Beach Plum's Lobster Sparks Court Battle

One man's 900-pound lobster art is another man's sign, and the disagreement over that fact has prompted a legal battle on North Hampton State Beach because some officials reportedly feel the ice cream-wielding crustacean is too large and violates beach sign ordinances.

The Union Leader has reported that an attorney representing the Beach Plum filed an appeal in Rockingham Superior Court earlier this month in the hopes of overturning a Little Boar's Head Village District Board of Adjustment ruling so the smiling lobster can remain standing in business' picnic area. The Beach Plum has asked for a restraining against the district while the appeal is pending in order to stop the district from mandating the lobster's removal or imposing fines, according to the Union Leader.

The Beach Plum has reportedly argued that the lobster — the larger of two smiling crustaceans on the property — is a piece of art, not a sign. The Union Leader has reported the North Hampton Planning Board agreed with that determination after the sign ordinance issue came to light over a year ago. During its deliberations, the planning board ordered the lobster be moved from its original spot near Ocean Boulevard to its present location in the picnic area, according to the Union Leader.