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Do you remember the last pothole birthday party you went to? How nuts did it get? Did you barf Natty Ice and gravel everywhere, bro?
Alright, pothole birthday parties aren’t really “a thing.” Except when they are. This month saw this surreal occurance take place in Jackson, Mississippi. No hubcaps were sacrificed in its name so as to appease it, but instead this was a slick way of drawing attention to a problem. Resident Eddie Prosser placed the spotlight on two long unfilled potholes with signage reading: “Happy Birthday Pothole” and “I’ve been here for over a year.” Balloons were also involved because who doesn’t like balloons?
This unique approach came about as an alternative to the previous “14 calls to 311” strategy that yielded little in the way of results. The spin-off? A “celebration” that might get these nuisances taken care of.
Prosser’s party plan seems to have worked. WAPT reports that after they ran their story on the birthday-based protest, city crews came out and did some filling in with paving still to come. The initial fill-in didn’t exactly spark complete confidence from locals who remain cautiously optimistic about how things will pan out long-term.
“(We) were driving to church and we honked our horn, ‘We were like, ‘Woo! Way to go!’ Then on the way home from church, ‘We were like, you’re kidding, right?’” frustrated resident Tracey Metcalf said. “Maybe they’ll come back and pave it. If that’s the case, we are happy.”
We’re intrigued by the prospect of more municipal issues being sorted out with a “birthday party.” If this is becoming a trend, let’s make sure cake is mandatory.
(Via KXAN)