What is “Gooch/Cooch” Day?

August 29th, 2021

If you were lucky enough to join me on Facebook this past Tuesday, then you know we “celebrated” the First Annual Gooch/Cooch Day in Coweta County! But for majority of the general public, who don’t keep up with gross slang and grafitti, the question they’ve been asking themselves is WHAT IS GOOCH/COOCH DAY?!?

Well, we’ve got answers (and gooches) to help clear things up!

Where is this “Gooch” everyone is talking?

If you were raised in Newnan you should know the name Sprayberry’s. They’ve served the area for like six-hundred years with their (what I’m told–never ate there myself) mediocre BBQ and sides. In 1995 they expanded and opened a new location on Highway 34, across from the Wal-Mart, in front of PetsMart, Academy, 5 Below, etc…

But the stress of running two businesses eventually got to the family and in 2019 they closed down the “new” Sprayberry’s. The doors were locked, the windows boarded up, and a prime location for vandalism was made!

We’re not sure the exact moment the infamous spray paint went up, but we know it’s never been taken down! The artwork is on prime display for anyone traveling and it seems like Sprayberry’s (or whoever owns the building now–more fun to say it was them) loves to show it off.

But what does it say?

Two schools of thought have led to passionate debate: gooch and cooch.

The most popular belief is that it says Gooch, which (trigger warning if you don’t like private part slang!) is generally defined as the surface region in both males and females between the pubic symphysis and the coccyx. That’d be between your genitals and anus–for those that don’t speak doctor. The idea that some kids would proudly slap an “inappropriate area” on a popular building just makes sense! We don’t condone it. But we get it.

The other belief is that it says Cooch, in reference to Alan Jackson’s “Hoochie Coochie” lyric. This makes sense, as Alan Jackson is a big part of Newnan’s legacy. Though why go with the word Cooch over Coochie? Who knows!

Plenty of internet nerds have done deep dives into what Alan Jackson is referring to in the lyrics, with the most popular interpretation being alcohol and sex. In fact, a quick search of the word “cooch” also directs you towards genitals!

Now if you believe Wikipedia, the ‘hoochie coochie’ is a catch-all term to describe several sexually provocative belly dance-like dances from the mid-to late 1800s.

So basically have your pick of what sexual message the graffiti is trying to get across.

But why is it there?!

That’s the beauty of it, nobody knows who threw up the tag (cool kid term for graffiti) and why no one has removed it! We have reached out to the apparent owners and the City for comment, but have yet to hear back. We will definitely update this article with any information we get.

That’s all fine and everything, but why is there a “Gooch” day?

August 29th is the anniversary of this Sprayberry’s location shutting down, so that is the day where all this was put into amazing motion! Every August 29th, with the graffiti still being an eyesore, we shall celebrate!

Where is the public outcry?!

We’ve got some! Check out these comments that came from locals in the Newnan and Coweta County Group.

The other day my granddaughter who is ten years old pointed out train cars with graffiti on them along Hwy 29. She stated she loved them. I told her it’s known as urban art, but regardless of how cool or artistic it is, at the end of the day it’s a crime to deface personal property (artistically or otherwise) without the owner’s permission. Even if you think it’s funny like Gooch
Rhonda

That building if full of homeless people. Drive around the side where they have the plywood pulled down. It’s like a little motel.
Brett

They need to do something with this building. Looking like crap just all boarded up and spray painted
Amy

I think the guy wanted to put Gucci, but 1. He couldn’t spell 2. He got cut off by the cops driving by
Jessica

Let’s all be clear here. That’s been on that wall for months. The skate park just opened so we don’t need anyone blaming the fact that a skate park opening is why there is graffiti on a random wall.
Michael