Tennessee's August 1 Primaries See Record Low Voter Turnout

Issue #173

08 Aug

In this What’s Up Columbia issue…

🗓 List of Upcoming Events

🌤 Columbia Weather - Partly cloudy with a high of 90

📰 Tennessee's August 1 Primaries See Record Low Voter Turnout

📰 Nashville's Summer Music Events Shatter Attendance Records

🥕 Saturday: Farm Market Day in Summertown

🚘 Friday: Cruisin’ the Co-op

🎵 This Week’s Live Music

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🗓 Know of Some Local Events Not Listed? Send us the Details!

Upcoming Local Events

🗓 Have an event to add? Send us the Details!

Thursday, August 8th

Friday, August 9th

Saturday, August 10th

Monday, August 12th

Wednesday, August 14th

Tennessee's August 1 Primaries See Record Low Voter Turnout

Voter turnout for Tennessee’s August 1 primary elections hit a historic low, with less than 14% of registered voters participating. Despite an increase in voter registrations, only about 637,500 individuals cast ballots, as reported to the Tennessee Secretary of State. Tennessee has nearly 4.6 million registered voters, up from 3.9 million in 2016. Historically, turnout is higher in gubernatorial primary years, but absentee voting surged in 2020 due to the pandemic. Tennessee ranked last in voter turnout in 2022 according to an MIT analysis. However, officials expect higher participation in the upcoming presidential election, with turnout in 2020 reaching 69%.

Nashville's Summer Music Events Shatter Attendance Records

Nashville Skyline

Nashville's premier summer music events, Let Freedom Sing! Music City July 4th and CMA Fest, have set new attendance and economic records, according to the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp. Both events have significantly contributed to the city's tourism and economy, highlighting the importance of Nashville's vibrant live music scene.

The Let Freedom Sing! event, featuring a free concert and fireworks show, filled a record 27,136 hotel rooms on July 4th, surpassing the previous peak in 2019. The event generated an unprecedented $17.5 million in visitor spending, with an estimated 355,000 attendees, marking a 42% increase from the previous year.

Meanwhile, CMA Fest achieved a record $77.3 million in direct visitor spending, up 3.5% from the previous year. The festival attracted about 90,000 daily attendees from all 50 states and 46 countries. Hotel room occupancy in downtown Nashville soared, reaching 93.5% on the peak night.

In late June, the Zach Bryan concert and the ALLY 400 NASCAR CUP SERIES weekend saw the second-highest hotel room demand ever, with a total of 74,983 rooms sold. This followed an all-time record in early May, driven by Morgan Wallen concerts, a Predators playoff game, and multiple college graduations, resulting in over 75,500 hotel rooms sold.

Upcoming events like Chris Stapleton’s concerts, Dierks Bentley's show, and NFL games featuring the Tennessee Titans are expected to continue boosting Nashville’s leisure visitation into the fall.

Saturday: Farm Market Day in Summertown

Saturday August 10th is the next Farm Market Day!

* 35+ Amazing local vendors!
* Kids table craft activity
* LIVE music by Coco and friends
* Food Trucks: Bestival Roots Cafe and Skyes Kitchen
* and SO much more!

This month only we will be bringing back the homemade salsa contest! Come try and vote on your favorites.

We are an Artisan and Farmers Market with Food Trucks, Live Music and free craft activities. Shop from over 30 local vendors. We have tie-dye, jewelry, fine art, clothing, crystals, fresh produce, flowers & plants, home baked goods and so much more!

Farm Market Days are the 2nd Saturday of every month, April - October, and are held beneath our huge open-air dome right next to The Farm Store. 100 Second rd, Summertown, TN 38483

The Farm is an intentional community of families and friends living on three square miles in southern-middle Tennessee. For more information on The Farm Community visit www.thefarmcommunity.com Visit the welcome table to see what other events are happening in the community.

Interested in vending, playing music, or teaching a mini-workshop at one of our market days? Email the Market Day crew at [email protected]

Friday: Cruisin’ the Co-op

Join us for our August Cruisin' the Co-op event! 

Get ready to rev your engines and enjoy a fantastic afternoon filled with classic cars, mouthwatering food trucks, and endless fun!

Bring your friends, family, and fellow car enthusiasts for an unforgettable event. See you there!

Friday, August 9

5-8 p.m.

United Farm and Home Co-op - Columbia
975 Riverview Ln, Columbia

🎵 This Week’s Live Music

Thursday, August 8th

Todd Ciprian, Tito's Spring Hill, 6-9 PM
Justen Harden, Puckett’s, 6-7:30 PM

Friday, August 9th

Rob Harris, Grinder's Switch, 7-9 PM
Mike Peters, McCreary's Irish Pub, 7-9 PM
TBD, Asgard, 7:30 PM
Joe & Diane, Puckett’s, 7:30-9 PM
Austin Byrd, Asgard Brewing Co., 7:30 - 10:30 PM
Escape, Fozzy's Bar & Grill, 8-11 PM

Saturday, August 10th

Box of Rox, Amber Falls Winery, 3-7 PM
The Def Leprechaun Band, McCreary's Irish Pub, 7-9 PM
Lindsay Beth Harper, The Tilted Mule, 7 PM
Lynn Marie & E3, Puckett’s, 7:30-9 PM
The Bald Kernal Band, Fozzy's Bar & Grill, 8-11 PM
Down South, The Boondox, 8-11 PM

Sunday, August 11th

Ben Daniels, Amber Falls Winery, 1-5 PM
Mix Tape Allstars, The Rebel, 4 PM
Dustin Kiness, Fozzy's Bar & Grill, 5-8 PM
Kenny Durham, Puckett’s, 6-7:30 PM

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