tennessee Valley Authority in the Knoxville area.

“The beauty of our waterfront Melton Lake Park is perfect for a wine festival,” said Marc DeRose, president of Explore Oak Ridge, the city’s convention and visitor’s bureau, which is one of the sponsoring partners for the event.

Nine Lakes Wine Festival is featuring 20 wineries that participate in five different wine trails. They will be grouped by trail, for a seamless tasting experience, the press release said.

“We are highlighting wine trails because they set quality and professional standards for their members,” explained James R. Riddle, president of the Appalachian Region Wine Producers Association, one of the sponsors of the festival. [Read more…]

Big 12 Rowing Championship in Oak Ridge this weekend

Posted at 9:47 am May 11, 2017
By John Huotari 2 Comments

The Big 12 Rowing Championship is in Oak Ridge this weekend, Saturday, May 13-Sunday, May 14, 2017. Pictured above is a race during the 2016 SIRA Championship Regatta in Oak Ridge on Sunday, April 17, 2016. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The Big 12 Rowing Championship is in Oak Ridge this weekend.

It’s the third-straight season the Big 12 Rowing Championship will be at Melton Lake Park in Oak Ridge, according to big12sports.com.

“Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Texas, and West Virginia, along with affiliate members Alabama, Old Dominion, and Tennessee will meet May 13-14 to battle for the conference crown,” the website said. [Read more…]

Relay for Life moved to Midway Road on Friday

Posted at 3:56 pm May 4, 2017
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Submitted photo

Relay for Life has moved from Melton Lake Park to 97 Midway Road in Oak Ridge on Friday. It is scheduled from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, May 5.

The Twilight 5K run will still take place at 8 p.m. Friday at Melton Lake Park, rain or shine.

This is the first year that the former Oak Ridge and Clinton events have combined into one larger event, a press release said.

“The joint effort is sure to make the Relay For Life event bigger and better than ever with more activities to create a fun and festive atmosphere for families to enjoy,” the press release said. “The goal this year is to raise at least $72,000, which can only be reached if the community comes out to join the fun and to support this event.” [Read more…]

Oak Ridge will celebrate new eighth rowing lane on Friday, April 28

Posted at 11:02 am April 19, 2017
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Rowers are pictured above on the Oak Ridge rowing course in the spring of 2017. The area that needed work to recently add the eighth lane is pictured at center-right along Melton Lake Drive. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

Oak Ridge will celebrate the new eighth rowing lane with a special dedication ceremony on Friday, April 28, the city said in a press release.

The dedication, announced by the City of Oak Ridge, will be at 3 p.m. Friday, April 28. It is expected to include state and local leaders, and it will help kick off one of the biggest rowing weekends of the season, the press release said.

The eighth rowing lane, which is now complete, has been on the city’s wish list for many years. Officials have said that it could help attract even more and larger regattas (rowing races) and help maintain the Oak Ridge course as one of the top-ranked rowing venues in the United States.

Those who attend Friday’s dedication ceremony will gather in Melton Lake Park at the pavilion across from the Oak Ridge Rowing Association and then take a short walk on Melton Lake Greenway to the new overlook for the eighth rowing lane, the press release said. [Read more…]

SIRA Regatta in Oak Ridge this weekend

Posted at 1:20 pm April 14, 2017
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

The 2016 SIRA Championship Regatta is pictured in Oak Ridge on Sunday, April 17, 2016. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Association, or SIRA, Regatta is in Oak Ridge this weekend. The regatta started Friday, April 14, and it will end Saturday, April 15.

It’s hosted by the Oak Ridge Rowing Association. It’s the 49th annual SIRA Regatta in Oak Ridge, a press release said.

“Few partnerships have stood the test of time like that of SIRA and Oak Ridge,” said the press release, which was from Explore Oak Ridge.

This year, the regatta will feature 59 teams from 12 states.

“This is the largest regatta in SIRA history for an Easter weekend,” said Sarah McAuliffe, Oak Ridge Rowing Association regatta director. “We are looking forward to a great weekend of rowing.”

The race distance is 2,000 meters, or about 1.25 miles. You can view the start line from Calhoun’s restaurant on Melton Lake Drive. Teams cross the finish line downstream at the UT-Battelle Rowing Tower. Coaches and spectators can now view races from start to finish with no obstructions because of the recent completion of the eighth lane, the press release said. [Read more…]

5K Run, Walk on May 5 a fundraiser to help fight cancer

Posted at 7:02 pm March 13, 2017
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

The American Cancer Society has announced the first 5K Run and Walk at a Relay For Life event in Anderson County in May.

The run and walk will take place on Friday, May 5, at 8 p.m. at Melton Lake Park in Oak Ridge. People ages 12 and up are invited to participate by either walking or running to help raise money in the quest to “create a world with less cancer by helping people get well and stay well, by finding cures, and by fighting back against cancer,” a press release said.

To register for this event, go to the website runsignup.com. You may locate the event by typing in Anderson County Twilight, which will take you to the event page. Individuals may support one of the local teams participating in Relay For Life or may create a team of their own.

“This is a great way to honor or remember someone you love whose life has been touched by cancer,” the press release said. [Read more…]

Nine Lakes Wine Festival on Oak Ridge waterfront in May

Posted at 2:30 pm January 17, 2017
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

The first waterfront Nine Lakes Wine Festival will be at Melton Lake Park in Oak Ridge in May.

This two-day festival will offer a Winemakers Dinner on May 19, and a Grand Tasting on Saturday, May 20. There are expected to be 100 Tennessee wines from 20 wineries, live music, and food. [Read more…]

Dogwood Junior Regatta to feature about 2,000 young rowers this weekend

Posted at 12:29 pm April 28, 2016
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

The Dogwood Junior Regatta will be in Oak Ridge from April 30-May 1, 2016. Pictured above from left are an Atlanta Junior Rowing Association crew preparing to race in Oak Ridge, an Atomic Junior Rowing racing crew, and youth rowers from Asheville Rowing Club preparing to launch. (Photos by Explore Oak Ridge)

Junior rowing, for those under 19 years old, has grown by leaps and bounds in the southeastern United States during the past 10 years. Whether due to the extensive opportunities for rowing college scholarships or the general improvement in quanity and quality of rowing programs offered, junior rowing is quickly becoming one of the fastest growing sports in the nation.

This weekend, Oak Ridge will welcome about 2,000 junior rowers from all over the Southeast and Midwest to compete in the Dogwood Junior Regional Regatta. The regatta is one of the largest in the Southeast.

A crew’s performance at the event will be considered heavily for seeding purposes at the USRowing Regional Championship, where rowers compete to qualify for the Junior National Championships.

“If you’re a junior rower (from the Southeast) you’ll want to be in Oak Ridge this weekend,” said Shannon Moore, head coach of Atomic Junior Rowing in Oak Ridge. “It’s going to be the best opportunity for crews to test their speed prior to the regional championships. This regatta will inform coaches on how to train for the weeks leading to regionals, and (it) can be the difference between qualifying for nationals or not.” [Read more…]

Driver flown to hospital by Lifestar after crashing into tree on Melton Lake Drive

Posted at 8:18 pm April 11, 2016
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Melton-Lake-Drive-Crash-Johnston-Boucher-ORPD-ORFD-April-11-2016

Oak Ridge Police Department Officer Matthew Johnston, right, and Sergeant Ron Boucher, center, investigate a single-vehicle crash on Melton Lake Drive on Monday, April 11, 2016. The Oak Ridge Fire Department also responded, and so did Anderson County EMS. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

A male driver was flown to a hospital by a medical helicopter after going down an embankment and crashing into a tree alongside Melton Lake Drive on Monday, authorities said.

The single-vehicle crash was reported at about 12:16 p.m. Monday across from the entrance to Melton Lake Park. Rescuers reported that the driver was conscious.

The man was taken by ambulance to a peninsula near the UT-Battelle finish-line tower near the south end of Melton Lake Park, where a University of Tennessee Lifestar helicopter picked him up. The Lifestar helicopter landed at about 12:54 p.m. and left about 15 minutes later.

The car, a blue Toyota Camry LE, went down a small embankment off the west side of the road, the southbound lane, where it stopped in brush, facing north, after reportedly hitting the tree. Rescuers reported that they had to remove the roof, and it was peeled away from the top of the car, which was about 30-40 feet off the road. [Read more…]

Eighth rowing lane could cost more than $500,000, up to about $1.2 million

Posted at 2:31 pm March 23, 2016
By John Huotari 25 Comments

Cardinal-Invitational-Regatta-West-Virginia-Rowing-March-12-2016

Twelve of the nation’s best NCAA Division I women’s rowing teams competed this month in the Cardinal Invitational Regatta in Oak Ridge. Pictured above, a West Virginia University team competes at Oak Ridge Marina on Saturday, March 12, 2016. The eighth lane would require some work along the Melton Lake Drive side of the course, which is on the right side of this picture. (Photo by Julio Culiat)

Note: This story was last updated at 5:30 p.m.

An eighth lane at the seven-lane Oak Ridge rowing course could cost more than $500,000 and up to about $1.2 million, officials said Tuesday.

The eighth lane has been on the wish list of rowers and many local officials for years. They say it would allow the Oak Ridge Rowing Association to compete for bigger races and international regattas, which require an eighth lane. It would also keep the site a top-tier rowing venue and provide more on-water capacity, allowing more competitors in events. It’s also expected to significantly increase the economic impact of rowing races, or regattas.

Officials announced a $250,000 state grant for the eighth lane in April 2015.

In August, the city hired Barge, Waggoner, Sumner, and Cannon Inc. for design and survey work, among other tasks.

A March 1 memo from BWSC to Jon Hetrick, Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks director, outlines five construction options with various estimates of probable costs ranging between $543,771 and $1,162,444. The five estimated construction costs include a 20 percent contingency. All five options would include a retaining wall and earthwork, which would include excavation and dredging. [Read more…]