Children’s Museum gala features jazz-themed evening at Atomic City Night Club
The Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge will welcome guests to the Atomic City Night Club Friday, Nov. 18, for an evening filled with jazz, dining, entertainment and lively auctions.
Guests are invited to dress in semi-formal attire or jazz-themed costumes for a contest with prizes. DJ Matt Sieger will spin some jazz tunes, the Oak Ridge High School Choral Ensemble will entertain with jazz classics, and a world renowned trumpet player will tell tales of his work in the music business.
Jim Hynes will bring his trumpet along as he describes “A Day in the Life of a New York Freelance Musician” for the Gala crowd. He has performed and recorded with top artists, including Paul Simon, Elton John, Tony Bennett, Sting and Lady Gaga. Hynes played his trumpet in the orchestra pit of a Broadway show 10 days after arriving in New York City to kick off his career, the first of many shows on Broadway.
His horn can be heard on many TV themes, including “CBS This Morning,” “NBC Sunday Night Football,” and “Masterpiece Theater” on PBS, among others. Hynes continues to travel to New York for his music, after he and his wife Anne Holland moved to Oak Ridge during the pandemic, when music gigs dried up. They opened Bud’s Farmhouse Coffee here in Holland’s hometown.
Emcees for the evening will be Casey Wheeless and Harry Sullivan, anchors of WVLT “News This Morning.” The 21st annual Gala will be from 6-9:30 p.m. at the Children’s Museum, 461 W. Outer Drive, Oak Ridge.
Among the Gala festivities, CMOR will present the Selma Shapiro Friend of the Child award to Tom Tuck, a founder of TnBank of Oak Ridge and a longtime community volunteer. Tuck has been a supporter and friend of the Children’s Museum for decades and currently serves on the Advisory Board.
Clinton auctioneer Bear Stephenson, of Stephenson Realty and Auction, will again donate his skills to lead the live auction. The live and silent auctions offer opportunities for holiday shopping, featuring pottery by Bill Capshaw, a NOLA road trip to visit the birthplace of jazz, a Secret City History Tour led by Oak Ridge historian Ray Smith, diamond earrings from Karen’s Jewelers, and more.
The Gala is the annual fund raiser for the Children’s Museum, providing critical support for the museum’s mission of educating children of all ages through play and discovery. Gala sponsorships are available at levels ranging from $7,500 to $500.
Tickets to the Gala are $125 per person. A table for eight may be purchased for $800. Tickets may be purchased at: https://handbid.app.link/cmorgala22. If you can’t attend, you may donate at http://bit.ly/givetocmor. Call Beth Shea at CMOR at (865) 482-1074 or email her at bshea@childrensmuseumofoakridge.org to learn more about Gala sponsorships or for more information.
