Pleasanton Officials Want 30-Foot Tall Frosty The Snowman Removed From Christmas Tree Lot
PLEASANTON (KPIX 5) -- City officials in Pleasanton want a 30-foot tall Frosty the Snowman at a Christmas tree lot removed. The owner of the lot said Frosty has been entertaining his customers for decades.
UPDATE:
Banned Frosty The Snowman Returns To Pleasanton Christmas Tree Lot Despite Threat Of Fines
From Charlie Brown trees, to stately noble firs, owner Johnny Moore said his lot in Pleasanton has the best trees in town. But it's also known for its three story tall resident celebrity.
"Everybody knows him. He's been in different newspapers," Moore said.
Frosty is a 30-foot tall inflatable snowman.
"Yeah, he's hard to miss," he said.
Moore said Frosty has been courting Christmas tree shoppers for at the Alameda County Fairgrounds for 25 years.
Frosty is the giant, friendly photobomber in many a Facebook post. "The kids love to take pictures with him," Moore said.
But Moore moved his tree lot this year, a few miles from the fairgrounds. On Monday afternoon, he and Frosty got a visit from city officials, saying the inflatable snowman is not allowed at his new location.
"I was extremely shocked," Moore said.
It's an ordinance that did not apply to Moore's lot on the county fairgrounds. A Pleasanton code enforcement officer left Frosty with a ticket, and said he would be back in 24 hours to make sure the snowman stands down.
"It would be sad to not have him here," Moore said.
Moore is thinking of keeping the snowman up, but he would have to pay.
"Tomorrow, if he's up at one o'clock, there's a $100 fine. And if he's up the next day, it goes to $200. And then the following day I thought he said $500 and it can go up after that. It keeps escalating," he said.
