Edgar the Barber
Edgar the Barber was one of those characters I remember from my youth. He looked like a cross between “Doc” from Gunsmoke and Floyd the Barber from The Andy Griffith Show.
It was said Edgar could cut hair better drunk than sober. I know he cut my hair a couple times but I don’t recall how good a job he did or if he was drunk doing it. I remember him taking a few sips of beer while cutting my hair though.
He had a little shop in Pulaski up the street from the local tavern, Bill and Babes, where he frequented in his idle time.
My Dad tells the story of how one time Edgar had got into a race with another guy and ended up in the middle of a field. The guy with him was thrown from the car and passed out in the field. When asked if he was still alive, Edgar took the heel of his boot and dug it into the other guys hand. When the guy flinched from the pain, Edgar pronounced the guy was OK.
Edgar ended up losing his drivers license so he bought a horse to ride into town. Edgar would get drunk and get on the horse and ride it home. with the horse knowing the way. Who needs GPS anyway? One time the locals hid the horse from Edgar as a joke. I think it took awhile for Edgar to find the horse, but he eventually was able to find him and get a ride home.
Then there was the time Edgar bet a local farmer that he could out run the farmer driving a grain truck while Edgar was on foot. They raced up the street in town. As Edgar neared the finish line, he dove onto the asphalt head first to try to beat the farmer. Not sure who won but Edgar got pretty scraped up, but felt no pain from a few drinks he had before the race.
Good times. Good times.
