Road crew mows down Huntersville’s beloved ‘Cone Weed’ – but its message takes root
A weed growing inside a cone on the side of the road in Huntersville, which made national headlines, has been mowed down.
The weed, which was dubbed “Cone Weed,” grew inside a traffic cone on the side of Beatties Ford Road in Huntersville, directly across the street from the Huntersville Fire Department’s Station 2.
The weed sprouted up over the summer and endured well into the fall. It was recently decorated with tinsel, ornaments and sparkly bits of joy for the holiday season.
Those bits of Christmas cheer were found scattered on the side of the road Monday morning and Cone Weed was no more.
We were just made aware of the #ConeWeed situation in Huntersville. We're working to find out where it went and we'll update once we know more. This is a first for us @LNCitizen @Huntersville_FD @JoeBrunoWSOC9
— NCDOT Charlotte Area (@NCDOT_Charlotte) November 20, 2017
The Huntersville Fire Department posted the news Monday morning on Facebook.
“Unfortunately, within the last 45 minutes, someone removed the #ConeWeed,” officials wrote. “Residents reported seeing a road crew in a yellow truck remove the cone and all the decorations. We did not see it happen and no one stopped by the fire station to tell us they were removing it.”
“All that’s left is a couple scattered decorations,” officials continued. “We went ahead and rehung a couple of the decorations on what remains of the weed. Thank you to everyone that helped this Weed movement make a difference in our community.”
Just before 3:30 p.m., the North Carolina Department of Transportation said the weed had been removed by crews because it was too close to the road. “They didn’t mean to be a Grinch and disrupt and positive community effort,” NCDOT tweeted. “We’re taking Cone Weed to @Huntersville_FD this afternoon for safe keeping. We hope Cone Weed continues to spread holiday cheer.”
Cone Weed, which has its own Facebook page, posted its own message: “Hey friends. I know I got a pretty bad haircut this morning and I’m currently without my cone but I’m still here. Its just another hurdle we’re gonna have to overcome as our little corner of the world grows and adapts. I will be honest, I may not make it to spring but I’ll stay with you all through the holidays at least in spirit. But I don’t want you all to stop talking and laughing and sharing and feeling joy just because I don’t look the same. The real magic was that I got decorated because someone cared enough to spread this small joy for others. You can all still do that. I have some great friends in this community that are working on some great things to carry on with the spirit we all felt the last few weeks so stay tuned for more. We’re still #OneTownOneTeam.
“We’re still #Weedville and as we all know, weeds keep growing no matter how many times you cut them down.”
A local graphic designer came up with a T-shirt featuring the Cone Weed, and 100 percent of all proceeds from sales of the shirt will go to HopeMatch.org to help local families in need.
This story was originally published November 20, 2017 at 11:54 AM with the headline "Road crew mows down Huntersville’s beloved ‘Cone Weed’ – but its message takes root."