Casey Cook celebrated her 35th birthday in May of 2020, during the most intense days of the COVID-19 lockdown.
She had been working as a paraprofessional in the Crest school district when classes were canceled that spring. She also was the high school’s head softball coach, and had high hopes for a season that would never materialize.
She helped her children with their school work at home, and took care of other children whose parents had to work during the shutdown.
Her husband, Jeremy, wanted to buy her a very special birthday gift: a keyboard.
“She has always expressed the desire to take up piano lessons again, so when her birthday was coming up I thought the keyboard would be a good hobby to help fill her time,” he said.
Indeed, that gift would not only help Casey through the
pandemic, it would turn into a passion for performing that continues more than a year later.
She’s becoming a familiar face on the local music scene, playing at the Allen County Farmers Market, the county fair and various local music venues.
Casey also will be one of the opening acts for Lake Fest, an annual music festival at the Elks Lake on Sept. 11.
MUSIC has always been important to Casey.
She took piano lessons for a year in seventh grade. In high school and college, she participated in band and choir.
She tried to teach herself the guitar but “that didn’t seem like it was my thing.”
She’s always loved to sing, and often will leave “singing voicemails” for her friends when they don’t answer her calls.
But she never really expected her love of music to translate into performing.
In fact, she’s not even sure what prompted her husband to give her a keyboard for her birthday.
