Oak Ridge Today

City officials clash over Secret City Festival spending costs

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Rick Springfield at Secret City Festival

The Rick Springfield concert at the Secret City Festival in June was the largest ever for the annual festival, an organizer said.

Debate over the costs of the Secret City Festival—and whether the city can afford a $160,000 “party” every year—was briefly renewed again on Monday.

The sometimes-rancorous debate came up as the Oak Ridge City Council considered whether to approve two resolutions laying the financial foundation for the June 2014 festival.

Early in the debate, Oak Ridge City Council member Trina Baughn moved to reallocate the Secret City Festival money and use it instead for a school resource officer in each middle school, or two SROs total.

But Council member Charlie Hensley said Baughn was essentially asking the city to take money it would collect from festival sponsors and use it instead for SROs.

“I think that’s fraudulent,” Hensley said. [Read more…]

Florida runner finishes first in Secret City Half Marathon

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Secret City Half Marathon Start

Five hundred thirty-six runners start in the Secret City Half Marathon on Briarcliff Avenue on Sunday morning.

A Florida man finished first in the Secret City Half Marathon on Sunday morning, crossing the finish line almost eight minutes ahead of the second-place runner.

Jason McLeod, 21, of Orlando, Fla., finished the 13.1-mile course in 1:11:53. It was his first half marathon.

McLeod has never competed in a full marathon either, but he did run cross country for four years at Bryan College in Dayton, Tenn.

Gina Rouse, 34, of Knoxville finished second with a time of 1:19:50. She was also the top female runner among the 536 athletes who started Sunday. She has competed in marathons, including the Nashville Marathon in 2006 and Atlanta Marathon in 2011. [Read more…]

Secret City Half Marathon this weekend features 5k, 10k races; health, fitness expo

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Secret City Half Marathon Course Map

The Secret City Half Marathon course map is pictured above.

The Secret City Half Marathon this weekend will feature 5k and 10k races, and a new health and fitness expo.

The first-ever Secret City 5k and 10k races start at 7:30 a.m. Saturday at the Oak Ridge Civic Center.

The inaugural Health and Fitness Expo is scheduled from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday, also at the Oak Ridge Civic Center. The event will include booths and exhibits from fitness and health professionals around the region.

“The Secret City Half Marathon Health and Fitness Expo provides the perfect setting to promote Oak Ridge as a top-notch visitor destination,” said Katy Brown, executive director of the Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau. “Around 600 runners from around the Southeast have registered to participate in the Half Marathon, and we hope every one of them will check in at the Health and Fitness Expo.” [Read more…]

Some road, lane closures during Secret City Half Marathon Nov. 30-Dec. 1

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Secret City Half Marathon Course Map

The course map for the Secret City Half Marathon is pictured above.

Some traffic lanes and roads will be closed, and several main roads and intersections will be affected by the Secret City Half Marathon road races next weekend, Nov. 30-Dec. 1, officials said Thursday.

About 800 runners are expected to race on the streets and greenways of Oak Ridge during these family-friendly athletic events, the City of Oak Ridge and Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau said in a press release Thursday.

“Motorists should be aware of runners and walkers in the race areas and try to avoid these roads and find alternate routes if possible,” the release said.

The first-ever Secret City 5k and 10k races will be held Saturday, Nov. 30, at 7:30 a.m. The Oak Ridge Police Department will shut down portions of the race course during the affected time periods. Both races start and finish on Badger Avenue near Oak Ridge Associated Universities and continue along the following route through central Oak Ridge: [Read more…]

Secret City Half Marathon Weekend to feature new 5K, 10K races; health, fitness expo

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Secret City Half Marathon

The Secret City Half Marathon Weekend at the end of November will feature 5K and 10K races, and a new Health and Fitness Expo.

The Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau announced the changes on Wednesday. The marathon weekend is Nov. 30-Dec. 1.

“With less than two months to the race, runners and walkers are encouraged to lace up their running shoes and sign up soon to participate in one of these great family friendly athletic events in Oak Ridge,” a press release said.

The first-ever Secret City 5K and 10K races will be held Saturday, Nov. 30, at 7:30 a.m. Both courses start and end near the Oak Ridge Civic Center and run through the streets of Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

Pictures: Neon Vibe 5K

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Neon Vibe 5K

About 1,600 runners and walkers participated in the Neon Vibe 5K in Oak Ridge on Sept. 21.

There were also about 800 volunteers and spectators, for a total of roughly 2,400 people, according to the Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau, which helped organize the event, the first-ever in Tennessee.

“It was hugely successful,” ORCVB President Katy Brown said.

[Read more…]

What’s happening in Oak Ridge from Sept. 26-Oct. 2

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Here is a summary of events happening in Oak Ridge starting Thursday, Sept. 26, and continuing through Oct. 2.

This weekly listing of events is compiled by the Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau: [Read more…]

More than 1,200 runners, walkers expected in Neon Vibe 5K this weekend

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Neon Vibe 5K Oak Ridge

A Neon Vibe 5K will be held in Oak Ridge on Sept. 21. (Photo courtesy Neon Vibe 5K)

Runners and walkers will “light up the night” in Oak Ridge on Saturday, as the state’s first Neon Vibe 5K makes its way to the Secret City. Race organizers are expecting large crowds with more than 1,200 participants already registered and more expected to sign up later this week and on race day.

The road race begins at 8 p.m. near the Pavilion inside A.K. Bissell Park. Participants and spectators should plan to arrive early, at least an hour before the race, and allow ample time to find parking prior to road closures occurring around the race site.

Parking for participants and spectators is available at the Oak Ridge Civic Center, the Oak Ridge Municipal Building, Oak Ridge High School, the Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau at the Midtown Community Center, and the back parking lot of Oak Ridge Associated Universities. [Read more…]

Intersections, roads in central Oak Ridge closed during Neon Vibe 5K next weekend

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Neon Vibe Course Map

The race course for the Neon Vibe 5K on Sept. 21 is pictured above. (Submitted image)

Intersections and roads in central Oak Ridge will be closed for a few hours next weekend for the first Neon Vibe 5K race in Tennessee.

The race starts at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 21, near the pavilion inside Alvin K. Bissell Park. The course includes ORAU Way, Robertsville and Providence roads, North and South Tulane avenues, and Badger Avenue.

The Oak Ridge Police Department will start closing major intersections and side roads at 7 p.m., a press release said. The entire race course will be closed to all traffic by 7:30 p.m. [Read more…]

Athletes from East Tennessee, Atlanta race on stand up paddleboards

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Stand Up Paddleboarding Elite Race Winner

Greg Tysor of Atlanta finishes first in a seven-mile stand up paddleboarding race on the Clinch River at Oak Ridge Marina on Sunday. Tysor’s time was 1:13:54.

Racers from Knoxville, Atlanta, Chattanooga, and East Tennessee competed Sunday in the first stand up paddleboarding, or SUP, competition in Oak Ridge.

The new event was called the Secret City SUP Classic, and it featured two afternoon races at the Oak Ridge Marina on Melton Lake Park. One was a two-mile fun race, and the other was a seven-mile elite race.

It’s part of a new human-powered sports initiative in Oak Ridge, said Sam Jones, sales manager for the Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau. That initiative also includes the Neon Vibe 5K—an after-dark, fluorescent glow light fun run—scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 21, at A.K. Bissell Park. [Read more…]

Stand up paddleboarding races at Oak Ridge Marina on Sept. 8

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Chattanooga Stand Up Paddleboarding Competition

A stand up paddleboarding competition in Chattanooga. (Photo courtesy ORCVB)

People in the recreation industry call it a fast-growing sport with a Hawaiian heritage.

It’s stand up paddleboarding, or SUP, and it’s coming to Oak Ridge in September in a new event called the Secret City SUP Classic. It will feature two races starting at 2 p.m. Sept. 8 at the Oak Ridge Marina on Melton Lake Park.

“SUP is a new sport that’s taking the waterways by storm, and Oak Ridge provides the perfect venue for these races,” said Katy Brown, executive director of the Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau. “We hope paddleboarders of all ages will come out to the waterfront as we introduce the region to a different side of the Secret City.” [Read more…]

What’s happening in Oak Ridge Aug. 16-21

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Here is a summary of events happening in Oak Ridge starting this evening, Aug. 16, and continuing through Aug. 21.

This weekly listing of events is compiled by the Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau: [Read more…]