Oak Ridge Today

Learn more about history of desegregation on Sept. 9

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Rose Weaver
Rose Weaver

You can learn more about the history of desegregation and profiles of those who have shaped the area during a September 9 meeting in Oak Ridge.

It’s a kick-off meeting for Women’s Interfaith Dialogue of Oak Ridge. It is scheduled to start with a brief meet-and-greet at 10:45 a.m. Monday, Saturday 9, at St. Stephens Episcopal Church at 212 North Tulane Avenue, and the program will start at 11 a.m.

Rose Weaver—an active member of the Oak Ridge community, a poet, and a historian—is currently working on researching the history of desegregation of the area and the people who have had the greatest impacts in shaping Oak Ridge, a press release said.

Weaver will also speak about the exciting NAACP Tennessee State Convention that is being hosted in Oak Ridge from Thursday, September 26, through Saturday, September 28, the press release said.

[Read more…]

Two churches plan forum on local opioid crisis

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Michael Yates

Michael Yates

Abuse of addictive prescription pain pills and other opioids, as well as deaths from overdoses, are plaguing the nation, state, and local communities. In 2018, nearly 200 Americans every day died from drug overdoses.

What are the consequences of opioid use and abuse in Anderson County? What are the overt and hidden costs to our local communities?

To begin to address the need for local understanding of this mental health issue and public health crisis, two Oak Ridge churches—First Presbyterian and Oak Valley Baptist—will co-sponsor a public forum on three Sunday afternoons in September on the crisis of drug addiction in Anderson County.

The forum sessions will be held at 1:30 p.m. Sunday in the fellowship hall of the Sanctuary building at First Presbyterian Church, 1051 Oak Ridge Turnpike, on the corner of Lafayette Avenue.

David Clark, district attorney general of Anderson County, will speak on September 8 on criminal justice and the opioid epidemic. [Read more…]

Flatwater Tales Storytelling Festival this weekend

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Pictured above from left to right are Carmen Agra Deedy, Bill Lepp, and Bobby Norfolk.

The Flatwater Tales Storytelling Festival will feature three world renowned storytellers in Oak Ridge this weekend.

This annual event is led by the three Rotary Clubs in Oak Ridge, all volunteers. This second annual storytelling festival will be held at the Historic Grove Theater. Due to public demand at the 2018 performances, a larger venue and an additional performance have been added, a press release said.

Bil Lepp, Carmen Agra Deedy, and Bobby Norfolk will perform for the 2019 festival. They have achieved national and international recognition and appear regularly at festivals, including the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee, the press release said.

On Saturday, June 1, the Flatwater Tales Storytelling Festival will present the art and magic of live storytelling with three performances at the Historic Grove Theater: 10 a.m. to noon, 2 to 5 p.m. (with intermission), and 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. (with intermission). There will be different stories at each session. Although the stories would be rated PG, it is suggested that the 10 a.m. performance would be most enjoyable for children five and older as it is a special family-oriented performance, the press release said. A free crafts-for-kids activity will be offered beginning at 9 a.m. at the Grove Theater.

[Read more…]

Holocaust Remembrance Program this Sunday

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Holocaust Remembrance Program 2018 Proclamation Reading (Submitted photo)

Holocaust Remembrance Day: The City of Oak Ridge has proclaimed May 5 to be Holocaust Remembrance Day for 2019.

The Jewish Congregation of Oak Ridge (JCOR) and the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church (ORUUC) have partnered together to present the annual Holocaust Remembrance Program, a press release said. It will be held from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. in the JCOR Sanctuary, 101 West Madison Lane in Oak Ridge, on May 5. There will be a candle lighting ceremony, songs, readings, and prayers. The Holocaust Remembrance Service is sponsored by the Oak Ridge Interfaith Partnership, and the public is encouraged to attend, the press release said. [Read more…]

Obituary: Mira Ryczke Kimmelman, Holocaust survivor

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Mira Ryczke Kimmelman

Mira Ryczke Kimmelman, 95, of 969 West Outer Drive, died peacefully at home at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, April 17.

Mira’s long and purposeful life was dotted with tragic events and redeeming joys. She was born on September 17, 1923, in the seaside resort of Zoppot, a suburb of the free City of Danzig. Her father Moritz was a grain merchant and her mother Eugenia dedicated herself to raising Mira and her younger brother Benno.

This happy life came to an abrupt end in 1939 when the Nazis invaded Danzig and drove Mira and her family from their home, first to ghettos in Warsaw and Tomaszow Mazowiecki, then to concentration camps Blizyn-Majdanek and Auschwitz, and thereafter on a horrific death march to Bergen-Belsen, where Mira was liberated and reunited with her father. Sadly, her mother and brother did not survive the Holocaust.

In 1946, she met another survivor, Max Kimmelman, who had lost his wife and daughter in the Holocaust. They married on May 19, 1946, in Germany. With the assistance of family in Cincinnati, Ohio, they were able to immigrate to the United States and arrived in Cincinnati, Ohio, on August 2, 1948.

[Read more…]

Faith & science lecture on archaeology of Israeli women on Tuesday

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Erin Darby

Erin Darby

Were the women depicted in the Old Testament of the Holy Bible more than mothers of the children of Israel? Did they contribute to Israelite tribal survival by experimenting with food plants and seeds, shearing wool and weaving cloth, making pots and devising ways to cook, preserve, and store food? And what about their religious lives?

The second talk in the First Presbyterian–First United Methodist Church Faith-and-Science Lecture Series will be on “The Archaeology of Women in Ancient Israel.” The lecture will be presented by Erin Darby, associate professor of religious studies and co-director of the ‘Ayn Gharandal Archaeological Project at the University of Tennessee.

Darby will deliver her lecture at 7 p.m., Tuesday, April 2, in the fellowship hall of the sanctuary building of First Presbyterian Church of Oak Ridge, 1051 Oak Ridge Turnpike. Refreshments will be served.

An archaeologist, Darby takes UT students to Jordan every other summer to learn about human history and prehistory through the excavation of sites and the analysis of artifacts and other physical remains. [Read more…]

Women’s Interfaith to focus on protecting youth from opioid crisis

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BeaThomas

BeaThomas

Women’s Interfaith Dialogue of Oak Ridge will learn more about the opiod crisis afflicting the nation and its communities during a meeting on Monday, April 1.

The meeting is scheduled to start at 11 a.m. Monday, April 1, at the Jewish Congregation of Oak Ridge, which is at 101 West Madison Lane.

Reverend Bea Thomas, an ordained elder in the African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Zion Church, will speak on “The Impact of the Opiod Epidemic upon Our Youth and How We Can Protect Them,” a press release said.

Thomas has served as pastor of four churches in the Tennessee Conference of the A.M.E. Zion Church. Since 2016, she has been involved in correctional ministry, first at the Anderson County Jail and currently at Roane County Jail, the press release said. She holds a M.A. in Evangelism and Church Planting from Liberty University, Lynchburg, Virginia, and is currently completing courses toward a Chaplaincy Certificate in Correctional Ministry through the Institute of Prison Ministry at Christian University GlobalNet. [Read more…]

Faith & science lecture in April on archaeology of Israelite women

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Erin Darby

Erin Darby

 

Were the women depicted in the Old Testament of the Holy Bible more than mothers of the children of Israel? Did they contribute to Israelite tribal survival by experimenting with food plants and seeds, shearing wool and weaving cloth, making pots and devising ways to cook, preserve, and store food? And what about their religious lives?

The second talk in the First Presbyterian–First United Methodist Church Faith-and-Science Lecture Series will be on “The Archaeology of Women in Ancient Israel.” The lecture will be presented by Erin Darby, associate professor of religious studies and co-director of the ‘Ayn Gharandal Archaeological Project at the University of Tennessee.

Darby will deliver her lecture at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 2, in the fellowship hall of the sanctuary building of First Presbyterian Church of Oak Ridge at 1051 Oak Ridge Turnpike. Refreshments will be served, a press release said. [Read more…]

Community Interfaith Harmony Month wraps up with two events this week

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Community Interfaith Harmony Month will be wrapping up with two special events this week, a press release said.

“Come lend your heart and hands and voice in celebration of the World Day of Prayer, Friday, March 1, 2019, at 7 p.m. in the Nave at St. Stephens Episcopal Church located at 212 North Tulane Avenue,” the press release said. “Church Women United will be hosting the worship service entitled ‘Come—Everything is Ready,’ written by women of Slovenia. It challenges all to widen their circles and invites all to follow prayer with action.”

Everyone is invited to the finale event to rejoice in celebrating community interfaith music and arts on March 5 beginning at 6 p.m. at the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church located at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike, the press release said. There will be poetry, music, and dancing performed by a diversity of community groups, followed by a fellowship reception. [Read more…]

Ulster Project to celebrate peace-building with Mardi Gras event Saturday

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Ulster's Mardi Gras Feb 23 2019

The Ulster Project has been operating in the Oak Ridge and Knoxville area for almost 33 years. You can help them celebrate 33 years of peace-building in Northern Ireland and the United States by joining them for their inaugural Ulster’s Mardi Gras, where they will celebrate the Gulf Coast tradition of Mardi Gras.

The event is scheduled from 6-10:30 p.m. Saturday, February 23, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church.

The featured band will be a local favorite, The Missing Goats. And they expect to have some zydeco dancing lessons.

The menu will include salad, seafood gumbo, Cajun roasted pork loin and chicken, red beans and rice, Cajun green beans, chicken and sausage jambalaya, king cake (prizes for the baby), and banana pudding. Beer and wine will be available for sale, and there will be a silent auction. [Read more…]

Sponsored: Ulster Project to celebrate peace-building with Mardi Gras event

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Ulster's Mardi Gras Feb 23 2019

The Ulster Project has been operating in the Oak Ridge and Knoxville area for almost 33 years. You can help them celebrate 33 years of peace-building in Northern Ireland and the United States by joining them for their inaugural Ulster’s Mardi Gras, where they will celebrate the Gulf Coast tradition of Mardi Gras.

The event is scheduled from 6-10:30 p.m. Saturday, February 23, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church.

The featured band will be a local favorite, The Missing Goats. And they expect to have some zydeco dancing lessons.

The menu will include salad, seafood gumbo, Cajun roasted pork loin and chicken, red beans and rice, Cajun green beans, chicken and sausage jambalaya, king cake (prizes for the baby), and banana pudding. Beer and wine will be available for sale, and there will be a silent auction. [Read more…]

Interfaith Harmony events on Friday, Saturday

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On Friday, February 15, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. the Jewish Congregation of Oak Ridge at 101 West Madison Lane invites the public to a joyful and spirited Friday evening service to welcome Shabbat, a press release said. All ages, including children, can enjoy a lively service with singing and dancing. A community potluck dinner immediately follows with vegetarian/dairy-only dishes and no meat.

On Saturday, February 16, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. the Ecumenical Storehouse located at 134 East Division Road needs “trucks and muscles” to assist in picking up donated items. This assistance from community volunteers is an ongoing need for Saturday mornings.

On Saturday, February 16, the Scarboro Community Center invites everyone to join together and break bread to celebrate Black History Month. There will be a free chili luncheon from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Scarboro Community Center at 148 Carver Avenue. At 4 p.m. the play “Oh Freedom” will be presented at Oak Valley Baptist Church at 194 Hampton Road. [Read more…]