Stop the marshmallow madness!
That’s the message Ocean Beach has for Fourth of July revelers.
Tossing the puffed-up confections on Independence Day has over the years evolved into marshmallow wars that turn the streets into a sticky mess. Last year, a child and a senior citizen were injured, local businesses were damaged and more than 2,000 pounds of trash were left behind, according to the Ocean Beach Town Council, a nonprofit volunteer organization.
Members of the town council and San Diego police joined forces Tuesday in an effort to put a stop to the decades-old tradition, which the council Board of Directors said began as a friendly rivalry between two Ocean Beach families involving a small group of people and no significant property damage.
“We’re hoping not to have to write any tickets and get that voluntary compliance,” SDPD Capt. Joe Ramos said during a late-morning briefing at the corner of Newport Avenue and Abbott Street, the site of a plaza that has would up stained by melted marshmallows each July.
The announcements were made at Veterans Plaza, where they said remnants of last year’s marshmallow war can still be seen.
Last year’s installment was particularly out of control, OBTC member Dave Cieslak told 10News.
“There were people throwing flaming marshmallows, frozen marshmallows,” he said.
The pandemonium also has caused traffic tie-ups, left cleanup equipment damaged and brought negative attention to the neighborhood, according to Cieslak.
As of two weeks ago, several area businesses have already signed a “Mallow Out” pledge on the town council’s website, saying they would not sell marshmallows around or on the Fourth of July or otherwise promote the event.
The annual marshmallow fight started out as a friendly rivalry between two families, but has grown to “violent altercation” that has caused thousands of dollars in damages, according to the town council. Last year’s fight also damaged clean-up equipment, caused traffic tie-ups at the intersection of Newport Avenue and Abbott Street and brought negative attention to the neighborhood.
The Ocean Beach Town Council last year passed a resolution calling for an end to the tradition in September. It also called for San Diego police to enforce littering and vandalism laws, and to cite those who throw “potentially harmful objects” in public areas.
— City News Service
