Pictured above is early construction in 1942 on the K-25 plant in the left background with one of the original homes in the city that became Oak Ridge in the right foreground. (Photo by Ed Westcott courtesy U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office)
The City of Oak Ridge has formed a committee to help coordinate and circulate information about the city’s 75th Anniversary, which begins in September. Mayor Warren Gooch will lead a news conference on Thursday, August 31, where the city will announce plans for a year-long celebration of this milestone anniversary.
Several events are already on the calendar to help kick off the City’s 75th year. The Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association will present a lecture on September 15 titled “The Legacy of Place” by guest speaker Denise Kiernan, author of “The Girls of Atomic City” and “The Last Castle.” The Oak Ridge Fire Department plans to host “Then and Now,” a 1940s-era Fire Prevention Parade along Oak Ridge Turnpike on October 7.
Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Y-12 National Security Complex will celebrate the anniversaries of their respective beginnings as well. The festivities will continue through the end of 2018. Additional events will be announced as they are confirmed, a press release said.
Thursday’s news conference will introduce the Mayor’s 75th Anniversary Committee, reveal the official 75th Anniversary logo, and launch the 75th Anniversary Website (www.OakRidge75th.com). The event will be held at the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce at 11:30 a.m., with an informal social event to follow.
| WHAT: | City of Oak Ridge 75th Anniversary Announcement |
| WHEN: | Thursday, August 31, 2017
11:30 a.m. – Noon |
| WHERE: | Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce – Joyce Conference Room
1400 Oak Ridge Turnpike, Oak Ridge, TN 37830 |
Media and members of the public are invited to attend. For more information, contact Explore Oak Ridge at (865) 483-1321.
The city that is now Oak Ridge was built during World War II as part of the Manhattan Project, a top-secret federal program to build the world’s first atomic weapons.
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More information will be added as it becomes available.
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