Category: Cooleemee People

Simple Pleasures: Tooling Around the Neighborhood on an Electric Bike 

Hey, who is that guy? Here he comes again. This time I hollered at him, and he turned around. I’ve been seeing this man riding down the sidewalk in front of my house on Marginal Street almost daily.  

He rides one of those electric bikes. He doesn’t go by real fast, and guess what? He doesn’t ride alone. Standing on the middle bar right up against him is a 4-year-old girl with blonde curly hair. She holds onto the handlebars, and there is always a small bag hanging on it, too.

I told him who I was and I asked if he was from Cooleemee.  He said, “Yes ma’am, right down here on Davie Street.”The man’s name is Drew Cline, and the cute little girl who rides along is Bristol, his granddaughter.   

You’re probably thinking, well I see people riding bikes all day every day.  But this ride is different. Not only is the ride consistent, but there’s always a quiet and sweet conversation between the two. The grandfather comes across as attentive and has a soft voice, one that you would expect from a grandfather. Cline said she loved riding the bike; “It’s what she likes to do. She probably really likes stopping to get a few things, too, at the store.”

I thought, surely sometime later in life, she was going to reflect on those sweet, hot summer bike rides down Marginal Street with her grandfather and how happy she was. Picking Bristol a small bouquet of daisies from my floral garden was a given because she makes me stop and say, “Ahhh” every week.

  Please feel free to contact me at cooleemeenews@gmail.com, or call at 336.250.1133, I’d love to hear from you.

Cooleemee Elementary Students Experience Cooleemee in the Past

A chilly morning at RiverPark set the scene for students from Cooleemee Elementary School to learn about 17th-century Indians, 18th-century life and the grist mill, and kids working in the textile mill in the 19th century.

John Chandler presented the children with a warm welcome and a layout of the morning’s journey.  Joey Shore led each group to each station and stop along the way.

Johnny Brown demonstrates how to grind corn using a pestle and concave rock

The Indian’s learning center was set up right by the South Yadkin, with the dam spilling water over its rocky edge.  Students saw handmade drills, bows and arrows, a deer antler shortened into a knife, and a grinding rock for grain.

After climbing the hill from the dam to a clearing, Sandra Ferrell taught the kids about growing corn and taking it to the gristmill. They each received a tiny canvas bag filled with cornmeal. Later, each student got a paper bag with either two apples or a bag of peanuts. Bartering took place, and each student ended up with one apple and some peanuts.

Sandra Ferrell shows pictures of the gristmill

Shore pulled a sassafras twig from the ground, pulled the bark back, and told the children he used to chew on the stalk when he was little. The stalk could also be boiled in water for sassafras tea, which was good for allergies.

When the students arrived at the 19th-century stop, they learned that children worked in the mill. Girls earned 55 cents, and boys earned $2.75 a week. Mama was there with her field hat and apron, and she promptly came around and collected all the money earned by each boy and girl. They all got to keep just a quarter.

Sandra Ferrell gave each student a small bag of cornmeal

All went to the company store, where they bought a pickle, cheese, crackers, and a peppermint stick.  They had to pay their last 25 cents.

Bartering apples for  peanuts

I asked some of the students:  Out of all the information you learned, what stands out the most?

  • Air”yana Braswell – “What they used to make houses and all the equipment they used.”
  • Jaxon Herbiest – “ How they made the clothing, weapons, and tools to catch fish.”
  • Jayke Neighbors – “Why do kids work? Why is it happening in the past? They shouldn’t be able to.  Kids need to learn and go to school.”
  • Max Hall. – “How to make tea out of plants.”

Egg Drop in Cooleemee a Huge Success!

On Saturday, March 30th, The Bridge Church, located at 191 Main Street in Cooleemee, sponsored an egg drop at the Cooleemee Fire Department.

Josh Ijames provided hayrides, while the Bridge donated free hotdogs, cotton candy, flavored ice, popcorn, and water.

A food truck served free ice cream until they ran out.  

Wristbands divided the children’s age groups so the egg drop could be fair and safe.

a person with their arms up in the air at an easter egg hunt event
Pastor Justin Blue of The Bridge Church

Pastor Justin Blue wore a mic, which helped him to manage the large groups.  He certainly had a way to get everyone’s attention; this event was definitely not his first rodeo!

The candy-filled eggs were dropped from firetruck #13’s bucket while the crowd gave a resounding countdown. 

Faith Ann was walking toward her mother with a bucket of eggs, with a nice dome on top that was about to flow over the edge.  

She happened to pass a younger girl who had a very small amount of eggs in her basket.  Faith Ann turned around and put eggs in the little girl’s basket.  Her kindness and compassion weren’t overlooked. How about Faith leading by example?

The energy surrounding the event was happiness, and by far, the event exceeded any and all expectations.    

A big thank you to all the volunteers of the Bridge Church.  This egg drop event was a huge success! Feel free to contact me at cooleemeenews@gmail.com or 336-250-1133. I would love to hear from you.      

My Friend Grimes “Bimmy” Parker

My friend, Grimes “Bimmy” Parker, passed away recently, and I can’t bring him back.

Early Monday morning, before I was about to jump in the shower before leaving to care for our granddaughter, my husband said my name in a way I knew something was wrong.

“Bimmy passed away last night,”

It was like a silver magnet pulled me to Jeff’s chest quickly, and I held him tight. “I thought they were working on removing the fluid from his heart, and then they will treat his kidneys and wake them up?” That was what I was praying for, but it didn’t work out that way.

Wait a minute. He didn’t teach me how to plant peanuts!

Planting and harvesting peanuts, I thought, would be the coolest thing to learn how to do, and he did it every year. Every time I saw a bag of peanuts still in the hull, I would smile because I knew someone in my town who planted these things. I’m sure he would have taught me if only I had asked.

Duke Street isn’t a street I drive down often, but several times when I would, he would be sitting in a chair in front of his garage in the driveway with his legs crossed. I can imagine the conversations we would have had if only I had stopped by for a visit. Regret can send you into a whirlwind of thoughts when someone close to you passes away.  

“But wait, I was going to, I could have, I should have.” Those thoughts sure don’t fill the void. The memories lift me up though, and I saturate my mind with them.

I was so honored when he called and asked me to be on the basketball camp board.

The first Grimes Parker Basketball Camp Invictus stands out most in my mind. All the dreams, hopes, ideas, and plans that he and Steve Fleming had came to fruition that day, and I’m so happy I was there, along with so many other volunteers, to see the magic happen.

“So what do you think, KC?”

“I thought it was fantastic, Bimmy, and I can’t wait for the next one.”

So many great ideas come to us, and then we think, “Whew, it would take a lot to make that happen,” and then we put them in our back pockets or, worse, throw them away. If only we had held on to that thought, that dream, that idea.  How many lives would have been richer if we had pursued it further?

There is never a good time to lose a friend or loved one. No matter how prepared we try, it’s out of our control. Writing a letter to Bimmy and telling him how much he has enriched my life is a very healthy thing to do. Putting thoughts down on paper clears the mind and heals the soul.

I hope his chair will be sitting where he used to sit in that driveway so I can drive by, stop, and leave a note or two. Grimes  “Bimmy” Parker, a Master of Cooleemee, will never be forgotten. Feel free to contact me at cooleemeenews@gmail.com or 336-250-1133. I would love to hear from you.