Oak Ridge Today

First Oak Ridge Outdoor Festival is Saturday

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department and Explore Oak Ridge are teaming up to host the first-ever Oak Ridge Outdoor Festival on Saturday.

The free event will be a day of fun activities at Oak Ridge parks, including disc golf, pickleball, kayaking, hiking, mountain biking and plein-air art, a press release said.

The festival is set for Saturday, June 22, from 9 a.m. to noon. There will be two sessions offered, so attendees could participate in two sessions. The first is from 9 to 10:15 a.m. and the second is from 10:45 a.m. to noon.

[Read more…]

Oak Ridge Outdoor Pool public input meeting set for June 13

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The Oak Ridge Outdoor Pool on Providence Road is pictured above. (Photo by City of Oak Ridge)

The Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department will hold its first public open house for the Outdoor Pool Renovation Project this month.

On Tuesday, June 13, at 6 p.m., the public is invited to join the department for a brief presentation at the Scarboro Community Center followed by an interactive open house, a press release said.

[Read more…]

City to repave Melton Lake parking lot beginning June 12

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Beginning the week of June 12, Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department crews will begin repaving the Melton Lake Greenway parking lot located on Melton Lake Drive, just north of the intersection with Edgemoor Road.

These renovations will result in increased Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility and a better-defined parking area, a press release said. However, this means that from June 12 until the project’s completion, public access to this parking area will be closed and inaccessible.

[Read more…]

Community Egg Hunt is Saturday, April 1

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Image by City of Oak Ridge

The City of Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department will host its free annual Community Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 1 at 11 a.m.

The egg hunt will be a traditional style Egg Hunt held at Alvin K. Bissell Park. Parking will be available at both the East and West Civic Center parking lots. In the event of severe weather, eggs and prizes will be handed out via drive through at the Oak Ridge Civic Center.

The event is limited to children aged four through fourth grade. Families are asked to pre-register at Eventbrite.com. Pre-registration helps staff plan for the correct number of eggs and other supplies, a press release said.

[Read more…]

Tree Lighting ceremony on Dec. 1

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

oak-ridge-christmas-tree-lighting-a-dec-2-2016
The Oak Ridge Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony is scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022, in Alvin K. Bissell Park. (File photo by City of Oak Ridge)

The annual Community Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony is scheduled for Thursday, December 1, in Alvin K. Bissell Park.

The tree lighting ceremony, sponsored by the Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department, is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. December 1.

The tree, a Norway spruce that was presented to the city by the Woman’s Club, has become part of a growing community tradition, a press release said.

[Read more…]

Children’s Halloween Party is Oct. 27

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge Monster Mash Bash 2021 (Photo by City of Oak Ridge)

The Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department will host the 2022 Children’s Halloween Party on Thursday, October 27, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. This annual event will be attended by hundreds of children and their parents, a press release said. Activities will be planned throughout A.K. Bissell Park, including a hayride, weather permitting.

Businesses and organizations are invited to sponsor a booth for the event. Sponsors will supply volunteers and hand out candy throughout the event. Booths should be age appropriate for children aged 4 through 4th grade. Applications can be picked up at the Civic Center front desk, the press release said.

[Read more…]

Oak Ridge Christmas Tree Lighting this evening

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

oak-ridge-christmas-tree-lighting-a-dec-2-2016
A previous Oak Ridge Christmas tree lighting in 2016 in Alvin K. Bissell Park. (File photo by City of Oak Ridge)

The City of Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department will have its annual Community Christmas Tree Lighting on Thursday, December 2, starting at 6:30 p.m. at the Pavilion in A.K. Bissell Park. The tree, a Norway Spruce, was presented by the Oak Ridge Woman’s Club to the city and has become part of a growing community tradition, a press release said.

The event will kick off at the outdoor A.K. Bissell Park Pavilion with seasonal music and the Park Board Awards ceremony. There will also be light refreshments provided by Y-12 Federal Credit Union and the Park Board, the press release said.

Following the program, participants will proceed to the Secret City Commemorative Walk on the east side of the Oak Ridge Public Library parking area for a brief ceremony ending with the tree lighting.

[Read more…]

City hosts Monster Mash Bash Halloween on Thursday

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department will host Monster Mash Bash, a citywide Halloween event, on Thursday evening. Monster Mash Bash is scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, October 28.

“This year’s event will be a literal ‘walk in the park’ beginning between the Oak Ridge Civic Center and the Senior Center on the west side parking area and looping through the Oak Ridge Civic Center Plaza back to the west parking lot,” a press release said. “Bissell Park and the parking lots will close at 2 p.m. and should be vacated at that time. This is to allow our sponsors and vendors to finish getting ready for the event. Parking in the west parking lot in front of the Senior Center will fill first, then the east parking lot by the Library, secondly.”

Event participants will be able to enjoy Halloween scenes, and children ages 4 years to 4th grade will receive treats throughout the park trail and may participate in a stamped scavenger hunt, the press release said. All families wishing to attend this free event will need to register at Eventbrite.com to help ensure there are enough treats and goodies to go around, the release said.

[Read more…]

Dogwood Junior Championship Regatta in Oak Ridge this weekend

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The Dogwood Junior Championship Regatta is in Oak Ridge this weekend on Saturday, April 24, and Sunday, April 25. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

The Dogwood Junior Championship Regatta is in Oak Ridge this weekend.

During the regatta, the Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department will partially close Melton Lake Greenway on Saturday, April 24, until Sunday, April 25, at 4 p.m.

“The closure is to help prevent the spread of COVID-19,” the city said. “It will be on the greenway between the boathouse parking lot and the crosswalk to the Emory Valley Greenway.”

[Read more…]

Children’s Halloween Party was rescheduled to today (Friday)

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The Children’s Halloween Party that had been scheduled for Thursday was rescheduled to today (Friday, October 30) due to the forecast of heavy rain and high winds earlier this week.

The event, called Halloween Hollow, is scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at the Oak Ridge Civic Center.

As a result of the schedule change, the sold-out Día de los Muertos Celebration hosted by the City of Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department has been moved to Monday, November 2, a press release said. For questions about this event, contact Eddie Chavez at (865) 425-3450.

The drive-through Children’s Halloween Party will now begin at the Oak Ridge Civic Center west side parking area and end at the Oak Ridge Public Library east side parking area. Event participants will be able to enjoy Halloween scenes and pick up preordered T-shirts, and children four years old to fourth grade will receive treats, the press release said.

[Read more…]

City offers tips to prevent spread of COVID-19 during Halloween

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The City of Oak Ridge does not regulate Halloween activities, but it has offered health safety tips and alternatives to celebrating the spooky season during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Many traditional Halloween activities can be high-risk for spreading viruses, the city said in a press release. If you might have COVID-19 or might have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, you should not participate in in-person Halloween festivities and should not give out candy to trick-or-treaters, the city said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), these are some low-risk activities:

[Read more…]

Children’s Halloween Party will be drive-through this year

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Submitted

The Children’s Halloween Party hosted by the Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department will be a drive-through event this year.

The Children’s Halloween Party (Halloween Hollow) is scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, October 29. It will begin at the field on the west side of Alvin K. Bissell Park and end at the parking area on the west side of the Oak Ridge Civic Center.

It’s a drive-through event because of COVID-19.

“Event participants will be able to enjoy Halloween scenes and pick up pre-ordered T-shirts, and children four years old to 4th grade will receive treats,” a press release said.

Employees and volunteers will sanitize frequently and be required to wear masks or face coverings when approaching a car and when within six feet of another person, the press release said. Any participants who want to come in to view the spooky scenes and receive treats will also be required to wear masks or face coverings, the release said.

[Read more…]