The Cooleemee Historical Association and Bridge Church team up to host a lively event featuring games, treats, school supplies, and a special introduction to new health ministry services.
By KC Smith
When the Cooleemee Historical Association joins with the Bridge Church in Cooleemee, you know something good is going to happen, like a back-to-school party.
A bouncy house, water slide, watermelon contests, games, popcorn, grilled hot dogs, flavored ices, and cotton candy were free to everyone present, young and old.
Kristi McCray was a special guest from Charlotte, NC. Our community is very excited to have a registered nurse located at the Bridge Church, Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Faith Community Health Ministry is a collaboration between Atrium Health and faith communities. McCray’s unique role in health ministry is a diverse service of caring for body, mind, and spirit. For more information, call 704-631-0718 or email AtriumHealth.org/faith.
A big thank you to the CHA and the Bridge Church for providing a great day for our school kids to have fun, scream, bounce, win backpacks full of school supplies, and eat until their bellies were full. What a great day in our little town called Cooleemee.
Looking for ways to get into the holiday spirit in Cooleemee? Mark your calendar for two exciting events filled with holiday cheer! From a cozy breakfast with Santa to a festive parade and a traditional holiday gathering, there’s something for everyone to enjoy this Christmas season.
Breakfast with Santa at the Cooleemee Fire Department
Date: November 23, 9–11 a.m. Location: Cooleemee Fire Department, 174 Marginal Street
Kick off the holiday season with the Cooleemee Fire Department’s Breakfast with Santa! This special event is a wonderful opportunity for families to enjoy a morning filled with holiday activities and festive treats. Admission is an unopened toy to support the fire department’s toy drive for Western North Carolina, helping bring joy to families in need this Christmas. Toy donations will be accepted until the first week of December, so even if you can’t attend, feel free to stop by and drop off a toy.
Children can enjoy making Christmas crafts, writing letters to Santa, and, of course, meeting Santa himself! It’s a perfect way to get little ones excited for the holiday season while contributing to a good cause.
Cooleemee Christmas Parade
Date: November 30, 4 p.m. Location: Starts at Cooleemee Elementary School, ending at the Zachary House
Get ready to watch the streets of Cooleemee come alive with holiday spirit at the annual Christmas Parade! Starting at Cooleemee Elementary School and winding its way to the historic Zachary House, this beloved tradition brings together friends, family, and neighbors to celebrate the season. If you would like to be part of the magic, plan to be at Cooleemee Elementary at 3 p.m. to join the parade lineup.
Old Time Christmas at the Zachary House
Immediately following the Cooleemee Christmas Parade
After the parade, head over to the Zachary House for Old Time Christmas, hosted by the Cooleemee Historical Association (CHA), Town of Cooleemee, and The Bridge Church. This classic Christmas celebration offers festive activities and delicious treats for all ages.
This year, the Cooleemee Historical Association (CHA) is reviving a cherished tradition: the fudge contest! “Everyone always loved it, and it’s exciting to bring it back this year,” shared former Cooleemee Mayor John Chandler, who served as mayor for an impressive 20 years before retiring in 2019. Chandler, who originally introduced the contest in the early 2000s, is thrilled to see its return, promising a sweet dose of nostalgia for the community
All types of fudge are welcome. Bring your entry to the Zachary House by 3 p.m. on November 30th to be included in the contest. The fudge will be served at the dessert table, and the winner will be announced during the Old Time Christmas celebration. The winner will receive bragging rights and their name engraved on the trophy. For more information, call John Chandler at (336) 940-0848.
Other activities will include:
A visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus
Readings of the Christmas Story and ’Twas the Night Before Christmas
Desserts, hot chocolate, and cider to keep you warm and cozy
Experience the charm of an old-fashioned Christmas and create memories that will last a lifetime. These festive events promise to fill your holiday season with joy and community spirit. Don’t miss out on this magical time of year in Cooleemee!
Cooleemee Elementary School’s 5th grade class had their last lesson provided by the Cooleemee Historical Association. Every year since first grade they received specific lessons appropriate for their age group.
Don Cover had visual aids to help teach the students about the Revolutionary War in less than an hour. The students’ attention span held strong to the end thanks to Don’s enthusiasm, voice inflection, and talking as if he were there when it was happening, explaining who was who and how it all played out.
Thank you Don for taking the time to educate these students about important people who were successful in gaining our freedom.
Feel free to contact me at 336.250.1133 or at cooleemeenews@gmail.com. I would love to hear from you.
Stepping back in time to 1934 to learn lessons about chores that the people of old Cooleemee performed daily was a fun morning for two first-grade classes at Cooleemee Elementary School.
Lynn Vogler helps children scrub, rinse, and wring out clothes.
Getting their hands wet while scrubbing kitchen hand towels, rinsing, and learning how to wring out the water seemed like a lot of work, but they had fun. Each had a washboard to scrub the towels, and Lynn Vogler reminded them to use soap. Tammy Lagle held a small cloth on the clothesline, then walked down to the end and back to remove any dirt. “You don’t want this dirt to get on your clean clothes,” she explained as she showed them the discolored cloth. After choosing wooden clothespins or the ones used today, which are made of metal and wood, they learned to dog-ear the ends and secure their cloths on the clothesline.
Johnathon Vizard teaches students how to use a hoe.John Chandler explains the importance of planting an onion with the tip at the top.
John Chandler and Johnathon Vizard taught the students how to hold a hoe, how to make rows in the dirt, plant seeds, and how to tamp down the dirt. Canning vegetables raised in the garden was essential for every household. Preserving some vegetables, like green beans strung on a string, called “leather britches,” made it easy to dehydrate them.
Cathy Marshbanks offering reassurance to a reluctant egg-gatherer.
All shared collecting eggs and putting them in a basket. Chickens can be skittish, which makes them cluck and move around quickly. Some children were unsure about being that close to collect the eggs, but Cathy Marshbanks’s gentle hand helped them complete the task.
Jeff Ferrell teaches the importance of each household owning a pig.
Not many grown-ups can say they have made “slop” for a pig, but the first graders can now say they have. Combining all the leftovers from the dinner table became food for the pigs. Having a chance to pet the pig was a brave moment for some but was very exciting for most. Jeff Ferrell displayed a side of pork, bacon, and sausage.
Learning they can’t get a hamburger from a pig was a fun fact for them to talk about. Visiting Madison the cow was an added bonus. Madison was gentle, so each student got to stroke her very soft fur on her nose. The students also learned why her eyes were on the sides of her head.
Teresa Bivins demonstrates how to churn whole milk to make butter.
Making butter out of whole milk sounds so simple because it is. Students have the knowledge to go home, pour whole milk into a jar with a lid, and start shaking to make their own. Tasting the homemade butter on a cracker put smiles on everyone’s faces. Susan and Teresa Bivins assisted with churning the butter.
Before returning to class, each student received a coloring book that reiterated all the things they had learned that morning. The Cooleemee Historical Association has more events planned throughout the entire school calendar, including for kindergarten through fifth-grade students.
Thank you, CHA, for providing students with hands-on experiences that give them a full picture and understanding of their heritage. Feel free to contact me at 336.250.1133 or at cooleemeenews@gmail.com. I would love to hear from you.
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.
Photos courtesy of the Davie County Public Library
How good it felt to hear the squeaky screen door of the Zachary House as kindergarten children from Cooleemee School entered to hear Christmas stories of long ago. December 3rd 2021, four classes enjoyed the Ole Time Christmas teachings sponsored by the CHA (Cooleemee Historical Association.)
This annual event is scheduled each year, but with the restrictions of COVID, several events were cancelled in the past few years so having the opportunity to begin again was good. The four classes were split up into two groups. Buses aren’t needed for transport to Church Street because it’s only about 2 blocks away with safety walking on the sidewalk.
The students were greeted with a warm welcome before starting their tour and were given a brief overview of what to expect during their visit. Antique toys were on display upstairs and they were allowed to gently touch and play with them. The young children were shocked to hear toys 100 years ago didn’t have batteries and that children their age had very few toys at all.
Oranges were very hard to come by in those days so it was very special to find one on Christmas morning as a gift. Nuts and additional candies were extra special. The cedar tree stood tall and grand as each child hung their handmade ornament and threw real pieces of cotton on the tree to resemble snow.
They were told their decorations made the tree very beautiful. The kindergarteners learned most households went into the woods to cut down a cedar tree for their families Christmas tree and drug it home. One child spoke up and said, “you could lay it down in the back’” they quickly learned they had to drag it home because they didn’t have a car. There was silence by all.
Bonnie Byerly taught the children how to roll an orange around on a table to make it juicy inside and then cut a hole in the side. By putting a peppermint stick in the hole you’ve made yourself a fresh homemade juice drink.
On their walk back to school, each carried a ‘poke’ with an orange, peppermint stick and candy inside. The CHA enjoys teaching children what it was like a long time ago in Cooleemee. Christmas time was a lot different back then. Young and old may not have had a lot but what they did have was enough to be happy sitting at a table having Christmas breakfast together.
May we all find time to enjoy special moments that money can’t buy like cutting a hole in an orange for a friend or family member, then hand them a peppermint stick for the straw.
Feel free to contact me at cooleemeenews@gmail.com or call, 336-250-1133. I would love to hear from you.
