Lucky plans to pull a big rig

Glenn Lucky's motto is "Mind over matter."

Whether he's pedaling 30-plus-miles a day on his three-wheeled trike or just trying to talk to people, his speech thick from the effects of cerebral palsy, Lucky said he learned a long time ago he will accomplish whatever he sets his mind to, despite the critics.

On Sept. 24, the 53-year-old plans to put that determination to the test when he will strap a harness onto his bowed frame and pull an 18-wheeler in a North Carson Street parking lot at "high noon."

It's not a fundraiser. Lucky has no noble cause.

"I figure this town's been quiet lately, and it needs some excitement," he said.

Lucky's friend Vuki Wilson will supply the rig, and the Bully's parking lot is the tentative location.

"I don't think this has ever been done before by a disabled person," Lucky said.

He said he isn't doing any special training, and he hasn't ever attempted the feat before. When asked if he'd been exercising, Lucky pointed to his trike and said with a guffaw, "What do you think that is!"

Peggy Lucky thinks her son's off his rocker.

"Words can't even describe what I'm thinking," she said laughing. "I think he went over the edge."

Yet, always Glenn's cheerleaders, she and her husband will be there to root their boy on.

For 21 years, Lucky has ridden his tricycle, pulling a trailer with ads for Carson businesses.

For some of the population here, there's never been a Carson City without a Glenn Lucky.

"Everybody enjoys seeing me out there," he said.

Lucky's so well known in town that an artist has immortalized him in a mural painted on the side of Sierra Center for Foot Surgery at 1801 N. Carson Street.

When the community heard in 2004 that Lucky's old bike was becoming too difficult for him to maneuver, they rallied and raised the money to buy him a new one. In 2005, when vandals stole his new trike and threw it down an embankment, the community came to the rescue again and paid for the repairs.

Lucky's hoping the community will come out next weekend to cheer him on.

There's no questions in his mind whether he'll succeed.

"I'll do it," he said. "Mind over matter."

• Contact reporter F.T. Norton at ftnorton@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1213.

If you go

WHAT: Lucky's Event

WHEN: High noon Sept. 24

WHERE: Bully's Sports Bar and Grill, 3530 N. Carson St.

WHY: To spice up Carson City