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Scoop For Sign Day Saturday, Proceeds To Preserve Icon

/ The Upper Cumberland's News Leader
Scoop For Sign Day Saturday, Proceeds To Preserve Icon


Cookeville CityScape hosts its second annual Scoop For The Sign Day Saturday to help raise funds to preserve the iconic Cream City Sign.

CityScape Executive Director Ferran Kefauver said the sign has existed for 75 years and has become a beacon of Cookeville. Kefauver said some of the lights in the sign currently do not work and that CityScape is responsible for providing a 20 percent match of a $100,000 grant to repair the sign.

“If you see people posting pictures of Cookeville, oftentimes the Cream City sign is in the background,” Kefauver said. “We hear a lot of people come in our office and tell us that you know, their grandparents, or great grandparents, would see on their way home, and kind of know you made it home. So it’s really special and it’s become this symbol really of downtown Cookeville.”

Kefauver said the fundraiser is one way for CityScape to give back to the community, but also raise funds to meet the grant match.

“Neon itself is just really expensive to work on,” Kefauver said. “And you know, the sign being as old as it is, the wires were beginning to disentegrate, and so the rewiring project was necessary. So the state granted us this gift, but again, it comes with a price tag for CityScape.”

Kefauver said Cookeville Mayor Laurin Wheaton, Putnam County Mayor Randy Porter, and other local leaders will be scooping ice cream for customers on Saturday. Kefauver said she appreciates local leaders willing to dedicate their time to support the sign.

“It’s such an encouragement to see that what we’re doing is important not only just to the CityScape board, but to our whole community,” Kefauver said. “And to realize that everyone sees the value in preserving history the way that we do, it’s encouraging and makes you want to continue on and do more projects with preservation and beautification.”

There will be free face painting and balloon animals for the community from 11am-2pm. Kefauver said there will also be a DJ playing music.