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Zachary House, 131 Church Street, Cooleemee, NC 27014

Town of Cooleemee

Author: Jeanna White

Ducks on Sale Now! – Don’t Miss the Great Bullhole Duck Race & Family Festival on August 5th 

Posted on by Jeanna White

What is small, yellow, and floats? If you said a rubber ducky floating down the South Yadkin River, you would be correct!

Hundreds of rubber ducks will take a plunge into the South Yadkin near the Cooleemee dam on Saturday, August 5th, at 1 p.m. sharp.

The first numbered duck to reach the finish line downriver will win its “owner” a cash prize of $300. The 2nd place winner will garner its ticket-buyer $200, and the 3rd place finisher will win $100. That’s something worth quacking about!

This year’s Great Bullhole Duck Race, which runs from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.,  marks the 13th anniversary of the RiverPark at Cooleemee Falls’s annual summer fundraiser.  Proceeds from the race support the ongoing operations of the park, aka The Bullhole, to ensure the park is clean and safe for visitors to enjoy. 

“RiverPark at Cooleemee Falls, “The Bullhole,” has become a beautiful destination for our local community and visitors throughout the region.  A place that gives you an aesthetically pleasing escape and the best of both mountain and coastal worlds combined,” said Paul Moore, director of Davie County Recreation & Parks and chair of the RiverPark Board. “Unlike many fundraisers, 100% of proceeds from this event go directly back to RiverPark.  The event is fun, interactive, and filled with anticipation.  If you have a single duck, a fire-quacker pack of ducks, or a flock of ducks in the race, you know exactly what excitement I’m talking about.  Purchase your ticket(s) today or at the event.  Bring your beach chairs, blankets, umbrellas, and duck tubes, and spend a fantabulous day with us at RiverPark!” 

Bullhole Duck Race at RiverPark at Cooleemee Falls - Race and Family Festival Poster with Yellow Duck

Come Out and Enjoy the Whole Day!

There will be fun games for the kids before and after the race, and music and dancing for all to enjoy. Food and sweets will be available for purchase. 

Adopt a Duck Today for Only $10


There’s only one way to win those cash prizes in the Duck Race, You have to buy a ticket. Single Duck tickets are $10 each, a “Firequacker” of five sells for $40, or you can purchase a “Flock” of fifteen for $100.

Buy Your Duck Tickets Today!


Tickets are available at the Davie County Chamber of Commerce, Cooleemee Town Hall, and Davie County Community Park. Duck tickets will also be sold until 12:45 pm at RiverPark.

The RiverPark board is grateful for the sponsors who are helping to make this event possible:  

Davie Discount Drug, GNC, Yadkin Path Montessori, Phil Car Automotive, Lori Schilkowski Realtor, Snow Biz, Bank of the Ozarks, Main Street Brokers, Tar Heel Landworks LLC, Mocksville TDA, The Fish Bowl, Emergency Music Services, Davie County Tourism, Ink It Promotions, O’Neal Lawncare, and Thos Smart & Co LLC.

RiverPark is located at the end of Erwin Temple Church Road (just ½ mile from Cooleemee off Hwy 801 & Needmore Road). For up-to-date information, follow RiverPark at Cooleemee Falls on Facebook. 

 If you love the Bullhole, show your support!

Cooleemee Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 8th

Posted on by Jeanna White

Get your Easter basket ready! Cooleemee will host its annual Easter egg hunt at the Zachary House on Saturday, April 8th, 2023, at 10 a.m. SHARP.

This event is for children 0-10, and there will be prizes for everyone. 

The Easter Bunny will be on hand for pictures, so bring your cameras and plan to have a fun-filled morning in Cooleemee. 

Download and print your Cooleemee Easter Egg Hunt poster below.

EASTER EGG HUNT 2023Download

Cooleemee Park Gets New Playground Equipment

Posted on by Jeanna White

Students from Cooleemee Elementary School enjoy the upgrades at Cooleemee Park. 

With a new playset and fresh mulch, Cooleemee Park is getting a facelift. The playset, purchased with a grant from Davie County Recreation & Parks, replaces an outdated wooden structure and features a slide, bridge, swings, and a climbing section. 

“We hope that all the kids really enjoy this new playset,” said Town Clerk Aaron Thies, thanking Recreation & Parks for the grant that made it possible. He also expressed his gratitude to Hendrix Manufacturing of Woodleaf for donating the mulch, which has beautified the park, and Willard’s Grading for fixing the driveway, grading, and spreading the mulch. 

Stay Tuned for More!

Thies said there are more additions coming this year. The town has purchased two playsets for the little tots, which should be installed in the next few months. The Town will also redo the swingsets this spring. 

“We want to make sure we offer something for every age group and that the park is welcoming to all.” He plans to seek additional grant funding to continue updating the park and replace outdated equipment.

Ducks on Sale Now – Great Bullhole Duck Race on Saturday, August 6th

Posted on by Jeanna White

What is small, yellow, and races? If you said a rubber ducky floating down the South Yadkin River, you would be correct! Great Bullhole Duck Race organizers hope that 1500 of them will plunge into the South Yadkin near the Cooleemee dam on Saturday,  August 6th at 1:00 p.m. sharp.

The first numbered duck to reach the finish line downriver will win its “owner” a cash prize of $250. The 2nd place winner will garner its ticket-buyer $100, and the 3rd place bettor will win $50. That’s something to quack about!

A Fun Family Outing at RiverPark

This year’s Great Bullhole Duck Race, which runs from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m,  marks the 12th anniversary of the RiverPark at Cooleemee Falls’s annual summer fundraiser.  Proceeds from the race support the ongoing operations of the park, aka The Bullhole, to ensure the park is clean and safe for visitors to enjoy. The board and staff are excited about the opportunity to showcase some of the recent improvements at the park, including a complete renovation of the bathrooms, a new entrance sign, and a gatehouse.

Trails, Swimming And Cheers!  

“A day at RiverPark is a great family outing for all ages,” said RiverPark President Paul Moore. “Patrons can swim in the Yadkin, hike along trails, or relax by the shores. Picnic shelters are also available for patrons to enjoy. We hope everyone will come out and cheer on the ducks and experience all the natural beauty the park has to offer.” 

Music, Food, and T-Shirts 

Emergency Music Service will rock the park throughout the day with DJ and emcee services.

Wheely Good Food Truck will have a variety of mouth-watering grilled sandwiches,  fries, and other tasty sides, and TasteTations by Tan will offer ice-cold Italian ice. 

Don’t forget to commemorate your fun-filled day with a duck race t-shirt from Ink It Promotional Products. 

Adopt a Duck for Only $5 – Get Your Tickets Today! 

There’s only one way to win those cash prizes in the Duck Race; You have to buy a ticket.  Duck tickets are $5 each,  a “quack pack” of 5 for $20,  a “firequacker” of 10 for $40, and a ”flock” of 25 for $100.  Everyone is encouraged to buy their tickets in advance. You can purchase them at the RiverPark gate, Cooleemee Town Hall, Davie County Chamber of Commerce, and Davie County Community Park. You do not have to be present to win, but you must show your numbered ticket stub to collect your prize.

More Race Information

Duck tickets will also be sold until  12:40 p.m. at RiverPark. The Duck Race Begins 1 P.M. Sharp! 

RiverPark is located at the end of Erwin Temple Church Road (just ½ mile from Cooleemee off Hwy 801 & Needmore Road).  

If you love the Bullhole and want to see it remain open, clean, and safe, show your support and purchase a duck today!  You can find more information about this event at the RiverPark Facebook page!

Don’t Miss the Census Awareness Caravan!

Posted on by Jeanna White

Who doesn’t love a parade?

On Monday, August 24th, beginning at 6 p.m., a caravan of fire trucks, police cars, emergency services vehicles, along with a few ATVs or golf carts will proceed up and down every street in Cooleemee encouraging residents to take part in the 2020 Census. 

The 2020 Census is each resident’s opportunity to make a decade of a difference in the community. Since March, the percentage of Cooleemee residents who have participated in the US Census has lagged behind the average response rate in Davie County and the state. In an effort to increase their town’s rate, the Cooleemee Volunteer Fire Department was able to apply for the “2020 Get-Out-The Count” grant.

The NC County Coalition invited organizations who were committed to ensuring a fair and accurate Census to apply for these grants.  Most residents get their Census packets in the mail, but because Cooleemee residents receive mail by post office box only, Census workers must leave packets at every house.  Although there were flyers mailed and Census signs and banners placed around the town, there is still a need to raise awareness about how important it is to be counted.

“After learning about the Get-Out-The-Count RFP (request for proposals), we felt it was a great opportunity to rally the volunteers in the community to come together for this important event. The Cooleemee Volunteer Fire Department agreed to take the lead and we proposed a Census Caravan in Cooleemee Event,” said Parris Whitley, Complete Count Committee member.

“Everyone loves a parade and with the pandemic, Cooleemee had to cancel the Independence Day Celebration that includes the Annual Lawn Mower Parade.  We thought a caravan through the Town would bring some excitement.”

It wasn’t long after the proposal was submitted that the county was notified that the grant selection committee for NC Count’s Coalition’s GOTC Community Outreach Program approved a grant to the Cooleemee Volunteer Fire Department.

At the Census Caravan event, residents will be able to watch from their porches and receive a goody bag filled with gifts and important information about the Census and how to participate via phone and internet. Volunteers at the event will be in masks and gloves, following social distancing guidelines. 

“The census is important in our community because important decisions and allocations of resources will be determined based on the information they obtain,” said Cooleemee Fire Chief, Doug Arledge. “I’m looking forward to the Census Caravan so that I can provide information about the importance of the census to our community.”

The rain date for the event is scheduled for August 31 beginning at 6 p.m. 

Don’t Miss The Great Bullhole Duck Race of 2019 on Saturday, July 20th!

Posted on by Jeanna White

Duck Race with $400 in Prizes
You would have to be crazy to race down a river if you were less than four inches long and weighed only a few ounces or you might find comfort in numbers. Whatever gives them the courage, organizers hope that over a thousand rubber ducks will take a plunge into the South Yadkin near the Cooleemee dam this Saturday, July 20th at 1:00 p.m. sharp.

The first numbered duck to reach the finish line downriver will win their “owner” a cash prize of $250. The 2nd place winner will garner its ticket-buyer $100 and the 3rd place better will win $50. That’s something to quack about!

This year’s Great Bullhole Duck Race, which runs from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m,  marks the 10th anniversary of the annual summer fundraiser which benefits the operation of the RiverPark at Cooleemee Falls…aka The Bullhole.

 

Music, Food, Vendors, Games & More
Stephen Allred of Emergency Music Service will rock the park throughout the day with his DJ and MC services.

Food will be provided by Compass Rose Provisions food truck and there will be cold treats offered by Fosters Muscadine Slushies and Snowie of NC frozen snow treats. Big Pappa’s Pig will be onsite with flavored pork skins.

The walkway to the river and the area around the picnic arbor will be lined with vendors including: 4 Fosters Candles & Gifts,  A Glitter of Faith Paparazzi Jewelry, Brown Mutt Woodworks and crafts, Darlene Layell’s Jewelry Designs,  Maghon Barker Photography, Pigtails and Pearls, The Positively Polished Pineapple, Simply Stylin’ with Shay, and V’s Handcrafted Treasures.

Adopt a Duck Today for Only $5

There’s only one way to win those cash prizes in the Duck Race,  You have to buy a ticket.  Single Duck tickets are $5 each, a “Quack Pack” of five sells for $20, and you can purchase a “Flock” of twenty-five for $100. You do not have to be present to win but you must show your numbered ticket stub to collect your prize.

Tickets can be purchased at Town Hall, Hot Diggity Dogs, and Davie Discount Drug in Cooleemee; Town Hall in Bermuda Run;  4 Fosters Candles & Gifts in Clemmons;  Davie County Chamber of Commerce, Davie County Recreation and Parks, and Foster Drug in Mocksville; and at the tourism desk in the Gateway in Salisbury.  Duck tickets will also be sold until  12:50 p.m. at RiverPark but no later.

Duck Race Begins 1:00 PM Sharp

The O’Neal family will place the ducks in the river and the race will begin a 1 p.m.

RiverPark is found at the end of Erwin Temple Church Road (just ½ mile from Cooleemee off Hwy 801 & Needmore Road).

There are a few vendor spaces still available. Contact Benita Finney at 336-671-0343 to reserve space or with any other questions.