Lucky rabbit foot

Huey Cooper, Lake City, SC   

Hmmm....looking up the details on this statue in Lake City, SC I discovered that he was a beloved pan handler who let folks rub his lucky rabbit good for a nickel. The other interesting fact is that the police department built him a little house and he lived to be 105. He sounds like a character that found a home in their hearts.

I realize I owe you some actual Charleston Daily Photos but I did get a good haul of blog fodder shots on my recent trip to Lake City. I'll bring you back home to the lowcountry shortly. 

The statue, created by Florence’s resident sculptor Alex Palkovich, is a bronze, larger than life portrait of Huey Cooper based on photographs of the man sitting in one of his favorite spots. Cooper became a Lake City icon with his lucky rabbit’s foot and walking cane, his requests for nickels and his whistling invitations.
Originally hailing from Williamsburg County, Cooper made Lake City his home and lived in many places throughout the town: in the shed at the back of one couple’s yard, in another behind one grandmother’s home, in a small home built for him by the city’s police department behind the now-gone Dairy Queen.
A familiar face in Lake City for decades, several generations of those growing up in Lake City have a story or two to share about Huey Cooper. Most can recall giving him nickels to rub his lucky rabbit’s foot – something today’s visitors can now continue. His statue proudly offers a rabbit’s foot for luck just as Cooper once did and a small coin slot in his pants pocket allows nickels to be deposited.