Oak Ridge Today

Tour Freels cabin—oldest structure in Oak Ridge—on Saturday

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The Historic Freels Bend Cabin is pictured above. (Photo courtesy Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association)

The last Oak Ridge Reservation Nature Walk of 2019 will be held at the historic Freels cabin—the oldest structure in Oak Ridge—on Saturday.

The cabin is on Freels Bend near Melton Hill Lake in south Oak Ridge, east of Clark Center Park. It was built in 1844, and it’s been reported to be on the National Historic Register.

The opportunities to see the cabin are rare because it’s on restricted U.S. Department of Energy land.

Saturday’s walk is titled “History of the Oak Ridge Reservation—Freels Bend.” Registered walkers will meet at 1 p.m. in the parking lot behind the ORISE building at the corner of Bethel Valley and Pumphouse roads, a press release said.

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Today: Harlem Ambassadors for Habitat, former NASA chief astronomer, Smith on Three Bend

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A reminder—There are three events happening this evening: the Harlem Ambassadors Basketball Show in a benefit for Habitat for Humanity of Anderson County, a former chief astronomer at NASA who is referred to as the “mother of the Hubble Telescope” discussing the evolution of the universe from the Big Bang to black holes, and local historian and writer Ray Smith discussing the Three Bend Scenic and Wildlife Management Refuge Area of the Oak Ridge Reservation.

The Harlem Ambassadors Basketball Show starts at 6 p.m. today (Thursday, March 24) at Wildcat Arena at Oak Ridge High School. This show is not only entertaining, organizers said, it also brings an important message to kids: “Stay off drugs, stay in school, don’t be a bully!”

Individuals have sponsored tickets so that student-athletes in Anderson County can come to the game for free.

The “opposing” team, the Habi-bats, is made up of local coaches and other local basketball standouts.

“We hope to fill the arena and sell lots of hotdogs, all in an effort to raise money to build and repair homes in Anderson County,” a press release said. [Read more…]