Friends of Stokesdale

Preserving our history... building our future

Join Friends of Stokedale

and help make the Town of Stokesdale the best place to live, work and play

Friends of Stokesdale is a 501(c)(3) community improvement organization comprised of dedicated citizens who want to develop a vibrant town core, connect the past with the present and carry it forward into Stokesdale’s future. We seek to:

PRESERVE and promote Stokesdale’s historic town core CULTIVATE civic pride and a sense of community in our town PROMOTE educational opportunities for people of all ages ENCOURAGE and promote locally-owned businesses

We’re looking for volunteers interested in preserving Stokesdale’s history and downtown charm

To learn more about Friends of Stokesdale: Call 336.552.0704 Email friendsofstokesdale@gmail.com Visit www.friendsofstokesdale.org ‘Preserving our heritage, growing our future’

Nonprofi t strives to revitalize downtown Stokesdale, promote local businesses and educate others on town’s history

by ANNETTE JOYCE

STOKESDALE – Joe Thacker loves the town of Stokesdale, and relishes the opportunity to share its history with anyone who’ll listen. Thacker has served as both a member of Stokesdale Town Council and of the town’s Planning Board, and wants to see the town continue to thrive while maintaining its unique historical identity.

A few years ago, Thacker joined a handful of likeminded volunteers to talk about what could be done to keep Stokesdale’s small-town feel and enhance its offerings to community members of various ages and interests.

As a result, Friends of Stokesdale (FOS) was incorporated in July 2019 as a nonprofit with a four-point stated vision, which is: “to preserve and promote the historic character of Stokesdale’s town core; cultivate civic pride and a sense of local community in our town; promote educational opportunities for people of all ages; and encourage and promote locally-owned businesses.”

During that first year, FOS had several successful projects. First, it approached the town council about funding a mural to be painted on the bare brick wall of a historic downtown building owned by John Pait Liquidators and Appraisers. The town agreed, and FOS commissioned Beth Herrick, a Stokesdale resident and art teacher at Northwest Guilford High School, to design and paint the mural. Images depicted on the 12-foot-by-18-foot mural are a train, the rural farm landscape, the town seal, a church, and crops growing.

“Together, they provide a glimpse of our town that we hope evokes a

pride in this place,” said FOS member Kathryn Bunthoff after the group approved Herrick’s design. Completed in the summer of 2019, the mural now serves to welcome folks passing through downtown Stokesdale and to promote the town’s history.

When the town decided to direct grant money toward the cost of purchasing and installing a town clock in front of Stokesdale Fire Department, one of the nonprofit’s members donated the balance needed to fund the project.

Since then, FOS has landscaped the area around the clock, hosted a pumpkin painting event and dedications for the mural and the town clock, and worked to educate people about the town’s history. ... continued on p. 18