DuPont Circle snowball fight erupts as Washington, DC blasted by snow storm
Warriors, come out to play-yay...
It's almost like that great cult classic from 1979. Except roving gangs of thugs aren't toting guns, knives, and baseball bats. Instead, these Washington-based warriors have come armed with, well... snowballs.
In a city famous for fighting on Capitol Hill, residents are out in -- reportedly by the thousands -- to partake in organized snowball fights across the area.
What else are you going to do? After all, it's the Snowmageddon. That's what President Obama called the winter weather today. Others are calling it the Snopocalypse.
Whatever. With two feet of snow hitting a town that is well-practiced in using social media to rally supporters at political events, why not use Facebook and Twitter to host a few snowball fights?
DuPont Circle showdown
Take the snowball fight at DuPont Circle this afternoon. With over 5,600 fans of the event and reports that more than 2,000 people showed up, it uniquely demonstrates once again the power of the new media.
So newsworthy was it that the mainstream media was there to cover the event. One local reporter was pelted by snowballs throughout his broadcast. But, he remained standing.
That's something you can't say about this participant. Armed with her iPhone, she successfully forged her way through the battle zone before getting clobbered and knocked to the ground.
"Came SO close to losing my iPhone. Phew," she tweets.
Want more video footage? Check out these clips from one guy who was live streaming the event.
Stay away
How big is the snowball fight? Big enough to snarl traffic (as if the weather wasn't doing that anyway). One radio station says keep away.
"WTOP radio: Drivers are advised to stay away from Dupont Circle due to the snowball fight in progress," tweets one DC resident.
The Five-Oh
One local blogger, Tom Bridge from WeLoveDC.com, asks the DC police not to show up with guns this time.
In case you missed it, a cop did break up a DC snowball fight in December. And he was packing heat. Luckily, no one was hurt, but DC residents haven't forgotten about it.
Writes Carissa DeMargo at NBCWashington, "Wear your boots, your snow pants and your bullet-proof vest... you know, just to be on the safe side."
Did you know?
Oh yeah, and you can learn a lot from today's action even if you don't go outside.
Like this helpful hint from DoctorAwesomeMD: The best thing about getting snow in your pants is that you don't have to wash them, just let it melt.
Snow snobs
By the way, not everyone gets all the hub-bub. Those from locations used to getting a lot of snow scoff at all the attention.
Former Bush Deputy Press Secretary Scott Stanzel notes on his Facebook page that he flew out of DC just in time to avoid "the DC snowmageddon, or 'flurries' as we used to call it in Iowa."
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