Saturday, May 29, 2010

Mostly Mozart Concert June 8, 2010


On Tuesday, June 8, the Stoughton Chamber Singers under the direction of John Beutel will present a performance entitled "Mostly Mozart" at 7:00 PM in the restored Cooksville Church at the corner of Hwy 138 and Hwy 59 in Cooksville as a fundraiser for the Cooksville Community Center with a $10.00 suggested donation. A reception with light refreshments will follow at the Cooksville Community Center. Tickets are available from choir members and at the Cooksville Store. Seating is limited.

The program will include music by Mozart and people connected to him in some way. The opening selection, “Domine, ad adjuvandum me” is by Padre Martini with whom Mozart took some composition lessons as a boy on one of his trips to Italy. The next three selections are all masterpieces composed by Mozart for chorus and orchestra. “Laudate Dominum” from the Solemn Vespers; “Ave Verum Corpus”; and his second setting of the “Regina Coeli”. Soloists will be Lisa Shimon, Cindy Birch, Linda Hopper, Lance Carmichael, and Patrick Kiss.

The second half of the program will open with “Gloria” from the 12th Mass, composed by Wenzel Muller, but attributed to Mozart by the publisher because the name Mozart on the score would sell better than the name Muller on the score. It will be followed on the program by six short delightful and tuneful “Notturnos” on texts of parting or loss which were composed for wealthy friends of Mozart who were quite talented musicians. The “Notturnos” will be accompanied by 2 clarinets and horn. The final selections on the concert will be three part songs by Franz Joseph Haydn who was a contemporary friend of Mozart and something of a mentor. The Haydn piano accompanist will be Rev. Margo Martens.

Monday, May 24, 2010

John and Elizabeth's wedding



It was a beautiful day, a beautiful ceremony with beautiful music, beautiful dresses (made by Diane), a beautiful church, beautiful and delicious food, and beautiful people (especially the bride).



Tuesday, May 4, 2010

History of the Cooksville Store by Larry Reed


The Cooksville General store has a record of over 160 years as a fixture in the village – and may be the oldest general store still in operation in Wisconsin. The present Cooksville Store dates from about 1847. In that year, Charles Smith acquired from John Cook, founder of the village, a corner of a corner lot, 26 feet by 66 feet, at Main and Spring streets, its present location. Smith’s relatives were carpenters, and it can be assumed that a frame building was put up in short order.

Yankees, often from Vermont, like Earle Woodbury, operated the Store in the early years. In 1864, the store building itself (which often had different owners than the business within) was sold to the second floor tenant, Waucoma Masonic Lodge No. 90. The lodge had been chartered in 1858 and had been leasing the second floor of the building from Woodbury since January of 1859. Thus began the long association of the Lodge with the Store.

Old diaries provide some details of the Store’s business dealings - purchases of raisins, cream of tartar, a barrel of Spitzenburg apples, fifty pounds of flour, delivery to the store of 19½ pounds of cheese – and records of luxury goods for those times such as a shipment of oysters in November 1872, most probably destines for an oyster supper at the Lodge (oysters were actually a frequent component of a special supper), and in June 1874 the arrival of rare lemons.
(OVER)
The masons continued to make improvements to the building and the General Store owner improved the looks of the Store. In 1879 shutter blinds were hung on the building’s windows and the Masonic hall on the second floor acquired new chairs, hanging lamps, carpets, and wallpaper. In 1882 the large glass front windows were installed and new paint was applied. The “store looks very nobby,” reported The Evansville Review at the time.

In 1890 the Masons bought 18 feet of land west of the building and built an 18 x 24 foot addition to the store building.

The Cooksville General Store was, like most early stores, a basic dry goods, grocery and produce store. In the early days there were cracker and pickle and flour barrels, and cookies and tea in bulk tins. At times, the Store also included fuels and building materials and hardware. Eventually, the store sold such widely assorted things as Cornish game hens, lag bolts, wash pans, clothesline, bone meal, garden seeds, drill bits, underwear, anchovies, overshoes, lamp chimneys, paint, tobacco cloth and kitchen utensils, as well as dairy, meat products, hot sandwiches, and newspapers.

The position of Postmaster was traditional with storekeepers in Cooksville, and the General Store was the last post office before it moved to Evansville in 1903.

The Store survived the 20th century, and even though that most famous of county store institution, the hot stove league, was weakened by many factors of modern life such as television, it was still there as the 20th century progressed. The Store has been a clearing-house for local information, written and oral, and provided such services for the community as receiving and mailing packages, charging goods to personal accounts and serving as a place to turn to for minor emergency assistance. And it still is the home of the Masonic Lodge on the second floor.

By the beginning of the 21st century, having been in business in the same location since the mid- 19th century, the Cooksville General Store has achieved the status as the oldest operating general store in Wisconsin. At least no one has disputed the title.

CURRENT HOURS OF OPERATION: 6 a.m. – 6 p.m. EVERYDAY

Monday, May 3, 2010

Channel 27's Coverage of the Cooksville Store Party

To view the newscast, cut and paste this link into your browser.

http://www.wkowtv.com/global/story.asp?s=12413139

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Clean Up Day and the Revolutionary War Re-enactment on the Commons


In a few hours, an enthusiastic crew shined up the Community Center and got it ready for a new season of events. Thanks to all who helped.










Meanwhile, a group of Revolutionary War re-enactors held forth on the common cooking over an open fire, making butter, sewing, and practicing their drills.