Oak Ridge Today

Wanted: ‘Calutron Girls’

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Y-12 Calutron Girls

The famous “Calutron Girls” photograph by Manhattan Project photographer Ed Westcott that prompted Denise Kiernan to write the best-seller “The Girls of Atomic City.”

 

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Wanted! “Calutron Girls” who worked at Y-12 during the Manhattan Project.

The Japanese Public Broadcasting Corporation wants to produce a documentary film to commemorate the end of World War II. Their program director representative has contacted Y-12 National Security Complex Historian D. Ray Smith and wants to interview some women who worked on the calutrons at Y-12. [Read more…]

Children’s Museum hosts International Festival Feb. 21

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Spice of India dancers at the Children's Museum International Festival

Spice of India dancers at the Children’s Museum International Festival. (Photo by Rob Welton)

 

The Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge will present entertainment, crafts, and cuisines from cultures around the world at its annual International Festival on Saturday, February 21. The family-friendly event will feature musical and dance entertainment on stage throughout the day, international food and culture booths, and crafts for children to make and take home.

The festival will be from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. February 21 at the Children’s Museum at 461 West Outer Drive in Oak Ridge. Food will be served from 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

Children will be invited to make and take Chinese dragons, Japanese geisha masks, and Indian elephants at craft stations during the festival, as well as crafts at several International Bazaar booths. [Read more…]

What’s happening in Oak Ridge from Feb. 12-18

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Here is a summary of events happening in Oak Ridge from Thursday, February 12, and continuing through February 18.

This weekly listing of events is compiled by the Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau:

[Read more…]

ORHS Ensemble, JazzKats have 1940s concert, dance party with ORHPA Friday

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ORHS Ensemble with JazzKat Trumpeter

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The Secret is Out, and Swing is In! If you’re In the Mood, catch the Choo Choo Ch’Boogie.

Jump off at Tuxedo Junction, and we’ll Sing, Sing, Sing to Minnie the Moocher!

Grab your Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy and put on your dancing shoes.

Join the Oak Ridge High School Ensemble and JazzKats on Friday, February 13, at 7 p.m. at the Historic Grove Theater for a program of “swingin’ tunes and hot dancing that is sure to please all the hepcats in town.”

It’s a fundraising 1940s concert and dance party. [Read more…]

Celebrate love, ‘Romeo and Juliet’ with Valentine’s Day at the Symphony

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Violins and Oak Ridge Symphony

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William Shakespeare once wrote, “If music be the food of love, play on.”

It is in that spirit that the Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra and Chorus will present “Valentine’s Day at the Symphony” at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, February 14, at the Oak Ridge High School Performing Arts Center.

The professional Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Maestro Dan Allcott, will present music by Cole Porter, Prokofiev’s “Romeo and Juliet,” and Tchaikovsky’s “Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture.”

They will also be joined by the Oak Ridge Chorus, led by chorus conductor Seth Maples, for Ralph Vaughan Williams’ “Serenade to Music.” [Read more…]

Bursting the Blues Balloon Pop Concert to raise awareness of seasonal affective disorder

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Ridge City Ramblers

The Ridge City Ramblers will play bluegrass and Americana music at the Bursting the Blues Balloon Pop Concert on Saturday. (File photo/submitted)

 

CONTACT Care Line of East Tennessee will host a Bursting the Blues Balloon Pop Concert on Saturday, February 7, to raise awareness of seasonal affective disorder, or SAD.

SAD is a subtype of major depression linked to seasonal changes, usually in fall and winter, but more infrequently in the summer, a press release said. SAD may account for one in five cases of depression, and three out of four cases affect women. An estimated 1.3 million people in the United States suffer from seasonal affective disorder, the press release said, citing a 2006 study. Some symptoms are depression, insomnia, weight loss, and anxiety.

“Commonly known as the ‘winter blues,’ SAD presents a serious health concern that, if left untreated, may lead to complications such as social withdrawal, substance abuse, or suicidal thoughts and behavior, the release said, citing a 2015 study. [Read more…]

What’s happening in Oak Ridge from Feb. 5-11

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Here is a summary of events happening in Oak Ridge from Thursday, February 5, and continuing through February 11.

This weekly listing of events is compiled by the Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau: [Read more…]

Accordion, violin duo ‘Cricket and Snail’ to play at free concert Sunday

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ORCMA Coffee Concert

The Oak Ridge Civic Music Association will present its next coffee concert at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, February 8, at the Oak Ridge First Presbyterian Church at 1051 Oak Ridge Turnpike. The concert is free, and refreshments will be served at a reception following the performance.

James and Lucie Carlson performing on accordion and violin as the duo “Cricket and Snail” will play an eclectic mix of French, Celtic, klezmer, and even classical music for this unusual combination of instruments.

Organizers said “Cricket and Snail” has performed all over the world, and this concert provides a special opportunity to hear them play in Oak Ridge.

Reminder: Fundraiser for Secret City Wildbots features award-winning film on world’s water

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Sling Shot Press Release

A film screening this month will feature an inspirational movie about a tiny technological solution that could be used to clean up the world’s water supply. The screening of the award-winning documentary will also raise money for the Oak Ridge High School’s FIRST Robotics Team 4265, the Secret City Wildbots.

The fundraiser and screening will start at 7 p.m. Friday, February 20, in the Oak Ridge High School Performing Arts Center, a press release said. The Secret City Wildbots will begin the evening with a short demonstration of the team’s robot from 7-7:20 p.m. The screening of the 97-minue film will begin promptly at 7:30 p.m. [Read more…]

History teacher, ORHS grad to appear on Jeopardy! Teachers Tournament

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Lydia Cuffman

Lydia Cuffman, a 2004 graduate of Oak Ridge High School, will compete in the Jeopardy! Teachers Tournament on Tuesday. The show will air at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday on WBIR-TV in Knoxville. (Photos courtesy Jeopardy Productions, Inc.)

 

Lydia Cuffman, a 2004 graduate of Oak Ridge High School, will compete in the Jeopardy! Teachers Tournament on Tuesday. The show will air at 7:30 p.m. on WBIR-TV in Knoxville.

Cuffman is now a history teacher at Sequoia High School in Redwood City, California.

Her mother, Kym Cuffman, said 200,000 people sign up to take the Jeopardy test each year. One hundred fifty thousand actually take the test, and 400 make it to the final contestants’ pool, Kym Cuffman said. There were 15 K-12 teachers chosen to be in the Teachers Tournament. [Read more…]

Documentary on kindness to be shown to middle school, high school girls on Feb. 12

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Oak Ridge Schools will show a documentary on kindness to middle school and high school girls at 6 p.m. Thursday, February 12.

The documentary, “Finding Kind,” will be shown at Oak Ridge High School, and the evening is expected last until approximately 8:30 p.m., with activities to include viewing the documentary, discussions led by Oak Ridge School staff counselors, and then wrapping up with the opportunity for girls to take a kindness pledge, to apologize to those they may have wronged, and then to express something kind to their peers, a press release said.

Door prizes will be awarded as well.

The press release said this event is recommended to girls ages 11 and up due to language and some content. This event is free of charge. [Read more…]

Free Family Symphony Sunday features guest violinist Hannah Shipstad

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Hannah Shipstad

Hannah Shipstad

Special guest violinist Hannah Shipstad, 11-year-old winner of the Youth Aliyah competition in Oak Ridge, will play as a soloist with the Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra during its free family concert at 3 p.m. Sunday at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge.

Hannah will join the orchestra in “Spring” from “Four Seasons” by Antonio Vivaldi. A small symphony orchestra will also perform the musical story of “Peter and the Wolf,” by Sergei Prokofiev.

The Children’s Museum, at 461 West Outer Drive, is offering free admission from 1-5 p.m. Sunday to support the concert. Children are invited to come early for paper puppet making and instrument making beginning at 2 p.m. at the museum. [Read more…]