Good morning, Cookeville.

One national event is using Cookeville as its two-night reset on the way to Washington. Around 5 PM Monday, about three hundred motorcycle riders will roll off I-40 and head for the new Cookeville Convention Center.

In today's Cookeville Scoop:

Let's get into it.

Franklin Fixtures Ribbon Cutting. The Cookeville-Putnam Chamber is celebrating Franklin Fixtures' 28,000-square-foot warehouse and facilities expansion Monday, May 18 at 11:30 AM at 621 Maxwell Street. Franklin Fixtures has been making retail display fixtures for bookstores, libraries, and stores nationwide since 1974. The expansion also included a full overhaul of the site's water and sewer infrastructure, which is a serious project for a long-time local manufacturer.

Pasta Making Class with pasta di Mona. Monday, May 18 from 5:30 to 7:30 PM at The Putnam Room downtown. Two hours of hands-on pasta making with pasta di Mona. You'll craft fresh farfalle, sample Italian wines, and try appetizers from Chef Thomas Hobson. Ticketed and seating is limited. theputnamroom.com/events for tickets.

From Lab to Market: Statewide AI Conference at Tennessee Tech. Tuesday, May 19 from 9:00 AM to 3:30 PM at the Ashraf Islam Engineering Building on the TTU campus. A day-long statewide conference hosted by AI TechX with the University of Tennessee–Knoxville and Launch Tennessee. Programming covers applied AI use cases, research-to-commercialization paths, startup and talent showcases, and faculty-industry collaboration. Free, but registration is required. Open to founders, faculty, students, and government partners. Conference page.

The Paint Store Grand Opening. Wednesday, May 20 from 11:30 AM to noon at 512 E. Spring Street. Grand opening ribbon cutting with the Cookeville-Putnam Chamber. Free food, free T-shirts, door prizes, and paint sprayer demos. Easy lunch-break drop-in if you've been driving past the new location wondering what's inside.

Women's Small Business Circle at Wonderfill. Wednesday, May 20 from 6:00 to 8:00 PM at Wonderfill Refillery (17 W Spring Street). The monthly evening gathering for women running their own small businesses or thinking about starting one. Casual, conversational format with refreshments. Sign up in store at Wonderfill, since they keep the list informally.

Char Steak Lounge: Boozeday and Wined Down Wednesday. Both of Char's signature weeknight specials land in this week's window, which is genuinely lucky. Tuesday is Boozeday: $5 all-you-can-drink draft beer until midnight, with live music from Travis Copeland. Wednesday flips to wine, with half-price bottles and $5 top-shelf liquors. 14 S Washington Ave, downtown.

Drake's Cookeville Happy Hour. Drake's runs two happy-hour windows Monday through Friday, the standard 3 to 6 PM and a less-common 9 to 11 PM late-night window. Discounted drinks and food specials at both, including $2 mini cheeseburgers (limit ten), $5 chips and queso, $6 fried pickles, and $7 half-orders. Active all three days this week. drakescomeplay.com

Around 5 PM on Monday, May 18, a pack of more than three hundred motorcycles will roll off I-40 East onto South Jefferson Avenue, headed for the new Cookeville Convention Center at 2121 Event Center Drive. The Visitors' Bureau is asking the community to be out on the sidewalks with American flags when they arrive.

This is the 36th annual Run For The Wall, and the 12th year Cookeville has hosted. The Midway Route left Ontario, California on Wednesday, May 13 and arrives in the D.C. area on Friday, May 22, just in time for Memorial Day. Cookeville is the only two-night stop in Tennessee, which is a real distinction the Visitors' Bureau has worked years to earn.

Most of the riders are veterans. Many are honoring fallen friends, some are riding as therapy after their own service, and others have lost a brother or sister to combat and are riding for them. The mission is straightforward: promote healing among all veterans, account for those killed or missing in action, and support active service members.

Tuesday brings three outreach rides. Riders fan out to the Sunbright Veterans Memorial, the Wilson County Veterans Memorial in Lebanon (with a stop at Southside Elementary on the way), and the Tennessee State Veterans Home in Murfreesboro. Everyone returns to Cookeville Tuesday evening for an awards ceremony at the Convention Center.

Wednesday morning the pack stages at Sam's Club on Bunker Hill Road at 7:30 AM, then rolls east on I-40 toward Knoxville and Asheville. If you commute that way, expect a brief traffic pulse during the morning rush.

The most accessible piece for the rest of us is Monday evening. South Jefferson Avenue, around 5 PM, with a flag if you have one. It's a short, weighty moment that means a great deal to the people riding past, and it's the kind of week where Cookeville gets to play a small national role just by showing up.

Event details from Visit Cookeville.

Free library programs at Putnam County Library, Monday. A busy day across two branches. Art Quest at the Cookeville branch runs 10:15 to 11:30 AM, with hands-on art and crafts for kids led by a certified visual arts teacher. Lunch and Learn: Medicare for Dummies covers Medicare basics and tax-free retirement planning from noon to 1 PM at the Cookeville branch (a good one for the grandparents). Lego Club happens 3:30 to 4:30 PM at both the Cookeville and Monterey branches. Free. pclibrary.org/attend

Run For The Wall welcome on South Jefferson. Monday, May 18 around 5:00 PM. The Visitors' Bureau is asking the community to line South Jefferson Avenue with American flags as the pack arrives in town. See the feature above for the full story. This is the easiest way to be a part of it. Free, no registration, just show up with a flag.

Plant-themed Story & Craft at the library. Tuesday, May 19 from 10:00 to 11:00 AM at the Putnam County Library, Cookeville branch. A children's morning program built around plants. A story first, then everyone plants flowers. Perfect for preschoolers and their grown-ups. Free, drop in.

Cookeville Farmers Market. Open daily 6 AM to 6 PM on Mahler Avenue, all three days this week. Peak spring right now: strawberries, asparagus, lettuces, herbs, plant starts, baked goods, honey, and eggs from Putnam County growers. The covered market on Mahler is the actual building, not the seasonal tent setup some readers expect. Free admission. cookeville-tn.gov/farmers-market

If you know someone who'd want to stand on South Jefferson Monday evening with a flag, share this with them. RFTW is the kind of thing word of mouth matters for. Have an event, opening, or story tip for next week? Reply to this email or tag us on social. Word of mouth is how we keep growing.

Thanks for being here with us, Cookeville. This week we get to play a small part in something bigger than our town, and we hope you find a way to show up for it. See you next time. 🧡

-- The Cookeville Scoop Team