By A. Finn Moss | Out with the flu since Tuesday

Protesters disrupted the Bass Lake Town Council meeting Monday night airing concerns over a variety of issues on the monthly agenda.

Waving banners and shouting slogans, separate factions stormed council chambers at Town Hall as Bass Lake Poet Laureate Al Schwartz began reading his latest poem to begin the meeting.

The malcontents were upset about two things: the streets included in proposed sidewalk repairs and overt praying prior to a public meeting.

“Our sidewalk is still not fixed after two years,” said Cooper Sanderstroms, owner of Cooper’s Coops and Chicken Accessories on Trout Lane. “Is Trout lane on the list? No!”

Sanderstroms was joined by fellow Trout Lane merchants Jennifer Sparkle and Larry Karen. Sparkle owns Jen’s Ribbon Cutting while Karen operates Karen’s Ribbon & Scissors Warehouse.

The trio has voiced discontent on many occasions regarding the broken and crumbling status of the sidewalk that services their shops. Previous attempts by the town to repair the sidewalk have failed.

“I’d donate a ribbon cutting to celebrate a new sidewalk,” Sparkle said. “But they have to actually build one first.”

Council vice-president Carolyn Shee agrees with the Trout Laners that their sidewalk is a mess, but pointed to a misunderstanding regarding the target of the protest.

“The discussion tonight was about street repairs,” Shee said. “We’ll get to the sidewalks when we’re good and ready.”

As for the invocation heading off the evening, town clerk Olden A. Goodway, who types the agenda, said the word “prayer” doesn’t mean anything.

“It’s just on the agenda form,” Goodway said. “Hell, Al’s an atheist. Get over it.”

In actual business:

• the council voted to remove all the streets listed for repair
• Beijing Bait & Tackle was added to the list of Wonders of the Modern World
• primary elections were cancelled due to a lack of candidates