The Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department is offering an American Red Cross Lifeguarding class that starts Dec. 13.
The class will meet:
About 560 runners competed in the Secret City Half Marathon, which started and ended on Briarcliff Avenue Sunday morning. (Photo courtesy of Frank Chmielewicz)
More than 600 adults and children ran in the Secret City Half Marathon and Relay in Oak Ridge on Sunday, organizer Frank Chmielewicz said.
It was the third year for the race, and final fundraising totals should be available in a few weeks, Chmielewicz said.
Race results are available at the Secret City Half Marathon website. They include overall results and finishes by age group and relay team results.
Top local finishers in the half marathon included Ed Wright of Oak Ridge (No. 3) and Jeremy Sexton of Clinton (No. 5).
Oak Ridge High School boys soccer team (Submitted photo)
The Oak Ridge High School Boys Soccer Booster Club is sponsoring a pancake breakfast on Saturday, Dec. 1, from 8 to 9:45 a.m. at Applebee’s in Oak Ridge.
Tickets are $5 each and can be obtained from boys soccer players and parents. Tickets also are available at the door on the day of the pancake breakfast. Proceeds support the ORHS boys soccer team.
For more information, contact Michelle Ward by phone at (865) 850-2921 or by e-mail at airnurse@gmail.com.
Applebee’s is at 1213 Oak Ridge Turnpike.
Dodgeball tournament champions Oak Ridge Fireballs are pictured above, from back, Molly Landmesser, Ryan Pointer, Coach Lisa Summers, Mihir Mehta, Juan Fernandez, and from front left, David Laubach, Catherine King, Monil Mehta, and Andreas Sauter. Not pictured are Daniel Colburn and Drew Stokes. (Submitted photo)
The Oak Ridge Youth Advisory Board hosted a Youth Dodgeball Tournament on Saturday, Nov. 10. After three rounds of pool play, the Oak Ridge Fireballs faced off against Evan’s Shadow in the championship match, with the Fireballs winning 3-1.
It’s one of several events the Youth Advisory Board has scheduled this year. The board is co-hosting a Breakfast with Santa at Grove Theater on Dec. 1, and reservations are now available.
For more information about future dodgeball events, stop by the Oak Ridge Civic Center or call (865) 425-3450. You can also visit the Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department website at www.orrecparks.org.
There is much to do in Oak Ridge this weekend, ranging from arts, crafts, and theater to ballet, disc golf, and a half marathon.
We’ve already posted stories about some of the events, including today’s cash mob and “The Wiz” at Oak Ridge Playhouse. We’ve also written about the Secret City Half Marathon and free Turkey Bowl Disc Golf on Sunday.
But we’ve also added several new events to our new events calendar. They include an arts and crafts fair at the Oak Ridge Civic Center, Girls Inc. Parade of Trees at Pollard Auditorium, Folk Art Nativities at Oak Ridge Art Center, and “The Nutcracker” ballet at Oak Ridge High School. Those are all happening today, although there is another performance of “The Nutcracker” tomorrow (Sunday).
Please check out our events calendar for more details on these and other events.
The Oak Ridge Youth Advisory Board has organized a free Turkey Bowl Disc Golf event on Sunday at Groves Park on Tuskegee Drive.
It’s part of the Playful City USA initiative, a press release said.
Free discs will be provided to participants while supplies last. Turkey Bowl Disc Golf starts at 3 p.m. Sunday.
“Disc Golf is growing in popularity, and it is a great activity for families,” Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Supervisor Matt Reedy said. “We have two courses here in Oak Ridge, and it is free to play, 365 days a year.”
Reedy said there is a small, but challenging nine-hole course at Carl Yearwood Park. The Groves Park course, meanwhile, has a mix of open and wooded 18 holes on 46 acres of land.
The Turkey Bowl is hosted annually on the Sunday before Thanksgiving. Local players will compete in higher divisions, while beginners and children are encouraged to come out and try the event for the first time, the release said.
Course maps are available for download on the Recreation and Parks Department website at www.orrecparks.org. You can also find tips and rules information on the sport by visiting www.pdga.org.
If you have questions, call Reedy at (865) 425-3442 or visit the Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department website at www.orrecparks.org.
More than 600 runners have registered for the Secret City Half Marathon and Relay in Oak Ridge on Sunday, and some roads will be closed during the race. (Image courtesy City of Oak Ridge)
Hundreds of runners from 20 states will compete in the Secret City Half Marathon and Relay in Oak Ridge on Sunday, and some roads will be closed during the race.
As of Monday, more than 600 runners were already registered, according to information from organizer Frank Chmielewicz.
The 8 a.m. Sunday race starts and ends at the National Fitness Center on Briarcliff Avenue.
Here are the race day road closures:
The race is being organized by the Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau with help from the City of Oak Ridge, a press release said. The course includes Oak Ridge streets and greenways, including Melton Lake Greenway on the city’s waterfront.
The event includes a Secret City Half Marathon 4 Kids. This free 13.1-mile fun run is for children from first through sixth grade. It encourages children to exercise by giving them a fun and exciting goal, the release said.
By Sunday morning, participants will have run or walked a total of 12 miles. On race day, children will run the last 1.1 mile. All participants get an official race number, race shirt, and goody bag. Medals will be given to those children who are pre-registered and cross the finish line. The children’s log can be downloaded at http://secretcityhalfmarathon.com/register/half-marathon-4-kids.
For more information, visit http://secretcityhalfmarathon.com/ or the city’s website at www.oakridgetn.gov, or contact Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Director Josh Collins at (865) 425-3540.
Race proceeds benefit the Anderson County Child Advocacy Center, which helps children who have been victims or witnesses to physical abuse, sexual abuse, or other crimes.
There will be a Saturday evening pasta dinner before the race to raise money for the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge.
Oak Ridge had a strong third quarter, scoring twice against Maryville and tying a Friday night second-round playoff game at 25.
But it wasn’t enough. The top-ranked Rebels answered with two touchdowns of their own in the fourth quarter and beat the Wildcats 39-25.
The Wildcats were down 25-10 at halftime, but the football team mounted a comeback in the third quarter with a 16-play drive and an interception by quarterback Rian Hall.
But the momentum shifted back to Maryville and its running game in the fourth quarter, and Hall was injured and had to leave the game with a little more than eight minutes to play.
It was the second match-up between the Wildcats (10-2) and Rebels (12-0) this year. Oak Ridge lost both, one during the regular season and the second during Friday night’s Class 6A playoff game in Maryville.
The Rebels will play the Dobyns-Bennett Indians (12-0) in Maryville next week.
Oak Ridge beat Science Hill 35-28 in a first-round playoff game last week.
The Wildcats finished the regular season 9-1, the best since 2005, and the football team was undefeated in the district and also district champions.
Oak Ridge Wildcats quarterback Rian Hall, pictured at center above trying to outrun Science Hill defenders, rushed for a game-winning touchdown with 29.8 seconds to play in a first-round playoff game on Friday.
A six-yard touchdown run by Oak Ridge quarterback Rian Hall with 29.8 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter broke a tie Friday night and propelled the Wildcats to an exciting 35-28 first-round playoff victory over Science Hill.
Hall’s game-winning run followed a crucial 12-yard catch by Wildcats receiver Robert Valdez on a fourth-and-4 play with 1:02 left to play at Blankenship Field.
Oak Ridge (10-1) had a few two-touchdown leads during the game—ahead 21-7 in the second quarter and 28-14 in the third—but the Hilltoppers (9-2) rallied back behind Science Hill quarterback Reed Hayes to tie the game at 28 with 3:38 remaining.
“Tonight, we had to fight for everything, every first down, every yard,” Oak Ridge coach Scott Blade said, calling it an incredible game between two good teams.
The Wildcats travel to Maryville next week to play the top-ranked Rebels in the second round of the Class 6A playoffs. Maryville, which gave Oak Ridge its only loss during the regular season, eliminated Hardin Valley 42-10 on Friday.
Construction workers erect a pavilion this week on the city’s waterfront at Melton Lake Park.
A few weeks after the old pavilion was removed, construction workers have started erecting a new pavilion at Melton Lake Park.
The Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department has hired Rich Construction of Lenoir City to build the 2,300-square-foot pavilion at the Oak Ridge Marina.
The pavilion is in the same spot as the old 880-square-foot picnic shelter that was between the playground and the Melton Lake Greenway. The picnic shelter was torn down in late September.
The $159,000 pavilion could be used for rowing and community events. The Oak Ridge City Council awarded a construction contract for it in May.
It’s the second major step in a waterfront development plan approved by City Council in December 2009. The first was the paving of the parking lot at Elza Gate Park.
Rich Construction began site work for the new pavilion in early October. The pavilion itself has arrived and is now under construction on the city’s waterfront, offering “exceptional views of Melton Hill Lake and the Oak Ridge rowing course,” a city press release said.
Construction could be completed sometime in late November, depending upon the weather, the press release said.
The city asked the public to use caution in the park while the pavilion is under construction.
The hexagonal, prefabricated picnic pavilion will include a metal roof, ceiling lighting, and a low stone wall with electrical outlets. It’s designed to serve as a “signature facility” that sets the theme for future waterfront development.
Funding for the proposed pavilion comes from a $140,000 donation from UT-Battelle, which manages Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and from savings that result from staff turnover in the Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department, the city staff said.
The park is used by rowers, runners, walkers, bikers, and families.
For more information, contact the Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department at (865) 425-3450 or visit the city’s website at www.oakridgetn.gov.
Note: This story was updated at 4:44 p.m. Oct. 27.
Oak Ridge beat Campbell County 33-8 in the last game of the regular 2012 football season.
The Wildcats finished the season 9-1, the best since 2005, and were undefeated in the district and were also district champions, according to David Clary and the staff on “Voice of the Wildcats” radio show on prepradio.com.
The Wildcats’ one loss this season was to Maryville on Sept. 20.
Oak Ridge will play Science Hill (9-1) in a first round playoff game at Blankenship Field at 7 p.m. Friday.
From a regatta and football to a car show and pumpkin festival, there is much to do in Oak Ridge this weekend.
Tonight, the Oak Ridge Wildcats football team wraps up its regular season with a 7:30 p.m. game at Campbell County.
On Saturday, the Secret City Head Race starts at 8 a.m. at the Oak Ridge Marina, and the annual Pumpkin Fest starts at 10 a.m. and ends at 2 p.m. in Grove Center.
