(20 May 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS:
Conway, New Hampshire – 20 May 2025
1. Exterior of Leavitt’s Country Bakery
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Sara Guptill, Bakery customer:
++PARTIALLY COVERED++
“When I first heard that there was a dispute going on about the beautiful mural above me, I didn’t get it.”
3. Exterior of Leavitt’s Country Bakery
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Sara Guptill, Conway, New Hampshire resident:
++PARTIALLY COVERED++
“It’s beautiful and it’s fun and it’s playful and it’s done by our kids.”
5. Exterior of Leavitt’s Country Bakery
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Sara Guptill, Conway, New Hampshire resident:
++PARTIALLY COVERED++
“When I see the mural, I get a little bit of, I have to say a little stick it to the man because it’s like, you’re hating donuts.”
7. Exterior of Leavitt’s Country Bakery
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Young, Bakery Owner: ++PARTIALLY COVERED++
“We had the local high school reach out to us back in 2022. And they wanted a spot to do a high school art projec. So they painted that great mural behind us. And a couple weeks later, the town code enforcement officer came by and said, you know, ‘Hey, that’s not art. That’s a sign.’ And I guess that’s, that’s when the fight started.”
9. Young and bakery employee walking into bakery
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Young, Bakery owner:
“The code enforcement officer came and cited us for having an illegal sign.”
11. Bakery pastry box
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Young, Bakery owner: ++PARTIALLY COVERED++
“The Institute for Justice reached out to us and said, ‘Hey, they can’t do that. That’s against the First Amendment and we’d like to represent you.’”
13. Young talking to customers outside bakery
14. SOUNDBITE (English) Gay Moceri, Bakery customer:
“When I got the news yesterday that the court had ruled in his favor, I’ve had a grin on my face ever since I got the news because you stick to your guns and you fight for what you know is right and sometimes the little guy does win.”
15. UPSOUND (English) customer talking to Young:
“Congratulations. Oh, thank you.”
16. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Young, Bakery Owner:
“We’re happy. It’s been three years, yeah, definitely a relief. Happy that it’s over, happy that we won, and happy we get to keep our art.”
17. Exterior of Leavitt’s Country Bakery
STORYLINE:
A New Hampshire town’s attempt to force a bakery to remove or alter its painting that shows sunbeams shining down on a mountain range of doughnuts, a muffin, a cinnamon roll and other pastries is unconstitutional, a judge ruled in a First Amendment dispute.
The town of Conway infringed on the free speech rights of bakery owner Sean Young, U.S. District Judge Joseph Laplante ruled Monday, following a one-day trial in February.
He ordered the town to stop any efforts at enforcing its sign code regarding the mural painted by high school students atop Leavitt’s Country Bakery, mentioning a “complete disconnect between what the ordinance purports to regulate and the town’s enforcement, as well as the illogical way it applied and explained that enforcement” to Leavitt’s.
“I’m thrilled that the students’ artwork can remain up, I’m thrilled that my First Amendment rights have been vindicated, and I’m thrilled that the community can continue to enjoy the beautiful piece of art,” Young said in a statement. “I think our mural is a wonderful depiction of everything that makes the Mount Washington Valley such a great place to live.”
When the mural went up in June 2022, it attracted a lot of compliments and visitors, including one from a town zoning officer.
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