Potty Town

When a Village Board in Potsdam, NY denies Hank Robar’s bid to sell his land to Dunkin Donuts, the 82-year-old landlord erects flower-filled toilet displays on his village properties, setting off a string of events that will both amuse and frustrate the community for the next twenty years. As tension between Robar and the Village builds, local opinion diverges, resulting in vandalism and several court appearances for “dangerous bulky waste.” When the village blindsides Robar with a new junk law that includes forcible removal of his toilets, he fires back with a $7 million dollar lawsuit that will force locals to grapple with questions about what constitutes art. Seen through the eyes of residents and the players involved, this standoff is an extremely serious, yet sometimes comical story of run-ins with small town government, in a quirky tale of toilets, corruption and one man’s battle to uphold his first amendment and artistic rights.