Oak Ridge Today

City, county could move General Sessions Court to Emory Valley Road

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A few options have been considered, and Anderson County will now study whether to move the General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge to a county-owned building on Emory Valley Road. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

A few options have been considered, and Anderson County will now study whether to move the General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge to a county-owned building on Emory Valley Road.

Related to that proposal are plans to move the Oak Ridge Senior Center, which is now at the Emory Valley Road building, to the Oak Ridge Civic Center on Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Also up for a possible move is the Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department. That department now occupies part of the Civic Center, where the Senior Center could move, but the department’s administrative offices could move to a vacant building on Badger Road that once housed Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic.

The idea is that moving the administrative wing of Recreation and Parks to the Badger Road building could free up space for seniors at the Civic Center, which in turn would help create space at the county-owned building for the General Sessions Court. [Read more…]

City board recommends senior center at Civic Center; will ask for $50K for conceptual studies

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A city board has recommended that the Oak Ridge Senior Center be located at the Civic Center on Oak Ridge Turnpike, and the board will ask the City Council to consider $50,000 for conceptual studies, possibly in April. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

An Oak Ridge board has recommended that the city’s senior center be located at the Civic Center and Alvin K. Bissell Park, and the board will ask the City Council, possibly in April, to consider $50,000 for conceptual studies.

The Oak Ridge Senior Center is currently located in a county-owned building on Emory Valley Road. It’s been there since 1999.

Some senior center users have been advocating for a new home for years, arguing that they didn’t voluntarily leave the former Wildcat Den (the Midtown Community Center) and that their current home has a number of deficiencies. But despite those efforts, the senior center remains on Emory Valley Road.

The current effort to find a new home has been under way since last year and picked up in January, said Linda McGhee, senior programs recreation manager in the Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department. [Read more…]

Video: Free group guitar lessons at Oak Ridge Senior Center

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Wendall Cook teaches free group guitar lessons every Friday at 9 a.m. from January through the first week of October at the Oak Ridge Senior Center.

Freelance contributor Savanna Schubert talks to Cook, a few of his students, and Senior Center Manager Linda McGhee in the video below.

The Oak Ridge Senior Center is at 728 Emory Valley Road. Call (865) 425-3999 for more information.

Copyright 2016 Oak Ridge Today. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Cook teaches guitar, love of music at Oak Ridge Senior Center

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Wendall Cook teaches free group guitar lessons every Friday at 9 a.m. from January through the first week of October at the Oak Ridge Senior Center. (Photo by Savanna Schubert)

 

Wendall Cook has been playing guitar for more than 60 years. It began when he was growing up, listening to Elvis, Johnny Cash, and Jerry Lee Lewis. Cook started playing and singing with the help from his father, and it began with three chords on the guitar.

Now Cook has a class of his own. He has been giving group guitar lessons every Friday at 9 a.m. for more than 11 years. His group has grown from a small jam session of three people to four classes of more than 60 students ranging from beginner to advanced.

“We started from three people and they kept inviting people in—by the end of the year we had seven or eight,” Cook said. “I never have been a professional teacher, but I like to share.”

Cook’s passion for teaching can be seen just by sitting in on one class. His love for the music and the students are unparalleled. We spoke with a couple of Cook’s students about why they got started and how the group lessons have grown. [Read more…]

Senior Citizens Holiday Reception is Friday

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Oak Ridge Senior Center Holiday Party

A previous holiday party at the Oak Ridge Senior Center. (File photo)

 

The Oak Ridge Senior Center is having a Holiday Reception for area senior citizens on Friday, December 4, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., a press release said.

“Come join us for a light lunch of sandwiches, chips, and cookies as well as holiday music and fellowship,” the release said. “The Senior Center guitar group will be playing live Christmas music. Bingo will be offered, and door prizes given away. Goodie bags will be given out while they last. The event is sponsored by the Oak Ridge Senior Center and made possible by many generous donations from area businesses.”

Like the Oak Ridge Senior Center on Facebook, visit the website at http://orrecparks.oakridgetn.gov/, or call them at (865) 425-3999 for more information about this or other programs offered by the Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department.

Copyright 2015 Oak Ridge Today. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

New Zumba Gold Session starts Sept. 1 at Oak Ridge Senior Center

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A new fall session of Zumba Gold begins September 1 at the Oak Ridge Senior Center.

“Come celebrate the start of this new session with an Aloha Luau!” a press release said. “Try the first class for free and get a good cardio workout while dancing to great Latin music. Learn to tango, salsa, mambo, and cha-cha-cha along with some hip hop and oldies mixed in as well.”

Participants who are 50 or older can bring a guest that is under 50. Classes are held on Tuesday and Thursday evenings at 6 p.m. Classes are $4 each after your first one for free.

“Come join the fun and dance!” the press release said. [Read more…]

Working on transportation plan, state officials welcome public comments during Oak Ridge stop

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TDOT Logo

The Tennessee Department of Transportation is working on a statewide long-range transportation plan, and TDOT is partnering with the Oak Ridge Senior Center to hear from the local community about what transportation needs exist in the Oak Ridge and Anderson County area.

Regional TDOT officials will be available to hear your insights and opinions during a stop at the Oak Ridge Senior Center at 1 p.m. Wednesday, September 23. The two TDOT officials who will be there are Nick Weander and Jack Qualls, TDOT community transportation planners for the Knoxville region.

The Oak Ridge Senior Center is located at 728 Emory Valley Road. Please call (865) 425-3999 to reserve a space and be a part of this important conversation, a press release said.

You can also like the Oak Ridge Senior Center on Facebook, check our their website at http://orrecparks.oakridgetn.gov, or call (865) 425-3999 for more information about this or others programs offered by the Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department.

Sweating Saturday at Senior Center on Saturday

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Sweating Saturday

Sweating Saturday at the Oak Ridge Senior Center on Saturday will include a morning workout, followed by an optional walk along the Emory Valley Greenway.

Sweating Saturday is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. April 11 at the Oak Ridge Senior Center, which is at 728 Emory Valley Road.

Interval training will include 30-second workouts followed by 15-second recoveries. The workout will consist of three rounds of 20 exercises. Organizers said participants should complete them at their own fitness level. [Read more…]

Try Zumba Gold class free at Oak Ridge Senior Center

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Been eating way too many sweet treats over the holiday season? Then begin the New Year right by getting some much-needed exercise at the Oak Ridge Senior Center.

The Center is offering a Zumba Gold class beginning on January 13. [Read more…]

Free guitar, banjo lessons for seniors 50 and older

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Senior Guitar Lessons Class 2014

First Row: Jack Copeland, Rosevelt Gilliland, Lu Ann Christy, Ken Carter, Wendall Cook, Instructor, Don Snouffer. Second Row: Dee Williams, Don Bourgrand, George Davis, Bobby Neal, John Dorflinger, Roe Sutherland, Charlie Orr, Billie Joe Campbell. Third Row: Ernie Blair, Jim Sells, Joe Henderson, Unidentified Visitor, Ken Newton. (Submitted photo)

 

Free guitar lessons for senior citizens will resume on Friday, January 9, at 9 a.m. at the Oak Ridge Senior Citizen Center on Emory Valley Road.

All levels of guitar players are welcome, a press release said. Beginner’s lessons start at 9 a.m. and intermediate lessons at 10 a.m. Wendall Cook, who has many years of experience playing and teaching, conducts the lessons. [Read more…]

Holiday party for seniors on Dec. 5

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Oak Ridge Senior Center Holiday Party

The Oak Ridge Senior Center is having a holiday reception for area senior citizens from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, December 5. (Photo courtesy Oak Ridge Senior Center)

 

The Oak Ridge Senior Center is having a holiday reception for area senior citizens from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, December 5.

“Come join us for a light lunch of sandwiches, chips, and cookies, as well as holiday music and fellowship,” a press release said.

The Senior Center guitar group will be playing live Christmas music. Bingo will be offered, and door prizes given away. Goodie bags will be given out while they last. The event is sponsored by the Oak Ridge Senior Center and made possible by many generous donations from area businesses, the press release said.

For more information about this and other programs at the Oak Ridge Senior Center, call them at (865)425-3999 or visit their website at www.orrecparks.org.

Senior Center has free Veterans Day pancake brunch

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The Oak Ridge Senior Center will honor the men and women who have served the United States both past and present with a pancake brunch on Veterans Day, Tuesday, November 11. Brunch will begin at 10:30 a.m. and be on a first-come, first-serve basis until the pancakes are gone.

This is a free event for seniors 50 and over, as well as veterans of any age.

For more information about this and other programs at the Oak Ridge Senior Center, like them on Facebook, call them at (865) 425-3999, or visit the website at orrecparks.org.