The Independent Man is going away for restoration. Here's who came to say goodbye.

Peter Exarchos quickly snuck behind the cordons and rubbed the Independent Man's left toe.

"The thing is, I have bone cancer," he explained. It wasn't good luck he was after, so much as bragging rights: "If I’m still alive, and I’m driving by on the highway, I can always say I touched that guy’s toe."

Friday marked the last day that the statue was on display at the State House before being whisked away to undergo restoration, and Exarchos was among the steady stream of Rhode Islanders, representing a true cross-section of the state, flooding into the building all day long.

One by one, they patiently waited in line to go through security, queued up to sign the official guest book, and then took turns taking photos of each other in front of the iconic, if somewhat tarnished, symbol of Rhode Island.

There were school field trips, office workers on their lunch breaks, old friends meeting up to gossip, and a blue-eyed Pomeranian service dog named Cooper. There were also plenty of politicians, such as Newport Mayor Xay Khamsyvoravong, who stopped by while at the State House on city business.

"It's beautiful," he said, adding, "It would be better if it was a woman."

So many people came they needed a new guest book

By mid-day, so many people had squeezed their signatures onto the front and back pages of the Independent Man's guest book that it had taken on the appearance of a high school yearbook on the last day of class and soon needed to be replaced by a fresh copy.

"I am beyond words," wrote James Riemer, of West Warwick.

"The spirit of the Independent Man is why we moved to R.I.," wrote Carla and Russ Ricci, of Providence.

Chris Grossi, of North Providence, recalled: "My brother and I used to have a game as we drove by on 95. The first person to say 'I see the Independent Man' got to hit the other in the arm."

The overwhelming consensus from visitors who signed the guest book was that the Independent Man was "majestic," "impressive" and "stunning." Some said the 14-foot statue was bigger than they'd expected, while others said it was smaller.

There were also plenty of jokes: "Whoa! Metal guy." "He looks warmer in here." "This man looks ready for some party pizza!" "Wish I had abs like him."

Children, for the most part, said that the statue was "really cool" – though one observed, "Eyes are sorta hollow."

"Wow! It's big wow!" one wrote.

"I'm a lizard," wrote another.

Who came to see the Independent Man?

Over the month that the Independent Man was on display, visitors came from all 39 of Rhode Island's cities and towns, plus a wide array of villages, including Rockville, Forestdale, Harmony, Bradford and Greene.

Others who signed the guest book listed addresses in at least 20 other states, plus far-flung countries such as Venezuela, Bulgaria, China, Brazil, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, Spain, Curacao, Guatemala, Italy, Chile, the Dominican Republic and Germany.

More: Wild and weird facts about RI's Independent Man statue atop the State House

A considerable number of visitors recalled that they'd been there to see the Independent Man when he last came down for repairs, in the 1970s. Some wrote tributes to great-grandparents who'd been involved in the original construction of the statue, or parents who'd been part of subsequent efforts to restore and repair it.

Frigid gusts of wind kept blowing into the State House's Smith Street entrance every time the door opened, knocking over posters that recounted the statue's history. But the icy blasts didn't dampen the cheerful mood as people greeted old acquaintances whom they'd spotted in line, or walked around in awe as they explored the state capitol for the first time.

It felt, one observer noted, almost like a party for the Independent Man.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Independent Man leaving the State House for restoration. Here's who visited him.