Good morning, Cookeville.

Big week ahead.

On Wednesday, Tennessee Tech University officially became a Southern Conference school, closing the book on 75 years in the Ohio Valley Conference.

We’ve got two tribute nights at the theater, 49 new homes on the way, a Cumberland County bear that’s now calendar-famous, and a Fourth of July rolling in with the second-largest fireworks show in the state—plus a whole string of marina shows out on the lake.

Let’s get into it.

After more than seven decades, Tech is changing leagues.

On Wednesday, July 1, Tennessee Tech officially joins the Southern Conference, ending a 75 year run in the Ohio Valley Conference that started back in 1949. It is the biggest move in Golden Eagle athletics in a generation, and the school is throwing open the doors to mark it.

The community celebration starts at 11 AM in the Hooper Eblen Center and is free and open to anyone who wants to come. There will be refreshments, giveaways, remarks from university and athletics leaders, and the unveiling of a new Southern Conference logo for the arena lobby. Bring the kids.

The timing is not an accident. The new Tucker Stadium west side is nearly finished ahead of the August 29 home opener against Monmouth, every premium suite already sold out months ago, and Tech just landed Tobin Anderson as its new men's basketball coach. Joining the SoCon puts Tech in a league with in-state rivals ETSU and Chattanooga, which means shorter road trips and better Saturdays for the rest of us.

Translation: your hometown university is moving up, and the front door is open Wednesday morning if you want to be part of it.

Tech is adding architects to the mix. A board committee just approved a new five-year Bachelor of Architecture degree at Tennessee Tech, with enrollment projected to begin in fall 2027. Leaders framed it as workforce development for a field in high demand across the state, starting with a small cohort of about 30 students a year and a long-term vision of a standalone School of Architecture. One trustee pushed for the curriculum to lean hard into AI, warning that teaching old-school architecture without it would shortchange students. Another sign Tech is building for the future, literally.

Forty-nine more homes on the way. The Cookeville Planning Commission signed off on phase two of the River Ranch subdivision, clearing 49 new single-family homes on roughly 64 acres along Mine Lick Creek Road. The plan includes a 50 foot greenway along Cane Creek and new sidewalks, and the first phase approved late last year already has homes going up. Growth keeps coming.

A Cumberland County bear is calendar-famous. Crossville wildlife photographer Bill Gelsleichter earned another spot in the TWRA's annual calendar, this time with a shot of a mama black bear and her cub taken just outside the Smokies. He won last year too, with a Cooper's hawk from his own backyard. A retiree who chose the area after 50 years in Pennsylvania, he says the trick is patience and getting out early or staying late. You can browse his photos on Flickr. And yes, consider that your seasonally mandated Cardinal bear sighting.

No council meeting tonight. Quick civic note if you had it on your calendar: the Cookeville City Council work session set for Monday, June 29 has been cancelled. A quiet week on the city side before the holiday.

The library is mid-makeover. The Putnam County Library's Cookeville branch on East Broad is in the middle of an expansion. The parking lot is closed for now, but the library itself stays open, so plan your parking if you are running the kids in for summer reading.

New state laws kick in Wednesday. July 1 is not just Tech's big day. Dozens of new Tennessee laws take effect that morning, and a few are worth knowing. Spiking someone's drink becomes a Class D felony, and bars and restaurants that serve alcohol will be required to keep drink-testing strips on hand. Noncompete agreements become void for workers earning under 70,000 dollars a year. And a statewide ban on kratom takes effect with no grace period, so anything still on a shelf has to come off.

One more heads up: it is going to be hot, with highs in the low to mid 90s most of the week. And with July 4 falling on a Saturday, the holiday is observed Friday, July 3, so expect city offices and most banks to be closed that day and double check your trash pickup. If you are headed to anything outdoors, pack water, find shade, and check on the older folks and the dogs.

The boom on Saturday night is the main event, but Cookeville stretches the Fourth across the whole weekend. Here is how to make a full day of it.

Start downtown in the morning. The kids bicycle, wagon, and scooter parade around the courthouse is a longtime Cookeville tradition, decorated bikes, little ones in red white and blue, followed by a short patriotic ceremony on the courthouse steps honoring local veterans. Watch the Red White and Boom page for this year's exact lineup time, then grab a coffee on the square and make a morning of it.

Cool off in the afternoon. The Fourth weekend brings back Slide CKVL, the 1,000 foot waterslide that runs right down the middle of a downtown street, plus cruise-ins and a few firecracker flea markets scattered around town. With the heat we have coming, a thousand feet of cold water sounds about right.

Or take the whole thing to the water. Center Hill Lake's July 4th weekend tradition is back, with fireworks and live music spread across the marinas. On Friday, July 3, the shows are at Sligo Marina and Hurricane Marina. On Saturday, July 4, they move to Pates Ford, the Cookeville Boat Dock, and Hidden Harbor Marina, each with its own live music. Grab a spot at the dock or pull up by boat, get there early for food and drinks, and contact the marinas directly for the finer details. A morning paddle beats an afternoon parking lot every time, and Cane Creek Park is close if you want to stay in town. One state parks note if waterfalls are your plan: Burgess Falls is building a new visitor center, so the upper lot is closed and parking is very tight right now. Go early or have a backup.

Then point yourself toward the fairgrounds, or the lake, for the big show. Details below.

The Fourth, plus a weekend stacked with live music.

The 12th Annual Red White and Boom. Saturday, July 4, at the Old Putnam County Fairgrounds on Jefferson and Walnut. Gates open at 4 PM, festival runs 5 to 9:30 PM, and admission and parking are both free thanks to the sponsors. This year doubles as America's 250th birthday, so organizers are calling it their biggest and best yet.

The concert lineup runs all evening: Altitude at 5 PM, John Cooper Albright at 6:15 PM, and headliner Sons of Legion at 7:30 PM. Soldiers from the U.S. Army will be on site with real tactical vehicles, plus food trucks, face painting, official shirts and hats, and a Blood Assurance drive if you want to do some good between songs.

Then the reason everybody comes: the fireworks light up at 9:15 PM. It is the second largest show in Tennessee, ranked just behind Nashville by net explosive weight, choreographed to a patriotic soundtrack. If you cannot make it to the fairgrounds, prime viewing carries across South Cookeville, and the show is live streamed on Facebook with the soundtrack simulcast on 94.7 Country Giant and 98.5 KISS FM.

Run before the boom. Lace up for the Freedom 5K on Friday, July 3 at 8 PM, an evening run and walk through downtown starting at The Exceptional Bean on North Walnut, benefiting the shop's mission. Divisions run 50 dollars for general (13 and up), 40 dollars for veterans, and 35 dollars for the kids fun run, with race shirts and finisher medals for the top three. Wear your red, white, and blue and register here.

Two tribute nights at the theater. The Cookeville Performing Arts Center has back to back shows. Thursday, July 2 brings Natasha Neeley's Tribute to Dolly, a 90 minute run through Jolene, 9 to 5, Coat of Many Colors and the stories behind them. Then Friday, July 3, Resurrection, a Journey tribute takes the stage, billed as the gold standard of Journey tributes, with Sam Mullins opening on a Bryan Adams tribute. Both nights, doors at 6 PM, opener at 6:15, headliner at 7. Bar service available. Reserve seats at 931.528.1313 or through the CPAC website.

That's your week.

A new conference, a courthouse full of decorated bikes, Dolly and Journey on the same weekend, and the sky over South Cookeville lighting up for America's 250th.

Stay cool out there, drink your water, and have yourself a happy and safe Fourth.

See you back here next Monday.