Oak Ridge Today

Lake City’s name change to Rocky Top challenged in federal court

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Lake City Council Approves Rocky Top Name Change

The Lake City Council votes 4-0 in November to change the town’s name to Rocky Top, and Rep. John Ragan said he has draft legislation to approve the name change to introduce in the state legislature.

Note: This story was last updated at 6 p.m.

The Gatlinburg publisher of “Rocky Top”—a bluegrass tune, state song, and unofficial anthem for the University of Tennessee—filed a federal lawsuit on Monday that seeks to prevent Lake City from changing its name to Rocky Top as part of a plan to turn the former coal mining town into a tourist destination.

The publisher, House of Bryant Publications LLC of Gatlinburg, also owns many Rocky Top trademarks, and it believes that the proposed name change for Lake City “is an attempt to unfairly exploit the fame and goodwill of House of Bryant’s intellectual property,” according to a press release from Waddey Patterson, an intellectual property law firm based in Nashville.

The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Knoxville on Monday. The defendants are Lake City, Rocky Top Tennessee Marketing and Manufacturing Co., Anderson County Commissioner Tim Isbel, Franklin resident Brad Coriell, Lake City businessman Mark Smith, Lake City Vice Mayor Michael Lovely, and Knoxville resident Carl “Buddy” Warren. [Read more…]

Altrusa has International Day lunch on Wednesday

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Oak Ridge Altrusa has its annual International Day luncheon on Wednesday at the Double Tree Hotel in Oak Ridge.

The featured speaker will be Waldek Kaczocha. His presentation topic is “Living in Communist Poland and Coming to America.”

Kaczocha is well-known in the Oak Ridge community as one of the proprietors (together with his wife, Ilona) of Razzleberry’s Restaurant in Jackson Square. [Read more…]

IHOP briefly closed after cooking equipment sets off sprinkler system

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IHOP restaurant in Oak Ridge was briefly closed Thursday afternoon after heat from cooking equipment set off the sprinkler system, authorities said.

On Thursday afternoon, employees said they expected the restaurant to reopen at about 5 p.m.

Oak Ridge Fire Department Battalion Chief Marty Griffith said heat from a cooker (a deep fryer) that had been moved out from under a hood Thursday afternoon melted what’s known as a fusible link in a sprinkler head, setting off the sprinkler. There was no active fire, but there was minimal water damage, Griffith said.

He said the water would have to be cleaned up, and the health department would have to inspect the restaurant.

Guest column: The New China Palace—historic restaurant in Oak Ridge

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New China Palace Restaurant Interior

The interior of the New China Palace restaurant on Central Avenue is pictured above.

The New China Palace was established in September 1973 by Chuang Nan Chou and served authentic Chinese, Mandarin-Peking Hunan, and Szechuan style food.

Over the years, it became well-known in the Oak Ridge and Knoxville area and to many customers from other countries who came to Oak Ridge to visit the government facilities of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Y-12 National Security Complex, the K-25 plant, and Oak Ridge Associated Universities. A large customer base developed, and the restaurant prospered.

In 2010, the City of Oak Ridge delivered a letter to the New China Palace saying their lease for the city building at the Oak Ridge Marina would not be renewed. Ideas for developing a facility for rowing and a “casual restaurant” were mentioned as the reason for this sudden change of heart by their landlord. This was announced in the newspapers and caused a huge negative reaction by their customers. [Read more…]

New China Palace closes at marina, reopens on Central Avenue

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New China Palace Closed

The longtime New China Palace restaurant has closed at the Oak Ridge Marina and moved to a new location on Central Avenue in the center of town.

A longtime Chinese restaurant that had been on the city’s waterfront for decades has moved out of a city-owned building at the Oak Ridge Marina and reopened on Central Avenue in the center of town.

The New China Palace restaurant reopened on Central Avenue on Nov. 22, owner Cheng Ren said Saturday.

The former waterfront location closed five weeks earlier on Oct. 18 after at least one lease extension.

The city has developed a master plan for the waterfront area that recommends the current New China Palace site off Melton Lake Drive be remodeled as a bathhouse facility. It would be used to support a growing number of rowing and public activities as part of an ambitious plan to revamp the waterfront from Elza Gate Park to Rivers Run Boulevard. [Read more…]

Ruby Tuesday restructuring to eliminate 50 positions

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Information from WYSH Radio

Ruby Tuesday announced Wednesday that it will eliminate 50 positions at its restaurant support center in Maryville.

The company, which has a restaurant in Oak Ridge, said the job cuts are in response to a cost review program on the heels of millions of dollars in reported losses during the past couple of years. The move is expected to save the company about $6 million a year beginning in 2015. [Read more…]

Reminder: Lake City Council to vote on Rocky Top name change today

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Information from WYSH Radio

The Lake City Council will meet at 5 p.m. today (Thursday) to discuss and vote on the proposal to change the city’s name to Rocky Top as the first step toward turning the small town into a tourist destination.

Developers have proposed a $20 million first phase of the project that could include attractions like a theater, a water park, and a large restaurant. The name change is widely expected to be approved during today’s meeting.

If it is, the measure will be sent to the General Assembly in Nashville for its approval when the next legislative session begins in January. If state lawmakers sign off on the change, it will be sent back to the City Council for ratification. [Read more…]

More than 400 attend Rocky Top meeting in Lake City on Friday

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Information from WYSH Radio

More than 400 people attended Friday night’s bean and cornbread social and informational meeting on a proposal to change the name of Lake City to Rocky Top as the first step toward the creation of a massive Rocky Top theme park.

The event was held at Main Street Baptist Church and featured a presentation from the developers of the proposed tourist destination as well as from Anderson County Property Assessor Johnny Alley, who told the crowd that property taxes would not only not go up because of the project, but if all goes as planned, residents could actually see their property taxes decline as new revenue comes in. Lake City Mayor Tim Sharp told residents that the only cost to the town will be changing the name.

The park, as proposed, would be built on land owned by the city on Highway 441 between I-75 and Highway 25. The first phase of the development would be called the Rocky Top Pavilion and would feature a theater designed to attract musical acts like those found in Branson, Mo.; an indoor-outdoor water park; and a large restaurant. Developers also envision a sports hall of fame and museum. [Read more…]

Informational meeting Friday on changing Lake City’s name to Rocky Top

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Anyone interested in learning more about the proposal to change Lake City’s name to Rocky Top can attend an informational meeting and beans and corn bread social on Friday evening in Lake City.

The developers and partners of Rocky Top will be available to answer all questions concerning the project, locations, jobs, and the general impact on the community, said Stephanie Wells, executive director of the Anderson County Tourism Council.

The meeting starts at 6 p.m. Friday at Main Street Baptist Church, located at the corner of Fourth and Main Street in Lake City. [Read more…]

Lake City has Nov. 1 public meeting on changing name to Rocky Top

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Information from WYSH Radio

Lake City residents who want more information about a proposal to change their city’s name to Rocky Top as the first step toward the creation of an amusement destination with a water park, restaurant, and theaters tied together by the area’s coal mining history will get a chance to get that information and share their opinions during a public meeting scheduled for Friday, Nov. 1, at 6 p.m. in the Family Life Center of Main Street Baptist Church.

The Lake City Council will consider the name change on Thursday, Nov. 7. If approved, the change would have to be approved by the General Assembly. [Read more…]

Rocky Top theme park proposed in Lake City

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Information from WYSH Radio

A new theme park proposed for Lake City could prove to be an economic boon but before anything can happen, the developer wants the city to change its name.

Proposed is a $20 million project that includes a brewery and distillery, interactive kids’ theater, and an outdoor amphitheater, an indoor/outdoor water park and resort with a restaurant that looks like a shipwreck and seats 700, and a Rocky Top-themed sports museum, as well as a 100-bed lodge and several other attractions.

In addition to the theme park, they also want to change the name of the city to Rocky Top. [Read more…]

Town Hall meeting in Lake City to focus on proposed theme park

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Information from WYSH Radio

There will be a Town Hall meeting in Lake City at 3:30 p.m. today (Thursday), during which attendees will be able to see and hear a presentation from Knoxville Businessman Buddy Warren—owner of several companies including Rocky Top Beer and Rocky Top Moonshine as well as the right to the name “Rocky Top, Tennessee”—to discuss his proposal to build a Rocky Top theme park and relocate his bottling company, brewery, and distillery to the Lake City area.

The proposed park would include a Rocky Top sports museum, a coal miners’ theater for live music, an emporium, a restaurant, a 100-bed lodge, an Interactive 3D theater, an indoor water park, and several other amenities, including a new studio for our sister station Merle FM.

[Read more…]