COOKEVILLE – CityScape is kicking off summer with students and the community with its first Cream City Ice Cream Summer Spectacular event to raise funds and keep the Cream City sign fully operating. On Wednesday, May 25, the event will be held from 3:30 to 7 p.m. on West Broad Street in front of Cream City Ice Cream.
The three-ton Cream City neon sign was placed in its current location in 1950 when the new Cream City Ice Cream building was rebuilt after a fire destroyed the original structure in 1948. CityScape currently maintains, pays utilities and ensures this iconic Cookeville sign stays lit. The annual cost is approximately $5,000 per year.
“CityScape has maintained the sign for many years to preserve its original structure and technological integrity. It is costly, and it is getting harder to find companies that carry the specific parts to fix signs of this nature. This sign is a staple in our community and continues to be a tourist attraction to Cookeville’s historic downtown. We would like to continue keeping it lit,” said Holly Freeman, Executive Director of CityScape. “What better way to keep it operating than with a street party for kids who love Cream City ice cream. Students will have many fun activities to explore, and all funds go for a great cause.”
The street party is free to enter and will include free bounce houses, face painting, balloons, music and dancing. Funds will be raised through Cream City ice cream, donations, merchandise and the dunking booth that will feature school staff from Putnam County schools. A food truck will be onsite and local restaurants are close by for families to enjoy.
“We could not do this without our sponsors 98.5 KISS-FM, Bluewaters Equipment Rental, Magnolia Marketing, The Rustic Nail and Vertical Coffee Company. We are extremely thankful for Cream City Ice Cream, the Savages, for partnering with CityScape to make this happen,” said Jodi Pitts, CityScape board member and chair of the Cream City Ice Cream Summer Spectacular event. “We invite everyone to join us for our first Cream City Ice Cream Summer Spectacular.”
About CityScape
CityScape is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that works to preserve and enhance the historic downtown areas of Cookeville. Since 1991, CityScape has worked closely with city and county governments, individual business owners and merchants on renovation and expansion projects, as well as special events and campaigns that attract business to the area. CityScape places special emphasis on community livability, economic restructuring and historic preservation. Cookeville is proud to be an accredited Main Street community, which follows the proven downtown revitalization model developed by the National Main Street Center, a subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
More information about CityScape is available at www.cookevillecityscape.com or by calling (931) 528-4612.
