Huntington limits Silly String sales

BY DEBORAH S. MORRIS | deborah.morris@newsday.com

8:38 PM EST, March 4, 2008

After stringing the issue along for months, the Town of Huntington is getting serious about Silly String.

The town board voted 4-1 Tuesday to ban the sale of Silly String within 1,500 feet of a parade route.

The resolution is aimed only at street vendors selling Silly String and similar products or substances, but not local merchants or parade-goers who show up at events and use it.

Board member Mark Cuthbertson, who voted against the measure, said he respects the concerns and agrees something needs to be done, but not this.

"I don't think it's an effective way to deal with the issue," said Cuthbertson, pointing out that anyone can still buy Silly String at a store and use it during a parade without penalty. "Plus when we start to legislate at this level, I think we run the risk of earning the name of the string we are trying to ban."

Officials of the Huntington Fire Chiefs' Council complained to the town in the fall that the colorful, mushy stuff damaged the paint on fire vehicles.

Joseph D'Allesandro, president of the chiefs council, did not return a call for comment.

The board had considered the measure since January.

"It's a complicated thing," Town Supervisor Frank Petrone said. "There are issues of public safety and property damage. There are many reasons why we just can't ignore this."

He said he is hoping residents take it upon themselves to use Silly String responsibly.

"We certainly don't want to ban Silly String totally," Petrone said. "That would certainly be unfair."

Before the vote, Ruth Fahlbusch, 80, was one of three people who spoke on the issue during a public hearing.

"It's gotten out of hand," Fahlbusch said. "It's not only the children and the teenagers, it's adults. I really want the town to ban the use of Silly String. It really ruins a parade."

After the meeting, Jessica Schulz, 18, a senior at Huntington High School, said she thinks it's wrong to spray Silly String at fire vehicles. But she said an outright ban is, well, silly.

"If you want to spray it at your friends marching in a parade, it should be fine," she said.

In recent years, Silly String has been banned along parade routes in Connecticut, Louisiana, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Texas.