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‘Forever Plaid’ to open at Oak Ridge Playhouse

Posted at 7:24 am July 18, 2022
By Oak Ridge Playhouse Leave a Comment

‘Forever Plaid’ opens at the Oak Ridge Playhouse on Thursday, July 21, 2022. (Photo submitted by Oak Ridge Playhouse)

Submitted

“Forever Plaid” is scheduled for performances at the Oak Ridge Playhouse from July 21 to July 31.

Featuring vintage songs from the 1950s and 1960s, “Forever Plaid” is a timeless revue centered around the close-harmony guy group Forever Plaid. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Entertainment, Front Page News, Theater Tagged With: Forever Plaid, musical, Oak Ridge Playhouse

Reminder: Flatwater Festival, Flatwater Tales this weekend

Posted at 4:15 pm June 1, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Ridge City Ramblers perform at the Flatwater Festival in 2017. (Photo courtesy Flatwater Festival)

Ridge City Ramblers perform at the Flatwater Festival in 2017. (Photo courtesy Flatwater Festival)

 

Reminder: The second Flatwater Festival presented by the three Rotary clubs of Oak Ridge will be held from noon to 9 p.m. on Saturday, June 2, at Melton Lake Park.

And the Flatwater Tales Storytelling Festival, which will feature three world renowned storytellers, has events on Friday and Sunday. It is the first storytelling festival in the Oak Ridge area.

Organizers said the Flatwater Festival on Saturday will include bands, beer, boat races, and bounce houses; wine, water, and soda; and face painting, food vendors, and fun for all, including corn hole games.

New this year is a team-building regatta featuring up to 20 boats. It will be held from 12:30 to 5 p.m. in collaboration with the Oak Ridge Rowing Association. A “build a boat” race by participants who make their own cardboard boats ahead of time will be held at 5 p.m. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Community, Entertainment, Food, Music, Nonprofits, Recreation, Sports, Writing Tagged With: Bil Lepp, Emily Jernigan, Flatwater Festival, Flatwater Tales Storytelling Festival, Melton Lake Park, Minton Sparks, Oak Ridge Playhouse, Rotary clubs of Oak Ridge, storytelling festival, Tim Lowry, University of Tennessee Arboretum

Flatwater Festival announces first storytelling festival in Oak Ridge

Posted at 12:34 pm May 18, 2018
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

From left are Bil Lepp, Tim Lowry, and Minton Sparks. (Photos courtesy Flatwater Tales)

From left are Bil Lepp, Tim Lowry, and Minton Sparks. (Photos courtesy Flatwater Tales)

 

Internationally acclaimed storytellers to perform, share laughter and tears, and create memories

The Flatwater Festival in Oak Ridge has announced a major addition to its 2018 schedule: The Flatwater Tales Storytelling Festival, featuring three world renowned storytellers. This will be an annual event sponsored by the three Rotary Clubs in Oak Ridge, all volunteers, as part of the Flatwater Festival weekend. This is the first storytelling festival in the Oak Ridge area, a press release said.

Bil Lepp, Tim Lowry, and Minton Sparks will perform for this inaugural festival. They have achieved national and international recognition and appear regularly at festivals, including the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee, the press release said.

Flatwater Tales kicks off on Friday, June 1, with a three-hour interactive writing workshop, “Create Your Own Story,” with Minton Sparks. The goal is to help participants discover their own stories from their family history and experiences, structure their stories, and share them with others. The workshop is being held in a serene woodland setting at the auditorium in the University of Tennessee Arboretum in Oak Ridge. No previous writing or performing experience is needed, the press release said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Community, Entertainment, Front Page News, Top Stories, Writing Tagged With: Bil Lepp, Blossom Center for Childhood Excellence, Emily Jernigan, Flatwater Festival, International Storytelling Center, Kiran Singh Sirah, Minton Sparks, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge Playhouse, Rotary clubs, storytelling festival, Tim Lowry, University of Tennessee Arboretum

Three Rotary clubs present Flatwater Festival on June 2

Posted at 11:54 am May 18, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Ridge City Ramblers perform at the Flatwater Festival in 2017. (Photo courtesy Flatwater Festival)

Ridge City Ramblers perform at the Flatwater Festival in 2017. (Photo courtesy Flatwater Festival)

 

Bands, beer, boat races, and bounce houses. Wine, water, and soda. Face painting, food vendors, and fun for all, including corn hole games.

The second Flatwater Festival presented by the three Rotary clubs of Oak Ridge will be held from noon to 9 p.m. on Saturday, June 2, at Melton Lake Park.

What’s new this year? A team-building regatta featuring up to 20 boats will be held from 12:30 to 5 p.m. in collaboration with the Oak Ridge Rowing Association. A “build a boat” race by participants who make their own cardboard boats ahead of time will be held at 5 p.m.

In addition, the festival at Melton Lake Park is sandwiched between the Flatwater Tales Storytelling Festival events on Friday, June 1, at the University of Tennessee Arboretum and Sunday, June 3, at the Oak Ridge Playhouse.

The three-day festival will be a fundraiser for the three Rotary clubs’ community service projects, including four new benches for the Oak Ridge waterfront in 2018, a press release said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Clubs, Community, Community, Entertainment, Food, Front Page News, Music, Nonprofits, Recreation, Slider, Sports Tagged With: 101 Degrees in the Shade, community service projects, Dean Cheatham, Emily Jernigan, Flatwater Festival, Flatwater Tales Storytelling Festival, Jubal with Taylor Kress, Little Engine, Melton Lake Park, Mt. LeConte Jug Band, Oak Ridge Playhouse, Oak Ridge Rowing Association, Oak Ridge waterfront, Osborne-Krause Duo, Ridge City Ramblers, Rotary clubs of Oak Ridge, University of Tennessee Arboretum, Unnamed

Greg LeMond, three-time Tour de France winner, to speak at fundraiser Tuesday

Posted at 6:23 pm December 11, 2017
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

lemond-composites-greg-lemond-2-oct-12-2016-web

Greg LeMond, three-time Tour de France champion, celebrated the announcement of LeMond Composites, a new company he co-founded, during a ceremony on Wednesday afternoon, Oct. 12, 2016, at Heritage Center in west Oak Ridge. The company is expected to make composite bicycles and carbon fiber, and invest $125 million and create 242 new jobs. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Greg LeMond, the only American to win the Tour de France, will speak about “The Adventure of My Life—from the Tour de France to Carbon Fiber” on Tuesday in a fundraiser for Oak Ridge Playhouse and 1in6.org, a press release said.

The talk is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, December 12, at Oak Ridge Playhouse in historic Jackson Square in Oak Ridge. It’s presented by UT-Battelle.

Event tickets (and pre-event reception tickets) are available at www.orplayhouse.com. One hundred percent of the proceeds will be used to support both Oak Ridge Playhouse and 1in6.org, the press release said.

LeMond won the Junior American Road Race in 1977, made the Olympic team in 1980 (but America boycotted), and continued to rise in the ranks of international cyclers, ultimately winning the Tour de France three times, the press release said. His first win in 1986 was followed by a near-fatal hunting accident, requiring months of recuperation. This comeback climaxed when LeMond won his second Tour de France in 1989 by a mere eight seconds, the press release said. After being invited to the White House by Ronald Reagan and named Sports Illustrated’s Sportsman of the Year in 1989, LeMond won his third Tour de France in 1990. LeMond retired from professional racing in 1994; two years after his retirement, he was inducted into the US Bicycling Hall of Fame. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Community, Recreation, Sports, Top Stories Tagged With: 1in6.org, carbon fiber, carbon fiber frame bike, carbon fiber manufacturing, Carbon Nexus, Deakin University, Greg LeMond, international cyclers, LeMond Composites, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge Playhouse, professional racing, sexual abuse, Sports Illustrated, Sportsman of the Year, Tour de France, US Bicycling Hall of Fame, UT-Battelle, UT-Battelle LLC

IIa, ORAU sponsor Employee Night at Oak Ridge Playhouse

Posted at 9:10 pm July 31, 2016
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Bonnie Carroll and Andy Page at Fiddler on the Roof

Bonnie Carroll, founder and CEO of IIa, and Andy Page, president and CEO of ORAU, welcome their employees to Oak Ridge Playhouse’s recent production of Fiddler on the Roof. (Submitted photo)

Filed Under: Business, Entertainment, Oak Ridge, Theater, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: Andy Page, Bonnie Carroll, Fiddler on the Roof, IIa, Oak Ridge Playhouse, ORAU

Artists, arts supporters to be recognized during Tribute to the Arts on Tuesday

Posted at 1:41 pm March 26, 2016
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Tribute-To-The-Arts-March-29-2016

Arts agencies will showcase their talents during a Tribute to the Arts in Oak Ridge on Tuesday, March 29, 2016, and local artists and arts supporters will be recognized. (Submitted image)

 

Arts agencies will showcase their talents during a Tribute to the Arts in Oak Ridge on Tuesday, and local artists and arts supporters will be recognized.

This is the second time that the Arts Council of Oak Ridge has offered this unique gala giving members of the community a chance to recognize local artists and arts supporters for their wonderful work promoting the arts in Anderson County, a press release said.

Tribute to the Arts is scheduled from 6-9 p.m. Tuesday, March 29, at the Saint Mary’s Family Life Center in Oak Ridge.

“Each of the arts agencies will be showcasing their talents, so it’s the perfect time to sample an appetizer of arts in our community,” the press release said.

The event is being co-promoted by Arts Council of Oak Ridge and the Rotary Club of Oak Ridge Sunset, with proceeds from ticket sales and a silent auction benefiting both organizations and their philanthropies. Tickets may be purchased by contacting the Arts Council of Oak office at (865) 482-4432 or contacting any representative from the eight member organizations. Those groups are Oak Ridge Art Center, Oak Ridge Civic Music Association, Oak Ridge Civic Ballet Association, Tennessee Mountain Writers, Oak Ridge Playhouse, Oak Ridge Community Orchestra, Oak Ridge Community Band, and the Music Arts School. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Arts, Community, Dancing, Entertainment, Front Page News, Meetings and Events, Music, Nonprofits, Theater, Top Stories, Writing Tagged With: artists, Arts Council of Oak Ridge, arts supporters, Audrey Stelson, Bill Capshaw, Chuck Coutant, Cyndi Jeffers, Ed Westcott, Gene Spejewski, George Kidd, Greg Foertter, Hayden Evans, Ilia Steinschneider, Jean Box, Jenny Collins, Jim Dodson, Judy Kidd, Music Arts School, Nancy Coutant, Oak Ridge Art Center, Oak Ridge Civic Ballet Association, Oak Ridge Civic Music Association, Oak Ridge Community Band, Oak Ridge Community Orchestra, Oak Ridge Playhouse, Rotary Club of Oak Ridge Sunset, Saint Mary's Family Life Center, Sheryl Lawrence Howard, Tennessee Mountain Writers, Tribute to the Arts

Summer theater program set at Oak Ridge Playhouse

Posted at 9:44 pm March 16, 2016
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Josh-Cormany-Lauren-McCoig-Oak-Ridge-Playhouse-Camp-2014

Students Josh Cormany of Knoxville, then 15, and Lauren McCoig of Oak Ridge, then 12, perform a scene at the 2014 Oak Ridge Junior Playhouse Theater Camp showcase.
(Photo by Suzanne McNeil)

 

By Betsy Abernathy

The Oak Ridge Junior Playhouse is preparing for its annual summer program for young people interested in theater. The Oak Ridge Junior Playhouse Theater Camp will run from June 6 through June 17, from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. each weekday. The camp is open to rising third through rising 12th graders and will be held in the studios of the Dance Centre of Oak Ridge, which is at 108 East Division Road in Oak Ridge. On the last day of camp, the participants will present a workshop showcase on the Oak Ridge Playhouse stage.

Former campers, many of whom continue to be involved in theater at their schools and communities, speak highly of the summer program. Josh Cormany, 17, of Knoxville, who stage managed the recent Junior Playhouse production of “The Snow Queen,” recommends the camp to kids interested in theater.

“My favorite thing about the Playhouse Theater Camp is that you get to have fun and learn about theater in a friendly and nonjudgmental environment,” Cormany said. “The camp is so enjoyable because you can just be yourself.” [Read more…]

Filed Under: 2016, Entertainment, Front Page News, Summer Camps, Theater, Top Stories Tagged With: Amy Souleyrette, Betsy Abernathy, Dance Centre, Dance Centre of Oak Ridge, Josh Cormany, Junior Playhouse, Maggie Keener, Maria Hudson, Oak Ridge Junior Playhouse, Oak Ridge Junior Playhouse Theater Camp, Oak Ridge Playhouse, summer program

Secret City Festival growing, evolving, but not ending, officials say

Posted at 1:23 am June 25, 2015
By John Huotari 7 Comments

Secret City Festival World War II Re-enactment 2015

A Flak 88 firing during a Battle of Normandy re-enactment at the 2015 Secret City Festival in Oak Ridge. (Photo by Rob Welton)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 10 a.m.

A rumor that circulated widely this month said this was going to be the last year for the Secret City Festival.

But city officials said it’s premature to say that.

It is true that a Special Events Advisory Task Force has been studying changes to the annual festival, including moving it from June and making it into an expanded celebration in the fall, starting in October and continuing through Veterans Day (November 11). It could be renamed the Secret City Celebration, implemented by a new nonprofit expected to become self-sustaining within five years, and add events while continuing to include the Secret City Festival.

At a Wednesday evening meeting, Task Force members said many of the current festival activities could continue, including music, World War II re-enactments, historical displays, and children’s activities. But they also said there could be opportunities for new partnerships with other organizations, including Wounded Warriors and Oak Ridge Playhouse. And it’s not clear that the Secret City Festival would continue to be a two-day event.

Task Force members say they’re hoping to help create something bigger and better. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Community, Entertainment, Government, Government, Oak Ridge, Slider, Top Stories Tagged With: budget, children's activities, Dogwood Arts Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, fireworks, historical displays, Kate Groover, Lavender Festival, Mike Brown, music, Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge Playhouse, Ray Smith, Secret City Celebration, Secret City Festival, Special Events Advisory Task Force, Trina Baughn, Warren Gooch, World War II re-enactments, wounded warriors

Arts Council asks for your support in United Arts Fund Drive

Posted at 2:57 pm April 22, 2015
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Arts Council of Oak Ridge Logo

The Arts Council of Oak Ridge is asking for your support in this year’s United Arts Fund Drive.

The annual drive kicked off March 15 and ends April 30.

Here is the letter the Arts Council sent to arts supporters in March:

Dear Arts Supporter,

Oak Ridge has always had a strong arts community—even as a secret city—and the arts continue to be essential to the health and vitality of Oak Ridge and Anderson County today. They enhance community development, spur urban renewal, attract new businesses, draw tourism dollars, create an attractive environment for skilled, educated workers, and help make the Oak Ridge area a great place to live, work, worship, and play. The arts organizations in Oak Ridge are vital because they support and supplement school activities, attract tourists and visitors, and offer volunteer and participation opportunities. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Arts, Community, Dancing, Entertainment, Front Page News, Music, Nonprofits, Sponsored Posts, Theater, Top Stories, Writing Tagged With: arts community, Arts Council, Arts Council of Oak Ridge, arts organizations, Audrey Stelson, Dave Eckman, donation, Music Arts, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge Art Center, Oak Ridge Civic Ballet Association, Oak Ridge Civic Music Association, Oak Ridge Community Band, Oak Ridge Community Orchestra, Oak Ridge Playhouse, ORCMA, Tennessee Mountain Writers, United Arts Fund Drive

Guest column: Don’t miss ‘Ain’t Misbehavin’; show ends this weekend

Posted at 2:15 pm May 9, 2014
By Oak Ridge Today Guest Columns Leave a Comment

Ain't Misbehavin'

By Gene R. Dunaway

It opened April 25 at the Oak Ridge Playhouse and closes Sunday, May 11, and “Ain’t Misbehavin'” is a production to miss at your peril! A show of almost two hours of non-stop music, dance, and jive, I found myself struggling to remain seated and not jump up and join in the fun.

Go through the lobby doors, and you have time traveled back to Harlem during World War II. The smoky haze of a late-night club envelopes you. A lone piano player, Wendel Werner, is stroking the keys.

Presently, he is joined on stage by Alexis Tidwell, Lar’ Juanette Williams, Amy Coleman, Dann B. Black, and Tony Williams II. This ensemble, backed up by an intimate house band, explores the heights of a full-blown party to the depths of love gone wrong.

Along the way, we are treated to exceptional solos, duets, trios, quartets, and quintets. The dancing is contagious and choreographed by resident artistic director Reggie Law (a man of many talents). [Read more…]

Filed Under: Entertainment, Guest Columns, Opinion, Theater Tagged With: Ain't Misbehavin', Alexis Tidwell, Amy Coleman, Dann B. Black, Gene R. Dunaway, Harlem, Lar' Juanette Williams, Oak Ridge Playhouse, Reggie Law, Tony Williams II, Wendel Werner, World War II

Letter: Witness ‘intense conflict of forces’ in Playhouse drama

Posted at 10:11 pm February 21, 2014
By Oak Ridge Today Letters 1 Comment

To the Editor:

In the early days of black-and-white television, there used to be a game show entitled “I’ve Got A Secret” hosted by Garry Moore. On it, a panel tried to determine a contestant’s “secret”: something that was unusual, amazing, embarrassing, or humorous about that person. It was entertaining in a jocular fashion. Presently appearing on the stage at the Oak Ridge Playhouse is “Other Desert Cities,” also a show built around secrets that are revealed with gut-wrenching emotion. One program would give you the urge to buy toothpaste. The other will give you the urge to seek a storm shelter.

I was privileged to watch the final dress rehearsal on Thursday evening. The pedigree and jist of the play, while important, are recorded elsewhere. I wish to share with you, the reader, what I experienced with the hope that—at the curtain call—you, too, will be engulfed with a myriad of emotions. You are going to witness a prime example of ensemble acting. The seasoned actors are Ashley Peck (Brooke Wyeth), Leo LaCamera (Trip Wyeth), Karen Brunner (Mrs. Polly Wyeth), Steve Fitchpatrick (Mr. Lyman Wyeth), and Laurel Williams (Aunt Silda). While each possesses talent in his or her own right, collectively they are a super nova of stagecraft. For approximately two and a half hours, what you will see and hear is real! They are brother, sister, and aunt that have their own take of the family secret; and a mother and father who know the truth but have refused up till now to reveal it. These are not thespians but an actual family embroiled in a crisis that goes beyond the worst holiday dinner you have ever had. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Letters, Opinion Tagged With: Ashley Peck, conflict, drama, Gene R. Dunaway, Karen Brunner, Laurel Williams, Leo LaCamera, Oak Ridge Playhouse, Other Desert Cities, Reggie Law, Steve Fitchpatrick

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AVAILABILITY OF THE FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE OFFSITE HOUSING OF THE Y-12 DEVELOPMENT … [Read More...]

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