More than 35,000 watch the ‘General Lee’ jump over fountain in Somerset
More than 35,000 people took to Somerset’s downtown Saturday to watch an infamous film stunt with their own eyes — as the General Lee jumped over the fountain square.
The Somernites Cruise took over Somerset for their 25th annual classic car cruise, which runs each month from April to October.
But Saturday’s event was extra special for spectators who witnessed the Northeast Ohio Dukes STUNTLIFE perform a replica car fountain jump depicted in the 1979 television show “The Dukes of Hazzard.”
Raymond Kohn performed the jump in a Crown Victoria, which was recreated to resemble the General Lee.
The jump was even more special to Kohn, who performed his 30th Dukes of Hazzard car jump during Saturday’s event.
Kohn did his first Dukes of Hazzard car jump in August 2007, he told the Lexington Herald-Leader.
“I thought it was going to be a one-time thing and go away,” he said. “It snowballed out of control. It was so popular the first time, people asked me to come back and it became more popular — and I became the go-to-guy to jump the General Lee.”
More than 35,000 spectators turned out to watch the jump, where the General Lee soared over a fountain in the town’s square before bouncing to a stop, according to the organizers, the Somernites, who posted the attendance tally on their social media.
It was the highest turnout for the car jump at the event, and took cooperation from the stunt group with the local law enforcement, Somerset City Council, and judge executives office.
“How do you top that?” Kohn asked.
Even more special than performing the car jump for a 30th time — Kohn recently underwent surgery to remove a life-threatening brain tumor.
His first question to the surgeon: “Will I be able to jump after the surgery?”
In 2015, reruns of the Dukes of Hazzard were pulled from TV Land because of the prominent display of the Confederate flag on the “General Lee” car.
Warner Bros. also stopped producing merchandise featuring the flag. This decision followed a national debate about the flag’s symbolism.
But Kohn emphasized Saturday’s crowd as a testament to the 45-year-old show’s impact on viewers, and stressed the show’s return.
“In the Dukes of Hazzard, the bad guys always lose, and the good guys always win,” Kohn said. “There is no racism depicted. It is a family show with family values. I like to think my life is based off the Dukes of Hazzard, and this is my little part to keep it alive.”
Kohn said Saturday’s jump was dedicated in memory of Rick Hurst, who passed away Thursday. Hurst played the role of Sheriff Cletus Hogg in the TV show.
