Community talks liquor

Students have been joyfully drinking alcohol in its many forms since the days when Charles Finney ran the school, yet the debate over the semi-dry status of Oberlin is still a hot topic.

Despite the lingering interest, a Chamber of Commerce meeting held Tuesday to discuss new liquor licenses wound up dry...on attendees. Only a few proprietors and citizens attended the information session with Patty Haskins, Director of Liquor Control under the Ohio Department of Commerce

The meeting focused on several liquor options being voted on in the November local option ballot. Oberlin residents will vote on whether or not to provide several downtown establishments with the right to sell liquor.

Two Oberlin precincts will be voting on liquor issues this November. Precinct 3B, which includes the College, the Mandarin, Tea House and the Foxgrape Cafe will be voting on whether hard liquor (over 42-proof) can be sold for consumption on the premises. They will also be voting on whether open mixed beverages (below 42-proof) can be sold for consumption on the premises. The third provision will allow customers to carry out sealed bottles of alcohol.

"If you went into a pizza place and you ordered wine, but you could not finish it, you could not take it home with you," said Haskins. "However, if you ordered carryout you could take the sealed wine home."

Voters will also vote on whether to allow Sunday alcohol purchases. The stipulations of the Sunday purchases include allowing alcohol purchases from 1 p.m. to midnight on Sundays as long as food purchases at the establishment exceed 50 percent of total sales.

Precinct 2A will also be voting on liquor issues. Within this precinct is the soon-to-be-opened Blackriver Cafe. The owner, Joe Waltzer (OC '97), initiated the application process for the liquor permits last summer. He had to apply to the Ohio Department of Commerce requesting a local option vote. He also had to get one-third of the citizens who voted in the last gubernatorial election to sign a petition, which totaled 137 voters.

Many students are enticed by the possibility of drinks with dinner. "What beats lo mein and a margarita?" said junior Jim Norton.

College junior Jen Lewis agreed, "I like a fuzzy navel every now and then."

There is optimism among Oberlin citizens for passing the new legislation. With the exception of the Oberlin Inn, the town of Oberlin has had liquor restrictions since the onset of the Prohibition. "This town has been pretty conservative in the past," said Harvey Gitler, moderator of the discussion.

After Prohibition was repealed, Oberlinians started the Temperance Movement, which declared the city dry. Gradually restrictions were relaxed, so that beer and wine can now be sold.

In 1986, the Oberlin Inn received a site-specific permit to serve liquor on-premises. This law no longer exists, but the Inn can legally retain its status.

There are many incentives to repeal Oberlin's dry status. "We want to see businesses grow and prosper. Successful businesses require alcohol," said Gitler. This is especially true since many Oberlin businesses have been struggling recently.

"It makes it more convenient for students to buy alcohol," said conservatory junior Kelley Reynolds. "It'll bring more business to Oberlin."

Before the meeting, Gitler asked, "So this vote means, 'can I get a good martini?'" In November, Oberlin voters will at least decide whether he can have the gin.