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ELKTON — John Smith went to one of his favorite stores on Sunday afternoon and contently combed the clothing racks, hoping to find the next cape, tights, gown, belt, sneakers, balaclava or fanny-pack to add to his extensive collection of flashy costumes.
Most every patron and employee in that Goodwill Super Store on South Bridge Street knows John and, several times during his shopping excursion, people made a point to say hello to him.
Some complimented John on his eye-catching attire.
On this particular day, John looked like storybook royalty. He was sporting a flowing, multi-layered blue outfit that featured a bronze-colored crown accented with yellow “jewels” and array of medallions — one read “G.O.A.T,” another was a “diamond” encrusted dollar sign — hanging from numerous necklaces looped around his neck.
“Johnny Sparkles — that’s my little nickname for him,” said Cheri Steelman, an assistant manager who has worked at that Goodwill for 11 years. “He comes in here at least once a day. We all help him find stuff. In fact, when new stuff comes in, we see stuff we think he might like and let him know. We know his taste.”
John’s taste in clothing leans heavily toward ostentatious. And yet, while his outfits would seem flamboyant on the likes of anyone else, they seem par-for-the-course stylish when John wears them.
Focusing deeper than John’s penchant for buying and wearing clothing with pizazz, Steelman commented with unmistakable affection in her voice, “He is a good guy. We love him and we all look out for him.”
Shannon Mellott is among the scores of people who have had incidental interactions with John over the years at various spots in downtown Elkton, where the man who sometimes likens a Marvel superhero or a WWE grappler is a conspicuously common sight.
“We cross paths with him around town. He is very polite to everybody. We enjoy talking to him,” said Mellott, an Elkton resident. “Once, when we hadn’t seen him in a while, my mom said, ‘I wonder if he’s doing well’.”
She then opined, “Everyone in this community is open to him.”
HELPING HANDS
Some people take direct care of John, who requires daily prescription medication to treat his schizophrenia, anxiety and other mental health issues.
Along those lines, John is featured in a documentary entitled “John — Living With Mental Illness,” which was produced and directed by filmmaker Joseph Piner, an Elkton native, and it first aired on May 23, 2023 on Maryland Public Television.
John is a vetted-and-qualified client of the Developmental Disabilities Program through the Cecil County Health Department and, as such, he receives around-the-clock, one-on-one assistance from paid caregivers and a monthly Social Security check.
Working in shifts, the caregivers provide guidance that enables John, who is 56, to live somewhat independently in his small Elkton apartment.
His tidy apartment’s decorations include a hanging wooden message board bearing the Philippians 4:13 Bible verse, “I can do all this through Him who gives me strength ” a framed “Rocky” movie poster and a menagerie of positive words — love, smile, Jesus, happy, blessed, patient, gentle and humble, to list some — created with letters affixed to the side of his kitchen counter.
The caregivers assist him with budgeting for his greatly discounted portion of the apartment rent and to pay for groceries, cellphone service, cable TV, a fitness club membership and, of course . . . costumes.
John is grateful for the help. “They make sure I have all my necessities, that I’m taken care of. They get me to all of my appointments,” he listed.
‘HE MAKES THEIR DAY’
One of those caregivers is Catherine Farrell, who works part-time, filling in when needed for John’s four full-time caregivers in the shift rotation.
Farrell accompanied John to that Goodwill on Sunday afternoon when he shopped for either a full-blown costume oozing panache or for some sort of accessory (maybe a vest or a vampire’s cape) that he could incorporate into one of his dazzling mix-and-match outfits.
“That’s nice, ain’t it,” John remarked to Farrell after spotting a candidate for that day’s purchase — a trippy, colorful shirt — and then commented to no one in particular, “I know fashion.”
Farrell gently guided John, who sought her approval every time he held up a potential purchase on a hanger.
“That one might be a little too small,” Farrell told John when he held up what appeared to be petite, gown-like garment next to his costumed body. She then politely explained, “As we get older, John, we have a tendency to get a little wider.”
John chuckled.
Farrell clearly enjoys John’s company. She was quick to note that everyone likes John, who is soft-spoken, generous, playful and funny.
At one point during the shopping trip, a woman approached John and asked to see The Trick. Happily obliging, John frenetically flicked his wrists for several seconds and then announced at the conclusion, “The world’s fastest hands.”
He also can rap quite well, with a knack for stringing together congruent, storyteller lines — on the spot — about most any suggested topic. He sometimes randomly volunteers to rattle off lines when he meets people. So it’s not surprising that the nicknames of affection for Smith in the community include “Rapper John” and “John the Rapper.”
John attracts people in a positive way.
“Anyone who sees him smiles. He makes their day. I can’t tell you how many people have stopped and asked to take a selfie with him,” Farrell marveled.
Jodie Henderson, who is a server at C3ntral Tavern on Main Street in downtown Elkton, echoed Farrell’s assessment of the uplifting impact that John has on people. “He light ups a room,” Henderson commented.
John frequently pops into businesses in downtown Elkton, making his rounds to interact with people and to show off whichever costume he is wearing on that particular day. He does not linger.
“He definitely comes in here two or three times a week. We’ve taken pictures of him and even videos of him. He entertains our guests. He is so sweet,” outlined Jiminda Keenan, who is a C3ntral Tavern server, too.
Keenan paused and then opined, “He’s an Elkton staple — an Elkton icon, for sure. If you are from here, then you know who he is.”
Employees and owners of other local businesses have similarly expressed their adoration of John.
ANGELS UNAWARES
On Sunday, after shopping for about an hour, John settled on a rather subdued black robe with thin white stripes. He’ll likely merge that blandish robe with outrageous articles of clothing to create one of his signature elaborate costumes.
Farrell bought the robe as a gift for John, who, earlier in the outing, had his eyes on numerous possible purchases.
“You have to be patient,” John emphasized, offering his biggest tip regarding costume shopping.
Farrell estimates that John has more than 100 costumes in his wardrobe, and a good number of them hang neatly in his bedroom closet.
According to John, he has gravitated toward costumes as everyday attire ever since he was a kid. John has a vivid childhood-costume memory, although he doesn’t recall all of the circumstances. Originally from Baltimore, according to Cecil Whig archives, John’s family has no contact with him because of his mental illness.
“I was sent to North Carolina when I was a boy and I lived with some old folks. I went to church with them in a Ninja suit,” John said, smiling as he recalled the reaction of congregants and officiants and remarked, “They couldn’t see my eyes, and they thought I was a terrorist. They made me take off my mask.”
John loves adding to his costume collection. But it also brings him joy to subtract from it, according to Farrell, who reported that John gives away some of his costumes and other belongings to homeless people and others who are needy.
“He will literally give you the shirt off his back. He is very generous and thoughtful,” Farrell said.
In a November 2018 Cecil Whig article, John recalled a heartwarming event that was included in Piner’s documentary about him.
The gist: The manager of a local sporting goods store gifted John a pair of LeBron James sneakers and about a week later, when John returned to that shop wearing old, raggedy shoes, the manager learned that John had given the Lebron James shoes to a homeless man whose feet were hurting. John walked home barefoot that day.
“[The manager] said, ‘Why did you give the shoes away?’ . . . I said ‘Why would I keep them rather than give them to someone who really needed them?’” John explained in that Whig article published nearly six years ago.
He then made a loose reference to Hebrews 13:2, which reads, “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.”
To further his point, John emphasized in that article, “See, God comes in disguises. He comes as a homeless person. He comes as a shoe salesman. Why wouldn’t you do it for that person if you would do it for God?”
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