Remember when kids would run around outside, blowing off steam and having fun, even when temperatures dipped? Yeah, those were the good old days. I mean, I’m all for warmth and comfort, but I do have fond memories of playing in the snow.
But for kids in a town in Colorado, building up lines of snow forts for a good old-fashioned snowball fight couldn’t happen. It was against the law.
With snows on the horizon, the townsfolk of Severance, Colorado have a 9-year-old to thank if they want to throw a snowball this winter without breaking the law.
According to the Associated Press , The tiny town in the Rockies had banned snowball fights since its founding almost a century ago as part of a larger ordinance against “throwing stones or missiles.”
And then Dane Best came along.
After learning of the law, Dane was obsessed with the notion that he couldn’t legally launch a snowball in his little brother’s direction.
So, with the help of his family, Dane researched local laws and put together a short presentation to take to the town council. His class at Range View Elementary also wrote letters of support of Dane’s cause.
Then came the big night, when Dane would make his case to the council.
As CBS News reported, he strode in wearing a bow tie, set up his PowerPoint for the crowd, and spent three minutes going over the reasons kids should be able to throw snowballs in Severance.
When he was done, the town council had questions for him and they didn’t exactly lob softballs.
As the Greeley Tribune reported , one councilor asked, “If we do enact snowball fighting, have you talked to your fellow students about safety issues?”
“Can we amend this ordinance to say that if you’re over 60, no one can throw a snowball at you?” asked another councilor, presumably of a certain age.
For his part, Dane pledged to never throw a snowball with a rock inside of it or throw one at a window.
It worked. The council unanimously approved Dane’s recommendation to repeal the ordinance. Snowball fights could happen again.
And, upon stepping outside after the meeting, Mayor Don McLeod handed Dane and his 4-year-old brother Dax each a snowball to let fly with the town’s first legal throw in a century.
This whole experience taught Dane and his family a lot about local governance and the town’s ordinances.
Until they did their snowball research, they didn’t realize that their guinea pig was technically illegal — the town forbids any pets other than cats and dogs.
Dane and Dax’s grandfather, Rick, told the Greeley Tribune how proud he was of his grandson.
“He’s always been timid and bashful,” he said , “so when he told me he was doing that, I said, ‘Good for you, Daners,’ especially at this age now, to be able to do that. Because his grandpa couldn’t.”
So if you’re in Severance, let ’em fly!
You know, respectfully. You have to celebrate Dane’s big victory by getting outside for fresh air and good, wholesome fun.
