Norris Dam in Tennessee is 80 years old as of July 2016. The Tennessee Valley Authority is celebrating by offering tours of Norris Dam this weekend. The dam celebration will provide family activities, food vendors, foot races and powerhouse tours on July 29 and 30.
The Facts
Norris Dam is the TVA’s first hydroelectric dam, completed in July of 1936. It was built to provide flood control and supply power.
The dam created Norris Lake which has 809 miles of shoreline and 33,840 surface acres of water.
Today, Norris Lake is also used for recreation such as swimming, boating, wakeboarding, kayaking, canoeing and more.
The Dam Celebration
The celebrations are free, open to the public and range from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
While water and sunscreen are encouraged the TVA ask that chairs, coolers and pets be left at home.
Live music and two marathons will be part of the fun. The Knoxville Track Club and TVA are hosting the Big Dam 8K Race and Two-Mile Fun Walk.
Year Long Celebration
TVA picked Norris for the first celebration because it is the oldest but they will recognize all of the TVA dams over the next year. The TVA has listed all of the dams they manage and the dates they were finalized.