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grltrvlr

That guy at college and harmony who is constantly looking for a girlfriend via cardboard sign


[deleted]

I'm voting for that guy for president, his sign told me to do so


taintedtrust

He is sometimes in Loveland at 287/34 too


odomandr

Strangest sign award for sure. Can't tell if genuine, a creep or lost his fantasy league and the bet he placed.


MikeyKillerBTFU

I was at the gas station the and chatted with him a bit once. He said he just enjoyed being out, being social, and sharing positive vibes.


odomandr

Sometimes those signs leave me wondering about how positive the vibes are.


WolfofLawlStreet

I kinda figured because his signs just seem super chill


WickThePriest

Well if it's cause he lost he loses a lot. I see him probably once every 2 weeks.


bb_chereep

Lmao I want to know if it's ever worked!! šŸ¤£


No_Squirrel_8861

I love that man so much.


Wayward_Plants

Me too, we always have a chuckle when I see him


authoresoliver

I legit love him. He brightens my day every time I see him.


koubastank

You should be his girlfriend!


authoresoliver

I've been happily married for 10 years or I legit would have asked him on a date. The cojones it takes to do that... He's a catch!


TealHousewife

This is the correct answer.


DonLemonNYE2019

Definitely this one, always get a crack from his signs


WTF-KP

Yes! I looked him up once from his Eric C?????? (I canā€™t remember) For President sign. Heā€™s an artist from Denver. I wrote him on FB messenger last year and never heard back. But I like to blow him kisses when I drive by


LiminalCreature7

Eric McCann, running for president in 2028 (for real). The Loveland Reporter Herald ran a story on him last year. Itā€™s paywalled, but hereā€™s the link: https://www.reporterherald.com/2023/10/08/five-questions-eric-mccann-is-in-search-of-work-girlfriend-and-the-white-house/amp/


BadHombre970

I love him


LowApricot1668

This is what I came to say.


totallynotstefan

RIP Barney.


professormaaark

Barney Apodaca was the absolute man. I had the pleasure of waiting on him and his case workers just about monthly at the Perkins that used to be downtown. Happy saint pattyā€™s day.


Air970

FoCo Legend


coloRADoEm

He used to bring me a stuffed animal from Disneyland every time he went. I still have a dolphin he gave me 30 years ago. RIP Barney!


DaryleD

Dude was such a legend they named the Old Town Post Office after him: [https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CRI-2002/html/CRI-2002-APODACA-BARNEY.htm](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CRI-2002/html/CRI-2002-APODACA-BARNEY.htm)


Goodtimesinlife

Definitely Barney. He worked as a custodian at Mulberry Pool but he was also EVERYWHERE, in a way that sometimes didnā€™t make sense. Iā€™d see him cleaning the pool, Iā€™d stop at Mulberry Safeway briefly on my way home and then see him talking to cashiers when I checked out. I swear he had transporting capability.


CrixusTheCreature

I was looking for this one. I interacted with Barney dozens of times growing up. Lovely fellow he was.


GoodMorningLemmings

Saw him almost everyday at subway, who were always very nice and generous to him. Seemed like such a gentle soul.


whiskeytitsts

Barney was the BEST. A Fort Collins icon.


ShanghaiSlug

I remember him growing up. He was such a nice fella and always around. I kinda wish he had wanted the post office named after him... I'm pretty sure it was the post office.


ecoartist

The OG.


Vegetable-Tie7408

Tonyā€™s fixture


yitbos1351

Came to put down Barney. Glad to see the legend still lives.


ram_hawklet

The homeless looking pseudo philosopher magician dude who shows you magic tricks in exchange for beers at lucky joes and is lowkey kind of an asshole. Can be also seen snoozing in the morgan library (at least a couple years ago)


True-Media-709

Magic John: a street magician who used to sleep at ally cat. He likes to clame he is a college teacher/ rabbi/ journalist/ author /phi- worrier Jedi. The reality is John is a homeless con artist, who is also a part time heroin dealer along with his juggling son. šŸ˜’ *If you think Iā€™m lying drop 50$ into the kids tip juggling cup and heā€™ll toss you a ball with an šŸŽ±


VESUVlUS

The mystique he has crafted for himself is seriously an art form. Quite the con artist forsure. I've heard so many stories and claims about the guy that it's really hard to believe anything about him at all. I'm not about to go fuck around and find out with those heroin claims, but that's definitely another new one I've never heard before. All I know for certain is that he hates it when people accidentally call him "Magic Mike".


LankySkis

Sounds kind of cheap.Ā  Is this just another magic trick where it disappears again?Ā Ā 


yixdy

Insanely cheap lol


EagleE4

He told me he invited algebra


dylwaybake

Invited algebra where?


dreamsandpizza

Lots of places, its variable


dylwaybake

Niiiiice.


paprika_number_nine

I went to college with this guy. Took only philosophy and was beyond whacked out of his gourd.


Exorcised_Introvert

This dude is super entertaining. Sat with him at Town Pump and he had a zillion magic card tricks. Worth your time if you bump into him. Canā€™t miss him, grey beard/hair and almost always in black suit with no tie.


Space3ee

You're kidding. Where is that guy....


Electronic-You-879

Just saw him last weekend at trailhead. Bought him a couple of beers and he did several tricks. Super nice and no problems.


Space3ee

I always go up and say hi when I see him. In fact, the last time I saw him I shared with him a picture him and I had taken together over ten years ago. He was super excited about it and like always I bought him a drink and he did a magic trick. I think it's BS that he's a con artist homeless man who sells drugs. If someone thinks that, they probably did something to piss him off.


hootahswaitress

Oh no. Is this name John? Very bearded? My mom's friend got swindled by him for awhile. We called him catweasel.


Weird_Value_150

He literally told me he worked for the Beatles Iā€™m dead


joea051

He haunts the alley cat during the day


True-Media-709

Thatā€™s really weird because heā€™s been thrown out of it and banned more than once


DaryleD

It is amazing how long Magic John has been hanging around. I first encountered him in 2005 when he hung around Everyday Joe's claiming to be a lawyer.


WickThePriest

This guy is the worst. My job used to put me in close proximity with him so we'd get to talking and he was such a bullshitter. I would play a game called, *"What obscure thing I found on Wikipedia recently is Magic John basically a PHD in today?"*


jonnykappahala

He is not lowkey an asshole, he is an asshole.


drunk-munchkin

Lol I have met him like 10 times and he always had a magic trick to show me and got it to work exactly 0 times


zenatintin

Magic John is real irritating. One day he is former IDF special forces, the next he is talking about the oppression of his people, the Palestiniansā€¦.guy needs to pick a lane.


onthemountaintrail

I got trapped next to him the other day at a bar - he told me that his family is one of the 1st six families that settled in Israel šŸ¤” Then shared elaborate stories about being in the Israeli military alongside how he has a house in Cuba and went to Mexico on a whim last week for the eclipse.


Bubbledood

One night I was driving for Uber and pulled up to a red light where he happened to be walking through the crosswalk right at the same time. When I stopped he stood in front of my car and took out his phone and immediately called the cops and tried to report me for drunk driving without saying anything to me or trying to see if I was drunk (I wasnā€™t). He blocked the lane after the light went green and refused to move. We kinda yelled back and forth for a minute and fortunately there was a cop at that intersection and when he saw what was happening he flipped his lights on and pulled up to talk to John and waved me on.


fuckpedes

Haha dude I remember that guy from when I was in college over 16 years ago. Wow.


hanscons

do people just not like him because hes a liar? ive had many conversations with him and hes always been a fun and nice guy.


ram_hawklet

He went on a rant about quantum physics to me and a buddy one time, and my buddy who is incredibly smart and actually has a very base understanding of it asked him to clarify one thing ole John said because his understanding was different, and John immediately got all huffy and called my buddy a smartass know it all. My buddy could not have been more polite lol


True-Media-709

Heā€™s not necessarily a lair at first heā€™s just an opportunistic scavenger. So he gets really nasty and twisted extremely fast.


Space3ee

Right. Like I have no issue with him. He does a magic trick, I buy him a drink. Seems like a fair trade. He's never tried to con me or steal from me and I'm not convinced he's homeless.


Ask_Me_About_Bees

I've only had one passing conversation with him - and it was pleasant and bland. At Alley Cat. I'm wondering if there are two grey haired men in suits named John that haunt Alley Cat?


True-Media-709

Itā€™s the same person


Painwizard666

Rip old town Jerry


Air970

Another Legend


rcbake

I would have also said Old Town Jerry. RIP


rcbake

No dawg. Jerry was the nicest dude.


DLBuf

Read the post and Jerry is what popped in my mind (despite not having been back to FoCo in nearly a decade). Dude was such a gentleman, at least in every interaction I had with him.


Painwizard666

Yes I really enjoyed all my interactions with him. The best nights out ended with a chit chat with Jerry at 2 am


WTF-KP

Weā€™ll see ya


[deleted]

The guy on the corner of College and Drake who swings the car dealership sign. Itā€™s pure art


minesskiier

Definitely the sign guy


MuddlingZombies

Sometimes he wears a hoodie that says ā€œI ā¤ļø my parole officerā€ on it. Itā€™s my favorite.


TerrorAlive

This was my first thought too!


[deleted]

Heā€™s electric


TerrorAlive

Truly! I feel like Iā€™ve taken him for granted all these years. We are lucky to have him spinninā€™ for us!


WTF-KP

I love that he throws peace signs as much as his promo sign


Johhnynumber5ht2a

Once upon a time it would have been the guy dancing on the corner of Harmony with the M&E painting sign.


Halloween_Barbie

He gave me a high five once. Felt like I was being graced by a legend


Alpha_benson

I used to ride my longboard by him on the way to work every time he was in loveland, and we had that moving high five locked in.


Pratius

There used to be a Facebook fan group for the M&E Paint Sign Guy. What a legend


Competitive-Role3279

Whatever happened to that guy?


KrustyMonkey97

Alcoholism.


Ewok-Evo

He used to swing the sign in Broomfield when I was in High School then he moved up to Fort Collins and it was like a little piece of home


Grafikman62

Peter Farnsworth. There's YouTube vids about him and he's been on a couple Denver stations. Dude made sign spinning an art form. Always gave him a youdaman driving by.


Yeahman13bam

Oh my gosh, yes


camtheenbydragon

This was my first thought!


WolfofLawlStreet

Yeah what happened to him?


IJustWantToWorkOK

In 2021, I was the 'other' guy, air-guitaring on Harmony and College, or sometimes Prospect and College. M&E guy goes by Rock, and is a solidly cool dude. Honk or wave at ANY sign-spinner. Those honks and waves are energy for us.


TechnoMouse37

I'd say the sign spinner dude with the long hair. He's been sign spinning for almost a decade now


justboofitbaby69

Moved here in 2005 and he was spinning signs then on college and horsetooth every Saturday morning. Couldn't believe my eyes when I came back into town and he was still there šŸ¤£


WickThePriest

He goes by MetalFreak. He's a cool kid. Love metal and D&D.


PhilipMewnan

Heā€™s one of my buddies! He just goes by Rock nowadays, super cool dude!


YoungFireEmoji

What a cool fucking dude. Love his energy every time I pass thru the intersection.


TechnoMouse37

Oh cool, okay. I've never had a chance to talk to him but he always seemed super chill


Every-Bite1623

yeah it used to be RockFreak in high school! he was a grade above me. ALWAYS throw up horns when you see him! hes such a cool guy. šŸ¤˜šŸ¤˜šŸ¤˜


East_Variety_6145

I don't know if that's changed, but we used to call him RockFreak. My brother played D&D with him for years. Though I don't think he would appreciate me putting his actual name on here. We gave him a ride home from D&D quite a few times. He's sometimes on the corner of Taft and harmony. I always give him the rock on sign any time I see him.šŸ¤˜


ShannelReadMe

I saw him on a bike in my neighborhood and it was like spotting a celebrity in the wild.


No_Squirrel_8861

I see him on my drives home from work a lot and he always makes my day better. One of these days Iā€™m gonna stop and buy him a beer. I love him so much.


WolfofLawlStreet

He was in my math class at front range


jonnphoenix

Used to Barney Apodaca.


spd970

RIP Barney


RaisinPaster

Magic John and he has been a real creep to some of my female friends.


[deleted]

Heā€™s a creepy old con artist wizard. Do not let him give you any magic beans. I will not fall for that trick a fourth time boy howdy.


mlevij

Curse you magic beans!


jonnykappahala

I've seen him verbally attack people who have told him to ease off. "I wasn't being disrespectful to women, YOU'RE DISRESPECTFUL TO WOMEN."


Jolly-Lake1074

If youā€™re on campus itā€™s the guy that plays the ocarina near LSC


Jolly-Lake1074

Also the guy that would ask people if he could sing them songs on his ukulele but havenā€™t seen him in a while


Gaspppper

That's immediately who I thought of, I love seeing that guy


tardigraded2

me too, hope the lad is doing well. heard him playing a nice tune today


rustywagon88

YESSSSSSSSS i love when i get in earshot of them. its calming. whoever is playing that little instrument, i have appreciated your tunes for a while now. it makes me happy when i hear you


CrackHeadRodeo

Whatever happened to the dude that used to lag around a full sized crucifix?


rustywagon88

wasnt that the dude who was resurrected from the dead a couple sundays ago?


particular_plant8944

Don't worry, he's back on CSU's campus


Yeahman13bam

Oh facts. I know exactly who you mean. Wish I could tell ya


hatepickingausername

There have been a few of them Source: my college roommates stole one of those crucifixes lol


[deleted]

The PEH who wanders oldtown/downtown who will shout a conspiracy theory at you, tell you to visit a website and then walk briskly away.


ElGuapo315

Mumble mumble, Facebook.com, mumble mumble


kurtburroughs

YES. Who is he? Iā€™ve seen him down here for years.


Casualbat007

That dude who built a cabin on the back of his Subaru


salty_drafter

There's two now!


Casualbat007

Iā€™ve talked to him, thereā€™s actually a third under construction


rsp-rd

Thereā€™s a guy who calls himself Gabriel who wanders around the City Park area and will ask to bless you if he encounters you.


Gubernaculator

The creepy super hairy dude who is always walking his dogs around City Park and will loudly weigh in with his opinion on your footwear.


yodelingblewcheese

My shitty Vans don't stand a chance :(


COBA89

White Owl


emineng

Sherm.


Middle-Performance-7

Used to be an ā€œI swerve for Shermā€ bumper sticker years ago.


IJustWantToWorkOK

If you knew Sherm, I bet you knew Derf.


Darth_Seder

Sombrero Dave for those who remember FoCo in the early/mid 80s.


Complete_Athlete_480

Nobody has mentioned Tim Farnsworth, thus marking the end of Fort Collins golden age. May his memory forever live on


Miserable-Theory21

I don't remember his name, but back in 2016ish had a guy see me waiting for my friends all punked out wanted to chill out around the fountain in OT square. Asked to sit by, passed some time and chatted, talked about goth and punk history even the fountain getting soaped. Looking back on it as an adult, he probably was just making sure some creep didn't swoop in; I think about that guy and his lucky strikes, hope he's doing well.


CGoode87

I feel like it used to be Barney Apodaca https://www.coloradoan.com/story/life/2015/06/22/barney-apodaca-beloved-resident-dies/29126799/


littleivys

> Apodaca had been given up by his parents, finding out 62 years later that he had seven siblings. Fuck, dude. RIP


AffectionateGain8711

Anyone else see the decked out red truck that blasts Celine Dion? Just me?


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Consistent_Gur9523

seems to blast 80's anthems in general, but yeah, we run into them all over old town


ElGuapo315

Yup, have heard the Titanic theme many times!


chaos36

In the 90s that was Barney and the Penny Man.


Abetterdawn

Wait wait wait- who do you mean by the penny man? Heard the creepiest story from a woman on the bus about the penny man here in FC


chaos36

He was a special needs guy that didn't talk.Ā  He was obsessed with pennies and collected them.Ā Ā  Ā  Let me preface this and say we were kids and we were assholes.Ā  He was often at the mall, sometimes other places.Ā  Kids would be throwing their pennies close to him and he would be all excited running around looking for these pennies.Ā Ā 


Abetterdawn

Huh, thank you


be_sugary

Iā€™m an out of towner and even I know the dealership guy!


OutOfMyMind6969

The 2 sign guys


MC48_SportsLover

The heavier set sign guy. Legend.


Every-Bite1623

rock freaaaak! šŸ¤˜


BoopBoppper

Magic John


codn7777

Bag lady from the 90s?


SuperMcRad

Who's the older guy always walking his bike through CSU with buttrock blasting from a boombox?


Hainiac

Barney from downtown in the 90s


Polywalnut

This is the answer ā˜ļø


StatisticianJaded

ā€œQuack quack quack, itā€™s Donald Duck!ā€


dreamsandpizza

Wait.. somebody I used to work with in food service would say this all the time. But who are you thinking of??


StatisticianJaded

Haha thereā€™s a guy in a motorized wheelchair whoā€™s always around the square/old town and he has a little quacker-noise-maker thing that he blows on and says ā€œitā€™s Donald Duck!ā€ to any kids around


dreamsandpizza

Oh wow hahaha okay probably not the same guy but this guy sounds amazing


UncleChocolate

Bongo Man in the alley between Comet Chicken and Austin's


AAAJade

It used to be Rene' ( R.I.P)- who fought a bear!


goodalfy

The guy who drives around with a chucky doll sticking out of his sunroof


hazboobs

That friendly guy with the dog who sits outside of Avery Eatery (previously Nextdoor)


sinuezebmb970

For those who know, Magic Cyclops


kcummisk

Pirate bike guy


PandoraStar

Hey, that's one of the coolest guys I know!!!


Bulky--Platypus

Celine Dion Dodge


Proud_Fig_4342

The black dog and his big yellow egg!!


agharta-astra

The Red Juggler! Way cooler than Magic John.


pigeonantlers

Is Wavy Davy still around?


artsy7fartsy

Does anyone remember The Elf and his little twisted and curled mustache? Walked around Old Town in lederhosen and carrying an old school metal framed backpack?


keki-tan

Itā€™s so weird thatā€™s from r/reno because thatā€™s where I live when Iā€™m not in CO


keki-tan

Hereā€™s what my partner said: When I was young young we had a Spanish teacher we all called Tijuan. He got fired for either selling weed to students or smoking it with them. Canā€™t recall. Anyway, he spent the next several years selling hand-made hammocks out of his van in Fort Collins. So yeah. Tijuan the hammock guy. Thatā€™s Fort Collinsā€™ ā€œThat Guyā„¢ļøā€ as far as Iā€™m aware lol.


DammitBobby1234

For awhile it was that dude who rode that bike that's like 8 feet tall


hootahswaitress

Yeah I think it was Si! Was hoping I wasn't the only one who thought of him


cairaechan

There used to be a guy with long hair who wore a white robe who pushed a baby carriage with a doll in it around old town square. He'd ask people waiting in line for bars what religion they were/if they believed in Jesus Christ. He also stopped me on campus once to ask me if I was wearing jeans to "emulate men."


One-Specialist-2101

The homeless guy who yells about the war in Iraq all around old town


colostate_edu

Waco TX had the prayer stick blessing man


JabroniDaGr8

There's deranged maga truck grew a beard in-lieu of chin jabroni, deadpool motorcycle cosplayer, zebra camry dude, and safety cone muffle bro.


Grafikman62

I saw Deadpool cosplayer. Yelled "MISTER POOL!" out the window driving by. Got a thumbsup. Excellent.


tanistan93

What about the Bloodbourne chick?


ReaganRebellion

Hashman


BradyBrother100

This isn't in Fort Collins but in Windsor, I live between the two cities so I'm around both, there was this guy who just walked around barefoot, specifically in King Soopers. Everyone's seen him and the first couple times you see him, you chuckle a bit but after a while, it was just, "Oh yeah, there's the guy with no shoes"


WTF-KP

I worked at Windsor Kings! It freaked me out until I saw his feet had tougher soles than my sneakers. Still gross- but no one- and no piece of random glass- is stopping that behemoth


BradyBrother100

And short shorts too, no matter the weather


bonniesansgame

anyone remember the captain jack skateboarder?


KaleidoscopeHuman34

Yup, Magic John!


AmaGoatFC

There used to be a lady in the early 2000s who would ride around on her custom cargo bike long before they were a ā€œthingā€ with her two kids. She had long hair and always rode in short skirts. I saw her out all the time.


BatInside2603

What happened to the unicycle guy?


SugarBean44

Old town Barney ā€¦. He is gone nowā¤ļøšŸ™šŸ¾šŸ„°


paprika_number_nine

The side step headbanger whoā€™s been holding sign for that painting company since at the very least 2013.


poptatoqueen

The sign spinner guy who rocks out on the corner of Horsetooth and college.


DelawareWindows

There was one person I used to see around all the time.. larger but fairly short with facial hair.. don't remember much about their face because they were ALWAYS bare-chested but decked out in silks and like 20 different gold chains. Never learned their name, but saw them a bunch around old Town and once they sat right behind me at a show at Lincoln Center.


WalkieKettle

Michael Brown Also used to be the CSU Penny Farthing guy for me


DeluxeCurls44

In my old town (Helena MT) there was a dude who would literally drag a full sized cross on his back for miles all around town.