The Courier News

Spooky fun begins Thursday across Anderson County

October 21, 2026 by G. Chambers Williams III

Some young visitors collect treats from a table in the Clinton Community Center during last year’s Halloween Trick or Treat event. This year’s event will be held this Sunday. - G. Chambers Williams III

Halloween activities are set to begin this week in Anderson County, including events scheduled in Clinton, Norris, Rocky Top and Oak Ridge.

The Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department will host the Children’s Halloween Party on Thursday (Oct. 22) from 5:30-8:30 p.m.

This 44th annual event is expected to draw hundreds of children and their parents,

Activities will be held throughout the western fields of A.K. Bissell Park, including a hayride, weather permitting. Parking is available at the west parking area near the Recreation Center and on the east side near the Oak Ridge Library at 1401 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

To help ensure a smooth event, the west side parking area will be filled first. Traffic in front of the Recreation Center will flow in one direction exiting onto the Turnpike from the east side parking area.

• One of the most-popular local events, the sixth-annual Norris Halloween Trail will be held from 3:30-6 p.m. this Saturday, Oct. 24, starting outside the Norris Community Center at 20 Chestnut Drive.

It’s described as a spooky tour for kids through the woods around the Norris Disc Golf Course, which is next to the Community Center.

Hill of Truth returns to Haw Ridge on Saturday

October 21, 2026

The 28th annual Hill of Truth race is set to return to Haw Ridge Park in Oak Ridge on Saturday, Oct. 24, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The Hill of Truth Festival, presented by the Clinch Valley Trail Alliance, features a 12-hour mountain-bike race and a Hill of Truth Trot trail-running race.

The mountain-bike race will begin at 9 a.m.

Just after the bike race gets underway, runners will start their race, which follows nearly the same seven- to eight-mile course, with a few alterations for safety.

Riders participating in the mountain-bike race will try to complete as many laps of the course as possible in 12 hours.

There are a lot of ways to approach this, the organizers said.

Norris Fall Bazaar set for 89th Year

October 21, 2026 by G. Chambers Williams III

The 89th-annual charity Fall Bazaar of the Norris Religious Fellowship will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. this Saturday, Oct. 24, with a special “double-price preview” from 6-8 p.m. Friday.

Located at 23 Dogwood Road, the non-denominational fellowship is the original church set up when Norris was created by the Tennessee Valley Authority during construction of nearby Norris Dam.

The bazaar will include vintage items, “treasures,” linens, home décor, seasonal décor, small appliances, artwork, and baked goods for sale.

There also will be a snack bar for participants.

Items for sale have been donated to the church for the event, and donations are still being accepted through Thursday.

The church is not accepting donations of books, clothing, large furniture, or electronics.

Proceeds of the event will be used to support Good Neighbors, Vacation Bible School, the Norris Food Pantry, the Prayer Shawl Ministry, and the Green Thumb garden program.

For information, contact the church at 865-494-7131.

SL Tennessee hosting Trunk or Treat Saturday

TONY COX | THE COURIER NEWS

SL Tennessee’s own “Men in Black” — Kiki Santiago, Briana Sauter, Srija Bommareddy and Stefania Chiang — guard their sweets station at the company’s 2025 community Trunk-or-Treat.

Norris pickleball players relish extra time

October 21, 2026 by G. Chambers Williams III

Work on replacement of the roof on the gymnasium (left) at the Norri Community Building has been postponed to start in late November, which is a few weeks after it was originally intended to be finished. - G. Chambers Williams III

Work to replace the roof over the gymnasium in the Norris Community Building will not begin until late November, City Manager Bailey Whited told the City Council during its October meeting last week.

The council on Sept. 14 approved a $67,099 contract with Tri-State Roofing Co. of Chattanooga to put the new roof on the gymnasium, which has the city’s only pickleball courts, and had expected the work to begin right away.

Whited said the contractor has been delayed with other work.

The gym will be kept closed while the work progresses, the council was told. With the delay, pickleball players may continue to use the courts for now, Whited said.

Tri-State Roofing submitted the lowest of five bids the city received for the work. The bids ranged from Tri-State Roofing’s $67,099 to $147, 454.

Museum opens Cline wagon, pearling exhibits

October 21, 2026 by G. Chambers Williams III

In this photo from the Museum of Appalachia, visitors check out the new Clinch River Pearling exhibit, which opened last Friday at the museum in Norris. - Museum of Appalachia

Last week, the Museum of Appalachia opened two new permanent exhibits that recount two historic periods in this area’s rich Appalachian history:

One is the Cline Wagon exhibit, which follows an historic Claiborne County wagon from its Appalachian roots to Michigan and back decades later, and second is the Clinch River Pearling exhibit, which explores how pearls harvested from the Clinch River helped connect Clinton to an international market.

Both were opened to museum visitors on Friday (Oct. 16).

The Cline Wagon exhibit is built around what is thought to be the only surviving wagon from the shop of brothers Alex and Wade Cline, who began making farm wagons and implements in the Claiborne County community of Dogwood in 1917.

Their work even caught the eye of noted Tennessee photographer Joe Clark —later known for the black-and-white photography behind Jack Daniel’s long-running advertising campaign — who documented the brothers at work.

Homecoming hits Market Street

October 21, 2026

Leading the way down Market Street, members of the Clinton High School Air Force JROTC kick off the school’s 2026 homecoming parade Friday evening, Oct. 16. The parade brought Dragon pride to downtown Clinton, featur- ing the homecoming court, cheerleaders, Clinton Middle School athletes and other participants. - Tony Cox

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