In business, adapt or perish, and Inverness’ Cooter Festival is no exception.
After 16 years of annual Cooter Festivals patterned after a carnival atmosphere with rides and musical acts, attendance each year for the free event was slipping and costs were rising.
So, in 2022 the city hired a promotor to instead organize a three-day Cooter Country Jam with two stages and several nationally-known artists. Concert attendees were charged admittance. But the promotor told the inverness council after the three-day event that it lost too much money and he would need more financial help to organize it again.
The city council said no.
Earlier this month, City Manager Eric Williams proposed to his council members a new approach and the council agreed unanimously.
Williams proposed that rather than having a single Cooter-themed event during October, the city should hold events each weekend during October, free to the public, calling the month CooterTober, and culminating in the downtown’s Cooterween festival during October’s final weekend.
The month already has popular events scheduled and Williams said Inverness should build on that.
The city already hosts Small Town Saturday Night, which has become a popular, free, outdoor music event
The Friends of the Withlacoochee State Trail will host this year’s annual Trail Bike Ride Oct. 8.
The Rowing Organization of Citrus County Students (ROCCS) is hosting its annual Casino Night fundraiser during a Saturday in October.
During October, the city will also be hosting two Market at the Depot events where venders sell crafts and produce.
Williams told the council that he and Woody Worley, the city’s director of parks and recreation, met with Elisha Belden, co-owner and co-founder of Twisted Ink in Inverness. The business is a tattoo shop. Belden and her husband were also organizing an art initiative.
Williams recommended to the council that it allow Belden to organize the October events around what is already planned.
“I’m really excited about this,” Belden told the council.
She said her goal was to keep new events focused on Inverness’ traditional small town done right.
That would include face painting for kids, potato sack races, a DJ, food trucks, local bands and professional headliner bands.
On another weekend, Belden would organize a zombie themed event, DJ, and again a professional music headliner.
During the final October weekend, the city would host its traditional Cooterween, but with some new elements such as an outdoor movie.
Belden told the council that the project is still a work in progress and will likely change some and she’s open to suggestions.
Williams said the cost to the city will be $80,000, but unlike other previous Cooter festivals, which cost more, this money will pay for the whole month of October.
Under the proposal, the city would be minimally involved. He said it would also serve as a “platform for years to come” onto which the city could add and change October events.
Councilman Gene Davis said he was pleased the events would be free to the public.
Belden said the goal was to attract families during October rather than them choosing to go to Orlando for October Halloween events.
Belden said she would come back to the council regularly with updates.
