Tennessee Tech’s ‘College Town Kickoff’ set for Aug. 22, featuring concert from multi-platinum country music superstar Dustin Lynch
Multi-platinum country music superstar Dustin Lynch will headline Tennessee Tech University’s fourth annual “College Town Kickoff” block party and concert on Saturday, Aug. 22, in Cookeville’s vibrant WestSide district.
The free event, which celebrates the start of the fall semester, will kick off with a WestSide Block Party at 2 p.m., featuring carnival games and prizes, a Ferris wheel, bumper cars, axe throwing, mini golf, battle bar, food trucks, community booths, shopping and dining specials, a kids’ zone and other activities.
At 6 p.m., attendees can head to the main stage, located at the intersection of Broad Street and Cedar Avenue near the Cookeville Depot Museum, for a welcome message and local musical acts leading up to the headlining concert from Lynch.
Lynch has earned 10 No. 1 singles, four Top 5 albums and more than 5 billion cumulative global streams. The Tennessee native is known for hits including “Cowboys and Angels,” “Thinking ‘Bout You,” “Stars Like Confetti,” “Party Mode” and “Chevrolet,” featuring Jelly Roll.
Lynch has headlined sold-out tours and performed alongside some of country music’s biggest names, including Kane Brown, Luke Bryan, Brad Paisley and Blake Shelton. He also has earned recognition as a member of the Grand Ole Opry and nominations for numerous major music awards.
“College Town Kickoff is our way of welcoming Golden Eagles back to Tennessee’s College Town while also saying ‘thank you’ to this community that has always embraced and supported our students,” said Katie Aikens, vice president for Student Affairs at Tech. “We’re thrilled to bring a chart-topping country music superstar like Dustin Lynch to Cookeville for a free concert that our students, community members and visitors can all enjoy. We hope everyone will join us in the WestSide on Aug. 22!”
Street closures will be in effect throughout the day to allow attendees to safely gather and enjoy the festivities. A free shuttle for Tech students will take them directly from campus to the event site.
More than 20 local businesses will offer extended hours and specials for College Town Kickoff. Participating food trucks, coordinated in partnership with Trackside Food Truck Park, include The Rolling Spud, Dave’s Old Fashion Burgers, El Paraíso Catracho, Sweet Street Treats, A Taste of Tad, Southern Rock Bouncin’ BBQ, Strong Kitchen, Pelican's SnoBalls, Southern Swirl and Squeeze Me Southern Lemonade.
College Town Kickoff is presented in partnership with the City of Cookeville, Cookeville CityScape, the Cookeville-Putnam County Chamber of Commerce, Cookeville Downtown Development Group and the Cookeville-Putnam County Convention & Visitors Bureau.
The event is free and open to the public. Tickets are not required. Learn more at www.tntech.edu/collegetownkickoff.