Oak Ridge Today

Clinton Christmas Parade is Saturday; deadline to register is Wednesday

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Clinton Christmas Parade First Place

A float by Second Baptist Church featuring a large sleigh and reindeer won first place in the Dec. 1, 2012, Christmas parade in Clinton. (File photo courtesy of Janet Hawkins)

 

Clinton’s traditional Christmas Parade of bands, floats, and many other processional entries will begin at 6 p.m. on Saturday, December 13. This year’s theme is “The Gifts of Christmas!”

Businesses, churches, schools, and other marching groups are encouraged to register and participate in the parade. The parade entry fee of $10 is payable to the Anderson County Chamber of Commerce, and the deadline to register is 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, December 10. There will be no late entries, a press release said.

Entry forms can either be picked up at the Chamber of Commerce office located at 245 North Main Street, Suite 200, Clinton, or to receive a form by mail, fax, or email, call the Chamber at (865) 457-2559. You may also obtain a registration form, map, and instructions at www.andersoncountychamber.org. [Read more…]

Clinton Christmas tree lighting, parade coming up soon

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The City of Clinton’s annual Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony will be held on Friday, November 28—the day after Thanksgiving—at Hoskins Lane Park off of Market Street in downtown Clinton. The celebration will begin at 4:30 p.m. with face painting for children, hot chocolate, and cookies.

Music will begin at 5:30 p.m., followed by remarks from Mayor Scott Burton and City Manager Roger Houck, and then the lighting of the city’s traditional Christmas tree.

Clinton’s annual Christmas Parade will be held on Saturday, December 13, at 6 p.m. in downtown Clinton. The grand marshals will be recently retired City Council members Charlie Lyons and Jerry Shattuck.

Letter: Thanks for Christmas gifts for children through courthouse Angel Tree

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To the Editor:

Employees of Anderson County government, as well as many local families and citizens, recently provided Christmas gifts to 34 children in Anderson County Schools through the Courthouse employees’ Angel Tree. It was truly a team effort, from our Maintenance Department helping to erect the tree and haul the gifts, to Mayor Terry Frank having the office serve as headquarters to organize the generosity, to David Crowley helping to deliver the gifts.

I am humbled by the generosity of the local community and the employees in making sure the children had a wonderful Christmas this year. And, I was endlessly blessed to see the precious smiles from youngsters and see the tears and hear words of thankfulness from their mothers, grandmothers, and fathers while delivering the Christmas gifts late last week. It was equally moving to see the smiles on the faces of those employees and citizens who contributed as they brought gifts to the Mayor’s Office. Each person gave so willingly while knowing very little about the child—beyond his or her first name and age—for whom they had purchased gifts. [Read more…]

Christmas Day heist: Thieves try to steal ATM safe with Bobcat

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Bobcat and ATM Safe from Y-12 Federal Credit Union

A Bobcat that appears to have been involved in a Christmas morning plot to steal money from an ATM in east Oak Ridge is tipped over on its side in a small ditch next to the safe, which had apparently not been opened.

A brazen attempt to steal money from an ATM in east Oak Ridge appears to have gone awry early Christmas morning and ended with a Bobcat tipped over on its side next to a safe that had apparently not been opened.

Many of the details are preliminary, and the Oak Ridge Police Department was investigating Wednesday morning.

The attempted theft caused extensive damage to a Y-12 Federal Credit Union automated teller machine at a small shopping center that includes the KARM Thrift Store and Tractor Supply Co. Crumpled ATM debris was scattered in a grassy field behind the drive-through credit union machine, and brown tracks led a few hundred feet away to the tipped-over Bobcat and the square safe, which appeared to have a chain wrapped around it. [Read more…]

Christmas coffeehouse at First Presbyterian for Free Medical Clinic

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Ellen Bast Performs Modern Dance at a Coffeehouse

Ellen Bast will perform modern dance at tonight’s Christmas Coffeehouse. (Submitted photo)

College students who are home for the holidays are hosting a coffeehouse fundraiser with live music on tonight (Friday night) from 7 to 10 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Free Medical Clinic of Oak Ridge.

The young adults hope to generate enough proceeds tonight to give a “very merry” Christmas to the clinic. The coffeehouses have become a reliable and persistent funding source for the clinic. The students have donated more than $12,000 since 2011 from the coffeehouse.

“We give them 100 percent of what we bring in, ” said Sumner Byrne, George Washington University student and event organizer. “It feels great to be making a difference.”

Byrne said many students who participate attend different colleges.

“This is a great place to get together, enjoy old friends, and make some new ones,” Byrne said. “The coffeehouse music provided by local musicians is always superb, and we raise money for a good cause. How much better can it get?” [Read more…]

Guest column: Christmas transformations

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Well before English author Charles Dickens first published “A Christmas Carol” in 1843, the season had been filled with stories of transformation. But Dickens’ story of Christmas redemption surpassed all its predecessors, becoming an instant classic. Ebeneezer Scrooge’s change of heart is one of the most famous in all English literature.

Theodor Geisel (“Dr. Seuss”) penned his own instant classic of this kind: “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” In this 1957 children’s book, written in characteristic Dr. Seuss poetic form, The Grinch—a bitter, grouchy creature—is bent on forcing his perspective on the Whos of Whoville. He steals their presents, food, and trimmings, feeling sure this will destroy their annoying Christmas spirit. But as Christmas morning dawns and the Whos sing, hug, join hands, and celebrate as usual, the Grinch has a change of heart! It “grows three sizes,” he becomes 12 times stronger—and he comes sledding down his mountain to return everything to the Whos and join their celebration.

Ever wonder if pre-transformational Mr. Scrooges exist today? Are there modern, unrepentant Grinches who want to steal the joy of Christmas? [Read more…]

Anderson County Toy Run raises money for children at Christmas, helps them shop

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Santa Claus at Kmart

Submitted

Each year for 21 years, the Anderson County Toy Run has worked hard to raise funds for children at Christmas.

In February, there is a Chili Cook off; in April, June, and August, there are poker runs; and in October, there is a Parade Run and final effort to raise funds for that year.

Local churches help gather the list of the children, and at 7 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 7, at the Oak Ridge Kmart and Clinton Walmart, 150 children were greeted by Santa Claus and volunteers and staff of the Anderson County Toy Run and local football teams, churches, and other organizations who helped the children shop. [Read more…]

Christmas sing-along at First Baptist on Sunday

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Oak Ridge Community Band

The Oak Ridge Community Band performs at the Dec. 6 Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony at the Civic Center. (Submitted photo)

The Oak Ridge Community Band and Wind Ensemble has a Christmas sing-along concert on Sunday.

The free concert is at 7 p.m. Sunday at the First Baptist Church at 1101 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

The concert will be held in the church sanctuary, dress is casual, and song books will be handed to the audience members to sing familiar Christmas carols along with the band, a press release said.

Another highlight of the concert will be several selections performed by the band including Leroy Anderson’s “Sleigh Ride,” Johann Bach’s “If Thou Be Near,” Gustav Holst’s “Christmas Day” featuring a medley of carols, and “The Little Drummer Boy” arranged by former Oak Ridge Community Band director Steve “Doc” Combs and former band member Glenn Bigelow. [Read more…]

Faith column: Shouldn’t we be doing something?

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It’s the holidays—a time of year when churches are often on the move and active in a community. Anytime a church is in motion and doing something in the community, that action reveals something of the character and nature of the church and her mission. But what if a church decides to lay low? What if little to no movement is taking place at all? Is this a “bad” thing for a church? Shouldn’t we all be doing something???

We live in a culture defined by motion and noise. The bigger the motion and the louder the noise, the more people stop to take notice—just check out your favorite Black Friday YouTube video for examples of motion and noise over the holiday. We’re all human and sometimes we can start chasing noise for all the wrong reasons. That’s why I believe it’s critical for churches to first ask if the lack of motion is really such a bad thing.

What does it say about a church that decides to loaf over the holiday? The word “loaf” has received a bad rap in our society. A loafer is seen as a lazy person in a culture that is obsessed with work and productivity. If the loafer isn’t doing anything to contribute to his or her own financial well-being, then the assumption is that something must be wrong with them (which may or may not be true). As working and being a productive member of society, you could make an argument that maybe Jesus’ was a loafer. Yikes! [Read more…]

Comfort Inn holiday events benefit CASA of the Tennessee Heartland

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Breakfast with Santa

Proceeds from a “Breakfast with Santa” at Comfort Inn Oak Ridge on Saturday, Dec. 7, at 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. will benefit CASA of the Tennessee Heartland. (Photo courtesy T. Whigham Photography)

Families can kick off the Christmas season with Santa and help a local nonprofit volunteer organization at the same time by visiting the Comfort Inn Oak Ridge during December. The hotel is offering several different activities for the community to get in the holiday spirit with a portion of the proceeds from each event going to CASA of the Tennessee Heartland.

“We are so thankful to Comfort Inn for contacting us with this opportunity,” said Naomi Asher, executive director of CASA of the Tennessee Heartland. “Every dollar raised will help provide a voice in court for an abused and neglected child right here in our community.”

The Comfort Inn Oak Ridge will serve as the official site for “Pictures with Santa” throughout the holidays. T. Whigham Photography will be taking professional photos with Santa at the hotel from Friday, Nov. 29, through Saturday, Dec. 21. The hours are as follows: Monday through Friday from 4 p.m.-7:30 p.m.; Saturdays from 10 a.m.-7 p.m. and Sundays from noon-6 p.m. One dollar from every photo taken will benefit CASA and will be matched by Enrichment Federal Credit Union in Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

A service of lessons, carols at First United Methodist Church

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Tis the Season! Tis the season when Christians prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus, and what better way than through a traditional service of lessons and carols? Come to this festive service, comprised of the stories and songs of Christmas, on Sunday, Dec. 1, at 6:30 p.m. at First United Methodist Church at 1350 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

The Service of Lessons and Carols was first held on Christmas Eve 1918 at King’s College in Cambridge, England. Since then, it has been celebrated throughout the world, sometimes still on Christmas Eve, otherwise sometime during the season of Advent, the four Sundays leading up to Christmas. While the backbone of the service, the lessons, has remained virtually unchanged, there is much beautiful and moving Christmas music to choose from when organizing such a service. [Read more…]

Lake City Christmas Parade is Dec. 6, procedures outlined

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The Lake City Christmas parade will be Friday, Dec. 6, and the theme is “A Christmas to Remember.”

The parade will start at 7 p.m., and registration will be from 5 to 6:45 p.m.

Please be aware that everyone participating in the parade must register, sign a release, and receive a number regardless if you want to be judged or not. If you do not register and receive a number, you will be asked to leave the parade line. [Read more…]