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Community rallies to support beloved 'Music Man' of New Bern after bike assault

Howard Matthews is often referred to as the Music Man of New Bern. His songs fill the air around Baker’s kitchen and throughout Middle Street. On Saturday morning Matthews was assaulted by a man while riding his bike and taken to Carolina East Medical Center, where he was released shortly after.

And though he faced no serious injuries, News 12 shows how the community has come together to help New Bern’s Music Man.

The city of New Bern is known for many things, Tryon Palace, being the birthplace of Pepsi, but for those who come to visit the one place locals will tell you—you have to see is here at Baker’s kitchen. Not just for the famous butter syrup, but for Mr. Howard Matthews, and the vibes he brings to the benches out here.

Howard Matthews has many nicknames.

The Music Man, the unofficial mayor of New Bern, he is known as a pillar to the community.

He’s fun and, and it’s just delightful to watch him love on the crowds and get everybody to have a better day.

Chip Johnson says he’s lucky to have played with Matthews in the past.

And he’s not the only one who feels that way.

He just—he’s magic, and the world needs as much magic right now as we can possibly get.

Cheryl Sharp says that he is a great man, and a great friend.

He connects with every person who walks by. If he’s in the middle of singing something really special you know—he’ll concentrate and, but he’ll be looking at you and nodding and smiling and he just brings joy, he really does.

While the benches on Middle Street are always there, it is awfully quiet without him.

The bench is sitting right outside welcome and waiting for you.

Buddy Bengel is the managing partner of bakers kitchen. And he says it’s been quiet without Matthews.

He’s been a main state playing his guitar and singing, and quite frankly is probably one of the happiest people you’ll ever encounter.

Baker’s kitchen has a jar collecting donations for Mr. Matthews. And others have set up multiple Go-Fund Me’s raising over 5 thousand dollars in support.

Everyone we spoke with saying they hope he recovers soon.

It’s really hard for me to imagine downtown New Bern without having somebody like Howard there.

Howard, we hope you get better, we hope you’re feeling better.

Come on back Mr. Howard, we’re looking forward to it.

The best-selling author shares secrets for experiencing his beloved home like a local.

Before he became a New York Times best-selling author, Nicholas Sparks was a pharmaceutical rep. In the early 1990s, his employer transferred him to North Carolina. Unfamiliar with where he might want to live, he visited the city of New Bern in eastern North Carolina. After attending a Christmas flotilla and finding himself smitten with the small-town charm, Sparks made the move to New Bern, the state’s first capital city and the birthplace of Pepsi-Cola. Thirty years later, he still calls New Bern home. The place has left such an impression on Sparks that he even chose to set some of his most popular novels (including A Bend in the Road, The Return, The Wedding, and most notablyThe Notebook) in the town.

What To Do

When guests come to visit, whether relatives, friends, or colleagues, the first thing Sparks does is take them on a tour of the historic downtown district, saying “I have in fact done a few of the historic tours in my past, so I now provide my guests a personal tour. I’m a small town guy, so I love the historic area and the downtown. I think it’s beautiful."

For those who aren’t lucky enough to get a private tour from Sparks himself, he suggests taking an organized tour of the historic area, or exploring on your own using the city’s self-guided tour resources. One highlight of any tour is Tryon Palace, the first capital of North Carolina, and its accompanying North Carolina History Center where you can learn more about the state’s history.

Where To Eat

Sparks loves a number of restaurants in New Bern. His top picks when he’s deciding on somewhere to take his guests for lunch downtown include The Chelsea Restaurant, Morgan’s Tavern & Grill, Cypress Hall Kitchen + Bar, or Captain Ratty’s if he’s in the mood for seafood. He notes that all are reasonably priced and have great food. One thing he says everyone must try? Mema’s Famous Strawberry Cake at Cypress Hall.

“It’s a recipe that the chef’s grandma made for the first year of the restaurant, maybe longer, maybe less,” says Sparks of the uber-popular strawberry and vanilla cake.

Festivals To Attend

Another part of living in New Bern that Sparks cherishes is the city’s enthusiasm for festivals. Some of his favorites are MumFest in October, Coastal Carolina Flotilla and Parade in December, and the Shriner’s Parade in January. “The town goes all out for those kinds of things,” he says of the town’s healthy calendar of special events.

Where To Unwind

New Bern was built at the confluence of the Neuse River and Trent River, and the easy accessibility to water is something that Sparks has always admired about his hometown.

“When I'm in the mood to just unwind, I'll go up Brice’s Creek on the jet ski or in the boat. It changes with the seasons, and it's just beautiful,” he says. “It's really easy to just kind of float along up there and think to yourself, ‘This hasn't changed in 300 years or more.’”

While Sparks says the views admittedly don’t have the majesty of panoramic vistas you’ll see out west in places like the Grand Canyon or Grand Tetons, he maintains that his little corner of the world is “pretty darn beautiful in its own special way, especially around sunset.” “There are few places like it,” he says.

When asked where he enjoys reading a book in New Bern, he says his favorite spot, aside from his own backyard, is Union Point Park, which is located at the point of the Neuse and Trent Rivers. “There's shade and there’s a gazebo,” he says. “It’s a beautiful place to sit. Another place I go is the Cedar Grove Cemetery or the cemetery at Christ Episcopal Church, under the trees with the Spanish moss.”

Sparks loves to end his days by sitting on his back porch, “watching the play of light as it changes over the course of a day into evening.” And once the sun goes down, there’s still more to see. “You see a lot of stars here and shooting stars,” he says. “It's got its charms when you sit out and hear crickets, and there’s fireflies too. You just kind of let the day happen to you. It's very peaceful, and it's very beautiful.”

It’s been over a year in the making, but on Tuesday, March 4, ground was broken on the New Bern pier on the Neuse River.

In a matter of roughly 8 weeks, New Bern will be home to a brand-new fishing pier. Residents and town officials visited the site today as the project is now officially underway.

Broad Street will soon be home to a new pier.

It’s gonna be the Broad Street fishing pier, it’s going to go out here in the Neuse River and uh—offer fishing opportunities for all citizens and visitors.

Kari Warren is the Director of Parks and Recreation for the city of New Bern and she, along with other town officials, look forward to having this new addition.

"For those who use the Riverwalk, you know that it’s used for fishing right now. Technically it’s not supposed to be."

New Bern Mayor Jeffry Odham says this project will be multi-beneficial, "It’s going to improve the fishing capabilities but also get folks off of the Riverwalk. So, when you’re walking your dogs, or when you’re walking yourself it’s free and clear."

The pier will cost around $150,000 and be around 220 feet long and 12 feet wide. New Bern City manager Foster Hughes detailed what the process will look like.

We’re so excited about this and this is actually going to be a few phases. The first phase which is going to be starting this week is going to be the pier project itself. The next phase is going to be the restrooms and parking lot.

That includes an extension to the Broad Street intersection and more room for parking that is currently marked with little pink flags like you can see here.

And the community is looking forward to the final product.

This piece of land has really been under-developed or un-used for a long time and we were concerned that it’s not going to be for public use.

Jon and Mickey Miller Live just up the road from the new pier location and are excited to take advantage of the new pier.

People want to be on the river, especially on beautiful days. And so, let’s give people a place to fish. It’s great to come visit New Bern at the confluence of the two rivers, but how do you get onto the rivers. How do you see what you have here.

This project will take time, but both officials and New Bern residents say they look forward to seeing the final product when it all comes together.

New Bern BearsVarsity Football New Bern, NC1.4kFollowers

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