A question for my readers: what are your beliefs on alcohol consumption?
From a personal standpoint, I don’t drink much. I’ll have the occasional celebratory shot of whiskey or dark rum, maybe even a silver tequila, or for medicinal purposes like to quickly cure me of a headache that Ibuprofen just won’t touch.
I had my fill of drinking at parties in college to teach me that I’m not great at holding my liquor after a certain point, and beer isn’t a fun experience for my stomach. Wine? Sometimes. Only when I have something to complain about.
I don’t care if other people drink to excess (so long as they aren’t keeping me awake at night) and it doesn’t bother me that people want to drink in public. So long as someone else is driving, and no one starts a fight in the middle of the day on Main Street, what do I care? And why should you?
The reason why you and I should care about this topic is a discussion had at the Cedartown City Commission’s work session on Monday evening, where I was the only audience member in attendance.
Commissioners are looking at another policy change for some city facilities, expanding the allowance of alcohol consumption for private events in spaces like The Oak Room downtown, and the Goodyear Civic Center which has recently been remodeled.
Their point, and I think it logical, is that with the restrictions in place currently for where alcohol can be consumed in city-owned facilities (right now you can buy beer or wine at the Auditorium during shows, and a couple of other spots given the OK once the county went from being dry a long while back for specific events, like at the Cedartown Welcome Center and Depot for their annual outdoor art show along the Silver Comet Trail.)
It makes perfect sense. When someone wants to hold a wedding and reception at The Oak Room, their options for alcohol consumption are limited. Commission Vice Chair Matt Foster gave the perfect example: some friends were wanting to get married in town, were bringing folks in from California and Spain. They wanted to serve alcohol, and also have children at the wedding.
Apparently, with the restriction in place (and a ton of forms to fill out just to rent the space) Foster’s friends had a choice: either enjoy alcohol at the wedding and have no children there, or have children and be dry. Instead, they took Option #3 and found a different venue.
I made the comment during the discussion last night that it has been so long since the city changed the rules on alcohol consumption in certain facilities, that people will more than likely wonder why it has taken so long to update the restrictions.
This brings me around to “Night on the Town.”
From my fifth grade year through until my sophomore year of high school, I lived in and around Beaufort, South Carolina (we eventually moved to a barrier island called Fripp, a 30 minute drive one way to town each day. With bridges that swung open for shrimp boats.)
Marine Corps vets will recognize Beaufort as the home of Parris Island, one of the training centers for the service, as well as home to MCAS Beaufort.
It also holds the distinction of being the setting and home to Pat Conroy. (Who was a neighbor at times across the lagoon from us during my final two years in South Carolina on Fripp.)
Ok, enough sidetracking and to my point. Beaufort had a lot of fantastic festival opportunities – a weeklong concert annually with a boat parade to end festivities in the summer, beaches on holidays turned into their own extended party, and winter oyster roasts. One of my favorite one-night events of the year was “Night on the Town.”
This was always the first Friday of December, and instead of a holiday parade the whole stretch of Bay Street that made up historic downtown and shopping was shut off for traffic. Shops stayed open late for shoppers, and provided a fancy spread of snacks, drinks and beer and wine.
Thousands of people would converge on downtown, enjoying dinner at one of several restaurants (we enjoyed Bananas and Plums, I swear I am not making those names up) and I took my time wandering around while my parents window-shopped. Dad enjoyed beers with friends, Mom tried wine from several stores.
Everyone went home happy.
If we want our downtowns to become the central hubs again for business and tourism, then we have to provide these kinds of event opportunities. We might not morally agree with allowing people to enjoy alcoholic beverages while wandering around on Main Street in Cedartown, but it is these kinds of events that are going to bring lots of people back downtown.
So I commend the city for working on this particular aspect of updates to ordinances. It is long overdue.
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