And this time, we really mean it.
Moe is one of the culprits it seems.
Moe Ammar, president of the Pacific Grove Chamber of Commerce and a fan of the pageant for 32 years, said he’s setting up shifts for family members an hour at a time.
“The chamber is supportive of the new initiative,” Ammar said. “The board of directors of the Festival of Lanterns has been going to the city for years talking about this.”
The decision is causing a bit of a dust-up in the community. Ammar said the neighborhood social media platform Nextdoor has been lit up in past days with debates over the decision.
And City Manager Where’s Ben Harvey equates it to blocking the sidewalks. See anyone picking up tables, signs, trash cans and putting them in a collection spot?
In the days leading up to the festivities, unattended items like blankets, tarps, chairs or cones will be picked up by city crews and taken to a collection bin in the park. Signs are posted at the park to alert attendees of the new prohibition, said Ben Harvey, Pacific Grove’s city manager.
“This is a public area and it’s no different than putting out chairs on sidewalks,” Harvey said. “They don’t have the right to do that. It prevents access to public property and no one has the right to claim the area for their own.”