NEWS
Ice shack a vehicle for anti-war propaganda
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by Michelle Orris
Thursday, February 27, 2003
MATC sophomore Bill Marden and UW senior Sean Ulman regret leaving a spray can outside of their ice shack on Lake Mendota. They arrived at their ice shack last Sunday to find an empty spray can, a missing ice scooper and anti-war graffiti covering the shack’s exterior.
“Fish Against War,” and “Drop Bush, Not Bombs,” was sprayed in dark gray over the plywood shack Marden and Ulman built in January.
Marden said he was “definitely pissed” by the markings, especially because they do not reflect his and Ulman’s stance on the war.
“We hadn’t planned on it being an outlet for political rhetoric,” Marden said. “We’re going to alter it to reflect our personal views.”
However, Marden said the shack’s current condition would reflect his personal views if he was a “liberal Madison hippie f-ck.”
Ulman said he would probably just cross out the graffiti and “doodle” something else. Marden said he would change the messages to make them pro-war.
Their shack is visible from College Library, a quarter-mile off the end of Park Street and a 10-minute walk from the shore.
Marden said he knew of no other vandalized shacks on Lake Mendota.
“It’s all by itself out there, which probably explains why we’re not catching anything,” Marden said.
Ulman said he had wanted to build an ice shack since he was a sophomore.
“We were just bored, I’ve always wanted to do it and I have lots of time,” Ulman said.
They built the frame first and brought it out onto the ice to construct the plywood exterior.
Last Friday they named their shack “The Blair Street Project,” and drew pictures of a sailboat and a “dude.” But they hadn’t banked on additional contributions from strangers.
Ulman said he was initially a little upset but that he has mellowed since then.
“I just thought that [it was] stupid,” he said. “I wouldn’t do that to someone.”
