Good morning, Cookeville.

June daylight hangs around long enough to make an after-work plan feel reasonable, and tonight the lawn chairs come out at Dogwood Park for another free Community Band concert. This is a short, useful three-day Scoop: one new road that could change a south-side drive, two ways to move at Cane Creek, a small-art show downtown, and a couple of weeknight food deals.

In today's Cookeville Scoop:

Let's get into it.

Tai Chi starts Wednesday. Cookeville Leisure Services opens a four-week, all-ages Tai Chi session on Wednesday, June 24, from 4 to 5 PM at Cane Creek Recreation Center, 180 CC Camp Road. Instructor Teddy Spivey leads the low-impact class, which focuses on deliberate movement and breathing. The session costs $32, and registration is through Leisure Services.

Rest and Recover Yoga (looking ahead). If Wednesday is too soon, Cane Creek has a gentler Sunday option waiting. The monthly restorative yoga session runs June 28 from 2:30 to 3:45 PM at the recreation center. It is beginner-friendly, drop-in friendly, and $10. See the class details.

Two days at The Slice. Monday Funday at The Slice Pizza and Games (408 W Jackson Street, Suite C) is a $30 bundle with one large one-topping pizza, up to five soft drinks, cheesy breadsticks, and a $20 arcade card. The restaurant lists the regular value at $47. On Tuesday, most arcade games are half price all day, though crane and other merchandise games are excluded. Check the specials.

Trivia Tuesday, wings Wednesday. Hooligans Half Irish Pub runs live trivia Tuesday at 8 PM, then follows it Wednesday with 10 boneless wings for $7.50 from 6 to 9 PM. One night tests what you know, the next tests how much sauce belongs on a wing. That feels like a fair midweek curriculum. See Hooligans' weekly lineup.

Cookeville just opened a road that is only 0.13 mile long. That does not sound like much until you look at where it goes.

The Henley Drive extension creates a new connection from Sams Street to Bunker Hill Road, linking toward South Jefferson Avenue on the city's south side. For drivers trying to move through the busy area around I-40, it adds another way in and out instead of feeding every trip through the same few turns. The city says the route is expected to help reduce congestion around the interstate. The real test will be the weekday drive, of course, but the map makes the idea easy to understand.

There is more packed into that short stretch than asphalt. The new street has three 11-foot travel lanes, curb and gutter, storm drainage, sidewalks, street lighting, plus water, sewer, and gas utilities. City Manager James Mills said the extension had been part of Cookeville's Major Street Plan for more than 25 years.

Rogers Group began construction March 9 under a $533,979 contract. Substantial completion had been scheduled for August 6, but the road opened June 15, nearly two months early. Property owners Jack Stites, John D. Stites, Josh Stites, and David Sweetland of TIP Enterprises donated needed right-of-way and easements. Rogers Group also contributed easements and materials.

One piece is still temporary. The city installed a traffic signal at Henley Drive and South Jefferson Avenue for immediate relief. TDOT plans to replace it with a permanent mast-arm signal as part of the future South Jefferson Avenue widening project.

So, yes, it is a very short road. It may also be the most useful eighth of a mile Cookeville has added in a while. Read the city's full project update.

Cookeville Community Band Summer Series Concert. Monday, June 22, from 7:30 to 9 PM at the Dogwood Performance Pavilion, 43 N Walnut Avenue. Bring a lawn chair or blanket and settle in for a free evening concert. If the band cancels, its stated policy is generally to reschedule for the following Monday when the pavilion is available. Check the concert listing.

The Tiny Show. Art Round Tennessee's members exhibition puts the focus on small-scale work by 55 Upper Cumberland artists. It is free at Fiddlehead Gallery inside The Silver Fern, 46 W Broad Street, and remains open through July 25. Gallery hours are not listed on the exhibition page, so check before making a special trip. See the exhibition details.

Ruck Fit at Cane Creek. Tuesday, June 23, from 5:30 to 6:30 PM at Cane Creek Recreation Center, 180 CC Camp Road. This $3 drop-in workout uses sandbags and bodyweight movements, with exercises scalable for different fitness levels. It is a low-cost way to break up the week without committing to a long program. Read the class description.

If the new Henley Drive route fits your usual south-side drive, try it and reply with whether it changes the trip. Then forward this edition to the person you always text about traffic near I-40. Know about a local class, show, restaurant special, or neighborhood change we should catch next? Send it my way. I read every tip.

Thanks for making room for a short midweek Scoop. There is still plenty of June daylight left, so take the useful road and bring the lawn chair. See you in the next one. 🧡

-- Travis