Good afternoon, Cookeville. ☀️
(Yes, afternoon. The Cardinal was supposed to land in your inbox this morning. A rocket launched last week and apparently took our schedule with it. We're back.)
Easter's over — and now we hit the most stacked Saturday of the year.
Four events. One day. You'll need a plan.
Meanwhile: A CHS senior is headed to state for the first time in 12 years…
Girl Dinner just dropped at The Putnam Room…
…and Cane Creek Park is almost ready for summer.
Let's get into it.
📅 THIS WEEK
April 11 — Four Events, One Day
🦋 Firefly Festival
👉 hipcookeville.com/fireflyfestival
Dogwood Park | April 11–12 | All day | Free
Live music across multiple stages. Local artists. Food vendors. Kids area.
This is Cookeville at full capacity.
🎨 28th Annual Celebration of Craft
👉 Join the Appalachian Center for... - Visit Cookeville-Putnam County | Facebook
Appalachian Center for Craft | April 11 | 10 AM–5 PM
Live demos: glass, clay, metal, wood, fibers.
One of the most beautiful spots in the Upper Cumberland — and 25% off the gallery.
🌻 Unique Cookeville
👉Unique Day! | Facebook
Downtown | April 11 | 10 AM–2 PM | Free
A community festival built for individuals with special needs and their families.
Games, music, food, and 20+ local organizations.
🚚 Middle TN Food Truck & Arts Festival
👉 visitcookevilletn.com/events
Putnam County Fairgrounds | April 11 | 10 AM–4 PM
Food trucks, live music, rides, boutiques, and full family chaos.
The move:
Morning → Unique Cookeville
Midday → Firefly Festival
Afternoon → Craft Center
Night → Girl Dinner
🐾 THEY’RE STILL WAITING
Last week’s Easter adoption event helped, but not enough.
Walter Hobbs. Chuck. Fredericka. Carlos. Grisi. Lemon.
Still there. Still waiting.
You’ll pass the shelter this week. Stop in. Some great animal pals waiting to say hello.
🌟 FEEL GOOD STORY
A CHS Senior Is Headed to State
For the first time in 12 years, a Cookeville High student is competing at the state American Legion Oratorical Championship.
This isn’t easy:
Prepared speech + a random constitutional topic delivered on the spot.
She won the region doing exactly that.
Win state → nationals at Hillsdale College
Shot at a $25,000 scholarship
☕ COOKEVILLE TEA
Tech basketball is getting a reset. Tennessee Tech officially hired Tobin Anderson as the new men's basketball head coach. Anderson has been coaching since 1996, most recently turning around programs that needed exactly that. The Golden Eagles haven't had a winning season in eight years — that's not a slump, that's a rut. Cookeville is cautiously optimistic, which after eight years is about as much hope as anyone's willing to spend.
TTU Symphony Band headed to Schermerhorn. The TTU Symphony Band will perform at Nashville's Schermerhorn Symphony Center — home of the Nashville Symphony, one of the finest concert halls in the Southeast. This isn't a field trip. Date TBD — worth making the drive.
Dogwood Park upgrades are done. New parking, upgraded sidewalks, better access to the Performing Arts Center. The timing couldn't be better with Firefly Festival landing there this weekend. If you haven't been out lately, it's worth a walk-through just to see what changed.
April is Autism Awareness Month in Cookeville. Mayor Laurin Wheaton officially proclaimed it, highlighting awareness, acceptance, and support for individuals with autism and their families. Special shoutout to Momentum Behavior Analysis, they joined the mayor for the proclamation and do meaningful daily work supporting local families. If you know them, you know. If you don't, now you do.
City Council meets April 17 — here's what that means. Regular meetings are the 1st and 3rd Thursday of every month, 5:30 PM, 45 East Broad Street. The work session is the Monday before at 4:00 PM. Meetings are public, recorded, and on YouTube — and they're where decisions about your roads, parks, and city budget actually get made. If something's been bugging you about Cookeville lately, this is the room. 👉 cookeville-tn.gov
🍽️ LOCAL PICKS
The Putnam Room — Two Ways to Go
🍷 Girl Dinner (Weekly Favorite)
Thursdays at 5 PM | $25
Martini or wine + steak frites
Simple. Consistent. Always hits.
🍶 Sake Dinner (One Night Only)
Sunday, April 12 | 4 PM | $100
Five courses. Sake pairings.
Garlic soup → sushi stack → langostine → puffed rice → mochi
This is the elevated version. More experience than dinner.
Call 931-644-3722 to reserve.
👀 COOKEVILLE SPOTTED
Cane Creek Park is almost back:
🚣 Paddleboat — $5
🛶 Kayaks — $6–$8
⛵ Canoe — $8
🏀 Gear rentals — $1/hr
A full afternoon for ~$20.
Summer’s coming.
📸 PHOTO OF THE DAY
Cookeville showed out this weekend.
Loved the drone show. Great story. Well done Cookeville Easter Drone Show.
📣 COMING UP
🏆 State Oratorical Championship — April 11
🦋 Firefly Festival — April 11–12
🌻 Unique Cookeville — April 11
🚚 Food Truck Festival — April 11
🎨 Celebration of Craft — April 11
🎤 Waka Flocka Flame — April 17
🌱 Spring Awakening — April 24
🥒 Pickle Festival — May 2–3
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Reply to this email.
Thanks for reading! See y’all out in the wild this weekend. 🐦
