From little girls in ballet outfits on their way to a dance recital to

an elderly couple sitting near the fountain, the sounds of people reached every corner of the square.

Late yesterday afternoon the clicking of spoons captured the attention of passers-by near the alley by the Capitol Arts Center. The man known as “Spoon Man” sang his heart out in hopes a pedestrian would drop a quarter or two into his white bucket.

“What really gets me are people with nice cars who don’t put a quarter in my bucket,” he said. “The Lord tells me it’s wrong to put people down but I have only made $4 today.”

As the sun sets behind the buildings, couples passed him on their way to dinner. As more people started dropping change in the bucket, the clicking from spoons grew faster.

“My granddaddy taught me how to play when I was 6 and now I’m 61 years old,” he said. “I started with wooden and as I got better played metal spoons.”

Moments after a young girl and her mother passed “Spoon Man” the little girl ran and put a dollar bill in the bucket.

“It’s little kids with the hearts, they always know the right thing to do,” he said.

“Spoon Man” said he’s on the square from 7 a.m. until dark.

“I’m here every day it ain’t raining but Sunday,” he said.

“Spoon Man” also known as “Rooster” has been on the square about a year, occupying his time to keep his mind off the death of his wife, who he said died about three years ago.

“I’ll be playing until I’m on the other side,” he said.