Yee haw!

That was the familiar chorus from Bo and Luke Duke as they jumped ponds in the General Lee in their adventures around Hazzard County.

It might also be the reaction from local residents when they hear Bo Duke himself, John Schneider, will be performing this Monday night, Jan. 13, at the Park Theater.

Schneider will be meeting, greeting and singing during a fundraiser for Glenna Adcock, a Bobby Ray Elementary teacher who is battling leukemia.

Schneider’s career has seen him star on popular TV shows, sing No. 1 hits, and appear in movies. But he may be best known for a role he landed as just a teen, that of Bo Duke on “The Dukes of Hazzard.” 

Bo and his TV cousins Luke and Daisy worked to thwart the double-crossing intentions of Boss Hogg and his bumbling sidekick of a sheriff, Rosco P. Coltrane. Along the way there were car chases and bar fights, all while the boys tried to avoid Sheriff Little, who was always waiting at the Chickasaw County line.

“I got to drive the most famous car in the world,” said Schneider when reminiscing about his “Dukes of Hazzard” days in an interview with the Standard on Wednesday. “I think the power of the show, even to this day, is its ability to connect with all ages and all demographics. It doesn’t matter if you’re 4 years old, 40 years old, or 90 years old, everyone seems to love it. And it’s a show the whole family can watch together.”

The show made its premier in 1979 and is still well known today some 35 years after the last original episode was aired.

“Everyone has a Rosco impersonation,” said Schneider, providing his own “kew-kew-kew” version of the sheriff’s laugh over the phone.

He said filming episodes was always a blast. “What’s not to like about going out and wrecking cars,” Schneider said. “I’m a big car guy.”

So does he still embrace all the Bo Duke questions after all these years? “I don’t want to get away from it,” he said. “The questions I get from people usually depend on their age.”

After his career as Bo Duke, Schneider enjoyed a 10-year run on the show “Smallville,” an adaptation of the Superman story. He played Jonathan Kent, otherwise known as Superman’s dad.

“I loved the role, but I didn’t like the dying part,” joked Schneider. “Smallville” aired from 2001 to 2011.

Schneider currently stars on the TV series “The Have and Have Nots,” which kicked off its seventh season Tuesday on OWN, the Oprah Winfrey Network. The soap opera has widespread popularity.

“In this 800-channel world, it probably holds a greater share of the market than ‘The Dukes of Hazzard’ did years ago,” said Schneider.

Another current project is a movie titled “Stand On It,” a tribute to “Smokey and the Bandit.” As you’d expect, Schneider says the film will feature a long car jump over a river. He emphasized he won’t be the driver.

“I might try a jump 100 to 110 feet over ground,” said Schneider. “But I’m not going 150 feet over a river. That’s going to be someone else.”

He hopes for an August release of “Stand On It.”

Outside of his acting and singing careers, Schneider was one of the founders of the Children’s Miracle Network 37 years ago.

“It’s the single largest children’s charity in the world,” said Schneider. “We’ve raised over $7 billion. When people find out they’re sick, it’s one thing. When they find out their children are sick, it’s a whole different reaction.”

Schneider is making an appearance in McMinnville because he has a local connection. Chris Terry is his tour bus driver and he talked to Schneider about doing a fundraiser for his relative, Glenna Adcock.

Terry says Glenna has battled breast cancer and was diagnosed with leukemia in January 2019. She’s had a bone marrow transplant and is continuing her recovery.

Schneider is familiar with such a life-threatening health condition after his wife, Alicia, was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer.

“Like it or not, I’m now very familiar with this disease,” said Schneider. “It’s a terrible thing, very scary and very expensive. It can wipe you out in more ways than one so when I heard about this, it was an opportunity to help out that I couldn’t pass up. I say I’m paying it backwards because I’ve already been through it.”

Schneider said thanks to a combination of medication, treatment and a complete change in diet, his wife is now cancer free. He said she is working on an educational book to inform people on the benefits of the keto cancer-prevention diet in hopes of helping others.

“Cancer is more prevalent now than it’s ever been in my entire life so there will be an educational aspect of my show,” said Schneider.

For those who would like to enjoy a meet and greet with Schneider, which includes dinner, a few limited VIP tickets are still available for $100. Doors open at 5:15 p.m. with dinner served at 5:30 p.m.

General admission concert tickets are $30. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. with the concert starting at 7 p.m. with a performance by the WCHS select choir.

After the choir, Schneider and former Confederate Railroad singer Cody McCarver will perform. The two have a song called “These Hands,” which was No. 1 on the Christian charts in December.

Schneider says it’s his first No. 1 hit since 1987 when “What’s a Memory Like You Doing in a Love Like This?” topped the charts.

Adding to the atmosphere Monday night, there will be two General Lee cars parked outside the Park Theater, along with a Hazzard County sheriff’s car. There will also be a “Dukes of Hazzard” museum in an enclosed trailer parked outside. All of those attractions are expected to be in place by 3:30 p.m. Monday.

Tickets can be purchased at the Park Theater, Custom Vinyl Signs, Burch Supply, or by calling (931) 607-1105.