Oak Ridge Today

Former Oak Ridge rowing director could lead ORCVB

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Marc DeRose

Marc DeRose

Note: This story was updated at 5:55 p.m.

A former Oak Ridge rowing director could become the next executive director of the Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The ORCVB board of directors on Thursday voted 4-3 to offer the job to Marc A. DeRose, subject to reference checks. If hired, DeRose will replace former longtime director Katy Brown, who became ORCVB president in 2006 and left in July to take a new marketing and promotions job covering Knoxville and Chattanooga.

DeRose was hired by the Oak Ridge Rowing Association in August 2013, and he resigned from his head coach and rowing director position in May of this year, saying the job was “not the right fit for me and my family,” the ORRA said in a press release this spring.

Other candidates for the ORCVB job, which offers a starting salary of $45,000 per year, were Lila Wilson, director of special events for the Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center in Townsend, and Naomi Asher, executive director of CASA of the Tennessee Heartland. ORCVB board members said Asher withdrew her application, saying she wanted to continue working for CASA.

Wilson received three votes on Thursday, picking up one less than DeRose’s four. [Read more…]

Reminder: ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ at After Dark tonight

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The Amazing Spider Man

This summer’s After Dark entertainment series ends tonight with a dusk screening of “The Amazing Spider-Man” movie.

It’s Hero Night, and organizers plan to celebrate civic heroes and superheroes.

“Go ahead and get your cape ready,” said the Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau, which has presented this year’s first-time series. “The fun starts at 7 p.m., and the movie starts at dusk. Come dressed as your favorite hero, meet our friendly Oak Ridge firefighters, and settle in for a dusk screening of ‘The Amazing Spider-Man.'”

The park opens at 7 p.m. No glass containers or alcohol are permitted on site. You may bring blankets and chairs. [Read more…]

Reminder: Einstein Simplified comedy troupe at After Dark tonight

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Final two ‘After Dark’ entertainment events feature comedy, superhero film

The final two installments of this year’s Oak Ridge After Dark Series will feature comedy and a superhero film. The two entertainment events are scheduled for August 8 and 15 in A.K. Bissell Park.

On Friday, August 8, local comedy improv troupe Einstein Simplified will take the Performing Arts Pavilion stage for a free family-friendly show beginning at 7 p.m., a press release said. Einstein Simplified has been entertaining in the Knoxville area for more than 18 years. The act relies heavily on audience participation and gives everyone the chance to become part of the show.

No glass containers or alcohol will be allowed on site. Concessions will be available for sale. [Read more…]

Final two ‘After Dark’ entertainment events feature comedy, superhero film

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Oak Ridge After Dark

The final two installments of this year’s Oak Ridge After Dark Series will feature comedy and a superhero film. The two entertainment events are scheduled for August 8 and 15 in A.K. Bissell Park.

Oak Ridge After Dark is presented by the Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau.

On August 8, local comedy improv troupe Einstein Simplified will take the Performing Arts Pavilion stage for a free family-friendly show beginning at 7 p.m., a press release said. Einstein Simplified has been entertaining in the Knoxville area for more than 18 years. The act relies heavily on audience participation and gives everyone the chance to become part of the show.

Comedy night is sponsored by Classic Hits 93.1. No glass containers or alcohol will be allowed on site. Concessions will be available for sale. [Read more…]

ORCVB has special meeting Monday to discuss director search

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Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau

The Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau’s Welcome Center at the Midtown Community Center on Robertsville Road is pictured above.

The Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau’s board of directors will have a special meeting on Monday, July 28, to discuss their plan to fill the vacant director’s position at the ORCVB.

The meeting will be held at the Doubletree Hotel starting at noon Monday.

The former director, Katy Brown, has accepted a new marketing and promotions job in East Tennessee, and her last day as president of the Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau was July 11.

After Dark movie ‘The Goonies’ moved to Civic Center due to rain, storms

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The Goonies

Submitted

The location and time of the Oak Ridge After Dark event tonight has been changed due to rain and storms expected to remain in the region this evening. The event will now take place in the gymnasium of the Oak Ridge Civic Center, and the movie will start promptly at 7 p.m. No chairs can be brought into the facility, but blankets are allowed and the bleachers will also be available for seating.

“Although the weather poses a threat, we plan to keep the momentum of Oak Ridge After Dark going,” said Sam Jones, Oak Ridge After Dark coordinator. “The plan to host the event inside the Civic Center gym will ensure safety and comfort for all attendees. We hope a large crowd will come out to support the second installment of the series.”

The theme of tonight’s After Dark event is Pirate Night. Children are encouraged to dress as their favorite characters in conjunction with each theme. Themed characters will be on hand for photo opportunities. Visit the Historic Oak Ridge Facebook page or http://oakridgevisitor.com/2014/07/01/oak-ridge-after-dark/ for a complete list of scheduled films.

The After Dark series also includes a Comedy Night on Friday, August 8, followed by Hero Night on Friday, August 15. [Read more…]

New After Dark series continues with Pirate Night, ‘The Goonies’ on Friday

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Oak Ridge After Dark

Note: This story was updated at 3:15 p.m. July 18.

Almost 1,000 people attended the first-ever After Dark event in Oak Ridge last week, and the summertime entertainment series continues again this week, with Pirate Night scheduled for Friday, July 18.

The movie, “The Goonies,” will be be shown indoors in the Oak Ridge Civic Center Gymnasium because of the rain. It’s expected to start around 7 to 7:30 p.m. The Civic Center is at– 1403 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Call the Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau at (865) 482-7821 or visit the Historic Oak Ridge Facebook page for details or questions.

Children are encouraged to dress as their favorite character in conjunction with the movie, a press release said. Characters from the movie will be on hand for photo opportunities.

“So, bring your blankets to sit on the gymnasium floor or you can sit on the gymnasium bleachers,” the press release said. “Get out of the rain and enjoy a movie with your fellow Oak Ridgers!” [Read more…]

Brown leaving ORCVB for marketing, promotions job in East Tennessee

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Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau

The Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau’s Welcome Center at the Midtown Community Center on Robertsville Road is pictured above.

Katy Brown has accepted a new marketing and promotions job in East Tennessee, and her last day as president of the Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau will be Friday.

Brown started as a sales manager at the ORCVB in 2001, and she has been president since 2006, or about eight years.

Brown will now be a marketing and promotions specialist covering Knoxville and Chattanooga. She declined to identify her new employer, but she said it is an established company.

Brown might be most well-known for her work on the annual Secret City Festival, including her promotion of the two-day celebration. But she has also been involved in a range of other efforts to help promote and market the city, ranging from hosting travel writers from across the country to working a booth at the Oak Ridge Marina during rowing races. [Read more…]

New Oak Ridge After Dark series offers movies, comedy

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Oak Ridge After Dark

A new summer entertainment series on Friday nights in July and August will feature movies and comedy.

The Oak Ridge After Dark series is presented by the Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau. It starts July 11 and ends August 15, and it will feature three movies and a family-friendly comedy troupe performance at A.K. Bissell Park.

The series provides free, family-friendly entertainment in a safe environment for all ages, a press release said. Each night will have a specific theme to accompany the film. Here’s the schedule:

  •  July 11—Beat the Heat Night
  • July 18—Pirate Night
  • August 8—Einstein Simplified, comedy improv troupe
  • August 15—Hero Night [Read more…]

ORCVB could become city department as hotel tax collections fall

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Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau

The Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau’s Welcome Center at the Midtown Community Center on Robertsville Road is pictured above.

 

It’s now a city contractor, but the Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau could become a municipal department, possibly starting this fall, under a proposal now being considered by city officials.

Set up in 1981, the ORCVB is the city’s tourism organization. Among other things, it helps present the annual Secret City Festival; promotes rowing, travel, and events; and operates a visitors center at Midtown Community Center on Robertsville Road. The contract with the city is its only contract.

The bureau is funded by hotel and motel tax collections. But those collections have fallen for the past four years, from roughly $550,000 in Fiscal Year 2009 to about $490,000 in FY 2013. During a Tuesday work session, Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson said there have been reductions in reductions in government travel and daily expense, or per diem, reimbursements.

As the hotel and motel tax collections have fallen, so has the value of the ORCVB’s contract with the city, from $404,208 a few years ago to $314,100 now. The percentage the bureau has earned from the hotel tax revenues has also been reduced during the past three years, from 80 percent a few years ago to 65.4 percent today. [Read more…]

More than 60 Thunderbirds expected for Mockingbird Run this weekend

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Mockingbird Run

The Sixth Annual Mockingbird Run will be in Oak Ridge from Friday to Sunday. (Submitted photo)

 

Car enthusiasts from 10 states will gather in Oak Ridge from Friday, May 2, to Sunday, May 4, for the sixth annual Mockingbird Run hosted by the Smoky Mountain Classic Thunderbird Club. The Mockingbird Run is expected to bring in more than 60 Thunderbirds for a weekend packed with tours, friendship, and fun.

“We are excited to host this year’s Mockingbird Run, and we encourage the community to welcome the Smoky Mountain Classic Thunderbird Club to town,” Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau Director Katy Brown said. “We have worked closely with this organization to make this year’s event an entertaining and educational visit.”

Conference planners focused on the “top secret” theme this year in an effort to add mystery and intrigue. Participants will visit local attractions, learn the significance of various historic sites, and dine in local restaurants. Y-12 National Security Complex Historian Ray Smith will guide the group on a tour of the Y-12 New Hope Center and serve as a guest speaker for the event. The club will also tour Oak Ridge National Laboratory on Saturday. Members of the K-9 Search On Site LLP team will also be on hand for a demonstration that morning. [Read more…]