By Heather Ratcliffe Of The Post-Dispatch * A Frontenac officer issued a summons to the youth for not having a merchant's license. That led the convention's organizer to move the candy dispenser collectors' convention to Town and Country.
Pez candy dispenser collectors moved their annual convention this weekend from Frontenac to Town and Country after an undercover police officer busted a teen who sold a $3 item without a merchant's license. A Frontenac police detective wandered into a room at the Frontenac Hilton on Thursday and bought a "Star Wars" Pez candy dispenser from 18-year-old Seth Weinberg of Columbia, Mo. About an hour later, the officer returned to issue Weinberg a court summons. Dozens of other dealers were not cited. "I didn't invite this guy into my room to buy Pez. He just came in," Weinberg said. City officials said anyone selling merchandise in Frontenac must apply for a itinerant merchant license 30 days before the sale. The process gives police an opportunity to check the background of a vendor before the public buys wares. "It doesn't matter what they are selling - diamond rings or Pez dispensers," said City Attorney Chet Pleban. "We want to make sure everyone follows the law, and we know who comes into our town." John Devlin, who founded the convention 10 years ago, said he never needed a license when he hosted the event in the St. Louis area in the past. Devlin, of south St. Louis County, said the hotel event coordinator never mentioned it. He said he heard about the ordinance about three weeks before the convention. By then, he said, he didn't have time to apply. Instead, Devlin decided to move the event to the St. Louis Marriott West hotel in Town and Country after the incident Thursday. Town and Country does not put the same restrictions on vendors. The Pez show, open to the public from 10:30 to 2 p.m. today, will be squeezed into the Marriott West ballroom, which is one-third the size of the planned space. More than 200 people from across the country registered for the event. Organizers expected several hundred more to stop in. Weinberg must return to Frontenac July 17 to appear in court on his violation. "I know the police are doing their job," he said. "But I'm sure there has got to be something better they can be doing than busting people selling Pez." ______________________________________________________________________ Structure your ColdFusion code with Fusebox. Get the official book at http://www.fusionauthority.com/bkinfo.cfm FAQ: http://www.thenetprofits.co.uk/coldfusion/faq Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/cf-talk@houseoffusion.com/ Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/index.cfm?sidebar=lists
