The signs were clear — the hay wagon signs that New York business owner and entrepreneur Raymond Rice put along Route 7 in Charlotte and other neighboring towns a few months ago, that is.

They were so clear, it prompted some Charlotte residents and others in neighboring towns to call their local legislator and the Vermont Agency of Transportation to investigate whether the banners placed on hay wagons along the major highway violated the state’s 57-year-old billboard law.

Now, the drive along Route 7 to the New York border is void of the temporary fixtures, which one Charlotte resident called an “eyesore.” But still, a hay wagon sporting a “Rice Farm and Tires” banner is likely to be the first thing you see upon crossing the border into the Empire State.

The whole debacle is shedding some light on one of Vermont’s most unique and antiquated state laws. What if the sign is on wheels? What if it’s not technically a billboard? What if it’s a banner zip tied to a hay wagon?

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