After 24 years, Walnut Creek's Walnut Festival replaces their King Walnut mascot with Sammy the Squirrel. Now Larry Sweet/King Walnut is cracking up. Heaven help the citizens of Walnut Creek.

SYNOPSIS:

After appearing twenty-four consecutive years as the star attraction in the annual Walnut Festival parade, middle-aged Larry Sweet's reign as King Walnut comes to a public and brutally humiliating end when the Walnut Creek City Council, acting upon advice from City Attorney, Raul Martinez, informs a stunned Larry that if he portrays King Walnut one more time, the City is obligated to provide Larry with a modest retirement pension and benefits package.

With fiscally challenged Walnut Creek struggling to make every penny count, there's no way the City can afford to let Larry continue as King Walnut. In short, while it's been fun while it lasted, Larry Sweet's services as a dedicated volunteer are no longer desired or required.

A devastated Larry is still reeling from the horrible news when Mayor Roberta Andler steps up to the podium at the televised City Council meeting to introduce Larry's immediate replacement-Sammy the Squirrel, a pretender to the throne wearing a cheap costume with a big bushy tail.

As a small concession for his many years of service to the people of Walnut Creek, Larry is allowed to keep part of his King Walnut costume, namely the paper mâché King Walnut head Larry has proudly worn for more than two decades.

Publicly kicked out the door, in front of his girlfriend Shelley Pierce, no less, Larry makes a profanity-laden exit that effectively destroys any goodwill the citizens of Walnut Creek may have for his past services to the city.

Wearing the King Walnut head, Larry leaves the city council meeting in disgrace and begins a descent into madness which totally consumes his life and personality.

Larry trades his Lincoln Mark VII for a used VW New Beetle which he parks in his garage for a customized makeover that includes spray painting the Bug brown and hammering the VW to resemble a walnut on wheels.

Things only get worse over the course of the next four days. Larry loses his grief counseling job at a funeral home. He gets rejected by his therapist. He discovers his girlfriend is having an affair with Sammy the Squirrel and he begins having conversations with the King Walnut head he refuses to take off.

With the annual Walnut Festival fast approaching, the moderately insane Larry plots his revenge on the City of Walnut Creek by teaming up with a couple of real squirrels named Murray and Pete, as well as with a mysterious woman he meets in the park.

Walnut Creek may have ousted him in favor of Sammy the Squirrel, but with his new-found allies, Larry is determined to make this year's Walnut Festival an event the City Council and people of Walnut Creek will never forget.