Oak Ridge Today

Community Band has July 4 concert before fireworks

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The Oak Ridge Community Band in a previous July 4 concert. (Submitted photo)

The Oak Ridge Community Band in a previous July 4 concert. (Submitted photo)

 

The Oak Ridge Community Band will have its annual July 4 Independence Day concert on Tuesday, July 4, at Alvin K. Bissell Park. The concert is free.

Large crowds are expected for both the concert and the city fireworks show that follows, so the public is encouraged to come early, a press release said.

“Bring chairs or blankets for outdoor seating, and enjoy a very entertaining summer evening,” the press release said.

The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, and there is no admission fee. However, donations are welcomed to help offset band expenses. Razzleberry’s Ice Cream Lab will also be in the park to provide refreshments, the press release said.

Featured guest vocal soloists will be Deidre Ford singing the lovely strains of Hoagy Carmichael’s “Stardust” and soloist Lettie Andrade De La Torre singing Jerry Lackey’s arrangement of “Caledonia” from “Celtic Women.” Also on Tuesday evening’s program will be quartet singers Ed Calfee, Deidre Ford, Lettie Andrade De La Torre, and Roscoe Shipley who will be singing Jerry Brubaker’s “The Ultimate Patriotic Sing-Along,” Sousa’s “The Stars and Stripes Forever,” and John Stafford Smith’s “The Star-Spangled Banner—A Symphonic Portrait.” [Read more…]

July 4 fireworks at A.K. Bissell Park

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July 4, 2012 Fireworks

The Independence Day fireworks show in Oak Ridge has been scheduled for 10 p.m. Monday, July 4, at A.K. Bissell Park. (File photo by Charles Samuels)

 

The Independence Day fireworks in Oak Ridge are scheduled to start at dark, around 9:45 p.m., at Alvin K. Bissell Park on Tuesday, July 4. The fireworks show is sponsored by the City of Oak Ridge.

The Oak Ridge Community Band, now in its 73rd year, will perform prior to the fireworks, a press release said. The concert is free, but donations are accepted by the band to help cover the cost of equipment and other expenses. The music is expected to begin at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 4.

Anyone planning to attend is advised to bring a lawn chair or blanket for outdoor seating, the press release said. A safety zone will be established by the Oak Ridge Fire Department. Please sit only in the designated areas, the press release said. [Read more…]

Secret City Festival includes free concerts, art show, other activities this weekend

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Two weekends, counting Fridays. Two weekdays. Seven days of celebration, from June 2 through June 10, 2017, mostly at A. K. Bissell Park. And admission to all events is free of charge. (Photo and caption courtesy Celebrate Oak Ridge and Carolyn Krause)

Two weekends, counting Fridays. Two weekdays. Seven days of celebration, from June 2 through June 10, 2017, mostly at A.K. Bissell Park. And admission to all events is free of charge. (Photo and caption courtesy Celebrate Oak Ridge and Carolyn Krause)

 

The Secret City Festival features free concerts and other activities at Alvin K. Bissell Park this weekend. Organizers have posted an entertainment schedule for both days, which is printed below.

Organizers said parking is available at the west end of the park (enter via Badger Road), Oak Ridge High School, First Methodist Church, and various paid lots around town. Accessible parking is available at the Oak Ridge Public Library.

The TN Creates Juried Art Show begins at 10 a.m. daily in the Shep Lauter Room at the Oak Ridge Civic Center, and all other festival activities begin at 2 p.m. on Friday and 10 a.m. on Saturday, organizers said. Admission is free.

There are free water stations throughout the park and water and other drinks are available for purchase via vendors, organizers said. There are food vendors at the festival, and “we have plenty of cold beer and moonshine cocktails ready to go,” organizers said.

Other activities include a petting zoo, wildlife encounter, Home Depot area, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory Traveling Science Fair, according to an event map, which is included below.

Here’s the entertainment schedule for Friday and Saturday: [Read more…]

Reminder: Secret City Festival under way this week

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Pictured above are World War II re-enactor Ben Arnold, right, a board member of the Celebrate Oak Ridge task force, and Judi Gray. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Pictured above are World War II re-enactor Ben Arnold, right, a board member of the Celebrate Oak Ridge task force, and Judi Gray, who helped announce the musical entertainment scheduled for Friday, June 9, and Saturday, June 10. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was updated at 11:15 a.m. June 5.

A reminder: The new weeklong Secret City Festival is under way, and it started Friday, June 2. The festival is free, and it includes two weekends and two weekdays. Most of the events are at Alvin K. Bissell Park.

The first weekend (June 2-4) celebrated Oak Ridge and World War II history. A free family movie will be shown on Tuesday, June 6, and the arts will be celebrated on Wednesday, June 7. Music and art are the focus of the second weekend, June 9-10.

The festival has been organized by Celebrate Oak Ridge. A schedule of events is below, and a schedule for this weekend is also included.

Saturday, June 3, was a big day, organizers said. There were World War II re-enactments at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., speakers throughout the day, the Freedom Belles, USO show, and more at Bissell Park. Historic exhibitions continued at Midtown Community Center from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. [Read more…]

Reminder: Egg Hunt is Saturday in A.K. Bissell Park

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A previous Oak Ridge Egg Hunt is pictured above. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

A previous Oak Ridge Egg Hunt is pictured above. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

 

Reminder: The Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department will host the 2017 Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 8, at 11 a.m. Hundreds of children are expected to participate in this annual spring event, a press release said. More than 15,000 candy and prize-filled eggs will be hidden in Alvin K. Bissell Park with a first-, second-, and third-place prize egg in each age group.

This event will be held rain or shine, so participants should dress for the weather, the press release said. If severe weather prevents hiding the eggs outdoors, they will be given away in the gym and a drawing will be held for the prizes.

Participants should arrive early and assemble in the Civic Center gymnasium prior to 11 a.m. The children will be divided into separate age groups and will be escorted to their respective hunt areas. The hunt is targeted for children age four through fourth grade. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Egg Hunt is April 8; volunteers needed

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A previous Oak Ridge Egg Hunt is pictured above. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

A previous Oak Ridge Egg Hunt is pictured above. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

 

The Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department will host the 2017 Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 8, at 11 a.m. Hundreds of children are expected to participate in this annual spring event, a press release said. More than 15,000 candy and prize-filled eggs will be hidden in Alvin K. Bissell Park with a first-place, second-place, and third-place prize egg in each age group.

This event will be held rain or shine, so participants should dress for the weather, the press release said. If severe weather prevents hiding the eggs outdoors, they will be given away in the Oak Ridge Civic Center gymnasium, and a drawing will be held for the prizes. [Read more…]

Council to consider $72,000 contract for new Peace Bell Pavilion

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Design of the Peace Pavilion for the Oak Ridge International Friendship Bell by Demian\Wilbur\Architects, Washington, D.C.

 

The Oak Ridge City Council on Monday will consider a $72,000 contract for a new Peace Bell Pavilion at Alvin K. Bissell Park.

The contract with Demian Wilbur Architects of Washington, D.C., would be for construction documents, bidding administration, and construction administration. Funding would be provided by the Capital Improvements Program.

In a memo to Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson, Recreation and Parks Director Jon Hetrick said $25,000 was allocated for the project in fiscal year 2016, and another $50,000 was allocated in fiscal year 2017. So far, $15,000 has been used for conceptual planning by Demian Wilbur Architects, Hetrick said. The rest of the money for the contract will be allocated in the fiscal year 2018 Capital Projects Fund. [Read more…]

Trial for Cromwell, defendant in fatal July 4 parking lot crash, set for Feb. 13

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The trial for Lee Harold Cromwell, 67, the defendant in a fatal parking lot crash after fireworks in Oak Ridge on July 4, 2015, has been set for the week that starts Monday, February 13, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

CLINTON—The trial for Lee Harold Cromwell, the defendant in a fatal parking lot crash after fireworks in Oak Ridge on July 4, 2015, has been set for the week that starts Monday, February 13, 2017.

The trial will be in Anderson County Criminal Court in Clinton. Tennessee Senior Judge Paul G. Summers has been appointed to hear the case.

Officials expect that the trial could last at least four days. The plea deadline is 5 p.m. February 3.

Cromwell, 67, is accused of killing one person and injuring 11 others when he backed his Dodge Ram pickup truck through the crowded parking lot at the Midtown Community Center on July 4, 2015, after fireworks at Alvin K. Bissell Park. [Read more…]

Secret City Festival to expand into week-long celebration in June

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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)

 

The Secret City Festival will expand into a week-long celebration in June, and it will be called the Secret City Celebration.

The change has been announced by Celebrate Oak Ridge, a nonprofit organization created by the Oak Ridge City Council to take over the production of the festival from the city.

The Secret City Celebration will include a full week of events celebrating the arts, culture, and history of Oak Ridge, organizers said. It will kick off with an opening ceremony at 11 a.m. Friday, June 2, 2017. It will include events presented by Celebrate Oak Ridge and other partner organizations.

“A crowd favorite, World War II Living History, will serve as the kickoff event on June 2 and 3, with re-enactments scheduled on Saturday,” a press release said. [Read more…]

Photos, video: See plans for the new International Friendship Bell Pavilion

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Design of the Peace Pavilion for the Oak Ridge International Friendship Bell by Demian\Wilbur\Architects, Washington, D.C.

 

ORAU donated $100,000 on Friday, and organizers said they have now raised $525,000 in a drive to  build a new Peace Pavilion for the International Friendship Bell in Alvin K. Bissell Park in Oak Ridge.

Organizers have said it could cost $750,000 to build a new structure for the 8,000-pound bronze bell.

The Japanese-style bell symbolizes unity between the United States and Japan. The two countries fought in World War II. Uranium enriched in Oak Ridge fueled the first atomic bomb used in wartime. It was dropped over Hiroshima, Japan, on August 6, 1945, shortly before the end of the war. [Read more…]

ORAU donates $100,000 to International Friendship Bell Peace Pavilion

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orau-donation-to-friendship-bell-tatum-postma

ORAU President and CEO Andy Page, left, surprises Pat Postma, second from left, and Alan Tatum, second from right, co-chairs of the Advisory Committee of the International Friendship Peace Pavilion, with a $100,000 donation from ORAU to go toward the new pavilion on Friday, Dec. 9, 2016. Also pictured is ORAU Executive Vice President Eric Abelquist. (DOE photo courtesy Lynn Freeny)

 

Surprise announcement made at ETEC annual awards luncheon

ORAU President and CEO Andy Page presented a $100,000 donation for the International Friendship Peace Pavilion during a surprise announcement at the East Tennessee Economic Council’s annual awards luncheon on Friday.

The plans for the new International Friendship Bell Peace Pavilion, which includes moving the 8,000-pound bronze cast bell from its current location in Alvin K. Bissell Park in Oak Ridge to another location within the park, were unveiled recently.

Organizers and volunteers have now raised $525,000 in the drive to  build the new Peace Pavilion. They have said it could cost $750,000 to build the new structure and pavilion. [Read more…]

Photos: Oak Ridge Christmas tree lighting

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The Oak Ridge Christmas tree lighting was Friday, Dec. 2, 2016, in Alvin K. Bissell Park. (Photo by City of Oak Ridge)

 

The Oak Ridge Christmas tree lighting was Friday in Alvin K. Bissell Park. Here are photos by the City of Oak Ridge.

The annual Christmas tree lighting and reception are sponsored by the Oak Ridge Woman’s Club and the Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department. The reception includes seasonal music and entertainment in the Oak Ridge Civic Center gymnasium. [Read more…]