Oak Ridge Today

Secret City Festival growing, evolving, but not ending, officials say

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Secret City Festival World War II Re-enactment 2015

A Flak 88 firing during a Battle of Normandy re-enactment at the 2015 Secret City Festival in Oak Ridge. (Photo by Rob Welton)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 10 a.m.

A rumor that circulated widely this month said this was going to be the last year for the Secret City Festival.

But city officials said it’s premature to say that.

It is true that a Special Events Advisory Task Force has been studying changes to the annual festival, including moving it from June and making it into an expanded celebration in the fall, starting in October and continuing through Veterans Day (November 11). It could be renamed the Secret City Celebration, implemented by a new nonprofit expected to become self-sustaining within five years, and add events while continuing to include the Secret City Festival.

At a Wednesday evening meeting, Task Force members said many of the current festival activities could continue, including music, World War II re-enactments, historical displays, and children’s activities. But they also said there could be opportunities for new partnerships with other organizations, including Wounded Warriors and Oak Ridge Playhouse. And it’s not clear that the Secret City Festival would continue to be a two-day event.

Task Force members say they’re hoping to help create something bigger and better. [Read more…]

NAACP has forum on voting rights restoration on Thursday

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Tom Marshall

Tom Marshall

Have you been convicted of a crime and are now unable to vote, or having trouble getting a job?

On Thursday, the Oak Ridge/Anderson County chapter of the NAACP will present the first in a series of public forums designed to help you. The forum starts at 6 p.m. Thursday, June 25, at Spurgeon Chapel A.M.E. Zion Church at 100 South Benedict Avenue in Oak Ridge.

Tom Marshall, District 7 Public Defender, will provide information on how people having served their sentence can potentially get their voting right restored and their record expunged, a press release said. Additional agencies are providing information. [Read more…]

UCOR contributes to ADFAC as benefactor sponsor

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UCOR ADFAC Donation 2015

UCOR President and Project Manager Ken Rueter, right, presents the 2015 Corporate Membership contribution to ADFAC’s Ray Smith, left, Board of Directors and Corporate Committee member, and ADFAC’s Executive Director, Annie Cacheiro. (Submitted photo)

 

UCOR recently contributed to Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties as a benefactor sponsor for ADFAC’s 2015 Corporate Membership Campaign, a press release said.

UCOR President and Project Manager Ken Rueter presented the contribution to ADFAC representative Ray Smith and Executive Director Annie Cacheiro. UCOR is a partnership between URS and CH2M Oak Ridge LLC.

Smith, an ADFAC board member and Corporate Committee member, said: “This campaign is geared toward encouraging area corporations to support the very important mission of helping those most in need in our community. UCOR has been a corporate member for several years and we greatly appreciate their continued generosity.” [Read more…]

Record crowds: Secret City Festival was ‘tremendous success’

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Secret City Festival Concert 2015

A concert crowd at the 2015 Secret City Festival in Oak Ridge. (Photo by Robert Welton)

 

The 2015 Oak Ridge Secret City Festival drew record attendance, despite the heat, organizers said. Concerts by the Marshall Tucker Band and Three Dog Night attracted the highest number of spectators in festival history.

“We were ecstatic with the turnout for both concerts,” says, Marc DeRose, executive director of the Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau. “We knew the bands would be popular but didn’t expect to see quite so many people. It was outstanding!”

Attendances for The Marshall Tucker Band and Three Dog Night were more than 2,200 and more than 3,500, respectively. The previous record was 2,300 for the Rick Springfield concert in 2013.

“After seeing how many tickets were sold at the gate for Friday’s Marshall Tucker concert, we decided to move the concert fences back to accommodate the expected additional 1,000-plus spectators for Three Dog Night,” DeRose said. [Read more…]

Girls Inc. Elite Awards honors Nikki Caldwell on July 15

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Nikki Caldwell

Girls Inc. will honor Nikki Caldwell on Wednesday, July 15. Caldwell is an Oak Ridge native, former University of Tennessee basketball all star, and current women’s basketball head coach at Louisiana State University.

She is also an “elite alumni” of Girls Inc., a press release said. The awards will also honor current elite member Semaj Clark of Oak Ridge, the release said.

The inaugural Girls Inc. Elite Awards ceremony is scheduled from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 15, at the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville. All proceeds will go directly into expanding current programming to improve program content while increasing the number of girls served, the press release said. [Read more…]

Photos: Lavender Festival on Saturday

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Lavender Festival in Oak Ridge 2015

The Lavender Festival celebrates “all things herbal” in Jackson Square from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, June 20, 2015. (Photo by Julio Culiat)

 

The Lavender Festival celebrates “all things herbal” in Jackson Square until 3 p.m. today (Saturday, June 20).

It’s the 17th annual festival, and there is no cost to attend. Here are photos by Julio Culiat.

The Lavender Festival focuses on herbs, health, gardening, and cooking, and it features more than 100 vendors, a dozen herb and health presentations, children’s activities, and many musicians. Vendors line the covered walkways of Jackson Square, the parking lot, and both sides of Broadway Avenue, which is closed to traffic.

See this previous story for more information.

[Read more…]

Local church makes plans for same-sex weddings after expected Supreme Court decision

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Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church

The U.S. Supreme Court will soon rule on the constitutionality of same-sex marriage, and Tennessee residents and state government officials are waiting to see how the Court’s decision will affect the state’s policy. In the midst of the wait, Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church has begun making plans, a press release said.

“In keeping with our beliefs and to offer a sense of love and support to same-sex couples, ORUUC will offer free wedding services and a reception for same-sex couples as soon as the County Clerks’ offices are able to issue licenses,” ORUUC minister Reverend Jake Morrill said in the release. “Those who plan to marry should call the church office to request a time to speak with one of our ministers prior to the wedding day.”

“In the Book of Ruth, when Ruth tells Naomi, ‘Where you go, I will go; your people will be my people,’ people don’t get caught up with the gender,” said ORUUC Minister of Faith Formation Reverend Tandy Scheffler. “What they hear is love. What counts in this life is love. And at ORUUC, we are ready to bless public commitments of love between couples who’ve waited too long for the rights and honor denied to their families.” [Read more…]

Autism specialist to make presentation in Oak Ridge on Saturday

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Phil Axtell

Phil Axtell

Dr. Phil Axtell, a Knoxville psychologist specializing in Autism Spectrum Disorders, will discuss Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome diagnoses and interventions for both children and adults on Saturday, June 20, at Grace Lutheran Church in Oak Ridge. The church is located at 131 West Gettysburg Avenue.

The presentation will begin at 10:30 a.m. Saturday in the church fellowship hall.  The event is free and open to the public, and child care will be provided.

Children are increasingly being diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), including Asperger’s Syndrome according to recent research. In 2010, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network reported that 1 in 68 children were identified with ASD in their study covering 8-year-olds in 11 U.S communities over the years 2000-2010, a press release said. [Read more…]

Boys, Girls Club releases football, cheerleading sign-up info

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Boys and Girls Club of Oak Ridge

The Boys and Girls Club of Oak Ridge have released fall sports sign-up information for youth tackle football, youth cheerleading, and Oak Ridge High School Football Camp.

See this PDF for more information: Boys and Girls Club Fall Sports Sign Up 2015.

Anderson County Democratic Women’s Club has summer picnic Saturday

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The Anderson County Democratic Women’s Club will host a summer picnic Saturday, June 20, at Gibbs Ferry Park between Oak Ridge and Clinton.

All Democrats and families are invited to attend, a press release said. The picnic is a Democratic tradition, and it starts at 11 a.m. Saturday, the release said.

Hot dogs and accompaniments will be provided, and those attending are invited to bring a side dish or dessert to share. The press release said. there is no charge, but donations are welcome. Jenny the Donkey, who came to last year’s picnic, is expected to put in an appearance again. [Read more…]

High Places Church gearing up for summer camps, more

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Submitted

Continuing to build on traditions spanning nearly 50 years, High Places Community Church is making preparations for both their Children’s “Mountain Movers” Kid Camp and the annual “Off The Wall” Youth Camp at Big Ridge State Park.

Kid Camp will be held during the evenings of June 22-25, Monday through Thursday, from 5:30 until 8 p.m., in and around the location of their church home, Grove Theater, located at 123 Randolph Road in Oak Ridge.

Pursuing a theme entitled “SEE GOD,” children ages 4 through upcoming grade 5 and grouped by age, will spend their evenings exploring evidences of God’s presence in the earth, water, wind, and fire. In this case, “seeing will be believing” in the sense that God can and will help us to see when we open our minds to the everyday wonders which are always on display in our world. Monday, the group will take a hike from The Grove to A.K. Bissell Park for their fun-filled explorations. [Read more…]

Emory Valley Early Learning Center receives ‘Gold Sneaker’ designation

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In front row, left to right, are Nina Vasquez, Kwan Davis, Brock Smith, and Tommy Meredith. In back, from left to right, are Patty Campbell, Anderson County Health Department nutritionist; Terry Frank, Anderson County mayor; Terry Peek, director of the Emory Valley Early Learning Center; and Jennifer Enderson, president of the Emory Valley Center. (Photo courtesy of Anderson County Health Department)

In front row, left to right, are Nina Vasquez, Kwan Davis, Brock Smith, and Tommy Meredith. In back, from left to right, are Patty Campbell, Anderson County Health Department nutritionist; Terry Frank, Anderson County mayor; Terry Peek, director of the Emory Valley Early Learning Center; and Jennifer Enderson, president of the Emory Valley Center. (Photo courtesy of Anderson County Health Department)

 

The Emory Valley Early Learning Center in Oak Ridge recently completed all requirements to be considered a “Gold Sneaker” facility by the State of Tennessee.

And on June 10, Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank and employees of the Anderson County Health Department presented Emory Valley Learning Center with its Gold Sneaker incentives. The Gold Sneaker Initiative designation, developed by the Tennessee Department of Health, is an enhanced certification for daycares in Tennessee and requires that these centers maintain rigorous standards of physical activity, nutrition, and a tobacco-free campus, a press release said.

“The team at Emory Valley Center was so proud of their recognition, as they should be,” Frank said in the press release. “A focus on health and wellness during the early years is assuredly an investment in a healthy adulthood. I congratulate their wonderful team’s hard work and commitment meeting the standards of the governor and the Department of Health.” [Read more…]