Enjoy caroling, games, model trains and holiday treats during this beloved annual event. Take a photo with Santa, too. (He takes a cookie break from 12-1 p.m.)
Santa House
Dec. 6-8, 13-15, 20 | Dogwood Park | Free
Enjoy a visit with Santa and his elves in his little red house at Dogwood Park: Dec. 6-7, 5-8 p.m.; Dec. 8, 3-6 p.m.; Dec. 13, 5-8 p.m.; Dec. 14, 2-5 p.m.; Dec. 15, 3-6 p.m.; and Dec. 20, 5-8 p.m. Bring a camera to capture the smiles.
Christmas Carriage Rides
Dec. 6-8, 13-15, 20 | Dogwood Park | Free
Enjoy horse-drawn carriage rides around the Dogwood Park Christmas tree: Dec. 6-7, 5-8 p.m.; Dec. 8, 3-6 p.m.; Dec. 13, 5-8 p.m.; Dec. 14, 2-5 p.m.; Dec. 15, 3-6 p.m.; and Dec. 20, 5-8 p.m.
Cookeville History Museum Open House
Dec. 14 | 10 a.m.-noon | Cookeville History Museum | Free
Meet museum staff and browse through a festive display of Christmas trees during the opening of the fourth annual Christmas Forest exhibit.
Events
2020
WestSide Scavenger Hunts
Jan. 11, Feb. 8, March 14 | 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. | Cookeville Depot Museum | Free
Get your family and friends together and spend the second Saturday of each month exploring Cookeville’s historic WestSide District. This free activity begins at the Cookeville Depot Museum between 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Follow the clues, duplicate images in and around participating businesses with your cell phone or camera and be entered in a prize drawing.
Fit Frenzy
Jan. 18 | 9-11:30 a.m. | Cane Creek Recreation Center | Free
Fit Frenzy is the perfect start to your New Year’s fitness resolutions. Enjoy a free sampling of group fitness classes all in one morning at Cane Creek Recreation Center starting at 9 a.m. Different classes are offered every half hour during the 2 1/2-hour event. Participate or just watch.
Backstage Series
Jan. 24, 25, 28, 30, 31, Feb. 1 (7:30 p.m.) and Jan. 26 (3 p.m.) | Cookeville Performing Arts Center
Productions in CPAC’s award-winning Backstage Series are selected especially for presentation in the intimacy of the backstage theatre setting.
Clever Little Lies – A mother always knows when something is wrong. When Alice notices her beloved husband, Bill, has returned home on edge after a tennis match with their son, she grows suspicious and springs into action. Determined to piece together the puzzle, she invites her son, Billy, and daughter-in-law, Jane, over for drinks and dessert. Sidesplitting chaos ensues as Alice digs for the truth, resulting in even more honesty than anyone expected. Shattering and hilarious, Clever Little Lies is a story of long-term love and marriage… for better… and for worse.
Father-Daughter Date Night
Feb. 21, 22, 28, 29 | 6 p.m. | Leslie Town Centre
Father-Daughter Date Night, one of Cookeville Leisure Services’ oldest and most beloved annual events, features a formal dinner and dancing for dads and daughters. Online ticket sales begin Jan. 11 at 8 a.m. For sponsorship information, call 931-520-5297.
Backstage Series
Feb. 28, 29, March 3, 5, 6, 7 (7:30 p.m.) and March 1 (3 p.m.) | Cookeville Performing Arts Center
Productions in CPAC’s award-winning Backstage Series are selected especially for presentation in the intimacy of the backstage theatre setting.
Church and State – Three days before his bid for reelection, in the wake of a school shooting in his hometown of Raleigh, North Carolina, a Republican U.S. senator makes an off-the-cuff comment to a blogger that gets leaked on “the Twitter,” calling into question the senator’s stance on guns and God. As his devoutly Christian wife and liberal Jewish campaign manager try to contain the damage, this look at how religion influences politics and how politics has become a religion is simultaneously funny, heartbreaking, and uplifting.
History Hikes
April 11, May 9, June 13, July 11, Aug. 8, Sept. 12, Oct. 10 | 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. | Cookeville Depot Museum and Cookeville History Museum | Free
Explore downtown Cookeville’s rich history with a “hike” between Cookeville Depot Museum and Cookeville History Museum on Broad Street the second Saturday of each month, April-October. Start at either museum between 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Complete this activity to be entered in a prize drawing. Each month has a different theme.
Dogapalooza
April 25 | 1-4 p.m. | Dogwood Park | Free
The 11th annual Dogapalooza is an event for dogs and the people who love them. It features pet-related vendors, off-leash play area, adoptable pets and kids’ dog show.
World Tai Chi and Qigong Day
April 25 | 10 a.m. | Cane Creek Recreation Center | Free
Tai Chi and Qigong demonstrations begin at 10 a.m. People around the world will join together to celebrate this annual event and learn more about these Chinese martial art forms that are practiced both for defense training and health benefits. The event motto is “One World… One Breath.”
Cane Creek BioBlitz
April 25-26 | All Weekend | Cane Creek Park | Free
Tennessee Tech University’s Biological Graduate Student Society is spearheading a weekend BioBlitz at Cane Creek Park. A BioBlitz is a science-driven event in which local scientists, naturalists and the public get together, identify and record the biota of an area. BGSS’s mission is to inventory the species of Cane Creek, but also let the community engage with scientists and learn how to find and identify flora and fauna in a local park. Herpetologists, ichthyologists, ornithologists, botanists, mycologists, malacologists, mammalogists, entomologists and possibly some crypto-zoologists will be on hand, leading surveys.
School of Dance performances
May 8, 9 | 7:30 p.m. | Cookeville Performing Arts Center
Students from the Leisure Services School of Dance present their annual spring performance. Dance classes, which are designed for ages 3 and up in the classic disciplines of ballet, jazz and modern dance, meet August through May at the Cane Creek Recreation Center.
Storyfest in the Park
May 30 | 10 a.m.-5 p.m. | Dogwood Park | Free
“Lend us your ears” for the seventh annual Storyfest in the Park. This is an all-day, family-friendly event that features professional storytellers from across the region. Come listen for a while under the big tent.
Third Thursday in the Park
May 21, June 18, July 16, Aug. 20 | 7:30 p.m. | Dogwood Park | Free
Enjoy concerts the third Thursday of each month, May through August, at the Dogwood Performance Pavilion. A different band is featured each month, covering a variety of music genres.
Cookeville Community Band concerts
May 25, June 8, June 22, July 6, July 20 | 7:30 p.m. | Dogwood Park | Free
Cookeville Community Band performs Monday night concerts at the Dogwood Performance Pavilion Memorial Day through July.
After Dark Movies in the Park
June 5, 12, 19, 26 | Begins at Dark | Dogwood Park | Free
The After Dark Movies in the Park series, sponsored by Rep. Ryan Williams, brings family-friendly movies to Dogwood Park each Friday night in June. Bring a lawn chair and blanket. Concessions are available.
Kids Fishing Derby
June 6 | 7:30 a.m.-noon | Cane Creek Park | Free
A day of free fishing awaits anglers ages 15 and under during the 32st annual Kids Fishing Derby presented by the Tennessee Tech University Student Fisheries Association, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and Cookeville Leisure Services. The event coincides with Tennessee Free Fishing Day, so no fishing license is required. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. at Cane Creek Park’s Lakeview Shelter. Fishing will be from 8:30-10:30 a.m., followed by a picnic from 10:30 a.m.-noon. Prizes will be awarded in each age group for most fish caught and largest fish. Participants should bring their own fishing gear and bait. A limited amount of loaner equipment will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Red, White & Boom and SlideCKVL
July 4-5
City of Cookeville’s sixth annual Independence Day celebration includes Tennessee’s second largest fireworks display on July 4 and SlideCKVL, a 1,000-foot waterslide on Broad Street, on July 4 and 5. Days and times for patriotic concerts at Dogwood Park and additional Red, White & Boom festivities will be announced at a later date.
School of Dance Open House
July 27 | 4-6 p.m. | Cane Creek Recreation Center | Free
Learn about the Leisure Services School of Dance and meet the instructors. Classes are designed for ages 3 and up in the classical disciplines of ballet, jazz and modern dance.
Backstage Series
Aug. 14, 15, 18, 20, 21, 22 (7:30 p.m.) and Aug. 16 (3 p.m.) | Cookeville Performing Arts Center
(Show to be announced.) Productions in CPAC’s award-winning Backstage Series are selected especially for presentation in the intimacy of the backstage theatre setting. Tickets are available at the CPAC Box Office or online.
IDENTITY Film Festival
Aug. 28-30 | Cookeville Performing Arts Center
This is a new event in collaboration with WCTE. Details will be announced at a later date.
Big Band Sound Concerts
Aug. 3, Sept. 7 | 7:30 p.m. | Dogwood Park | Free
Enjoy lively Big Band Sound orchestra concerts at the Dogwood Performance Pavilion. Dancing is encouraged.
Bryan Symphony Orchestra Concert
Sept. 6 | 7:30 p.m. | Dogwood Park | Free
An orchestra under the stars awaits music lovers at Dogwood Park. BSO’s annual outdoor community concert attracts a large crowd with music performed by professional musicians from throughout the region, as well as faculty and select students from Tennessee Tech University. The event begins with children’s activities at 6:30 p.m.
Cookeville Cemetery Walk
Sept. 19 | 6 and 8 p.m. | Cookeville City Cemetery
Several Cookeville City Cemetery “residents” will rise from the grave to tell their stories. A guide will lead groups to various gravesites along a candlelit path for this educational and entertaining event that takes place on even-numbered years (alternating with Night at the Museums). Tickets are available at Cookeville Performing Arts Center.
Shakespeare in the Park
Oct. 2-10 | 7 p.m. | Dogwood Park | Free
Experience a William Shakespeare play under the stars at the Dogwood Performance Pavilion. Bring a lawn chair and blanket. Concessions are available.
Kick off fall with outdoor music and lunch. This concert series, sponsored by Cookeville Arts Council, brings a variety of music to the museum patio the first four Fridays in October. Lunch is available to purchase on site.
Join us on Friday nights in October as we enjoy a free, full-length movie out on the west patio under the stars at the Cookeville Depot. Bring a chair or blanket to sit on, and we'll pop the popcorn and chill the water and sodas ($1 each).
Cookeville Treat Trail
Oct. 31 | 4-6 p.m. | Dogwood Park | Free
Come to Dogwood Park for some spooky fun. Put on your costume and walk along the Cookeville Treat Trail from 4-6 p.m. We'll have trick-or-treating booths, games and other fun activities.
Christmas in the Park Tree-Lighting Ceremony
Nov. 29 | 6 p.m. | Dogwood Park | Free
Start the holiday season with the City of Cookeville’s sixth annual Christmas in the Park Tree-Lighting Ceremony and Christmas Celebration Service. Be there, along with Santa, as the lights come on, brightening a nearly 40-foot-tall Christmas tree, followed by a 15-minute lightshow synchronized to music. The lightshow will continue nightly throughout the holiday season every hour on the hour from 5-9 p.m. Adding to the festive atmosphere will be holiday displays throughout the park. Numerous activities will take place throughout December, including visits with Santa and his elves in the little red Santa House.
Enjoy caroling, games, model trains and holiday treats during this beloved annual event. Take a photo with Santa, too. (He takes a cookie break from 12-1 p.m.)
Cookeville Community Band Holiday Concert
Dec. 6 | 3 p.m. | Cookeville Performing Arts Center | Free
Cookeville Community Band will put audience members in the Christmas spirit with its annual free holiday concert.
Cookeville History Museum Open House
Dec. 12 | 10 a.m.-noon | Cookeville History Museum | Free
Meet museum staff and browse through a festive display of Christmas trees during the opening of the fifth annual Christmas Forest exhibit.