Oak Ridge Today

Flatwater Festival announces first storytelling festival in Oak Ridge

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From left are Bil Lepp, Tim Lowry, and Minton Sparks. (Photos courtesy Flatwater Tales)

From left are Bil Lepp, Tim Lowry, and Minton Sparks. (Photos courtesy Flatwater Tales)

 

Internationally acclaimed storytellers to perform, share laughter and tears, and create memories

The Flatwater Festival in Oak Ridge has announced a major addition to its 2018 schedule: The Flatwater Tales Storytelling Festival, featuring three world renowned storytellers. This will be an annual event sponsored by the three Rotary Clubs in Oak Ridge, all volunteers, as part of the Flatwater Festival weekend. This is the first storytelling festival in the Oak Ridge area, a press release said.

Bil Lepp, Tim Lowry, and Minton Sparks will perform for this inaugural 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.

Flatwater Tales kicks off on Friday, June 1, with a three-hour interactive writing workshop, “Create Your Own Story,” with Minton Sparks. The goal is to help participants discover their own stories from their family history and experiences, structure their stories, and share them with others. The workshop is being held in a serene woodland setting at the auditorium in the University of Tennessee Arboretum in Oak Ridge. No previous writing or performing experience is needed, the press release said. [Read more…]

Three Rotary clubs present Flatwater Festival on June 2

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Ridge City Ramblers perform at the Flatwater Festival in 2017. (Photo courtesy Flatwater Festival)

Ridge City Ramblers perform at the Flatwater Festival in 2017. (Photo courtesy Flatwater Festival)

 

Bands, beer, boat races, and bounce houses. Wine, water, and soda. Face painting, food vendors, and fun for all, including corn hole games.

The second Flatwater Festival presented by the three Rotary clubs of Oak Ridge will be held from noon to 9 p.m. on Saturday, June 2, at Melton Lake Park.

What’s new this year? A team-building regatta featuring up to 20 boats will be held from 12:30 to 5 p.m. in collaboration with the Oak Ridge Rowing Association. A “build a boat” race by participants who make their own cardboard boats ahead of time will be held at 5 p.m.

In addition, the festival at Melton Lake Park is sandwiched between the Flatwater Tales Storytelling Festival events on Friday, June 1, at the University of Tennessee Arboretum and Sunday, June 3, at the Oak Ridge Playhouse.

The three-day festival will be a fundraiser for the three Rotary clubs’ community service projects, including four new benches for the Oak Ridge waterfront in 2018, a press release said. [Read more…]

Thursday night: Krause to discuss ‘Oak Ridge’s mercury saga’

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Submitted photo

Submitted photo

 

Carolyn Krause, a newspaper contributor and former editor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, will discuss mercury in Oak Ridge at a meeting tonight (Thursday, May 17).

Krause’s talk is titled “Oak Ridge’s Mercury Saga: A History of Mercury Contamination in Oak Ridge and the Public and Scientific Response.”

The talk is hosted by the Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association. It is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Midtown Community Center (formerly the Wildcat Den) at 102 Robertsville Road.

“On May 17, 1983, the U.S. Department of Energy announced it had ‘lost’ or could not account for 2.4 million pounds of mercury in the Oak Ridge environment as a result of lithium production for a U.S. thermonuclear weapons program,” a press release said. [Read more…]

Boys & Girls Clubs of Clinch Valley has fundraiser Wednesday

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On Wednesday, May 16, the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Clinch Valley will hold their annual Great Futures event. The event raises funds for the organization’s two campuses, in Oak Ridge and Harriman.

This year’s event will highlight the achievements of the organization’s 60-year history of its Oak Ridge Club and the services and outcomes of the Clubs’ youth development programming.

“We are so grateful for the corporate and individual investments that have supported 60 years of programming in Oak Ridge and that continue to pave the way for great futures for both of our clubs,” said Jennifer Pettyjohn, the organization’s chief executive officer.

This year’s keynote address will be given by WNML Sports Talk host Will West, a press release said. [Read more…]

Updated: Council authorizes final design for Preschool, Senior Center

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Oak Ridge Pre-K School (Image by Studio Four Design via City of Oak Ridge)

Oak Ridge Pre-K School at Scarboro Park (Image by Studio Four Design via City of Oak Ridge)

 

Note: This story was updated at 9:45 a.m. May 15.

The Oak Ridge City Council on Monday authorized the final designs of the Senior Center and the Preschool and Scarboro Park Renovation. The two projects together could total about $13 million. The Senior Center and Preschool have been on the city’s wish list for a decade or two—or even longer.

Resolutions unanimously approved by City Council on Monday in 7-0 votes authorize Studio Four Design Inc. of Knoxville to proceed to the final construction design of the two projects. One project, the Preschool, would be at Scarboro Park, and the other, the Senior Center, would be at Alvin K. Bissell Park.

Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson told City Council members in May 9 memos that Studio Four Design, led by Jacene Phillips, has achieved 50 percent design on the two projects and reviewed the proposed designs with city, school, and Senior Advisory Board officials and “achieved consensus on design requirements.”

The more expensive of the two projects, the Oak Ridge Preschool and Scarboro Park Renovation, has a current estimated cost of $9,792,674, or close to $10 million.

The Senior Center could cost about $3 million. [Read more…]

Nine Lakes Wine Festival returns to Oak Ridge, Knoxville

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The second annual Nine Lakes Wine Festival is this week with three days of events celebrating the best in Tennessee wines in Oak Ridge and West Knoxville. The festival is scheduled from Thursday, May 17, to Saturday, May 19, 2018. (Submitted photo)

The second annual Nine Lakes Wine Festival is this week with three days of events celebrating the best in Tennessee wines in Oak Ridge and West Knoxville. The festival is scheduled from Thursday, May 17, to Saturday, May 19, 2018. (Submitted photo)

 

The second annual Nine Lakes Wine Festival is this week with three days of events celebrating the best in Tennessee wines in Oak Ridge and West Knoxville.

The festival is scheduled from Thursday, May 17, to Saturday, May 19.

The main event is the Grand Tasting from 3 to 8 p.m. Saturday, May 19, on the waterfront at Melton Lake Park in Oak Ridge. This event features more than 15 Tennessee wineries pouring more than 100 locally made wines and ciders, with live music, chef demonstrations by The Savory Whisk, and wine seminars by a variety of Tennessee wine experts, a press release said.

Music will be provided by the Nashville band Arts Fishing Club and two East Tennessee bands, Wild Blue Yonder and KUDZU.

Two other smaller events are offered earlier in the week: [Read more…]

Manhattan Project Park: Hike with a Ranger on Saturday

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Submitted photo

Submitted photo

 

Join park rangers for a hike along the Cedar Hill Greenway in Oak Ridge on Saturday, May 12.

The hike, which is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. Saturday, will begin at Cedar Hill Park, the former location of Cedar Hill Elementary School.

Along the hike, rangers will discuss the early school system of Oak Ridge, early shopping centers, and housing in the Clinton Engineer Works, a press release said.

This 2.5-mile hike is considered moderately difficult, and some parts of the trail can wash out after a strong storm. Visitors are encouraged to wear appropriate footwear, insect repellent, and sunscreen, and bring drinking water, the press release said. [Read more…]

Friends of Oak Ridge Library has Book Sale this week

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Friends of the Oak Ridge Library will have its Spring 2018 Book Sale this week.

The Book Sale is scheduled from Thursday, May 10, to Sunday, May 13, in the Oak Ridge Public Library Auditorium.

The sale will include fiction and nonfiction books, magazines, audiovisual materials, and other publications covering almost every subject, a press release said. Most titles are 50 cents or $1 each. Titles withdrawn from the Library are half price Thursday through Saturday.

There will be a preview sale for members from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday evening, May 10. Memberships will be available at the door; they are $5 per individual and $10 for a family. (Scanning devices cannot be used during the preview sale on Thursday.) The Silent Auction begins on Thursday evening and ends at 5 p.m. on Saturday. Friends of the Oak Ridge Library, or FOL, can now accept all major credit cards during its sales.

The sale opens to the general public on Friday, May 11, from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. [Read more…]

Community development director to discuss city needs identified for planning on Tuesday

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Wayne Blasius

Wayne Blasius

Oak Ridge Community Development Director Wayne Blasius will discuss city needs that have been identified for planning during a lunchtime meeting of the Kiwanis Club on Tuesday.

The noon meeting of Kiwanis Club of Oak Ridge is Tuesday at the Golden Oak Buffet. It’s titled “Oak Ridge City Needs Identified for Planning,” a press release said.

“City Blueprint subarea plans will be mentioned; advance planning information can be seen in links from a summary list of the subareas,” the press release said.

The City Blueprint planning open houses to obtain public input began with a subarea event on May 15, 2017, and they are scheduled to conclude with the final subarea on May 31, 2018, the press release said. Subarea draft plans, area maps, and comments and responses can be reached from links in the summary list. [Read more…]

Wildcat Den Preservation Party features Soul Sanction on Friday

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Submitted image

Submitted image

 

A Wildcat Den Preservation Party on Friday will feature Soul Sanction.

The Preservation Party is promoted by the Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association.

It is scheduled from 7-10:30 p.m. Friday, May 11, at the Midtown Community Center at 102 Robertsville Road. [Read more…]

Southern Poverty Law Center forums: Fighting hate, teaching tolerance, seeking justice

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Lecia Brooks

Lecia Brooks

 

There will be two community forums in Oak Ridge this week that will be led by the outreach director of an organization that is dedicated to fighting hate and bigotry and to seeking justice for the most vulnerable members of society, a press release said.

The forums will feature speaker Lecia Brooks, outreach director for the Southern Poverty Law Center. They are scheduled at 2 p.m. Monday, May 7, at the Grove Theater at 123 Randolph Road and 10 a.m., Tuesday, May 8, in the sanctuary of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

The forums are free and open to the public. They are hosted by Women’s Interfaith Dialogue of Oak Ridge.

Brooks leads the Southern Poverty Law Center’s outreach efforts on key initiatives and social justice issues, the press release said. She frequently gives presentations around the country to promote tolerance and diversity, the release said. She also serves as director of the Civil Rights Memorial Center in Montgomery, Alabama, an interpretive center designed to provide its visitors with a deeper understanding of the civil rights movement. [Read more…]

Five reasons to see Einstein Simplified on Sunday

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The University of Tennessee Arboretum Society offered five reasons to see the Einstein Simplified improvisational comedy group at the UT Arboretum in Oak Ridge on Sunday, May 6, 2018. It's a fundraiser for the UT Arboretum Society.(Submitted photo)

The University of Tennessee Arboretum Society offered five reasons to see the Einstein Simplified improvisational comedy group at the UT Arboretum in Oak Ridge on Sunday, May 6, 2018. It’s a fundraiser for the UT Arboretum Society.(Submitted photo)

 

The University of Tennessee Arboretum Society offered five reasons to see the Einstein Simplified improvisational comedy group in Oak Ridge on Sunday. It’s a fundraiser for the UT Arboretum Society.

Here are the five reasons to see the show, the UT Arboretum Society said: [Read more…]