Annual Meeting, Picnic and Fundraiser

The Cove Community Annual Meeting and Picnic, at the Cove School, is the last Sunday in September, 28th, at 5:00. 

It's covered dish; please bring a dish to share and beverages will be provided. 

Membership dues may be paid at that time - 

$3/person or $5/couple.

If you want to be added to the e-mailing list, your membership dues must be paid then send us your e-address.

The 20th reunion of the movie 

Lassie: Best Friends are Forever 

is Saturday, October 11 from 10:00 until 4:00. 

Wagon rides, hot dogs and fixings, soft beverages

and the movie will be shown.

It all begins at the Cove School at 10:00!

This is a fundraiser to repair the roof on the school building.

WELCOME, Buy a Raffle Ticket

Community Fundraiser

This welcome sign is made of horseshoes...twelve to be exact! It's all metal, welded together then painted with black gloss paint. If you want it to last longer, hang it in a protect outdoor area...underneath a porch or overhang for example. 

We're selling chances - One chance for $3.00 or two chances for $5.00. Chances to be sold until Labor Day Monday, September 2, 2013. The proceeds will be used equally for Cove School upkeep and Cove Volunteer Fire Department equipment.

For more information e-mail us at the address to the right.

Thanks for supporting the Cove, where Lassie was filmed!

BINGO!

~ Tazewell Courthouse, Main Street ~

BINGO!

to

benefit Cove Community Association 

and 

Cove Volunteer Fire Department

Friday,

3 May 2013

5:30 p.m.

American Legion Hall

Tazewell, VA

Cash and other prizes

Food for sale

Cove Volunteer Fire Department Supper

~ the Cove ~

Sunday,

7 October 2012

 5:00 p.m.

at the Cove School.

The Cove Volunteer Fire Department 

is hosting a benefit hot dog supper.

This supper kicks off National Fire Prevention and Safety Week

and before supper, there will be a short presentation on

fire prevention and safety.

Proceeds will be used to purchase much needed

equipment and gear for our Fire Chief.

When he was given his equipment and gear,

twenty plus years ago, it was second hand!

For more information, e-mail using the 

address on the side bar or 

call 988.4121 and leave a message
or leave a comment on this post.

If you're so inclined, please bring a dessert.

Please come and support the

COVE VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT!

$5.00 per person

Cove Paint Lick Ride

~ Morris Knob ~

Cove Paint Lick Ride

Sunday

14 October 2012 

1:00 - 5:00 p.m. 

Please arrive at the Cove School 

no later than 12:30 to purchase your tickets. 

First come, first serve; only 75 tickets will be sold.

Cost is $25 per person and 4 hour event includes a 

tractor pulled wagon ride, tour guide, snacks, water.

To pre-purchase tickets

please e-mail, using address on side bar,

or call 988.4121 to leave a message,
or leave a comment on this post.

This is an opportunity to ride through almost 

virgin territory,

ford the Little River, twice,

and see the Paint Lick Indian Paintings.

Please, dress in layers, wear a hat and bring a camera.

This event takes place only once a year and it's estimated

in ten years, the Indian Paintings will have disappeared

due to weather erosion. 

This is a unique opportunity to witness history that

pre-dates the Revolutionary War.

Indeed, no one really knows how old the paintings are

but buy your tickets NOW to ensure your place for the

14 October 2012

COVE PAINT LICK RIDE!

No children under age 6.

All minor children must be accompanied by parent or guardian.

All adults must sign waiver for themselves and their children.

No dogs. 

Rain Date: 21 October 2012

FIRE!

On Wednesday night, just before 5:00, I opened the back door to let the dogs outside and, as usual, I stepped onto the porch and glanced around the valley...just in case. I always do this, no matter the time of day or night. I noticed black smoke pouring from the far side of Russell's house and wondered if they were burning brush. I grabbed the binocs and telephone and began walking to the driveway, dialing Daniel, our Fire Chief, on speed dial. He didn't answer so I left a message, "I might be crazy but I think Russell's house is on fire" with my unease growing leaps and bounds. It took me about six seconds to remember brush smoke is white; this was black smoke and that meant the house was on fire so I dialed 911. Bless the woman who answered the telephone! It took only one sentence for her to understand exactly the location. She asked my name, I told her and then said, "not all our firemen have pagers, I have to make other calls" and hung up.

I called our former Fire Chief and when he answered, I gave him a terse message, "Russell's house is on fire!" and hung up on him and the proceeded down my list calling people.

The Cove Volunteer Fire Department responded within fifteen minutes (perhaps less) which is pretty excellent when you consider all are volunteers and most men were still at work somewhere in the pastures or on the mountains. 

The water hoses are heavy and tend to fight and snarl; it takes two men to direct the spray of the heaviest hose.  The CVFD equipment is old and was second hand when it was handed down some twenty-six years ago; some of our men were even sharing gloves! Additionally, the CVFD covers thousands of acres including all or portions of Ward's Cove, Witten Valley, Wardell, Thompson Valley and Laurel Gap. 


Morgan, Ashley and I directed traffic and I took the opportunity to take photos but from the road where I wasn't in the way of firefighters. I let two cars go by before it dawned on me...DONATIONS! So, every vehicle that, slowly, passed, I would tell them, "the people and animals got out alive but everything else is lost, please donate." Most people did and some folks, from a neighboring fire station, stayed to help. In time, Thompson Valley Volunteer Fire Department was called in and they brought two more trucks plus a pick-up outfitted with specialized gear. Thank God, there was a pond nearby and pumps were put into place so water could be sprayed onto the fire once the trucks were emptied of their H2O. 

The fire raged from around 5 until after 9 and I had collapsed onto my pillow when the telephone rang. It was Ashley, "they just got called out again; can you go and put another set of lights on the house?" I used the truck because it's higher off the ground and would, hopefully, shine more light than the smaller car.  When I got to the house, the fire was, mostly, at the back of the house and it was impossible for me to get into position to be of any help.  This time, our men didn't get back to the fire station until after 1:00 a.m.  

I've lost count of how many times the VFD's have been called out although, at 1:00 a.m. Thursday morning, as the CVFD was leaving the scene, the antifreeze hose burst on the firetruck. According to procedure, the Fire Chief called it in so the County would know the CVFD truck was out of commission until it could be repaired. I saw the Fire Chief  around 9 a.m. Thursday while he and other men were working on the truck. They still had to go into town for parts and that made a long job longer. 

As soon as they repaired the truck, they called the County and said, "back on duty!" We only have a single bay 1 pumper 750 gallon truck and it was second hand (possibly third hand but I'm not sure) when we got it almost thirty years ago. At this point in time, having a second truck is a luxury we can only dream of; in the meantime, we dream of new fire fighter's suits but they cost $2,200.00 helmet to boots and that's money our small community just doesn't have.  


It worries me sick our men are lacking in basic safety equipment; no man's life is worth shoddy equipment. Heck, a life isn't worth brand new equipment but old equipment makes an already dangerous job more hellish. Fortunately, no one was injured, either residents nor fire fighters; all proved their merit and, once again, volunteers are the unsung heroes. 
Especially the Cove Volunteer Fire Department fire fighters; THANK YOU! You make me proud to be a member of this community!

April 10 2012 Cove Community meeting

~ view toward the head of the Cove ~

The Cove Community Association meeting was held 10 April at 6:30 and was a pot luck supper. We always have plenty of food, have never run out and, indeed, always bring home food for the next day or three.
Generally, we have one supper a year and that's at our annual membership meeting in September. Last night, we wanted to honor and thank Red Marrs, our Cove Volunteer Fire Chief for the last couple of decades. He's done a fine job but stepped down in November and Daniel Miller was elected new chief.

Red is at the head of the table, Clinton Bell, our Treasurer, is standing while Charles and Cassie Horn are on the right and Daniel Miller, left, holds one of our little ones. Cindy Gillespie, CCA President, is standing at the blackboard.

As you can see we have two tables loaded with food, most of it homemade but, always, with some chips for the little folks. They seem to balk at cole slaw, pasta salad and cowboy beans. -smile-
After we ate, we had a short meeting and talked about neighborhood watch posts. Each week someone  volunteers to be eyes and ears for the community although all of us are always watching out for each other. Hillary was wrong; it doesn't take a village, it takes a community!

We also talked about our books, The Cove at Maiden Spring, that we're selling to raise money to repair our leaking roof. The books are 8.5x11 soft cover, 66 pages and loaded with photos and historical notes on the Cove and Maiden Spring. They cost $20, plus shipping, and if you're interested, please send us at e-mail at the address upper right. If you'd rather pick up your copy, send us an e-mail and we'll make arrangements.

~ two Cove homes ~

Dave Bricker is in the book; here, he's picking ramps at Clinton Bell's farm. It was a spring activity Dave and I, Sandra, both enjoyed...especially, after we got the ramps home and I fried them with garlic, onions, potatoes and sausage.
The last order of business was discussing our Trail Ride on 19 May from 1 to 5 p.m. It's going to be on horseback, you supply your own horse and equipment. We'll end the day, where we begin, at the Cove Community Association and will have prizes and food for everyone. The cost is $25 per person and, please, no dogs or stallions and all horses must have current Coggins test. Again, we're raising money to repair the Cove Community Association roof.
That about wraps it up; any comments or questions, let us know.