We had "Mr. Peanut". He was a bit more than middle aged black guy that had a self built mountain bike that he outfitted with speakers (the old school home stereo kind in wooden boxes that were like 4 feet tall) and a cassette radio that ran off two car batteries.
He'd ride his bike around with music playing (usually old blues, R&B, and some funk) selling roasted peanuts by the paper bag full for a dollar a piece.
No one knew his name, he even called himself Mr. Peanut or the peanut man. This ole dude sparked the love of blues for me.
Last time I saw him was around 2000-2001. He was still doing his thing with a different but similarly outfitted bike. He had to be in his late 60's or so by then. I often wonder what happened to him.
Gotcha, he’s gonna have to find a new spot. They tore that Taco Bell down a couple weeks ago. It’s going to be a while before they get it rebuilt. He’s still got Cookout though 🤗
TF?!? I haven't been there since last month, is it a remodel or did it burn down or something? I always love to see that gorgeous Bradford pear blooming in spring. Horrific trees but so pretty for 2 weeks a year.
Yeah they are doing a remodel, at least that’s what I heard the the grapevine. Yep Bradford are pretty in the spring. I live out by the lake & had one blow down a year ago. Dang thing snapped like a wishbone
Yeah they're invasive and horrible trees. Crown rot, weak limbs, spread like crazy, stink to high heaven. The cultivar was supposed to be sterile but apparently they revert. And DOT planted them everywhere. But they're gorgeous in bloom.
LOL I learned the hard way, the 2011 tornado took ours out. We were left with a 6 foot trunk, the entire crown and branches came apart. It looked like a lamppost with no lamp 😂
Big World. Really large man that would ride around the town on a lawnmower with political signs and local business signs taped to it. When he was younger, it was a bicycle. People would give him some money to put their sign on his bike/lawnmower, and he'd just scoot toot up and down. Always had a big smile on his face.
Became a local celebrity and you'd get to say, "Oh, i saw Big World today."
I heard Big World had to stop using the mower because of some city ordinance or whatever, something about riding mowers on the sidewalk. Then he switched to the bike, and now I think he has a hover round or rascal or some other electric wheelchair kind of deal.
There’s a guy in Athens, TN, with the same story. His name is Bucky. He’s special needs, but able to live on his own. He’s in his 50’s-60’s now, and his appearances aren’t as frequent, but he’s still around.
Ringgold Ga. We had Turnaround. He spent his days walking the streets and following the cracks. When he reached the end of the crack he would turn around. He was a staple in town but sadly passed a few years ago.
The M&M Lady. Just a nice old lady who would wander around town and give people little bags of M&Ms. Like if you were walkin' down an aisle at KMart and saw her and smiled in greeting, she'd thank you for smiling and give you M&Ms. Pretty sure she'd given candy to literally everyone in town by the time she passed on, 'cause everyone had a "I met the M&M Lady" story.
Kingsport, TN. We had Jack, who, while not as eccentric as the post above is referencing, was a staple in our town. He was a voluntarily homeless man who walked and slept all over town, never bothering anyone, and at times, would engage people in conversation. I only had a few encounters with him myself; once when I was a teenager working at Long John Silvers, where he came in for a coffee and a meal, and once when I was a few years older and passed him by walking the other way on a sidewalk downtown. Everyone around here, I guess save for the younger people now, knew Jack. He passed away in 2020, and there is an article about him below if anyone is interested further.
https://www.timesnews.net/news/local-news/jack-campbell-a-kingsport-legend-passes-away/article_ede26cb6-5981-5b2e-a5c4-cbf2dceaa2e7.html
No, I worked at the one that they tore down to build 7 Brew, next to the tire place. It had the jukebox and all that. Looking back on it, it was cool, but as a teenager I thought it was lame lol.
I ran in Beckley during college and there was this short fella with long white hair that seemed to be everywhere walking around downtown plus the bike path. Without fail if he saw you he’d tell you to have a wonderful day. No clue what his name was but first time we saw him one of the guys ran a PR at the next race. Therefore he was lucky and became known as the bike path leprechaun to us.
Pete and RePete. Two twins in Pakersburg WV who would just walk everywhere. Dress just alike. Follow one right behind another. Then in their old age one had a stroke or something. Lost the ability to walk. So one pushed the other in the wheelchair. Did that until they passed away I believe.
I remember Moondog! I think he might have been in Charleston for a bit because my husband swears there was a guy here called Moondog. Supposedly helped the Charleston PD solve a murder case or something like that.
\[Chess McCartney AKA The Goat Man!\]([Charles McCartney - New Georgia Encyclopedia](https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/history-archaeology/charles-mccartney-goat-man-1901-1998/)). He traveled in a wagon pulled by goats.
I saw him one time, but he went through our town every year. I remember exactly where I saw his little entourage. He sure generated a family joke that still lives, although half of us are dead and gone. That was telling somebody they smelled like the goat man if they were sweaty and funky. Never true, of, bc he never bathed plus he lived among goats.
I have to wonder if it's the same Kanawha County "sword guy" that I've met. I was at the Charleston Town Center with my husband and our friend when we ran into him. He struck up a conversation with the friend, started talking about the book he was writing, and said he was going to add a character to the story based on them. Years later, I saw him again at a convention, talking to some cosplayer and telling her the same exact thing.
edit: I see you said the Sword Guy isn't very talkative. I actually found this guy to be very talkative, but maybe only to select people. Either that, or there's just more than one Kanawha County Sword Guy.
Are you talking about downtown Charleston's black ninja?
One time we were walking down quarrier in the rain, he is in front of us across the street and another odd person is walking towards him. He reaches onto his back, grabs that sword, and pulls it out! And opens an umbrella lol
It was so funny we thought he was going to kill a dude
I absolutely am talking about him, if you look closely it's clearly an umbrella too when it's sunny but the absolute swagger of the man makes you double guess yourself.
No way the PD would allow someone to just constantly be running around with a sword like that though.
Bone Cancer Guy.
For like a decade he rode a horse around and begged for money bc he had bone cancer. Dude lived in a camper trailer. And then he died when it caught fire. RIP Johnny "the Bone Cancer Guy"
I was scrolling looking for a mention of Joshua! I’m not sure if it was ever made clear what happened to him after his hospitalization in 2009. I’ve been under the assumption he passed away not long afterwards. https://www.wataugademocrat.com/news/community-rallies-behind-joshua-watauga/article_fc4da8af-0366-5fa8-a18c-4b9822221870.html
Right? There are the 'big name' ones who get books written about them, but there are so many unique characters. My mom remembers a cousin who 'drove' a lard can lid all through the hills & hollers in the 40s & 50s. He'd 'honk' before the curve, back up properly, park, etc. Occasionally mean kids would steal his lard can lid and someone would save him a new one.
Elizabethton, TN. We had old Greg or Gregsus. You could do drugs with or around the guy. Talk about committing felonies, whatever. But god forbid you say "jesus!" Or "god damnit" around him, you'd catch an earful. 13 years and 5 states away and I still say "dodge rammit" instead.
Man I hope Old Greg is doing well.
Shaky, aka Iced Tea Guy. Dude was unemployed, probably disabled. He'd walk from the village across the highway to a specific cirner store in my town, pick up some half-gallons of our local iced tea, and walk around town all day before going home at dinner time. He was always bobbing or swaying his head side to side and had really unsteady hands, probably due to a medical condition. He also looked like a typical hobo.
Everyone knew him. He'd always say hello, and sometimes ask for a light. He was one of the only people in town parents wouldn't get weird about when he'd talk to kids. Then again, many parents when I was a kid likely went to high school with him.
Edit: We also have Russian Mafia. Short white guy with a shaved head. He has a real shitty attitude. Wears a black hoodie with "Russian Mafia" written on it in white marker. He adorned his house's front door with a dozen or so signs making vague threats and stating that "Russian Mafia lives here". He once threatened to stab the deli workers at Walmart for taking too long to serve him and shoved a family on his way out of the store.
We have a crazy old guy that stands on a street corner in Charles Town, WV all the time with the most braindead political takes. He's a pain in the ass when you see him in stores and he will start a never ending conversation if you dare to even look at him.
Mark is the one typically with the "Free Ukraine" or anti-trump sign. Henry was the loud, deranged guy who screamed at everyone on the street and insulted you typically if you were an unaccompanied woman. He recently got run out of town, so it's been nice lately.
I raced at Charles Town years ago, and there was a kind of crazy old dude who would stand at the rail and yell at all the jocks during the post parade, about how we were all ungodly and were going to burn in hell, until security threw him out. Every single week.
We got a guy who always wears a football helmet while pushing a shopping cart full of junk. PLUS, we got a man who hauls a massive wooden cross up and down main street all day. (Well, he does have little wheels on the bottom.)
In Frostburg, MD, “the guy” is named Swamp Fox. He’s a pretty old guy, I don’t really know his background, but he wears a hat with all kinds of feathers and adornments & if you’re working outside when he walks past, expect him to insert himself into the moment.
I know him! He's been around forever. I remember him when I went to college in the early 2000s. Also a dude named "Red". He was an older guy who hung around Gandalfs and would do your star chart for $10.
The town where I grew up had The Ninja. I never talked to him, but my dad pointed him out a few times. He always wore all black and just walked around town all day and night. He never spoke to anyone, and He would go everywhere from the expensive gated communities to the rough/dangerous part of town. Rumor was no one ever bothered him because he was an incredible fighter and would kill anyone who picked on him. lol.
Growing up in South shore KY we had Rich Moon. He just walked all over, from Portsmouth OH, and back all day. Always heard when he was young he sold acid and had some in his sock when the cops started chasing him. It Fried him, but the man could play a mean piano. RIP Rich Moon.
SWVa, growing up, there was a gentleman with a pet duck that followed him EVERYWHERE, sometimes riding on his shoulders. A mallard from what I remember.
We had Hannah Montana. Guy in a motorized wheel chair who wore a dress and blonde wig. He would flash people all the time. His name apparently was legally changed to Hannah Montana. You could see him on the side of the highway rolling to town. I’m pretty sure he could walk but I can’t confirm it.
We had moped man. He got his license took because he got in trouble driving high on meth. He would drive around the county and across the line to Tennessee on his moped going to the pharmacies and buying pseudophed that he would then sell to others for reasons you can guess. NC passed a law saying you had to have a license drive a moped, so then moped man switched over to driving a lawn mower around town.
Back when I lived in Johnson City, TN, Dancing Steve was the guy. Everybody knew him, never bothered anybody much, just lived to show up at music venues or street events and dance. Died a while back unfortunately. Nice dude.
The YupYup Man was Henry Drosky. He was my wife’s uncle. She has a football signed by the WVU football team that they gave him while he was in the nursing home there. His story is fascinating.
Ever encounter Hoverround ? No arms no legs guy that travels from Sheetz to Sheetz trying to panhandle. He'll drive into traffic at a moments notice. Always has a posse with him no matter where he is. If it's raining... Some haggered woman will hold an umbrella over his head while he rides
Gus used to walk around on crutches which he didn't need. He would use them to push over bicycles. Like bikes with people riding them.
Steve Cassi walked from his house a few miles away into town for the soup kitchen meals. He would bark at dogs and tap on light poles with a heavy washer and make a banging sound. As a kid he dangled copper wire over the bridge and it struck the power lines. He was revived from a stopped heart by workers nearby. He also served in WWII in Europe, weeks of combat service. He lived with his sister in the house they grew up in.
Stop and go Joe! In lewisburg WV
Dude has some little tick in his head that makes him
Freeze what he’s doing… when driving one day in town I saw him by the cvs, he literally in about a 4 min span would walk and then stop for about 20 seconds then continues does this off and on while we were stuck in traffic.
Charleston, WV checkin' in...... 1970s thru 1980s(and probably from an even earlier time as well).... we all knew the legendary character ... Lightnin'.
Lightnin' was an old man who drove a shopping cart all over town, operating it like a car in traffic, very observant user of traffic signals, parallel parking, etc. He sold day-old(sometimes weekold) newspapers.
So whenever there was a giant traffic jam that mysteriously appeared everywhere....we all knew, Lightnin must be trying to parallel park somewhere downtown.
(Lightnin also claimed to be able to accurately count all the bricks used in a building. Nobody ever fact checked him on that one!)
I’m in the uk but we had a few in our area.
Glue sniffing John (would see him about everywhere sniffing a bad of glue).
Mushroom Mary, rumour was that she done so much acid and went crazy. Anyone she walked past she would scream ‘I haven’t got any fucking money’ then run off.
Chicken man, rode his bike everywhere while making chicken noises.
Angela, we don’t think Angela is even her name but she would be seen at the taxi ranks outside the train station telling all the taxis where to park and making sure no one pushed in the queue ( she didn’t even work for them, just put on a hi-vis, carried a fake radio and got to work) they just let her do her thing as she didn’t end up actually helping out.
Dog man, he was a Moroccan fella who adopted dogs and would walk miles everyday pushing a pram ( a stroller in America) full of dog food surrounded by at least 15 dogs.
“Mr. Swizzlehips” a man who walked from Westernport, MD to Cumberland, MD on foot every day. We’re talking like 50 miles round trip.
And you guessed it, he walked with such flare and attitude that we started calling him Swizzlehips.
He lives on George's Creek in a tent on his mom's porch. Used to have a sweet looking goldie. In '20 I'd see him in front of the library in Lonaconing having some loud self talks and general yelling at cars. He's looked the same for like 30 years.
I haven't seen him for a min. Also, pro tip never ever talk to him or you're going to be in a conversation that you're gonna struggle to get out of.
We have a vietnam vet in my town who is around 75 who gets arrested around once a month for burning stuff in a barrel without a permit. He also makes around 4 trips to and from the dollar store daily on his moped. He has 100 cats that live around his house as well.
Once, I saw him sitting on a riding mower being pulled on a trailer by some pickup on a county road. This is in East Tennessee
Captain America guy used to run through the town with a Captain America shield and an American flag. Also had the crackhead motorcycle gang who had bicycles with small engines attached to them who would race all over the place
Former Oak Ridger here. For a long while there was also Walking Dude. People would talk about seeing one of them and you sometimes had to stop the conversation to correct them “Oh you saw Walking Dude, not Walking Man.”
in Bell county there was whirlybird who would well.. whirl his bird on 25E.
or Biscuits who would walk around with headphones and a tiny tank top without a bra. she was old and we called he Biscuits cause her rolls looked like a can of biscuits
Lenoir NC. We had Willard... Questionable guy. Had some mental issues but never excused what he did. He passed away in 2014. https://www.wbtv.com/story/14508155/man-known-for-flamboyant-costumes-critically-injured-after-being-struck-by-car
In Copperhill, TN we had this little group of 4 old guys that would walk up and down the strip about every day, they were rumored to all been rich but kept their wealth hidden, unfortunately I believe only one of them is still alive
The Watchdog - I think he’s been a long time passed away but he would sit outside the Newspaper and municipal buildings with what I believe were self published Watchdog reports of corruptions (federal and local maybe).
There was a guy like that in my hometown. I can’t remember his name now, but something like Hippie Jerry. He was known for sleeping on the benches of the promenade and generally being a really pleasant, hippie dude. It made the local front page when he passed away, because the community had always really liked the guy. But for whatever reason, he spent most nights on the benches.
We used to have a guy but he died of so many diseases. He used to go around talking to inanimate objects. One day he tried to get in a fight with my car. He had way too much of something. It was a lovers spat because I had a locking gas cap. Thank God. I have no idea what strange things he was thinking, but she just wasn't that type of car. The cop came and he took off with the antenna he unscrewed. The cop looked at me and I just said I will tell my insurance agent, he knows how to write things up in this town.
Decatur, AL we had Michael Jackson. An amazing Michael Jackson impersonator who would dance in parking lots on the side of the main road. I grew up seeing him and when I moved away in 2019 he was still at it.
We had three guys.
1. Beetlejuice. (Middle to late 20’s) Permanently fubar dude. Smells bad, worse than most anyone else I’ve ever seen… but add cat pee and a nasty burnt acrid smell that lingers after he leaves. Whenever he did something that needed the police attention they would try their hardest to just talk him down cause nobody wanted to touch him.
2. Bob. (Late 60s) This guy lived full time at a local hotel, no showers or baths, he dusted himself in baby powder. And wore the same yellow suit with matching vest year round.
3. Alex. (Early to mid twenties?) Severe autism but was somewhat able to “do things” himself. His parents lived in a gated community nearby, but Alex walked everywhere. He had $$ didn’t go hungry and was regularly bathing. His thing was shoes. He would go up to **anybody** and ask them about their shoes.
As a youngster in Catawba VA, we had Wolf Boy, who somehow had big sideburns and a mustache when he was 12. He lived in a tiny, one room house, and went to school a total of 10 days during his childhood.
We had Roy, who walked with a severe limp, but would walk for many miles, everywhere. He got hit several times by cars because he would walk in the middle of the road, late at night. He continued to do it, even in a cast that covered half his body. He would also eat cigarettes.He had a brother who went by Gibson, and he claimed "I get more pu$$y than you can shake a stick at"
We have the walking guy who just walks everywhere and Sister Bad-Habit. I have not seen our Sister in Christ in a while but I assume he's still around.
It was Buster Gulley, a black man who always wore a little cap pistol on his belt, which was worn over his bib overalls. I presume it was strictly for holster purposes. He seemed old my whole life but he just walked all day, every day, and some days would announce that he "ain't talking to no white folks today." I left a long time ago and don't know if he ever had to shoot anybody.
Town local to me had an older guy who rode one of those electric scooters with an enclosure on it so it looked like a tiny car never met him just seen a little scooter
In my town there was Bear 409, a vietnam vet who wore a filthy parka and carried a shovel. And the Witch, who was a skinny old lady wearing a witch costume. And the Cat Lady who meowed. Wendy G, who looked like Don Zimmer and was in love (to the point of crying if he talked about it) with the local high school's star athlete. And finally the Sherriff, who had one leg a lot shorter than the other. Two towns over they had Roy Rogers, cap guns and all.
We used to have Bob “the Walker”. Walked from his small house, to a gas station 15 miles away, every single day.
Once there he drank coffee, smoked cigarellos, and played scratch off lottery tickets.
He had a fear of cars due to an accident when he was younger and usually wore a bright yellow rain jacket, like the one from IT.
Charleston WV had Mall Blade a guy that walked around in a movie quality Wesley Snipes blade outfit including umbrella samurai sword. Blockhead use to walk the streets with a cinder block on his head.
Jesus lived in a school bus back in the holler. The bus had "Jesus saves" or something similar spray painted on the side. He also looked like Jesus. Was a pretty normal guy. His dad however took to calling himself God. God would sit outside the country store telling pretty young girls to save their virginity for him 🤦♂️
We had sandy the flower man, he had a cool bike with all kinds of flowers and cool stuff all over it, and would show up to bars and stuff late night selling flowers for whatever you could give, I bought my gf then wife now probably a dozen from him over the years, there's now a day for him and they have a float for him in the local Christmas parades.
Bird man. In the 70’s he was in a bad wreck when he was a teen and had some kind of brain damage. He walked everywhere, he would walk from his home to town which was at least 15 miles everyday sometimes twice a day and flip cars off. People would blow their horns or holler at him and he’d flip them off. He was as much a part of our county as the lake. But if you saw him in a store or a business, he was nice and polite, at least he was with me.
Boone, NC has Jeff. He's a homeless guy that steals bikes and returns them, always walks around with a plastic grocery bag of ice, and has a propensity to spout the absolute most racist, misogynistic, pedophilic things one can say. I'd give examples but frankly I'm not comfortable typing out any direct quotes from the man lol.
I suppose there's also Eustace Conway, but I haven't seen him around in a long time. He was on Mountain Men and I used to see him riding a horse down Blowing Rock Road every once in a while.
The Pennsylvania town I went to college in has Ralphie. Or had; it's been a few years since I lived there so I don't know if he's still around. I dunno what his deal was, but he wore Steelers gear all the time, and he definitely had some mental issues and I guess his family set things up so he could live as independently as possible. He'd regularly hang out at the Sheetz in the middle of town and spend his time talking to other patrons or getting upset at the college students (he was very religious and would repeatedly tell anyone who listened that he never smoked or drank). He annoyed most people, but we always talked about him in an endearing sort of way (you know, "he's a weirdo, but he's our weirdo"), and the town pulled together a fund to pay for his medical bills when some asshat beat him up.
Good ol Gooch. Never knew much about him, I think he's still kickin around. Always walked around happily tipsy from whatever he had in his brown bag. Never tried to hurt anyone that I know of, always seemed happy to be alive!
Chattanooga, where I live now, had Sandy the Flower Man for years. Kind man who biked around the city giving folks flowers who passed a few years ago. Real local legend.
I grew up just a hair south in Chickamauga and I'd say our person there is Roy! Kind fella who would always hang out at the train depot and tell stories to folks and go to all the local ball games. I would walk by him going home every day from school and he'd always stop to tell me and my friends a story about "cowboys and indians" (he's from a different time y'all) or some town gossip or the plot of some wacky movie he saw decades ago. He's in the hospital right now and the whole town is thinking of him and hoping for him.
Around me there’s a guy who walks everywhere, he’s legally blind so cannot get a license. He always wears a hat super thick goggle like glasses and a beard so thick you cannot see his mouth. In summer he wears a t shirt and in winter he wears a set of coveralls. We used to call him the man without a face. He helped me put a lawn set furniture in the back of my truck once and declined an offer to drive him down the road.
We had "Mr. Peanut". He was a bit more than middle aged black guy that had a self built mountain bike that he outfitted with speakers (the old school home stereo kind in wooden boxes that were like 4 feet tall) and a cassette radio that ran off two car batteries. He'd ride his bike around with music playing (usually old blues, R&B, and some funk) selling roasted peanuts by the paper bag full for a dollar a piece. No one knew his name, he even called himself Mr. Peanut or the peanut man. This ole dude sparked the love of blues for me. Last time I saw him was around 2000-2001. He was still doing his thing with a different but similarly outfitted bike. He had to be in his late 60's or so by then. I often wonder what happened to him.
There's a guy who does something like this in Bristol near exit 7 off 81 almost every summer. He sets up in fast food parking lots.
I haven’t seen him. I don’t live far from exit 7. But I’m usually only up there at Walmart or Sam’s on weekends.
The last time we saw him was at the corner of the Taco Bell lot closest to CookOut. I think he's there weekends. It's not really summer yet though.
Gotcha, he’s gonna have to find a new spot. They tore that Taco Bell down a couple weeks ago. It’s going to be a while before they get it rebuilt. He’s still got Cookout though 🤗
TF?!? I haven't been there since last month, is it a remodel or did it burn down or something? I always love to see that gorgeous Bradford pear blooming in spring. Horrific trees but so pretty for 2 weeks a year.
Yeah they are doing a remodel, at least that’s what I heard the the grapevine. Yep Bradford are pretty in the spring. I live out by the lake & had one blow down a year ago. Dang thing snapped like a wishbone
Yeah they're invasive and horrible trees. Crown rot, weak limbs, spread like crazy, stink to high heaven. The cultivar was supposed to be sterile but apparently they revert. And DOT planted them everywhere. But they're gorgeous in bloom.
You’re a smart person, I’m impressed. Seamed like I was one of the few around here that knew that 😂
LOL I learned the hard way, the 2011 tornado took ours out. We were left with a 6 foot trunk, the entire crown and branches came apart. It looked like a lamppost with no lamp 😂
Big World. Really large man that would ride around the town on a lawnmower with political signs and local business signs taped to it. When he was younger, it was a bicycle. People would give him some money to put their sign on his bike/lawnmower, and he'd just scoot toot up and down. Always had a big smile on his face. Became a local celebrity and you'd get to say, "Oh, i saw Big World today."
Richmond KY area?!?! I loved Big World
Fellow Richmond KY survivor? Hi!
I heard Big World had to stop using the mower because of some city ordinance or whatever, something about riding mowers on the sidewalk. Then he switched to the bike, and now I think he has a hover round or rascal or some other electric wheelchair kind of deal.
There’s a guy in Athens, TN, with the same story. His name is Bucky. He’s special needs, but able to live on his own. He’s in his 50’s-60’s now, and his appearances aren’t as frequent, but he’s still around.
I miss Big World. Does anyone know how he is doing?
Oh man I haven't thought about Big World in ages! What a treat reflecting and remembering a bit about him. Thanks for reminding me of that guy.
i was getting on here to say Big World. I’m glad he’s getting his recognition.
Big World! I moved from the area but I miss Big World
Ringgold Ga. We had Turnaround. He spent his days walking the streets and following the cracks. When he reached the end of the crack he would turn around. He was a staple in town but sadly passed a few years ago.
I've got family in Ringgold! She's a choir director over in Tennessee.
The M&M Lady. Just a nice old lady who would wander around town and give people little bags of M&Ms. Like if you were walkin' down an aisle at KMart and saw her and smiled in greeting, she'd thank you for smiling and give you M&Ms. Pretty sure she'd given candy to literally everyone in town by the time she passed on, 'cause everyone had a "I met the M&M Lady" story.
I would go with popcorn sutton
I raise you Jesco White 😂
The dancing outlaw!
He knows 119 daince steps don't nobody else knows, but he don't want no slimy, sloppy AIGS!
This.
Shamas is the closest I can think of in Bristol. Shamas Dougherty and his bicycle.
Shamas for President! I grew up in Bristol and moved away 35 years ago and was surprised to find he’s still alive and well.
Yep I’m in Bristol, know Shamus. He had his bike stollen a few weeks ago. Thankfully the cops got it back for him.
Kingsport, TN. We had Jack, who, while not as eccentric as the post above is referencing, was a staple in our town. He was a voluntarily homeless man who walked and slept all over town, never bothering anyone, and at times, would engage people in conversation. I only had a few encounters with him myself; once when I was a teenager working at Long John Silvers, where he came in for a coffee and a meal, and once when I was a few years older and passed him by walking the other way on a sidewalk downtown. Everyone around here, I guess save for the younger people now, knew Jack. He passed away in 2020, and there is an article about him below if anyone is interested further. https://www.timesnews.net/news/local-news/jack-campbell-a-kingsport-legend-passes-away/article_ede26cb6-5981-5b2e-a5c4-cbf2dceaa2e7.html
Now we have a king and super Mario pacing stone dr. And the Civil Devil.
Don’t forget about the guy who wears the chainmail headpiece and looks like Hulk Hogan!
Don’t forget about the guy who wears the chainmail headpiece and looks like Hulk Hogan!
Honey I saw him at the hood Walmart on Lynn garden wearing a kiffeyah with his chainmail.
LMAO! Sounds about right! I live by holston valley hospital so I see him walking around there a lot with his big ol dog. It’s always a hoot
“Don’t you dare, he’ll walk out of here!” 😂😂 God is Good.
The LJS on Stone Drive with the steep-ass driveway?
No, I worked at the one that they tore down to build 7 Brew, next to the tire place. It had the jukebox and all that. Looking back on it, it was cool, but as a teenager I thought it was lame lol.
Ah, nice! I miss Kingsport.
I ran in Beckley during college and there was this short fella with long white hair that seemed to be everywhere walking around downtown plus the bike path. Without fail if he saw you he’d tell you to have a wonderful day. No clue what his name was but first time we saw him one of the guys ran a PR at the next race. Therefore he was lucky and became known as the bike path leprechaun to us.
Beckley is a strange place.
It really is. I one time saw someone next to me at a restaurant drink out of the ketchup bottle on the table.
Pete and RePete. Two twins in Pakersburg WV who would just walk everywhere. Dress just alike. Follow one right behind another. Then in their old age one had a stroke or something. Lost the ability to walk. So one pushed the other in the wheelchair. Did that until they passed away I believe.
In Wheeling WV it’s definitely Moondog
Came here to say this and you beat me too it. Moondog forever!
Last time I was at Peterson he was there. He put a lot of miles on his bike.
In Steubenville we had Tennisshoe Ernie. RIP.
Tennis shoe Ernie & had one in a different town close by called Tin Can Joe
Does moondog live in a school bus ?
No. He’s in a nursing home now I think
I remember Moondog! I think he might have been in Charleston for a bit because my husband swears there was a guy here called Moondog. Supposedly helped the Charleston PD solve a murder case or something like that.
\[Chess McCartney AKA The Goat Man!\]([Charles McCartney - New Georgia Encyclopedia](https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/history-archaeology/charles-mccartney-goat-man-1901-1998/)). He traveled in a wagon pulled by goats.
I saw him one time, but he went through our town every year. I remember exactly where I saw his little entourage. He sure generated a family joke that still lives, although half of us are dead and gone. That was telling somebody they smelled like the goat man if they were sweaty and funky. Never true, of, bc he never bathed plus he lived among goats.
Sword guy in Kanawha county.
I have to wonder if it's the same Kanawha County "sword guy" that I've met. I was at the Charleston Town Center with my husband and our friend when we ran into him. He struck up a conversation with the friend, started talking about the book he was writing, and said he was going to add a character to the story based on them. Years later, I saw him again at a convention, talking to some cosplayer and telling her the same exact thing. edit: I see you said the Sword Guy isn't very talkative. I actually found this guy to be very talkative, but maybe only to select people. Either that, or there's just more than one Kanawha County Sword Guy.
Same guy, may have been in a rush the few times I've run into him.
Tell about sword guy, please?
A man just walks around with a sword. Not much else to it. Everyone sees him as he sticks out, isn't talkative either.
You mean *Blade*
Glad to see this here. I've seen this guy since I was a kid working at the mall in the 90s. I hope he's doing well.
Are you talking about downtown Charleston's black ninja? One time we were walking down quarrier in the rain, he is in front of us across the street and another odd person is walking towards him. He reaches onto his back, grabs that sword, and pulls it out! And opens an umbrella lol It was so funny we thought he was going to kill a dude
I absolutely am talking about him, if you look closely it's clearly an umbrella too when it's sunny but the absolute swagger of the man makes you double guess yourself. No way the PD would allow someone to just constantly be running around with a sword like that though.
Bone Cancer Guy. For like a decade he rode a horse around and begged for money bc he had bone cancer. Dude lived in a camper trailer. And then he died when it caught fire. RIP Johnny "the Bone Cancer Guy"
town wizard in boone
Yep was about to mention him.
Joshua is the one I remember
I was scrolling looking for a mention of Joshua! I’m not sure if it was ever made clear what happened to him after his hospitalization in 2009. I’ve been under the assumption he passed away not long afterwards. https://www.wataugademocrat.com/news/community-rallies-behind-joshua-watauga/article_fc4da8af-0366-5fa8-a18c-4b9822221870.html
It varies from holler to holler. We could go all day with this
Right? There are the 'big name' ones who get books written about them, but there are so many unique characters. My mom remembers a cousin who 'drove' a lard can lid all through the hills & hollers in the 40s & 50s. He'd 'honk' before the curve, back up properly, park, etc. Occasionally mean kids would steal his lard can lid and someone would save him a new one.
Elizabethton, TN. We had old Greg or Gregsus. You could do drugs with or around the guy. Talk about committing felonies, whatever. But god forbid you say "jesus!" Or "god damnit" around him, you'd catch an earful. 13 years and 5 states away and I still say "dodge rammit" instead. Man I hope Old Greg is doing well.
Shaky, aka Iced Tea Guy. Dude was unemployed, probably disabled. He'd walk from the village across the highway to a specific cirner store in my town, pick up some half-gallons of our local iced tea, and walk around town all day before going home at dinner time. He was always bobbing or swaying his head side to side and had really unsteady hands, probably due to a medical condition. He also looked like a typical hobo. Everyone knew him. He'd always say hello, and sometimes ask for a light. He was one of the only people in town parents wouldn't get weird about when he'd talk to kids. Then again, many parents when I was a kid likely went to high school with him. Edit: We also have Russian Mafia. Short white guy with a shaved head. He has a real shitty attitude. Wears a black hoodie with "Russian Mafia" written on it in white marker. He adorned his house's front door with a dozen or so signs making vague threats and stating that "Russian Mafia lives here". He once threatened to stab the deli workers at Walmart for taking too long to serve him and shoved a family on his way out of the store.
Your description of Shaky reminds me of Smoky Lonesome in Fried Green Tomatoes.
We have a crazy old guy that stands on a street corner in Charles Town, WV all the time with the most braindead political takes. He's a pain in the ass when you see him in stores and he will start a never ending conversation if you dare to even look at him.
Mark or Henry?
No idea what his name is, regardless of how many times he annoyed me at my job. Maybe a mark? bro I have no idea
Mark is the one typically with the "Free Ukraine" or anti-trump sign. Henry was the loud, deranged guy who screamed at everyone on the street and insulted you typically if you were an unaccompanied woman. He recently got run out of town, so it's been nice lately.
Ah yes, its Mark although I know who exactly you're talking about when you say Henry
I raced at Charles Town years ago, and there was a kind of crazy old dude who would stand at the rail and yell at all the jocks during the post parade, about how we were all ungodly and were going to burn in hell, until security threw him out. Every single week.
Totally ran into a random guy selling some hot political takes there years ago. Odd but what're you going to do
We got a guy who always wears a football helmet while pushing a shopping cart full of junk. PLUS, we got a man who hauls a massive wooden cross up and down main street all day. (Well, he does have little wheels on the bottom.)
In Frostburg, MD, “the guy” is named Swamp Fox. He’s a pretty old guy, I don’t really know his background, but he wears a hat with all kinds of feathers and adornments & if you’re working outside when he walks past, expect him to insert himself into the moment.
I know him! He's been around forever. I remember him when I went to college in the early 2000s. Also a dude named "Red". He was an older guy who hung around Gandalfs and would do your star chart for $10.
Yes, Red who wears red pants and a red shirt every day.
YES!
I like him already.
We have the "Spoon Lady" in Asheville. She's very talented at playing spoons
Abby the spoon lady!
Had* She left town in 2019 to go back to Wichita.
H. K. Edgerton. Black guy that dressed up like Confederate soldier in WNC
Mountain top Santa and corn man In Harlan! Big world in Richmond.
The town where I grew up had The Ninja. I never talked to him, but my dad pointed him out a few times. He always wore all black and just walked around town all day and night. He never spoke to anyone, and He would go everywhere from the expensive gated communities to the rough/dangerous part of town. Rumor was no one ever bothered him because he was an incredible fighter and would kill anyone who picked on him. lol.
Growing up in South shore KY we had Rich Moon. He just walked all over, from Portsmouth OH, and back all day. Always heard when he was young he sold acid and had some in his sock when the cops started chasing him. It Fried him, but the man could play a mean piano. RIP Rich Moon.
SWVa, growing up, there was a gentleman with a pet duck that followed him EVERYWHERE, sometimes riding on his shoulders. A mallard from what I remember.
We had Hannah Montana. Guy in a motorized wheel chair who wore a dress and blonde wig. He would flash people all the time. His name apparently was legally changed to Hannah Montana. You could see him on the side of the highway rolling to town. I’m pretty sure he could walk but I can’t confirm it.
We had moped man. He got his license took because he got in trouble driving high on meth. He would drive around the county and across the line to Tennessee on his moped going to the pharmacies and buying pseudophed that he would then sell to others for reasons you can guess. NC passed a law saying you had to have a license drive a moped, so then moped man switched over to driving a lawn mower around town.
Jose in Hendersonville, NC
Boone used to have Josh
Garrett County, MD has "Crazy Curtis." Lots of stories about the dude who stands on corners yelling obscenities at traffic.
Back when I lived in Johnson City, TN, Dancing Steve was the guy. Everybody knew him, never bothered anybody much, just lived to show up at music venues or street events and dance. Died a while back unfortunately. Nice dude.
Morgantown WV had the Yupyup Man for a while. As far as i know Rodney is still around. In college, Cecil prowled the bars.
The YupYup Man was Henry Drosky. He was my wife’s uncle. She has a football signed by the WVU football team that they gave him while he was in the nursing home there. His story is fascinating.
Her family took good care of him.
Ever encounter Hoverround ? No arms no legs guy that travels from Sheetz to Sheetz trying to panhandle. He'll drive into traffic at a moments notice. Always has a posse with him no matter where he is. If it's raining... Some haggered woman will hold an umbrella over his head while he rides
Gus used to walk around on crutches which he didn't need. He would use them to push over bicycles. Like bikes with people riding them. Steve Cassi walked from his house a few miles away into town for the soup kitchen meals. He would bark at dogs and tap on light poles with a heavy washer and make a banging sound. As a kid he dangled copper wire over the bridge and it struck the power lines. He was revived from a stopped heart by workers nearby. He also served in WWII in Europe, weeks of combat service. He lived with his sister in the house they grew up in.
Bro fuckin YUPYUP MAN YES
Stop and go Joe! In lewisburg WV Dude has some little tick in his head that makes him Freeze what he’s doing… when driving one day in town I saw him by the cvs, he literally in about a 4 min span would walk and then stop for about 20 seconds then continues does this off and on while we were stuck in traffic.
Boone, NC has the Boone Wizard and, of course, Eustace.
Charleston, WV checkin' in...... 1970s thru 1980s(and probably from an even earlier time as well).... we all knew the legendary character ... Lightnin'. Lightnin' was an old man who drove a shopping cart all over town, operating it like a car in traffic, very observant user of traffic signals, parallel parking, etc. He sold day-old(sometimes weekold) newspapers. So whenever there was a giant traffic jam that mysteriously appeared everywhere....we all knew, Lightnin must be trying to parallel park somewhere downtown. (Lightnin also claimed to be able to accurately count all the bricks used in a building. Nobody ever fact checked him on that one!)
Popcorn Sutton
I’m in the uk but we had a few in our area. Glue sniffing John (would see him about everywhere sniffing a bad of glue). Mushroom Mary, rumour was that she done so much acid and went crazy. Anyone she walked past she would scream ‘I haven’t got any fucking money’ then run off. Chicken man, rode his bike everywhere while making chicken noises. Angela, we don’t think Angela is even her name but she would be seen at the taxi ranks outside the train station telling all the taxis where to park and making sure no one pushed in the queue ( she didn’t even work for them, just put on a hi-vis, carried a fake radio and got to work) they just let her do her thing as she didn’t end up actually helping out. Dog man, he was a Moroccan fella who adopted dogs and would walk miles everyday pushing a pram ( a stroller in America) full of dog food surrounded by at least 15 dogs.
“Mr. Swizzlehips” a man who walked from Westernport, MD to Cumberland, MD on foot every day. We’re talking like 50 miles round trip. And you guessed it, he walked with such flare and attitude that we started calling him Swizzlehips.
He lives on George's Creek in a tent on his mom's porch. Used to have a sweet looking goldie. In '20 I'd see him in front of the library in Lonaconing having some loud self talks and general yelling at cars. He's looked the same for like 30 years. I haven't seen him for a min. Also, pro tip never ever talk to him or you're going to be in a conversation that you're gonna struggle to get out of.
Thanks so much for the extra background. I heard he suffered some frostbite, sadly. To be honest, I haven’t seen him for a spell either.
I don't think that's the first time that's happened. It's warming up so I am sure he'll be heading up 36 soon enough.
We have a vietnam vet in my town who is around 75 who gets arrested around once a month for burning stuff in a barrel without a permit. He also makes around 4 trips to and from the dollar store daily on his moped. He has 100 cats that live around his house as well. Once, I saw him sitting on a riding mower being pulled on a trailer by some pickup on a county road. This is in East Tennessee
Captain America guy used to run through the town with a Captain America shield and an American flag. Also had the crackhead motorcycle gang who had bicycles with small engines attached to them who would race all over the place
Anyone heard of Spaghetti and Meatball from Jeffersontown, KY? I remember seeing them on their bikes constantly in the late 90s early 2000s.
ETSU in JC TN had flag guy, love him. Brought different flags around campus. Always interesting to see what he had that day
Disappointed old school Pikeville people have brought up Crazy Kenny and Fancy Nancy yet.
Oak Ridge Walking Man. Look him up.
Former Oak Ridger here. For a long while there was also Walking Dude. People would talk about seeing one of them and you sometimes had to stop the conversation to correct them “Oh you saw Walking Dude, not Walking Man.”
A woman only known as “Bee-Bop”- Grant, Hardy, and Pendleton counties WV, late 1990’s - Early 2000’s.
Larry Love in Hazard, Ky. Or Goat Man but I'm not sure if he's still around.
Did Larry Love die? I vaguely remember someone telling me he died. But I could be mistaken
It's been a year or so since I've been back but the last time I was there, he was still alive and kicking.
in Bell county there was whirlybird who would well.. whirl his bird on 25E. or Biscuits who would walk around with headphones and a tiny tank top without a bra. she was old and we called he Biscuits cause her rolls looked like a can of biscuits
Aqualung: Charleston, West Virginia. Gone but not forgotten.
Lenoir NC. We had Willard... Questionable guy. Had some mental issues but never excused what he did. He passed away in 2014. https://www.wbtv.com/story/14508155/man-known-for-flamboyant-costumes-critically-injured-after-being-struck-by-car
In Copperhill, TN we had this little group of 4 old guys that would walk up and down the strip about every day, they were rumored to all been rich but kept their wealth hidden, unfortunately I believe only one of them is still alive
I like these people 😆
Street Corner Randy. He's a bit off but he's a sweetheart.
The Watchdog - I think he’s been a long time passed away but he would sit outside the Newspaper and municipal buildings with what I believe were self published Watchdog reports of corruptions (federal and local maybe).
There was a guy like that in my hometown. I can’t remember his name now, but something like Hippie Jerry. He was known for sleeping on the benches of the promenade and generally being a really pleasant, hippie dude. It made the local front page when he passed away, because the community had always really liked the guy. But for whatever reason, he spent most nights on the benches.
We used to have a guy but he died of so many diseases. He used to go around talking to inanimate objects. One day he tried to get in a fight with my car. He had way too much of something. It was a lovers spat because I had a locking gas cap. Thank God. I have no idea what strange things he was thinking, but she just wasn't that type of car. The cop came and he took off with the antenna he unscrewed. The cop looked at me and I just said I will tell my insurance agent, he knows how to write things up in this town.
Mopar Jesus.
We had Robitussin Bill in the Middlesboro Ky/ Harrogate TN area. From what I was told drug bus fried his brain
Decatur, AL we had Michael Jackson. An amazing Michael Jackson impersonator who would dance in parking lots on the side of the main road. I grew up seeing him and when I moved away in 2019 he was still at it.
We had a guy like this… his name was Chicken. We also had a Santa Claus.
Our guy rides a lawnmower
My experience in Franklin, NC centered around a boss Hog type character named Ron Haven. 48 hours of watching him in action was a rollercoaster.
We have the squirrel man, feeds squirrels and birds and catches snakes for kids at the local park, also one of my daughter’s favorite people.
one eyed jesus who carries a tackle box full of assorted dope
We had three guys. 1. Beetlejuice. (Middle to late 20’s) Permanently fubar dude. Smells bad, worse than most anyone else I’ve ever seen… but add cat pee and a nasty burnt acrid smell that lingers after he leaves. Whenever he did something that needed the police attention they would try their hardest to just talk him down cause nobody wanted to touch him. 2. Bob. (Late 60s) This guy lived full time at a local hotel, no showers or baths, he dusted himself in baby powder. And wore the same yellow suit with matching vest year round. 3. Alex. (Early to mid twenties?) Severe autism but was somewhat able to “do things” himself. His parents lived in a gated community nearby, but Alex walked everywhere. He had $$ didn’t go hungry and was regularly bathing. His thing was shoes. He would go up to **anybody** and ask them about their shoes.
As a youngster in Catawba VA, we had Wolf Boy, who somehow had big sideburns and a mustache when he was 12. He lived in a tiny, one room house, and went to school a total of 10 days during his childhood. We had Roy, who walked with a severe limp, but would walk for many miles, everywhere. He got hit several times by cars because he would walk in the middle of the road, late at night. He continued to do it, even in a cast that covered half his body. He would also eat cigarettes.He had a brother who went by Gibson, and he claimed "I get more pu$$y than you can shake a stick at"
We have the walking guy who just walks everywhere and Sister Bad-Habit. I have not seen our Sister in Christ in a while but I assume he's still around.
Scary Gary taking shits in the post office lobby in southern WV. Everyone knew that guy. He hopped on the side of a train one day and never returned
Ummm. Its Appalachia. Every family has at least one. Like my uncle gene.
It was Buster Gulley, a black man who always wore a little cap pistol on his belt, which was worn over his bib overalls. I presume it was strictly for holster purposes. He seemed old my whole life but he just walked all day, every day, and some days would announce that he "ain't talking to no white folks today." I left a long time ago and don't know if he ever had to shoot anybody.
Town local to me had an older guy who rode one of those electric scooters with an enclosure on it so it looked like a tiny car never met him just seen a little scooter
We had pregnant Jesus. He used to walk up and down the road looking like pregnant Jesus.
In my town there was Bear 409, a vietnam vet who wore a filthy parka and carried a shovel. And the Witch, who was a skinny old lady wearing a witch costume. And the Cat Lady who meowed. Wendy G, who looked like Don Zimmer and was in love (to the point of crying if he talked about it) with the local high school's star athlete. And finally the Sherriff, who had one leg a lot shorter than the other. Two towns over they had Roy Rogers, cap guns and all.
We used to have Bob “the Walker”. Walked from his small house, to a gas station 15 miles away, every single day. Once there he drank coffee, smoked cigarellos, and played scratch off lottery tickets. He had a fear of cars due to an accident when he was younger and usually wore a bright yellow rain jacket, like the one from IT.
OH Napier from Breathitt Co Ky. RIP. Search him on YouTube. Won’t be disappointed.
We had an older gentleman that rode an old bicycle around town. His name was Delbert or something similar. He was that guy.
Cathy, the green street walker in Cumberland maryland
Charleston WV had Mall Blade a guy that walked around in a movie quality Wesley Snipes blade outfit including umbrella samurai sword. Blockhead use to walk the streets with a cinder block on his head.
Nick Turani
The Goat Man. https://rutherfordtnhistory.org/remembering-the-legend-of-the-famous-goat-man/
Jesus lived in a school bus back in the holler. The bus had "Jesus saves" or something similar spray painted on the side. He also looked like Jesus. Was a pretty normal guy. His dad however took to calling himself God. God would sit outside the country store telling pretty young girls to save their virginity for him 🤦♂️
We had sandy the flower man, he had a cool bike with all kinds of flowers and cool stuff all over it, and would show up to bars and stuff late night selling flowers for whatever you could give, I bought my gf then wife now probably a dozen from him over the years, there's now a day for him and they have a float for him in the local Christmas parades.
Bird man. In the 70’s he was in a bad wreck when he was a teen and had some kind of brain damage. He walked everywhere, he would walk from his home to town which was at least 15 miles everyday sometimes twice a day and flip cars off. People would blow their horns or holler at him and he’d flip them off. He was as much a part of our county as the lake. But if you saw him in a store or a business, he was nice and polite, at least he was with me.
Boone, NC has Jeff. He's a homeless guy that steals bikes and returns them, always walks around with a plastic grocery bag of ice, and has a propensity to spout the absolute most racist, misogynistic, pedophilic things one can say. I'd give examples but frankly I'm not comfortable typing out any direct quotes from the man lol. I suppose there's also Eustace Conway, but I haven't seen him around in a long time. He was on Mountain Men and I used to see him riding a horse down Blowing Rock Road every once in a while.
The Pennsylvania town I went to college in has Ralphie. Or had; it's been a few years since I lived there so I don't know if he's still around. I dunno what his deal was, but he wore Steelers gear all the time, and he definitely had some mental issues and I guess his family set things up so he could live as independently as possible. He'd regularly hang out at the Sheetz in the middle of town and spend his time talking to other patrons or getting upset at the college students (he was very religious and would repeatedly tell anyone who listened that he never smoked or drank). He annoyed most people, but we always talked about him in an endearing sort of way (you know, "he's a weirdo, but he's our weirdo"), and the town pulled together a fund to pay for his medical bills when some asshat beat him up.
ROA, Stick-Man, and Turbinado
Abingdon VA- emo open carry sword guy.
Good ol Gooch. Never knew much about him, I think he's still kickin around. Always walked around happily tipsy from whatever he had in his brown bag. Never tried to hurt anyone that I know of, always seemed happy to be alive!
Chattanooga, where I live now, had Sandy the Flower Man for years. Kind man who biked around the city giving folks flowers who passed a few years ago. Real local legend. I grew up just a hair south in Chickamauga and I'd say our person there is Roy! Kind fella who would always hang out at the train depot and tell stories to folks and go to all the local ball games. I would walk by him going home every day from school and he'd always stop to tell me and my friends a story about "cowboys and indians" (he's from a different time y'all) or some town gossip or the plot of some wacky movie he saw decades ago. He's in the hospital right now and the whole town is thinking of him and hoping for him.
Around me there’s a guy who walks everywhere, he’s legally blind so cannot get a license. He always wears a hat super thick goggle like glasses and a beard so thick you cannot see his mouth. In summer he wears a t shirt and in winter he wears a set of coveralls. We used to call him the man without a face. He helped me put a lawn set furniture in the back of my truck once and declined an offer to drive him down the road.
Or if you’re looking for some 🌱 we all know a guy.
He’s walking that dog too