Good morning, Cookeville.

Happy Tuesday. The Quilt Festival is running today and tomorrow over in Algood, summer camp registration opens tomorrow for families who need to lock in plans, and Waka Flocka Flame is at Revolver this Friday. April is filling out nicely.

In today's Cookeville Scoop:

Let's get to it.
-- The Cookeville Scoop Team

36th Upper Cumberland Quilt Festival — Today & Tomorrow, April 14-15

If you've been to this one before, you already know. If you haven't, the 36th Upper Cumberland Quilt Festival is running today and tomorrow across multiple venues in Algood, just a few minutes from downtown Cookeville. We're talking 400 to 500 quilts and needlework pieces on display at seven sites including Hope Church, the Algood Activity Center, Algood City Hall, and a few others. Vendors and crafters are on site, and there's food available for lunch. Admission runs around $5-6 based on past years. This is a big regional tradition and a good Tuesday or Wednesday outing if you're looking for one. More info at quilt-festival.com.

Summer Camp Registration Opens Tomorrow — April 15

Parents, this is your Wednesday reminder. City of Cookeville summer camp registration opens tomorrow, April 15. Camps are through Leisure Services and cover all ages and skill levels, including an All Sports Camp for kids ages 9-12 that runs through basketball, pickleball, volleyball, soccer, baseball, football, golf, lacrosse, and disc golf. Registration is $25 per child, and camp costs $80 per week. Spots fill up, so if you're planning a summer with some structure, don't wait too long to get in. Details at the City of Cookeville's site.

Waka Flocka Flame at Revolver — This Friday, April 17

Hip-hop artist Waka Flocka Flame is performing at Revolver on South Jefferson Avenue this Friday at 7 PM. Tickets start at $34 on Eventbrite and were showing nearly sold out the last time we checked. If you're planning to go, get your tickets today. Grab them on Eventbrite.

Spring Awakening 2026 at Waterloo Venue — April 24-26

Three-day outdoor music festival with camping at Waterloo Venue, starting April 24. Tickets are $150 and include camping plus three full days of music. If camping's not your thing, Waterloo works with local hotels for discounted rates. The full lineup is still coming together, so check waterloovenueandevents.com for updates as they drop. Waterloo does this right every spring, and it's worth planning around.

In-N-Out Burger — Coming to Cookeville This October

Per the Upper Cumberland Business Journal, In-N-Out Burger has confirmed its Cookeville location at the new Willows Shopping Center. The expected opening is October 2026. That's a significant arrival for a town that has talked about wanting one of these for a long time. No official opening date yet, but October is the target. Worth knowing. Full story at UCBJ.

Tennessee Central Soda Shop — Cookeville Location Coming

The Tennessee Central Soda Shop from Monterey is coming to Cookeville. If you've been to the original location near the Depot Museum in Monterey, you know it's a good spot: premium ice cream, sodas, and coffee in a place that feels like it belongs. A Chamber ribbon cutting is expected around April 24, though details are still coming in on the exact address and time. Watch the Chamber's events page for confirmation as the date gets closer.

If you've been to Waterloo Venue before, you know the setting. It's a few miles outside of town, tucked away enough to feel like you're actually leaving for something, but close enough that you're back in Cookeville for breakfast the next morning if you want to be. That combination is exactly what makes Spring Awakening work.

Spring Awakening 2026 runs from Friday, April 24 through Sunday, April 26, starting at 10 AM each day at 145 Virgil Murphy Circle. Tickets are $150 and include camping for all three nights plus music across the full weekend. Three days of live music, camping with friends, and the kind of mid-spring weather that Cookeville usually delivers in late April. That's a hard combination to say no to.

The full lineup is still being announced, so we don't have every act locked in yet. What we do know is that Waterloo puts on a genuine festival, not a one-day show that calls itself a weekend. The production, the grounds, the people who come out for it, it all holds up. If you went last year or the year before, this is the same energy.

A note for those who'd rather sleep in a bed: Waterloo works with local hotels to offer discounted rates for Spring Awakening attendees who prefer not to camp. So the $150 ticket doesn't obligate you to sleep in a tent if that's not your thing.

Tickets and lineup updates are at waterloovenueandevents.com. If you've been on the fence, the lineup announcements over the next few weeks are usually what tips people over. Keep an eye on it.

Here's what else is coming up this week and into the weekend:

Cookeville Green Market at Jig Head Brewing Co., downtown — every Saturday, 8 AM to noon. The spring/summer run of the downtown Green Market is underway on Saturdays. Local produce, baked goods, and handmade goods from area vendors. Good stop before the rest of your morning. Free to browse.

Healthy Kids Day at the YMCA — Saturday, April 18. The Cookeville YMCA hosts free family activities and healthy-living programming for Healthy Kids Day, which is a nationwide YMCA event held every spring. Non-members are welcome. Free, open to everyone.

Made Here Market at the Biz Foundry — Saturday, April 25, 9 AM to 3 PM at 114 N Cedar Ave, downtown Cookeville. All vendors at this market are Upper Cumberland makers who handcraft what they sell. Food trucks and live music on Cedar Ave. If you're building out April 25, this pairs naturally with WishFest at Red Silo later in the day. Free to browse. Details at thebizfoundry.org.

WishFest 2026 at Red Silo — Saturday, April 25, 11 AM to 10 PM at 118 W 1st St, downtown Cookeville. Free all-day fundraiser for Make-A-Wish Foundation of Middle Tennessee. Live music, food trucks, bounce house, dunk tank, and a silent auction. Red Silo donates $1 per pint sold throughout the day. Between the Made Here Market in the morning and WishFest in the afternoon, April 25 is shaping up as a full day in downtown Cookeville. Free admission.

Heading to the Quilt Festival today or tomorrow? We'd love to hear about it. And if you're already thinking about May events or have something coming up that the community should know about, send it our way. Just reply to this email.

Share this with a neighbor or coworker who wants to stay in the loop on what's happening around town.

Thanks for being here with us on a Tuesday, Cookeville. Good things ahead this week.

-- The Cookeville Scoop Team 🧡