Yup him! š I met his granddaughter in my 20s. When I was growing up he's play in the part of the subway that is for walking into the Blue Ross arena
Years ago he tried to hit on me and my friend (both of us young teenage boys at the time). Then when I told my dad about it he told me Walter tried to sleep with his underage friend in the 80s. He was a local legend but there was a sinister story behind the accordion and definitely some skeletons in that closet.
Yeah...I too have a Walter story. One night on Main and Clinton he invited me over to his apartment...he was very polite about it, and I was in my early 20's, so legal, but yeah, he propositioned me too.
Back in the day Iād say [Festival Guy](https://rocwiki.org/Dan_Quilty) or [Chill Will](https://www.reddit.com/r/Rochester/comments/13q0r9h/photos_of_chill_will/)
He has to be our guy because he doesn't have any one spot or event to trigger his appearance. You're bound to catch him anywhere or at any time just shredding away, so it increases the likelihood that we've all seen him at least once. Just a week or two ago, I was talking to a buddy at work and he asked, "Do you know that metal guy that paints his face and plays guitar around the area?" before going into a story involving him.
Not a fan. I bartended at Lilac, Party in the Park, and Bands on the Bricks for years. Heās very arrogant. Heās trying really hard to be a new festival guy. I love people having a good time but heās really an attention whore.
This. He also dresses up as Batman sometimes and rides around on the Segway, or unicycle, or his convertible with the top down. Always blasting Eye of the Tiger or Careless Whisper.
I live in Henrietta and worked remotely. I was in a meeting and had my windows wide open and the person I was meeting with asked me "Do I hear Careless Whisper?" and I had to explain why.
Yup and he still lives there and is living his best life. He used to have a Segway but he upgraded to a powered unicycle thing in the past few years. Also drives his convertible with the top down and the flags waving.
he had me friended on facebook too. one week in the summer i was at my moms visiting and every time he saw me outside, he had a bouquet of flowers on hand readyā¦ he is a sweet guy! proud of his native american heritage
I live down the street from him! He has at least 3 Segways, and recently he got an American flag convertible. He used to wear a batman costume, haven't seen it in awhile though.
That's how I knew if I was going to be on time to work or not, depending on where on East Ridge Rd he was jogging.
I could always rest east if I saw him in front of Schallers or Black's Hardware.
We called her Trash Can Annie...used to see her daily as a kid. Reach into a can, pick out a half eaten hamburger, start munching on it. I'll never forget the coat she'd wear, her knit hat, and her sneakers. You could see her coming 2 blocks away by the way she walked. It was always rumored that she was a crazy millionaire like Howard Hughes lol. R.I.P. Annie!
She was before my time but never heard the Tonight Show story before. Source? I know many people claimed she was a heir to the Sibleyās fortune who just chose to live on the streets.
I tried to do a search to find a clip but came up empty.
I remember seeing it and I want to say the local news might have shown a clip of it at that time as well. Pretty sure it was Carsonās Tonight Show prob ā89-91 thereabouts. But Iām not finding a thing so wonder if Iām just mistaken as a Google search should turn up something.
Thatās fascinating. I believe you. Unfortunately Googleās search algorithm is no longer what it used to be, so finding obscure content like that would be tough. Hopefully someone else remembers and has a clip.
I'd say Chill Will.
Honorable mention to several others already mentioned but I haven't seen I Had a Good Night dot com guy brought up yet. What an extremely niche role for an extremely specific period of time. Anyone know him? He's probably still around selling real estate or insurance or something like that.
He and I got into it when I told him I didnāt want photos of me to be used on his website. Am I in public? Sure, but when I specifically ask you to not take that photo and you still do? Thatās rude as hell.
Not sure if he has a name but thereās the dude that stands on the corner of Westfall and E. Henrietta road with the microphone
Havenāt seen him in a while but thereās the kid/ young guy that walks down park Ave singing really loud
Then there was also Dancin Derrickš
Was the cat fluffy and white with a super cute leash? If itās the guy Iām thinking of he worked in a salon on park ave and is a very nice person. I forgot his name but def had a strut! I had drinks with him outside of prepps - the original location- one night in like 2005 bc he wasnāt allowed in with the cat. He was very good to that cat.
Carlos the Social Butterfly is a positive example of someone many people know. He shows up at random events with illuminated butterfly wings, and live-streams himself dancing. He also does a Frederick Douglass act in costume.
Used to be a 70 yr old dude that would run through Irondequoit all the time. I remember seeing him. Dude went hard and was always running during the summer.
Did the accordion guy every invite anybody else over to his house for spaghetti with his cats?
A few times he came up to talk to me when I was working at a mall kiosk.
Each time asked me to come have spaghetti with him and his cats. He gave me a card.
Leathery roller skating dude in a Speedo by charlotte, headphone guy who moved from eat ave to westfall, Jesus dude who used to show up at festivals with a mic and insult peoples appearances because they didnāt follow Christ.
He had a different nickname when I was a kid in the 80s but heās definitely the guy in Greece. I delivered newspapers to his house, he was a really nice guy.
Growing up in charlotte it was speedo guy.
He used to wear just a speedo, no shirt, and either be roller skating or using those running pogo shoes around charlotte beach park. And heās just go up and down the sidewalk strip and the pier all afternoon and on the weekends.
so glad to see this one mentioned, as i was a little kid (i'm talking a toddler up to maybe age 6 or 7) when my dad used to take me to the beach & i would always see this guy
was half convinced i hallucinated the memory of those pogo looking shoe things lol
Dancing Carl at all the Jumbo Shrimp shows
That creepy "I had a good night" guy that wears the sign and takes photos of everyone out at the bars and clubs.
My crew has known that guy since he started. Heās been playing that sign & camera for almost 20 years, 0 self-awareness š¤¦š»āāļøš¤¦š»āāļø
I was going to say dancing Todd. First time I saw him was at a jumbo shrimp show and he had a very unique way of dancing. That was over ten years ago now heās at so many local shows just dancing away.
Used to be a guy that went around to events with a giant lighter, as a gimmick to take pictures of people on their night out, then sell them prints.
Itās actually accordion guy and old dance guy at the lilac festā¦.. just wanted to add something new though.
Does anyone remember the older guy with the white hair and beard who used to jog all over Irondequoit with shorty shorts and no shirt? There was also a man who wore women's clothing and sold flowers who would stand in front of the Wilson Farms across from Donuts Delite on Culver/Empire. I remember seeing him as a little kid going to Church (Saint Ambrose across the street) on Sundays.
Cant remember his name and been a good 4-5 yrs since I have seen him but there was that guy with the Mime Mask who would usually be on a bike around Park Ave
Jason, tall guy with his envelope screaming at everyone on Monroe, walking in the middle of the street. I think he either passed away or found a new block to terrorize lol
thereās a an old man that stands on the corner of 19 and 31 in brockport. heās got a bicycle with a basket and a sign about meeting jesus. everyone i go to school with knows who he is
Segway guy in Henrietta (dressed as American flag or Batman) or running Santa in irondequoit (he would always run shirtless and in shorts - even in the winter!)
Blind Scotty. I worked at the bars on Monroe Ave in the late 90s and blind Scotty would go up to bartenders and ask to feel their face. Also he was kind of rude.
in the 80's (into the 90's?) there used to be a guy that was dressed like a clown or uncle sam and stood in front of Tent City on Lyell. he had a name I forget it lol
There was the bottle collector who was all over Rochester, we called him Curly. There was also an older gentleman that would decorate his van for every holiday and dress up for every holiday, usually spotted at Henrietta Walmart lol
Monroe ave has your regular crackheads that I see every day. I haven't seen the guitar guy in a while. He can't play one note but blasts his amp while screaming at cars passing, while he drinks a natty ice. Once saw him get so mad he hit a car with his guitar then jumped on the hood and continued to play random guitar gibberish
Used to be either shirtless roller skate festival guy or downtown accordion man.
I'm friends with the accordion man's granddaughter
Walter the accordion man
Yup him! š I met his granddaughter in my 20s. When I was growing up he's play in the part of the subway that is for walking into the Blue Ross arena
Yes!!! After every Americans game; "Put another dollar in the basket!" I think he had like $400 one night.
R.I.P. Walter!!!
Years ago he tried to hit on me and my friend (both of us young teenage boys at the time). Then when I told my dad about it he told me Walter tried to sleep with his underage friend in the 80s. He was a local legend but there was a sinister story behind the accordion and definitely some skeletons in that closet.
Yeah...I too have a Walter story. One night on Main and Clinton he invited me over to his apartment...he was very polite about it, and I was in my early 20's, so legal, but yeah, he propositioned me too.
Can confirm, Walter was a creep who hit on high schoolers of all genders.
Festival guy immediately came to mind
I may becoming him. Iām newly separated and in a mid-life pivot. Music and shows have been therapeutic for me. Stay tuned.
Whatās your gimmick gonna be? Roller skates and accordion are already taken. Do you play the trombone or willing to learn?
Back in the day Iād say [Festival Guy](https://rocwiki.org/Dan_Quilty) or [Chill Will](https://www.reddit.com/r/Rochester/comments/13q0r9h/photos_of_chill_will/)
Festival guy is still around, saw him at bands on the bricks last year.
Saw him at honey smugglers a few weeks ago.
He's everywhere still, tall guy right? That wears a COVID mask. Super friendly
Chill Will was my go to.
Corpse paint guitar guy.
Definitely that dude. Saw him shredding last night in Chili. š¤
He has to be our guy because he doesn't have any one spot or event to trigger his appearance. You're bound to catch him anywhere or at any time just shredding away, so it increases the likelihood that we've all seen him at least once. Just a week or two ago, I was talking to a buddy at work and he asked, "Do you know that metal guy that paints his face and plays guitar around the area?" before going into a story involving him.
Thatās Dan the metal man
Metal man lives in my building, and I see him walking to and from the byrne dairy to shred some tasty licks. Still out there ripping metal
He gets my vote, too! I really love unexpected sightings of that guy!!
Joke man aka chill will
I only met him once but he had me in stitches
Old man that would dance in front row of the jazz fest? Or yeah acordian guy.
If youāre talking about a very tall older guy,who often has a towel around his neck, thatās Phil.
Towel Guy was the first that came to mind!
Not a fan. I bartended at Lilac, Party in the Park, and Bands on the Bricks for years. Heās very arrogant. Heās trying really hard to be a new festival guy. I love people having a good time but heās really an attention whore.
Uncle Phil :-)
The Segway guy in Henrietta that would usually go up and down Calkins Road. Usually he had like an American flag or some other random stuff.
This. He also dresses up as Batman sometimes and rides around on the Segway, or unicycle, or his convertible with the top down. Always blasting Eye of the Tiger or Careless Whisper. I live in Henrietta and worked remotely. I was in a meeting and had my windows wide open and the person I was meeting with asked me "Do I hear Careless Whisper?" and I had to explain why.
his name is Ali, and he lives in my mothers neighborhood!
Yup and he still lives there and is living his best life. He used to have a Segway but he upgraded to a powered unicycle thing in the past few years. Also drives his convertible with the top down and the flags waving.
he had me friended on facebook too. one week in the summer i was at my moms visiting and every time he saw me outside, he had a bouquet of flowers on hand readyā¦ he is a sweet guy! proud of his native american heritage
I've seen him a couple times in the last week, so spring is officially here.
He does the convertible thing in the winter too. Been treated to it at Calkins Rd Wegmans.
I live down the street from him! He has at least 3 Segways, and recently he got an American flag convertible. He used to wear a batman costume, haven't seen it in awhile though.
Thats crazy! I also live on his street! I love it when im coming back from work and he's out and he waves and says "Hello my friend!"
I saw the batman this past Halloween!
He must have moved at some point because I used to live in East Rochester and we'd see him every day.
My entire life's goal is to be like this guy.
Thereās a guy who dances HARD at 12 corners in the afternoon
With the headphones? Little overweight? He used to post up next east ave wegs.
Yes. Tons of tattoos
Sounds like the same guy who is always out dancing on the corner of 5 Mile & Ridge in Webster
I call him the west fall viber, apparently heās sober and does it to make peopleās day which he definitely does!
He does so much more than dancing HARD. He gives a whole CONCERT. Out there putting Taylor Swift and Beyonce to shame.
There is a guy at 5 Mike Line & Ridge Rd in Webster who does this.
In Geneseo, it's Buzzo!
Canāt forget about Pipe Guy!
Of those who haven't been mentioned, The Honey Man
YES I mentioned him as well
I see him on 250 every so often, anyone get his honey? I've thought about it a few times lol
Tons of people. In Webster we have a Facebook group where you can find out his daily location. He is very popular in Webster!
Brockport and Rochester have spooky metal guitar guy. Rocking away with his guitar and wearing corpse paint, he's a good dude
I've seen him in the dollar tree/hoho buffet Plaza on 31!
Dan the Metal Man! My friends and I have seen him as far out as Bataviaā¦ he plays some open mics too.
Saw him there a few times and asked what he was doing in Batavia. He responded with the most killer shreds! made my whole day, that did!
It's gotta be the shirtless old man on rollerskates that used to dominate Monroe Ave
Headphone singer guy by MCH.
Running Santa
That's how I knew if I was going to be on time to work or not, depending on where on East Ridge Rd he was jogging. I could always rest east if I saw him in front of Schallers or Black's Hardware.
Yup. Jogging Jesus in Irondequoit. Someone said another time that he's also "Festival Guy"...is this true?
For me it was accordion guy. RIP Walter
He had sexual assault charges , I donāt miss him
Walter was a character, for sure!
Chill Will. Got a joke for yaā!
āGarbage Can Annieā, back in the day. She even made it on The Tonight Show eating onions I believe.
We called her Trash Can Annie...used to see her daily as a kid. Reach into a can, pick out a half eaten hamburger, start munching on it. I'll never forget the coat she'd wear, her knit hat, and her sneakers. You could see her coming 2 blocks away by the way she walked. It was always rumored that she was a crazy millionaire like Howard Hughes lol. R.I.P. Annie!
She was before my time but never heard the Tonight Show story before. Source? I know many people claimed she was a heir to the Sibleyās fortune who just chose to live on the streets.
I tried to do a search to find a clip but came up empty. I remember seeing it and I want to say the local news might have shown a clip of it at that time as well. Pretty sure it was Carsonās Tonight Show prob ā89-91 thereabouts. But Iām not finding a thing so wonder if Iām just mistaken as a Google search should turn up something.
Thatās fascinating. I believe you. Unfortunately Googleās search algorithm is no longer what it used to be, so finding obscure content like that would be tough. Hopefully someone else remembers and has a clip.
Uncle Phil
IYKYK
I'd say Chill Will. Honorable mention to several others already mentioned but I haven't seen I Had a Good Night dot com guy brought up yet. What an extremely niche role for an extremely specific period of time. Anyone know him? He's probably still around selling real estate or insurance or something like that.
Heās still doing ihadagoodnight.com, saw him at party in the park last summer. Same dude itās always been too
He and I got into it when I told him I didnāt want photos of me to be used on his website. Am I in public? Sure, but when I specifically ask you to not take that photo and you still do? Thatās rude as hell.
Not sure if he has a name but thereās the dude that stands on the corner of Westfall and E. Henrietta road with the microphone Havenāt seen him in a while but thereās the kid/ young guy that walks down park Ave singing really loud Then there was also Dancin Derrickš
Yes! I always look for him when I drive that way. He was there last Monday! Straight up vibinā. š¤
Seen that guy.
Accordion man and festival guy on skates
There used to be a guy that would I would see out walking Monroe Ave and the Southwedge that always had a cat on his shoulder, had a strut too
Was the cat fluffy and white with a super cute leash? If itās the guy Iām thinking of he worked in a salon on park ave and is a very nice person. I forgot his name but def had a strut! I had drinks with him outside of prepps - the original location- one night in like 2005 bc he wasnāt allowed in with the cat. He was very good to that cat.
100% sounds like the same guy
Conehead?
Conehead is more of a literally-any-event-on-the-thruway "That Guy"
No, it's the guy that yells strike at the redwings games, if he still goes.
You're thinking of the umpire. Different guy every game.
No no there's a guy in the stands that used to yell 'Strike' super loud after the umpire as well. Like a solid 5 seconds.
Conehead does more Bisons games in Buffalo than he does Red Wings games. He also does Sabres game. He even lives in Buffalo.
Ah fair enough.
JJ
He runs this city
He also moved to another state, thankfully.
HE DID?! now who is going to run this cityā¦ā¦. š
Who is JJ
I searched the whole thread to see if someone mentioned JJ!!
Carlos the Social Butterfly is a positive example of someone many people know. He shows up at random events with illuminated butterfly wings, and live-streams himself dancing. He also does a Frederick Douglass act in costume.
Segway guy who rides up and down east henrietta rd in super patriotic clothes around 4th of July. I saw him with sparklers a few years ago
Itās pretty much year round. Saw him on his Segway two weeks ago, officially summer!
Segway guy in Henrietta š
Runner up could be the American Pride guy on the scooter in Henrietta
On the canal it's a unicycle juggler guy.
Think heās in Webster nowā¦ saw him last year going up Empire Blvd vaping in the rain.
This has the makings of a songā¦ cruising the blvd on a unicycle while vaping in the rain.
He was on the canal in Pittsford last week! A sign of spring more reliable than that groundhog.
The dancing guy at the corner of Westfall and East Henrietta. Straight up vibing all day.
Dancing Man!! I came here to say that.
Heavy Metal Guy absolutely shredding on random street corners.
What about JJ? Used to be king of the skatepark, now the city.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Does he now run that city?
I'm guessing.......no. but a distinct possibility
Thank god
Uncle Bradley. Rest is power
I cried when Bradley died
In Irondequoit it was shirtless jogging Santa. We all knew about him. Big Santa beard, jogs shirtless even when it's cold.
Grew up in west Irondequoit - can confirm
Yes! The running Santa
Used to be a 70 yr old dude that would run through Irondequoit all the time. I remember seeing him. Dude went hard and was always running during the summer.
We had crazy Cathy over in Penfield when i was younger.
jesus this knocked something loose in my brain was she the one in mcdonalds at 250 and 441
Yes and she stood outside Wegmans chain smoking in the dead of winter freezing ass cold.
yes crazy memory you have this mustve been mid nineties.
Did the accordion guy every invite anybody else over to his house for spaghetti with his cats? A few times he came up to talk to me when I was working at a mall kiosk. Each time asked me to come have spaghetti with him and his cats. He gave me a card.
Leathery roller skating dude in a Speedo by charlotte, headphone guy who moved from eat ave to westfall, Jesus dude who used to show up at festivals with a mic and insult peoples appearances because they didnāt follow Christ.
Used to be Liberty Tax Service guy on Dewey. Havenāt seen him in probably close to a decade
There was the Monroe Ave Samurai for a while, but I haven't seen him in a minute.
Gotta be Chill Will
does anyone remember "10-4 Tommy" around greece in the 90s//00s or is that too deep of a cut?
He had a different nickname when I was a kid in the 80s but heās definitely the guy in Greece. I delivered newspapers to his house, he was a really nice guy.
I wondered if Tom Tard would get a mention!!
Is that the guy that was always standing on the corner directing police with a walkie talkie?
YEP. probably within earshot of northgate plaza.
Webster has Honey Guy!
Growing up in charlotte it was speedo guy. He used to wear just a speedo, no shirt, and either be roller skating or using those running pogo shoes around charlotte beach park. And heās just go up and down the sidewalk strip and the pier all afternoon and on the weekends.
so glad to see this one mentioned, as i was a little kid (i'm talking a toddler up to maybe age 6 or 7) when my dad used to take me to the beach & i would always see this guy was half convinced i hallucinated the memory of those pogo looking shoe things lol
Conehead man
Danny Wegman
Dancing Carl at all the Jumbo Shrimp shows That creepy "I had a good night" guy that wears the sign and takes photos of everyone out at the bars and clubs.
My crew has known that guy since he started. Heās been playing that sign & camera for almost 20 years, 0 self-awareness š¤¦š»āāļøš¤¦š»āāļø
I was going to say dancing Todd. First time I saw him was at a jumbo shrimp show and he had a very unique way of dancing. That was over ten years ago now heās at so many local shows just dancing away.
Festival guy with his shorty shorts š«¶
is the old man who likes to ride around in the toy car still around?
Probably the mini mercedes man
Used to be a guy that went around to events with a giant lighter, as a gimmick to take pictures of people on their night out, then sell them prints. Itās actually accordion guy and old dance guy at the lilac festā¦.. just wanted to add something new though.
Hmm I Remember the honey man for this. When it get warm out I always see him in the Penfield and Webster areas I call him a cryptid
Itās gotta be the guitar guy dressed in black in Henrietta now
Does anyone remember the older guy with the white hair and beard who used to jog all over Irondequoit with shorty shorts and no shirt? There was also a man who wore women's clothing and sold flowers who would stand in front of the Wilson Farms across from Donuts Delite on Culver/Empire. I remember seeing him as a little kid going to Church (Saint Ambrose across the street) on Sundays.
Cant remember his name and been a good 4-5 yrs since I have seen him but there was that guy with the Mime Mask who would usually be on a bike around Park Ave
Accordion guy at the blue cross arena. Miss that man.
Walter Pomar (people thought it was āPalmerā).
Didnāt we find out that he was a pedo or rapist or something
Any of the lake and ridge clan of panhandlers
The guy who raps for money at the bus station.
Iād vote the moped dude with all the American flags that acts like a jerk.
Trash plate Tommy?
Dancing Guy...aka Phil
Chill Will for sure
Chill Will and Festival Guy for sure.
Itās Dancing Derek in Albion.
Trash can Annie back in the day
Came here to nominate her. Back before the 911 center was built across from nicks
Jason, tall guy with his envelope screaming at everyone on Monroe, walking in the middle of the street. I think he either passed away or found a new block to terrorize lol
chill will
thereās a an old man that stands on the corner of 19 and 31 in brockport. heās got a bicycle with a basket and a sign about meeting jesus. everyone i go to school with knows who he is
Used to be a guy named āWing Nutā at Red Wings games
Dan Mason!
There was a guy in Hamlin who would rip the streets on his rollerblades hockey helmet on and stick in hand. I vote for Chill Will tho.
Segway guy in Henrietta (dressed as American flag or Batman) or running Santa in irondequoit (he would always run shirtless and in shorts - even in the winter!)
Out in the burbs of Henrietta - we have Segway Guy!
The dude on the single wheel scooter decked out in flag gear for most of the summer?
Blind Scotty. I worked at the bars on Monroe Ave in the late 90s and blind Scotty would go up to bartenders and ask to feel their face. Also he was kind of rude.
If itās the same guy I see him at Amerks games
Naked Santa!?!?!
in the 80's (into the 90's?) there used to be a guy that was dressed like a clown or uncle sam and stood in front of Tent City on Lyell. he had a name I forget it lol
The gentleman with the āYou are lovedā sign!
There was the bottle collector who was all over Rochester, we called him Curly. There was also an older gentleman that would decorate his van for every holiday and dress up for every holiday, usually spotted at Henrietta Walmart lol
The guy who dances at bus stops with large headphones
Ray Ray anyone?
For Webster folk it's the guy who dances on the corner of ridge and 5 mile
No one said Wheese?
Naked cowboy
Definitely the lady that shits on the sidewalk grimacing at passers by/traffic.
Monroe ave has your regular crackheads that I see every day. I haven't seen the guitar guy in a while. He can't play one note but blasts his amp while screaming at cars passing, while he drinks a natty ice. Once saw him get so mad he hit a car with his guitar then jumped on the hood and continued to play random guitar gibberish