George Kading is an institution in his community. For the past five decades, the Paducah, Kentucky resident has has successfully kept neighborhood children off his front lawn. Through constant vigilance, Kading would protect his little patch of green, running out his front door at the sight of any errant youngster who dared cross onto it.

“Get the hell off my lawn!,” Kading would bellow in his distinctive, Kentucky drawl.

Those stern words, combined with his trademark scowl, brandished cane and clenched fist would make all but the most defiant trespassers run for cover. Now the community has come together to honor the man with a cake and ice cream social to celebrate the half century of landscape pride. At the park across the street, of course.

Three generations of kids remember the man fondly.

“Shit, my dad got chased by this guy and so did my granddad,” said Travis Boucher, local school bus driver. “That crazy old coot is still around, and he’s chased my sorry ass outta here more times than I care to remember. Don’t mess with ol’ man Kading!”

“My brother used to deliver the paper here, back in the ’60s,” said city council member Herb Sheridan. “One day Petey made the mistake of shortcutting across Kading’s front yard instead of using the sidewalk. Kading came flying off his porch and tore into that kid, yelling the whole time. Love that old man, I really do.”

But the modest Kading doesn’t understand what all the hoopla is about.

“I’ve just been protectin’ what’s mine,” said the 87-year-old, perched in a lawn chair in his driveway, sipping a glass of bourbon. “I’ve seen a lot of hooligans running around these parts. But they’re decent kids. They just need a good lickin’ and a what-for, that’s all.”