Oak Ridge Today

Business leaders support new life for Friendship Bell

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Pictured above are Alan Tatum, left, and Ken Rueter. (Photo by UCOR)

Pictured above are Alan Tatum, left, and Ken Rueter. (Photo by UCOR)

 

Submitted

When Ken Rueter and Alan Tatum met beside the iconic Friendship Bell in Bissell Park recently, they took a moment to reflect on the importance of preserving what the Bell symbolizes to the Oak Ridge community.

Tatum, an accelerator systems and stable isotopes group leader at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, is co-chair of the International Friendship Bell Advisory Committee along with Pat Postma. Rueter is President and Project Manager of URS | CH2M Oak Ridge LLC, or UCOR, cleanup contractor for the East Tennessee Technology Park and other sites on the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Reservation. Both men serve on the Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Advisory Board.

The occasion of their May meeting was UCOR’s donation of $15,000 toward an effort to construct a new peace pavilion for the 8,300-pound bronze bell. Cast in Japan in 1993, the bell was dedicated at its current location in 1996 as a 50th anniversary landmark for the creation of the City of Oak Ridge, home to nuclear production facilities that helped end World War II. The bell symbolizes the bonds of peace and friendship that have been forged by Oak Ridge and Japan in the decades since the war ended. [Read more…]

New International Friendship Bell Peace Pavilion plans to be unveiled Thursday

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Friendship Bell

Friendship Bell (Submitted photo)

 

The community is invited to view striking new plans for the International Friendship Bell Peace Pavilion and to learn of its new location in Bissell Park at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, November 17, at Oak Ridge Associated Universities’ Pollard Auditorium, which is at 1000 ORAU Way.

The International Friendship Bell Advisory Committee will host the community gathering to unveil the Peace Pavilion and plaza design for the bell’s new location in Bissell Park. The bell, an Oak Ridge icon now sitting in silence, will bring its message of peace to the tens of thousands of visitors expected to visit the new Manhattan Project National Historical Park, a press release said. Next steps are being taken to position the bell to ring again.

Ziad Demian, architect who designed the new Peace Pavilion and its surrounding plaza, will bring to life, in images and narrative, the real and symbolic importance of the bell that has become an important icon of Oak Ridge. The new pavilion will immediately become a community landmark and contribute to Bissell Park’s “sense of place,” the press release said. [Read more…]

Roane Alliance contributes $10,000 to International Friendship Bell Fund

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Steve Kelley, left, Pam May and Wade Creswell present a $10,000 check from the Roane Alliance to Pat Postma, second from right, for the new Peace Pavilion to house the International Friendship Bell. (Submitted photo)

 

The Roane Alliance recently contributed $10,000 to the fund supporting a new Peace Pavilion to house the International Friendship Bell in Oak Ridge’s Bissell Park.

Wade Creswell, president of the Roane Alliance; Pam May, Roane Alliance vice president; and Roane County Commissioner Steve Kelley presented the contribution to Pat Postma, co-chair of the International Friendship Bell Citizens Advisory Committee.

Kelley, who represents Roane County Commission District 4 in Oak Ridge, said county officials consider this a tourism contribution that will bring economic benefit to the county.

“The Tourism Committee of Roane County Commission had been looking for ways to help the new Manhattan Project National Historical Park become an economic engine for Roane County,” said Kelley, who chairs the committee. “I suggested a donation through the Roane Alliance to the bell project, to support the Bell and Peace Pavilion as an attraction for national park visitors. We believe it will help increase traffic to the national park and surrounding attractions.” [Read more…]

Children’s Halloween Party set for Oct. 27

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The Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department will host the 2016 Children’s Halloween Party on Thursday, October 27, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at the Civic Center. The party is primarily for preschool and elementary aged children. Older children attending with their families are welcome, a press release said.

Volunteers are needed to help run carnival games, work in the “scary room,” help with toddler activities, and assist in the craft room. All volunteers must be 16 and older unless working under the supervision of an adult, the press release said. Volunteers are given an event T-shirt and a pizza dinner at the conclusion of the event.

Activities include carnival games, inflatables, toddler game room, Halloween cartoon videos, face painting, concessions, glow room, and craft room. The “Scary Room” is a haunted castle theme and is suitable for younger children. A hayride is planned for Bissell Park, weather permitting, the release said. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge egg hunt is March 19

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Oak Ridge Egg Hunt

Hundreds of children hunt about 15,000 eggs during the annual Egg Hunt at Alvin K. Bissell Park in Oak Ridge on Saturday, April 12, 2014. (File photo)

 

The Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department will host the 2016 Egg Hunt at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 19.

Hundreds of children are expected to participate in this annual spring event. More than 15,000 candy and prize-filled eggs will be hidden in 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, a 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. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Egg Hunt on March 28

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The Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department will host the 2015 Egg Hunt on Saturday, March 28, 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. 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. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge has Halloween Party on Thursday

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The Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department will host the 2014 Children’s Halloween Party from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, October 30.

Activities include carnival games, inflatables, toddler game room, Halloween cartoon videos, face painting, concessions, glow room, and craft room, a press release said. The Scary Room will have a haunted castle theme. A hayride is planned for Bissell Park, weather permitting.

There is no admission fee to get into the Civic Center, but participation in most activities requires one or more tickets, a press release said. Tickets can be purchased for 25 cents each or as a pack of 25 for $5. The cost of the games, crafts, face painting, scary room, hayride, concessions, and souvenirs is one or more tickets. The toddler game room and cartoon videos are free. [Read more…]

Registration for city summer camp begins April 1

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Registration for the 2014 Summer Camp sponsored by the Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department will begin on Tuesday, April 1. A link to ActiveNet online registration will be available at www.orrecparks.org and www.oakridgetn.gov.

All applicants should create an online profile/account since camp information will be distributed to parents through ActiveNet email. Online registration is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week while walk-in registration is only available during regular Civic Center hours from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday through Saturday, a press release said. Payment can be made online with a credit card or the applicant can pay with cash or check at the Civic Center. Convenience fees will apply for all credit card payments. The city’s summer camp fills up fast, so early registration is advised. [Read more…]