By LYNETTE SOWELL
Cove Leader-Press
Despite the threat of strong storms and the “R” word – rain – the 45th annual Rabbit Fest held by the Copperas Cove Chamber of Commerce saw an estimated attendance of tens of thousands over the four-day period last Thursday through Sunday.
The event featured the return of the carnival with its midway, market and food vendors, car show, local live entertainment, fireworks on Saturday night, as well as the headline entertainer – Young MC.
The heat and increased humidity didn’t seem to deter crowds from visiting City Park.
Silvia Rhoads, owner of Southern Rhoads Creations, was one of the festival’s repeat market vendors. She was very pleased with what she saw this year.
“For us, it actually went better than last year,” Rhoads said. “The warm weather we got nor the little bit of sprinkles we got didn’t really stop people from coming out. I’m happy with the turnout. Thursday was one of the best Thursdays I’ve had at the Rabbit Fest.”
Copperas Cove Chamber of Commerce President and CEO, Beth Galick-Carney, was back in the office on Wednesday, where the chamber staff was finishing up the last of Rabbit Fest with more work to come, and also looking ahead to chamber activities and future events.
She said the crowd was really into Young MC’s performance. The entertainer also made time for photo opps.
“Everyone seemed to be into it. Everyone took a bunch of pictures with him, after and before, and before he left the carnival was packed…the car show was packed,” Galick-Carney said. “It seems like attendance was up from last year, just from the numbers through the gate. I do a geofence study of the area, but that takes a couple weeks to come back.”
She added that the feedback so far from vendors has been really good.
“I think Thursday, Friday evening seemed to be a little lighter than normal, but that was when those storms kept threatening to come through. But then never came. But I did have a quite a few vendors come up to me and tell me that this was the best Rabbit Fest that they’ve ever been to. So they must have been doing well, making a lot of sales, and I love to hear that.”
The chamber will be sending out vendor surveys in the near future as plans begin for Rabbit Fest 2026.
Up next for the chamber of commerce is a Military Affairs banquet in July.
Krist Kindl Markt planning is already in the beginning stages and vendor applications will be going out soon for that event, said Galick-Carney. The annual festival is held the first weekend of December and will be held in downtown Copperas Cove.
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