Today I chalked a hopscotch on the sidewalk in front of the bitcoin booth. The first person to enjoy it was a man in his 60’s who asked, “May I?” before hopping along with the pattern. Children and adults alike opted to jump through the chalk squares. For about twenty minutes.
Laurie, the woman who appears to be in charge of the vendors at Cheshire County Fair, came over to me and told me that it had to go. She said that we can’t have children slowing down the foot traffic. She also informed me that we were “already on probation” because of our previous violations (stepping out of our booth to meet people who were walking over to talk to us, wearing a gun, and not wearing a shirt). She later returned and poured water on the chalk.
The latest episode in the War on Chalk series focuses on the last remaining chalk warrior, Matthew “Boston Strong” Schmidt as he struggles to keep the oppression of free speech going.
Longtime viewers may recall the beginning of the War on Chalk in May of 2014 when some local busybodies calling themselves “STOP FREE KEENE!!!” decided to decimate the free expression of the peaceful chalkers in Central Square.
The freedom-loving chalkers continued unabated, their ranks bolstered over time by local families and an international alliance in the form of some European college girls. While the war raged on throughout the summer, the later-summer lack of news coverage regarding the chalking conflict didn’t mean it had died down. Indeed, it continues to this day. However, only one man continues the fight against freedom of expression – the Chalk Warrior. This is his story:
Say, whatever happened to the tough-talking city councilor’s proposal to ban all chalking downtown?
