How To Celebrate 4/20? Erect A Statue Of Willie Nelson, Of Course!
Do you understand the significance of the date April 20? If you don't, well, let's just say there's a day for everything--and 4/20 is an unofficial day of celebration for marijuana smokers around the world.
That said, it comes as no surprise that the city of Austin has decided to unveil a statue of none other than outspoken legalization activist Willie Nelson on this very date.
According to the Associated Press, the group who raised money for the monument, Texas-based Capital Area Statues Inc., was unaware of the coincidence and claims they chose 4/20 merely because Nelson was scheduled to be in the city that day. "It seems everyone else knew the story on this," one member wryly noted.
Apparently, however, they decided to go with the theme: The unveiling of the statue is set for 4:20 p.m. local time. Nelson is expected to be in attendance and has been tweeting enthusiastically about the event on his Twitter account.
Austin began preparing for the fun tribute to the beloved Texan a few days in advance, rolling the statue out for its placement near the city's new Moody Theater. "Looks like a statue of @willienelson going up at the corner of 2nd & lavaca!" tweeted an Austin resident on Tuesday, adding his own snapshot of it.
Nelson has been arrested several times for possession of marijuana and once famously admitted on air that he'd smoked before appearing on CNN's Larry King Live. On Thursday he premiered the album version of the tune "Roll Me Up," which features Snoop Dogg and Kris Kristofferson, on his official website. The humorous tune encourages his loved ones and friends to "roll me up and smoke me when I die," rather than sit around and mourn his passing. You can listen to it here.
Related Links:
Interview with Willie's son, Lukas Nelson
