Simpkins was proudly boasting how Don Knotts, who played Barney Fife on the legendary television show "The Andy Griffith Show", was the best comic to come out of West Virginia. Ward, whose city is the hometown of Bob Denver, took offense. Denver was Gilligan on the classic sixties program "Gilligan's Island."
The argument came during cocktail hour at Spanky's Bar in Charleston, WV. According to witnesses, the conversation started friendly but escalated over the next half-hour. The two began shouting at each other and then Ward invited Simpkins outside. The two engaged in a fist fight that left both men requiring medical attention. Both men were arrested and charged with disorderly conduct but released on bond.
Simpkins said "Ward is an idiot. No wonder Princeton's economy is in the toilet. Knotts was in several movies. Denver was a hippie."
Ward, was still very angry after his release and said, "Simpkins is a moron. I think he has inhaled too many fumes from burning couches. Denver was also Maynard Krebbs in Dobie Gillis. Denver made the term "little buddy" a household term. Everybody loves Gilligan. Bob Denver is and always will be an iconic legend. We still have a charity called The Little Buddy Foundation and Little Buddy Radio, which is a popular station in Princeton. "
It is not known if any assault and/ or battery charges will be added. The meeting ended abruptly after the fight and the meetings scheduled for Wednesday were cancelled.
EDITOR'S UPDATE: It is rumored Huntington Mayor, Kim Wolfe has begun working out in a Soupy Sales t-shirt with a very determined look on his face.
