A concert crowd at the 2015 Secret City Festival in Oak Ridge. (Photo by Robert Welton)
The 2015 Oak Ridge Secret City Festival drew record attendance, despite the heat, organizers said. Concerts by the Marshall Tucker Band and Three Dog Night attracted the highest number of spectators in festival history.
“We were ecstatic with the turnout for both concerts,” says, Marc DeRose, executive director of the Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau. “We knew the bands would be popular but didn’t expect to see quite so many people. It was outstanding!”
Attendances for The Marshall Tucker Band and Three Dog Night were more than 2,200 and more than 3,500, respectively. The previous record was 2,300 for the Rick Springfield concert in 2013.
“After seeing how many tickets were sold at the gate for Friday’s Marshall Tucker concert, we decided to move the concert fences back to accommodate the expected additional 1,000-plus spectators for Three Dog Night,” DeRose said.
Throughout the day on Friday and Saturday, festival-goers took part in various activities—from waterslides to the TN Creates Juried Art Show—that were presented by entertainers, vendors, and exhibitors. The most popular event during the day on Saturday was the World War II Battle of Normandy Reenactment.
In the extreme heat of the afternoon, WWII reenactors gave their all to portray the battle in a spectacular visual, a press release said.
“The thunderous discharge of weaponry including tanks, artillery, and the anti-aircraft weapon, Flak 88, could be heard from all over Oak Ridge,” the release said.
“The success of the 2015 festival was really due to the hard work of our city staff and our numerous volunteers,” said Jon Hetrick, recreation and parks director for the City of Oak Ridge. “We are also very grateful for the generous contributions of our festival sponsors, without whom we could never have put on the festival.”
The festival, which was June 12-13, was presented by The City of Oak Ridge, The Arts Council of Oak Ridge, and the Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau. The Festival’s major presenting sponsors were The City of Oak Ridge and Consolidated Nuclear Security LLC.
Organizers said the festival is also grateful for the support of the following sponsors: National Strategic Protective Services and Triple Canopy (WWII Reenactment), LDA Engineering and Merle FM (The Marshall Tucker Band), The City of Oak Ridge, WNOX FM and UCOR (Three Dog Night), BBB Communications, Lamar, WBIR-TV, The Oak Ridger, Comcast Spotlight (Media Sponsors), Energy Solutions (Pavilion Stage), ORNL Federal Credit Union, Enrichment Federal Credit Union, Y-12 Federal Credit Union, Kroger, Oak Ridge Associated Universities (Children’s Festival), UT-Battelle and Event Rentals by Rothchild (Youth Area), Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge (Shuttle Service), Akins Public Strategies, Centrus, Pilot/Flying J, Roane State Community College, American Museum of Science and Energy, Citizens First Bank, Comfort Inn, Oak Ridge Floral Company, Information International Associates, Camera Club of Oak Ridge, Tennessee Centennial Golf Course, Aramark, Slappy’s BBQ (Contributing Sponsors), and Crosland Southeast (Parking).
A Flak 88 firing during a Battle of Normandy re-enactment at the 2015 Secret City Festival in Oak Ridge. (Photo by Rob Welton)
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