Children’s Museum gala is Friday
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Gale Hinton’s mural of a Tennessee River scene will greet guests at the Children’s Museum gala.
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James Everett, general manager of TVA’s River Management Organization, will be guest speaker at the Tennessee River-themed gala on Friday (Nov. 21) at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge.
“Navigating the Tennessee River: Full Steam Ahead!” will be the theme for the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge gala at 5:30 p.m. Friday (Nov. 21), an evening of entertainment, dinner, and live and silent auctions benefiting the museum.
Guests are invited to wear costumes reflecting the Tennessee River theme.
They will also hear from guest speaker James Everett, general manager of the Tennessee Valley Authority’s River Management Organization, about how TVA’s system of dams and reservoirs provides benefits in navigation, flood control, power production, water supply and recreation.
William Puckett, WVLT-TV morning co-anchor and multimedia journalist, will serve as gala emcee.
The Selma Shapiro Friend of the Child Award will be presented to Gordon Fee, who has been connected with the museum as a volunteer or board member since its beginning. Founded in 1973, the museum named the award in memory of its longtime director.
Fee, retired president of Lockheed Martin Energy Systems and former manager of the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, has been a lifelong supporter of the museum’s mission as a place to educate and entertain children and their families.
Gala guests will be able to visit the museum’s Waterworks exhibit, which offers both fun and learning. It features model locks and dams where children can send boats down the river; a child-sized tugboat for children to captain; and a display about TVA’s system of dams and reservoirs on the Tennessee River.
Guests will also take part in a lively auction led by Bear Stephenson of Stephenson Realty & Auction in Clinton, who volunteers his time for charitable auctions throughout the year.
A Tennessee River mural created by artist Gale Hinton will greet guests upon arrival at the museum. Hinton, who has donated her artistry for more than a dozen museum galas, created a peaceful river scene featuring fishing, boating and river critters.
Live auction items will include a Gatlinburg cabin getaway, a Norris cabin getaway, a lakeside luncheon, a basketball autographed by University of Tennessee men’s basketball Coach Rick Barnes, jewelry from Karen’s Jewelers, a dim sum dinner, a barbecue dinner, and Apple AirPods Pro 4.
Gala organizers are posting updates and previews of auction items on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn (@cmoroakridge).
The gala, held at the museum, 461 W. Outer Drive, is the annual fundraiser for the Children’s Museum, providing crucial support for its mission of educating children of all ages through play and discovery.
Tickets are $125 per person and may be purchased at event.gives/cmorgala2025. Those who cannot attend may donate at bit.ly/givetocmor.
For more information or to learn about gala sponsorships, call museum Executive Director Beth Shea at 865- 482-1074 or email her at bshea@childrensmuseumofoakridge.org.