For nearly two generations the masses have congregated on Solomons Island on a Friday in mid-April to celebrate the warmer weather and the opening of a small outdoor bar. Longtime Southern Maryland residents will recall the event started spontaneously, sometime in the late 1980s. The owners of the Tiki Bar simply announced plans to reopen their seasonal business on a specific Friday and people just started showing up—some from the far corners of the country. The long distance travelers were often reassigned Navy personnel who discovered the beauty of the island and the delight of the bar’s potent tropical beverages while stationed at Patuxent Naval Air Station. Each year the crowds grew. When the crowds started getting larger the entire community—especially the law enforcement community—started taking notice.
For the 2013 Tiki Bar opening—Friday, April 19—law enforcement agencies are ready for the hordes of revelers and the traffic issues that come with it.
“Basically, traffic during the opening of the Tiki Bar this weekend will flow in one direction around the southern-most portion of the island,” said Lt. Dave Payne of the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office. “Most importantly, the Thomas Johnson Bridge exit will close at some point if the traffic gets backed up. Revelers are asked to follow signs, signals and directions of law enforcement as it relates to driving and parking on the island.”
The lion’s share of police patrolling the island will be deputies from the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office. Calvert County Sheriff Mike Evans [R] said the manpower will be “more than sufficient” to keep order on the island. The agency’s Special Operations Team, Bike Patrol and Motorcycle Patrol will reinforce the security.
Other police agencies are also playing a significant role. “We’ll have 10 to 15 troopers down at the Tiki Bar,” said Maryland State Police (MSP) Prince Frederick Barrack Commander Lt. Randy Stephens. On Fridays and Saturdays, MSP troopers i
