It was great to get back to the Cooper-Young Festival after three years. I saw people I hadn’t seen in — well, three years.
I parked six or so blocks away, but it was a beautiful day to walk. When I got to Cooper Street and Central Avenue, I was awestruck at the crowd. This was around 2 p.m. and it looked like people were still streaming in when I left around 6 p.m.
There was no festival in 2020, but they did have one last year. Tamara Cook, Cooper-Young Festival executive director, said that because of “up and down Covid,” they only had 75,000 people attend. But, she says, “This year, we were back, man. They’re saying there were 126,000 out there. And that crowd turns four times a day. Typically, you come out here, you stay three or four hours.” This year’s 34th festival will be one to remember.
There were two stages and 12 bands this year. Singer/songwriter/ musician Bailey Bigger was headliner.
Cook said, “We kind of got away from rock and roll this year. The music was a little more laid back. And we had some new people out here.” Soundbox, whose members range from 10 to 15 years old, was “the youngest group of people that ever played on our stage before,” she said.
Cooper-Young Festival didn’t make much money last year. “We just got hit,” Cook said. “This is our only fundraiser. In 2020, we didn’t have any money coming in. We were back on our reserves.”
That’s why the First Congregational Church parking lot wasn’t used this year. “We just haven’t done the First Congo parking lot,” she said. “It’s expensive. Those stages are very expensive. And music is expensive. And sound is expensive. So, we had to cut back.”
The festival also featured more than 400 booths this year. They ranged from arts and crafts to info booths on sponsors and non-profit businesses.
Cook said, “I was having people texting me on social media how great a time they were having. And that’s never happened before. I don’t know. I guess people were just ready.”
