COVINGTON - When pop group Hanson led a walk down Madison Avenue before its April 17 concert at the Madison Theater, it was an Mmm-Bummer for the show's promoter.

The band, known for its 1997 No. 1 single "Mmm-Bop," holds mile-long walks before shows to raise awareness of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and poverty in South Africa. About 100 fans participated here, walking to the Covington Landing site and back.

Nashville promoter Jason Zink, who grew up in Fort Thomas, received a misdemeanor citation for leading the walk without a city permit. The maximum penalty: $250 in fines and 30 days in jail. He must return next month for his court date.

"This is the 54th city they said they did - and never had to get any kind of permit to do it, have never had any issue," said Zink, of Outback Concerts, which promotes shows nationwide. "The city of Covington apparently are the only folks that are with-it enough to understand the full impact of the Hanson barrage."

"It's a really positive thing," Zink said about Hanson's walks, part of their Walk Tour. "Their message is certainly we can't all save the world, but in our small, individual ways, we should all do what we can - that's certainly a good message for people to hear, and a good thing to have in your community, one would think."

Police Chief Lee Russo said Madison Theater Chief Executive Officer Esther Johnson went to the city about an hour beforehand, seeking a permit.

"There's no way we can respond and deal with the situation, make sure it's going to be a safe environment for these kids who are going to be walking in this," Russo said. "And number two, for the traffic."

Russo, who believes permit applications are due "at least 30 days" in advance, said he decided the 3 p.m. walk should not happen. He met with Johnson and Zink about 30 minutes beforehand, and told them, "If you do this, here's what we plan to do: We will cite the promoter for organizing it, and then doing it."

"They said, 'OK.' We left, they subsequently organized it, let it go," Russo said.

"The walk happens, everything goes great, and about an hour or so later, several Covington police come up and give me a citation for leading a parade through downtown," Zink said. "Their comment was I was told not to do this, but I did it anyway. And if we wanted to play games, then they'd play games."

Zink insists he was not told not to do it. "The comment was, 'We are not going to stop you from doing this, but maybe you want to think about just talking with the crowd in the back parking lot,'" to discuss safety tips, like not crossing against red lights, Zink said.

"I told him we were not authorizing it," Russo said.

"Frank Warnock, the city solicitor, said the same thing: 'We cannot endorse this. If you do it, it's a violation, and you'll be charged.'"

Zink said Russo and Warnock told him "city council members were upset. ... If I were a voter, I probably would be curious to know which of the council members were trying to keep the cute, young girls from spending money in Covington."

Mayor Butch Callery said he had noticed "all these teeny boppers," but said he didn't complain or hear of any city commissioners doing so. He did not realize anyone was cited.

"I definitely have to go to court, and the officer made a point of telling me that if I didn't show up that a bench warrant would be issued for my arrest," Zink said.

"I saw where they just arrested a guy for swimming across the river. I'd probably be careful if I were riding a bike around in Covington - it seems like they have a citation triathlon they're trying to complete."

The band was unavailable to comment Friday.

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