Oak Ridge Today

Secret City Festival: ORHPA has history exhibit at Midtown Community Center on Friday, Saturday

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The first 100 visitors to the History Exhibit at the Midtown Community Center on Friday, June 2, 2017, and Saturday, June 3, 2017, get a free 43-page Pocket Guide from the Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association. (Submitted photo)

The first 100 visitors to the History Exhibit at the Midtown Community Center on Friday, June 2, 2017, and Saturday, June 3, 2017, get a free 43-page Pocket Guide from the Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association. (Submitted photo)

 

Submitted

Bring the family by the historic Midtown Community Center next to Kroger from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday, June 2, and Saturday, June 3, during the Secret City Festival—to enjoy the fascinating story behind the creation of U.S. Department of Energy’s nuclear complex and the City of Oak Ridge. The Midtown Center is located at 102 Robertsville Road in Oak Ridge.

As a special treat, the first 100 visitors on each day will get a free Manhattan Project Secret City pocket guide from the Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association.

The pocket guide, a $5 value, has 43 pages packed with “Wow-Facts” and photos on early Oak Ridge and the new Manhattan Project National Historical Park, a press release said. The guide also includes a map of historical locations in the city and a driving tour.

This year is the 75th anniversary of both the DOE nuclear complex and the “Secret City” of Oak Ridge. Both were created by the federal government in the difficult year following the Pearl Harbor attack, 1942, during the super-secret Manhattan Project. The Manhattan Project was President Roosevelt’s effort to build the very first atomic bomb and end World War II. [Read more…]

RISE ABOVE: Redtail exhibition soars into Oak Ridge

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Rise Above

Commemorative Air Force project celebrating Tuskeegee Airmen appears as part of Secret City Festival’s “Celebrate Our Heroes” weekend

The Commemorative Air Force (CAF) Red Tail Squadron, America’s tribute to the Tuskegee Airmen, brings their RISE ABOVE Traveling Exhibit to Oak Ridge this week as part of the Secret City Festival’s “Celebrate Our Heroes” event. The exhibit is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. now through Saturday at 115 South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge in front of Maxed Out Gym.

The RISE ABOVE Traveling Exhibit is a fully functional mobile movie theater housed in a climate controlled 53-foot semi trailer that is deployed to events around the country. This immersive experience inspires and educates audiences about the Tuskegee Airmen, our country’s first black military pilots and their support personnel, and the obstacles they had to overcome to serve their country during World War II. Because of its dynamic 160-degree panoramic screen, the film creates the feeling of being in the cockpit soaring above the clouds in the P-51C Mustang—the signature aircraft of the Tuskegee Airmen. View a preview at www.redtail.org/traveling-exhibit/.

More than half a million people in 36 states have experienced a compelling and inspirational piece of American history delivered by this unique educational outreach vehicle since the program launched in 2011, a press release said. Each year, the CAF Red Tail Squadron embarks on a nine-month cross-country tour that includes appearances at air shows, schools, museums, and community events. The group’s six guiding principles—Aim High, Believe In Yourself, Use Your Brain, Be Ready To Go, Never Quit, and Expect to Win—serve as the foundation for their outreach programs and are based on the experiences and successes of the Tuskegee Airmen. [Read more…]

Secret City Festival: Seven days of celebration

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Two weekends, counting Fridays. Two weekdays. Seven days of celebration, from June 2 through June 10, 2017, mostly at A. K. Bissell Park. And admission to all events is free of charge. (Photo and caption courtesy Celebrate Oak Ridge and Carolyn Krause)

Two weekends, counting Fridays. Two weekdays. Seven days of celebration, from June 2 through June 10, 2017, mostly at A. K. Bissell Park. And admission to all events is free of charge. (Photo and caption courtesy Celebrate Oak Ridge and Carolyn Krause)

 

Two weekends, counting Fridays. Two weekdays. Seven days of celebration, from June 2 through June 10, mostly at A. K. Bissell Park. And admission to all events is free of charge.

The new Secret City Festival, brought to you by Celebrate Oak Ridge, will be bookended by two special weekends. The first weekend will celebrate Oak Ridge and World War II history. A free family movie will be shown on Tuesday, June 6; the arts will be celebrated on Wednesday, June 7; and music and art are the focus of the second weekend, June 9-10.

Celebrate Oak Ridge June 2017 Schedule Web

On Friday, June 2, tours of the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with shuttles running to and from the American Museum of Science and Energy and New Hope Center. U.S. citizenship and pre-registration are required for tours. Graphite Reactor tours at Oak Ridge National Laboratory will also be held then on a first-come, first-served basis, with departure on buses from AMSE.

Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch will officially open the festival, and the crew of the U.S.S. Oak Ridge will present and ring the U.S.S. Oak Ridge bell at 8:30 p.m. At 9 p.m., the movie “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” will be shown free of charge.

Overnight, approximately 200 re-enactors will be setting up an overnight encampment with World War II-era tents in Bissell Park. [Read more…]

Volunteers needed for Secret City Festival

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Secret City Festival Logo Web

Come join the fun at the Secret City Festival. Volunteers are needed to help make the Secret City Festival a success.

“Please consider volunteering for a few hours while enjoying the festival,” a press release said.

Volunteers can sign up on the Secret City Festival website at http://www.celebrateoakridge.org/volunteer. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge will host American Cornhole state championships in June

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The American Cornhole Organization will have the 2017 Tennessee State Championships of Cornhole at the Oak Ridge Civic Center on June 16 and 17, 2017. (Submitted photo)

The American Cornhole Organization will have the 2017 Tennessee State Championships of Cornhole at the Oak Ridge Civic Center on June 16 and 17, 2017. (Submitted photo)

 

Oak Ridge will host the state cornhole championships in June.

The American Cornhole Organization will have the 2017 Tennessee State Championships of Cornhole at the Oak Ridge Civic Center on June 16 and 17, a press release said.

The ACO is the worldwide governing body and professional organization for the cornhole sport, the release said.

The state championships in June were announced by Explore Oak Ridge on Friday.

Members of the public can test their skill by participating in the public open tournament, Big Blind Luck Draw, starting at 8 p.m. Friday, June 16, the press release said. Registration for the tournament is from 4-7:30 p.m. The entry fee is $10. The prize purse is $200 for first, $80 for second, and $20 for third, the release said.

“The American Cornhole Organization is one of the fastest-growing sports organizations in the country, garnering a lot of national attention,” said Steve Winfree, Explore Oak Ridge sales manager. [Read more…]

Performers for Celebrate Oak Ridge (Secret City Festival) to be announced at Primetime on April 27

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Ann Bratton, co-owner of Downtown Hardware, helps an attendee register for a door prize at last spring's Primetime Fiesta. This year's event will take place on Thursday, April 27, 2017, and it will feature the announcement about the performers at Celebrate Oak Ridge (Secret City Festival). (Submitted photo)

Ann Bratton, co-owner of Downtown Hardware, helps an attendee register for a door prize at last spring’s Primetime Fiesta. This year’s event will take place on Thursday, April 27, 2017, and it will feature the announcement about the performers at Celebrate Oak Ridge (Secret City Festival). (Submitted photo)

 

Performers for Celebrate Oak Ridge (Secret City Festival) will be announced at the Spring Primetime networking event at the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce on Thursday, April 27.

More than 40 member organizations of the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce have already reserved exhibit space for the event, which is titled “Fiesta Primetime,” a press release said.

The event will be held from 4:30-6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 27, under the tent in the parking lot of the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce, which is at 1400 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Primetime is one of the Chamber’s biggest networking events of the year, the press release said. Anyone—Chamber member or not—is encouraged to attend. During the event, organizers for Celebrate Oak Ridge (Secret City Festival) will announce the performers for the festival this summer. [Read more…]

See the 2017 Secret City Festival schedule here

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Secret City Festival Flyer 2017

See the Secret City Festival schedule of events above. The events start Friday, June 2, and end June 17.

Sponsorship and vendor opportunities are available. For more information, contact [email protected].

Secret City Festival to expand into week-long celebration in June

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Secret City Festival World War II Re-enactment 2015

A Flak 88 firing during a Battle of Normandy re-enactment at the 2015 Secret City Festival in Oak Ridge. (Photo by Rob Welton)

 

The Secret City Festival will expand into a week-long celebration in June, and it will be called the Secret City Celebration.

The change has been announced by Celebrate Oak Ridge, a nonprofit organization created by the Oak Ridge City Council to take over the production of the festival from the city.

The Secret City Celebration will include a full week of events celebrating the arts, culture, and history of Oak Ridge, organizers said. It will kick off with an opening ceremony at 11 a.m. Friday, June 2, 2017. It will include events presented by Celebrate Oak Ridge and other partner organizations.

“A crowd favorite, World War II Living History, will serve as the kickoff event on June 2 and 3, with re-enactments scheduled on Saturday,” a press release said. [Read more…]

Letter: Former Children’s Museum director endorses Dodson for City Council

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To the Editor:

I strongly endorse Jim Dodson as a candidate for the Oak Ridge City Council. During the 19 years that I have known Jim, I have always found him to have the good of the community at heart. While serving as executive director of Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge, collaborating with Jim was always a highlight. His fairness and sincerity are outstanding qualities that I have experienced and observed through the years. He has the ability to draw people together and is extremely adept at working with a group to accomplish set goals.

He has worked with Children’s Museum staff to bring educational experiences to the children of our area and served on the museum’s Board of Trustees. His educational endeavors are known throughout the state, accordingly earning him several well-deserved honors for his work. [Read more…]

Secret City Festival hosts Willow Run Rosies 

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Eight of the 13 Rosie the Riveters are shown here along with Heritage Exhibit participant Tom Walker, Oak Ridge Heritage Room organizer Bobbie Martin, and Interpretive National Park Ranger Veronica Greear. The Rosies are, from left to right, Bette Kenward, Barb Matthews, Vikki Toth, Chris Brown, Patsy Kemner, Kate Weise, Susie Sweeney, and Alison Beatty (down front). (Photo by M. McBride)

Eight of the 13 Rosie the Riveters are shown here along with Heritage Exhibit participant Tom Walker, Oak Ridge Heritage Room organizer Bobbie Martin, and Interpretive National Park Ranger Veronica Greear. The Rosies are, from left to right, Bette Kenward, Barb Matthews, Vikki Toth, Chris Brown, Patsy Kemner, Kate Weise, Susie Sweeney, and Alison Beatty (down front). (Photo by M. McBride)

 

This year’s Secret City Festival hosted 13 members of the “Willow Run Rosies” from the Historic Willow Run bomber plant in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Wearing Rosie-The-Riveter costumes, these ladies helped re-create the spirit of the many Rosies who powered the American war effort during World War II.

The Rosies were part of a 20-person group from Michigan.

The Willow Run Rosies chatted with festival visitors in the Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Room on Saturday during the city’s two-day festival. Each year, the Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association sponsors a heritage room during the festival, featuring exhibits on the history of the super-secret Manhattan Project and its “Secret City” of Oak Ridge.

Tens of thousands of “Rosies” came here during World War II, as part of President Roosevelt’s massive effort to build an atomic bomb in time to end the war. [Read more…]

Photos: Charlie Daniels Band, Grand Funk Railroad; changes possible at Secret City Festival

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Charlie Daniels Band at Secret City Festival June 10 2016

The Charlie Daniels Band played at the 14th annual Secret City Festival at Alvin K. Bissell Park on Friday, June 10, 2016. Pictured above is Charlie Daniels. (Photo by Angela Richardson-Newman)

 

The Charlie Daniels Band and Grand Funk Railroad both played at the Secret City Festival last weekend. Here are two photos from the concerts by Angela Richardson-Newman.

The Charlie Daniels Band played Friday, June 10, and Grand Funk Railroad performed Saturday, June 11. Both concerts were well-attended, and both received good reviews.

It was the 14th annual Secret City Festival. Besides concerts, the festival included music, food, vendors, a car show, a World War II re-enactment, U.S. Department of Energy bus tours, history and science exhibits, arts and crafts, and children’s entertainment and activities.

It’s not entirely clear if the festival will continue next year in the same form or at the same time of year as this year’s festival and previous festivals. This year had been considered a transition year as a new inaugural board of directors was appointed for a new nonprofit celebration. That board is expected to be responsible for the time, location, and length of the festival, as well as sponsorships and funding. [Read more…]

Amateur Radio Club demonstrates World War II-era military radio at Secret City Festival

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Sterling Edmunds of the Roane County Amateur Radio Club explains historical communication to visitors during the Secret City Festival. In the background are working, restored military “morale” radios and receivers from WWII and the Cold War. (Submitted photo)

Sterling Edmunds of the Roane County Amateur Radio Club explains historical communication to visitors during the Secret City Festival. In the background are working, restored military “morale” radios and receivers from World War II and the Cold War. (Submitted photo)

 

By Kathryn King

The Oak Ridge Amateur Radio Club demonstrated World War II-era military radio communications Friday and Saturday as part of the Secret City Festival. The group also hosted communications as part of the National Parks on the Air Program, celebrating the centennial of the National Park Service and the newly established Manhattan Project National Historical Park. A special event radio call sign, N4M, was issued for this event. The concurrence of these three events represented a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for local amateur radio operators.

Approximately 200 people visited the exhibit, which, along with live, on-the-air radio operations, also featured replays of historic broadcasts, such as news programs from World War II, including the announcement of the existence of Oak Ridge and the Manhattan Project. [Read more…]