Big Ed’s Pizza, Oak Ridge’s most well-known restaurant, is celebrating 50 years on Monday, February 3.
Special merchandise will be available for sale, including 50th anniversary limited editions of Big Ed’s Pizza beer mugs and shirts, a press release said, and there will be free cake from Oak Ridge bakery Sassy Pants Sweets and Treats.
The Big Ed’s staff will be wearing a special “1970” shirt in observance, the press release said.
The festivities start at 11 a.m. Monday.
[Read more…]
The new DQ Grill & Chill in Oak Ridge will have a grand opening on Tuesday, and the celebration will include promotions, raffle prizes, and family fun, a press release said.
Here is the grand opening celebration schedule:
[Read more…]
The Winter Farmers’ Market, located in the gym at St. Mary’s School, 323 Vermont Avenue in Oak Ridge, is offering a series of free market workshops on healthy eating and gardening this winter.
On Saturday, January 25, at 11 a.m., Dr. Elaine Bunick will present “Healthy Eating on a Budget,” with a variety of healthy foods to sample and recipes to share. Bunick is a retired endocrinologist who has helped hundreds of patients manage diabetes and other lifestyle-related diseases, a press release said. Bunick says she wants “kids and adults to see how good healthy eating can be.”
The UT Extension Service will also be at the market, offering healthy recipes and food tastings as well. The market is open Saturdays 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., through March.
For children, the Anderson County Health Department’s public health educator Sabrina Greene will present an “All About Veggies” activity. Plus, the market’s popular Power of Produce Club will offer free vegetable tastings for children 12 and under. Those who take two bites get $2 to spend on fruits and vegetables in the market.
[Read more…]
Volkswagen Group of America, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and the University of Tennessee on Friday announced a collaboration to create Volkswagen’s first innovation hub in North America at the UT Research Park at Cherokee Farm.
“Working with the University of Tennessee and Oak Ridge National Laboratory is a great opportunity to continue growing Volkswagen’s engineering footprint in the North American region,” said Wolfgang Demmelbauer-Ebner, executive vice president and chief engineering officer for Volkswagen’s North American region. “This hub, along with other research institutions here, is an integral part of Volkswagen’s global research and development efforts and can also directly contribute to vehicles in North America.”
The collaboration involves research opportunities for doctoral students and space in the Innovation North building at the UT Research Park at Cherokee Farm in Knoxville, a press release said. Initial work will focus on developing lighter vehicle components made from composite materials and the electrification of vehicles.
[Read more…]
Downtown Hardware is closing in March, after more than 64 years of being in business in Oak Ridge.
Downtown Hardware was one of the first businesses to set up in the “Downtown Shopping Center” built in 1955 in what is now Main Street Oak Ridge.
“We were located on Wilson Street in the bottom floor of the building that now houses the American Museum of Science and Energy,” a press release said.
Today, Downtown Hardware is located at 298 South Illinois Avenue, facing Tuskegee Avenue in Oak Ridge.
[Read more…]
The power lines proposed at Horizon Center will be discussed during a Tuesday lunch in Oak Ridge.
The project, advocated by Oak Ridge officials for industrial development, has raised concerns among environmentalists and people who use the city’s greenways.
The guest speaker at Lunch with the League on Tuesday, January 7, will be Virginia Dale. Dale is a corporate fellow emeritus with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, where she worked in the Environmental Sciences Division. She is currently a researcher in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department at the University of Tennessee, a press release said. Dale has been the author of 11 books and more than 250 published articles.
Her presentation on Tuesday will focus on the city’s recent action to seek authorization from the U.S. Department of Energy to build an electric transmission line along the DOE patrol road on the boundary between the Black Oak Ridge Conservation Easement and the Horizon Center industrial park, or by cutting through other “natural areas,” the press release said. These “natural areas” are identified in mitigation conditions required for a federal finding of no significant impact, which allowed the subsequent development of the Horizon Center, the press release said.
[Read more…]
United Grocery Outlet in west Oak Ridge is closing January 18.
“We are unable to provide our customers with the options we have at our other locations, and we are unable to sustain in our current environment,” the store said in a sign posted on its front door.
New hours went into effect today (Monday, January 6): Monday to Saturday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
[Read more…]The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce will honor area business leaders and businesses at its first An ExtraORdinary Evening Installation and Awards Dinner this week.
It is scheduled to start at 7 p.m., Friday, January 10, at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge. The cocktail hour will begin at 6 p.m.
Bob and Carol Smallridge and Colin Anderson will be presented with the Chamber’s most prestigious awards at the event, a press release said.
Bob and Carol Smallridge will be the recipients of the Eugene L. Joyce Lifetime Achievement Award.
“The award is given to recognize and celebrate individuals who have truly distinguished themselves and embody the essential values of volunteerism, community service, and dedication to the economic vitality of our community,” the press release said. “It is the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce’s preeminent award given to honor the memory of the late Eugene L. Joyce.” [Read more…]
Parker Hardy
Parker Hardy will retire next summer after more than 20 years as president and chief executive officer of the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce.
Hardy has been president and CEO of the Chamber since November 1996. Under his leadership, the Chamber received the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Chamber of the Year designation in 2010, a press release said.
“During Hardy’s tenure, the Chamber has played a vital role in recruiting new retail to (the) city, including the Main Street development, as well as the Marriott TownePlace Suites,” the press release said. “Residential development has been a key area of focus for the Chamber as well. The Chamber has been instrumental in recruiting residential developers now building in The Preserve, Groves Park Commons, and Forest Creek Village. The Chamber also was instrumental in the attraction of Bristol Park, Centennial Village, and Centennial Bluff multi-family developments.” [Read more…]
DQ Grill and Chill has opened a restaurant in Oak Ridge.
The restaurant opened Tuesday, December 3. It is at the intersection of South Rutgers Avenue and Oak Ridge Turnpike, where a Taco Bell restaurant used to be. The opening of the DQ Grill and Chill last week was announced by American Dairy Queen Corporation (ADQ), franchisor of the DQ brand.
A grand opening celebration for the new restaurant is expected in late January 2020.
The new DQ Grill and Chill includes about 75 staff members, ranging from crew members to managers, a press release said. The restaurant and the drive-through will be open daily.
[Read more…]
The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce’s annual Christmas Parade is pictured above on Saturday, Dec. 10, 2016. (File photo by Eli Welton)
Almost 100 organizations and individuals have already registered to be a part of the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce’s annual Christmas Parade on Saturday, December 14.
This year’s theme is “Christmas Around the World,” and it wil provide spectators with plenty of music, lights, and beautiful floats, a press release said.
The first official entry of the parade is always a crowd favorite: the award-winning Oak Ridge High School Marching Band. Other entries will include skaters, adoptable animals, antique and classic vehicles, dancers, and much more, the press release said.
All of these entries help lead the way for the arrival of Santa Claus. Santa will be helped along his way by the Oak Ridge Fire Department, the press release said. [Read more…]
Karen’s Jewelers has an open house today (Thursday, December 5) from 4 to 7:30 p.m.
During the open house, Karen’s Jewelers said you can see all the newest jewelry fashions and enjoy some special treats.
Karen’s Jewelers is located at 1120 Oak Ridge Turnpike in Oak Ridge. You can call the store at (865) 483-6717. You can visit the website at www.karensjewelers.com.
