Tuesday, June 22, 2010

The Coke Cooler and The Wedding


Man's father brought this home one day many many moons ago, and gave it to us.  I stripped the paint (yes, I did antique lovers everywhere, please don't beat me up, I wanted to use it for purpose intended, not make $$ on it).  I re-painted it this RED!  REALLY REALLY RED!  LOL  The cooler has not been plugged in for years, maybe 20 years. It did work then. 

This cooler is mechanical,  in that it is filled with water (and Coke, bottled Coke, of course)  and plugged in.    The mechanics keep the water C-O-L-D.  It has, if I remember what Man told me, a refrigeration unit that cools and circulates the water.

In a little internet snooping the other day I found a reference that stated the water would be about 40 degrees F.  I never stuck a thermometer in there, but, I can tell you digging in there for a beverage that had tipped over was an eye opening, B-B-R-R-R-R experience.


The Bottle Opener 
Man purchased somewhere, sometime.
The one that came with the cooler was plain.
But, we had to have this one, isn't it fun?


At least I did not paint over the label!  Just nicked the edges.

In my google seaching the other evening I found that this probably was manufactured during the 1930's to 1940's.  Actually, I suspect, that the little "37" in the upper right hand corner may be the year of manufacture.  Attempt at googling the serial number did not turn up results.

The cooler has been stored in our garage for 15 years, becoming a storage shelf.  I have unearthed it so that Son # 3 can use it at his wedding.  Shhhhh, don't tell the people at Coke, I suspect it will be filled with home made beer that all three sons brewed together for the wedding.



* The disclaimer, Coke, Coca Cola and all other forms of the name for the beverage and the company, are but of course, copyrighted by them!

**Alas time has taken its toll, we filled it with water the other evening and plugged it in, and waited. After about 3 hours, the water temperature had only dropped 1 degree. 59 degrees F just will not do.  So, we will fill it with beer and pop and wine and bottled water and lots of ice.  The cooler lives on, building memories for the bride and groom.  Cooler has been delivered to the wedding site, they were both almost giddy with excitement.


From left:  Groom aka Son# 3, THE Cooler, Man, and the Bride

Copyright 2010, CABS for Reflections From the Fence

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4 comments:

Anne Percival Kruszka said...

You know what they say, use it or lose it.

Carol said...

Not lost, just tweaked the method of cooling. The upkeep when run on the water and electricity is considerable and pricy. I am not one bit sad at the new cooling method of ice. LOL

GrannyPam said...

I remember these, there was one in many a gas station. I remember the bottles hung from a metal track, and Dad grabbing one, and going round and round the loop to free it for us.

Carol said...

Pam, I remember those!!! I think this cooler predates the metal rack. Lots of memories, I actually had forgotten the rack business. Thanks for the great memory reminder! LOL