Good morning, Cookeville.
The pool is open. The cardinals are out.
And the sky decided to put on a show this weekend.
Now the calendar tilts toward Memorial Day. So does the energy.
Big stories this week: three new businesses land in Cookeville, Run For the Wall rolls in today, a $74M budget gets the green light, and the Splash Pad finally opens Thursday.
Let’s get into it.
🌅 TOP OF THE PERCH: THREE NEW BUSINESSES, ONE WEEK
The growth headline doesn’t stop.
Last week: 168 new manufacturing jobs.
This week: three more names on the map.
Culver’s is coming to South Willow. ButterBurgers and frozen custard finally fill a gap on that side of town.
Weigel’s is heading to Highway 111. First foothold in Putnam County.
Restore Life Behavioral Health is opening its fifth location, bringing counseling and family support services to town.
Three businesses. Three different needs filled. One week.
Translation: rooftops are here. Retail is catching up.
The Willows opens in October. These are next in line.
🏍️RUN FOR THE WALL ARRIVES TODAY AT 4:30
Cookeville hosts Run For the Wall for the 12th year. They roll in this afternoon.
300+ motorcycles will exit I-40 and ride down Jefferson Avenue, escorted by state and local law enforcement.
They’re on day six of a ten-day ride from Los Angeles to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
Their mission: ride for those who can’t.
Many are Vietnam veterans who never got a proper “Welcome Home.”
Cookeville is their only overnight stop in Tennessee.
Stand on Jefferson. Bring flags. Bring your kids.
This is the easiest hour of patriotism you’ll spend all year.
🏛️ COUNCIL SIGNS OFF ON A $74M BUDGET
The city just wrapped budget work sessions. The headline: $74 million in capital projects and road work.
The focus is infrastructure.
That includes repairs to Interstate Drive, where sinking lanes near I-40 are finally getting fixed.
Translation: those dips you’ve been cursing for two years are going away.
No property tax increase is planned. Sales tax continues to carry the load.
A public hearing is still ahead, but the direction is clear: growth is being reinvested.
💦 HOMETOWN HEROES: SPLASH PAD OPENS THURSDAY
Cane Creek Park gets louder this week.
The new Splash Pad opens Thursday, May 21, with a ribbon cutting at 4:15 PM. It opens for play immediately after.
It’s free. It’s next to the playgrounds and pickleball courts. And it gives families an easy summer default.
The kind of addition that quietly makes a town better.
Bring towels. Bring snacks. Bring a chair.
📸 BIRD SIGHTINGS
A few things worth knowing this week:
🌠 A bright meteor crossed the sky Saturday night around 9 PM. It split in two, burned brighter, then disappeared. If you saw it, you weren’t alone.
📞 Cane Creek Elementary bomb threat was a hoax. Students were safe. Authorities say it’s part of a broader wave of false calls across Tennessee. The FBI is now involved.
⚾ Cookeville High baseball is headed to State after sweeping Beech. Record: 27–8.
🛻 Sparta hit-and-run sent an 84-year-old veteran to the hospital. Suspect vehicle: white Toyota RAV4. Call Sparta PD with info.
🚂 The Cookeville Depot Museum (1909) is free and quietly one of the best spots in town.
🎺 The Community Band kicks off its summer series on Memorial Day at 7:30 PM.
🍌 The Tennessee Banana Festival is June 27. Yes, really. Yes, banana everything.
☕ Wawa is coming to Tennessee. No Cookeville location yet—but don’t rule it out.
🗺️ THE FLIGHT PLAN
⭐ Pick of the Week: Splash Pad Ribbon Cutting (Thursday)
Monday, May 18
Run For the Wall arrival · Jefferson Ave · 4:30 PM
Line Dancing · Cane Creek Rec · 12:30–3:30 PM ($5)
Wednesday, May 20
Blues Jam · Red Silo Brewing · 7 PM (free, open mic)
Thursday, May 21
💦 Splash Pad Ribbon Cutting · Cane Creek Park · 4:15 PM (free)
🎶 Sounds of Summer kickoff · Dogwood Performance Pavilion · 7:30 PM (free)
🎸 Jammin’ at Hippie Jacks · Crawford · runs through Sunday
Friday, May 22
Traditional Dance · Cane Creek · 6:30–8 PM ($1)
Saturday, May 23
Farmers Market · Downtown
Depot Museum · 116 W Broad St (free)
🎸 The Black Lillies · Jammin’ at Hippie Jacks · 7 PM
Sunday, May 24
Memorial Day weekend kickoff
Quiet on the calendar, loud at the grills.
🎤 LOOKING AHEAD
Memorial Day Monday does a lot of work.
The Community Band opens its summer series at Dogwood Park. Lawn chairs. Easy night.
Three days later: Jake Hoot headlines a free outdoor show at Trackside (May 28).
And June 27: the Banana Festival takes over the fairgrounds.
Summer is here. The Cardinal is along for it.
That’s your week, Cookeville.
To everyone lining Jefferson today: thank you. Those riders remember every flag.
To the families counting down to Thursday: it’s finally here.
Have a great week,
Noah
