Good morning, Cookeville.

I think we have all done the same little dance this week, watching the radar, moving plans around, wondering if the rain would ever quit. The good news is the forecast finally dries out toward the weekend, and it dries out right when we need it to, because Saturday is a full one. After a quiet, wet stretch, June 13 stacks up three good reasons to be out of the house.

In today's Cookeville Scoop:

Let's get into it.

-- Travis

It's a lean to-do list this week, which is the nature of a quiet midweek before a busy Saturday. Here are the two worth getting on your calendar.

Cookeville Open Pickleball Tournament. Saturday and Sunday, June 13-14, with play starting at 8 AM at the Cane Creek Pickleball Courts. It's a two-day, all-skill-levels tournament running 3.0 through 5.0, with Gender Doubles Saturday morning and Mixed Doubles Sunday morning. Registration is $60 for your first event and $10 for each one after that, and players get a tournament shirt. Pickleball has taken off here, so come play or just come cheer. Register at cookeville-tn.gov/577/Events.

Community Cooking Class (register now). Looking a couple of weeks out, the Putnam County Health Department is hosting a free, hands-on community cooking class on Thursday, June 25 at 11 AM. It's a practical, budget-friendly way to pick up a few kitchen skills, and spots are limited, so this is your heads up to grab one early. Details on Eventbrite.

Coming soon to Cookeville. For those of you who like keeping tabs on what's next, a few to watch. Rock N' Roll Sushi, an American-style sushi chain, is reported to be opening here soon (no firm date or address yet). Savor Cookeville is headed for the Westside district. And further out, In-N-Out is confirmed for the new Willows shopping center going in near Target and Home Depot, expected around October. None are open yet, but all three are worth knowing about. More via UCBJ.

Weekend happy hours worth knowing. A few downtown spots for an easy wind-down. The Putnam Room (319 E Spring Street) runs happy hour Tuesday through Friday, 3 to 5 PM right on the Historic Square. Crawdaddy's (53 W Broad Street) does a different drink deal each weeknight, with the Aperol Spritz on Wednesdays. And Drake's runs happy hour Monday through Friday, twice a day, 3 to 6 PM and again 9 to 11 PM, with $2 mini cheeseburgers and $5 chips and queso to go with it.

If you only make it to one thing this weekend, make it this one. Upper Cumberland Pride returns to Dogwood Park on Saturday, June 13, from 11 AM to 5 PM, and it's free to walk in. This year's theme is "One Community, Many Faces," and it really is built to be a come-as-you-are day in the park for everyone.

Here's what you'll find: food trucks, a kids tent with karaoke, a balloon artist, a face painter, crafts, and rows of booths from local vendors, makers, sponsors, and community groups. It's the kind of low-key, wander-around afternoon where you run into people you know, grab lunch from a truck, and let the kids burn off some energy. Upper Cumberland Pride is a local nonprofit, and the day is put on for and by neighbors right here in the Upper Cumberland.

The timing works out nicely too, because Pride shares the day with a couple of other things (the pickleball tournament across town and a free downtown museum day, both below), so you can build a whole Saturday around it. Park at Dogwood, spend the late morning and afternoon at Pride, and wander downtown for the museums after.

One practical note: the forecast finally turns dry and warm for Saturday, possibly into the low 90s, so the bigger ask is sunscreen and a water bottle, not an umbrella. Worth a last-minute check the night before, but it's shaping up to be a good day to be in the park.

Come say hello, support some local makers, and enjoy a free afternoon with your neighbors! Event details here.

Roasted Hemp Co. weeknight nights (21+) at 1068 E 10th Street, Suite F. A reliable midweek anchor for a rainy week: Tracks & Racks karaoke and a pool tournament on Wednesday at 7 PM, plus games on Mondays and trivia on Tuesdays. Free, and a good excuse to get out of the storms. Schedule here.

After Dark Movies in the Park at the Dogwood Performance Pavilion, Friday, June 12, starting around 8 PM at dusk. The free Friday family movie series is rolling all month. Bring lawn chairs and a blanket, grab something from concessions, and settle in. Free, no registration, just show up. Heads up: there's a chance of an afternoon storm, and the movie title wasn't posted yet at press time, so check the Dogwood Park Facebook page for what's playing. City events.

History Hikes and free museum day at the Cookeville Depot Museum and Cookeville History Museum on Broad Street, Saturday, June 13 from 10:30 AM to 2:30 PM. A self-guided downtown history "hike" between the two museums with a monthly theme, and both are free to visit that day. Drop in anytime in the window, and a nice air-conditioned stop if Saturday turns hot.

Cookeville Farmers Market at 201 Mahler Avenue, open daily 6 AM to 6 PM, with Saturday morning the busiest and best-stocked. Mid-June means peaches are starting to come in alongside the last of the strawberries, plus plant starts, herbs, baked goods, honey, and eggs. Free to browse. More here.

Putnam County Library Summer Reading and Story Times at 50 E Broad Street. The summer reading program is in full swing, with weekly story times for the little ones (usually around 10 AM). It's a free, indoor, easy-yes option, and especially welcome on a rainy week. Check pclibrary.org for the current schedule.

The market smells different in June. Strawberry season is winding down just as the first Tennessee peaches start showing up on the Mahler Avenue tables, and for a week or two you get both at once. If you've never gone out of your way for a just-picked peach, this is the season to fix that. The first good one of the year is a small thing, but it's the kind of small thing that tells you summer actually got here!

If this helps you plan your weekend, forward it to a friend who needs a reason to get out of the house. Know about something we missed, a church event, a pop-up, a backyard fundraiser? Reply and tell us, or tag us when you're out at Pride or a Friday movie. We read everything that comes in.

Thanks for being here with us, Cookeville. Quiet weeks and busy ones, it's a good place to call home, and we're grateful to share it with you. Plenty more June still to come too: the Third Thursday concert on June 18, the TN Banana Festival on June 27, and Red, White & BOOM downtown on July 4. Save me a peach. 🧡

-- Travis