Kenneth Harmon, also known as Papaw the "Sad Grandpa," became the subject of a viral photo earlier after his granddaughter, Kelsey Harmon, 19, posted that no one execpt her came to her grandfather's dinner. The old man prepared meals that his grandchildren used to enjoy with him when they were little, but the dinner he was looking forward to ended up becoming a sad story.
The teenager revealed how Papaw waited for her five of her cousins, but as hours went by, it was clear that no one else was coming. So, she and Papaw shared a burger together and she happened to snap a photo of him looking pensive and sad. Netizens quickly sympathized with the old man after his photo was posted, and later, Kelsey's cousins received criticism from the public for abandoning their grandfather.
But now, it looks like it's all going work out as the family is planning a big cookout with friends at Purcell, Okla. on Saturday, March 26. Papaw is also inviting his new family - the people who showed their love and sympathy for him on the internet.
"Hopefully, people come in, eat, get their pictures taken, hang out for thirty minutes or so and be courteous enough to make room for other people to show up," Papaw's grandson, Brock Harmon, 20, said, after he announced the details of the cookout on Twitter.
The older Harmon grandkid said he got the idea from Papaw himself, and from there they also hatched a plan to sell shirts for guests. It will have "I had a burger with Papaw" on it.
Profits from the cookout will go to some of Papaw's grandchildren's college fund as well as other charity options. "We can't believe something that small blew up like this. It's crazy how social media can take something so little and magnify it to be ridiculously crazy," added Brock Harmon. "No one would ever think that our Papaw would be the most famous Papaw in the world."
Here's the original photo that Kelsey Harmon shared of Papaw that had the internet calling him the "Sad Grandpa." It has since received more than 174,000 retweets and almost 287,000 likes after it was shared on Twitter.
"I've had many, many messages telling me my post inspired people everywhere to visit their grandparents. And that means so much to me," Kelsey Harmon said before reiterating how family should be everything.