Columbia Chamber asks City Council to reconsider new First Thursday alcohol rules
The head of the Columbia Chamber is asking Columbia City Council to reconsider new rules that don’t allow patrons to carry their beer and wine with them as they stroll up and down Main Street during upcoming First Thursday on Main events.
“First Thursday is scheduled to come back from its COVID hiatus one week from today, June 3,” Chamber CEO Carl Blackstone wrote in a letter to the City Council members on Thursday. “To support the economic growth and recovery of businesses, we respectfully ask City Council to rescind the changes to the beer and wine policy which do not allow for people to take their drinks with them as they stroll Main Street during the evening hours on the first Thursday evening of each month.”
While the Columbia City Council voted earlier in May to allow beer and wine consumption on Boyd Plaza in connection with First Thursday, the city will not allow people to walk up and down the sidewalks with their beer and wine, as has been customary during the event for many years. In the past it has been common for people to take their drinks with them as they stroll along Main on First Thursday and check out the offerings at various shops and businesses.
The June 3 comeback of First Thursday, which was sidelined by the pandemic last year, will feature performances by Dear Blanca and Stagbriar on Boyd Plaza, adjacent to the Columbia Museum of Art.
City and police officials say the new alcohol rule is a public safety issue, as Main Street has become busier as it has been revitalized during the last decade.
“The event organizers certainly were requesting to partake in beer and wine up and down Main Street during the event,” City Manager Teresa Wilson said at a May 4 Council meeting. “This year, we did not approve that but did approve for them to be in Boyd Plaza. ... This was more about public safety concerns that (the police department) has with that movement up and down the street and intersections not being blocked and people crossing.”
In his letter to the City Council, Blackstone said First Thursday has long been an “opportunity to celebrate and spotlight the shops, hotels, restaurants, bars and other establishments that line Main Street” and that the event “creates a mechanism for the business community to generate additional revenue.”
The Chamber leader said, after a year in which many businesses suffered through the pandemic, many could use the boost First Thursday could provide with its typical alcohol protocols.
“Public safety has proven it is fully capable of maintaining a safe environment for the participants who attend this event,” Blackstone wrote. “Since First Thursday’s inception, public safety has successfully managed the movement of people up and down the streets. As First Thursday continues to grow, we acknowledge that this policy may need to be revisited. It is our opinion, however, that to change the policy now will not draw people to the downtown area, thus not helping businesses as they strive to rebuild from the impact of the pandemic.”
Even before Blackstone wrote his letter, it appeared Council might revisit the matter. In a Wednesday night tweet, Mayor Steve Benjamin said he was “going to ask Council to reconsider its stance after hearing the public safety concerns from staff.” The Council next meets on June 1.
This story was originally published May 27, 2021 at 4:30 PM.
