Most people who work, live or shop in downtown Frankfort have probably heard Benny Yett’s singing, even if they don’t know who he is.
Benny, 63, spends his days cleaning the large plate-glass windows of downtown Frankfort storefronts. Benny sings as he works, loudly enough for passersby to hear.
“I sing because I’m happy,” Benny says.
He also sings to encourage his fellow Frankforters.
“I like to put a smile on people’s faces. That’s what I like to do. If I make you smile, I’m doing good,” Benny says.
Many Frankfort residents have grown accustomed to seeing Benny working and singing in the downtown area, especially those in the legal community such as Natalie Lile, the founder of Natalie Lile Law.
“He’s genuine,” Natalie says. “He’s always singing, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen him in a really bad mood.”
His hard work and pleasant disposition endear him to many.
“Everybody claims him, and the majority of us all adore him,” says Christy Terry, a legal assistant at Natalie Lile Law. “The judges, clerks, prosecutors and the defense attorneys, they’ll all say, ‘Hey, Benny!’ and pat him on the back or laugh with him.”
Benny says he started washing windows because it’s good, hard work that allows him to make his own schedule and to help others in his community.
“You gotta have a job. You gotta have something to do,” Benny says. “I know a closed mouth doesn’t get fed. You don’t ask, you don’t eat. I started asking people for work, went around and made myself useful.”
Even though Benny enjoys using his window washing and singing to bring a smile to the faces of those around him, he describes himself as a loner.
“I don’t have a lot of friends, a lot of associates,” he says. “I’m a loner. I don’t need a crowd to make me happy. I make myself happy.”
