The Nine Lakes Wine Festival is being postponed until September. The festival had been scheduled for early June.
The postponement is due to the recent recommendation of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to reduce large gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Fourth Annual Nine Lakes Wine Festival is now scheduled for September 11-12 at Melton Lake Park. All previously purchased tickets, vendor booths, and sponsorship arrangements will be honored, a notice said.
[Read more…]When you hear the terms ostrich or Myrtle burger, what comes to mind? Or pink pig van? Rudolph? How about tiny paper plates?
All of these things are hallmarks of Oak Ridge small businesses. You’ve heard it said that small business is the back bone of our economy, but we are so much more. We fill a need that franchises and big box stores simply cannot—we are what distinguish one strip-mall lined community from another. We give our city its unique flavor.
And while memorabilia and gimmicks certainly embed images in our minds, these businesses are fueled by the literal blood, sweat, and tears of people. The shop owners and employees aren’t just entrepreneurs; they are your neighbors, your friends and your family.
We all value convenience and good deals, but as the recent “Shop Local†movements have demonstrated, much is sacrificed for the sake of saving a buck or two (real or perceived). [Read more…]
Corinne Rovetti, co-director and family nurse practitioner for the Knoxville Center for Reproductive Health, second from right, discusses Amendment 1, which is on Tuesday’s ballot, during a forum in October. Also pictured are moderator JoAnn Garrett, right; Judy Cornett, second from left, distinguished professor in the College of Law at the University of Tennessee, who discussed Amendment 2; and Sherry Davis Kasper, professor of economics at Maryville College, who discussed Amendment 3.
Many voters remain confused about the four proposed constitutional amendments on the ballot in Tennessee on Election Day, Tuesday, November 4.
Three of the amendments were discussed during a League of Women Voters forum in Oak Ridge in October, and you can find a guide to the four amendments here.
The first amendment, Amendment 1, is related to abortion, and it appears to be the most divisive.
Here’s the full text of the proposed amendment to the Tennessee Constitution:
“Nothing in this Constitution secures or protects a right to abortion or requires the funding of an abortion. The people retain the right through their elected state representatives and state senators to enact, amend, or repeal statutes regarding abortion, including, but not limited to, circumstances of pregnancy resulting from rape or incest or when necessary to save the life of the mother.”
An October fundraiser will feature food and music, and it will benefit the work of CASA of the Tennessee Heartland, which works with abused and neglected children.
It’s CASA’s fifth annual Evening with the Arts, and it’s scheduled from 7-10 p.m. Friday, October 10, in a beautiful lighted tent at Melton Lake Park in Oak Ridge, a press release said. Tickets include wine and New Orleans-style food.
“Enjoy listening and hitting the dance floor with an amazing NOLA jazz quartet,” the press release said.
A silent auction will feature local art pieces, including a Bill Capshaw raku vase, locally created jewelry, and unique photography pieces. [Read more…]
An Oct. 11 fundraiser will feature music, wine, and an art auction, and it will raise money for CASA of the Tennessee Heartland.
It’s the Fourth Annual Evening with the Arts—A Night in Paris, and it will be held Friday, Oct. 11, from 7-10 p.m. at Pollard Auditorium in Oak Ridge.
The evening will include wine, finger foods from The Market House, and sweets from Emma Lou Bakery.  Jazz and blues singer Sarah Clapp will perform, and the evening will be emceed by Hallerin Hilton Hill. A silent auction will feature local art pieces including a Bill Capshaw raku vase, several original numbered prints, and several “unique and beautiful pieces,” a press release said. [Read more…]
A city ordinance change approved Monday allows diners to bring their own beer or wine into certain restaurants when they have the owner’s permission. The practice is known as “brown bagging.”
The new ordinance was unanimously approved by Oak Ridge City Council on Monday, and it takes effect Thursday.
It applies to restaurants that have a beer permit or managers with Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission server permits, a city press release said. The ordinance does not allow “brown bagging” in other public places.
