Oak Ridge Today

Oak Ridge Chamber’s Christmas Parade will be Saturday, Dec. 14

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The Oak Ridge High School Softball team prepares for the 2018 Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce Christmas Parade. This year’s parade will be held on Saturday, Dec. 14, 2019. (Submitted photo)

 

The annual Christmas Parade organized by the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce will be Saturday, December 14.

This year’s theme is “Christmas Around the World.” The parade promises to provide spectators with plenty of music, lights, and beautiful floats, a press release said.

The sponsor of this year’s parade is The Cowperwood Company. There is no cost to participate.

The Chamber will be accepting entries online through Monday, December 9. Register by visiting the Chamber’s website at www.oakridgechamber.org. [Read more…]

Celebrate Oak Ridge Business Awards Breakfast to be held May 7

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Consolidated Nuclear Security, UT-Battelle, and the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce are joining together to host a breakfast in May to honor local business leaders and outstanding small businesses. May is National Small Business Month.

The honorees at the May 7 breakfast will be ARS International LLC, Karen Prillhart, Kelsan, Dustin Mackey, and Stephanie Hale-Smith of State Farm.

The Celebrate Oak Ridge Business awards breakfast will be held from 7:30-9 a.m. Tuesday, May 7, at the Doubletree by Hilton.

To reserve a spot at the breakfast, visit the Oak Ridge Chamber’s website at www.oakridgechamber.org. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Chamber’s Christmas Parade award winners announced

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The Southern Alliance Dance Company (SADC), winner of the Director's Award, clogged a Christmas routine on the parade route. (Photo courtesy Ray Smith)

The Southern Alliance Dance Company (SADC), winner of the Director’s Award, clogged a Christmas routine on the parade route in the 2017 Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce Christmas Parade. (Photo courtesy Ray Smith)

 

A cold, snowy night seemed a fitting way to celebrate one of Oak Ridge’s favorite tradition—the Oak Ridge Christmas Parade. Approximately 120 entries participated in the parade. This year’s parade theme was “A Toyland Christmas” and was a part of the 75th Anniversary Celebration of Oak Ridge.

Judges awarded seven awards following the parade: [Read more…]

Leadership Oak Ridge to dedicate garden in memory of Caldwell on Wednesday

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The 2017 Class of Leadership Oak Ridge is nearing completion of a project that seeks to honor a beloved member of the community for his tireless efforts to improve the lives of those around him, both personally and professionally. A dedication ceremony for the Dr. Gene Caldwell Memorial Garden has been set for 9 a.m. on Wednesday, November 8, at Emory Valley Center.

The group chose to build a raised-bed garden at Emory Valley Center for their class project and dedicate the garden in memory of Caldwell, a local pediatrician and citizen of Oak Ridge who helped raise the funds for Emory Valley Center’s new location. The group agreed that this would be a wonderful way to honor Caldwell’s legacy. He passed away in March of this year, just before the new center was set to open.

Since early spring, the Leadership class has worked to develop and execute a plan for the garden. They used fundraising for the project as well as donations of materials and labor to make their vision a reality. Navy Junior ROTC cadets from Oak Ridge High School assisted with the build, which was finished earlier this month. The Leadership class is now working on the finishing touches. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Chamber’s Christmas Parade to be held Saturday, Dec. 9

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The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce's annual Christmas Parade was Saturday, Dec. 10, 2016. (Photo by Eli Welton)

The last Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce Christmas Parade was Saturday, Dec. 10, 2016. (File photo by Eli Welton)

 

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce will have its annual Christmas Parade on Saturday, December 9.

This year’s theme is “A Toyland Christmas: Past 75 Years/Future 75 Years,” a press release said. It promises to provide spectators with plenty of music, lights, and beautiful floats, the release said.

The parade will be a part of Oak Ridge’s 75th Anniversary Celebration. Sponsor of this year’s parade is The Cowperwood Company. There is no cost to participate.

The Chamber will be accepting entries online through Monday, December 4. Register by visiting the Chamber’s website at www.oakridgechamber.org.

According to Greta Ownby, executive vice president of the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce: “People began signing up for the parade in August, as soon as we announced our theme. The second Saturday in December is always the date for our Christmas parade, and it’s nice to know that people start planning early make the parade a special part of their holiday tradition. We also wanted to incorporate the 75th anniversary of Oak Ridge into the event this year.” [Read more…]

Center for Leadership & Community Development starts ‘Encounter Oak Ridge’ program

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The Oak Ridge Center for Leadership and Community Development, an organization affiliated with the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce, has announced a new program, Encounter Oak Ridge.

Encounter Oak Ridge is a new four-session program designed to introduce Oak Ridge to new residents, new employees, and everyone interested in learning more about the community where they live or work. Participants will be introduced to the unique aspects of Oak Ridge. Sessions will take place on four consecutive Mondays, beginning on April 24 and concluding on May 15. Encounter Oak Ridge is sponsored by NSPS.

“Participants in this new program will benefit from learning about our community and from the new business and personal contacts they will make through Encounter Oak Ridge,” said Bonnie Hebert of Oak Ridge National Laboratory/UT-Battelle and chair of the Encounter Oak Ridge program.

“Encounter Oak Ridge is our organization’s latest offering to inform and empower Oak Ridge’s workforce and residents to be engaged in the community where they live and/or work,” said John Garrity of NSPS LLC and chairman of the Center for Leadership and Community Development.

Each session will focus on different aspects of the Oak Ridge community, the press release said: [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Chamber’s Christmas Parade will be Dec. 10

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The Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge float in the 2015 Oak Ridge Christmas Parade. This year's parade will be held on Saturday, December 10, 2016. The theme is "Jingle All the Way." (Photo by Ray Smith)

The Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge float in the 2015 Oak Ridge Christmas Parade. This year’s parade will be held on Saturday, December 10, 2016. The theme is “Jingle All the Way.” (Photo by Ray Smith)

 

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce’s annual Christmas Parade will be Saturday, December 10.

This year’s theme is “Jingle All the Way,” and it promises to provide spectators with plenty of music, lights, and beautiful floats, a press release said. More than 50 businesses and community organizations have already registered their entries for the parade.

The sponsor of this year’s parade is The Cowperwood Company. There is no cost to participate.

The Chamber will be accepting entries online through Monday, December 5. Register by visiting the Chamber’s website at www.oakridgechamber.org. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Chamber to host City Council forum on Tuesday

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The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce’s Advocacy Committee is hosting its final forum of the 2016 election season. The forum for candidates running for Oak Ridge City Council will be held at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, October 18, in the Joyce Conference Room at the Chamber, which is at 1400 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

The forum is free, and the public is encouraged to attend. All candidates for City Council—Jim Dodson, Wende Doolittle, Anne Garcia Garland, Chuck Hope, Joe Lee, Mark LeNoir, and Hans Vogel—have indicated their intention to participate in the forum, a press release said. [Read more…]

Reminder: School board candidate forum is Thursday morning

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Reminder: The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce has a forum for candidates for Oak Ridge Board of Education on Thursday morning.

It’s the second of three candidate forums for the November 8 election.

The Board of Education candidate forum will start at 7:30 a.m. Thursday, September 29, in the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce’s Joyce Conference Room. It’s free and open to the public.

There are three candidates for two seats on the school board: the incumbents, Angi Agle and Keys Fillauer, and challenger Myra Mansfield. [Read more…]

Running for Office Workshop on Thursday at Oak Ridge Chamber

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Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce building is pictured above.

 

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce is offering a free workshop for anyone interested in running for local office on Thursday, May 19. The workshop is scheduled from 7-8:30 p.m. May 19 in the Joyce Conference Room at the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce. It’s open to the public.

The workshop will be conducted by Bob Eby, who has successfully run four campaigns over four decades and currently serves on the Oak Ridge Board of Education. He will share advice that he has received from elected officials over the years as well as his own observations and experiences during the past 30 years. Eby will share his list of things you must do, the things to avoid, and things to consider in order to run a successful campaign. There will be an opportunity for participants to ask questions and discuss issues. [Read more…]

Fox News editor to be keynote speaker at Oak Ridge Chamber luncheon

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Chris Stirewalt

Chris Stirewalt

Chris Stirewalt, digital politics editor for the Fox News Channel, will be the keynote speaker for the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce’s Program of Work Kickoff luncheon at noon on Monday, March 21. The luncheon will be held at the DoubleTree by Hilton at 201 South Illinois Avenue.

At the luncheon, the Chamber’s 2016 Program of Work will be introduced. The Chamber’s Eugene L. Joyce Lifetime Achievement Award and the Kerry Trammell Volunteer of the Year award will be presented as part of the program.

Stirewalt has worked in the FNC’s Washington Bureau since 2010. He helps coordinate political coverage across the network, a press release said. His daily newsletter, “Fox News First,” has nearly 300,000 subscribers. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Christmas Parade is Saturday, Dec. 12

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Oak Ridge Christmas Parade Train

A float at the Oak Ridge Christmas Parade is pictured above in December 2014. (Photo by D. Ray Smith)

 

The annual Christmas Parade organized by the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce is Saturday, December 12. This year’s theme is “Winter Wonderland,” and it promises to provide spectators with plenty of music, lights, and beautiful floats, a press release said.

Almost 80 businesses and community organizations have already registered their entries for the parade. Sponsor of this year’s parade is The Cowperwood Company. There is no cost to participate.

The parade will start at 6 p.m. December 12, and it will begin at Corporate Center, on the corner of Lafayette and Laboratory Road. From there, the parade will travel down Lafayette to the Oak Ridge Turnpike. It will continue west on the Turnpike to Oak Ridge High School. The judge’s stand will be located in front of the Chamber. [Read more…]