Oak Ridge Today

Farmers Markets to open this weekend in Knoxville, Oak Ridge

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Farmers Market

The longest continuous operating farmers markets in East Tennessee will open for the season on Friday, April 11, in Knoxville, and Saturday, April 12, in Oak Ridge. The second Knoxville market location will open on Wednesday, April 16. 

“After a long winter, it’s always a welcome sign of spring when the farmers markets open and we see the first of the spring harvest coming in,” said Steve Colvin, president of the East Tennessee Farmers Association for Retail Marketing, or FARM. “We’re hoping the final cold snaps won’t take too much of a toll on the early crops.”

FARM operates markets on Fridays from 3 p.m. until 6 p.m. in the parking lot of the Laurel Church of Christ, 3457 Kingston Pike at Cherokee Boulevard. On Wednesdays, the FARM Market operates at Ebenezer United Methodist Church, 1001 Ebenezer Road near Westland Avenue. The Saturday market is held from 8 a.m. until noon in the parking lot adjacent to historic Jackson Square in Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

Sustainability Report: Comparison of European and U.S./Vermont practices

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Dodd Galbreath and PV Panels

Dodd Galbreath, right, with students and photo-voltaic panels. (Submitted photo)

There will be a presentation on sustainability practices by Dodd Galbreath, head of the Institute for Sustainable Practice at David Lipscomb University, on Thursday, April 10. The program begins at 7 p.m. at Pollard Auditorium in Oak Ridge.

It’s co-sponsored by Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning and the Oak Ridge Environmental Quality Advisory Board, and the program is free and open to the public.

Sustainability is more often associated with European than American culture. This presentation will showcase photographs and technical information documented by the founding director of the Institute during a tour of European sustainability sites, as well as lessons learned during his four years of leading travel courses in Vermont and New England. Topics to be covered will include history and practices involving food, energy, waste, water, transportation, land, building, communities, and culture.

For more information, call or write TCWP Executive Director Sandra K. Goss at (865) 583-3967 or sandra@sandrakgoss.com.

Emory Valley Center hires new development director

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Janet Wood

Janet Wood

Emory Valley Center, a nonprofit agency serving children and adults with disabilities since 1955, has hired Janet Wood as its new development director.

Experienced within the fields of marketing, community relations, and nonprofit fundraising, Wood most recently served as the public relations and special projects coordinator with Alzheimer’s Tennessee in Knoxville. While there, she was lead coordinator for the Five County Walk held in Oak Ridge and the Foothills Walk held at Maryville College. She also coordinated volunteers in their fundraising efforts for both of these walks and provided support in additional fundraising and public relations endeavors for the organization. Wood also has years of experience in print, broadcast, and media relations, having previously been employed by The Oak Ridger newspaper for 10 years, a press release said.

“We are so excited to have Janet on our team and look forward to all the great work she will do on behalf of the Center,” said Jennifer Enderson, Emory Valley Center president. [Read more…]

League of Women Voters has membership celebration Monday

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The League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge has its annual Spring Membership Celebration on Monday, April 7, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. in the Hearth Room of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church. Reservations are not needed. The church is located at 1500 Oak Ridge Turnpike in Oak Ridge.

The event is open to current and past members, friends, neighbors, colleagues, and anyone interested in learning more about the League, a press release said.

“Good food and interesting people to chat with are promised at the event,” the release said. [Read more…]

Women’s Interfaith Dialogue hosts free forum on world belief systems on Monday

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Women's Interfaith Dialogue Steering Committee

Members of the Women’s Interfaith Dialogue Steering Steering pictured above are, from left to right, Barbara McCord, Jo Ann Garrett, Eileen Handler, and Cleva Marrow. (Submitted photo)

The Women’s Interfaith Dialogue of Oak Ridge will sponsor a free community forum on different world belief systems at 11 a.m. Monday. The forum, “Tell Us about Your Faith: Learning from Each Other,” will be at the Jewish Congregation of Oak Ridge.

The presentations by a dozen or so local women will be organized from oldest belief system in origin to newest, including Wicca, Hindu, Jewish, Roman Catholic, Islam, many of the major Protestant denominations, Quaker, Universalist and Baha’i.

A question and answer session will follow the presentations. The forum is free and open to the public. Donations are welcome.

The presenters include Nayeema Ahmad, Sharon Annis, Carolyn Dipboye, Margaret Dory, Diane Edwards, Jo Ann Garrett, Kas Gomathinayagam, Barbara McCord, Kathy Olsen, Ruth Prince, Fran Silver, and Toni Stephenson. [Read more…]

Jewish Congregation of Oak Ridge to show ‘Dear Mr. Waldman’ on Saturday

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The Jewish Congregation of Oak Ridge will have its monthly Jewish Film Series on Saturday, April 5, at 7 p.m.

Each month, the rabbi picks a different Jewish film ranging from comedy to drama, from fiction to documentary. This is a free event and refreshments are provided.

This month’s film will be “Dear Mr. Waldman” (Israel, 2006, NR, 84 minutes). Set in early 1960s Tel Aviv, this coming-of-age story centers on 10-year-old Hilik and his struggle to help heal the emotional wounds of his father, who hasn’t recovered from losing his elder son at Auschwitz. Still in denial, Moishe believes his son escaped and is now President Kennedy’s aide. To help his father move on and gain the father-son relationship he sorely needs, Hilik puts Moishe’s love to the test. [Read more…]

Butterflies for Hope for lupus research at Hot Bagel on Saturday

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Butterflies for Hope at Hot Bagel 2012

Riders in Butterflies for Hope at Hot Bagel in April 2012.

Butterflies for Hope, a benefit for lupus research, starts Saturday morning at Hot Bagel in Oak Ridge.

Registration for the bike rides begin at 8:30 a.m. with bagels and coffee. The 50- and 62-mile bike rides start at 10 a.m., and the 20-mile ride begins at 10:15 a.m.

Kent Bostick, who has won many national titles, will lead the race with his wife Rhonda, a press release said.

There will be free food and drinks after the ride beginning at 1:30 p.m.

Butterflies for Hope is for research on lupus, an auto-immune disease that affects joints and organs. More than 35,000 Tennesseans are battling this disease and hoping that a cure can be found, the press release said.

Train rides resume in Oak Ridge

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Southern Appalachian Railway Museum

SARM offers spring colors, Easter dinner trains

Southern Appalachia Railway Museum, or SARM, kicks off its 2014 excursion train schedule in Oak Ridge with one-hour Spring Colors trips and an Easter Weekend dinner train for April.

The narrated one-hour Spring Colors train rides will depart at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 5, and Saturday, April 19. Ticket prices are $19 for adults and $15 for children three through 12. Popcorn, refreshments and railroad souvenirs will be available in the train’s commissary car. During the rides, a short narrative will describe the historic Manhattan Project and the historical significance of the railroad that served it. Reservations are suggested and can be made by calling the museum at (865) 241-2140. [Read more…]

ORHS cross country hosts middle school track meets named for legendary coaches

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On Thursday, the Oak Ridge High School cross country teams will host the first ever Ben Martin Middle School Invitational track meet at the Ben Martin Track at ORHS. The meet will include eight teams. Each event will contain two heats, and a new FinishLynx fully automatic timing system will be used to time them. Field events start at 4:30 p.m., and the meet begins at about 5:45 p.m.

“This is a great step for ORHS middle school track,” Coach Allen Etheridge said.

The teams will do the same on Thursday, April 10, at the Jim McNamee Middle School Invitational.

“We named these meets after two legendary Sports Hall of Fame coaches because they are important to the history of athletics at Oak Ridge High School,” Etheridge said. “Coach Martin was the first ORHS track and football coach who won championships in both sports and began the entire athletic program at ORHS. Coach Mac won eight state titles in cross country and one in girls track before retiring in 2004. We aim to do both coaches proud by hosting a top-quality track and field meet.”

CONTACT Care Line has annual flea market Friday, Saturday

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CONTACT Care Line has its annual flea market on Friday and Saturday.

You can bring donations to First Baptist Church in Oak Ridge on from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Thursday, April 3, or from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Friday, April 4.

The flea market is from 6-8 p.m. Friday, April 4 (buy at twice the price), and from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, April 5.

The First Baptist Church is at 1100 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Call the CONTACT office at (865) 312-7450 for earlier pick-up of large items.

ORHS Class of 1984 has 30th reunion in July

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The Oak Ridge High School Class of 1984 has scheduled a 30th Reunion Celebration for July 18-20. All 1984 ORHS graduates are asked to save these dates on their calendar and help spread the word to others, a press release said.

Class members who have not already received e-mail notification should contact Lynda Van Winkle at lvw@akcountrygirl.com to be added to the distribution list.

An evening event will take place at the Doubletree Hotel on Saturday, July 19.

Additional activities, including a tour of the renovated ORHS campus and a family picnic are currently being planned. All 1984 graduates are encouraged to participate in a weekend of great fun catching up with old classmates, a press release said.

Mortgage originator Yvonne Cummings moves to CapitalMark

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CapitalMark Bank and Trust has added Yvonne Cummings as a mortgage loan originator in the Knoxville and Oak Ridge markets, a press release said.

Cummings is a 16-year veteran mortgage loan officer and consultant who most recently worked with a regional financial institution. She has earned corporate recognition from previous employers as a top producer and customer loyalty expert, the press release said.

Cummings received a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a minor in economics from Methodist University in Fayetteville, Tenn. She received a master’s in computer science and management of information systems from Webster University. [Read more…]