Oak Ridge Today

Secret City Festival opening bands: Legacy; Steve Rutledge, Groove Evolution

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Steve Rutledge and Groove Evolution

Steve Rutledge and the Groove Evolution will open for The Marshall Tucker Band at the Secret City Festival on Friday, June 12, and Legacy will open for Three Dog Night on Saturday, June 13.

Steve Rutledge and the Groove Evolution

Steve Rutledge is a guitar virtuoso/vocalist/producer originally from Frankfort, Kentucky, organizers said. He Moved to Nashville in 1997 to pursue a dream of playing music professionally and producing new artists. His music is a mix of rock, rhythm and blues, classic rock, and country.

Organizers said Rutledge has played worldwide and shared the stage and/or opened for artists such as Trace Adkins, Reba, Emerson Drive, and Toby Keith, to name a few. [Read more…]

City, school employees lose average of 7-10 percent in Biggest Loser challenge

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Biggest Loser Weigh-in April 7

City and school officials at Monday’s weigh-out for this year’s Biggest Loser challenge are pictured above. From left they are Chris Marczak, Oak Ridge Schools assistant superintendent; Mark Watson, Oak Ridge city manager; Bruce Borchers, Oak Ridge Schools superintendent; Bob Eby, Oak Ridge Board of Education vice chair; and Ellen Smith, Oak Ridge mayor pro tem.

 

They watched their diets, worked out and walked, and monitored their weights to lose an average of 7 to 10 percent. One unidentified city employee lost 18.44 percent of his weight, the highest percentage lost by any of the 79 Oak Ridge city and school employees who participated in this year’s Biggest Loser Challenge.

The weigh-out for the three-month competition was at the Oak Ridge Civic Center on Monday. Results, including the name of the city employee who lost the most, will be announced during a Wellness Fair in the Oak Ridge Civic Center at 1 p.m. Wednesday, April 11. A winner from each organization will be awarded and so will the overall male and female winner, along with a second- and third-place winner.

The city and schools have both had the weight-loss contest before, but this is the first time they’ve teamed up to have a joint competition. It was coordinated by the City of Oak Ridge Wellness Committee and Oak Ridge Coordinated School Health.

With one exception, all of those who weighed out on Monday morning had lost weight. [Read more…]

Battle of Normandy World War II reenactment at Secret City Festival this year

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Flak 88 Weapon Firing

The only live firing Flak 88 (German anti-aircraft weapon) in the United States is pictured above. (Submitted photo)

The time is June 1944. After more than four years of German occupation, the Allies have launched the invasion of “fortress Europe” as part of history’s largest combined amphibious and aerial assault. The tide of the war has started to change, but in these early days of combat nothing is certain.

Step back in time and experience the sights and sounds of frontline combat on the western front during World War II and learn about the men and women who helped ensure the Allied victory that shaped the world we live in today. See the uniforms, equipment and vehicles that were part of the world’s largest conflict in action. Come and experience one of the largest groupings of authentic World War II vehicles and equipment in the south! Tour period military encampments, inspect authentic period vehicles and weaponry, and learn more about what the life of a soldier was like during the war.

You can see all this and more during the 2015 Secret City Festival in Oak Ridge on June 13. The festival is at Alvin K. Bissell Park and the Oak Ridge Civic Center. [Read more…]

Sweating Saturday at Senior Center on Saturday

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Sweating Saturday

Sweating Saturday at the Oak Ridge Senior Center on Saturday will include a morning workout, followed by an optional walk along the Emory Valley Greenway.

Sweating Saturday is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. April 11 at the Oak Ridge Senior Center, which is at 728 Emory Valley Road.

Interval training will include 30-second workouts followed by 15-second recoveries. The workout will consist of three rounds of 20 exercises. Organizers said participants should complete them at their own fitness level. [Read more…]

Students, state, nonprofit ask students, staff to not text while driving

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ASAP Youth Coalition Oak Ridge Chapter

The ASAP Youth Coalition Oak Ridge chapter encourages students to pledge not to text and drive. (Photo by ASAP) 

 

Oak Ridge High School has teamed up with ASAP of Anderson County and the Tennessee Governor’s Highway Safety Office to host a campaign that asks students, teachers, and staff to pledge to not text and drive.

The campaign is called One Text or Call Could Wreck It All.

April is designated as national Distracted Driving Awareness Month by the Tennessee Governor’s Highway Safety Office. In recognition of that, Oak Ridge High School is taking a stand against texting and driving, a press release said.

The Oak Ridge High School ASAP Youth Coalition hosted the campaign this week along with ASAP of Anderson County, Oak Ridge Schools Coordinated School Health, and the Tennessee Governor’s Highway Safety Office. [Read more…]

Local organization to sponsor class, Q&A on vaccinations

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TLA Vaccination Decision Meeting

Image by Tennessee Liberty Alliance

 

Submitted

When it comes to childhood vaccines these days, it is hard to escape the near-constant media coverage and public debate that surrounds this highly controversial topic. One of the most “hot-button” issues regarding medical care in our country today, many people find that—after the dust of hysteria settles—they are left confused and unsure about how to gather real information that can be used to make educated, informed decisions about the care of themselves and their children. It begs the question: Can one truly give informed consent if one isn’t truly, fully informed?

On Saturday, April 18, the Tennessee Liberty Alliance is sponsoring “The Vaccination Decision—Replacing Fear With Facts to Make Empowered Decisions” to help provide this education with scientific insight and discussion that will help answer many of the concerns and worries created by media hype, social media rhetoric, and political rumors. Presented by Katie Caputo, this presentation is targeted for lay people who need to know more facts before making personal decisions for their individual families when it comes to the very important topic of vaccinations. [Read more…]

Graduation Celebration is Thursday, May 28

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Graduation Celebration 2014

Graduation Celebration 2014

 

Graduation Celebration—a free, all-night party for high school graduates in Oak Ridge—will host its 18th annual event at the Oak Ridge Civic Center, from 10 p.m. Thursday, May 28, until 5 a.m. Friday, May 29. It is seeking sponsorships and volunteer help with this community-wide effort to keep youth safe on graduation night.

“We are so glad to be able to offer this wonderful event to our graduates,” said Debbie Magill, chairperson of the event. “It shows our youth that the City of Oak Ridge cares about them and is proud of their accomplishments. We could not put on this event without the generous support of the Parks and Recreation Department, the Oak Ridge Youth Advisory Board, and the citizens and businesses of our city.” [Read more…]

Earth Day Festival is April 25 at A.K. Bissell Park

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Earth Day

Pictured above is a special recycling event at Earth Day Festival.

Keep Anderson County Beautiful will host the eighth annual Earth Day festival in Oak Ridge on Saturday, April 25, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at A.K. Bissell Park.

East Tennessee residents living in or around Oak Ridge are invited to participate in the festival, organizers said. It features free activities and events that promote healthy living and environmental education, and that encourage individuals to create and contribute to a sustainable community.

Sponsored in major part by KACB and Leidos, Earth Day will feature outdoor games for children, music, healthy food vendors, exhibitors showcasing educational booths, an on-site scavenger hunt, and neighborhood games such as hopscotch, bocce, croquet, flying discs, ladder ball and a special reduce, reuse, recycle game. There will be a special area for preschool children. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Symphony Chorus prepares for Spring Concert on May 2

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If you are outdoors at 6 a.m. no doubt your ears are filled with the chirping of the birds heralding the arrival of the rising sun.

These winged creatures are not the only participants celebrating the coming of spring. The Oak Ridge Symphony Chorus is diligently rehearsing for its annual solo concert on Saturday, May 2, at the First Baptist Church of Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

AC RAM Expedition offers free medical, vision, dental services on Saturday, Sunday

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Information from WYSH Radio

First Baptist Church of Clinton will be sponsoring another Anderson County Remote Area Medical Expedition on Saturday, April 11, and Sunday, April 12. The mission of the clinic is to serve those in need of vision, dental, and medical services. No identification is required, and translation services will be available on site to help with patient registration.

The clinic will provide the following free services to patients:

  • Medical—general medical support and diabetes testing
  • Vision—vision testing and diagnoses will be offered; glasses will be prescribed and made on-site at the clinic as time and supplies permit
  • Dental—extractions, fillings, and cleaning and general oral hygiene services will be provided (patients will choose one of these dental services)

[Read more…]

East Tennessee FARM Markets opening soon

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East TN Farmers Association Logo

East Tennessee Farmers Association for Retail Marketing, or FARM, a nonprofit organization, is pleased to announce the opening of its 39th season of farmers’ markets in East Tennessee, in three convenient locations in Knoxville and Oak Ridge. Established in 1976, FARM is Tennessee’s longest continuously operating farmers’ market organization.

“We are proud to offer this service to the Knoxville-Oak Ridge community,” said Steve Colvin, president of East TN FARM. “Our membership typically includes about 70 producer-vendors, offering more than 100 different Tennessee grown products from April through November.”

FARM vendors will offer a wide variety of spring bedding plants, fresh produce, grass-fed and pasture-raised meats, artisan bread and cheese, local honey, and fresh eggs. As the season goes on, they offer the freshest produce possible, including just-picked strawberries, peaches, sweet corn, and heirloom tomatoes. [Read more…]

CWU program on Office on Aging, Family Resource Center on Friday

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Church Women United is hosting a public program on Friday, April 10, in Columbus Hall at St. Mary’s Catholic Church. Cherie Phillips of the Anderson County Office on Aging and Jo Bruce of the Family Resource Center will speak.

Fellowship with refreshments begins at 11:30 a.m., followed by a brief meeting and the program at noon.

The program makes up for the March meeting that was canceled due to winter weather. [Read more…]