By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
When country music star Craig Morgan takes the stage and sings his hit, “I May Drink a Little,” he’ll be singing to a dry audience at the Wood County Fair.
For the first time in its 150-year history, Wood County Fair was granted a permit for beer to be sold at the fair concert Friday evening. But the day after the permit was granted, it was rescinded after Wood County Sheriff Mark Wasylyshyn questioned the approval process.
The beer issue came to a head when the fair board introduced the prospect of beer sales at the concert as a way to make up for ticket sales which never bring in as much as the concert costs.
Board President Kyle Culp explained that the Wood County Fair Foundation already has an alcohol permit for events at the Pratt Pavilion on the fairgrounds.
“That permit is assigned to the address of the fair,” which allowed the fair board to apply for a temporary permit.
“This is the first time,” Culp said, adding that the board thought it would be a good addition for the 150th Wood Country Fair. “Like many of the county fairs and the state fair do.”
Plus, fair concerts tend to be a drain on the board’s budget.
“We haven’t had one for about five years,” Culp said. “Typically they are money losers.”
The Ohio Department of Liquor Control approved the permit last Thursday (July 27). But the next day (July 28), the fair board learned the permit had been withdrawn.
“They said they had granted it prematurely,” and that one area of the application had not been filled out properly, Culp said.
Wasylyshyn said he did not ask that the permit be pulled – but he did call to see if he misunderstood the requirements.
When the sheriff was first approached early in the year about the fair board’s plan to get a temporary permit, Wasylyshyn said he made it clear that he would not sanction the application – a necessary item on the request.
“I told them I would not sign it,” he said.
Wasylyshyn explained he has two reasons for refusing. First, at every Wood County Fair, the sheriff’s office uses about 70 volunteers to operate golf carts to transport fairgoers. The sheriff’s auxiliary program would be liable if the volunteer auxiliary members were to drive intoxicated concert-goers to their vehicles, and those drivers were to get into accidents.
Second, Wasylyshyn doesn’t like the idea of his auxiliary members handling people who have been drinking.
“My volunteers didn’t sign up for dealing with intoxicated people,” he said.
The sheriff said he uses the same policy with other festivals and fairs where he puts auxiliary members to work.
With the Pemberville Free Fair having beer sold in some areas this year, Wasylyshyn has informed the fair board there that his office won’t provide golf carts and auxiliary officers. The same goes for the National Tractor Pulling Championships and the Luckey Fall Festival if beer is being sold or consumed.
Besides, the sheriff doesn’t believe the fair needs to bring beer into a family-friendly event.
“I don’t think they need beer there,” he said.
Wasylyshyn said he informed the county fair board members that he was not going to put his signature on the application form. “They told me, ‘We’re going to get it without you,’” he said.
Wasylyshyn said he told them that his signature was required – so he was surprised last week to find out that the permit was issued. He called the state liquor control board the next day to ask why since he had been told, “If you do not sign the permit, we will not issue the permit.”
“They said there was an error. The permit never should have been issued.”
Culp said he is just disappointed in the last minute timing of the permit approval. But concert-goers shouldn’t feel cheated since the possibility of beer at the performance wasn’t advertised.
Culp is sensitive to the cleancut family fun image of the fair.
“We’re a community event, we want to make sure we’re operating within the expectations of the community,” Culp said.
As for the concert, as of Thursday afternoon, ticket sales were going well. “It wasn’t sold out, but it was getting closer,” he said.
