They advertise yard sales, chicken dinners, art fairs, festivals and nearly every other event under the sun. Perhaps the busiest sign corner around is the intersection of S. Airport Road and U.S. 31 in Garfield Township, where tens of thousands of cars pass through every day.

But are these temporary signs on metal frames –vying (or fighting) for your attention – actually allowed in the commercial district?

“Commercial signs, off-premise, are illegal,” says Garfield Township Supervisor Chuck Korn.

So all those signs peppering that corner? “Can’t do it,” he says.

Oh, but people do.

“I equate it to dandelions,” says Korn. “Pluck ‘em today and more grow tomorrow.”

Garfield Township personnel regularly go around yanking the signs and delivering them to the Grand Traverse County Road Commission, where they sit behind the dumpster and are eventually thrown away if not claimed. The ordinance is in place to “avoid the cluttered look” of temporary signs, many of which are left up long after the event is over, Korn explains.

“It’s a cat and mouse game,” says Korn. While the township does not keep track of how many signs it picks up, there are definitely more this time of year. “It’s an on-going issue. Always has been.”

Allison Beers of TC-based Events North plans events for a variety of area organizations. Currently, her company is managing and actively promoting the Leelanau Chamber’s first annual Wine on the Water Festival coming up tomorrow, Sat., July 20, at Marina Park in downtown Suttons Bay.

Those signs were among the dozens spotted at the corner recently. For spots where there isn’t a business, Beers says her event’s signs were simply joining the rest of the crowd and she thought it was legal – by no means alone in this belief.

She immediately called the township to apologize, get clarification on the law and removed all illegal signs.

She says she always has asked business owners for permission to place a sign on their lot and makes sure they are removed the day after the event.

But, according to the township ordinance, that isn’t enough. Businesses are allotted a certain number of square feet for signage, contingent on the lot size. Additional signage – temporary or otherwise – will usually exceed the limit as most businesses optimize their allotment, Korn explains. Businesses can apply for a permit – at a cost of $50 – but usually choose to play the ‘cat and mouse’ sign game instead.

I was unaware,” says Beers. “Unfortunately, I assumed [the policy] was the same in Garfield Township as in Traverse City.”

Korn acknowledges that it can be tricky since sign ordinances vary by municipality.

From a marketing perspective, in an area with so many special events and festivals, it is a challenge to get your event “heard,” Beers says. Many of her events are for nonprofits with tight budgets trying to raise money for their causes. She thinks there is an opportunity for more education from Garfield Township on what event promoters can and can’t do.

Whether people know the law or not, Korn says, a lot will still stick signs in the ground on a Friday for a weekend event and hope no one will spot it until Monday.

But wait.

“We’re starting a Saturday run.”