Oak Ridge Today

Secret City Improv Festival announces September lineup

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The lineup has been announced for the first Secret City Improv Festival in Oak Ridge this fall.

The festival is scheduled for September 24 and 25 at the Historic Grove Theater in Oak Ridge.

Two rounds of submissions made up the qualification process for the Secret City Improv Festival, a press release said. The priority consideration period concluded on Friday, July 16. The final submission will conclude on August 13.

“We are excited to announce the first 16 teams that have been selected,” the press release said. “The selection of teams features a diverse lineup of styles, team size, and show format.”

The selections include both local improvisation teams and teams representing nine other states, the release said.

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Anderson County Democrats have picnic Saturday

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Planning the picnic at the Pavilion are, from left, Ann Miller, Paula Daniel, Abbie Moore, Liz Ibbotson, Ann Mostoller, and Laura Carrington. (Submitted photo)

Anderson County Democrats will host a picnic from 6-8 p.m. Saturday, July 17, at the Pavilion at the Oak Ridge Marina on Melton Lake Drive.

Hot dogs, toppings, side dishes, and cold drinks will be provided at the picnic, sponsored by the Anderson County Democratic Women’s Club and the Anderson County Democratic Party, a press release said. They request that those attending don’t bring food to share, although they may bring food for themselves. [Read more…]

Summer Sessions concerts start Saturday with Sierra Hull

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The Summer Sessions concerts start this summer with a performance by Sierra Hull in Oak Ridge on Saturday.

Hull, a native of Byrdstown, Tennessee, is an accomplished singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist who made her first Opry appearance  at the age of 10, a press release said. Her vocal debut album, “Secrets,” was released in 2008 and peaked at number two on the Billboard Top Bluegrass Albums chart. Hull has received numerous International Bluegrass Music Association nominations and received the Bluegrass Star Award presented by the Bluegrass Heritage Foundation in 2013, the press release said.

Opening for Hull will be The Po’ Ramblin Boys, a bluegrass band formed in the Great Smoky Mountains.

All Summer Sessions concerts are free and will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. at the pavilion in Alvin K. Bissell Park at 1401 Oak Ridge Turnpike in Oak Ridge. The concerts are sponsored by ORNL Federal Credit Union.

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Anderson County Fair continues through Saturday

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The Anderson County continues Friday and Saturday.

The six-day fair in Clinton began Monday. The fair includes rides, animals, informational booths, music, events, and food, among other activities. You can see a schedule here: Schedule of Events | Anderson County Fair, TN | July 15-20 (andersoncountyfairtn.com).

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Lynch will seek re-election as Circuit Court clerk

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Rex Lynch

Republican Rex Lynch will seek re-election to a second term as Anderson County Circuit Court clerk in May of 2022.

Lynch was elected in 2018, and he recognized several improvements that were necessary in the Circuit Court Clerk’s office, a press release said. He has implemented several changes in the office during his first term, helping to eliminate turnover and boosting morale and production, the press release said.

“We had to address several personnel issues to make the office function more efficiently for the Anderson County court system and for the citizens of Anderson County,” Lynch said in the press release. “The renewed confidence in the stability of the office has resulted in increased productivity and reduced turnover.”

Lynch has upgraded technology and added several improvements, including the installation of a modern archival filing system as well as new electronic docket boards, the press release said. Also, the establishment of procedural policies and internal audits have helped eliminate any audit issues since Lynch has taken over the office, resulting in zero audit findings by the state’s Comptroller’s Office, the release said.

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Manhattan Project: Hike, learn about early schools, shopping, housing

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You can learn about the early school system of Oak Ridge, early shopping centers, and housing in the Clinton Engineer Works during a National Park Service hike on Saturday.

The hike is along the Cedar Hill Greenway. It is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. Saturday, July 17. It will be led by a National Park Service ranger.

The hike will begin at Cedar Hill Park, the former location of Cedar Hill Elementary School, a press release said.

“Along the hike, rangers will discuss the early school system of Oak Ridge, early shopping centers, and housing in the Clinton Engineer Works,” the release said. This will be a moderately difficult 2.5-mile hike.

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Lewis Ridenour running for Anderson County Circuit Court clerk

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Lewis Ridenour

Lewis Ridenour, an Oak Ridge police officer, is running for Anderson County Circuit Court clerk.

Ridenour is a former chief deputy of the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department. He is an Anderson County native who lives in Andersonville with his wife of 25 years, Pam, a press release said.

In the press release, Ridenour said he pledged to bring integrity, public service experience, sound judgement, and knowledge to the office.

Ridenour has served with the Oak Ridge Police Department since 2008, the press release said. His current assignment for the past seven years has been as liaison to the U.S. Department of Energy.

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Nuclear energy expert to give FORNL lecture on Tuesday

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Andrew Worrall

Andrew Worrall, deputy director of Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN) and section head at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, will present “Why Nuclear and Why Now?” on Tuesday, July 13, at noon to Friends of ORNL.

The lecture is open to the public. To view the virtual lecture, click on the talk title on the homepage of the www.fornl.org website and click on the Zoom link on the page describing the lecture, a press release said.

Today, nuclear energy in the United States produces approximately 20 percent of the nation’s electricity demand, the press release said. According to Worrall, “It is the largest producer of our nation’s emission-free electricity, yet is often misunderstood and misrepresented.”

In his presentation, Worrall will highlight some of the “pros and cons” of nuclear energy. Then he will explain why an expansion in nuclear energy is required not just for the United States but also around the world as the earth’s surface temperature continues to rise in response to increasing greenhouse gas emissions. [Read more…]

Manhattan Project: Paddle with a ranger, visit Freels Bend Cabin

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Paddle with a ranger on the Clinch River in Oak Ridge on Thursday evening, July 8, 2021. (Photo submitted by National Park Service)

You can paddle back in time to visit the historic Freels Bend Cabin and enjoy the beauty of the Clinch River this evening (Thursday, July 8) in Oak Ridge, a press release said.

Participants will learn more about the Manhattan Project as well as its impact on Oak Ridge and the surrounding areas, the press release said. The Manhattan Project was a top-secret federal program to build the world’s first atomic weapons during World War II. Oak Ridge was part of the project. Only a few pre-war structures remain in the city, including Freels Bend Cabin.

“Together, we will visit the cabin, which was built and then remodeled during the 1800s by the Freels family of Anderson County,” said the press release from the National Park Service. “It has maintained its historical significance all these years and now resides on Department of Energy property.”

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First Presbyterian offers free meals, groceries on July 8

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First Presbyterian Church will provide a free meal and bag of groceries to food-insecure guests who drive by the church between 5:30 and 6 p.m. on Thursday, July 8.

The church’s monthly Welcome Table community meal program plans to supply each guest with a meal consisting of a sandwich, chips, fresh fruit, and brownies or cookies. In addition, a bag of groceries will be delivered to each car, a press release said. [Read more…]

ORFD has new truck to fight brush fires

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The Oak Ridge Fire Department has a new truck designed for putting out brush fires. (Photo by ORFD)

The Oak Ridge Fire Department has a new truck designed to fight brush fires.

The new vehicle, Brush 1, was purchased by the city, and the equipment was purchased with a grant received from Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, for off-site emergency planning and response in the amount of $16,000.

It has a 300-gallon per minute Hale pump with a 300-gallon capacity water tank and a five-gallon foam storage tank, a press release said.

It can pump water through a bumper-mounted nozzle, which is operated via joystick inside the cab, while the vehicle is being driven so fire along the roadside can be contained and extinguished. This prevents having to deploy a hose line for a small area and helps to cover a larger area in less time, the press release said.

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Triplets tour Roane State as they look ahead to college

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Roane State’s Jack Parker talks with the Dunsmore family during their tour of the Coffey/McNally Building, in background, and the Goff Building on the Oak Ridge Branch Campus. From left: Jack Parker with Megan, Todd, Jennifer, Jacob, and Luke Dunsmore. (Photo by Roane State Community College)

By Bob Fowler
Roane State staff writer

Roane State employee Jack Parker has been giving prospective students tours of the community college for years, but this was a first for him.

Parker recently provided a detailed overview of the Oak Ridge Branch Campus to triplets, all of whom came away with upbeat opinions of their upcoming collegiate experiences.

Following him through the corridors and into the classrooms and high-tech labs in the Coffey/McNally and Goff Buildings were triplets Jacob, Megan, and Luke Dunsmore, along with their parents, Jennifer and Todd Dunsmore.

The Dunsmores are residents of Knox County’s Fountain City area, and their children graduated in May from the First Baptist Academy in Powell. The trio attended that private school from kindergarten through their senior year.

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