News

Autumn Harvest Night in Cooleemee

On September 29th, Cooleemee’s Historical Association partnered with Davie County Public Library to provide a movie night for the community.  An animated Spider-Man movie, popcorn, games, and other refreshments were enjoyed by all.  

The Bridge Church in Mocksville donated fresh apples and homemade goodies, including baked and fried apple pies and candy and caramel apples. Hot apple cider and hot cocoa were an added treat.

Pastor Justin and Melisa Blue brought a freshness to the event, and our appreciation and gratitude go out to them and their church community.  

Lisa Nielsen, chair of the board of trustees, Karen Martin, youth services librarian, Rachel Nelson, adult services and technology librarian, Teresa Bivins,  Cooleemee representative of the board, were all present for this event to provide a questionnaire for the community to share their voice about our current library in the Cooleemee Shopping Center.  What do they like about it, how can it be improved, and other helpful discussions from the community.  

Future Events 

  • October 28th, 6-8 p.m. – Ghost stories and s’mores around the fire pits at the Zachary House
  • November 4th, 3 p.m. –  Chicken Stew at the Zachary House

All events are free to the community.

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

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 Egg Hunt Fun for All Despite the Rain

(L to R) Mayor Jessica Almond, Commissioner Jeannie Taylor, Helen Daywalt, Town Clerk Aaron Thies

Cooleemee’s Easter egg hunt on Saturday, April 8th, was cold, rainy, and wet. Understandably, many children stayed home where it
was warm and dry, but the ones who were brave enough to show up had a great time. Umbrellas came in handy for collecting the egg shells after goodies were found inside.

The egg hunt was divided into three age groups, and each had three special eggs with winning tickets inside. Easter baskets filled
with goodies and prizes were handed to all winners. Peter Rabbit was there to have pictures taken with the children, who were happy to see him.

One little guy took his hat off, and Peter Rabbit tossed an egg inside for a treat. After saying to the boy, “Wow, you have so many potatoes in your bucket!” he said, “They are not potatoes!” “Well, then, what are they?” “They are eggs!” Without a doubt, each kid knew why they were there. . . To find and collect as many eggs as they could! Each and everyone left with smiles, including the parents, because their children had such fun.

Cooleemee Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 8th

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.

Cooleemee Park Gets New Playground Equipment

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.

Cooleemee Commissioners Provide Statement About Cooleemee Police Department

Press release 12-20-2022

On Monday, December 19th the Town of Cooleemee Commissioners made the difficult decision by unanimous vote to dissolve the Cooleemee Police Department and to enter into a 2 ½ year contract with the Davie County Sheriff’s Department to provide all law enforcement services. The contract will go into effect by January 1, 2023. 

Commissioner Chris Almond stated, “This was a tough decision to make, but it’s the best option we have with the chief leaving at the end of the month. Currently, the police department is only made up of a part-time chief and 3 part-time officers giving the town roughly 60 hours of coverage in a two-week period.  Contracting with the sheriff’s department will provide the town with more coverage on a weekly basis. With the ongoing decrease in revenue the town receives, the town doesn’t have the funds to bring the department back to where it needs to be to provide safety for the residents of Cooleemee.”  

Cooleemee’s Christmas Parade – December 17 at 2 p.m.

Cooleemee’s Christmas parade is back again this year. Come out on December 17th at 2 p.m. to join in the fun.

The lineup will begin at 1 p.m. at Cooleemee Elementary School, and everyone is welcome to participate; no pre-registration is required.

Pictures With Santa

After the parade, bring the kids to Zachary House at 131 Church Street in Cooleemee, NC 27014 for a visit and pictures with Santa! Pictures with Santa will be available after the parade if the weather permits.

Cooleemee Halloween 2022

Celebrate Halloween

On Halloween evening, Monday, October 31, 2022, the town will be giving out candy beginning at 5 p.m. at the Zachary House located at 131 Church Street in Cooleemee, NC.

Don’t miss fun games and the cake walk! Download and print this flyer to share and bring your friends!

Save Your Space

Email by 10/21/22

Join This Safe Trick or Treat Event


If you would be interested in coming and setting up in the Zachary House parking lot for a safe trick or treat, please contact Aaron at town hall 336-284-2141 or athies@cooleemee.org no later than 10/21/22 to reserve your space.

Grimes Parker Basketball Camp

After a two year COVID hiatus, it felt great to be back on the courts for the Grimes Parker Basketball Camp. Approximately 25 campers participated with about 10 no shows. The camp was held for 3 days, June 14th – 16th. Times were held from 9:00 till 12:00 with a 10 minute break in between.

Compared to past years of the camp, the days and times were scaled down including receiving a basketball, t-shirt and a backpack this year. Changes were made but the quality of the coaching and teachings remained the same, which is the main element of a good basketball camp.


Having different coaches each day gave the campers different styles of learning the same basics of the game. Parker’s family is in full support of the camp and their presence each day makes a huge difference. The coaches has have solidified their devotion to the annual event by saying they will always be there to keep the important camp going.


A big thank you goes out to Russell Hilton for his unending support of the gym and making sure things run smoothly. Shelia Taylor and other volunteers helping with checking in the camper and organizing the snacks each day are an integral part of the day. Jan Coleman never fails to be there each year to manage the restrooms and things must always run smoothly because she never asks for anything.


To all the other volunteers, your presence is appreciated and we want to thank you for taking the time out of your day to be there.

Feel free to contact me by 336-250-1133 or cooleemeenews@gmail.com.

2022 Cooleemee Duck Race

The annual Duck Race was held on Saturday, August 6th, 2022. Attendance seemed to be down a bit compared to past years, but enough tickets were sold to fill up the tractor bucket.


The three winners were: Tom Comadoll first place, Zachary Baker bought the last ticket and won second place and third place was won by Tom Coleman.


There is some discussion about moving the Duck Race next year to July 4th weekend. No final plans have been made as of yet.


The weather was warm and as usual after the race was completed, a thunderstorm makes its presence. What a great way to take the edge off the high temperatures.