Furlow woman entertains kids in Coca-Cola house
By Priscilla Campbell / Staff Writer / pcampbell@arkansasnews.com
Wednesday, December 31, 2008 11:04 AM CST
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| Wanda Cook showed the children a Cola-Cola Truck in her living room (Priscilla Campbell). |
Wanda Cook of Furlow has more than 4,000 Coca-Cola items and she gives tours of her house.
“It is the highlight of our holiday season,” Cook said.
Cook said she started collecting Coca-Cola items in 1992.
“I was going to flea markets, looking for old jewelry for collages. Everywhere I looked there was Coca-Cola items,” she said.
She said the cola items looked so bright and cheerful.
Cook said when her grandson Josh Anderson was in the second-grade in 1996 at Lonoke Primary School, he asked her if his class could have a cola party at her house. Cook said she asked Ross Moore, Lonoke Primary School principal, if every second-grade class could have a party at her house, to make it fair.
Cook said now every student in Lonoke from the second-grade to the 12-grade has been to her house unless they moved or were sick the day of the tour.
Anderson, 20, is now a freshman at the University of Central Arkansas (He attended Pulaski Technical College last year).
“Josh enjoys coming back and enjoys helping me when the second-graders come [to the house],” Cook said.
Cook said her house is decorated for Christmas all year long. She said her husband Don does all the work to display the Coca-Cola items. She said he builds selves for the items, changes the wallpaper and borders, paints cabinets and other furniture and he even built a bed.
The Cook’s live in a two-story house and the bottom floor is completely decorated in a Coca-Colatheme with cola memorabilia . The lower floor has a kitchen, dining room, bathroom, living room, a hallway and a bedroom with a bathroom all decorated in the cola theme. The Cook’s turned their garage into a old time diner with tables and chairs, which they call “the fun room.” The second-story does not have cola items.
Cook said around two/thirds of the items people have given her, because they heard about her collection. She said it grows every year.
During the week of Dec. 8 to 11, Lonoke Primary School second-graders visited the house.
Cook told, the students of Rosalynd Kelleybrew, in her living room that it is nice to get presents, but it is important to remember the real meaning of Christmas. Cook also told the children she does not collect cola items for the money.
“We collect cause we enjoy sharing with other people,” Cook said.
She also told the children, they could celebrate Christmas every day.
Cook told the students that people even bring her items from different counties and they tell her every time they see cola items; it reminds them of her house.
“I hope it brings you back to the day you visited the Coca-Cola house,” she said.
The children enjoyed cola and cookies in the diner. The children also got to visit with Santa.
Cook said the Coca-Cola Company gives the Cook’s cola for the children to drink when they visit the house. The Coca-Cola Company also sends different items every year for the children. For 2008, the boys received toy cars and the girls received Disney Holiday mini art plaques.
Cook also spends 30 hours a year making the cookies that look like bottles of cola for the children. Cook said she has not found a cola cookie cutter, so she uses a snowman cookie cutter that she turned into a cola.
Cook before the tour said Glynda Simmons of Jacksonville gave her 56 Coca-Cola cookie jars. She said Simmons attended a yard sale Cook held a couple of years ago and Simmons had not found anything to purchase at the sale. Cook said to Simmons “did you not find anything.”
Simmons told Cook that the only item she found had a not for sale sign on it, which was a Coca-Cola sign in Cook’s yard. Cook said she offered Simmons a tour of her Coca-Cola house. Simmons later called Cook to see if she wanted her collection of the cookie jars. Cook told Simmons, she could sell the cookie jars, but Simmons said she wanted to give the jars to Cook, because she knew how much the children love the house.
Cook said now every two to three years, Simmons brings her a Coca-Cola item.
