Celebrate the Cooper Young Festival

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Come Celebrate at the Cooper Young Festival!

Cooper-Young-Festival-2014-poster — 2014 Cooper Young Festival Poster Design by Ray Rico Freelance

Join us at the corner of Cooper Street and Young Avenue for the annual Evolve Bank and Trust Cooper Young Festival on Saturday, September 13 from 9 am to 7 pm. The Cooper Young Festival is a free, family-friendly, music, arts and crafts street festival which draws over 125,000 people to the historic Cooper Young District for a day of music, art, shopping, people watching and dining. The Festival, in its 27rd year, is the largest, single day event held annually in a celebration of life, music, arts and history. It’s the biggest party of the summer – you don’t want to miss!

The Festival is hosted by the Cooper Young Business Association to make the District known both locally and nationally and to draw homeowners and merchants into the neighborhood. The proceeds from the Festival are redistributed back into the area helping the community’s non-profit organizations, maintaining the Business District infrastructure and promoting the area as a healthy, affordable lifestyle district. The Cooper Young business neighborhood boasts the largest collection of over 185 independently owned businesses in Memphis.

Experience art with over 425 artists from all over the nation. Experience the music of local Memphis bands playing original tunes on three stages. On the Main Stage, Cory Branan is this year’s headliner along with other popular Memphis musicians like Marcella Simian, Candace Ashir, James and the Ultrasounds, Mighty Souls Brass Band, Darrel Petties and Devil Train. On the Memphis Grizzlies Stage, listen to your favorite garage punk bands with a lineup by Goner Records that will make you scream. Be sure to catch Subtractions, Talbot Adams, Nots, Mark Edgar Stuart and the Manateees performing at 4:30 p.m. The School of Rock Stage is located in the First Congo parking lot. School of Rock students will be performing from noon until 5:00 p.m. Go listen to a tribute to U2, some indie rock and more by these talented young people.

Experience our “Teenage Fun Zone” just south of the Art Trestle and get in on some great video game activities, try your skill on the Wipeout, or see how many times you can make it on the Human Gyroscope. Be a part of Ballpark’s Finest/Discovery Network tour across America by sampling some new dogs by Ballpark and take your CY selfie in their area. The staff and students of the Memphis College of Art will be in the Children’s Area located at 902 South Cooper with interactive play and painting fun. Hosted annually by the Civitians, the area will offer an assortment of bouncing activities, a Memphis Grizzlies slide and obstacle course, games of chance and prizes. All proceeds from the Children’s Area go toward helping people in our community with developmental disabilities.

Experience new offerings on how to “attend” the Festival. Shuttle services are offered by Lindenwood Christian Church located at the corner of Parkway and Union with drop-off at the Festival entrance every 15 minutes. Memphis Hop has teamed up with Simon Oak Court Mall to provide shuttles starting at 9:00 a.m. every two hours throughout the day ending at 8:00 p.m. Another new partner this year is Lyft – your friend with a car available 24 hours. If this is your first Lyft ride, it’s free the day of the Festival! So Lyft here and Lyft home! For more information, go to www.lyft.com or www.cooperyoungfestival.com.

Cooper Young Festival photo by Andrew J. Breig

Each year the Festival is preceded by two pre-festival events. The CY Art Invitational will be Thursday, September 11 at the Jay Etkin Gallery located at 7942 South Cooper featuring art by local artists that live or work in the area. Please join us for wine/cheese and beer/wine bars and music by local musician, Davy Ray Bennett from 6 – 9 pm. On Friday, September 12, experience our Festival 4-Miler with over 2,500 runners sweeping through our hip-storic neighborhood. Race is scheduled to begin at Bluff City Sports on Cooper at 7:00 pm. If you don’t race, join us to watch at the gazebo and all down Cooper Street!
Thank you to our sponsors for making this year’s Cooper Young Festival possible. The 2014 Evolve Bank & Trust Cooper Young Festival is sponsored by Coors Light, The Commercial Appeal, Christian Brothers University, Jim Keras Subaru, Memphis Grizzlies, Summer Winds Resorts, Fan Bank, Langford Market, Southland Park Gaming & Racing, Albert Cook Plumbing, Wizard’s, Methodist Healthcare, Emergency Mobile Health Care, School of Rock, Toof American Digital Printing, Local ABC 24, Local Cares, CW30, Delta Ice Services, 96X, Q107.5, Sports56, and Hot 107.1.

The Evolve Bank and Trust Cooper Young Festival is consistently one of the most anticipated events in Memphis; a gathering which brings attendees in from all over the Mid-South for a day of live entertainment, fun and shopping. Again, this is the biggest party of the year in one of the great historic neighborhoods of Memphis. Come celebrate with us!