Sad Papaw No Longer Sad: Thousands Wait in Line for Burgers at His Cookout
People traveled from all over the U.S. to get a selfie with Papaw.
— -- Kenny "Papaw" Harmon, America’s newly beloved grandpa, had a cookout in Oklahoma this weekend and it attracted thousands of people from all over the world.
“It was crazy,” Brock Harmon, one of Harmon's six grandchildren, told ABC News. “There were probably 2,000 to 2,500 people there,” adding that people had traveled all the way from Australia and Hong Kong to meet the infamous “Sad Papaw.”
Brock Harmon never thought so many people would come to the event. “It’s pretty insane to see how something so little on social media can turn into something huge,” he remarked.
"Papaw" become an Internet celebrity when his granddaughter Kelsey Harmon, posted a photo on Twitter on March 16 of Papaw eating a burger alone. Twitter users began pouring their hearts to Papaw and the nickname “Sad Papaw” instantly became a meme.
(It was later clarified that all of Harmon's grandchildren were invited to his home at the last minute for burgers but could not make it because of prior obligations that night).
Papaw decided to host a cookout -- one that "everyone" was invited to -- and it took a week to prep, according to Brock. There were around 15 people helping cook burgers that “never left the grill the whole time."
People were waiting in line for almost an hour to get one of Papaw’s burgers that apparently were really good. “I haven’t heard a bad comment about them yet,” Brock said.
The attendees also got a chance to meet Papaw and take a selfie with him, sharing stories of their travels to Oklahoma and memories of their own grandparents.
“The most special moment of the day was seeing my grandpa cry,” Brock said. He added that he never saw his grandfather cry before, but there were “a couple of people telling their stories that made him tear up. He was really touched.”
Burgers cost $2 and the Harmon family also sold hats and T-shirts. All cookout expenses will be paid first and whatever is left over will be given to Papaw.
Brock said the event helped “make people realize that your grandparents aren’t going to be around forever and to call them up and tell them you love them.”