Like many of you, I ended up standing in line this past week for a chance to meet Sonny Shroyer or, as he is better known to most folks, Enos Strate of "Dukes of Hazzard" fame.
Now let me explain that I’m not a line-stander. I’m not into autographs or stuff like that. I barely have the patience to stand in line at Walmart for something I need, let alone spend an hour in line for someone to put their John Hancock on a picture. I’m not even into waiting in line to meet the prince or princess of the week at Disney as I, much to the chagrin of my family, wandered off with my oldest son last time we were at the Magic Kingdom to ride rides while the rest of the gang wanted in line to pose for a picture alongside some kid in a Cinderella costume.
However, in the case of Enos, I was there for a friend. Seth Wright, who puts the graphics together for the paper and also does all my book covers for the wildly successful R.D. Sherrill novels, is a huge "Hazzard" fan. Therefore, being the good friend that I am, I decided to wait in line to get him an autograph. But, I had no sooner got in line that I realized they were charging for autographs. Imagine that, getting paid to sign stuff. As luck would have it, I’d arrived with nothing in my pockets but some lint. So, I decided to play Frogger on the highway and run across the street from the Complex and buy something at the drug store so I could get cash.
After surviving my crossing of McMinnville Highway, I settled into line, sweat dripping from my brow. I’d been standing there for about 15 minutes when I noticed this one young man with a laundry basket full of memorabilia.
“Surely he isn’t going to get ALL of that signed,” the lady behind me commented.
“Let’s hope not,” I responded.
With it taking a good 30 minutes for the guy to get his stuff signed, we finally hit the table where Enos’ wife was selling pictures and taking up money. I gave her a 10 bill for picture I could get signed.
“I didn’t know there was a charge just for an autograph,” the woman said behind me. She and her grandson had waited dutifully behind me for an hour. “I just wanted my shirt signed.”
I looked at the shirt that had been signed by other cast members from the Dukes. “Here, keep the 20,” I told Mrs. Enos, paying for her autograph.
“Thank you very much,” she seemed surprised.
“Ah, I’d just blow the other 10 anyway,” I laughed.
That’s when I reached Enos. He grasped my hand like an old friend and began talking. I handed him the newspaper which had his picture on the front.
“I’m never on the front page of a newspaper,” he seemed genuinely touched as I handed him my picture to sign.
“This is for a buddy?” he asked. “Nothing for you?”
That’s when he whipped out a picture. “What’s YOUR name,” he asked and then signed it to me. “And while I’m at it …”
He pulled out a big cast picture of the Dukes and signed it to the Smithville Review.
They say that what comes around, goes around. I’ve just never seen it happen so fast.
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