Clovis ‘Dancing man’ to be honored near intersection where he entertained countless passersby

A Clovis man who generated countless smiles by dancing in public before strangers and random passerby will be honored this weekend.

Dr. Sidney Carpenter, who many simply knew as the Clovis “Dancing Man,” will have a memorial plaque and a permanent bench dedicated in his memory during a celebration of his life at 11:30 a.m. Sunday just north of the intersection of Temperance and Bullard avenues (off Hanson Avenue).

It was at that continuously busy intersection where Carpenter danced on the sidewalks for many years.

But it was also near that same intersection where tragedy occurred when Carpenter was fatally struck by a vehicle on Nov. 27, 2021. Carpenter died at 57 years old.

“It has been two years since the accident and his presence is still so missed,” wrote friend Bunny Fisher, who helped organize a gofundme page to raise money for the plaque and bench. “Sidney at heart was an entertainer; he loved music and dancing to Hip Hop and Tap. ...

“He loved his Clovis community and just loved to dance anywhere.”

Carpenter, who lived near the intersection, appeared to be crossing Bullard Avenue from north to south but not in a marked crosswalk at the time of the collision, according to Clovis police.

A vehicle traveling eastbound on Bullard hit Carpenter just east of Temperance Avenue and the doctor died at the scene.

Residents said vehicles traveling through the intersection are known for driving fast while approaching and going through Temperance and/or Bullard.

“He brought so much joy to so many different people in the community and he probably didn’t even know it,” longtime Clovis resident Helen Vargas said in 2021 following Carpenter’s death. “We didn’t know him personally. But it always made us happy seeing him.”

Passerby often wondered what Carpenter was listening to that made him want to showcase his dance moves on the sidewalk over the years.

Carpenter’s dance route even included his pet dog at one point.

“At first, it was like, ‘What is he doing?’” said Melanie Boone, one of Carpenter’s neighbors, back in 2021. “Is he exercising?

“But over the years, you realize that was just what he loved to do. That’s his zen. That’s what he does and it just made everyone smile.”

Carpenter was a pathologist at Kaiser Permanente, where he worked for more than 20 years.

This story was originally published November 23, 2023 at 5:00 AM.