Since last week, it’s been clear that a lot of people care for Raynard Nebbitt, the guy who always greets motorists driving under the Rock Hill Road overpass of Interstate 44 with a smile and a wave. Make that the Raynard Nebbitt Overpass, the name the Webster Groves City Council gave the bridge.
Followers of this blog, jimmerkelthewriter.com, may recall that a strange thing happened starting Monday, Oct. 17. Thousands viewed a short blog post I did about a vignette about Raynard in my book The Colorful Characters of St. Louis. The last time I checked, almost 35,000 had seen the entry, called That Guy on the Overpass. It’s a touching example of how my book has pointed lights on people in St. Louis who deserve notice.
The interest in Raynard made me think that some people might want to say hello to Raynard. For those, Raynard will be at a previously-scheduled signing I’ll be doing of Colorful Characters from 3-6 p.m. Saturday, Oct.29 at The Novel Neighbor, 7905 Big Bend Blvd. I’d like it if you’d purchase my book and ask me to sign it, or if you’d buy something else at this delightful little store. But even if you don’t plan to buy anything, come anyway. Raynard would love to see you.
By all means, please pass this on. Who knows? Maybe another 35,000 people will see this post. That would be fitting, considering the many thousand Raynard has greeted over the years.
Jim Merkel the Writer 