DIBBLE, Okla. – Millions were sad when they heard about Oklahoma grandparent Kenny "Sad Papaw" Harmon. In fact, so sad that hundreds made their way to Dibble, Oklahoma and stood in line for the chance to grab a $2 burger and meet him.
They held t-shirts and posed for pictures, as the smell of burgers grilling wafted through the air.
Family member Rodney Harmon said the family is overwhelmed by the turnout and all the publicity.
Hundreds showed up to meet a man they heard about on the internet
"We are not a big family on the publicity,” Harmon said in an interview with KFOR. “It’s kinda been hectic. We’ve been busy getting stuff ready for this cookout. There are folks here from Pennsylvania, Virginia, New York, California, Germany."
"Sad Papaw" became an Internet sensation after one post on social media and that left Harmon shocked.
“It’s fantastic. Hard to believe that this many people are excited about a cookout,” said Kenny “Sad Papaw” Harmon.
It all started when "Papaw" learned his granddaughter Kelsey was in town. He wanted to get the grandchildren together for burgers.
“My grandkids have always been very special to me,” he said.
He made 12 burgers for six grandchildren. Kelsey was the only one who showed up. His family told KFOR it was all a misunderstanding.
“It was all my fault. My children were not there because I had an intense day at work. My dad called, and I told him I would tell the kids to forget all about it,” said Ryan Harmon.
Hundreds showed up to meet a man they heard about on the internet
Kelsey posted a picture on Twitter of "Sad Papaw" and the tweet went viral. Millions commented on the story, leading to hundreds showing up for this cookout in his honor.
“I’ve always been one who thought the Internet was a place where you say what you want. You don’t have to act on, but the Internet stepped up today and showed my father they do care about the elderly," said Ryan Harmon.
Papaw started this day off with six grandchildren. But by the end of the day, his family had grown much larger than he could have ever imagined.
“Thank you. Thank you very much for showing your support for papaw and our family we really appreciate it,” said Ryan Harmon.
