McIntire Park
McIntire Park is a park in Charlottesville, VA which has apparently become a favorite hangout of Christian Weston Chandler during 2009. It features a chalkboard wall where visitors can leave whatever messages (or drawings of your favorite hedgehog hero!) as they see fit. Every April, the annual Dogwood Festival is held at the park, featuring a fireworks display.
The park was at the center of a local controversy, due to plans to reallocate part of the area to a new YMCA facility and a parkway. In the summer of 2009, Chris joined the effort to save the park, presumably out of his insatiable need for attention rather than any particular concern for the public good.
Chris on NBC
On 22 July 2009, local NBC affiliate WVIR ran a story on the 6 o'clock news about the controversy surrounding the park. During an interview with a representative of the McIntire Preservation Community, Chris managed to walk into the shot making sure to carefully hold up his Sonichu medallion to make sure people would know who he is. This is one of a handful of times Chris has been seen in sunlight.
Chris in a Council Meeting
At some point prior to 14 August 2009, Chris created a two-foot-wide sign featuring Sonichu, Rosechu, and their children with giant wads of babbling text, intended to express support for the park. The youngsters are holding extremely tiny signs that read "SAVE MCINTIRE PARK," which would be impossible to read from more than six feet away, rendering the sign largely useless.
The sign would be seen in a video where Chris used his artwork to refute the claims of CChanSonichuCWC. On 17 August Chris brought the sign with him to a Charlottesville city council meeting, and was recognized for his effort. Chris began to ramble until the city council told him to pipe down, earning the envy of millions.
It is possible that, since Chris is like a sponge to mass media, he thinks that he will be seen as a "hero" if he succeeds at saving McIntire, due to various pieces of media using this trope as a plot point.
Transcript
[transcription starts at 0:30, speaker is Bob Fenwick]
Fenwick: I would also like to call special attention to a young man, Christian Chandler, who's in the audience, who spent a great deal of time making his own save McIntire sign.
[applause, Chris starts shouting in the audience]
Chris: Indeed!
Hmm. It's less expensive for McIntire Park. Membership is required for the YMCA and plus the wading pool should be bigger and deeper.
[gets cut off by chairman]
Chairman: Eh, heheh, one speaker at a time. Thank you.
[Audience laughs]
Fenwick: Now, I think you all...
References
See also:
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