Michael Ruth fills the gas tank of his small Murray lawnmower in preparation to cut some grass.
“We’re ready to go out here in the median,” he says as he tightens the gas cap.
Ruth is well-known in the community as The Shoe Doctor, a business he’s owned and operated since 1989. But many days, after he’s locked up shop, he revs up his mower. Not to mow his own lawn, but to cut the grass in the medians on Electric Road.
Ruth points out, “VDOT does it about twice a year. But it needs it more than that.”
It’s a project he took on voluntarily. I asked him what first motivated him to take on the task.
“Well, I like curb appeal. I like stuff to look nice,” he replies.
Early on, not all drivers understood why he was out there. So he took to wearing a t-shirt which reads: I'M NOT A CONVICT!
Over the years, regular commuters along this stretch have become familiar with Ruth and his efforts.
“People are real nice now. Every once in a while, somebody will stop and give me a bottle of water. They’ll always beep and wave," says Ruth.
If you’re curious about why someone would take on such a job, for Ruth, the answer is easy, “I can reflect on my day. Nobody’s out there talking to me. It’s mental health for me too when you can just sit out there. It’s great.”
The Shoe Doctor name appears on the Adopt-a-Highway signs which bookend the stretch of Electric Road that Ruth maintains.
