Norris’ 75th

Hundreds show up to celebrate birthday

May 22, 2024 by G. Chambers Williams III

Tennessee Rep. John Ragan, center, reads a proclamation by Gov. Bill Lee and the General Assembly in honor of the 75th birthday of the incorporation of Norris as a city, during last Saturday’s birthday celebration in the Lions Club Pavilion downtown. Looking on are the program emcee, Alison Greenhouse, an art teacher at Norris Elementary School, and Mayor Chris Mitchell.

As rain showers cycled through the area – some of them heavy – hundreds of people gathered on the Norris Commons in front of the middle school on Saturday to celebrate the 75th birthday of the city whose roots go back to the creation of the nearby Norris Dam.

At the 3 p.m. start time of the party – which was scheduled to run until 6 p.m. – about 100 people gathered under the Norris Lions Club Pavilion to hear a proclamation by Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and the state General Assembly honoring the city’s 75th birthday, which was read by state Rep. John Ragan, R-33rd District.

Alongside Ragan was Norris Mayor Chris Mitchell, and three other members of the City Council were in the audience – Loretta Painter, Bill Grieve and Chuck Nicholson.

After Ragan read the proclamation, former Vice Mayor/Councilman Larry Beeman, who was chair of the 75th Birthday Steering Committee, gave the crowd a history of Norris, beginning with its creation in 1933 as a village to house engineers and workers of the Tennessee Valley Authority who were building the nearby Norris Dam.

The city of Norris was not incorporated until early April 1949, when the state legislature passed a bill that was subsequently signed by the governor.

Besides the kick-off program, the celebration included some live music, birthday cupcakes, 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 was also available for sale during the celebration.

It includes many photos and commentaries about Norris, to highlight “the 75th birthday theme of recognizing the vital importance [of] citizen volunteers in preserving the living history of Norris,” Beeman said

Still to come, 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 birthday celebration, the Betty Anne Jolly Norris Public Library was supposed to host a “Chalk Walk,” featuring people creating chalk drawings/artwork on the sidewalks around the library and Norris Middle School.

But because of the inclement weather, the Chalk Walk event was postponed until July 4, which is when the city holds its annual Norris Day celebration.

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 Beeman 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 last 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 [who] have dedicated time and energy to maintain the historical roots and culture that make Norris a unique community we call home,” according to an announcement.

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.