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Toby Earley, also known as the Dancing Dude, busts a move along Diamond Lake Boulevard in Roseburg last week in front of the Colorcraft Paint and Wallpaper Store.
Roseburg motorists first caught a glimpse of Toby Earley last spring when he donned a blue getup as the Statue of Liberty and waved at cars passing by Liberty Tax Service on Garden Valley Boulevard.
While Earley was one of about a half-dozen temporary workers the tax preparation service employed over a 15-week period before the April 15 tax filing deadline, his nonstop dancing, gestures and smiles attracted the most notice.
“People still walk by and say ‘Aren't you the Liberty guy?'” Earley said, smiling.
Earley's shtick has continued to land him local gigs, calling attention to Loggers Gourmet Pizza on Northeast Stephens Street, Absolute Audio-Video on Stewart Parkway and Localvore Fresh Oregon Foods on East Central Avenue in Sutherlin.
Last week, the Idleyld Park resident performed a double dip, motioning to potential customers at Colorcraft Paint & Wallpaper on Diamond Lake Boulevard and the Jumpin' Java coffee stand in the same parking lot at Diamond Lake's intersection with Rifle Range Road.
With one hand, Earley, 30, held a lightweight plastic sign announcing “Sale” in red letters on one side and “Paint Now” on the other. He'd raise the sign above his head, move it side to side, all the while sashaying to some imagined music. With his other hand, he'd point at passing cars, wave and “pull the chain” to get semi truck drivers to blast their air horns.
“She gave me a big smile and a wave,” Earley said, acknowledging the reaction of one woman driving past. “That's a good friendly response.”
Earley tried to make eye contact with every driver passing by on Diamond Lake Boulevard — in both directions. And he didn't ignore those turning onto Diamond Lake from Rifle Range, either.
“The name of the game is to get attention,” he said. “Even someone who looks away sees me and that's a response.”
Some people waved at him. One woman smiled and just nodded her head up and down. One passenger in a pickup looked over but waited until the driver waved before he, too, waved at Earley.
Earley even finds a way to turn negative responses positive, although he said that doesn't happen very often.
“When they flip me off, I yell back ‘You're No. 1,' because they're telling me I'm No. 1,” he said.
Earley put down his sign and stood at attention as an ambulance, with lights and siren on, pulled up from Rifle Range and turned west onto Diamond Lake. As the ambulance made the turn away from him, Earley saluted.
Earley, who also works inside the Localvore store, said he had never served as a dancing advertisement before the Liberty job, but he said his endless energy makes him well suited to that kind of position.
“I always got in trouble in school for not staying in my seat. I spent a lot of time in detention,” he said, recalling his upbringing in Port Angeles, Wash.
His constant motion means he wears out a pair of tennis shoes in about four days of dancing on the sidewalk, he said.
Jo Adkins, who stopped for a coffee at Jumpin' Java, said she has enjoyed Earley's antics for months.
“He's really funny,” she said. “He's really good at it.”
Patsy Lillard, the former owner of Jumpin' Java and who still works there occasionally, said she admires Earley for his showmanship and his stamina. Watching him from the coffee stand, she said he hardly ever takes a break.
“I think he's pretty awesome at what he does,” Lillard said.
Five years after Colorcraft moved to Diamond Lake Boulevard from its former location on Southeast Stephens Street, a lot of people still don't know where the store is located. Having Earley dancing on the sidewalk helps draw attention to the store John Michel, owner of the Colorcraft store, said.
One customer told Michel he thought that style of advertising was “beneath him.” Michel said he pointed out that the man was in the shop making a purchase, so that the ploy must have worked.
He praised Earley for his energy and his upbeat attitude.
“He's really a good guy,” Michel said. “It's energized all of us.”
• You can reach reporter John Sowell at 957-4209 or by e-mail at jsowell@nrtoday.com.
While Earley was one of about a half-dozen temporary workers the tax preparation service employed over a 15-week period before the April 15 tax filing deadline, his nonstop dancing, gestures and smiles attracted the most notice.
“People still walk by and say ‘Aren't you the Liberty guy?'” Earley said, smiling.
Earley's shtick has continued to land him local gigs, calling attention to Loggers Gourmet Pizza on Northeast Stephens Street, Absolute Audio-Video on Stewart Parkway and Localvore Fresh Oregon Foods on East Central Avenue in Sutherlin.
Last week, the Idleyld Park resident performed a double dip, motioning to potential customers at Colorcraft Paint & Wallpaper on Diamond Lake Boulevard and the Jumpin' Java coffee stand in the same parking lot at Diamond Lake's intersection with Rifle Range Road.
With one hand, Earley, 30, held a lightweight plastic sign announcing “Sale” in red letters on one side and “Paint Now” on the other. He'd raise the sign above his head, move it side to side, all the while sashaying to some imagined music. With his other hand, he'd point at passing cars, wave and “pull the chain” to get semi truck drivers to blast their air horns.
“She gave me a big smile and a wave,” Earley said, acknowledging the reaction of one woman driving past. “That's a good friendly response.”
Earley tried to make eye contact with every driver passing by on Diamond Lake Boulevard — in both directions. And he didn't ignore those turning onto Diamond Lake from Rifle Range, either.
“The name of the game is to get attention,” he said. “Even someone who looks away sees me and that's a response.”
Some people waved at him. One woman smiled and just nodded her head up and down. One passenger in a pickup looked over but waited until the driver waved before he, too, waved at Earley.
Earley even finds a way to turn negative responses positive, although he said that doesn't happen very often.
“When they flip me off, I yell back ‘You're No. 1,' because they're telling me I'm No. 1,” he said.
Earley put down his sign and stood at attention as an ambulance, with lights and siren on, pulled up from Rifle Range and turned west onto Diamond Lake. As the ambulance made the turn away from him, Earley saluted.
Earley, who also works inside the Localvore store, said he had never served as a dancing advertisement before the Liberty job, but he said his endless energy makes him well suited to that kind of position.
“I always got in trouble in school for not staying in my seat. I spent a lot of time in detention,” he said, recalling his upbringing in Port Angeles, Wash.
His constant motion means he wears out a pair of tennis shoes in about four days of dancing on the sidewalk, he said.
Jo Adkins, who stopped for a coffee at Jumpin' Java, said she has enjoyed Earley's antics for months.
“He's really funny,” she said. “He's really good at it.”
Patsy Lillard, the former owner of Jumpin' Java and who still works there occasionally, said she admires Earley for his showmanship and his stamina. Watching him from the coffee stand, she said he hardly ever takes a break.
“I think he's pretty awesome at what he does,” Lillard said.
Five years after Colorcraft moved to Diamond Lake Boulevard from its former location on Southeast Stephens Street, a lot of people still don't know where the store is located. Having Earley dancing on the sidewalk helps draw attention to the store John Michel, owner of the Colorcraft store, said.
One customer told Michel he thought that style of advertising was “beneath him.” Michel said he pointed out that the man was in the shop making a purchase, so that the ploy must have worked.
He praised Earley for his energy and his upbeat attitude.
“He's really a good guy,” Michel said. “It's energized all of us.”
• You can reach reporter John Sowell at 957-4209 or by e-mail at jsowell@nrtoday.com.
