Tamasee Tidbits: Just what is Krazy Kids Day?

Several weeks ago, I received an invitation to attend Krazy Kids Day at Tamassee on August 22. As I read it, I wondered just how many of our daughters really knew what Krazy Kids Day was. I am guessing that it is not many. I say this because as members have looked at my displays at state meetings and as I have travelled to chapters meetings during the year, I have had many daughters ask me to explain to them about Tamassee. Sometimes, those of us who have been members for awhile, forget that newer members and those just becoming active on the state level don’t know things that we know automatically. We say Tamassee and know the exact meaning of the word, but there are many who don’t which is why I included Tamassee Tidbits as part of the blog. I wanted to teach you. Today, I am going to teach you what the phrase Krazy Kids Day means including how, when, and by whom it was started.

To help me with this post, I got in touch with one of the creators of Krazy Kids Day, Angela Cooksey, and asked her to give me its history. The following is what she shared with me as she understood the importance of sharing this information with our members. Even better, we have now started a record of Krazy Kids Day to add to the history of our treasured past.

History of Krazy Kids Day
As we prepare for the 2014 Krazy Kids Day at Tamassee DAR School in just a few weeks, we thought it would be fun to check out the history of this wonderful event for the children at Tamassee. The history of Krazy Kids Day actually begins with the creation of one of South Carolina DAR’s clubs.

At the end of the Crider administration, a new club was created in South Carolina. The South Carolina DAR Junior Club officially formed. The charter members elected officers and set up a mission for the club. The charter officers were as follows: Darlene Williams, President; Judi Cruce, Vice President; Angela Cooksey, Chaplain; Kristi Kingren, Secretary; and Theresa Fuller, Treasurer. 

One of the missions of the club was to create a special day for DAR members to visit Tamassee DAR School and have a fun day with the students. The first Krazy Kids Day event was held on July 27, 2002 for the children that were residents of Tamassee during the summer months. The day included games, crafts, music, and dance. The formation of the event grew through the leadership of the early coordinators, Christine Burnette and Angela Cooksey. Through their efforts, the event grew to include the C.A.R. and a fundraiser was created to support the project. The first years of the event were totally funded by the coordinators and volunteers actively participating in the event. With the added donations, new additions such as bounce houses, gifts for the school, prizes for the students, and special snacks were added to make the day even more special.

Check out an article published in the Summer 2003 C.A.R.olina News, the South Carolina Children of the American Revolution newsletter with details from the event held on July 26, 2003.



The C.A.R. also has pictures of the event from 2010 on Picasa. Just paste the following address in your search engine, and it will take you to the page where you will see 19 photos of Krazy Kids Day from 2010. See if you see Angela Cooksey, Christine Burnette, and then State Regent Marilyn Altman in some of the pictures.

https://picasaweb.google.com/107952725639353621051/KrazyKidsDay2010#5516159712996112370

If you see Darlene Williams at Fall Forum, thank her for her vision of creating this special day for the children of Tamassee. When you see Christine Burnette and Angela Cooksey at Fall Forum this weekend, be sure to thank them for what they did to make Krazy Kids Day such a success over the years and so enjoyable for the children as they bore the burden of making it a success and the cost of the event for so many years. Maybe now that you understand what Krazy Kids Day is you will be inspired to get involved at the SCDAR and S.C.S.C.A.R.’s version of a back to school bash for the Tamassee children. It takes place August 22 from 2:00-5:00 on the Tamassee campus.