All it took was a little insult in the newspaper for Harry Heselton's fans to step forward. Heselton, who's run Harry's Garage in downtown Warner for 40 years, had his business labeled an "eyesore" by a Contoocook woman in the pages of the Monitor two weeks ago. He took offense at the description.

"I can't believe how people talk," Heselton said.

But the criticism also tapped into a deep well of affection for Heselton, as customers and friends have been praising the man they call a town icon and a bulwark against change.

"He doesn't run what you would call a conventional business, but he's a pretty remarkable old gent, we think," said Victor Kumin, a customer of Heselton's since the 1960s who was the first of several fans to write a letter to the Monitor in his defense. "He's very honest, and he's worked hard for many years. People with Lexuses and Hummers don't leave their cars there, but those of us with old vehicles rely on him."

The "eyesore" label has stirred debate, but everyone agrees on one thing: There is a lot of stuff at Harry's Garage. The business is an anomaly on Warner's prim Main Street, like a greasy thumbprint on a white tablecloth. For that, Heselton offers no apology.

"This ain't a flower shop," he said.

Though its contents vary day to day, on one afternoon this week the garage's yard included:

• Two tow trucks

• Two pickup trucks

• A small bulldozer

• At least a dozen tires

• An unused Chevron gas pump with a ragged maple tree growing from the base

• Two weather-beaten tarps

• Numerous piles of scrap metal, hoses and old tailpipes

• Several other objects that were difficult to identify because of dirt, rust or decay.

The garage itself is an old white clapboard building that looks like several smaller shacks stitched together at odd angles. The door is held shut by a small padlock better suited to securing a bicycle than a place of business.

But Heselton's defenders say surface appearances don't convey the man's value to Warner.

"He goes out of his way to help a lot of people, and he does a lot of stuff that people don't know about," said Barbara Annis, chairwoman of the town planning board.

Paul Fouliard, manager of the Warner transfer station, said he's been on the receiving end of Heselton's kindness many times, including a free truck a few years ago. He said plenty of visitors to the dump have been upset about the recent criticism of Heselton.

"He comes off as gruff and rough as hell, and, you know, his place is a mess," Fouliard said. "But the guy has a heart of gold. He's really like a saint."

You don't have to scratch too hard in Warner to turn up a Harry story: the time he drove to Vermont to tow a customer off the interstate; the time he put off a bill for a retiree who was short on cash; the time he hauled away abandoned tires free of charge. Rebecca Courser remembers when the town historical society wanted to remove an elm stump from its property about 20 years ago. Courser's father spent weeks hacking away at the stump's roots, with little to show for his efforts.

"Then Harry came over and put his chain around it and yanked it out like a tooth," Courser said. No charge.

Heselton, 78, was born and raised in Bradford, where his father owned a sawmill. He claims to have gotten his start as a precocious 6-year-old, driving a truck on a wood lot.

Before buying his own garage, he worked for 18 years at a gas station beneath a supermarket that once stood on Main Street. For many Warner residents, Heselton is an institution. (next page »)