Chamber holds 36th annual Rabbit Fest, Spouses Club donates to local groups

The Copperas Cove Chamber of Commerce saw more changes in April and May 2016, after its board hired an interim president, Joe Newman. Newman announced at the May 3 Copperas Cove city council meeting that he would recommend the chamber not make a request for hotel occupancy tax funds from the city for the 2016-2017 fiscal year. For the chamber, this is the first time in well more than a decade that it would operate without using hotel occupancy funding for its tourism-related events, such as the 2016 Krist Kindl Markt and the upcoming Rabbit Fest in May 2017.

 

Even with the chamber leadership changes, the 36th annual Rabbit Fest took place in May at Copperas Cove City Park, as well as the Rabbit Fest Scholarship Pageant, this year held at Lea Ledger Auditorium. The pageant was held on the Saturday prior to the festival weekend and crowned a new group of royalty, giving away approximately $50,000 in scholarships and prizes donated by local businesses.

 

The Fort Hood Spouses Club held a special evening in May to distribute $42,000 funds to local charities for which they raise funds during the year, among them groups like the Coryell County Rainbow Room, Cove House, the Copperas Cove Soup Kitchen, and Pink Warrior Angels. The group raised more than $50,000 in the past year which has been given to these nonprofits as well as the Fort Hood Area Military Family Member Scholarship Fund which provides scholarships for local students.