It was reminiscent of a letter to Santa Claus, but it wasn't addressed to the North Pole. Sean Woods, 13, of Ireland, hoped his handwritten letter would make its way to Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl himself, but it stopped a little short.
The envelope that read "Dave Ghrol, Warren, Ohio, America" was delivered last month to All American Cards and Comics in downtown Warren.
"I was floored," said owner Greg Bartholomew, who attributed the delivery to the fact that David Grohl Alley runs behind the store.
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Sean Woods of Ireland, pictured at top left, wrote this letter to rocker Dave Grohl, who was born in Warren.
"Somehow we got it," he said, calling it one more positive response to the alley dedicated to the Warren native and former Nirvana drummer.
Josh Nativio, who was working the day the letter was delivered, agreed.
"That just shows how known Dave Grohl Alley is," he said. "It was nice to see that Grohl has that kind of fan base that his fans think they can contact him here."
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In his letter, Sean says he has liked the Foo Fighters all his life and has always wanted to see the band live.
"I went on the Internet to find an address for Dave, and Warren, Ohio, came up so, I used that," Sean said last week in a phone call of the letter, which was inspired by a school assignment.
"(His teacher) asked him to write a letter to a famous person and he picked this person," said Sean's mother, Therese. "He was expecting a reply every day ... he was asking, 'Is there any post for me?'"
Sean said he didn't know what to expect in response but was hoping for a letter.
He said his favorite song is "Everlong" because he likes the music video and especially loves the part when the drummer wakes sitting at a drum kit.
Joseph O'Grady, the past president of Main Street Warren who came up with the idea for the alley, expressed excitement with the letter that traveled all the way from Ireland.
"This is so stinkin' cool, I can't believe it," he said. "This was the whole driving force behind Dave Grohl Alley."
Both O'Grady and Bartholomew said they will do what they can to forward the letter on to Grohl's family, who still live in the area.
"I'll get it to him," O'Grady assured. "I like that kind of stuff. ... the little mystery behind it."
O'Grady led the effort to get the alley that runs parallel to the 100 block of West Market Street named after the rock star. David Grohl Alley, decorated with paintings by local artists, was dedicated in 2009, and Grohl came to Warren for the dedication ceremony and performed. O'Grady also has shepherded the "World's Largest Drumsticks'' project since its inception.
The two poplar logs, which measure nearly 23 feet long and weigh 900 pounds each, made their public debut as part of a River Rock at the Amp concert this past summer.
Grohl was born in Warren in 1969, and his father still lives in the Warren area.