Cooper hosts annual Chiggerfest

Cooper, Texas held their annual Chiggerfest Oct. 14. Events began Friday night with "Rock & Roll on the Historic Cooper Square," but the majority of events happened Saturday, Oct. 15, starting with the 5K Run/Walk at 7 a.m. The festival went until 5 p.m.

The event featured a ‘Kids Zone, with inflatable slides and bounce houses, an opportunity to smash a car, vendors selling everything from purses and sunglasses to hot dogs and ‘Taterstix,' which are potato chips fried on a stick.

Linny de la Pena, who has been a Cooper resident for six years, had nothing but good things to say about Chiggerfest.

"We have gone every year since we moved here," de la Pena said. It's a lot of fun and there are always a lot of interesting booths to shop at and good food to eat."

One booth at Chiggerfest this weekend was set up by Maureen Steele, who is now in her fourth year of sending Christmas cards to troops overseas.  In the past three years, Steele has sent out 28,949 Christmas cards and hopes to send out 30,000 this year.

"For those who want to support the troops, this would be a great, inexpensive way to touch the lives of men and women serving overseas during the holiday season," Steele said.  "We offer members of the public the opportunity to sign and leave a personal message for the troops overseas."

Chiggerfest also features local musicians who play throughout the day. Among those playing was Texas A&M University – Commerce student, freshman Jayla Mayes, a native of Cooper, Texas.

"It's probably the fourth or fifth year that I have sung at Chiggerfest," Mayes said. "I have been publically singing, traveling different places doing so, since I was ten years of age. It's been a blast."

The main performers, Wendy Cold and Rain, are a band from Paris, Texas, and are fronted by lead singer Wendy McNeal.

"Wendy Cold and Rain has been a band for ten years," McNeal said. "This is one of our favorite places to play."

               Also performing on the main stage at Chiggerfest were the Li-Shere Dancers, who were several dance groups ranging from toddlers to teenagers, and the Delta Crossroads Band.