Oak Ridge Today

Unitarian Universalists dedicate new church today

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The Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church will dedicate its new church today (Sunday, October 19), and the community is invited, a press release said.

The new church is at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike. The church moved from its former location at Robertsville Road and Oak Ridge Turnpike to make way for the new Kroger Marketplace shopping center.

The UU Church has been used for a range of community events including League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge and Breakfast Rotary Club of Oak Ridge.

The press release said today’s service will begin at 4 p.m. Pianist Mary Hook will begin playing at 3 p.m. [Read more…]

Unitarian Universalists celebrate new church with week of free music, craft fair

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The Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church is celebrating the opening of their new church with a week of music and an annual craft fair.

The new church is at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike, on the north side of the Joe L. Evins Federal Building.

The week of music includes a performance by the Y’uns on Friday, October 17. Also beginning on October 17 and continuing on Saturday, October 18, the ORUUC will have its annual craft fair, a press release said.

The music events started Saturday, October 11, and end Sunday, October 19. The community is invited to attend, and all music events are free, the press release said. [Read more…]

UU Church’s last community meal at current location

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Stone Soup Community Meal

From left to right, volunteers Jinx Watson, Beatrice Holt, Todd Sherline, and daughter Poppy prepare for guests at an earlier ORUUC Stone Soup Free Community Meal. The next meal will be served tonight Friday, September 26. Everyone is welcome. (File photo)

 

The Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church will celebrate four years of the Stone Soup free community meal tonight (Friday, September 26).

It’s the last community meal at the church’s current location at Oak Ridge Turnpike and Robertsville Road. The church is moving to a new home on Oak Ridge Turnpike north of the Joe L. Evins Federal Building.

“Everyone is welcome to come to the fourth birthday celebration,” a press release said.

Dine-in or takeout will be available from 5 to 6 p.m. in the Social Hall of the church located at 1500 Oak Ridge Turnpike in Oak Ridge. Diners will be served homemade beanie weenie soup, pimiento cheese sandwiches, classic coleslaw, and chocolate cake. [Read more…]

Food, music at Taste of Oak Ridge to benefit Free Medical Clinic

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Taste of Oak Ridge

 

The format will be the same, but this year’s Taste of Oak Ridge will be held at the new Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church on Oak Ridge Turnpike—instead of in Jackson Square. It was moved because organizers weren’t sure when construction work might start on a revitalization project at Jackson Square.

Taste of Oak Ridge features food from Oak Ridge restaurants and performances by local musicians.

The sixth annual festival, scheduled from 4 to 10 p.m. Saturday, will raise money to benefit the Free Medical Clinic of Oak Ridge. The Free Medical Clinic provides free medical care to residents of Anderson, Roane, and Morgan counties who don’t have insurance and can’t afford to pay for care.

Area restaurants will showcase some of their finest food in small portions. The price range for the “tastes” from each vendor will be $1 to $4 per item. Tickets will be available for purchase at entrances to the event. Attendees can buy as many tickets as they want for $1 each. In addition, beer and wine will be available to buy.

This year’s Taste of Oak Ridge will be held in the parking lot of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church at its new address at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike, north of the Joe L. Evins Federal Building. [Read more…]

Lunch with League: tnAchieves paves path to higher education

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Graham Thomas

Graham Thomas

Graham Thomas, tnAchieves director of community partnerships, will be the guest speaker at Lunch with the League at noon Tuesday, September 16, in the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, located at 1500 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

tnAchieves, a partnering organization to Governor Bill Haslam’s Tennessee Promise, serves primarily first-generation, low-income students in an effort to increase this population’s likelihood of earning a college credential. While the funding provided by Tennessee Promise is critical to increased post-secondary access, tnAchieves data confirms that working with a mentor further enhances a student’s likelihood of entering the post-secondary pipeline, a press release said. In fact, the University of Tennessee’s Center for Business and Economic Research found that students participating with tnAchieves are nearly 21 percent more likely to enter college. [Read more…]

Summer menu to begin at Unitarian Universalist free community meal Friday

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Stone Soup Community Meal

From left to right, volunteers Jinx Watson, Beatrice Holt, Todd Sherline, and daughter Poppy prepare for guests at an earlier ORUUC Stone Soup Free Community Meal. The next meal will be served on Friday, June 27. Everyone is welcome. (File photo)

The summer menu will begin at the Stone Soup Ministry free community meal on Friday, June 27, at the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church at 1500 Oak Ridge Turnpike in Oak Ridge. Everyone is invited for the homemade meal of pimiento cheese sandwiches, three-bean salad, and melon, a press release said. Dine-in or take-out will be available from 5 to 6 p.m.

The Stone Soup Ministry free community meal is held the last Friday of every month at the same time in the Social Hall of the Church. Food for the free monthly meal is provided by the ORUUC congregation along with financial support from several members of the Oak Ridge community.

For more information about the June 27 meal, call the ORUUC office at (865) 483-6761.

Kroger Marketplace to open June 29

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Kroger Marketplace Storefront

The storefront of the Kroger Marketplace, which is under construction at Oak Ridge Turnpike and Illinois Avenue. The new store is expected to open June 29.

 

The Kroger Marketplace is expected to open June 29.

The new, larger Kroger store is under construction at Oak Ridge Turnpike and Illinois Avenue. Among other things, it will include a pharmacy, Little Clinic, Starbucks Coffee, Fred Meyer Jewelry, Sun Trust Bank, and fuel center.

The older, smaller Kroger store a few miles away on South Illinois Avenue will shut down after the Kroger Marketplace opens. The new 123,000-square-foot store is in a $33 million shopping center that is still under construction. The 25-acre site has been named the Westcott Center in honor of Ed Westcott, the official government photographer in Oak Ridge during the top-secret Manhattan Project in World War II. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Unitarian Universal Church has music festival fundraiser

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Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church Sanctuary

The sanctuary of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church is pictured above. (File photo)

There is a free music festival at Oak Ridge Unitarian Universal Church on Saturday. It will feature local bands and food for sale, a press release said.

Two of the bands scheduled to play are Haze of Oliver Springs and Scarlet Victory of Clinton, the press release said. Haze has been described as a “groove” based rock band that plays what the crowd wants to hear, the release said. Both bands have a large local fan base.

The festival is free, but a suggested donation of $5 would gratefully be accepted, the release said. The event will be held in the ORUUC Social Hall from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The church is located at 1500 Oak Ridge Turnpike in Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Land Bank to be discussed Tuesday

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Charlie Jernigan, board chairman of the Oak Ridge Land Bank Corp., will be the guest speaker at Lunch with the League at noon Tuesday.

The meeting will be in the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church at 1500 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

The Oak Ridge Land Bank Corp. is a unique governmental organization in Tennessee that grew out of the need to address the problem of blighted housing in Oak Ridge, a press release said. The concept of a land bank was introduced in 2011 as part of the “Not in Our City” plan. It became a reality in September 2013 when City Council approved Ordinance 08-2013. The Land Bank Corp. will work to support economic revitalization through returning vacant, abandoned, and tax-delinquent properties to productive use, the press release said. [Read more…]

Campaign finance laws, U.S. politics to be discussed Tuesday

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Jon Shefner

Jon Shefner

A University of Tennessee professor will discuss campaign finance laws and U.S. politics during Lunch with the League on Tuesday.

Jon Shefner is professor and head of the Sociology Department at the University of Tennessee. He will be the guest speaker at Lunch with the League at noon Tuesday. The meeting will be held in the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church.

“The ties between economic interests and political power are repeated throughout American history,” a press release said. [Read more…]

Spotlight: Hard hats required at ORUUC Easter sunrise service

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ORUUC Easter Sunrise Service

Submitted

Twenty-two members of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church held a sunrise service on Easter morning at the site of their new building at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

While the building won’t be finished until this fall, members received permission from Hickory Construction to use the site for this special purpose, provided they each wore hard-hats. So, it was with a light spirit that the small group celebrated the in-breaking of a new light, of new life, and the resurrection of Jesus. [Read more…]

Stone Soup Ministry serving free community meal Friday

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Stone Soup Community Meal

From left to right, volunteers Jinx Watson, Beatrice Holt, Todd Sherline, and daughter Poppy prepare for guests at a recent ORUUC Stone Soup Free Community Meal. The next meal will be served on April 25. (File photo)

Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church will be serving a free community meal on Friday, April 25. Dine-in or takeout will be available from 5 to 6 p.m. in the Social Hall of the church.

This month’s meal includes homemade tomato soup, sandwiches, chocolate cupcakes, and milk.

The Stone Soup Ministry free community meal is held the last Friday of every month at the same time in the Social Hall of the church. Food for the free monthly meal is provided by the ORUUC congregation along with financial support from several members of the Oak Ridge Community. [Read more…]