The Bizarre Smiling Men - Jim Harold's Campfire 747

Jim Harold's Campfire

Jim Harold

Personal Journals, Society & Culture

4.8 • 7.4K Ratings

🗓️ 5 February 2026

⏱️ 95 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

A family gathers after a funeral and a child reacts to someone no one else can see. A frequent flyer keeps running into bizarre strangers who seem to know him across different places and years. A quiet house carries a lullaby in the dark, and it may not be meant for the living. Familiar moments slowly shift into something off balance as comfort and unease sit side by side. You will also hear about a call that arrives long after someone is gone, warnings that come as a simple feeling not to go, and a childhood sighting in the sky that never found an explanation. Some encounters feel protective, others deeply unsettling, but all leave lingering questions about what lies beyond the Campfire. NEWSLETTERGet Jim’s weekly free newsletter and a free Campfire ebook at the same time. Go here: https://jim-harold.kit.com/campfire-ebookVIRTUAL CAMPFIRE GROUPJoin our FREE online community at ⁠https://virtualcampfiregroup.com⁠EVENTSHope to see you soon at one of Jim’s live events: https://jimharold.com/eventsYOUTUBE CHANNELBe sure to subscribe to Jim’s YouTube channel at: ⁠https://youtube.com/jimharold⁠ JOIN JIM’S SPOOKY STUDIO PLUS CLUBYou can get access to Jim’s entire back catalog of Campfire and a TON of exclusive content with the Spooky Studio Plus Club. Go to https://⁠jimharold.com/plus⁠ and signup to support the show and get access to our MASSIVE library of content!MERCHGo to ⁠https://jimharold.com/merch⁠ to get your Jim Harold T’s, sweatshirts, mugs, hats and more! BOOKSGet all SIX of Jim’s Campfire books here: https://jimharold.com/campfirebooks/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Listen up.
0:01.0	Huh? That means you.
0:02.0	Yes, you. We know you're pointing at yourself. When it comes to Paddy Power Games, we've got a place made for all sorts. From the experts to the Drama Queens. It's me, the JC. The finance bros. Look at those stocks, lads. We'll stick with slots. It's what we're good at. And not forgetting you. Yes, you, the one listening.
0:21.5	Because at Paddy Power Games, we've got all sorts of games for all sorts of treacles.
0:26.1	Eligibility rules in terms and conditions apply.
0:27.8	Please gamble responsibly.
0:28.8	8 plus gamblerware.org.
0:30.7	One of the most bizarre and creepiest campfire stories we've heard.
0:35.3	Up next.
0:44.4	Music Fire stories we've heard. Up next. Sit back, relax and warm yourself by Jim Harold's Campfire.
0:49.9	He's a newer listener, but he is all in.
0:52.6	Braden is a plus club member and a big fan of the show. And now a storyteller, we're so glad to have him. And I love this story. And I think you'll know why once you hear it. Braden, welcome to the show. Thank you for all your kind words and support. And tell us what happened. Thank you, Jim. Yeah. I wanted to share this story. Like you said, I'm a newer listener,
1:16.3	and this story has stayed with me since I was six years old. And when I was a young kid,
1:23.5	the tradition was with my paternal grandmother, my mom, my grandmother, and all my aunts on my dad's side, we would go have lunch every Friday at this same restaurant.
1:39.8	For your Salt Lake City listeners, you might know it.
1:42.2	It's higher as big age combined with Leitz's Pizza in West Valley or Taylor'sville.
1:47.3	But anyway, we'd go have lunch with my grandma, and it was a cool little tradition.
1:52.2	And we sat in the same booth every week, and it was just kind of this consistent thing where we got to spend time.
1:57.9	And when I was six years old in 2001, my grandmother passed away.
2:04.1	And the week of her funeral, her funeral was like on a Wednesday or a Tuesday.
2:11.4	And so we went to the funeral and then sort of to commemorate her and to continue the tradition,
2:18.3	we went to the same restaurant, of course, that following Friday after the funeral.
	...

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