Orlandus “Bull” Cobbins of Covington, Tennessee was only 29 years old when he was senselessly murdered at a relative’s home by two men who wanted to rob him. By all accounts, Cobbins, who was a barber, was a young man on the right path in life, whose life was tragically cut short by ignorance. A year after his death in 2013, the first Bull Day was held in Covington, and the event has been held yearly since then. Nowadays, the event is held in Frazier Park, and although it serves a serious purpose of promoting peace and unity, Bull Day has become a time of festive celebration, somewhat like Como Day and Tutwiler Day in those Mississippi Delta communities. Not only do people living in Covington’s Black community come out to enjoy the day, but former residents come back from places they have moved to in order to take part in the festivities.
Bull Day has something for everyone. There are many vendors and food trucks, motorcycles and slingshots, basketball courts, a corn hole game, a water spray place set up by the Covington Fire Department, a DJ, and an outdoor stage for live music. This year’s live music was provided by a first-rate band called Southern Flavor, fronted by a singer named Deangelo, who I was told was from Covington and had sang with the Bar-Kays for a period of time. A few tunes were sung by C J Soul, also with the band, and between the band sets, the DJ kept the line dancers busy with “Keep On Stepping” and “Boots on the Ground.” Despite the intense heat, there was a tremendous crowd that only seemed to grow bigger as the sun went down. After the band took down for the last time, Bolivar southern soul artist Big Bo came on stage to perform her signature hit “The Big Old Horse.”
Although the event was supposed to end at 7:30, it was still going strong at 8 o’clock. A steady line of classic cars was driving around the park where the event was being held, and a number of houses nearby were having yard parties, cook-outs and picnics. Bull Day becomes a day for Black Covingtonians to celebrate their community and their town,
Although there was to be a public afterparty at the clubhouse of the Covington Vikings motorcycle club, I decided against that and made my way to the Waffle House instead for an evening breakfast. Although I was hot and tired, it was the good kind of tired after a day of fun. And no cross word or argument marred the day, just as Bull would have wanted.