Article content continued

Ten days later, Barge was on the air as Buck Shot for the first time along with Jim Lewis, who was the man behind Benny and other puppets, such as Clyde the Owl.

The duo performed songs and entertained children with improvised shows until the program was cancelled in 1997.

Dawn McClelland, a server at Silver Point, said she fondly remembers running home from school at lunchtime every day as a kid to watch Buck Shot and Benny while eating peanut butter and banana sandwiches.

“It was just captivating, like the tunes . . . and Benny the Bear of course,” McClelland said. “And 16 Chickens and a Tambourine.”

McClelland remembers meeting Barge for the first time and being lost for words on one of her first shifts at the Silver Point. Now, she sees the Calgary icon almost every week and describes Barge as “a through and through gentleman.”

“He actually did a show here with Benny the Bear and (Clyde) the Owl, so he did all that and, after, he signed LP records for us,” McClelland said. “Just a genuine fella.”

Barge said he is still recognized by Calgarians decades after Buck Shot and his sidekick Benny went off the air. And while the younger generation might not remember songs such as “16 Chickens and a Tambourine” and “I’m Clyde the Owl,” Barge said he is always happy to meet his fans who are all grown up.

“The parents know and they’re always excited,” Barge said. “They say, ‘You want to meet Buck Shot?’ And (the kids) say ‘OK, what’s a Buck Shot?’ ”

“I’m just so happy it went as well as it did for us on the air, and the people still remember it fondly and they want to come and say hello.”