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Groundbreaking for Friendship Bell Peace Pavilion is Thursday

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The new Peace Pavilion for the International Friendship Bell at Alvin K. Bissell Park will feature a cantilever design. (Submitted image)

The new Peace Pavilion for the International Friendship Bell at Alvin K. Bissell Park will feature a cantilever design. (Submitted image)

 

Groundbreaking ceremonies for the new International Friendship Bell Peace Pavilion will take place at 5 p.m. Thursday, September 21, at the bell’s new location in Alvin K. Bissell Park, just west of the Oak Ridge Civic Center.

Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch will be master of ceremonies for the groundbreaking. The Oak Valley Baptist Church Choir will present a music program relating to the friendship and peace theme of the event. Pat Postma and Alan Tatum, co-chairs of the International Friendship Bell Citizens Advisory Committee, will take part in the ceremonies.

Major donors—including UT Battelle/Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge Associated Universities, and CNS-Y-12—will participate in breaking ground for the new pavilion, a press release said.

The bell, created for Oak Ridge’s 50th birthday, is expected to bring its message of peace and friendship to the thousands of visitors expected at the Manhattan Project National Historical Park in Oak Ridge, the press release said.. The new pavilion for the bell came about after city officials discovered that structural beams in the original bell house had severely deteriorated. [Read more…]

Anderson County Commission allocates $10,000 to Friendship Bell fund drive

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Anderson County Commissioners present a $10,000 check for the new Peace Pavilion to house the International Friendship Bell to Shigeko Uppuluri, left, and Pat Postma, right. Commissioners are Theresa Scott and Steve Emert, Commission chair, front; and in back from left, Jerry Creasey, Myron Iwanski, Phil Yager, Whitey Hitchcock, and Steve Mead. (Submitted photo)

Anderson County Commissioners present a $10,000 check for the new Peace Pavilion to house the International Friendship Bell to Shigeko Uppuluri, left, and Pat Postma, right. Commissioners are Theresa Scott and Steve Emert, Commission chair, front center; and in back from left, Jerry Creasey, Myron Iwanski, Phil Yager, Whitey Hitchcock, and Steve Mead. (Submitted photo)

 

Several Anderson County Commissioners recently gathered at the International Friendship Bell in Oak Ridge to present a $10,000 check for the new Peace Pavilion that will become the Bell’s new home in Bissell Park.

The Commission voted unanimously earlier this year to allocate $10,000 to help replace the pavilion housing the Bell after structural beams in the original pavilion deteriorated and the structure had to be demolished in 2014.

“We have to preserve the Bell,” said County Commission Chair Steve Emert. “It is important for tourism, for history, and especially for its message of friendship.”

“The Bell will be a key part of the story that the Manhattan Project National Historical Park is going to tell. This benefits the whole county, not just Oak Ridge,” added County Commissioner Myron Iwanski. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Rotary Clubs donate $10,000 to Friendship Bell project

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Oak Ridge Rotary Clubs announced on Thursday, Nov. 17, 2016, a $10,000 donation to the project to rebuild the pavilion for the International Friendship Bell and relocate it at Alvin K. Bissell Park. From left are Devrin Kuipers, president of Oak Ridge Sunset Rotary Club; Jennifer Campbell, president of Oak Ridge Rotary Club; Emily Jernigan, president of Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary Club; and Pat Postma and Alan Tatum, co-chairs of the International Friendship Bell Citizens Advisory Committee. (Photo by D. Ray Smith)

 

Oak Ridge Rotary Clubs announced Thursday that they are donating $10,000 to the project to build a new Peace Pavilion to house the International Friendship Bell at a new location in Oak Ridge’s Alvin K. Bissell Park.

The donation was announced by Devrin Kuipers, president of Oak Ridge Sunset Rotary Club; Jennifer Campbell, president of Oak Ridge Rotary Club; and Emily Jernigan, president of Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary Club. It was accepted by Pat Postma and Alan Tatum, co-chairs of the International Friendship Bell Citizens Advisory Committee.

The check presentation was the start of a public campaign to raise $750,000 for the project. A total of $416,000, or more than half the money, has either already been raised or pledged.

Also Thursday, UT-Battelle announced a $150,000 donation to the project. [Read more…]

UT-Battelle donates $150,000 for new Friendship Bell pavilion

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Oak Ridge National Laboratory Director Thom Mason, center, presented a check to Pat Postma, right, and Alan Tatum, co-chairs of the International Friendship Bell Citizens Advisory Committee, during a ceremony at Oak Ridge Associated Universities’ Pollard Auditorium on Thursday, Nov 17, 2016. (Photo by ORNL)

 

UT-Battelle has announced a $150,000 gift toward construction of a new Peace Pavilion to house the International Friendship Bell located in Oak Ridge’s Alvin K. Bissell Park.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory Director Thom Mason presented a check to Pat Postma and Alan Tatum, co-chairs of the International Friendship Bell Citizens Advisory Committee, during a Thursday evening ceremony at Oak Ridge Associated Universities’ Pollard Auditorium.

The check presentation was the start of a public campaign to raise $750,000 for the project. A total of $416,000 has either already been raised or pledged.

“The International Friendship Bell is an important symbol of the heritage and future of Oak Ridge,” Mason said. “UT-Battelle is proud to support the construction of a new Peace Pavilion that will make the bell a focal point for the city and for the new Manhattan Project National Historical Park.” [Read more…]

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