Oak Ridge Today

Street Painting Festival honors pandemic heroes while raising funds for Roane State scholarships

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Best of Show winning chalk art by The Yaun Ladies. (Photo courtesy Roane State Community College)

By Bob Fowler, Roane State staff writer

Crisp, clear weather greeted a fall tradition in Oak Ridge’s historic Jackson Square on Saturday, October 17, with artists of all ages creating colorful chalk art on the sidewalk.

By mid-morning during the Rotary Club of Oak Ridge’s annual Street Painting Festival, many of the participant’s creations were taking form, and each artist’s hands were covered with a chalk patina.

Launched in 2000, the festival is facilitated by the Rotary Club of Oak Ridge to support scholarships for Roane State Community College students through the nonprofit Roane State Foundation. Both participants and onlookers followed pandemic guidelines, wearing masks and practicing social distancing.

“We are so fortunate to continue our partnership between Roane State Community College, The Rotary Club of Oak Ridge, and the Jackson Square Merchants Association to present the annual Street Painting Festival,” said Rotarian Jim Dodson, the event’s creative director.

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No Secret City Festival this year

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There will not be a Secret City Festival this year, organizers said Thursday.

In April, organizers had announced that the festival, which is normally in June, was postponed. But no new date was announced at that time.

On Thursday, the Secret City Festival board of directors said they have explored every option to have the festival in 2020, but “we have determined that we cannot provide the level of excellence this year that we wish to.”

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Oak Ridge plans a downtown; chalk art on Saturday will promote it

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A view looking south onto West Main Street into a proposed area of restaurants and shops surrounding a landscaped courtyard off Wilson Street. (Image courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

A chalk art event on Saturday will promote a proposal to build a downtown area that could include apartments and condominiums, restaurants and stores, and green space and an outdoor performance space at Wilson Street on the north side of Main Street Oak Ridge.

The chalk art event is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 23. It will feature 15 professional artists, the City of Oak Ridge said in a press release.

It’s called “Paint the Town with Chalk,” and it will help people visualize what the downtown area could be like, the press release said.

Oak Ridge was built to help make the world’s first atomic bombs as part of the top-secret Manhattan Project during World War II, and officials say the city was built without a distinct downtown for national security reasons. Now, they are trying to change that.

The goal is to transform the Wilson Street area into the city’s new downtown, according to a presentation last fall by Oak Ridge Community Development Director Wayne Blasius.

The downtown area could include:

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Oak Ridge Public Library begins curbside pickup

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Oak Ridge Public Library
The Oak Ridge Public Library is pictured above.

The Oak Ridge Public Library started curbside pickup of library materials on Monday, May 18. The library will have its roof replaced this summer, and there is no re-opening date yet.

Here’s how the curbside pickup works:

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Flatwater Tales Storytelling Festival canceled, virtual festival scheduled

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Source: Flatwater Tales Storytelling Festival

The Flatwater Tales Storytelling Festival and writing workshops scheduled for June have been canceled because of COVID-19.

But there will be a virtual storytelling festival on Saturday afternoon, April 18. Part of the proceeds will be used for COVID-19 relief, organizers said.

The Third Annual Flatwater Tales Storytelling Festival had been scheduled for June 6 at the Historic Grove Theater in Oak Ridge. The writing workshops had been scheduled for June 4 and 5 at the University of Tennessee Arboretum.

“This is a challenging time for everyone, and this was a difficult decision,” organizers said. “However, we know that our top priority as a nation right now is to keep as many people as possible healthy.”

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Lavender Festival postponed to next year

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2017 Lavender Festival (Image Credit: Shawn Millsaps)

The Lavender Festival, one of Oak Ridge’s most popular festivals, has been postponed to 2021 as the city, state, and country try to limit the spread of COVID-19.

“After consulting with Oak Ridge city officials, and in light of the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, we regret to announce that Lavender Festival 2020 will be postponed until June 19, 2021,” said Barbara Ferrell, a Jackson Square business owner and Lavender Festival Committee member. “We agree with city officials that Lavender Festival’s crowd and limited area make it an unsafe event as the COVID-19 virus continues to circulate in our community.

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Restaurants changing hours, types of service

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Panera-Aubreys-March-17-2020
The parking lot at Panera Bread and Aubrey’s late in the lunch hour Tuesday, March 17, 2020. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Note: This story was updated at 10:45 a.m. March 20.

Many restaurants in Oak Ridge are changing hours or the types of services they offer to help try to prevent the potential spread of COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the new coronavirus.

Explore Oak Ridge, which helps promote tourism, is tracking some of the changes at restaurants and businesses.

Many restaurants are offering carry-out or curbside service or delivery service. Some are still offering dine-in service. Some are closing earlier than normal.

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Nine Lakes Wine Festival postponed to September

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2017 Nine Lakes Wine Festival Cellar 53 (Submitted photo)

The Nine Lakes Wine Festival is being postponed until September. The festival had been scheduled for early June.

The postponement is due to the recent recommendation of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to reduce large gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Fourth Annual Nine Lakes Wine Festival is now scheduled for September 11-12 at Melton Lake Park. All previously purchased tickets, vendor booths, and sponsorship arrangements will be honored, a notice said.

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From Rock to Bach Music Festival is Saturday

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Kelle Jolly, Pineda and Kartal Band, and Secret City Winds (Submitted photo)

The Oak Ridge Civic Music Association presents its Eighth From Rock to Bach Music Festival and Fundraiser on Saturday, March 7, at Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church at 809 Oak Ridge Tunrpike.

Doors open at 9:30 a.m., with the first of 19 varied musical groups taking the stage at 10 a.m., a press release said. A complete list of performers may be found at ORCMA.org.

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Friends of Oak Ridge Library has book sale this weekend

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Friends of the Oak Ridge Public Library has a book sale this weekend.

The Winter 2020 Book Sale is from Thursday evening, March 5, to Sunday, March 8. It is in the Library Auditorium.

Besides books, jigsaw puzzles, music compact discs, and other items will also be available, a press release said. Most titles will still be 50 cents or $1 each, the press release said. Withdrawn library titles will be half price Thursday through Saturday.
 
There was a members-only sale Thursday evening.

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ORHS Masquers presents ‘Little Mermaid’ this weekend

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The ‘Good Guys’ in ‘The Little Mermaid’ presented by Oak Ridge High School Masquers this weekend (March 6-8, 2020) are Emily Salko as ‘Flounder,’ Marian Vacaliuc as ‘Ariel,’ Mazzie Zawisza as ‘Sebastian,’ and Jack Lloyd as ‘Scuttle.’ (Submitted photo)

Oak Ridge High School Masquers, the school’s drama program, will present Disney’s “The Little Mermaid,” the musical based on the classic animated film, in four performances this weekend.

The performances are Friday, March 6, at 7 p.m., and Saturday, March 7, at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., and Sunday, March 8, at 2 p.m. in the Oak Ridge Performing Arts Center. Advanced tickets are $8, and they are available at the ORHS office and The Ferrell Shop. At the door, tickets will be $9 for students and $10 for adults.

Under the direction of Dana Wham—who has directed, choreographed, or acted in numerous adult and children productions throughout the region— this year’s “The Little Mermaid” continues the ORHS Masquers tradition of bringing excellent performances, impressive sets, amazing orchestration, and technical panache to the stage, a press release said.

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‘A Change is Gonna Come’: Musical journeys through American race relations

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Submitted photo

Submitted

Come for an afternoon of music and a great way to end February, Black History, and Interfaith Harmony Month in Oak Ridge!

Multiple community organizations join to make this free concert available. The greater Oak Ridge community welcomes Eric Dozier to the Historic Grove Theater at 123 Randolph Road in Oak Ridge on Saturday February 29, from 4 to 6 p.m. Light refreshments will be served and a Q&A with the artist will follow. The program is free to the public, and donations will be accepted.

From the small rural town of Bakewell, Tennessee, where he was born, Dozier has brought his love of music to the world. He has traveled throughout the United States and Canada, and toured internationally since the age of 12. It was a critical encounter in the Czech Republic, a far cry from Bakewell, that prompted him to pursue his calling. This led him to recognize the true power of music to heal hearts. Of himself he says: “I am a cultural activist, anti-racism educator, and itinerant blues preacher leveraging the power of music to promote healing, justice, and racial reconciliation.”

Eric Dozier is a music educator, cultural activist, and recording artist who uses music to engage communities in dialogue about racism. Encouraging people in finding and lending their voice to the ever-emerging story of humanity lies at the heart of his work. He is committed to “Uniting the World One Song at a Time.” A graduate of Duke University and Duke Divinity School, Dozier is currently pursuing a doctorate researching the effects of Black Gospel Music on communities outside of the Black Church.

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