Port Charlotte man turns car into chalkboard, thousands sign it

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. —

Ron Munday, who moved from Arizona to Port Charlotte, found a creative way to make friends by turning his car into a mobile chalkboard for people to sign and draw on.

In Florida, this rolling autograph book is completely legal as long as signatures don’t cover the license plate, windows, or headlights.

"People know my car. I can't even go to some places without saying, 'Hey, what's up, chalk daddy?" Munday said.

When Munday moved to Port Charlotte, he didn't know anyone, but a year later, he has become a local celebrity.

"I had a cop pull me over because he wanted to sign my car," he said.

Strangers, firefighters, business owners, and even Waffle House employees across the Gulf Coast have signed his 2000 Cadillac, now known as the Chalk Caddy.

"People kept saying, daddy. They kept saying, 'Well, you love chalk, daddy.' And so eventually I said, 'OK, I'm going to be your chalk daddy.' And it just stuck," Munday said. People can draw anything they want on it, "as long as there's nothing offensive. So I do carry a black marker with me," he added.

The idea started at Walmart when Munday spotted spray-on chalkboard paint and acrylic markers while looking for oil.

"Six hours later, my car was covered in chalkboard paint and decided to have people draw on it. So this is the second coat right here. I painted this about three months ago, and I had about 1,800 people sign it," he said.

When there's no room left, he repaints it.

"There's names buried under this paint," Munday said.

"People think this is weird. Some people think it's the most amazing thing they've ever seen. I'm here just to live my life and make friends," he said.

Munday's message to others struggling to make friends is simple: "Be yourself. Just have fun."

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