Oak Ridge Today

Boys and Girls Club has fall festival Friday

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The Boys and Girls Club of Oak Ridge has its fourth annual fall festival on Friday.

The festival is at the club from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Friday, and it costs $4. That includes unlimited time in the bounce house, a cake walk, one trip through each of the program areas, and a hot dog, chips, and drink. Extra tickets for the haunted house can be bought for $1.

Each program area will be filled with exciting activities and delicious treats, and there will be an obstacle course and corn hole tournament, organizers said. [Read more…]

See Oak Ridge Schools with ‘fresh eyes’ with new superintendent

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Bruce Borchers

Bruce Borchers

Superintendent Bruce Borchers will share his initial impressions of education in the Oak Ridge Schools and his priorities and goals during a Wednesday luncheon meeting of Altrusa International Club.

Borchers’ presentation is titled “Seeing Oak Ridge Schools through Fresh Eyes.”

The luncheon meeting will be at the DoubleTree Hotel on South Illinois Avenue. It starts at 11:45 a.m., and visitors with reservations are welcome to attend. [Read more…]

Street Painting Festival: Come watch artists chalk the walks

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Pink Roses

A “Pink Roses” drawing at an earlier Oak Ridge Street Painting Festival. (Submitted photo)

The 14th annual Oak Ridge Street Painting Festival is drawing near—it will be held from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday (rain day on Sunday) at the Oak Ridge Campus of Roane State Community College.

Dozens of artists will be brushing up on their skills as they transform concrete sidewalk squares into colorful chalk paintings. The public is invited to this free festival organized by the Rotary Club of Oak Ridge to provide scholarships for Roane State students.

While would-be Rembrandts are chalking the walks, young children will enjoy free activities from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday in the Kid Zone. [Read more…]

Literacy grant applications now available from Altrusa, Breakfast Rotary

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Applications are now available for about $17,000 worth of literacy grants awarded by Altrusa International of Oak Ridge and the Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary Club.

The grants are used to help improve literacy in Oak Ridge and Anderson and Roane counties, and they will be awarded to selected recipients. Applications and award criteria may be found on the Altrusa International website or Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary Club website. Hard copies are also available at the Oak Ridge Public Library.

Applications must be submitted by Nov. 1.

[Read more…]

Children’s Hospital volunteer director to discuss neonatal abstinence syndrome

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Cheryl Allmon

Cheryl Allmon

“Holding Little Lives in Our Hands” is a presentation that describes the dramatic rise of neonatal abstinence syndrome across eastern Tennessee and what East Tennessee Children’s Hospital is doing about it. It will be presented to the Altrusa Club on Sept. 25 by Cheryl Allmon, director of volunteer services and programs at Children’s Hospital.

Children’s Hospital has received national attention for their multifaceted approach to treating infants who are born suffering from prescription drug dependence. In 2012, the hospital treated nearly 300 infants suffering from withdrawal from drugs. The number of infants affected by addiction at birth continues to rise each year. The first step in treating the infants is to assess the severity of the addiction. [Read more…]

Street painting festival seeks artists, sponsors

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Alligator Teeth Street Painting Festival

A winning chalk painting at the 11th annual Oak Ridge Street Painting Festival, held in October 2010 at the Oak Ridge branch campus of Roane State Community College. (Submitted photo)

Do you enjoy drawing upon your artistic skills as you sketch a face, animal, or scene? Then you might like “painting” pictures in chalk on a sidewalk.

You are invited to sign up as an artist for the 14th annual Oak Ridge Street Painting Festival. This popular event will be held from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5 (rain day on Sunday), on the sidewalks of the Oak Ridge Branch Campus of Roane State Community College. Artists may start their chalk paintings on Friday afternoon, Oct. 4.

The art must be completed at 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5, so it can be judged before 6 p.m., when artist awards will be announced. If you win a first prize or the People’s Choice Award, you will receive a $50 cash award as well as recognition. [Read more…]

Kiwanis Club meeting next week features ADFAC director

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Annie Cacheiro

Annie Cacheiro, right, executive director of Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties, or ADFAC, is pictured above with Liz Herbes, director of ADFAC’s social services program.

A meeting next week of the Kiwanis Club of Oak Ridge will feature Annie Cacheiro, executive director of Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties, or ADFAC.

The Tuesday, Aug. 27, meeting be in the Golden Oak Grill Buffet’s smaller meeting room. The program will start at noon.

Cacheiro will talk about ADFAC activities that include social services and affordable housing programs, as well as ADFAC’s efforts to help local, lower-income families by providing assistance that leads to self sufficiency, a press release said. Those programs include helping with basic needs, housing rehabilitation, and new home construction. For more information about ADFAC, visit the website at www.adfac.org. [Read more…]

Fireworks rescheduled, but Norris Day activities continue as weather allows

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Information from WYSH Radio

The threat of steady, soaking rainfall Wednesday through Friday has forced Norris to postpone its annual fireworks display until Friday, July 26, but all other Norris Day activities on the Norris Commons sponsored by the Lions Club will go on as planned starting at 8 a.m. today (July 4).

In a press release, the Norris Lions Club said it will conduct its annual Norris Day activities as weather allows today at Norris Commons. Scheduled indoor activities include the traditional barbecue lunch in the Norris Middle School Cafeteria, the Quilt Show in the Norris Fellowship Church, and the Library’s annual book sale in the McNeeley Building. Also, the evening awards program will be held at the Norris Community Building. [Read more…]

Red Tent Women’s Group to meet Saturday, July 6

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The Red Tent Women’s Group will meet at 7 p.m. Saturday, July 6, at the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church. All women are welcome, a press release said. Although there is no child care available, nursing mothers are welcome to attend. Teen girls are encouraged to participate as well.

This group is a place where a woman can set aside the mantles of wife, mother, or daughter, and just celebrate being a female in all the many aspects life offers. The group is non-denominational, open-minded, and works to promote honest discussions about womanhood. [Read more…]

Drug awareness at Oak Ridge pool today

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The Oak Ridge Chapter of the Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks will be hosting “Drug Awareness Day” at the Oak Ridge Municipal Pool this Saturday, June 8. This event is a partnership with Anderson County Allies for Substance Abuse Prevention, Roane County Anti-Drug Coalition, the City of Oak Ridge Parks and Recreation Department, and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.

Drug awareness demonstrations will be held from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. inside the pool area. A few of the planned activities include the TWRA jet ski simulator and fatal vision goggle demonstrations. “Elroy the Elk” the national mascot for the Elks Drug Awareness Program will be in attendance to remind kids that hugs are better than drugs. Hundreds of prizes will be given away to those participating in a drug awareness activity. Some of the prizes include T-shirts, coloring books, Frisbees, and free passes to the pool that can be used anytime during the summer. [Read more…]

ORNL researcher discusses 3-D printing Tuesday

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The Friends of Oak Ridge National Laboratory will hold its monthly luncheon lecture meeting on Tuesday.

The meeting will feature speaker Lonnie J. Love, who will discuss the development of 3-D printing and other advanced manufacturing applications at ORNL, a press release said. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary, Altrusa present literacy grant awards

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Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary and Altrusa Literacy Award Grants

The Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary Club and Altrusa recently selected the winners of the 2013 Literacy Award Grants. Pictured above from left are Janet Swift of Altrusa, Emily Spahr of Clinton Elementary School, Sheila Michels and Zabrina Minor of TORCH, Jill McMaster of Roane Imagination Library, Linda Dalton of Oak Ridge Preschool, Doris Doherty of ADFAC, Rhoni Basden of Girls Inc., Kat Hall of Norris Middle School, Brenda Thornburgh of ORBRC, and Melinda White of Oak Ridge Preschool. (Submitted photo)

The Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary Club and Altrusa recently awarded roughly $19,000 in 14 literacy grants to 10 organizations.

The grants are awarded based on a competition that is judged by a committee of Rotarians and Altrusans, a press release said. Winners are celebrated during March of each year when Rotary International observes Literacy Month.

The total presented in the 2013 literacy grant awards was $18,987. [Read more…]