NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — In Nashville, we're always looking for the next big star. Well, perhaps we've found one.
People want his picture, they come to see him, and we can honestly say we haven't met anyone quite like him.
"We get people honking their horns, we get people rolling down their windows, telling us how much they love him," said Emily Fay.
This budding celebrity is in an east Nashville neighborhood.
"Yeah, Jim!" said neighbor Paige Sigman. "A lot of people stop by, and they're taking photos and some of them have come from out of town."
"Juniper Jim!" Fay said.
As part of Fay's yard was a large juniper bush with two painted eyes in the branches.
"I never thought it'd become such a big thing that everybody loves!" Fay laughed. "It kinda stuck!"
Fay is Jim's person. It was last Halloween that she added the eyes to Jim. Think Frosty with the old silk hat. Suddenly, Jim just came alive.
"The first time you saw that, did you say 'that's a star?'" I asked Fay.
She laughed.
"He's just a cool, happy dude!"
In the short time I was there, people were stopping to see Jim.
"You can definitely catch him coming over the rise," said one driver.
"So, you've never seen a juniper with eyeballs before?" I asked him.
"No, I don't think I have!"
On Google Maps, Jim's become a tourist attraction with five star reviews. Emily suggests keeping up with Jim on the Jim_the_Juniper Instagram page.
"I do have Jim outfits," Fay said. "I have a bunch of big crates for Jim outfits underneath the house. He got a big Santa hat for Christmas. For Valentine's Day, he had heart eyes, Mardi Gras beads for Mardi Gras, clover eyes for St. Patrick's Day. I feel like I have to top it every holiday!"
For Halloween, Jim is decorated with inflatable tentacles.
Fay really did not expect to become part of a duo with a celebrity juniper with eyes. I like how this five star review puts it; There's something pure about a Halloween decoration you couldn't bear to take down. Now, he's in all our hearts.
"Sometimes we get some tough days or some hard days," Fay said. "I know it puts a smile on people's face. It brightens people's day."
Well, we do love a star with Nashville...roots. Here's looking at you, Jim.
This is a story I immediately went home and showed my boys - young athletes with big dreams. The Vanderbilt football team's success has stolen the spotlight - what I love about Steve Layman's story is he reveals the individual hardships it took to get there. As Clark Lea says, "we all have scuff marks." This team proves perseverance pays off!
- Carrie Sharp
