Oak Ridge Today

Bobby Osborne, Rocky Top X-press to headline Rocky Top Bluegrass Festival

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Bobby Osborne

Bobby Osborne (Submitted photo)

 

Bobby Osborne and Rocky Top X-Press will headline the inaugural Rocky Top Bluegrass Festival.

The festival is scheduled for 5:30 to 11 p.m. Friday, April 24, and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, April 25, at the George Templin Memorial Athletic Field located at 214 North Main Street in Rocky Top (formerly Lake City).

“Mr. Osborne contacted us because the Osborne Brothers were the first to perform and record ‘Rocky Top,’ and he wanted to be the first to perform the song in our newly named town of Rocky Top, Tennessee”, said Mike Lovely, Rocky Top mayor. “As a result of his interest, we decided to have a festival featuring some of the top groups in bluegrass.” [Read more…]

Volunteers needed to help clean up Norris Lake

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Submitted

The Norris Lake Project Team is looking for volunteers to help with the fifth biannual Five County Norris Lake Cleanup on March 28 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

“Since 2011, volunteers from the counties surrounding Norris Lake have picked up over 15 tons of trash,” said Stephanie Wells, director of the Anderson County Tourism Council. “We continue to conduct two cleanups each year because Norris Lake is not only a recreational destination for residents and visitors, it is an economic driver for all five counties and we need to protect its shorelines.”

There will be several launch points in each of the five counties and numerous locations that volunteers can help by picking up and properly disposing of in trash. [Read more…]

Midnight Hike at Norris Dam on New Year’s, Norris Dam 12K on Jan. 17

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Norris Dam State Park

Norris Dam State Park

By Anderson County Tourism Council

New Year’s Midnight Hike at Norris Dam State Park—December 31

Never mind the New Year’s parties, start 2015 with us, on a hike along the Andrews Ridge Trail system.

Bring a flashlight or headlamp as it might just be dark! Hike starts at 12 a.m.

For more information, call (865) 426-7461. [Read more…]

Anderson County Tourism co-op program offers tourism-related funds

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The Anderson County Tourism Council Board of Directors will be offering the Co-op Program again this year. The purpose of the program is to provide funds to nonprofit tourism-related businesses and organizations in Anderson County to conduct tourism-related projects.

See this PDF for more information: Anderson County Co-op Program Details and Application.

September events in Anderson County

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Here is a list of September events in Anderson County submitted by the Anderson County Tourism Council.

 

Wicked Wildcat Weekend – September 5-7 at Windrock Park

Presented by Wildcatforums.net, this event includes guided trail rides, vendors, and more for off-road riders with an Arctic Cat Wildcat machine.  If you have a Wildcat Side by Side or want to participate,  call 423-647-2721 or visit www.wildcatforums.net.

[Read more…]

August events in Anderson County

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Here is a list of August events in Anderson County submitted by the Anderson County Tourism Council.

[Read more…]

July events in Anderson County

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Information from Anderson County Tourism Council

July 4 Celebration and Anvil Shoot

July 4 at Museum of Appalachia

July 4 will be celebrated in an unusual, dramatic, and traditional fashion at the Museum of Appalachia with historic anvil shoots. In addition, there will be demonstrations of mountain arts and crafts. Bluegrass, old time, and folk music will be played and sung on the porches of the cabins and in the old log church, hymn singing, and church services will be conducted. The demonstrations and music can be found throughout the 65-acre farm/village complex. For more information, contact the Museum of Appalachia at (865) 494-7680 or visit www.museumofappalachia.org.

46th Annual Norris Day July 4 Celebration

July 4 on the Norris Commons

The Norris Lions Club brings you the 46th Annual Norris Day celebration in downtown Norris. Running enthusiasts can begin the day with the Firecracker Road Run. Later, the children’s Dog Show will be held on the Norris Commons, followed by the one-mile Fun Run. No one will want to miss the children’s Wheel Race, the Bicycle Parade, the Water Balloon Toss, or the Water-Ball Battles. There will be sack races and duck races, too. One of the highlights of Norris Day is the wonderful barbecue dinner—barbecue pork and chicken with all the sides served by the Norris Lions Club in the Norris Middle School cafeteria from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. For more information, call (865) 368-4884. [Read more…]

US 25 yard sale under way, passes through Anderson County

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The US 25 Yard Sale started Thursday and ends Saturday. It’s 425 miles of sales beginning in Covington, Ky., running through Anderson County and ending in Woodfin, N.C.. There are 42 communities participating along the route.

Buyers can make a complete circle through East Tennessee. In Corbin, Highway 25 splits into Highway 25W, which runs through Anderson County, and Highway 25E, which goes through Jefferson County, another participating community. They merge back together in Newport, Tenn.

If you live on US 25W in Anderson County, all you have to do to participate is set up your yard sale on your property.

If you do not live on US 25W and you would like to set up for the yard sale, you can go to the Lake City Recreation Center/Ball Field. There will be a set up fee of $10 per 10’ x 10’ space, and the covered area will be $20 per bay area. [Read more…]

Anderson County tourism leaders eye new building

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Anderson County Tourism Council

The Anderson County Tourism Council building on Highway 61 near Interstate 75 is pictured above. (Photo courtesy Anderson County Tourism Council)

Information from WYSH Radio

The Anderson County Operations Committee on Monday will consider a request from the Anderson County Tourism Council to sell the log cabin that currently houses the organization’s offices and the county Welcome Center, and purchase a much larger cabin located near the current headquarters.

The current welcome center has been housed in an 1,800-square-foot former Jim Barna log cabin since 1998, but officials said that with a staff expansion in the works, they need more space. The cabin that they are interested in purchasing measures some 3,500 square feet and has a current asking price of $280,000.

The current welcome center would have to be sold at auction as it is a county-owned property, and a minimum bid would be set after an independent appraisal is conducted. The Operations Committee meets at 6:30 p.m. Monday in Room 312 of the Anderson County Courthouse in Clinton.

‘Fishing University’ coming to Norris Feb. 27

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Information from WYSH Radio

The host of the Outdoor Channel’s “Fishing University” television show will be on Norris Lake next week filming a show for their 2014 season.

You will have the opportunity to meet the hosts of the show, Charlie Ingram and Ray Brazier and their guests, Chief Executive Dean Smith and Brand Manager Kody Bradbury of Legend Boats, on Thursday, Feb. 27, from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Museum of Appalachia. This is a free event for the entire family and will give you the opportunity to ask the pros everything you always wanted to know about bass fishing. [Read more…]

Informational meeting Friday on changing Lake City’s name to Rocky Top

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Anyone interested in learning more about the proposal to change Lake City’s name to Rocky Top can attend an informational meeting and beans and corn bread social on Friday evening in Lake City.

The developers and partners of Rocky Top will be available to answer all questions concerning the project, locations, jobs, and the general impact on the community, said Stephanie Wells, executive director of the Anderson County Tourism Council.

The meeting starts at 6 p.m. Friday at Main Street Baptist Church, located at the corner of Fourth and Main Street in Lake City. [Read more…]

Anderson County agrees to buy Lake City bank building for coal mining museum

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Bank of America Lake City

The Anderson County Commission has agreed to buy this former Bank of America building in Lake City for a Coal Mining Museum, storage space, and satellite county offices.

CLINTON— The Anderson County Commission agreed in a 13-1 vote on Monday to buy the former Bank of America building in Lake City for a Coal Mining Museum.

The two-story brick building will be purchased using $100,000 from the sale of property in the David Jones Industrial Park. Lake City will own the former bank, and it could also be used to store excess county supplies and as a satellite office for county departments. Organizers hope to open the museum eight months after Lake City receives the building.

Most of the initial revenue for museum operations would come from Lake City’s lodging tax. The Lake City Council has agreed to use one-third of that hotel and motel tax for the museum for at least the next three years, said Stephanie Wells, director of the Anderson County Tourism Council. [Read more…]