SCI hooper signs

[phunkyb]

I put one up at Kings College circle 4 years ago. Just north of College on Spadina on the west side. It's still there! Anyone ever notice it?

Oddball signs popping up across nation

November 30, 2004

BY LUCIO GUERRERO Staff Reporter Advertisement

With a quick glance, it looks just like any other pedestrian crossing sign -- a yellow, diamond-shaped sign with a person walking.

But a long stare at the sign and there's something strange -- a Hula-Hoop around the pedestrian's body.

Across the country -- and now Chicago -- these unusual pedestrian crossing signs are popping up and leaving people scratching their heads as to who left them and what they mean. The signs have also appeared in New York, Washington, D.C., and even Utah's Arches National Park.

"I figured it was done as a joke," said Paul Puskar, who lives near one of the signs on Chicago's North Side. "If the Hula-Hoop is actually part of the sign I'd like to know what it means. Although I haven't seen any pedestrians with Hula-Hoops walking across the street, I have been on the lookout.

"They would be a great threat to traffic as it would be difficult to hula and walk across the street at the same time, especially while wearing a winter coat."

Decals used

The signs are real pedestrian crossing signs that have been altered by someone slapping on a transparency of the Hula-Hoop.

City officials say they aren't sure what the signs mean, but fans of a Colorado music group may have some idea. Internet blogs and chat rooms that have noticed the signs point to the fans of String Cheese Incident as the main culprit.

The band -- a jam band that plays a mix of rock, blues, bluegrass, funk and salsa -- has adopted the Hula-Hooped pedestrian as its mascot. The group is now on tour and passed through Chicago late last month.

Link to band

According to the band's publicist, the band doesn't condone its fans defacing city signs, but said the tradition dates back to the band's earliest days in the 1990s. It was then that the fledgling band could barely get two dozen people to attend a show. Some of the band's friends decided to do something to generate some interest and fill the empty bars.

"They started to bring Hula-Hoops to encourage people to dance," said Carrie Lombardi, the group's publicist. "People still bring the Hula-Hoops to shows."

Some people credit String Cheese Incident with bringing Hula-Hooping back into the mainstream in the early '90s.

But the stickers could land someone in hot water. According to Chicago city code, anyone defacing a city sign could be hit with a misdemeanor -- a maximum punishment of $500 fine and 30 days in jail.

[CyberHippie]

That's awesome!!