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Flatwater Festival announces first storytelling festival in Oak Ridge

Posted at 12:34 pm May 18, 2018
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

From left are Bil Lepp, Tim Lowry, and Minton Sparks. (Photos courtesy Flatwater Tales)

From left are Bil Lepp, Tim Lowry, and Minton Sparks. (Photos courtesy Flatwater Tales)

 

Internationally acclaimed storytellers to perform, share laughter and tears, and create memories

The Flatwater Festival in Oak Ridge has announced a major addition to its 2018 schedule: The Flatwater Tales Storytelling Festival, featuring three world renowned storytellers. This will be an annual event sponsored by the three Rotary Clubs in Oak Ridge, all volunteers, as part of the Flatwater Festival weekend. This is the first storytelling festival in the Oak Ridge area, a press release said.

Bil Lepp, Tim Lowry, and Minton Sparks will perform for this inaugural 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.

Flatwater Tales kicks off on Friday, June 1, with a three-hour interactive writing workshop, “Create Your Own Story,” with Minton Sparks. The goal is to help participants discover their own stories from their family history and experiences, structure their stories, and share them with others. The workshop is being held in a serene woodland setting at the auditorium in the University of Tennessee Arboretum in Oak Ridge. No previous writing or performing experience is needed, the press release said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Community, Entertainment, Front Page News, Top Stories, Writing Tagged With: Bil Lepp, Blossom Center for Childhood Excellence, Emily Jernigan, Flatwater Festival, International Storytelling Center, Kiran Singh Sirah, Minton Sparks, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge Playhouse, Rotary clubs, storytelling festival, Tim Lowry, University of Tennessee Arboretum

Three Rotary clubs to present Flatwater Festival on Friday, June 2

Posted at 9:21 am May 8, 2017
By Carolyn H Krause Leave a Comment

Flatwater Festival logo (Created by Jim Dodson)

Flatwater Festival logo (Created by Jim Dodson)

 

Bands, beer, boats, and bounce houses. A cornhole tournament. Wine, water, and soda pop.

Teams that build, decorate, and paddle boats while you watch and listen to live music. Barbeque, hamburgers, hot dogs, and ice cream.

Does that sound like a party? It’s the inaugural Flatwater Festival fundraiser on Friday, June 2.

The Flatwater Festival, a fundraiser for community projects supported by the three Rotary clubs of Oak Ridge, will be held from 5 to 11 p.m., Friday, June 2, on the peninsula of Melton Lake Park. Admission to the festival is free, and $5 per person will be charged for unlimited time at the bounce house and obstacle course.

A portion of the proceeds from the festival will go to Emory Valley Center in memory of Dr. Gene Caldwell, a pediatrician, state lawmaker, EVC fundraiser, and Rotarian. The rest will support the diverse community service projects of the Rotary clubs. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Community, Front Page News, Nonprofits, Top Stories Tagged With: B&B Barbeque, Cornhole Tournament, Emily Jernigan, Emory Valley Center, Flatwater Festival, Four Leaf Peat, fundraiser, Gene Caldwell, Melton Lake Peninsula, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary Club, Razzleberry’s, Ridge City Ramblers, Rotary clubs, The Unnamed, Untamed Kitchen

Two designs for Peace Pavilion for Friendship Bell to be presented Aug. 13

Posted at 2:15 pm August 5, 2015
By City of Oak Ridge Leave a Comment

International Friendship Bell

The International Friendship Bell is pictured above at Alvin K. Bissell Park before its housing structure was dismantled after the wood pavilion deteriorated. (Photo courtesy Peace Bell/Facebook)

 

The Oak Ridge International Friendship Bell has become an iconic symbol of Oak Ridge and a source of much pride. The bell is in need of a new home, and the community is invited to participate in planning for a new Peace Pavilion to house the International Friendship Bell from 5:30-7 p.m. Thursday, August 13, at the Oak Ridge High School Amphitheater.

The Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Advisory Board and the Youth Advisory Board are hosting this community input session, where two proposed designs for a new pavilion will be presented. The board wants to hear opinions from the community, which will be important in determining the pavilion’s design. The International Friendship Bell Advisory Committee supports the designs and will assist with the community input session and fundraising for the pavilion.

A monument to peace and friendship with Japan, the bell was designed and cast to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the City of Oak Ridge. The bell was removed last year from the original wood pavilion, which had deteriorated after housing the bell for nearly 20 years in Alvin K. Bissell Park. The need for a new pavilion allows for a new expression of the bell and its place in Oak Ridge.

The new designs being considered surround the bell with open space and a greatly enlarged plaza. A community gathering place is envisioned, with an open design that invites large groups to gather at the bell. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Government, Meetings and Events, Oak Ridge, Top Stories Tagged With: Alvin K. Bissell Park, Barge Waggoner Sumner and Cannon Inc., City of Oak Ridge, International Friendship Bell, International Friendship Bell Advisory Committee, Japan, Naka, Oak Ridge High School, Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Advisory Board, Peace Pavilion, Rotary clubs, Youth Advisory Board, Ziad Demian

Photos, results: Oak Ridge Dragon Boat Festival

Posted at 2:11 pm May 31, 2015
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

2015 Oak Ridge Dragon Boat Festival Entrance

Photo by D. Ray Smith

 

The second annual Oak Ridge Dragon Boat Festival on Friday and Saturday included dragon boat races, music, vendors, food trucks, a youth area for kids, Drummers’ Parade, and Lanterns on the Lake ceremony. Here are pictures by D. Ray Smith and Rob Welton.

The Dragon Boat Festival raises money for local charities. As many as 32 dragon boat teams had registered this year. Each team has 20 paddlers and a drummer to ensure that the paddlers are propelling the boat in synchrony.

This year, the festival started on Friday evening with the Dragon Boat Beer Garden Bash at Melton Lake Park followed by a full day of boat racing on Saturday.

The festival is organized and sponsored by the three Rotary clubs of Oak Ridge.

Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson and Fire Chief Darryl Kerley estimated that the new event on Friday had about 1,500 participants, and there were approximately 4,000 who attended throughout the day on Saturday.

The winners this year were:

  • Gold—Parkway Cardiology-Paddle Attack, from the Health and Wellness Division, with a time of 01:07.301;
  • Silver—Charlotte Dragon Boat Association-Charlotte Fury (the defending champions), from the Crazy about Dragon Boats Division, with a time of 01:08.278; and
  • Bronze—Glenwood Elementary School-Glenwood Gliders, from the Education Division, with a time of 01:08.759.

See the results of this year’s races here: 2015 Oak Ridge Dragon Boat Race Results. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Community, Community, Media, Nonprofits, Photos, Recreation, Slider, Sports, Top Stories Tagged With: D. Ray Smith, Dragon Boat Festival, dragon boat races, Drummers Parade, Lanterns on the Lake, Melton Lake Park, music, Oak Ridge Dragon Boat Festival, Rob Welton, Rotary, Rotary clubs

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

Photos: Dragon Boat Festival

Posted at 12:45 pm June 1, 2014
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

oak-ridge-dragon-boat-festival-19

 

Thirty boats participated in the inaugural Oak Ridge Dragon Boat Festival on Saturday at the Oak Ridge Marina at Melton Lake Park.

The event was organized by the three Rotary clubs of Oak Ridge: Rotary Club of Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary, and Oak Ridge Sunset Rotary Club.

Organizers were pleased with the participation and turnout, and they’ve already announced that next year’s festival will be on May 30, 2015.

A dragon boat is a long, low boat adorned with a snarling dragonhead at the boat’s front end, as in the Chinese tradition. Dragon boat races have become popular events in many U.S. cities, ranging in size from Philadelphia to Knoxville. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Community, Community, Media, Nonprofits, Photos, Recreation, Slider, Sports Tagged With: dragon boat, Dragon Boat Festival, Melton Lake Park, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary Club, Oak Ridge Marina, Oak Ridge Sunset Rotary Club, Ray Smith, Rotary Club of Oak Ridge, Rotary clubs, Sara Wise

Thirty dragon boat teams ready to race May 31

Posted at 2:10 pm May 28, 2014
By Carolyn Krause Leave a Comment

Penny Behling Dragon Boat Steerer

Penny Behling of Dynamic Dragon Boat Races LLC of Knoxville takes over as steerer of this dragon boat during a race in Owenboro, Ky., and gets the team back on course. (Submitted photo)

 

The inaugural Oak Ridge Dragon Boat Festival will be held from 8:45 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 31, at the Oak Ridge Marina and Pavilion in Melton Lake Park.

The three Rotary clubs of Oak Ridge are launching this fundraiser for community nonprofit service organizations.

Dragon boat racing is the eighth-fastest growing sport in the world. And the races will take place on Oak Ridge’s signature rowing venue, considered one of the three best courses for regattas in the nation.

Starting at 9 a.m., 30 dragon boat teams—three from Kentucky and North Carolina—will race at least twice, with the 12 winners of two rounds racing in the third round.

The festival offers food and beverage vendors, beer garden, kids area at the pavilion with bounce houses and 15-minute martial arts lessons on the hour, two Tai Chi demonstrations, and awards ceremonies for winners of the morning Drummers Parade and the third round of dragon boat races. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Clubs, Community, Nonprofits, Recreation, Sports, Top Stories Tagged With: Austin Lance, dragon boat, dragon boat races, Dynamic Dragon Boat Racing, Jim Sumner, Kassie Perkins, Keith Kahl, Leslie England, Mark Watson, Melton Lake Park, Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary, Oak Ridge Dragon Boat Festival, Oak Ridge Marina, Oak Ridge Rotary Community Fund, Oak Ridge Sunset Rotary, Penny Behling, Rotary Club of Oak Ridge, Rotary clubs, Rotary District 6780, Tony Jordan

Rotary clubs plan dragon boat races at Oak Ridge Marina in May

Posted at 10:11 pm November 20, 2013
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Dragon Boat Festival

Teams take part in the annual Dragon Boat Festival in Taipei on May 28, 2009. (Photo credit Patrick Lin/AFP/Getty Images)

Three local Rotary clubs are launching the city’s first Dragon Boat Festival on May 17 at the Oak Ridge Marina and Pavilion in Melton Lake Park.

“The purpose of the festival is to provide a venue for dragon boat races, offer food and musical entertainment, and raise funds for a special project and nonprofit service organizations in the community,” said Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson, president of the Rotary Club of Oak Ridge.

The boat racing event, launched by OARS in the Water, will celebrate Oak Ridge’s waterfront and signature rowing venue. OARS stands for the Oak Ridge Association of Rotarians. The other two clubs are the Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary and Oak Ridge Sunset Rotary clubs. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Community, Nonprofits, Top Stories Tagged With: dragon boat races, Dynamic Dragon Boat Racing LLC, Jim Sumner, Keith Kahl, Leslie England, Mark Watson, Melton Lake Park, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge Association of Rotarians, Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary Club, Oak Ridge Dragon Boat Festival, Oak Ridge Marina and Pavilion, Oak Ridge Rotary Community Fund, Oak Ridge Sunset Rotary Club, OARS in the Water, Rotary Club of Oak Ridge, Rotary clubs, Tony Jordan

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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...]

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