- Title
- Our State
-
-
- Date
- June 2000
-
-
- Place
- ["North Carolina, United States"]
-
Our State
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Г;
BigSoundsFrom
SmallTowns
Rocky Mount and Ahoskie were magnets
for some of the to p orchestras
in the country, and their tobacco warehouses
flayed a key role .
by
/.
Tom Snowden
Tobacco warehouse dances were big slull in eastern North
Carolina during the Big Band era. (loldsltorn. Kinston.
Tailtoro. Creenville. and Wilson all hosted them, but Rex kv
Mount sIihmI out front the crowd.
Not only was Rocky Mount the hometown of the famous
iKindleadei Kay Km, it w-.isalso home to the annual June-
( k-rnian Ball s|M>nsored bv the ( arolina Cotillion ( lub. litis
|xish. blac k*tie allait — the so ial event ol the year — was held
on a Friday evening in earlv June lor % veais. Attendance was
l>y invitation only from a incinlter of the Cotillion ( lub.
I'lie ball, the centerpiece for a night of patties, was held in a
large tolxicco warehouse in Rocky Mount’s downtown, with
two hands providing the music. Hie vvelklimsl guests would
l>egin the evening at the warehouse, break away to attend one
or more of the satellite parties, then return to the warehouse
to dance until dawn.
Two other customs associated with the |une-< k-unaii Ikill
included the "grand entrance” and the 'beach bang." At 1 1
pan.. ( million ( lub members and their spouses or dates
would Ik* inlKKluced as they entered the- dance
Поог
through
an elalM>rate stage setting. I be lx*at b bang custom lollowed
the dawn ending ol 'the |une-C.ennan Ball when many of the
partygoers headed to Wrightsville Beach to continue a full
weekend ol inermnakiug. Slec-p was not a c oiisider.ilion.
file big Ixtnds also c ante to Kih k\ Mount |i»i tlm annual
( •allopadc Spring Festival.
а
lluee-dat «’vent featuring Ixiselxill.
trac
к
meets, sexcer. and parade. ( lapping it all was the
( killopadc Ikill. vet another warehouse dam e.
A iiiiiiiIh’i of nationally known on hestras plaved the two
Roc ky Mount events civet the tears, among them ka\ K\ser.
|immv Domes. Cent* Kiupa. Harry |ames.
Во Пю1]м'.
I'onv
Pastor. Ray Me Kiulev. |ohnnv long, and Will Bradlev. I lu-
(lene Kritpa <»ic liestra was featured at the Callopade Ikill in
HMR on a ccxiM-tiM exist AIM • Radio Network broadcast.
In the same era. Rocky Mount also hosted an annual Negro
|unc-<K‘iinan Ikill. held the Monday evening following the
Cotillion < lub dance. I be-
чипе
warehouse was used, as were
the- decorations, the* bandstand, and the- grand entrance stage.
Big-name blac
к
Ixiuris
|мт1оппе<1.
and the danc e lasted until
dawn. A sec tion of bleacher seats in the warehouse was desig¬
nated for white S|x*ctators to enjoy the music, and tlu* seats
were always filled.
Sentimental journey
Ahoskie. on the other band, lias bragging rights as the
inculKitor of a big band. In the summer of l*J3f> a group of
June 2000 Our State 59