Circle K, coffee and a cock-a-doodle-doo
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on August 20, 2018 5:50 AM
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Harvey makes his rounds early Wednesday morning outside the Circle K on Wayne Memorial Drive, peeking to see if anything has been left on the ledge around the corner of the building.
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Early Wednesday morning Harvey CK crows to welcome customers walking in and out of the Circle K on Wayne Memorial Drive. Occasionally, one of Harvey's regulars will exit the store and meet him at the flagpole for a quick break before they both head back to work.
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Harvey the Head Rooster in Charge stands guard in front of the Circle K on Wayne Memorial Drive.
About eight months ago, a plucky and -- at times -- cocky resident came home to roost at the Circle K on Wayne Memorial Drive.
He was no spring chicken, mind you, but had been so outstanding in his field that a plan was quickly hatched for him to become security of sorts.
The red-headed addition was egged on by staff and customers alike, especially since he didn't ruffle any feathers and fit easily into the store's pecking order.
"He's security. He's on duty," said Kim Weaver, manager of the business for nearly a year. "He's just hanging out by the front door doing his job."
She can remember the first time she saw the peckish stranger, who works for food.
"I believe he lives on the tree line," she said, pointing behind the business on the heavily traveled thoroughfare. "He just showed up here one day. I just saw him sitting there (outside).
He would come underneath the tree. That's where he had to stay.
"The next day I went outside and there he was again."
Perhaps he didn't like being cooped up -- or was hen-pecked at home -- but the new arrival quickly developed a following.
She is referring to the "Circle K rooster," whose popularity grew so fast that she named him.
"I figured, if he's going to be a frequent flier here, I might as well give him a name," she said. "So I thought, what about Harvey?"
Turns out Harvey has been a feather in her cap, as customers have responded to his presence.
"He's fun," she said. "I walk out every morning. I get a hot dog and I rattle the wrapper and he follows me like a little puppy."
Harvey shows up faithfully, but little is known about him, Weaver says.
"You have the apartment complex, you have houses over there but where did he come from?" she asked. "And he's here every day. When it's morning you'll hear him. He'll roost. He'll crow.
"There's times he'll walk the whole area where the gas pumps are. He doesn't approach people and he doesn't bother anybody."
Assistant customer service representative Michelle Woodard said the laid-back bird doesn't run a-fowl.
"Every morning, when I come in it's about 6 o'clock, he's trotting up. He will come to the door and just wait for somebody to come out and feed him," he said. "I sometimes will take a hot dog, break up the bread and he'll just sit there and eat it."
Assistant manager Shanna Carson also admits to feeding Harvey, especially on days when Weaver isn't working.
"Every morning he's here to eat," she said. "He comes to the door and he's ready to eat. I'll walk him out to the flagpole.
"Then when all the customers come in -- they love him. They think it's neat that he's here."
The employees are not alone.
Others are willing to wing it when it comes to treating Harvey to a snack.
"I have one gentleman that comes every day, I don't know his name but he'll buy those Grandma oatmeal cookies and feed him the whole package," Weaver said. "Another man, he'll give him packs of Lance sunflower kernels. He eats anything -- anything you take out there, he'll eat it."
Harvey typically makes his debut early in the morning, crowing to announce his arrival. And then sometimes around lunch time, he'll make another appearance.
Customers love it, Weaver said.
"You do not know how much attention he gets on a daily basis," she said. "You would not believe how much Harvey has helped this store. Now people want to make sure he's here -- 'Have you seen Harvey?' they'll ask.
"There are so many people that come and take pictures of him, take a little video of him. They'll come in and say, 'Do you know you have a rooster outside?'"
To keep the momentum going, a Facebook page was launched earlier this month.
"Before I go to work, I'd stop by the Circle K and see the rooster," said the man responsible for the page, remaining anonymous to maintain the mystique. "Some of the guys I work with would also stop and get coffee. I thought, this is pretty cool. It's odd -- I would say he's an odd rooster because for the most part roosters are not friendly but this guy, I think he thinks people are his chickens.
"He loves to show off in the morning -- he'll throw his feathers out, fluff them out, he's crowing a lot in the morning. He's the only rooster I know that sleeps on the ground and lays on his side."
Someone he knows suggested a Facebook page.
The man chuckled that he doesn't even have his own Facebook page but it seemed like a good idea so decided to run with it. He created "Harvey CK," which of course, stands for Circle K.
"I decided to do it because a lot of customers do go there to see him," he said.
The man who manages the public Facebook page takes on the persona of "Harvey" and said it is all good-natured fun.
He accepts friend requests and the page has already topped 100 friends.
Anything to make others smile or giggle, he said. The only criteria, he added, are to "keep it clean" and stay positive.
"Facebook has a lot of drama but it has a lot of good stuff, too," he said. "If anybody says anything to us (on Facebook) I'm going to respond as if I'm the rooster as best I can. I have actually had several people try to figure out who I am and ask, 'Who's this?' I'll respond, 'No, it's Harvey.'"
Several have even mentioned taking on the old bird as a project.
"We're considering trying to figure out a way to adopt him because there are foxes and dogs that run around," the man said.
For now, he says that Harvey is doing a good job of generating goodwill at the local Circle K.
"My goal is -- and it won't but I'd like to bring the whole community together," he said. "I'm 100 percent about everybody coming together and all the worries are just gone.
"You start off the day in a good mood because there's Harvey, the odd rooster."