Norris 75th birthday party will be held this Saturday
This sign in front of the post office reminds Norris residents that the city’s 75th-birthday party will begin with a panoramic photo taken of the attendees at 2 p.m. Saturday in the Commons area in front of the middle school.. (photo:G. Chambers Williams III )
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.
A Norris 75th birthday commemorative book will also be available for sale during the celebration.
It 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 this weekend’s birthday celebration, the Betty Anne Jolly Norris Public Library will host a “Chalk Walk.”
People of varying ages and artistic abilities have been registered to create chalk drawings/artwork on the sidewalks around the library and Norris Middle School on Saturday morning.
Attendees of the celebration will vote on the best chalk art in a variety of categories, and the winners will be recognized. Library staff is supplying all of the materials at no cost to the participants.
The Tennessee General Assembly passed a bill giving Norris a city charter on April 5, 1949, which some people have considered to be the official establishment of the city.
But former Norris Councilman Larry Beeman, chairman of the birthday committee, said the governor most likely signed the legislation on April 7, 1949, which would have made that date the city’s official birthday.
Other birthday celebration events preceded this weekend’s party.
About 50 people gathered in the Norris Commons on April 7 to celebrate with a tree-planting ceremony, led by Spencer Boardman.
The tree-planting event was held “to commemorate the hundreds of citizen volunteers over these past 75 years that 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 read a proclamation for the occasion.
The event was hosted by the Norris Tree Commission and the Norris 75th Anniversary Celebration Committee.
Next up was the Norris Little Theater production of the historical play “Norris, Where I Belong.”
It was held April 12-14) at the Museum of Appalachia, and was intended to help chronicle the early history of the town.