• About
    • About Us
    • What We Cover
  • Advertise
    • Advertise
    • Our Advertisers
  • Contact
  • Donate
  • Send News

Oak Ridge Today

  • Home
  • Sign in
  • News
    • Business
    • Community
    • Education
    • Government
    • Health
    • Police and Fire
    • U.S. Department of Energy
    • Weather
  • Sports
    • High School
    • Middle School
    • Recreation
    • Rowing
    • Youth
  • Entertainment
    • Arts
    • Dancing
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Television
    • Theater
  • Premium Content
  • Obituaries
  • Classifieds

Tickets on sale for Flatwater Storytelling Festival

Posted at 3:00 pm January 23, 2023
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Rev. Robert B. Jones

The Flatwater Tales Storytelling Festival in June will feature three nationally acclaimed storytellers: Lyn Ford, Bil Lepp, and Rev. Robert B. Jones.

“Well-known to audiences throughout the country for their wit and wisdom, these three performers are guaranteed to make audiences laugh, cry, and reminisce,” a press release said.

The annual festival is scheduled June 2-3 at the Historic Grove Theater in Oak Ridge.

The storytellers will perform different stories at each show. Two special workshops will be offered preceding the performances.

Tickets are now on sale at Eventbrite or in person at the Ferrell Shop in Oak Ridge (cash or check only). You can take advantage of the Early Bird Special and get a discount when you buy tickets for both the afternoon and evening shows on Saturday, the press release said.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Community, Entertainment, Front Page News, Storytelling, Top Stories Tagged With: Bil Lepp, Flatwater Tales Storytelling Festival, Grove Theater, Lyn Ford, Robert B. Jones, Rotary Club, storytelling

Flatwater Tales Virtual Storytelling Festival is June 5

Posted at 2:26 pm May 18, 2021
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Bil Lepp performs at the 2019 Flatwater Tales Storytelling Festival, held at the Historic Grove Theater in Oak Ridge. (File/submitted photo)

The 2021 Flatwater Tales Storytelling Festival, featuring three world renowned storytellers, is scheduled for Saturday, June 5.

The festival will offer an evening performance recorded in front of a live audience, three live online interactive workshops, and a live online after-party, a press release said.

The annual event is led by volunteers from the three Rotary Clubs in Oak Ridge. Due to concerns about COVID-19, this year’s event will be online.

The featured storytellers are three acclaimed performers: Andy Offutt Irwin, Bil Lepp, and Kim Weitkamp. They are known to audiences nationwide for their wit, wisdom, and abilities to make audiences laugh, cry, and reminisce, the press release said. The three storytellers have achieved national recognition and appear regularly at festivals, including the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee.

On Saturday, June 5, the Flatwater Tales Storytelling Festival will present the art and magic of storytelling with a virtual performance at 8 p.m. The three tellers will record a live show that will be performed before a small audience exclusively for Flatwater Tales. This performance will include an unrehearsed improvisation segment, hosted by emcee Paula Gordon Lepp, a new feature in the storytelling world, the press release said.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Comedy, Community, Entertainment, Front Page News, Storytelling, Top Stories, Writing Tagged With: Andy Offutt Irwin, Bil Lepp, Flatwater Tales Storytelling Festival, Kim Weitkamp, Oak Ridge, Rotary Club, storytelling, storytelling festival

Mason, an IDB member, community volunteer, dies of COVID complications

Posted at 1:07 pm January 8, 2021
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

David Mason

David Lane Mason, a member of the Oak Ridge Industrial Development Board and community volunteer, died of COVID-19 complications on Monday. He was 79.

Mason was a former deputy director of environmental management and enrichment facilities at the former K-25 site, and he retired from the United States Enrichment Corporation in 2005 as the director of Centrifuge Engineering and Manufacturing Project, according to his obituary.

As a founding member of the Oak Ridge Rowing Association, Mason helped develop and build the rowing course at Melton Hill Lake, his obituary said. As a member of the Sunset Rotary Club of Oak Ridge, he helped establish the annual Da Vinci Arts and Science Fair for elementary and middle school students, the obituary said.

A nuclear physicist and Oak Ridge resident, Mason died at the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville on Monday. He was a community advocate for more than 50 years, his obituary said.

Here is more information about Dave Mason from his obituary:

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, Community, COVID-19, Front Page News, Government, Health, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: Boys and Girls Club of Oak Ridge, COVID-19, Dave Mason, Oak Ridge Industrial Development Board, Oak Ridge Rowing Association, Rotary Club

Updated: Former DOE research director, CROET founder dies at 91

Posted at 1:44 pm July 18, 2020
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Joe Lenhard, right, is pictured with Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch at the dedication of Main Street Oak Ridge in July 2016. (Photo courtesy Warren Gooch)

Note: This story was last updated at 11:10 a.m. July 19.

Joe Lenhard, a former U.S. Department of Energy research director and founder of the Community Reuse Organization of East Tennessee, died Friday of COVID-19, a family member said. He was 91.

Lenhard died Friday evening at Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge, his daughter Andrea Lenhard said in a Facebook post.

My father, Joseph Lenhard, died Friday evening at MMC of Covid. He went quickly. Rest in peace, Daddy. You were always my hero.

Posted by Andie Lenhard on Friday, July 17, 2020

Lenhard was a research director for the U.S. Department of Energy in Oak Ridge. He had oversight of DOE research activities and served as the federal contracting officer for major federal facilities in the city, including Oak Ridge National Laboratory, according to his LinkedIn page. He worked for DOE for about 32 years, from 1957 to 1989.

Lenhard served as president of the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce in 1992, and he was chair of the East Tennessee Economic Council in 1993 and 1994.

He helped found CROET in 1994, and he was the founding chairman. CROET helps find ways to re-use former federal property, not just real estate but also equipment and other federal assets. A tribute to Lenhard’s service is noted on a plaque in the Horizon Center Industrial Park in west Oak Ridge.

His daughter Andrea said her father loved the natural world, and she became a biologist and veterinarian because of him. Her father used to take them on long rambles in the woods, Andrea said, and he would pick up animals like snakes and frogs and tell the children what he knew about them.

“He loved nature, and that was very infectious,” she said.

Andrea said Oak Ridge was very important to her father.

“He always wanted to promote Oak Ridge and take care of Oak Ridge,” she said. “He was very devoted to the city.”

Lenhard could often be found walking in local grocery stores. He was very conscious of his health, Andrea said, and he would walk every day at stores that included Walmart, Kroger, and Food City. He would sometimes stop to talk to people, including an Oak Ridge Today reporter.

Andrea said her father was a lot of fun, full of life, and he loved everybody.

She recalled the trips her family used to take to Norris Lake on weekends when she was a child—playing in the water, climbing trees, telling jokes—and she said her father spent as much time as he could with his grandchildren as well.

A statement from the family of Lenhard’s daughter Michele said Joe Lenhard was very supportive of higher education.

“He gave substantial sums of money to the University of Tennessee and Roane State Community College,” the statement said. “Roane State dedicated a room to Joseph Lenhard for his outstanding contributions. Joe came from an economically disproportionate background and saw the benefit of higher education. He wanted to provide educational opportunity for the young people of East Tennessee.”

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, COVID-19, Front Page News, Health, Health, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge Office, Slider, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: Andie Lenhard, Community Reuse Organization of East Tennessee, COVID-19, CROET, David Bradshaw, DOE, East Tennessee Economic Council, ETEC, Heritage Center, Joe Lenhard, Ken Yager, Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Ray Smith, Rotary Club, Tom Beehan, U.S. Department of Energy, Warren Gooch

Oak Ridge volunteers making cloth masks

Posted at 3:14 pm April 25, 2020
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

On Tuesday, April 14, 2020, members of the Sew Good Mask Project and representatives from two of Oak Ridge’s Rotary Clubs donated 212 cloth masks, filters to be inserted into cloth masks, 80 N95 masks, 100 medical masks, 200 pairs of gloves, and one hazmat suit to Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge. Pictured are, from left, Sew Good Mask member Linda Johnston, MMC marketing manager Crystal Jordan, Sew Good Mask Project lead organizer Judi Gray, and Rotary Club officers Elaine Bunick and Anne Dunthorn. The Sew Good Mask Project has donated more than 1,100 cloth masks to Oak Ridge organizations. (Submitted photo)

The Sew Good Mask Project is a new organization in Oak Ridge formed to coordinate those making cloth masks with the organizations that are requesting them.

The three Rotary Clubs in Oak Ridge are working together to provide funding for the purchase of supplies for the Sew Good Mask Project as well as other much-needed personal protective equipment.

More than 65 volunteers have joined the Sew Good Mask Project since its creation on April 8. More than 1,100 masks have been donated to places including Methodist Medical Center, Emory Valley Center, the Free Medical Clinic of Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge High School, Oak Ridge Senior Center, Summit Medical Group Oak Ridge, Commonwealth Senior Living at Oak Ridge, Diversicare of Oak Ridge, and more, a press release said.

There are many ways to contribute to the project.

“You don’t need to be a sewer to help out,” said Judi Gray, the main force behind the Sew Good Mask Project.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Community, COVID-19, Front Page News, Health, Top Stories Tagged With: Altrusa of Oak Ridge, Betsy Peterson, cloth mask, Judi Gray, Linda Johnston, medical mask, N95 mask, personal protective equipment, Rotary Club, Sew Good Mask Project

Flatwater Tales Storytelling Festival canceled, virtual festival scheduled

Posted at 11:48 am April 17, 2020
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Source: Flatwater Tales Storytelling Festival

The Flatwater Tales Storytelling Festival and writing workshops scheduled for June have been canceled because of COVID-19.

But there will be a virtual storytelling festival on Saturday afternoon, April 18. Part of the proceeds will be used for COVID-19 relief, organizers said.

The Third Annual Flatwater Tales Storytelling Festival had been scheduled for June 6 at the Historic Grove Theater in Oak Ridge. The writing workshops had been scheduled for June 4 and 5 at the University of Tennessee Arboretum.

“This is a challenging time for everyone, and this was a difficult decision,” organizers said. “However, we know that our top priority as a nation right now is to keep as many people as possible healthy.”

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Clubs, Community, Entertainment, Festivals, Front Page News, Storytelling, Top Stories Tagged With: Andy Offutt Irwin, Bil Lepp, COVID-19, Dovie Thomason, Flatwater Tales Storytelling Festival, Kevin Kling, Kim Weitkamp, Minton Sparks, Rotary Club, virtual festival, writing workshop

Flatwater Tales Storytelling Festival this weekend

Posted at 10:18 am May 31, 2019
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Pictured above from left to right are Carmen Agra Deedy, Bill Lepp, and Bobby Norfolk.

The Flatwater Tales Storytelling Festival will feature three world renowned storytellers in Oak Ridge this weekend.

This annual event is led by the three Rotary Clubs in Oak Ridge, all volunteers. This second annual storytelling festival will be held at the Historic Grove Theater. Due to public demand at the 2018 performances, a larger venue and an additional performance have been added, a press release said.

Bil Lepp, Carmen Agra Deedy, and Bobby Norfolk will perform for the 2019 festival. They have achieved national and international recognition and appear regularly at festivals, including the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee, the press release said.

On Saturday, June 1, the Flatwater Tales Storytelling Festival will present the art and magic of live storytelling with three performances at the Historic Grove Theater: 10 a.m. to noon, 2 to 5 p.m. (with intermission), and 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. (with intermission). There will be different stories at each session. Although the stories would be rated PG, it is suggested that the 10 a.m. performance would be most enjoyable for children five and older as it is a special family-oriented performance, the press release said. A free crafts-for-kids activity will be offered beginning at 9 a.m. at the Grove Theater.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Churches, Community, Community, Entertainment, Festivals, Nonprofits, Slider, Storytelling, Top Stories Tagged With: Bil Lepp, Bobby Norfolk, Carmen Agra Deedy, Emily Jernigan, Flatwater Tales Storytelling Festival, Grove Theater, Minton Sparks, Rotary Club, storyteller, storytelling

Flatwater Tales returns June 1

Posted at 2:16 pm April 18, 2019
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Pictured above from left to right are Carmen Agra Deedy, Bil Lepp, and Bobby Norfolk.

The Flatwater Tales Storytelling Festival, featuring three world renowned storytellers, returns to Oak Ridge on Saturday, June 1.

It’s the second annual storytelling festival in Oak Ridge. The annual event is led by the three Rotary Clubs in Oak Ridge, all volunteers.

This year’s festival will be in the Historic Grove Theater. Due to public demand at the 2018 performances, a larger venue and an additional performance have been added, a press release said.

Bil Lepp, Carmen Agra Deedy, and Bobby Norfolk will perform for the 2019 festival. They have achieved national and international recognition and appear regularly at festivals, including the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee, the press release said.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Clubs, Community, Entertainment, Festivals, Storytelling, Top Stories Tagged With: Bobby Norfolk, Carmen Agra Deedy, Emily Jernigan, Flatwater Tales, Flatwater Tales Storytelling Festival, Grove Theater, Minton Sparks, Rotary Club, storytellers, storytelling, storytelling festival

Flatwater Festival is Friday at Melton Lake Park

Posted at 11:57 am June 1, 2017
By Carolyn Krause Leave a Comment

The three Rotary clubs of Oak Ridge will hold a fundraiser on Friday, June 2, at five that’s full of fun. It’s called the Flatwater Festival, and it is open from 5 to 11 p.m. You can watch teams of two build boats of plywood with simple hand tools in two-and-a-half hours. Then you can watch them paddle their boats as they race across the lagoon at Melton Lake Park.

The event is free and you can listen to area bands Ridge City Ramblers, The Unnamed, and Four Leaf Peat, as they play folk, blues, and Irish/Appalachian music on the stage, starting at 5:30.

But bring money so your kids can play in a bounce house ($5) and you can be a contestant in a cornhole tournament ($10). You will also want to drink and eat. At the festival for a small price, you can buy beer, barbecue, and burgers. Other offerings include hot dogs, wine, ice cream, and bottles of “flat” water. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Community, Entertainment, Music, Recreation, Sports, Top Stories Tagged With: community service projects, Emory Valley Center, Flatwater Festival, Four Leaf Peat, Gene Caldwell, Melton Lake Park, Oak Ridge, Ridge City Ramblers, Rotary Club, The Unnamed

Golf tourney on Sept. 23 to support Scarboro community garden

Posted at 4:55 pm September 15, 2016
By Carolyn Krause Leave a Comment

tennessee-centennial-golf-course

The Rotary Club of Oak Ridge is hosting a Golf Classic tournament at Centennial Golf Course on Friday, September 23, to raise money to build a community garden in the Scarboro community in Oak Ridge. (Photo via Rotary Club of Oak Ridge on Facebook)

 

The Rotary Club of Oak Ridge is hosting a Golf Classic tournament on Friday, September 23, to raise money to build a community garden in the Scarboro community in Oak Ridge.

The Rotary Golf Classic will have a shotgun start at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, September 23, at the Centennial Golf Course off Edgemoor Road.

Here’s the rest of the schedule:

  • Registration begins at 11:30 a.m.
  • A putting contest will be held at 12:30 p.m.
  • Awards will be announced at 6 p.m.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Community, Front Page News, Nonprofits, Top Stories Tagged With: community garden, Don Tillar, Golf Classic, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge Community Fund, Rotary Club, Rotary Club of Oak Ridge, Rotary Golf Classic, Scarboro, University of Tennessee

Oak Ridge Rotary Club helps hometown, the world

Posted at 9:58 pm August 17, 2015
By Carolyn Krause Leave a Comment

Elaine Bunick and Adolf King and Ghanaians

Elaine Bunick and Adolf King, members of Rotary Club of Oak Ridge, are pictured with Ghanaians in the village where they led the medical and educational missions. (Submitted photo)

 

The Rotary Club of Oak Ridge is helping its hometown and communities in the world.

The club contributed $2,500, which was matched by a Rotary District 6780 grant, yielding $5,000 that financed the renovation of a room in the Oak Ridge Boys and Girls Club building. Anne Dunthorn, the club secretary and grant writer, helped Jennifer Pettyjohn, the chief and special officer of the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Clinch Valley, identify a District 6780 matching grant and prepare and submit the winning application.

Elaine Bunick, club member and endocrinologist in Oak Ridge, spearheaded the successful medical and educational mission in late July in the eastern African nation of Ghana. More than 1,800 patients in the village of Nkonya-Wurupong received medical treatment and used, or will use when needed, $250,000 worth of anti-malarial and other medications. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Community, Front Page News, Nonprofits Tagged With: Adolf King, Anne Dunthorn, Boys and Girls Club, Boys and Girls Clubs of the Clinch Valley, Carol King, Darrell Akins, David Bradshaw, Devrin Kuipers, Elaine Burnick, Ghana, grant, Jennifer Pettyjohn, Jerry Wear, medical clinic, medical treatment, Renee King, Rotary Club, Rotary Club of Oak Ridge, Rotary District 6780, Rotary Foundation Global Grant

Dragon Boat Festival includes races, music, beer garden, kids area

Posted at 9:33 pm May 27, 2015
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Four Dragon Boats

Dragon boats are pictured above at the Oak Ridge Dragon Boat Festival at Melton Lake Park on May 31, 2014. (Submitted photo) 

 

The second annual Oak Ridge Dragon Boat Festival this weekend will include dragon boat races, music, vendors, a youth area for kids, and a beer garden.

The Oak Ridge Marina boat ramp will be closed on Friday, May 29, and Saturday, May 30, for the festival, organizers said. They expect increased traffic congestion on Melton Lake Drive this weekend. Organizers are encouraging those who attend to park at Roane State Community College on Briarcliff Avenue and catch a ride in a bus or van to the waterfront.

Thirty or or more teams of 20 paddlers each are expected in Oak Ridge for the 2015 Dragon Boat Festival.

The festival, which will raise money for local charities, will start on Friday evening, May 29, with a “Lanterns on the Lake” ceremony, music, beer garden, and other festivities. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Community, Community, Front Page News, Nonprofits, Rowing, Slider, Sports, Top Stories Tagged With: Albert Beasley, beer garden, Breakfast Club, Dragon Boat Beer Garden Bash, Dragon Boat Festival, dragon boat races, Drummers Parade, Dynamic Dragon Boat Racing LLC, Katherine Budai, Lanterns on the Lake, Leslie England, Lori Tucker, Melton Lake Drive, Melton Lake Park, music, Oak Ridge Dragon Boat Festival, Oak Ridge Marina, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Ridge City Ramblers, Rotary Club, Rotary clubs, Smokin’ Hoglegs, Sunset Club, Thom Mason, WATE

Next Page »

Search Oak Ridge Today

Classifieds

Availability of the draft environmental assessment for off-site depleted uranium manufacturing (DOE/EA-2252)

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) announces the … [Read More...]

Public Notice: NNSA announces no significant impact of Y-12 Development Organization operations at Horizon Center

AVAILABILITY OF THE FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE OFFSITE HOUSING OF THE Y-12 DEVELOPMENT … [Read More...]

ADFAC seeks contractors for five homes

Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties (ADFAC) is a non-profit community based agency, … [Read More...]

Recent Posts

  • Flatwater Tales Storytelling Festival Announces 2025 Storytellers
  • Laser-Engraved Bricks Will Line Walkway of New Chamber Headquarters
  • Democratic Women’s Club to Discuss Climate Change, Energy and Policy
  • Estate Jewelry Show at Karen’s Jewelers Features Celebrity Jewelry
  • Keri Cagle named new ORAU senior vice president and ORISE director
  • ORAU Annual Giving Campaign exceeds $100,000 goal+ORAU Annual Giving Campaign exceeds $100,000 goal More than $1 million raised in past 10 years benefits United Way and Community Shares Oak Ridge, Tenn. —ORAU exceeded its goal of raising $100,000 in donations as part of its internal annual giving campaign that benefits the United Way and Community Shares nonprofit organizations. ORAU has raised more than $1 million over the past 10 years through this campaign. A total of $126,839 was pledged during the 2024 ORAU Annual Giving Campaign. Employees donate via payroll deduction and could earmark their donation for United Way, Community Shares or both. “ORAU has remained a strong pillar in the community for more than 75 years, and we encourage our employees to consider participating in our annual giving campaign each year to help our less fortunate neighbors in need,” said ORAU President and CEO Andy Page. “Each one of our employees has the power to positively impact the lives of those who need help in the communities where we do business across the country and demonstrate the ORAU way – taking care of each other.” ORAU, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, provides science, health and workforce solutions that address national priorities and serve the public interest. Through our specialized teams of experts and access to a consortium of more than 150 major Ph.D.-granting institutions, ORAU works with federal, state, local and commercial customers to provide innovative scientific and technical solutions and help advance their missions. ORAU manages the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Learn more about ORAU at www.orau.org. Learn more about ORAU at www.orau.org. Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OakRidgeAssociatedUniversities Follow us on X (formerly Twitter): https://twitter.com/orau Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/orau ###
  • Children’s Museum Gala Celebrates the Rainforest
  • Jim Sears joins ORAU as senior vice president
  • Oak Ridge Housing Authority Receives Funding Assistance of up to $51.8 Million For Renovating Public Housing and Building New Workforce Housing
  • Two fires reported early Friday

Recent Comments

  • Raymond Mitchell on City manager’s ‘State of the City’ canceled due to weather
  • Raymond Mitchell on City manager’s ‘State of the City’ canceled due to weather
  • Mysti M Desilva on Crews clearing roads, repairing water line breaks
  • Mel Schuster on Crews clearing roads, repairing water line breaks
  • Cecil King on Crews clearing roads, repairing water line breaks
  • Rick Morrow on Roads, schools, businesses closed after heavy snow
  • Diana lively on Free community Thanksgiving Dinner on Nov. 25
  • Anne Garcia on School bus driver arrested following alleged assault on elementary student
  • Raymond Dickover on Blockhouse Valley Recycling Center now open 6 days per week
  • Mike Mahathy on School bus driver arrested following alleged assault on elementary student

Copyright © 2025 Oak Ridge Today