Who still has April Fools' Day fun? New Franklin mayor floats outlandish eclipse plan
If April Fools' Day seemed to slip by unnoticed this year, it didn't escape the attention of New Franklin Mayor Paul Adamson.
The mayor of the southern Summit County city brought his sense of humor to an April 1 post on the city's website and Facebook page that played on the April 8 solar eclipse.
The mayor writes regular updates on various aspects of life in his city, from events taking place to a call for volunteers for the New Franklin Beautification Team. The March 27 post was dedicated to congratulations for the city's police chief, Daniel Bickett, who was selected to attend a prestigious FBI course in Quantico, Virginia.
On Monday, though, Adamson let his mischievous side out, offering a vision of a citywide canopy providing safe eclipse viewing by the city's residents.
"You may see the crews out there today, erecting the 800-foot poles at the four corners of our city," Adamson wrote. "The special canopy material will then be stretched" like plastic wrap "by remote control drones, with an overlap on each side of approximately 60 feet."
Less interest in a day dedicated to pranks?
If it seems like the annual day dedicated to harmless pranks has lost some of its luster, it may be an accurate observation. Google searches on the holiday started declining in the U.S. in 2016 and haven't recovered since then.
Locally, the Akron Beacon Journal seemed to put more emphasis on the hijinks holiday, running an April Fools' Contest in 1992 that published readers' stories about what had happened to them on the day. In 1968, four students were featured in an article about pranksters to watch on April 1.
By the 2000s, though, the pool of playfulness starts to dry up. By 2015, a newspaper reporter had to write a column giving readers ideas on "April Fools pranks to play on your pals."
Remember Burger King's left-handed Whopper?
Sometimes the pranks can go awry. Reader's Digest recalls the Burger King Whopper for left-handed consumers in 1988, Google's 2016 "mic drop" button, and a 1980 Boston TV broadcast about a hill in Milton that had erupted.
Fortunately, the Great New Franklin Canopy Caper of 2024 didn't cause a tempest in a teapot.
In fact, Adamson said Tuesday his post was received positively, with a few shares and likes on social media.
Adamson said he'd learned of a caller to local radio station WNIR inquiring about the canopy.
"We called to let them know: 'Don't come out (for it),' " he said.
Leave a message for Alan Ashworth at 330-996-3859 or email him at aashworth@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @newsalanbeaconj or Facebook at www.facebook.com/alan.newsman.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: New Franklin mayor posts absurd eclipse plan as April Fools prank
