The Naperville City Council has just rained on the town's parades, voting to ban participants from tossing candy and other items from floats --- for safety.
"One child gets hit, it's one child too many, and I think the safety is number one in this program," Naperville Mayor George Pradel said, according to the Daily Herald.
The ordinance passed 5-3.
Parade participants are still allowed to pass out items to spectators by hand.
A few of the council members shared their personal experiences of being hit or nearly hit by items thrown at a parade before the vote. Kenn Miller, for example, said he had been struck by a Frisbee. And the mayor claimed a piece of candy flung from a float drew blood when it struck a city official's wife.
But not everyone is on board. Councilman Richard Furstenau said, "We have reached the height of regulation," calling the City Council "a bunch of killjoys," reports Breaking News.
"Killjoys" have already enacted similar bans in other cities, including Chicago, Wheaton, and Elgin.
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Councilman Grant Wehrli said the action was just "common sense."
"Just don't bean people with candies, and don't throw it in the middle of the street so [children] come running out and get hit by a car," Wehrli said. "There's not a lot of brainpower to figure that one out."
What do you think? Is this an overdue safety precaution, or a crackdown from the Fun Police? Leave your comments and opinions below.
Matt Bartosik is a Chicago native and a social media sovereign.
