A crowd of wig-wearing people, some with drawn-on beards, filled up the Talkers Tap Room’s southside location Saturday night for a Beer and Canvas event to celebrate the birthday of cultural icon and painting teacher Bob Ross.
Ross, who was known for his soft voice and calm outlook on life, died in 1995.
“We’re working with Guinness on getting a world record established for the amount of people at one event dressed like Bob Ross,” Owner of the Tap Room Skip Daley said.
Daley, who organized the event, said this is the first time they have tried the promotion and he hopes to make it an annual tradition. He said it was a collaboration between the Tap Room and Kev Stockbridge from WBWB-FM 96.7 radio.
“I think anybody who ever grew up in the ’80s or ’90s was a huge Bob Ross fan,” Stockbridge said. “Whether you used it as a sleep aid or just to enjoy a lazy Friday afternoon, Bob Ross was always there.”
Stockbridge, better known by his radio name, Kev the Flyin’ Hawaiian, was master of ceremonies for the event. He read trivia questions and controlled the Ross painting tutorial that played on a flat-screen television above the bar.
When people needed to catch up on painting, he would pause the video and on occasion ask people if they needed a refill on their beers, provided by Quaff ON! Brewery.
Like many of the attendees, Stockbridge donned a permed wig and blue button-down shirt in typical Ross fashion.
In attendance was Cindy Dabney, who plays trivia at Talker’s Tap Room on Thursdays.
She said Daley told her about the event but she did not know who Ross was until she committed to the outfit and decided to watch one of his videos.
“I’ve never been to anything quite like it,” Dabney said. “I’ve certainly done a wine and canvas before, but doing the Ross theme — and the ridiculously good price — it was worth it.”
As customers entered the bar, the group of painters would greet them with “Hey, Bob,” even when the patrons were not there for the beer tasting and painting.
At the end of the tutorial, the 20 or so that came to paint mountainous regions with green happy trees, a Ross term, assembled in the front of the tap room for a photo with their paintings. Daley said they will use the photo as part of the establishing documents for the record of most Ross impersonators.
Judging by the success of this event, Daley said he might have more frequent Beer and Canvas events at both the southside and westside locations of Talkers Tap Room.
He said, in the future, they want to turn the event to a full-day celebration of Ross, which would include expanding into the parking lot.
“He has a cult following for a reason,” Daley said.
