Musikfest Beer Mugs Part of New State Bill
Proposal by Boscola would legitimize tradition of brew refills at downtown pubs during festival.
Consider for a moment, the Musikfest beer mug, which every August appears by the tens of thousands in downtown Bethlehem.
They are so colorful, so festive, so collectible, so utilitarian, so … controversial?
On Tuesday, the state Senate unanimously approved a proposal by state Sen. Lisa Boscola, D-Northampton, Lehigh, Monroe, that would allow licensed bars and taverns to sell “beer to go” to patrons during Musikfest and other city festivals during which the city suspends its “open beverage container” laws.
The proposal, part of a larger bill relating to liquor enforcement at happy hours and catered events, must now go to the state House for approval, according to a news release issued by Boscola’s office today.
Ostensibly, the mugs are sold by ArtsQuest, which also sells beer at a number of dispensing tents set up around the festival. All of it is a fundraiser, which helps pay for ArtsQuest to pay the cost of putting on the mostly free music festival.
But for more than 20 years, several downtown bars, including Ripper’s Pub and the Old Brewery Tavern, have also sold mug refills, and at a lower price than Musikfest, which patrons can then take back out onto the street to resume enjoying the festival.
Last year, Liquor Control Enforcement agents started to threaten these bars with a crackdown, forcing them to curtail the practice of refilling Musikfest mugs.
“The beer-to-go tradition during Musikfest has dated back for more than 20 years,” Boscola said through the news release. “Local bars and taverns count on that revenue every year, especially since Musikfest cuts down on their regular business because of parking shortages during the celebration.
“The beer-to-go tradition had never been an issue or problem and I was disappointed by the LCE’s newfound and hard-line enforcement stance against these licensees. My legislation will clarify the legitimacy of this tradition once and for all.”
In This article
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State Sen. Lisa Boscola
559 Main St, Bethlehem, PA -
Ripper's Pub
77 W Broad St, Bethlehem, PA
Staberdearth
5:42 am on Thursday, June 23, 2011
The beer at the Bethlehem Brew Works is infinitely better than the trailered belly wash at Musikfest.
Artsfest cafe brew? After getting a superb Guiness, creamy heavy foam head and all, at one concert, the second concert I got some sort of thin watery gruel with no head and flatter than flat. I noted this to the bartender. He nodded his head and moved on, he had my money. Fix it, Parks!
Mary Anne Looby
7:58 am on Thursday, June 23, 2011
While Musicfest makes big money for Artsquest and brings recognition to the city, it also brings with it a down side. People who live in historic Bethlehem and downtown have to deal with trafic, parking, noise, littering etc. It is impossible to pop into a favorite shop to pick up a gift during the two weeks, and forget about lunch or dinner at your favorite restaurant. In light of this lost business, allowing "fixed" establishments to refill mugs is a no brainer!
Jon Geeting
1:48 pm on Thursday, June 23, 2011
It's a good change, but it definitely doesn't go far enough. A few points:
The reason Boscola introduced this bill is because it's a business-vs-business competition issue, and the government shouldn't be tipping the playing field to any of the players. So I don't think it makes sense that this bill is limited to Musikfest. If there are other festivals where open-container laws aren't being enforced, why shouldn't area bars be able to get in on the action? This should apply to South Side Bethlehem too, since it will be taking on parts of Musikfest next year.
The other point to understand about this is that it was a *Northampton County* law that created the problems last year. Doesn't that mean the proper legislative body to fix this was Northampton County Council? Don't they have the power to strike it from the books? Where do Council members and candidates stand on this?
Jon Geeting
2:38 pm on Thursday, June 23, 2011
My bad, the bill does apply to festivals other than Musikfest.
Mary Anne Looby
3:41 pm on Thursday, June 23, 2011
The bill should certainly include South Bethlehem. The Southside has become an area with so much to offer. Arts festivals and First Friday and live music, have turned this part of Bethlehem into vibrant scene for everyone. It can no longer be considered just a watering hole for local schools.
Patriot2
6:21 am on Friday, June 24, 2011
The bill includes all of Northampton County taverns and that includes those on the Southside that were cited last year along with those on the North Side. Great that the bill goes beyond Musikfest to any time that the open container law is waived by the City.
John Doel
2:10 am on Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Hi, Thanks for sharing the news about beer mugs in Bethlehem. Since there are so many Octoberfest parties in the USA this could effect other venues. You can find an Oktoberfest Beer Party near you. Octoberfest (Oktoberfest) parties are taking place all across the United States of America this year.
Businesses looking to help sponsor the events can provide branded, or personalized plastic beer mugs with their logos.
If you are looking for a place to celebrate Ocktoberfest closer to home this year, you have come to the right place!
List of 2011 Oktoberfest Celebrations across the USA is here:
http://files.promosonline.com/octoberfest_list.html
John