i
t
Fifty years have vanished into
the annals of the past since the
Johnnie Cooners staged their mer
ry parades here in New Bern, each
and every Christmas morning.
When and how the idea got start
ed, and who did the originating,
is something that no one—not even
the oldest of the old timers—seems
to know. In fact, it isn’t certain
that it was a strictly local venture.
Perhaps there were Johnnie Coon
ers elsewhere too around the turn
of the century.
As the story has been told to
us by New Bernians slightly more
elderly than we are, the Cooners
were a group of young men who
dressed up outlandishly and congre
gated at the corner of Middle and
Pollock streets well before sunrise.
Their faces were sufficiently
smeared with bright colored paint
to disguise thier identity, although
they had nothing to fear. Vandal
ism and violence played no part
in their harmless antics, as they
ambled from one end of town to
the other.
Singing and laughing, the Coon
ers kept their procession going for
hours. The affair usually broke up
about the middle of the morning,
after a good time had been had by
alt. It was a rather unique way to
usher in the Yuletide holiday, but
citizens loved the impromtpu cele
brating and looked forward to it.
Lot of folks who weren’t actually
Johnnie Cooners barged out of bed
by 4 o’clock, and joined the Coon
ers as they passed their respective
homes. Like a snowball rolling
down a hill, the parade got bigger
and bigger the further it went.
New Bern’s small fry had a dou
ble incentive to rise early. Not on
ly did they get a pre-dawn peek
at the toys brought by Santa Claus,
but for good measure could peep
out of front windows at the Coon
ers as they ankled past the door.
Just what motivated the Johnnie
The NEW BERN
fri
5^ Hiik
VOLUME 2
NEW BERN, N. C., FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11, 1959
NUMBER 37
Cooners isn’t exactly clear. Most of
them appeared to be fairly young
in years, although it is entirely pos
sible that there were older men in
the group too.
Our guess is that the Cooners
were men who resented in a rath
er mild manner the fact that they
had outgrown the childhood joys
of Christmas. Instead of simply be
moaning the situation, they were
determined to take an annual fling
at the glorious abandon that had
characterized their boyhood.
Aside from this, being a Johnnie
Cooner gave them a chance to
clown. All of us, if the truth were
admitted, are clowns at heart.
Some of us have the yen persist-
ly from the cradle to the grave.
Others of a gloomier nature get
the urge less frequently; but some
where down deep there’s a bit of
the jester in every normal mortal.
For reasons beclouded by the ob
livion of years, the Johnnie Coon
ers were destined to disappear
eventually from the local scene
Here again we can only indulge in
conjecture. In all likelihood the
cause withered on the vine as first
one member and then another an
swered the Grim Reaper’s call.
Apparently, the Cooners made
no effort to fill their dwindling
ranks with newcomers. Considering
the popularity of the colorful pro
cessions, it would appear that get
ting recruits wasn’t a problem.
Many of the curious followers who
kept pace with the group as it
made its rounds would have been
delighted to get into the act.
Anyhow, it was not to be, and
the time came that the Johnnie
Cooners no longer awakened the
citizenry with their songs, their
shouts and their laughter. Maybe
it was silly business, but Christmas
morning didn’t seem quite the
same after that.
The kids still got their toys, as
always, and the grown folks had
THEY SING TONIGHT—^Pictured here is the New Bern
High school glee club. These youngsters, with the a capella
choir and. girls glee club, appear this evening in their
annual Christmas concert. Left to right, first row, are Nat
Powell, James Warner, Ikey Holton, Ricky Greene, Jon
Bouher, Dan Kellum, Don Bennett, Joe Hughes, Nelson
McDaniel. Second row. Bill Humphrey, Johnny Williams,
Charles Adams, Doug Braddy, Michael Turner, Russell
Connor, Bill Whitley, Eddie Cahoon, Jerry Ball. Third row,
Sam Birmingham, Francis La Plante, James Conway, Mil
lard Godwin, Carl Guthrie, Richard Simons, Phil Stiener,
David Williams, Lewis Mayo. Fourth row, Henry Smith,
Robert Truitt, Johnny Ward, Charles Carter, Joe Chance,
Jimmy Phillips, David Woodruff, Speedy Bunting, John
Zaytoun, Gilbert Scales.—Photo by John B. Baxter.
High School Singers to Give
Christmas Concert Tonight
Holiday music raging from the
sweetly sacred to the bright and
bouncy will fill the air tonight at
the New Bern High school audi
torium.
Performing under the capable
direction of their talented instruc
tor, Donald Smith, the high school
a capella choir and the boys and
girls glee clubs will present their
annual Christmas Concert.
Those who have been privileged
to attend such concerts in the past
need no prodding in making up
their minds to add another delight
ful evening to their collection of
pleasant musical memories. The
performances are always excellent,
and this should prove to be one of
the best.
Whatever your particular taste
for well - rendered compositions
might be, there is little likelihood
that you’ll come away from the
concert without finding it satisfied
quite amply. A program so diversi
fied that it can’t possibly miss the
entertainment mark has been ar
ranged and rehearsed for weeks.
Opening the concert will be the
boys glee club singing a traditional
carol—“O Worship The King.” It’s
a song that is familiar to just about
their turkey and trimmings and
their toddies with friends. Christ
mas was pretty wonderful. But nev
er again would the shout go forth
on the frosty air that the Cooners
were coming. An era had ended.
everyone, but the chances are it. present “While Shepherds Watched
will hold new beauty for you when xheir Flocks,” “When Christ Was
youxhear the glee club render it Born of Mary Free,” “ Tell Me,
tonight. I Shepherds,” “Carol, Brothers, Ca
in addition, the boys group will | rol,” and finally, the rousing “Was-
HIGH SCHOOL ACCOMPANISTS
—^Photo by Billy Benners.
sail Song.”
Many of these youngsters are
freshmen, and hence will be mak
ing their first apparance in one
of the Christmas concerts. To them
and to other freshmen in the girls
glee club, this will be an extra
special night—even more special
than it is to all of the other choris
ters.
For their portion of the program,
members of the girls glee club will
sing “Praise Ye The Lord” (from
Oratorio de Noel), “Lo, How A
Rose E’er Blooming.” “Glory Be
To God On High,” “Christ Was
Born,” “Angels We Have Heard on
High,” “Silver Bells” and “Sleigh
Ride.”
Climaxing the evening will be
the a capella choir, recognized
year in and year out as one of the
finest in the State. As a matter of
fact, competent critics have repeat
edly said that it compares favora
bly with the better college groups
in North Carolina and the Sou^.
The choir sings as its opening
number a Bach composition, “Re
joice And Sing.” This will be fol
lowed by Palestrina’s “O Bone
Jesu” and “Carol Of The Bells” by
Leontovich. “Heavenly Light,” a
composition by Kopylow, should
have emphatic appeal for the audi
ence.
However, we rather suspect that
Dawson’s “Behold The Star” will
impress those attending the con-
(Continued on Pa^ie 8)