Christmas lights in Oak Ridge

Lighting cemesto Alphabet Houses

The cemesto "Alphabet Houses" built for the Manhattan Project are still lived in all over the north end of town, in neighborhoods like Pine Valley, Elm Grove and along Outer Drive. They're low and simple, with plain rooflines, and that's what makes them look sharp lit: one clean, evenly spaced line along the eaves, maybe the porch, and you can see the shape of the house from the street.

Cemesto walls are cement-asbestos panels, so nothing should be drilled or nailed into them. On these houses the lights stay on the gutter and eave line.

Lake homes and newer neighborhoods

Out toward Melton Hill Lake it's a different picture. Rarity Ridge has lakefront cottages and estate homes with community design guidelines, and Centennial Village has newer homes with an HOA. Lake houses often have their best side facing the water, so we'll talk about which side people actually see, from the road, the dock or the boat.

Oak Ridge's holiday season

The Christmas parade comes down Lafayette Drive to the Oak Ridge Turnpike and ends at Oak Ridge High School in mid-December, and the year wraps up with the lighted atom drop in A.K. Bissell Park on New Year's Eve. Plenty of people want their lights up well before the parade, so get in touch in the fall.