Lawrenceville's 'Fuzzy' Is Brewing Coffee and Old West Fun

By Steve Burns, originally posted on Suwanee Patch

One vendor at the Suwanee Farmers Market might make you feel like reaching for popcorn while you're watching a Western movie rerun.

The guy selling Fuzzy's Bunkhouse Brew coffee on Tuesdays is Robert Brooks of Lawrenceville, but his beard and Old West attire do an excellent job of simulating Fuzzy Q. Jones, notable comic movie sidekick of Alfred "Lash" LaRue. (Fuzzy Q. Jones was played by Al St. John.)

The "new" Fuzzy's coffee is just one part of his Western persona, and just one part of a Facebook site called Western Trails that recalls the glory days of such Western film stars as Roy Rogers, Hopalong Cassidy and Gene Autry.

As Fuzzy, Brooks attends Western heritage shows, and soon his itinerary will take him to such gigs in Michigan and North Carolina. Later this year, he'll be part of the kids' stage at Suwanee Day (September 21).

The coffee and DVDs of Western movie days are a way of defraying expenses for such trips.

And Brooks knows his coffee. He peddles three brands, including Easy on the Trigger (decaf).

And he knows his coffee heritage, too. Brooks notes that Old West cowboys fried beans in the skillet over a fire, crushed them, then threw them in the coffee pot.

Of course, Fuzzy's Bunkhouse Brew at the Farmers Market is not made this way. "It's my recipe," Brooks said.

-- Do you remember Fuzzy Q. Jones, Lash LaRue or any other Western movie stars? Share your memories in the comments below.