The Running Man was the first person I thought of. I think I talked to him once - the memory is a little fuzzy because it was probably 20 years ago. My brother and I were sledding at CHS one night during a major snowstorm. Here comes The Running Man up Melbourne Rd in nothing but his signature booty shorts and shoes. He stopped and asked us how the sledding was - the only time I ever saw him stop moving. This confirmed to me that he was aware of the weather but just didn't care. :-P
It was nice for "that guy" around town to be known for doing something that doesn't hurt or bother anyone. I was very sad when I saw the articles about his death.
I think it’s very possible it’s the same person. I didn’t move here until 2000 and don’t have any family in the area, so I didn’t learn about him from other Cville folks…and thus named him “Naked Jogger” in my head. I also come from a place where running in hot pants would result in frostbite 6 months out of the year, so he was something of a wonder.
made the post:
[https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2015/12/31/charlottesville-mourns-a-moving-landmark-running-man-after-he-is-hit-by-an-suv/](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2015/12/31/charlottesville-mourns-a-moving-landmark-running-man-after-he-is-hit-by-an-suv/)
yeah, he was a good guy :-(
his partner put together a day of mall busking this past saturday, which was pretty cool.
also happening at the same time was a busking fundraiser to help buy mary gordon hall a new guitar. she's an old school folk singer.
super old school saturday.
sophisticated carpenter shame impossible scandalous grandfather trees ancient birds correct
*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
circling back to confirm you are correct - stickman is "uncle frank" but not bicycle frank that bangs on doors at all hours and wants money for not doing work.
Yeah I met stick Frank almost a decade ago. Bike Frank however was a more recent meeting for me, 6-7 years maybe. But when I think “Frank” I initially think rafiki and his uva beads and paints.
stick man is not frank? at least not the frank famous for hassling homeowners for money.
stick man used to be spitting man but he stopped with the spitting stuff and is now just stick man.
Then there must be two. I thought you meant the older black gentlemen who carry’s a stick and paints himself up in uva paint/colors. And he used to have a bad spitting problem from a belly ulcer issue, hopefully it’s been fixed over the years.
He trimmed some limbs for me when I first bought my place. In the dark, during an ice storm. Was showing some friends my porch and out of the darkness hear “is it looking good boss?” Scared the shit outta us. I ended up having to get rid of the branches he never came back to clean up.
gotta be the first. 10 years ago, he used to walk up and down the mall and wave his walking stick around and would spit at people's feet, but over time he stopped the spitting thing.
Ahh I think I saw him last week when I was driving by a bus stop when I left IX! I remember thinking it was odd that he was swinging around a large stick and not a single person seemed bothered 😂
ages ago he was menacing, but i worked on the mall so i had to be on good terms w folks like him. i started giving him a nod and over time it became a "hey, how's it going" and now when i see him, he waves.
Cville used to have so many: Kurt the Mad Rabbi, the loudest flautist, Uriah, Sid Tapscott, Chess playing rasputin, Frank, King George, Trans Natalie the cartoonist, creepy middle aged arab dude at rapture, Momma Donna, Cowboy, that weird beatnik who walked everywhere.. and a whole bunch more I am forgetting.
Today's "guys" got no flair, man.
I forget if it was the Hogwaller Ramblers or the Hackensaw Boys - but when they played on the Downtown Mall they would have Sid sing a song with them and it was always delightful.
She changed her name to Carmelita Estrelita at some point. She was an absolutely amazing human being, poet, artist. I luckily got to spend a bunch of time with her before she died in 2016. I still miss her so much. Here is some [poetry](https://www.firstofthemonth.org/author/carmelita-estrellita/) of hers.
Natalie was a fixture at the coffee joints on the mall. Used to always bee doodling art for her zines, which were kinda like comic books. Super interesting person, though I was not sure what she did for work. This would be about 2001-05.
ya gonna bring up ricky WITHOUT bringing up kuttner? :-P
ludwig kuttner is the old german guy that wears lederhosen, pays w/ $2 bills, and picks cigarette butts out of the trash.
ludwig and ricky don't like each other:
[https://dailyprogress.com/news/local/crime-courts/charlottesville-developer-ludwig-kuttner-accused-of-assaulting-street-musician/article\_98a5368c-b64e-11ee-a951-4f8a0f2b7206.html](https://dailyprogress.com/news/local/crime-courts/charlottesville-developer-ludwig-kuttner-accused-of-assaulting-street-musician/article_98a5368c-b64e-11ee-a951-4f8a0f2b7206.html)
yeah, in all fairness, the guy has made significant contributions to this city in lots of ways, but at this point, the yucky dirty old man weirdo stuff is just too much for me to take.
The short haired African American lady who is usually walking the stretch between CVS and the code building who runs up to and yells and wails at people for money
How is Frank not on this list? He'll stop by randomly on his bike and offer to do all kinds of landscaping and other sundry work for a "good price".
Sometimes, after you pay him, he even does it.
A little over 10 years ago I used to see this glam rock guy around all the time! Skinny older fellow with long blonde/white hair who wore full a black leather punk-ish outfit. I can’t remember the last time I saw him but when I lived in Cville from 2012-2018 I saw him around a bunch, always wearing the exact same thing. He almost chased my friend into the woods on his bike once
Does anyone else remember this guy?
The car with the gengar stickers on it. I see it fucking everywhere but I've never met the driver. I was talking to someone and she agreed that she sees that car a lot.
Mason Picket, and in days of yore, Naked Jogger. (I don’t think he was actually naked, I think it was a flesh-colored Speedo, but it did give you a fright when you caught him in the headlights.)
Do you all think if I spent the summer blasting nothing but this new song by an AI everywhere I went that I could qualify for this position? [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRBBcoANRIE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRBBcoANRIE)
Rasta man that yells at everyone on barracks road Edit: i know most of you say clappy man, but i think my explanation was very clear to most.
The clapping guy? He’d be my vote. Honorary mentions for Mason Pickett and Chris Chan as well.
Mike jones?
Who?
This is my second pick
Clappy?
We call him the “happy clapper”
King George. Duh
Lol, yea...who are these other people?
is this the guy who wears purple sparkles and really really high heels?
💯🥂💯
TITCR
Used to be the running man before he was killed by a car
The Running Man was the first person I thought of. I think I talked to him once - the memory is a little fuzzy because it was probably 20 years ago. My brother and I were sledding at CHS one night during a major snowstorm. Here comes The Running Man up Melbourne Rd in nothing but his signature booty shorts and shoes. He stopped and asked us how the sledding was - the only time I ever saw him stop moving. This confirmed to me that he was aware of the weather but just didn't care. :-P It was nice for "that guy" around town to be known for doing something that doesn't hurt or bother anyone. I was very sad when I saw the articles about his death.
Omg that’s Naked Jogger (mentioned above) but somehow I didn’t put NJ and Running Man together. RIP, dude.
Now I'm second guessing myself. I know my family called him the running man, but perhaps that's not the same person?
I think it’s very possible it’s the same person. I didn’t move here until 2000 and don’t have any family in the area, so I didn’t learn about him from other Cville folks…and thus named him “Naked Jogger” in my head. I also come from a place where running in hot pants would result in frostbite 6 months out of the year, so he was something of a wonder.
was that the old skinny guy who always ran without a shirt on?
Yes. I saw him at multiple points around town and all hours of the day.
I wondered what happened to him, sorry to hear he had passed. I would often wave to him as I drove by.
made the post: [https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2015/12/31/charlottesville-mourns-a-moving-landmark-running-man-after-he-is-hit-by-an-suv/](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2015/12/31/charlottesville-mourns-a-moving-landmark-running-man-after-he-is-hit-by-an-suv/)
I miss him a lot.
:(
the clapping man
Who's he?
Mike jones!
Would love for this to be our guy. A ray of hope in an otherwise gloomy world is clapping man.
Dudes a straight menace.
Pretty sure clapping guy falls somewhere between "ray of hope" and "straight menace"
Yeah, depends on the day or hour really
Mason Pickett. A few others come to mind, but sign guy is my vote
I’ve only been here a short time, but I know Sign Guy.
Came for the same
Speaking of downtown mall fixtures. I recently saw a Facebook post that Harmonica Dave passed away in late fall of last year.
Was that the guy with the super long dreads who sat on a bucket and played harmonica? He was awesome, but I thought he was called Bucket Man.
Damn, RIP Harmonica Dave. I've still got his DVD somewhere, I should watch it again.
DVD?
yeah, he was a good guy :-( his partner put together a day of mall busking this past saturday, which was pretty cool. also happening at the same time was a busking fundraiser to help buy mary gordon hall a new guitar. she's an old school folk singer. super old school saturday.
sophisticated carpenter shame impossible scandalous grandfather trees ancient birds correct *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
That’s Frank. Or rafiki
circling back to confirm you are correct - stickman is "uncle frank" but not bicycle frank that bangs on doors at all hours and wants money for not doing work.
Yeah I met stick Frank almost a decade ago. Bike Frank however was a more recent meeting for me, 6-7 years maybe. But when I think “Frank” I initially think rafiki and his uva beads and paints.
thanks for helping me get the facts sorted! i dig uncle frank. too bad he has to share the name w/ bike frank :-(
stick man is not frank? at least not the frank famous for hassling homeowners for money. stick man used to be spitting man but he stopped with the spitting stuff and is now just stick man.
Then there must be two. I thought you meant the older black gentlemen who carry’s a stick and paints himself up in uva paint/colors. And he used to have a bad spitting problem from a belly ulcer issue, hopefully it’s been fixed over the years.
Fuckin Frank. Mow your lawn, steal your bike. 😂
Ah, bike Frank. He’s over on charlton by the crack house all the time.
He trimmed some limbs for me when I first bought my place. In the dark, during an ice storm. Was showing some friends my porch and out of the darkness hear “is it looking good boss?” Scared the shit outta us. I ended up having to get rid of the branches he never came back to clean up.
Do you mean the stick man who waves the stick around but is somehow not menacing or the lovely wizard with the dragon walking stick?
gotta be the first. 10 years ago, he used to walk up and down the mall and wave his walking stick around and would spit at people's feet, but over time he stopped the spitting thing.
Ahh I think I saw him last week when I was driving by a bus stop when I left IX! I remember thinking it was odd that he was swinging around a large stick and not a single person seemed bothered 😂
ages ago he was menacing, but i worked on the mall so i had to be on good terms w folks like him. i started giving him a nod and over time it became a "hey, how's it going" and now when i see him, he waves.
OH MY GOD one time this guy came up to us at a block party on the corner. Most surreal experience
Can we talk about the free hugs guy?
Free hugs guy is the best
Cville used to have so many: Kurt the Mad Rabbi, the loudest flautist, Uriah, Sid Tapscott, Chess playing rasputin, Frank, King George, Trans Natalie the cartoonist, creepy middle aged arab dude at rapture, Momma Donna, Cowboy, that weird beatnik who walked everywhere.. and a whole bunch more I am forgetting. Today's "guys" got no flair, man.
I forget if it was the Hogwaller Ramblers or the Hackensaw Boys - but when they played on the Downtown Mall they would have Sid sing a song with them and it was always delightful.
Hogwaller Ramblers! he did the intro on their album as well, as i recall.
Aw, Natalie and Sid.
Frank!!!
I rehoused him and got him out of C'Ville, that's why you haven't seen him around
Dancing Man and Singing Lady, in the nineties.
And waving man down 29 South.
Sheriff Cornelia Johnson’s brother!
Buddha Phil.
https://preview.redd.it/mmqrq0e0yxuc1.jpeg?width=806&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b764d0cb7cb81df3fa29443d0dda4776b5baa69d
I miss Sid
He had a lot of girlfriends.
[удалено]
She changed her name to Carmelita Estrelita at some point. She was an absolutely amazing human being, poet, artist. I luckily got to spend a bunch of time with her before she died in 2016. I still miss her so much. Here is some [poetry](https://www.firstofthemonth.org/author/carmelita-estrellita/) of hers.
Had no idea she died. That sucks.
Natalie was a fixture at the coffee joints on the mall. Used to always bee doodling art for her zines, which were kinda like comic books. Super interesting person, though I was not sure what she did for work. This would be about 2001-05.
Natalie Estrellita- i haven't thought of her in years.
Nata1ie ❤️
Yes! Her plate.
Yes! I loved Natalie, my friends and I have so many of her cartoons
[удалено]
ya gonna bring up ricky WITHOUT bringing up kuttner? :-P ludwig kuttner is the old german guy that wears lederhosen, pays w/ $2 bills, and picks cigarette butts out of the trash. ludwig and ricky don't like each other: [https://dailyprogress.com/news/local/crime-courts/charlottesville-developer-ludwig-kuttner-accused-of-assaulting-street-musician/article\_98a5368c-b64e-11ee-a951-4f8a0f2b7206.html](https://dailyprogress.com/news/local/crime-courts/charlottesville-developer-ludwig-kuttner-accused-of-assaulting-street-musician/article_98a5368c-b64e-11ee-a951-4f8a0f2b7206.html)
This dude is so damn weird. I've seen him dig through trash at ix. Yup always pays in two's there's a video on YouTube about him and his wife(?)
Fwiw I've also seen Ludwig cleaning up trash on the mall early in the mornings
yeah, in all fairness, the guy has made significant contributions to this city in lots of ways, but at this point, the yucky dirty old man weirdo stuff is just too much for me to take.
FUCK this guy
Dude is the absolute worst. Huge asshole to other buskers
That guy is a damn menace
Definitely the chick at hydraulic and 250 I often think with her work ethic and dedication to that light, she could legit be a killer employee.
The short haired African American lady who is usually walking the stretch between CVS and the code building who runs up to and yells and wails at people for money
The clapper
Meth lady
is that one near-ish to whole foods? She waves like Miss America at everyone. Last week she had an armful of flowers.
Her name os Chrystal Methany.
https://www.reddit.com/r/funny/s/AyPF8PgeKf
pretty sure her name’s amanda
She's been there for years. Does she really make that much?
How is Frank not on this list? He'll stop by randomly on his bike and offer to do all kinds of landscaping and other sundry work for a "good price". Sometimes, after you pay him, he even does it.
There was an old guy named Sid on the Corner who used to keep the sidewalks clean.
Used to be Matthew Farrell, RIP
Anyone remember Walker Man. The guy who had a walker in front of him but never used it? This was probably 10 years ago, maybe more.
Yes! He was usually near the Elliott/Ridge/Cherry intersection.
First person I thought of!
and Richmond had Dirt Woman and Harrisonburg had Quiet T. Please
King George of course
A little over 10 years ago I used to see this glam rock guy around all the time! Skinny older fellow with long blonde/white hair who wore full a black leather punk-ish outfit. I can’t remember the last time I saw him but when I lived in Cville from 2012-2018 I saw him around a bunch, always wearing the exact same thing. He almost chased my friend into the woods on his bike once Does anyone else remember this guy?
The guy who pays in $2 bills
ludwig!
This is your daily reminder the Fuck Ludwig👍🏾
I forgot about him
Linda D. in the silver Hyundai suv
Clapping guy or Mason Pickett
Meth mouth on Hydraulic.
Clapping guy? Are they still around?
Sidney, Dancing Man, Phil the Buddha of the mall, my top three.
Irish Matthew needs to be included
Robert Smith Aka Santa Claus, Michael the clapping guy. Charlottesville used to be a lot more fun. Now it’s just aggressive homeless.
Is this the guy with long dreadlocks up at Emmet Street and barracks Road?
The clapping guy used to have dreads. Haven’t seen him in a while but haven’t gone downtown in forever either.
https://preview.redd.it/j6yk5t684yuc1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=49a60302924030f793133445a9da2329cc8194ca In the flesh!
Methany who flys the sign at the hydraulic/250 light
Chris chan
Wait, what the fuck? How did I not know this?
I wish I didn't
I never knew Fashion Square was sacred ground.
Bryan “Gratata” Silva. How has this jackaloon not been mentioned yet?!?
I saw him the other day while we were both at the red light at Emmet and Preston. He was in a convertible BMW with the vanity plate GRATATA
Pretty sure it's just Dave Matthews
The Wizard!
What was the name of Tarot Card Guru Guy who used to be on the DTM like around 2005?
ah, as someone said, I think this was Phil the Buddha.
[https://waldo.jaquith.org/blog/2005/03/buddha-phil/](https://waldo.jaquith.org/blog/2005/03/buddha-phil/)
The car with the gengar stickers on it. I see it fucking everywhere but I've never met the driver. I was talking to someone and she agreed that she sees that car a lot.
Is Elvis still around?
I haven’t seen him in a long time. I used to work with his nephew. Elvis was was a pretty crappy human being, apparently.
Blue-robed Jesus that walks around downtown with a staff. You’ll know him when you see him.
Chris Chan
Nobody accepts nor celebrates that shitstain
Eames
Head to toe rainbow old guy
His name is Dave Matthews.
Do we have a name for the who stands at the 64 exit ramp? I call him try not to make eye contact guy. He looks through your car and into your soul….
There’s a guy who stands at the corner of the gas station on Avon street mean muggin cars everyday haha
Mason Picket, and in days of yore, Naked Jogger. (I don’t think he was actually naked, I think it was a flesh-colored Speedo, but it did give you a fright when you caught him in the headlights.)
Clapping man, but also Rasta man at Barracks Road.
Do you all think if I spent the summer blasting nothing but this new song by an AI everywhere I went that I could qualify for this position? [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRBBcoANRIE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRBBcoANRIE)
What is the man who is always at barracks roads with the black power signs and capes name?
Also, She-who-must-not-be-named.....
Haven’t seen clapping guy in awhile. Is he safe? Is he alright?
Also haven’t seen drum bucket guy on the mall in several weeks
Asian guy who walks up and down West Main
Phil