By Aisha Espinosa
staff writer
@aishaespinosa1

Old Town Coppell has long been a historic landmark of the city, especially with the preserved Kirkland house – the oldest in Coppell  – and the relocated Minyard’s store.With the development of restaurants, businesses and homes around Main Street, this area of the city has turned into a community hub.

On Friday, the community came together to celebrate its first anniversary since the grand opening of the area in May2014. Perfect weather and the right combination of community, music and food made for a spectacular night.

The popular disco band, Le Freak, amped up the crowd, playing songs all the parents seemed to know. With colorful costumes and entertaining personalities, the band members played favorites like “Superfreak” by Cameo, “Who Could It Be Now” by Talking Head, and “You Should Be Dancing” by the Bee Gee’s.

“Last year, we opened up the place with something like this. We brought out Emerald City Band,” Coppell Parks and Recreation department member and coordinator of the event, Kami McGee said. “This year, we wanted a band that was equally as big, so we got Le Freak.”

The band was a hit with the audience, showing off a wide array of skills. They made the audience laugh with their commentary, and even pulled up a few audience members to “dance for the ladies.” Lead vocalist “Soda” even challenged a few participants to a push-up contest.

While parents listened to music, their kids made good use of the sunny weather and fair skies. The interactive fountain was open for kids to soak in, after running around the open space nearby or the playground off to the side of the Coppell Farmer’s Market pavilion

“I remember when this was just a soccer field,” Coppell High School academic decathlon coach and World History teacher Tim Dixon said. “ I remember when they were just planning [Old Town Coppell], and I never thought it would turn into this.”

As a crowd formed in front of the stage set up in the back corner of the park, it was clear to see that Old Town has connected the community and created a closer bond between the residents of Coppell.

Deb Kennedy, who has lived in Coppell since 2010, said that the feeling of community was what drew her to the city in the first place.

“It’s the only community we saw that had this many opportunities to see bands and go to events like this,” Kennedy said.”I think it’s still in it’s growing stages, but it’s wonderful that it can pull the people together.”

The event wound down around 9 p.m., when Le Freak played the last of its songs, including “YMCA” and Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing”. As people packed up their lawn chairs and picnic blankets, there was a buzz hanging around the evening, an anticipation for others events yet to come.

“We add a few events like this every year,” McGee said. “We strive to build community, and a place like this is only going to bring the community closer together, like a family.”