By Abigail Ham

Copyright keenesentinel

WESTMORELAND — Heading north out of Keene on Route 12, there’s a long stretch of winding road through dense forest and scattered businesses. Then you emerge into the village of Westmoreland.

If you blink, you might miss Jingles Christmas Shop — that is, if it weren’t for the iconic row of Adirondack chairs and the giant inflatable Santa Claus that often stands guard.

In recent months, Santa was superseded by an inflatable ice cream cone as the Westmoreland General Store made people aware of its new ice cream window.

Frequent commuters may have noticed the cone no longer marks the spot. The store had to take it down after the town determined the cone was violating Westmoreland ordinance. But the owners say they’re trying to make things right in time for Santa to come to town.

Meanwhile, the deflation wasn’t limited to the roughly 16-foot tall blown-up cone; its removal prompted a wave of disappointment among locals and even gave rise to social media hashtags.

The owners of Jingles Christmas Shop and Fatman’s Table applied earlier this year to add the general store, including the ice cream window and a new deli counter, to the base off Route 12 that they have owned since 2018.

The town’s planning board approved that request in June. But according to co-owner Matt Lilly, who lives in Westmoreland, he learned in the beginning of September the store had failed to abide by some of the conditions of that approval.

At a planning board meeting in August, members said the property wasn’t in accord with the site plan they’d approved due to a trailer that was supposed to be removed. The trailer has since been removed.

According to the minutes, board member Lisa Prince also said “a large ice cream cone … is in violation of the town ordinances as well as their site plan.”

When reached last week, selectboard member John Snowdon said he couldn’t comment on the situation because it’s ongoing.

Selectboard minutes say the original complaint about the cone came from Prince.

Mark Terry, the selectboard’s representative to the planning board, said the selectboard, which is tasked with enforcement, would send a letter to the owners.

Lilly said he attended a planning board meeting to learn more, then took down the cone.

The cone was considered a sign, not a mere decoration, by the town because Westmoreland’s zoning ordinance defines a sign as anything that is used to bring the “subject thereof to the attention of the public.”

The ordinance limits the size of signs, and the cone was too big.

But Lilly said he feels the cone, like the store’s iconic Santa, was a bit of seasonal fun — not a sign for the business. The large inflatable did not have words on it.

The business filed last week a request for an exemption from the zoning board to continue putting up large inflatables on its lawn. The board is set to meet Wednesday at 7 p.m.

“Anyone who wants to see the cone saved should come say ‘save the cone,’ “ Lilly said of the meeting.

Community ties

At the store this past Wednesday afternoon, Lilly said the loss of the cone has had a significant impact on ice cream sales, which he said were down by about two-thirds.

The cone helped let people know about the ice cream window, and made them more likely to stop and shop, he said.

While he doesn’t agree with the planning board’s categorization of the inflatable as a sign, Lilly said he doesn’t blame the selectboard for enforcing the rules.

“It’s not the selectboard’s fault. They want to see the town prosper and businesses prosper, but they have to follow the rules,” Lilly said.

On social media, locals rallied in support of the store, lamenting the end of the big cone era. Many used the hashtag #bringbackthecone to post photos from the store, share memories and more.

“All the town folks have been really supportive,” Lilly said.

One community member took things a bit further. After noticing a dip in traffic since the collapse of the cone, TJ Kelly, a local Realtor, pre-purchased kiddie soft serve cones for the first 50 visitors to the store as a way to encourage people to visit.

In a Facebook statement, Lilly thanked people for their support and asked them to continue showing up — for ice cream, a sandwich, or whatever they’re craving.

He said he understands town officials are just doing their jobs, and he wants to work with them to resolve the issues — and to get Santa up come December.

“We’re trying to make it right,” he said.