The Board of License Commissioners of Calvert County has issued a stern warning to the owners of the Tiki Bar in Solomons: follow the rules or suffer the consequences. The board, otherwise known as the Liquor Board, hand delivered a letter to Patrick Donovan and Michael Theesen of the Tiki Bar detailing concerns about this weekend’s 31st Grand Opening of the Tiki Bar, which attracts thousands of revelers.
The letter said, “It appears from your proposal that should you proceed as planned, you may be in violation of Article 2B of the Maryland Code as well as the Rules and Regulations Relating to Alcoholic Beverages in Calvert County, Maryland.” Article 2B is the portion of the state code governing alcoholic beverages.
The letter goes on to say: “Please take note that the Liquor Board reserves the right, after a hearing, to impose and administer the appropriate sanction(s) or penalty(ies) to the extent Article 2B and our Rules and Regulations are violated.”
The letter lists several possible problem areas: “The Board can allow only one additional bar, more than one is a violation. The problem of serving intoxicated people will be closely monitored by the Board and law enforcement. Also, because the Budweiser Clydesdales will be present, it is likely the crowd will be larger and a lot of young people wanting to see the festivities. Keep in mind that we want to keep this a safe and orderly event, not a drunken party. The Board will act quickly and firmly in dealing with violations. Please let your business set a good example for the young people who may be in attendance. The economic well-being and the reputation of Solomons and our County depend on your doing a good job.”
Meanwhile, as the Maryland General Assembly closed its 2011 session yesterday, a bill that could have given the Liquor Board more control over events such as the Tiki Bar Grand Opening died in the Maryland House of Delegates. Senate Bill 932, sponsored by Senate President Thomas V. “Mike” Miller (D: Calvert, Prince George’s) would have created a new category of license called a “Special Event License (SE).” The license would have allowed the Liquor Board to approve “multiple venues” where alcoholic beverages could be sold.
The bill was opposed by the Calvert County Board of County Commissioners in letters to all members of the delegation. In the letter, the commissioners said, “Our main concern about the bill is that it allows the holder of the SE license to sell alcoholic beverages on the licensed premises, including the parking lot. This presents a problem because when a site plan is approved for commercial development, the number of parking spaces required to serve the development are determined based on the number of square feet of retail space in a development.”
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