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FEBRUARY 2017 
It's cold outside, but don't let that stop you from enjoying our parks, scavenger hunts and more.

          
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Go scavenger hunting


Westside Scavenger Hunts continue February 11 and March 11 in historic downtown Cookeville. Bring a digital or cell phone camera and get an entry form with images and rhyming clues at the Cookeville Depot Museum between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

For homeschoolers

Drop in for Homeschool Health and Fitness on Mondays from noon-2 p.m. beginning Feb. 6 at the Cane Creek Gymnasium.
 

Happy fishing

Fish for rainbow trout while the water is cold at Cane Creek Park thanks to TWRA's winter trout stocking program.
 

Try Tai Chi

Six-week classes are offered Thursdays starting Feb. 2 at 11:30 a.m. and Tuesdays starting Feb. 28 at 5:30 p.m. at the Cane Creek Recreation Center.
 

Yoga... in a chair

Have chronic pain or other physical challenges? Try Chair Yoga at the Cane Creek Recreation on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 11 a.m.
 

Feel like dancing?

Cookeville Traditional Dance meets the first and third Friday of each month from 6-8:30 p.m. at the Cane Creek Recreation Center.
 
Train Tales

Enjoy story time at the Cookeville Depot Museum every Friday at 10:30 a.m. This free session is geared toward preschoolers.
 

Explore Black History

See the exhibit "Black History: Contributions to Life in Putnam County" at the Cookeville History Museum through Feb. 28. Learn about prominent African-American people, churches, schools and cemeteries through photos, artifacts and a documentary.

Save the date for 'Totally '80s!'

Experience the 1980s – Cookeville style – in this Cookeville History Museum exhibit that is "Totally '80s!" The opening reception is March 11 from 1-3 p.m.

Get fit

Check out the Cane Creek Recreation Center fitness schedule for February.

Award-winning 'Gospel' returning

Encore performances of the award-winning "The Gospel According to Thomas Jefferson, Charles Dickens and Count Leo Tolstoy: Discord" will be presented Feb. 24 and 25 at 7:30 p.m. at the Cookeville Performing Arts Center. Tickets are $10 or $5 for students at www.cookeville-tn.gov/ls/cpac.

Stories galore coming to Cookeville

Save the date! The fourth annual Storyfest in the Park will be held April 22 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. at Dogwood Park behind the Cookeville History Museum.

More scavenging fun coming to the WestSide

It’s scavenger hunting season in Cookeville’s WestSide district.

“We want to get people moving and exploring history,” Ashley McKee, Cookeville museums education specialist, said of Cookeville Leisure Services’ fifth annual WestSide scavenger hunts.

Two more Saturday hunts remain, Feb. 11 and March 11, starting at the Cookeville Depot Museum at 116 W. Broad St. Participants may stop by between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. to receive an entry form with thumbnail images and rhyming clues leading to several neighboring businesses and organizations that are within walking distance. The goal is to find each image, replicate it with a digital camera or cell phone and then return completed forms to the depot. Those successfully completing the task will be entered in a drawing to win a gift basket. Participation is free, and the depot will be providing hot chocolate and cookies.

McKee said the activity has had a good turnout in the past, attracting families, student groups and more for a fun and educational walk around the historic district, which has experienced resurgence in recent years through the efforts of organizations like Cookeville CityScape and the WestSide Business Association.

“Businesses really like to participate in this community outreach,” she added. “It’s also good exposure for the depot. It gets people in to see our exhibits.”

The depot, which was built in 1909 and is on the National Register of Historic Places, is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Admission is free. To learn more, call 931-528-8570.

Gymnasium offers Homeschool Health and Fitness
 
A new class for homeschool students begins Feb. 6 at the Cane Creek Gymnasium.

“We’re trying to fill a need for homeschoolers to get in their physical education time,” Jim Crea, Cookeville Leisure Services athletics superintendent, said of the new Homeschool Fitness and Health drop-in class to be held Mondays from noon to 2 p.m. “Plus, it’s offered during a time we’d like to see more activity in the gymnasium.”

The class is $1 per person (including parents), which is the regular admission charge at the gymnasium, and includes instructional and warm-up time, followed by that day’s sport or fitness activity.

“We will have a planned program that is athletically oriented,” Crea said. “For instance, one Monday it could be basketball, and the next Monday it could be volleyball, kickball or soccer.”

A gymnasium staff member will lead the class. Homeschool students of all ages and fitness levels are welcome. Those under age 13 must be accompanied by a parent.

Crea has high hopes for the class.

“We’ll run it as long as there’s a need,” he added.

The gymnasium is located at 180 C C Camp Road in Cookeville. Hours are Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m.-10 p.m., and Sunday, 1-6 p.m. Open gym is available any time the facility is not programed or rented. Activities include basketball, soccer, volleyball, pickleball, cornhole and league sports. To learn more, call 931-526-9767.
 

Museum celebrating Black history... and then the 1980s
 
In light of Black History Month, the Cookeville History Museum has opened an exhibit featuring prominent Putnam County African-Americans through history, such as Robinson Crusoe Buck (above, left), who died in 1956 at age 110. 

During the Civil War, Buck, born into slavery, hid and cared for his owner, Abraham Buck, while Union soldiers were in the area. When he became free, he acquired 400 acres in Algood and donated land for a school and church. He was friends with then-Putnam County Circuit Judge Cordell Hull, who later became the nation’s longest-serving secretary of state, and was invited to the White House to meet President Franklin Roosevelt.

The exhibit, titled “Black History: Contributions to Life in Putnam County,” also filters down to churches, schools and cemeteries and includes photographs, artifacts and a documentary produced by WCTE public television station, “Everybody’s Welcome at John’s Place.” It continues through Feb. 28.

Then on March 11, another exhibit, "Cookeville: Totally '80s," opens with a reception from 1-3 p.m. The Cookeville History Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at 40 E. Broad St. Admission is free. To learn more, call 931-520-5455.
 

More winter trout arrive at Cane Creek Park
 
Get 'em while the water is still cold. Approximately 5,000 rainbow trout were released at Cane Creek Park in December and January through the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency’s statewide winter trout stocking program.

“It’s a good opportunity to get outside and go fishing, especially during these unseasonably warm temperatures,” Cane Creek Park Manager Dennis Woolbright said. 

TWRA officials Travis Scott and Jack Swearengin said the trout are released into areas where it's normally too hot most of the year for them to survive. They are expected to last in the park lake until late May or early June.

“A lot of people enjoy fishing for trout," Scott said. "They can be fairly aggressive and easy to catch, while your warm water species like bass or bluegill are not as active in the winter.”

Cane Creek Park is open daily from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 201 C C Camp Road in Cookeville. Anyone wishing to fish may do so from the bank or a boat with a trolling motor or paddles. The trout are 7-10 inches long, and the daily creel limit is seven per fisherman.

“We are fortunate to have this program so close by so that people from Cookeville and surrounding areas don’t have to travel far to fish for them,” Woolbright said. “All they need is a sportsman’s license or a regular hunting and fishing license with a trout stamp.”

Children 12 and under may fish without a license. 


Try Chair Yoga for chronic pain relief
 
This yoga class was designed for people with chronic pain and other physical challenges, who spend the majority of the class seated. The "poses" are gentle, range-of-motion movements and stretching combined with breathing exercises and meditation. The class is $2 on Mondays and Wednesdays at 11 a.m. with instructor Shelia Barnes or free on Fridays at 11 a.m. with a video at the Cane Creek Recreation Center. Call 931-526-7393 for more information.
 

Get moving in Traditional Dance
 
Cookeville Traditional Dance – a fun class for the whole family – focuses on English Country and American Contra dancing, while adding some traditional dances from other countries, such as Scotland. Neither experience nor a partner is required. The class meets the first and third Friday each month from 6:30-8 p.m. at the Cane Creek Recreation Center. The cost is $1. For more information, contact Mev McCurdy at mev@notgrass.com.
 

CPAC to present 'The Gospel According to...'
 
A founding father, a Victorian novelist and a Russian revolutionary come together for a battle of wits in an encore performance of Scott Carter's "The Gospel According to Thomas Jefferson, Charles Dickens and Count Leo Tolstoy: Discord" on Feb. 24 and 25 at 7:30 p.m. at the Cookeville Performing Arts Center.

"Backstage at CPAC has a history of producing award-winning theater," Chad McDonald, Cookeville Leisure Services cultural arts superintendent, said. "This production follows in the footsteps of several others that have garnered honors."

"Gospel," directed by Steve Gwilt, along with Michael Birdwell as assistant director, was chosen as Outstanding Production in state competition at the Renaissance Center in Dickson in October. This award comes with the honor of representing the state at regional competition at the Southeastern Theatre Conference in Lexington, Ky., in March to compete against the best theaters in 10 states.

"Before the show leaves Cookeville, you will have one last chance to catch the competition version on Feb. 24 and 25 at CPAC," McDonald said.

Ticket sales begin Feb. 13 at 9 a.m. and are $10 each or $5 for students. For more information, call 931-528-1313 or visit www.cookeville-tn.gov/ls/cpac.
 

Storyfest coming to Dogwood Park April 22
 
Stories aren’t just for children – not in Cookeville, anyway. And plenty will be told during the Cookeville History Museum’s fourth annual Storyfest in the Park on April 22.

“This festival showcases the art of storytelling, which is very different from reading a book to a child,” Cookeville museums manager Beth Thompson said. “Storytellers basically reenact a story for you, usually in a humorous and animated way. It could be about something mundane in their day-to-day life that took on epic proportions or it could be a historical event or folktale you may have heard about. But everything has a different twist when these gifted performers take hold of it.”

The free event is scheduled for 10 a.m.-6 p.m. at Dogwood Park under a large tent behind the history museum. This year’s theme is “Lend Us Your Ears.” Even though the festival is still a few months away, Thompson wants to get the word out now so story lovers can save the date.

Headliners include nationally known storytellers Charlie McCoin, also a comedian and writer; Elizabeth Rose, who tells Appalachian folklore and other light-hearted stories; and Bil Lepp, five-time champion of the West Virginia Liars’ Contest, whose humorous tall tales contain morsels of truth that present universal themes. Local storytellers Eliseo Rios, Peggy Fragopoulos, Calvin Dickinson and Jennie Ivey will also take part in the event. Musical interludes will be provided by Cookeville pianist and vocalist Matt Beal.

“The art of storytelling goes hand in hand with history, as the oral component of passing down our stories is crucial to retaining our collective narrative as a community, culture, region and nation,” Thompson said.

Storyfest sponsors include CityScape, Cookeville Arts Council, Friends of the Cookeville History Museum and Progressive Bank. For more information, call the history museum at 931-520-5455 or see updates on the museum’s Facebook page.
 
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