Good morning, Cookeville.

It's perfect fire pit weather, and we're not allowed to light the fire pit. I've accepted it. I'm just sitting in the backyard in a hoodie, staring at a cold stack of logs like it owes me money.

In today's Cookeville Scoop:

Let's get into it.

WCTE Blues & Brews - The craft beer and music festival takes over Trackside Food Truck Park (172 W Broad St) on Saturday from noon to 4 PM, with a VIP Stein Social from 11 to noon. Expect local, national, and home brews, food trucks, and blues from Martell Curd with Go DJs. Tickets are $55 general admission, $75 VIP, $30 for a two-hour pass (2 to 4 PM), and $15 for designated drivers. It's 21+ (bring ID), and capped at 600 tickets. Get tickets.

WCTE Haunted Half Marathon, Relay & 5K - The 19th annual race starts on the Tennessee Tech campus Saturday, with the half and relay at 7 AM and the 5K at 7:10. Costumes are encouraged (there are best-costume awards), and every finisher gets a themed medal. Registration is $45 for the 5K, $80 for the half, and $165 for a three-person relay, with prices going up on race day. Runners also get a discount on Blues & Brews. Race info.

Lifting Spirits: A Halloween Ghoul-a - Helping Hands of Putnam County throws its costume gala Saturday from 6 to 10 PM at The Saltbox Event Center (481 Hutcheson Rd). Your $65 ticket ($115 for two) covers dinner, dancing, and two drink tickets for beer, wine, or a signature cocktail or mocktail. Costumes are highly encouraged, and every ticket supports a local nonprofit. Get tickets.

Bacchanal - Tennessee Tech's School of Art, Craft and Design holds its 29th annual art auction Sunday from 1 to 5 PM at Spankies on East 9th Street. Bid on blown glass, handmade furniture, jewelry, and paintings while a Tech jazz combo plays and Spankies sets out a buffet. The live auction starts at 2. Online sales are closed, so tickets are $75 at the door (bring your driver's license). Proceeds fund student scholarships. Event details.

First Watch finally has an opening date. The daytime café opens Monday, November 9, at 1115 Interstate Drive (the old IHOP spot), and it'll serve made-to-order breakfast, brunch, and lunch daily from 7 AM to 2:30 PM. Opening week brings a free pot of Project Sunrise coffee for your table, and the first 100 guests on day one get a free tumbler. Pancake people, set an alarm! The details.

Father Tom's Pub has a weekend dessert worth the trip downtown: Cinnamon Roll Churros, filled with cream cheese, rolled in cinnamon sugar, and served with whiskey salted caramel and blackberry Grand Marnier dips. They're around while supplies last. This week's board also has Ravioli alla Vodka (pesto and burrata ravioli in a zesty vodka sauce, after 3:30 PM) and a brand-new fall cocktail menu. Find them at 32 N Cedar Ave, open 11 AM to 11:30 PM Friday and Saturday. Specials.

Some Saturday plans need a lawn chair, a funnel cake, and a little "Sweet Home Alabama." This one has all three, and it's free!

Artimus Pyle, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame drummer from the original Lynyrd Skynyrd, brings his band APB to the Silver Point Salute Concert on Saturday, October 24. The show is a tribute to the music of Ronnie Van Zant and Skynyrd, with Lee Newton opening. Gates open at 2 PM at Defenders Retreat (14225 Old Baxter Rd, Silver Point, right off I-40 at exit 273), and the music runs 3 to 6 PM. Admission is FREE.

The setting is part of the story. Defenders Retreat is a farm built to support veterans and first responders, and the Heroes On A Mission Foundation planned this concert to honor Vietnam veterans, service members, and first responders the same weekend The Wall That Heals is in Cookeville. That's a pretty good reason to turn it up.

Here's what to know before you go. Bring your own lawn chairs. Thirteen local food trucks will be on site, plus on-site parking. Leave the cooler at home (no outside coolers) and the same goes for weapons. There's also a raffle with a guitar signed by Pyle, APB, and Lee Newton, plus golf passes, a Cookeville Honda service package, and more. Raffle tickets are $1 each, 7 for $5, or 15 for $10, and the drawing happens during the concert (you don't have to be present to win).

Want to make a whole evening of it? The show wraps at 6, the same time Monterey High bugler Telia Underwood plays Taps at the Wall back in town. And if your crew likes a scare, Halloween Hollow is just down Old Baxter Road (I'll be in the not-so-scary corn maze, thanks).

Get there early for a good patch of grass, and bring the veteran in your life!

Concert details

Cookeville is under a citywide burn ban. The Fire Department issued it October 21 because of drought and dry ground. That means no campfires, brush piles, or burning construction materials, but charcoal, propane, and gas grills are still fine for cooking. Chief Benton Young says it'll take several days of soaking rain to lift, and he's guessing two or three weeks at least. Report open burning to 931-526-2121.

Grill the burgers. Skip the bonfire. Don't get burned.

UC Now report

Friday
Early Voting – Vote early for Nov 3 at 705 County Services Dr… 8 AM to 5 PM
Read, Play, Grow – Stories and play for ages birth to 3 at the Cookeville library… 10 to 11 AM
Train Tales – Preschool train storytime at the Depot Museum… 10:30 AM
Rosenwald Schools Exhibit – Free exhibit at the Cookeville History Museum, Friday and Saturday… 10 AM to 4 PM
Brown Bag Lunch Concert – Free patio music with Warren Gently at the Depot Museum… 11:30 AM to 1 PM
Friday Matinee: IT (1990) – The Tim Curry miniseries at the Cookeville library… starts at noon
Cedar Hills Trunk or Treat – Trick-or-treat with the residents at Cedar Hills Senior Living, 1250 Cedar Hills Dr… 5:30 PM until the candy's gone
Bingo and Food Night – $5 bingo at Hardy's Chapel Community Center, with chili and hot dogs from 5… 6 to 8 PM
Taps and Light the Night – Taps at The Wall That Heals, then the Agent Orange commemoration… 6 and 7 PM
Mountain Mayhem – Haunted hayride, trail, and corn maze in Brotherton… 6 to 11 PM
Halloween Hollow – Four haunted attractions in Silver Point, Friday through Sunday ($30 general admission)… after dark

Saturday
Haunted Half Marathon & 5K – Costumed runners take over Tech's campus… 7 AM
Noisy Girl & Ghosted Car, Truck & Bike Show – Free for spectators at the old fairgrounds, benefiting Prescott South Middle's archery team and chorus… 9 AM to 2 PM
Early Voting – Saturday hours, and the last day to request an absentee ballot… 9 AM to 1 PM
Dungeons & Dragons – Beginner-friendly games at the Cookeville library (adults 10 AM, tweens and teens 12:30 PM)… 10 AM to 2:30 PM
Halloween Cookie Decorating Class – Decorate four spooky cookies with Sparky's Sweet Shoppe at Cookeville Art Studio… 10 to 11:30 AM
Drug Take Back Day – Drop off old or unneeded meds at five Putnam sites… 10 AM to 2 PM
WCTE Blues & Brews – Craft beer and blues at Trackside (21+)… noon to 4 PM
Silver Point Salute Concert – Free Skynyrd tribute with Artimus Pyle and APB at Defenders Retreat… gates 2 PM, show 3 to 6 PM
Howloween at the Runway – Dress up your pup for a walk and prizes at Cane Creek Park's Meadow View Shelter… 4:30 PM
Building a Boo-tiful Community Trunk or Treat – Free candy, community partners, and a petting zoo at the new Home Depot… 5 to 7 PM
Taps at the Wall – Monterey High bugler Telia Underwood plays at The Wall That Heals… 6 PM
Lifting Spirits: A Halloween Ghoul-a – Costume gala for Helping Hands at The Saltbox ($65)… 6 to 10 PM
Karaoke Costume Contest – Sing in costume for store-credit prizes at Roasted (21+, donation entry)… 8 to 10 PM

Sunday
Fall Festival & Homeschool Vendor Market – 50+ young makers selling crafts and baked goods at the old fairgrounds… noon to 4 PM
Bacchanal – Tech's art auction and buffet at Spankies ($75 at the door)… 1 to 5 PM
The Wall That Heals Closing Ceremony – Last chance to visit before the Wall leaves town… 1:45 PM
Rest & Recover Yoga – Gentle drop-in class at Cane Creek Rec Center… 2:30 to 3:45 PM
Dabgo Music Bingo – Free music bingo on your phone at Roasted (21+)… 3 to 5 PM
Trunk or Treat at Jere Whitson Elementary – Washington Avenue Baptist's trunk or treat at 178 E Jere Whitson Rd… 4 to 6 PM

Looking ahead
Cooking on the Square – Cajun lunch on the courthouse square for Habitat for Humanity… Friday, Oct 30, 11 AM to 1 PM
Cookeville Treat Trail – Free trick-or-treating at Dogwood Park for kids 12 and under… Saturday, Oct 31, 4 to 6 PM

The Wall That Heals is in its final weekend at the new Putnam County Fairgrounds (2121 Event Center Dr). It's free and open around the clock until Sunday. Monterey High bugler Telia Underwood plays Taps at 6 PM Saturday, and the closing ceremony starts at 1:45 PM Sunday. The Wall closes at 2, so go Saturday night if you can.

National Prescription Drug Take Back Day runs Saturday from 10 AM to 2 PM. Power of Putnam, the sheriff's office, and local police will take expired or unneeded meds at 215 W Main St in Algood, 200 Main St in Baxter, 421 E Spring St and 1019 Neal St in Cookeville, and 711 E Commercial Ave in Monterey. It's free and quick.

The 4th Annual Fall Festival & Homeschool Vendor Market fills the old fairgrounds (155 Fairground St) Sunday from noon to 4 PM. More than 50 homeschool kids run their own booths selling ornaments, woodworking, crochet, candles, and baked goods. There's live music, food trucks, bounce houses, and a fall photo spot, too. Admission is free. Early Christmas shopping with a side of kid entrepreneurship!

Friday
Cookeville Depot Museum – Warren Gently, 11:30 AM (free Brown Bag Lunch Concert). Link
37 Cedar – Poet's Moon, 9 PM. Link

Saturday
Trackside Food Truck Park – Martell Curd with Go DJs at WCTE Blues & Brews, noon (ticketed, 21+). Link
Defenders Retreat, Silver Point – Artimus Pyle and APB, with Lee Newton opening, 3 PM (free). Link

Sunday
Spankies – Tennessee Tech jazz combo at Bacchanal, 1 PM ($75 event ticket). Link

This weekend's date pick is 1854 Cocktail Bar & Lounge, a speakeasy tucked into a historic building on the square at 18 N Madison Ave. Find the double glass doors on the side of the building, go up the stairs, and follow the clues. Inside, it's handcrafted cocktails and small plates in a vintage-feeling room.

They're open Friday 5 to 11:30 PM and Saturday 2 to 11:30 PM (closed Sunday), and the kitchen closes at 9. Tables are by reservation and the bar is open seating, so book ahead for Friday or Saturday night. They ask for polished casual (no gym clothes). Call (931) 559-1854.

1854 Cocktail Bar & Lounge

Friday 75 / 43 | 3% rain
Saturday 75 / 42 | 3% rain
Sunday 75 / 42 | 6% rain

Share this Scoop with a friend who still needs weekend plans.
Have an event or tip for next time? Reply to this email. We read every note.

Browse the local directory at local.cookevillescoop.com · Submit an event at local.cookevillescoop.com/submit

Thanks for reading, and for showing up for this town all week, from the Wall to the trunk-or-treat lines. Enjoy the sunshine, and keep the matches in the drawer. See you next time. 🧡

-- Travis

Resources