Oak Ridge Today

United Way has its annual meeting at New Hope Center on Thursday

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United Way of Anderson County

United Way of Anderson County has its annual meeting on Thursday morning at the New Hope Center at Y-12 National Security Complex on Scarboro Road.

The 2017 Annual Meeting starts at 7:30 a.m. Thursday, April 18. More than 100 community members, leaders, and volunteers are expected to attend. There will be a waffle and coffee bar, among other breakfast items, a press release said.

2016 Campaign Co-Chairs Carroll Welch and Bear Stephenson will welcome the crowd, and they will talk about the successes of the past year, the press release said. [Read more…]

Tea Thyme Favorites Valentine Tea at Old Towne Inn is Feb. 11 in Oak Ridge

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Tea Thyme Favorites Valentine Tea

Mary Ann Damos, right, and Carroll Welch are pictured above. (Submitted photo)

 

By Mary Ann Damos

On Saturday, February 11, at noon, an elegant ladies’ tea party by Tea Thyme Favorites will be held in Oak Ridge at the Old Towne Inn. Step back in time to a 1920s scene from Downton Abbey, a time when women first experienced a new freedom in their lives and in fashion during the changing times.

You and your friends are welcome to share in Tea Thyme Favorites and specialty teas at the lovely Old Town Inn. Mouthwatering savories include: ribbons of cucumber topping, mounds of chicken salad, delicious ham salad, and creamy egg salad garnished with fresh herbs and greens. Cheese crisps and mini-Quiche Lorraines will also adorn the table. For sweetness, enjoy chocolate heart brownies, cranberry scones, and pink sweetheart cookies. [Read more…]

United Way 2016 Campaign kicks off today

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The 2016 United Way of Anderson County Fundraising Campaign starts today (Monday, August 15).

“The fundraising campaign is being valiantly led this year by Bear Stephenson and Carroll Welch,” a press release said.

“This year also unveils a new mission statement for the organization: United Way of Anderson County improves lives by mobilizing the caring power of our community to advance the common good,” the press release said. “We focus on youth development, self-sufficiency, and senior and health services—the building blocks for a good life and strong community.”

The new mission statement focuses on United Way’s renewed goals of mobilizing volunteers, creating lasting change, and empowering social service programs that serve Anderson County citizens, the release said. In addition, the new mission statement highlights United Way of Anderson County’s new focus areas: youth development, self-sufficiency, and senior and health services. [Read more…]

Solar House opens July 10 at Children’s Museum

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Living Light House Ribbon-cutting

Chelsea, left, and Craig Myles walk to the Solar House with Carroll Welch, Children’s Museum deputy director, center, after a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new addition at the Children’s Museum. (Submitted photos)

The Living Light Solar House, an ambassador for good design and energy efficiency while at the University of Tennessee, will open to the public on July 10 at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge.

The Children’s Museum will host an open house from 7-9 p.m. Thursday, inviting visitors to tour the solar-powered house and the museum. Admission will be free that evening, as the museum shows the community its newest exhibit, the house built by University of Tennessee students.

UT donated the solar house to the Children’s Museum, where it arrived May 17. The new exhibit invites children and families to experience sustainability in an energy-efficient house recognized for its architectural design.

“Young people who see the Living Light house talk about wanting a place of their own like that someday,” said Carroll Welch, Children’s Museum deputy director. “The house is very inspiring for children, and it will offer many great learning opportunities.” [Read more…]

Living Light solar-powered home moves to Children’s Museum

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Living Light House Trailer

The University of Tennessee donated the Living Light House to the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge, and the 750-square-foot solar-powered home was moved Saturday.

 

The University of Tennessee in Knoxville has donated its Living Light House to the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge, and the 750-square-foot solar-powered home was moved Saturday.

The award-winning home makes more energy than it uses, said James Rose, senior lecturer in UT’s College of Architecture and Design.

Moving the 80,000-pound house was a daylong project. The Children’s Museum is in a residential area in Oak Ridge, so the museum had to move trees, excavate a slope, and create a temporary road to get to the site.

Rose said the one-room home, which has mechanical and laundry areas, will be used at the Children’s Museum for outreach and to showcase the latest energy-efficient technologies.

“This is the perfect place for this building,” said Rose, the architect of record on the project and the leader of the student architecture studio that designed it. [Read more…]

UT solar house donated, moving Saturday to Children’s Museum

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ut-living-light-house

 

KNOXVILLE—The University of Tennessee in Knoxville is donating the Living Light House— its award-winning, solar-powered project—to the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge.

The Living Light House will move to its permanent home on Saturday, May 17. Starting at 7 a.m., the 750-square-foot, zero-energy structure, will be transported from the UT Gardens to the Oak Ridge museum at 461 W. Outer Drive. The move is expected to take several hours.

“The house has served as an ambassador for good design and energy efficiency,” said James Rose, UT architecture lecturer and lead faculty member of the Living Light project. “One of the most satisfying things about giving tours of the house is the response from children. Young people are always fascinated by the house and leave it excited about the future. I cannot think of a better place for the Living Light house to carry on this mission than at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge.”

The Living Light House, which was built through the efforts of more than 200 UT students, was an entry to the 2011 U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon in Washington, D.C. It has traveled nearly 6,000 miles, been toured by more than 50,000 visitors, and was on exhibit at the 2012 Smithsonian Folklife Festival. [Read more…]

Children’s Museum hosts Young Child Celebration on April 11

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Backwoods Rambling Puppets

Wood and Strings Theatre will bring the rich folklore and toe-tapping tunes of the Appalachian Mountains to life with a puppet performance of “Backwoods Ramblin’” on Friday, April 11, for the Celebration of the Young Child at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge.

The celebration, from 9 a.m.-1 p.m., will be a tribute to Selma Shapiro, who led the museum for 32 years before her retirement at age 80 in 2004. She expanded the museum from a group of small exhibits established by Girl Scouts into a nationally recognized regional center of learning and play, and continued to volunteer at the museum until her death in 2011.

Wood and Strings Theatre’s marionettes play fiddles, smoke corn cob pipes, dance jigs, and sing mountain tunes as they take the audience to the front porch of storyteller Grandpa Will’s cabin. He spins tall tales based on “Jack Tales,” authentic Appalachian folk tales compiled by Richard Chase. Grandpa Will’s family, friends, and hound dog all join in the lively entertainment. [Read more…]

Music, dance, food, crafts at Children’s Museum International Fest on Saturday

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Children's Museum International Festival 2013

International tastes, sounds and sights will fill the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge during the International Festival from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 15.

The family-friendly event features musical and dance entertainment on stage throughout the day. Participants will dine on international cuisine, children will make international crafts to take home, and all will visit booths displaying crafts and traditions from world cultures. Food will be served from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at the museum, which is at 461 West Outer Drive in Oak Ridge.

Picti, a duo performing Celtic rock, will be featured performers at the International Festival. Other performers will include the klezmer band Dor L’ Dor; Good Thymes Ceilidh Scottish Fiddle Band; Chinese folk musicians Song Yu; Carib Sounds; South American musicians Cantemos; Andrew Payzant on Scottish bagpipe; and Hmong folk music and dance. Appalachian music—including David Neidig and Tom Smith, Early Bird Special, Knoxville Area Dulcimer Club, and Allen McBride on hammer dulcimer—will be in the Appalachia Heritage exhibit area of the museum, along with crafts exhibitors. [Read more…]

Children’s Museum reopens Waterworks Exhibit

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TVA Group Exhibit Display

Tennessee Valley Authority staff members, who designed graphics showing TVA’s role on the Tennessee River and displaying river safety information, join TVA board member Neil McBride, center, and others who helped renovate the exhibit. Laura Smith, with TVA, holds the plaque thanking TVA for its many contributions to the exhibit. (Submitted photos)

Children are once again splashing water as they send wooden tugboats down river in the TVA Waterworks Exhibit at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge. The exhibit recently reopened with some new additions that highlight learning through play.

In addition to operating small locks and dams in a flume donated by the Tennessee Valley Authority, children now may climb aboard a child-sized tugboat for an imaginary trip down the Tennessee River. After boarding, children may walk around the deck before entering the pilot house and crews’ quarters of the red, white, and blue tugboat, a small-scale replica of Ingram Marine Group’s working tugboats. [Read more…]

Children’s Museum to host Celebration of the Young Child on Friday

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Doug Berky

Doug Berky will be the featured entertainer at Celebration of the Young Child at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge on Friday. (Submitted photo)

Doug Berky—a physical theater performer using comedy, mime, masks, juggling, and storytelling—will be the featured entertainer for the Celebration of the Young Child at 10 a.m. Friday at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge.

Young children and their families are invited to join in the celebration from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. A puppet show on safety, make-and-take crafts, a kids’ movement class, a Scholastic book fair, and health and nutrition activities will also be part of the celebration. Adele Roberts will lead storytelling and puppet fun, with stories based on her series of children’s books, which includes “The Adventures of Sammy the Skunk.” Children will make dinosaurs, sunflowers, and noodle necklaces to take home. [Read more…]