Back in 1962, the town of Wausau, Wisconsin decided to create an ordinance banning throwing objects at people in public. The ordinance has attracted much attention in recent weeks since there has been a misconception by certain media outlets that the ordinance is new and that the section on snowball fights in enforced. Well, sorry, Internet, it turns out the folks in Wausau actually love snowball fights. And also creating hilarious videos trolling the media.
In the video, Deputy Chief Matt Barnes and Mayor Mielke engage in a snowball fight with the local police while reading the actual ordinance, which reads, “Throwing or shooting of arrows, stones and other missiles prohibited. No person shall throw or shoot any object, arrow, stone, snowball or other missile or projectile, by hand or by any other means, at any other person or at, in or into any building, street, sidewalk, alley, highway, park, playground or other public place within the city.”
Halfway through the video, the Deputy Chief throws a snowball at the mayor and nails him right in the back of the head. No one went to jail or was fined for the snowball fight, although it appears that much laughter was had.
This got us wondering about goofy ordinances that exist around the country. Here are a few doozies that we spotted in a quick search:
- If you live in Alabama, it is illegal to drive blindfolded. I mean…did they really need a law for this?
- In Colorado, it is not legal to keep a couch on your porch. You can thank college kids for this law as they apparently used to have a penchant for couch bonfires.
- In Connecticut, you can’t sell a pickle unless it bounces. In the 1880’s someone accidentally sold a cucumber labeled as a pickle and people had some feelings about it. If your taste buds and sense of smell fail you then you can test a cuke to see if it bounces. Only a pickle will.
- In Iowa, you can be in serious trouble with the law if you throw a brick onto a highway. Wait…is this not illegal in other places?
- Um…Kentucky has a marriage problem. If you’re a woman, you can’t marry more than three times. Men are apparently ok to marry as many times as they wish, though.
And there you have it, in 2019 we still have some silly laws on the books. But to recap, if you happen to be in Wausau, Wisconsin, don’t worry about throwing a snowball, you won’t actually get fined.
More Winter Activities for Kids:
- Winter Wonderland National Park Destinations
- 5 Fun Winter Activities For Toddlers and Preschoolers
- Entertain Kids With This Melting Snowman Activity
