Colorado town repeals anti-snowball law after nine-year-old boy's presentation

Rule has been in force for nearly a century, town officials believe

A nine-year-old boy has lobbied successfully to have a law banning snow balls repealed in his home town that has been frozen in place for nearly a century.

Dane Best told the town board for Severance, Colorado, before the repeal that his first act would be to lob a snowball at his brother if he succeeded in his bid to change the town law.

He also juggled some tough questioning from members of the board with poise.

"Can we amend this ordinance to say that if you're over 60, no one can throw a snowball at you?" asked Trustee Dennis "Zeke" Kane, according to The Greeley Tribune.

Another trustee asked if he had spoken to his classmates about safety measures for snowballs. Dane promised he had no intention of putting rocks or other dangerous materials into snowballs.

The boy had been working on a presentation for the board for a month, and the ultimate passage showed that the preparation clearly paid off.

"The children of Severance want the opportunity to have a snowball fight like the rest of the world," he told the town board. "The law was created many years ago. Today's kids need a reason to play outside.”

The town board officially repeal the law after his presentation, which lasted three minutes. Officials say the rule was likely about as old as the town itself, and was originally intended to stop people from throwing stones or missiles at others.

After the repeal, Mayor Dan McLeod gave two snowballs to Dane and his 4-year-old brother Dax. The pair threw the first two legal snowballs in the history of the Colorado town.