The Secret City Festival will offer free admission to concerts this weekend after daytime activities were canceled because of the resurgence of COVID-19 cases.
The concerts are Jimmie Allen on Friday, September 24, and All-4-One on Saturday, September 25. Gates open at 6 p.m., and the concerts start at 7. The concerts are in Alvin K. Bissell Park in Oak Ridge.
The concerts will be first-come, first-served. Capacity is limited to 50 percent, a press release said.
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A bluegrass group, Songs From the Road Band, will headline a concert in Oak Ridge on Saturday.
It’s the third Summer Sessions concert this year sponsored by ORNL Federal Credit Union.
The opening group at the concert on Saturday will be Grassroots Gringos, a bluegrass band based in Knoxville, a press release said.
Songs From the Road Band is from Asheville, North Carolina. They are known for their lively and exciting shows, which are often compared to the thrill and spontaneity of a NASCAR race, the press release said. The group features Mark Schmick (mandolin), Charles Humphrey III (bass), Sam Wharton (guitar), James Schlender (fiddle), and Gabe Epstein (banjo). With six albums under their belt, their most recent single “Amarillo Blue†topped the Bluegrass Today Grassicana chart earlier this summer, the press release said.
Farm Fest in the Square is in Oak Ridge on Saturday.
The festival will be in Jackson Square from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, September 18.
“The event will be a celebration of life down on the farm,” organizers said. “We have a pie bake off, square dancers, animals from Little Ponderosa Zoo, music from Liza Jane and Curly Fiddler, an open bluegrass jam, and vendors! The Oak Ridge Farmers Market will be right across the street, so come get some great eats and learn a bit about the history of farm life.”
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Dan Alcott
Note: This press release has been updated to include information about event changes if it rains.
The Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra on Tuesday will present the Oak Ridge premiere of “Adaptation Variations” by Japanese American composer Takuma Itoh.
It will be the featured musical selection during the United Nations International Day of Peace observance Tuesday, September 21, at the International Friendship Bell and Peace Pavilion in Oak Ridge, a press release said.
The outdoor Music for Peace performance will follow Haiku for Peace presentations and children’s activities by Oak Ridge Girl Scouts during a program focused on the Friendship Bell, Peace Pavilion, and the adjacent karesansui garden. Ziad Demian, architect who designed the Peace Pavilion dedicated in 2018, will speak about the tradition and technology in the pavilion design, the press release said. [Read more…]
The photo taken by Bill Dodge shows the clarinet section of the Oak Ridge Community Band at the July 4 concert. (Submitted photo)
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Labor Day is often considered the unofficial end of summer, and what better way to celebrate the beginning of fall as well as the holiday weekend than to go to Alvin K. Bissell Park on Monday evening and enjoy great musical entertainment in a casual and fun atmosphere.
The evening will feature a concert by the Oak Ridge Community Band, directed by band conductor Shaun Salem. The concert is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. Monday, September 6. It is a free family-friendly event. Organizers recommend you bring lawn chairs or blankets for outdoor seating. Ice cream will be available for sale.
The Community Band will play a variety of music genres including familiar patriotic marches, novelty pieces, classical, and the all-time crowd pleaser, which is so special for Tennessee Vol fans, “Rocky Top,†the press release said. Among the compositions on the September 6 program will be Robert Smith’s “American Flourish,†John Philip Sousa’s “The Thunderer,†the very fast-paced novelty piece Warren Barker’s “A Galop to End All Galops,†and James L. Hosay’s “Black Granite,†which was written to commemorate the men and women who gave their lives in the Vietnam War, the press release said. [Read more…]
Oak Ridge Community Band (Submitted photo)
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The Oak Ridge Community Band will have a Back to School concert in Alvin K. Bissell Park on Sunday evening.
Oak Ridge schools started a new school year this week.
Sunday evening will feature casual, relaxing music performed by the Oak Ridge Community Band, a press release said. The concert is free, and it will start at 7 p.m. It is a great opportunity for family and friends to enjoy an entertaining program of music featuring popular selections that children and students know and love but that also appeal to listeners of all ages, the press release said.
Sunday evening’s performance directed by conductor Shaun Salem is focusing on familiar and well-liked numbers including “Young Person’s Guide to John Williams†with “Raiders March,†“Prologue from Hook,†“Theme from E.T.,†“Hedwig’s Theme,†and Disney movie favorites “Pirates of the Caribbean†and “The Incredibles.â€
Other compositions on Sunday’s program will be band director Shaun Salem’s mysterious “Ghost Ship†and John Powell’s “How to Train Your Dragon†featuring “This is Berk,†“Move Ahead,†and “Coming Back Around.†The band will also perform Rossano Galante’s “Mt. Everest†and Percy Grainger’s “Children’s March: Over the Hills and Far Away.†[Read more…]
For the past 63 years, the Arts Council of Oak Ridge has been more than just a nonprofit organization. It has forged friendships, worked with some of the best community leaders, fostered new arts organizations, and proudly supported a region rich in arts and culture, a press release said.
But now it is time to start a new phase for the arts in Oak Ridge, the press release said.
The Council has decided to close its doors. [Read more…]
Allen was named New Male Artist of the Year at the 2021 Academy of Country Music Awards
One of country music’s hottest rising stars will perform on the first night of the Secret City Festival in Oak Ridge this fall, a press release said.
Jimmie Allen, who made history as the first black artist to launch a career with two consecutive No. 1 hits on country radio, including his debut single “Best Shot,†and his latest single “Make Me Want To,†was named ACA’s best new male artist of the year in 2021, a press release said.
“We are excited to bring a rising talent to perform in Oak Ridge,†said Naomi Asher, marketing chair of the festival. “Our lineup this year will appeal to a wide array of people and include all the fun activities and vendors that festival-goers have been used to seeing for years.â€
The festival is scheduled from September 24-26 at Alvin K. Bissell Park. Doors open at 6 p.m., with the opener taking the stage at 7 p.m. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased online at https://www.secretcityfestival.com.
[Read more…]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.
[Read more…]Jackson Square businesses are having a Papapalooza to honor fathers on Saturday.
Papapalooza is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 19.
“The Square will be hopping,” a press release said.
The United Way of Anderson County will be hosting the first cornhole tournament in the Square. Prizes will be awarded to the winners and “bragging rights secured for the year,” the release said. The tournament will begin at 12 p.m. To register online, visit the following link. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0849A4AD29AAF58-cornhole.
[Read more…]The Summer Sessions concert series produced by ORNL Federal Credit Union will return this summer after being canceled in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The free concert series will kick off in July and continue through October, a press release said. It will feature bluegrass and Americana bands from throughout the region.
The first show will be held on Saturday, July 17, and it will feature Sierra Hull and Justin Moses. Hull, a native of Byrdstown, Tennessee, is an accomplished singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist who made her Opry debut at the age of 10, the press release said. Hull is married to and currently tours with Moses, a former member of Ricky Skaggs’ band, Kentucky Thunder. Opening for Hull and Moses will be The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys, a bluegrass band formed in the Great Smoky Mountains.
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The Oak Ridge High School Concert Band will perform on stage in public for the first time this year Thursday evening.
The concert is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 20, in the Amphitheater at the Oak Ridge Civic Center. The concert will move to Oak Ridge High School if if necessary because of rain.
“The students have been rehearsing and performing virtually from the ORHS Performing Arts Center auditorium seats since December!” a press release said.
The band’s “Jazz Journey: 1941” halftime music during football season along with the virtual Christmas and winter concerts have kept the group strong musically, and they are looking forward to entertaining their families and the community with that talent for their final concert performance this year, the press release said.
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