Norris birthday events in April
This special cancellation mark recognizing the 75th birth- day of the city of Norris will appear on all letters mailed from the Norris post office through May 9, the U.S. Postal Service says. (photo:G. Chambers Williams III )
That will be followed by next week’s Norris Little Theater production of the historical play “Norris, Where I Belong.”
To be held Friday through Sunday, April 12-14, the play features an all-local cast and will be performed at the Museum of Appalachia.
Tickets are already on sale for the play, at $20 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under.
The play is described as “A heartwarming comedy set in a Depression-era general store during the construction of [TVA’s Norris Dam] and what will become the city of Norris, Tennessee.”
“A young woman’s unexpected inheritance means she must choose between what she thought her life should be, and what her life could be,” the description continues. “It all depends on where you call home.”
As for this Sunday’s tree-planting event, it’s being held “to commemorate the hundreds of citizen volunteers over these past 75 years [who] have dedicated time and energy to maintain the historical roots and culture that makes Norris a unique community we call home,” according to an announcement.
Mayor Chris Mitchell will read a proclamation. The event is hosted by the Norris Tree Commission and the Norris 75th Anniversary Celebration Committee.
Also now available at the Norris post office is a special “pictorial cancellation” that will be applied to all letters mailed at the post office through May 9.
“We are excited to be a part of this historical event,” said Norris Postmaster Cammie York. She is the 11th postmaster for Norris.
To receive this special cancellation on a postcard to save, the post office says to “enclose your stamped, addressed cards in a larger envelope and mail to: Celebrating 75 Years, Postmaster, 11 W. Norris Road, Norris, TN 37828-9998.”
Highlighting the events will be the Norris Birthday Celebration to be held May 18 in the Town Center Commons area.
This all-inclusive celebration will include a program, live music, birthday cake, antique cars from the 1930s and ’40s, a posterboard historical display of 20 events that led to the creation of Norris, and a Norris citizens group photo.
The “Norris 75th Birthday Commemorative Book” will also be available for sale during the celebration.
This high-quality publication will include many photos and short, focused commentaries, said former Councilman Larry Beeman, who is leading the birthday committee. It will highlight “the 75th birthday theme of recognizing the vital importance [of] citizen volunteers in preserving the living history of Norris.”
There will be a bus tour on June 15 to visit historical sites in and surrounding Norris. Seating will be limited, and reservations will be required. Registration information will be announced later.
In conjunction with the May 18 birthday celebration, the Betty Anne Jolly Norris Public Library will host a “Chalk Walk.”
People of all ages and varying artistic abilities will be encouraged to create chalk drawings/artwork on the sidewalks around the library and Norris Middle School on the morning of May 18.
Attendees of the celebration will vote on the best chalk art in a variety of categories, and the winners will be recognized. Library staff will be in charge of registration, and will supply all the materials at no cost to the participants. Registration information will be announced this month.
There is some confusion about exactly what day Norris officially became a city, and several dates were tossed out last year as potentially the correct one.
Beeman brought up the issue during the March 13, 2023, City Council meeting. According to what he found, he said at that meeting, the state legislature passed the bill giving Norris a city charter on April 5, 1949, which some people have considered to be the official establishment of the city.
But Beeman said the governor most likely signed the legislation on April 7, 1949, which would have made the legislature’s bill final.
“The lady in charge of Norris archives found where her father-in-law, R.G. Crossno, was in Nashville when all of this was being done in 1949. He was the first mayor of Norris.
“He had written notes that the House passed the bill on April 5, then on April 7, the governor signed the legislation. April 7 date was the date we used for the 50th birthday celebration. I probably would stay with that date.”
Beeman noted that April 9, 1949, was mentioned in an executive action signed by then-President Harry Truman in October 1949 that allowed Tennessee Valley Authority employees to hold positions in the Norris city government.
“At that time, federal employees were not allowed to participate in municipal governments, but President Truman’s order made an exception for TVA employees in Norris,” Beeman said.
“Truman’s order referred to April 9 as the official charter date for the city of Norris.”
Councilman Bill Grieve said his research turned up another date, Feb. 1, 1949, as the official Norris incorporation date. That came from records with the UT Municipal Technical Advisory Service.