Oak Ridge Today

Children’s Museum offers fall arts & clay classes for public, homeschoolers & Girl Scouts

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The Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge is featuring clay and the arts in its 2017 fall classes for the general public, for homeschoolers, and for Girl Scouts. (Submitted photo)

The Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge is featuring clay and the arts in its 2017 fall classes for the general public, for homeschoolers, and for Girl Scouts. (Submitted photo)

 

The Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge is featuring clay and the arts in its fall classes for the general public, for homeschoolers, and for Girl Scouts.

A four-week Clay Sampler, for ages 7-11 and open to the public and homeschoolers, will offer hand-building and wheel work, surface and finishing techniques, then glazing as students prepare their pieces for the kiln, a press release said. The first session, with a Halloween theme, is from 1:30-3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays on October 4, 18, and 25, and November 1. The second session, with a Holiday theme, will be on Wednesdays on November 8, 15, and 29, and December 6. Cost for the four-week class is $80 for members and $85 for non-members.

Clay Holiday Decorations will be a one-time class from 10:30-11:30 a.m. Saturday, November 18. Students will create a personalized holiday ornament and glaze it, to be picked up two weeks after the class. The class is open to all ages, and those under seven years old must have an adult present. Class fee is $15 for members and $20 for non-members.

Sign up for these classes at http://childrensmuseumofoakridge.org or by calling (865) 482-1074. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge could set up committee to celebrate its 75th anniversary

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Y-12 Calutron Girls

Women enriching uranium in calutrons at Y-12 as part of the top-secret Manhattan Project during World War II. The 75th anniversary of the city that became Oak Ridge and still includes Y-12 is Sept. 19, 2017. (Photo by Ed Westcott)

 

The Oak Ridge City Council on Monday will consider setting up a committee to celebrate the city’s 75th anniversary.

Oak Ridge’s birthday has been recognized on September 19. That’s because the city that is now Oak Ridge was picked for the top-secret Manhattan Project on September 19, 1942, almost 75 years ago. That was the day that General Leslie Groves approved the acquisition of 59,000 acres of land along the Clinch River for what soon became the Manhattan Project, a federal program to build the world’s first atomic bombs, before Germany could. Oak Ridge was then 90 square miles of East Tennessee farmland. It was the first site for Manhattan Project facilities.

By the time President Franklin Delano Roosevelt authorized the Manhattan Project on December 28, 1942, work on the East Tennessee site where the first production facilities were to be built was already under way.

Oak Ridge became the home of two uranium enrichment plants (K-25 and Y-12), a liquid thermal diffusion plant (S-50), and a pilot plutonium production reactor (X-10 Graphite Reactor). Groves approved Oak Ridge as the site for the pilot plutonium plant and the uranium enrichment plant in 1942. Manhattan Project engineers had to quickly build a town to accommodate 30,000 workers—as well as build the enormously complex plants. [Read more…]

National Park Service in Oak Ridge to move to Children’s Museum

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National-Park-Service-Employees

Now housed at the American Museum of Science and Energy, the National Park Service will move its visitor center and offices in Oak Ridge to the Children’s Museum in October, officials said Friday, June 16, 2017. (Submitted photo)

 

The National Park Service will move its visitor center and offices in Oak Ridge to the Children’s Museum in October, officials said Friday.

The National Park Service has a visitor center and offices in Oak Ridge as part of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, a three-site park that was established in November 2015 after years of advocacy.

The visitor center and offices are now located at the American Museum of Science and Energy, or AMSE, on South Tulane Avenue. But that museum is closing as part of a land transfer related to the Main Street Oak Ridge development.

“We have been so fortunate to have been based at AMSE for the first 18 months of this new national historical park,” said Kris Kirby, Manhattan Project National Historical Park superintendent. “The staff and volunteers have been outstanding partners providing space and backup support with all of our activities. We consider the entire City of Oak Ridge to be part of the park and will continue to offer programming in multiple locations throughout the area.” [Read more…]

Children’s Museum hosts Amateur Radio Kids Day on Sunday

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Amateur radio operator Jim Bogard helps children learn about amateur radio at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge. (Submitted photo)

Amateur radio operator Jim Bogard helps children learn about amateur radio at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge. (Submitted photo)

 

Children will have the opportunity to earn a “Certificate of Participation” for a two-way contact by amateur radio on Kids Day on Sunday, June 18, at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge.

Amateur Radio Kids Day will be from 1-4 p.m. in the Museum’s Discovery Lab. Participation is free with admission, a press release said.

Kids Day is designed to give on-the-air experience to young people and foster interest in getting their own amateur radio license. It also gives licensed ham radio operators a chance to share their stations and love for amateur radio with children, the press release said. [Read more…]

Lavender Festival is Saturday, June 17

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The 19th annual Lavender Festival returns Saturday, June 17, 2017, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Historic Jackson Square in Oak Ridge. (Photography by Shawn Millsaps)

The 19th annual Lavender Festival is Saturday, June 17, 2017, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Historic Jackson Square in Oak Ridge. (Photography by Shawn Millsaps)

 

The 19th annual Lavender Festival is Saturday, June 17, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., in Historic Jackson Square in Oak Ridge. The Lavender Festival is a perennial crowd favorite, full of tradition, fun, and always something new, a press release said. The festival celebrates all things herbal, crafts, local foods, and more.

Admission to the festival is free, with plenty of free parking available in surrounding city and business lots, and on side streets, the press release said.

As is tradition, a bagpipe player will open the festival at 8 a.m., playing from upper Blankenship Field into Jackson Square. Also keeping with tradition, Alan McBride will follow with the hammered dulcimer in the bandstand. A complete music schedule is found below.

Also returning for a second year is “A Taste of Tennessee Wines,” from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., benefitting the Free Medical Clinic of Oak Ridge. The tasting is hosted by Great Valley Wine Trail, which is made up of four independent wineries in East Tennessee. Your $10 tasting ticket is available at the gate (for those who are 21 with a valid identification). Tasters receive a complimentary wine glass, and if they purchase wine, a six-compartment wine tote. Customers are allowed to enjoy the wine outdoors in the Square during festival hours, with lunch served all day by plenty of food vendors and food trucks, restaurants, and even hors d’oeuvres by Chapel on the Hill. [Read more…]

Children’s Museum hosts Imagination Station Summer Camps

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Young cooks prepare dessert for tasting later at a Children’s Museum summer camp. (Submitted photo)

Young cooks prepare dessert for tasting later at a Children’s Museum summer camp. (Submitted photo)

 

World cultures, model trains, cooking, and gardening, as well as STEAM (science, technology, art, engineering, and math) activities are being offered during Imagination Station Summer Camp beginning June 5 at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge.

With the museum’s unique and enriching environment as a backdrop, camp leaders will provide a blend of educational and interactive play, helping campers learn and grow while having fun in a safe environment. Each camp is created with age-appropriate activities aligned with the child’s developmental stage.

Summer camps, from June 5-July 28, are for children from age 3 through 7th grade, with one bridge camp open to eighth and ninth graders.
Peppy Pepper, the mascot for the museum’s newest exhibit, Kids in Action! Healthy Living, will encourage healthy activities such as growing vegetables and movement during the summer camps.

Register and pay for camps online, at www.childrensmuseumofoakridge.org, by mail or in person, at 461 West Outer Drive, Oak Ridge 37830. Camp fees are fully refundable up until 14 days before the start date. [Read more…]

Children’s Museum hosts Celebration of the Young Child on Friday

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Children's Museum of Oak Ridge Celebration of the Young Child April 28 2017

Crafts, storytelling, a teddy bear clinic, and a magician’s visit will be among activities planned for the Celebration of the Young Child from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Friday, April 28, at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge, which is at 461 West Outer Drive.

Magician Danny Gillette will entertain with mystifying magic tricks from 11:30 a.m.-noon, engaging the audience in his family magic show. The Oak Ridge Fire Department will lead a fire safety program, and the Oak Ridge Police Department will present a stranger danger program.

Children’s author Adele Roberts will tell stories from her Sammy the Skunk series of books, accompanied by her Sammy puppets. Her stories are designed to stimulate children’s imaginations and to teach character values based on the situations the animals encounter.

Children may be “kids in motion” with the National Fitness Center’s obstacle course, and they may bring their teddy bears to the clinic hosted by the Methodist Medical Center. Children can make a wind chime craft at the Museum, and take materials to make a Chinese dragon and a hovercraft at home. [Read more…]

New healthy living exhibit opens at Children’s Museum on Saturday

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Children will find plenty of colorful fruits and vegetables to encourage healthy eating and many suggestions for movement to keep them fit when the new Kids in Action! Healthy Living exhibit opens Saturday, April 22, 2017 at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge. (Submitted photo)

Children will find plenty of colorful fruits and vegetables to encourage healthy eating and many suggestions for movement to keep them fit when the new Kids in Action! Healthy Living exhibit opens Saturday, April 22, 2017 at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge. (Submitted photo)

 

Children will find plenty of colorful fruits and vegetables to encourage healthy eating and many suggestions for movement to keep them fit when a new exhibit opens Saturday at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge.

The Kids in Action! Healthy Living exhibit opens with a ribbon cutting at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 22, in the east wing of the Museum. The exhibit opening will feature special activities in the gym and drawings for door prizes throughout the day, with one week of summer camp as the grand door prize. The museum is open until 4 p.m. Saturday.

A members’ sneak preview of the new exhibit will be held from 5-7 p.m. Friday at the museum, which is at 461 West Outer Drive in Oak Ridge. Museum visitors may join that evening if they wish to participate in the sneak preview.

“The exhibit is an opportunity for kids to learn through play where their food comes from. We have a henhouse and a farmers’ market. Children and families can learn about making healthy food choices,” Beth Shea, the museum’s executive director, said of the “Healthy Eating” part of the exhibit.

The “Healthy Activity” section of the exhibit encourages kids and families to keep healthy and fit through exercise and movement. [Read more…]

Children’s Museum presents Selma Shapiro Friend of the Child Award

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Nick Imperato accepts the Selma Shapiro Friend of the Child award presented posthumously to his wife, Pat Imperato, from Children’s Museum board member Suzan Bowman. (Submitted photo)

Nick Imperato accepts the Selma Shapiro Friend of the Child award presented posthumously to his wife, Pat Imperato, from Children’s Museum board member Suzan Bowman. (Submitted photo)

 

The Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge recently presented the first Selma Shapiro Friend of the Child award posthumously to Pat Imperato, a Museum board president and volunteer who gave generously of her time to many community organizations.

Imperato had a passion for community service and faced each day asking, “What can I do today to make this world a better place?” Museum board member Suzan Bowman related in presenting the award to Pat’s husband, Nick Imperato, at the Museum’s annual meeting.

“When she recruited me to be on this board, she told me that this Museum is one of the joys of her life,” Bowman said in presenting the award. “Pat gave so unselfishly of her time and energy to causes she believed in.”

The Shapiro family contributed $1,000 to the Museum in memory of Pat Imperato and in honor of the award. [Read more…]

TVA engineers, retirees join union carpenters to renovate TVA Waterworks at Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge

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Kristine Torrance, left, David Torrance, and David Bush, both with the TVA Norris Engineering Laboratory, and Ashley Zeringue and Bucky Smith, with the Children’s Museum, gather around the model of TVA locks and dams on the Tennessee River in the Waterworks exhibit. (Submitted photo)

Kristine Torrance, left, David Torrance, and David Bush, both with the TVA Norris Engineering Laboratory, and Ashley Zeringue and Bucky Smith, with the Children’s Museum, gather around the model of TVA locks and dams on the Tennessee River in the Waterworks exhibit. (Submitted photo)

 

Young visitors at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge enjoy splashing and floating boats through the locks and dams in the TVA Waterworks exhibit. When the aging exhibit needed an overhaul to stay afloat, Tennessee Valley Authority employees and retirees joined members of the local carpenters union to plan and make the needed repairs.

“The children love this exhibit even more, now that they have better access to it thanks to the carpenters. And it is safer for them in many ways thanks to the engineers. And they still love to get wet as they learn about locks and dams,” said Suzan Bowman, a Children’s Museum board member, speaking at a recent ribbon cutting for the renovated exhibit.

Bowman knew who to call for help when the Museum’s Facilities Manager Bucky Smith alerted the board that the exhibit needed refurbishing. She had worked for TVA for 30 years before her retirement and was president of the TVA Retirees Association. She realized that she knew many of the TVA employees who had built the model of locks and dams for the TVA barge at the 1982 Knoxville World’s Fair, a model later donated to the Children’s Museum.

First, TVA employees from the Norris Engineering Laboratory visited the Museum to assess the model and discovered it was structurally unsound. Bowman then enlisted the aid of area TVA retirees, gathering a team to plan for improving the exhibit. Hal Stephens became the lead engineer on the project, with Bill Haire handling electrical engineering. Retirees R. Michael Parker, John and JoAnne Pantanizoppoulos, Bill and Sharon Pitkin, and David Gengozian also pitched in. [Read more…]

Manhattan Project National Park celebrates Girl Scout Week on Saturday

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Photo by Ed Westcott

Photo by Ed Westcott

 

The Manhattan Project National Historical Park is partnering with the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge and the Girl Scouts of USA to celebrate National Girl Scout Week on Saturday, March 11.

Beginning at 10 a.m. at the Children’s Museum, individual Girl Scouts and/or troops are welcome to participate in hands-on activities until 3:30 p.m., a press release said. Admission to CMOR will be free on that day for any Girl Scout in uniform and their families. Girl Scouts can earn the “Our Girl Scout Story” history patch and a MAPR Junior Ranger patch by participating in a historical scavenger hunt. The historical scavenger hunt activity information will be made available from March 11 through March 25 at the National Park Service desk at the American Museum of Science and Energy. [Read more…]

Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge offers Spring Break activities

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Children get creative with crayons at a Children’s Museum camp. (Submitted photo)

Children get creative with crayons at a Children’s Museum camp. (Submitted photo)

 

Gardening, art, astronomy, and messy science experiments will be among Spring Break activities offered for children in first through fifth grades at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge from March 13-17.

The museum will offer morning activities from 9 a.m.-noon and afternoon sessions from 1-4 p.m. There will be a full day St. Patrick’s Day celebration on Friday, March 17, featuring an Irish lunch, “wearing o’ the green,” Highland games, and crafts, a press release said. Children may register for individual sessions, a day, all mornings, all afternoons, or the entire week.

The museum will also host “Wonderful Wednesday” programs from 11 a.m.-noon March 15 and 22. Kids love rocks, and on March 15, they can learn about rocks in our backyards. The East Tennessee Geological Society will have rocks, minerals, and fossils to explore. [Read more…]