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Quincy's Dancing Man
Posted: 05.11.2011 at 9:45 AM
Updated: 05.13.2011 at 10:55 AM
Brooke Hasch

Brooke Hasch is a KHQA This Morning co-host for KHQA.

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Larry "Dancing Man" Toolate  / Brooke Hasch
Photo

QUINCY, ILL. -- UPDATED: May 13 at 10:55 a.m.

This story is a hit in the Tri-States.

Phillip Handley said on KHQA's Facebook Page, "Just saw him on Broadway Saturday, and have been seeing him for years. Always wondered who he was. Great story."

Mike Price said, "Someone should send this story to Ellen!!!!!"

We have already posted this story to Ellen's Facebook page here a few times, but we would love to encourage more folks in our area to do the same!  We think Ellen would just love Larry Toolate!

Go Larry Go!

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We've heard from many of our Facebook Fans about a man who dances his way through life, wherever he goes.  Larry Toolate's known by most as Quincy's Dancing Man.

Have you seen him?  Are you curious to know more?  Click here to visit a website devoted to Larry and feel free to leave your comments either below or on our Facebook Fan page here.

"Usually I have special music I listen to. My favorite rock group is AC/DC. As long as it's danceable. I can dance to 50's music, 60's, 70's. The one I was dancing to coming up the street is a new Taylor Swift song," said Toolate.

Larry's kept the music alive in Quincy for the last 43 years.

"My dancing is one of the things I'll tribute to meeting my wife of 23 years, before unfortunately I lost her to Lukemia. But she loved my dancing. There wasn't a night club in town I didn't know about. I'd get on the dance floor, they'd give me my space and watch me take care of business. People stopped dancing just so they could watch me.I don't wanna blow my horn, but I thought I was pretty good," said Toolate.

At 61 years young, dancing is what keeps Larry on his feet.

"If I sit at home all the time, my knees will swell. So as long as I get out once or twice a day, I'm good to go," said Toolate.

But the dancing doesn't stop when he gets home. That's where he choreographs his moves.

"I'll get out in winter as well as summer. I've always told myself, I'm the man. I'm supposed to be able to handle these things.So that's what I do. I get my dance on, I get my exercise and people driving by get a little entertainment," said Toolate.

Battled it out with anyone? "Yea...in one instance...they did their repertoire and I did my repertoire. Needless to say, they got booed off the stage," said Toolate.

So for now, Larry will continue to dance through life until the day he reunites with his one and only dance partner.

"I like to think my wife, every now and then, is looking down at me and catching the show," said Toolate.

We asked Toolate if he'd ever considered upgrading his cassette player to something more high-tech, but he considers his player a luxury for now and says the finances just aren't there for something new.

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