Oak Ridge Today

CWU celebrates reconciliation, grace, friendship on May 6

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Church Women United of Oak Ridge invites the public to its May Friendship Day celebration on Friday, May 6.

The celebration will feature a worship program titled “Finding Grace at the Table.” The program focuses on the table as a place for reconciliation and the need to recognize God presence in every person.

CWU will present Key Woman Awards to Mary Stephens and Judy Cohan for their dedicated service at Oak Valley Baptist Church and United Church, Chapel on the Hill, respectively, in addition to their contributions within the wider Oak Ridge community and Church Women United. [Read more…]

Glow Ninja 5K Run returns to Oak Ridge May 7

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Ninja-Group

Submitted photo

 

Registration is now open for the Third Annual Glow Ninja 5K race in Oak Ridge on Saturday night, May 7.

The “glow race” will kick off with the sounding of a gong at 8 p.m. Martial Arts demonstrations, hosted by event sponsor Progressive Martial Arts of Oak Ridge, will start at 7 p.m. To register for the race, visit www.ninja5k.com.

The race features a board-breaking opportunity for each participant at the finish line, which is one of the highlights each year.

“Progressive Martial Arts will be on site leading exciting, new demonstrations, and everyone is encouraged to dress up ninja-style for the event,” organizer Terri Reedy said. “Events like this one are sweeping the country because people are looking for something fun to do as a family. We hope to see the whole family dressed out in martial arts uniforms, or as Ninja Turtles, Karate Kid, Kung Fu Panda, etc.” [Read more…]

Los Alamos Historical Society director to discuss Los Alamos, Manhattan Project on Tuesday

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Heather McClenahan at B Reactor

Heather McClenahan, executive director of the Los Alamos Historical Society, is pictured above seated at the control panel for the “B” Reactor, part of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park in Hanford, Washington. (Submitted photo)

 

The executive director of the Los Alamos Historical Society will discuss Los Alamos and the Manhattan Project in Oak Ridge on Tuesday.

Heather McClenahan is the featured guest speaker at the May 2016 membership and public meeting of the Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association. The meeting will star at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 3, at the Midtown Community Center at 103 Robertsville Road.

Her presentation is titled “Los Alamos and the Manhattan Project: 1.5 Million Years of History in One Hour.” [Read more…]

Reminder: Kickoff meeting for home energy-saving program is today

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The Make Oak Ridge Energy Efficient, or MORE2, program will be hosting a kickoff event for Oak Ridge residents on Tuesday, April 26, from 4-6 p.m. at the Oak Ridge Civic Center Social Room. The event is an opportunity for anyone interested in learning more about this new program for qualified, low-income residents in the community, a press release said.

Information on other energy-saving programs will also be available for those who do not qualify for the MORE2 program.

The City of Oak Ridge is kicking off the MORE2 program to perform “whole-home, deep energy retrofits” for 229 qualified residents in homes that are at least 20 years old. The project goal is to reduce electrical energy usage in all-electric homes to improve the quality of life for lower income residents and homeowners by significantly increasing the efficiency and comfort of their homes. [Read more…]

Community Matters leaders report back at ORHS on Sunday

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Community-Matters-Unitarian-Universalist-Nov-1-2015-14

Pictured above at a Community Matters forum at Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church on Nov. 1, 2015, are the Reverend Derrick Hammond of Oak Valley Baptist Church, center, the Rev. Jake Morrill of Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, left, and Father Brent Shelton of St. Mary’s Parish. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The leaders of the Community Matters series of forums held last fall will report back on what they’ve learned at Oak Ridge High School on Sunday.

The informational session is scheduled from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Sunday, April 24. All Oak Ridge residents are invited to attend.

This event will feature community leaders including Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch, Police Chief Jim Akagi, ORHS Principal Martin McDonald, and leading pastors in town, all to continue the conversation begun last fall, a press release said.

“In the last couple of years, communities around the country have engaged the conversation sparked by Black Lives Matter,” the press release said. “In some communities, this has looked like protest. In others, it has looked like study and reflection.” [Read more…]

Oak Ridge history before the 1930s, Emery Trace to be discussed Monday

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David Hackett

David Hackett

Some of Oak Ridge’s history before the 1930s will be discussed at the AAUW Oak Ridge Branch’s general meeting on Monday, April 25, when David Hackett, ethno-historian, will talk about the Emery Trace, which ran through Oak Ridge in the 18th century and made connection with the more well-known Natchez Trace. He will talk about the road’s origins and role in shaping the nation as well as its potential for heritage tourism, a press release said.

A lunch catered by The Soup Kitchen will be provided at the meeting at 11:30 a.m. at a cost of $8. Soup and sandwiches and cookies will be available. Reservations may be made by calling Marjorie Congdon at (865) 483-3120 or Mary Uziel at (865) 483-1043.

Anyone attending is asked to make a reservation to ensure enough seating at the meeting. It is not necessary to purchase lunch to attend, and people are welcome to bring sack lunches. [Read more…]

Register for ORICL courses, trips by May 11; term starts June 6

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ORICL Trip to Distillery

ORICL members stop at Prichard’s Distillery on one of their bus tours around a part of Tennessee. (Submitted photo)

 

Want to learn how to improve your home so you’ll get a significant return on your investment when you sell it? How to lose weight by better understanding and managing calories and metabolism? How to treat painsl and disorders in the neck, shoulders, back, wrists, hands and feet?

Would you like to know more about modern techniques in psychotherapy, the history of India, America’s first professional songwriter Stephen Foster, the history of spying in the U.S., and evidence that human-induced climate change is really happening?

Are you interested in courses on topics such as archaeology that provides a glimpse of prehistoric Native American life in Tennessee, Native American religion and culture, the effects of growing cities on the environment, and the story of American novelist Harper Lee and her influential book “To Kill a Mockingbird”?

These are among the courses offered during the summer 2016 term of the Oak Ridge Institute for Continued Learning (ORICL), starting June 6 and ending August 5. All courses offer excellent lectures and thought-provoking discussions but have no homework or tests. [Read more…]

National League of Women Voters president to be special guest in Oak Ridge

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Elisabeth MacNamara

Elisabeth MacNamara

Elisabeth MacNamara, president of the League of Women Voters of the United States, will be the special guest of the Oak Ridge League for its 70th Birthday Party on April 29. The celebration will be held at Calhoun’s Event Center, which is at 100 Melton Lake Peninsula in Oak Ridge, starting at 5:30 p.m. April 29.

Wanda Sobieski, Knoxville attorney and suffragette history authority, will be the guest speaker, and 50-year Oak Ridge League members will be honored during the celebration.

MacNamara was elected the 18th president of the U.S. League in 2010 and was re-elected for a third term in 2014. She joined the League in 1983 and has served in leadership roles at all levels—local, state, and national. She is a longtime resident of DeKalb County, a suburb of Atlanta. Professionally, she is an attorney, recently retired as deputy chief assistant district attorney in charge of the office’s juvenile court division in DeKalb County.

MacNamara will present a 70th birthday proclamation from Governor Bill Haslam. [Read more…]

VP Humphrey’s executive assistant to be guest speaker at AC Democratic Women’s Club on Monday

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John Stewart

John Stewart

John G. Stewart, who served as executive assistant to Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey, will be the guest speaker at the Monday, April 25, meeting of the Anderson County Democratic Women’s Club. The club meets at 6 p.m. at the Clinton Community Center, which is at 101 South Hicks Street in Clinton.

Stewart, who was also a legislative assistant to Vice President Humphrey when he served in the U.S. Senate, will speak on a topic titled “The Privatization Scam: Once Again the People Lose.”

“Stewart has raised concerns about Governor Bill Haslam’s efforts to turn publicly-owned assets in Tennessee, including state parks, prisons, state universities and colleges, and other facilities, over to private management,” a press release said.

Stewart served as vice president of Tennessee Valley Authority for economic and community development and assistant general manager of administration at the Tennessee Valley Authority. Before that, he was staff director of two subcommittees in the U.S. Senate and served as director of communications for the Democratic National Committee. [Read more…]

Tanasi Winds featured at ORCMA coffee concert on Sunday

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ORCMA Tanasi Winds

Tanasi Winds features Dave Greenwood on clarinet, Dana Fox on oboe, RaNaye Dreier on flute, Bill Schwenterly on French horn, and Ardyce Lee on bassoon. (Submitted photo)

 

Tanasi Winds will be featured at an Oak Ridge Civic Music Association coffee concert on Sunday.

The concert starts at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, April 24, at the First Presbyterian Church of Oak Ridge, which is at 1051 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

The concert is free, and refreshments will be served following the performance, a press release said. [Read more…]

Animal Shelter cat, rat to appear on ‘Unlikely Animal Friends,’ a National Geographic show

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Batman and Pumpkin

Batman, a Dumbo rat, left, and Pumpkin, a FIV-positive cat, two mascots at the Oak Ridge Animal Shelter, will be featured on National Geographic (Nat Geo) WILD’s “Unlikely Animal Friends” airing 8 p.m. Saturday, May 21. (Photo by City of Oak Ridge)

 

A cat and a rat, both mascots at the Oak Ridge Animal Shelter, will be featured on National Geographic (Nat Geo) WILD’s “Unlikely Animal Friends” airing 8 p.m. Saturday, May 21.

In September 2015, the Nat Geo WILD team spent a full day at the shelter filming, a press release said. Their focus was to show the unlikely friendship between Pumpkin, a FIV-positive cat, and Batman, a Dumbo rat. Aside from showing the friendship between the two animals, the Oak Ridge Animal Shelter hopes to educate the public on FIV-positive cats and promote adopting from local animal shelters.

The Oak Ridge Animal Shelter is located on the east end of town at 395 Belgrade Road, and it currently holds a no-kill status, the press release said.

For more information about the Oak Ridge Animal Shelter, visit http://animalshelter.oakridgetn.gov/ or call (865) 425-3423.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

Copyright 2016 Oak Ridge Today. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Comedy at the Grove with Blayr Nias is Saturday

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Comedy at the Grove April 23, 2016

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Comedy at the Grove is back with the amazingly funny Blayr Nias. She has worked with the best well-known comedians, making her mark in the comedy world. Also featured will be Asheville’s own Tom Scheve and Art Sturtevant, with Knoxville’s comedic son, Sam King, rounding out the funny as the host. Birdwell Catering will be available for your beverage needs. You must be 18 to enter and 21 to purchase and consume alcoholic beverages.

Headliner: Blayr Nias

Blayr Nias is not your average female comic. She lives by the credo “If you can’t be a good example, then you’ll have to be a horrible warning.” When she hits the stage, it’s with manic energy, high-octane humor, and her trademark mega-watt smile giving her the nickname “GummyBlayr.” Winning audiences over across the country with a dynamic stage presence, she shares tales of her misadventures as “the bad girl next door.”

This Massachusetts native graduated from the George Washington University with a degree in theater and creative writing. In 2012, she was featured in the Pink Collar Comedy Tour at the Piccolo Spoletto Festival in Charleston, South Carolina and performed in the Laugh Your Asheville Off Festival in Asheville, North Carolina, headlined by Jim Gaffigan. She was a featured artist in the Charlotte Video Project, a collection of short films about the culture of the city. In September 2013, Blayr was named a finalist in Comedy Central’s Up Next Comedy Competition. [Read more…]