Peanuts, cracker jack and beer: Liquor board conditionally approves alcohol at the stadium
This article has been revised to correct a typographical error in a liquor board member's name.
The upcoming inaugural season of the Hagerstown Flying Boxcars seemed a little more real Wednesday as two of the team's owners, Linda Ebersole and Howard "Blackie" Bowen, secured preliminary approval for a temporary license to sell alcohol at the new stadium under construction downtown.
They've formed a partnership, Hub City Concessions LLC, to sell refreshments at the stadium. But they can't get a permanent license to sell alcohol yet; legislation to allow beer, wine and liquor to be sold at a "multi-use sports and events facility" in Washington County is currently pending final approval in the Maryland General Assembly.
Bills in both the Senate and the House have passed unanimously, but one or the other must be approved in both houses during the final weeks of the General Assembly, which ends April 8.
For local bills with that kind of support, this is generally a given. But either bill wouldn't be effective until July 1, and the Boxcars' home opener is May 3.
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The Washington County Board of License Commissioners — Alan Levin, Jeff Buczkowski and Maureen Grove — conditionally approved a temporary Class D on-sale license to sell beer, wine and liquor at the new stadium, Meritus Park. The license will be issued upon completion of inspections and paperwork.
Food and Beverage Director Matthew Kane told the board there would be "multiple bar locations" at the park: a single full-service bar and a club-level bar that will sell beer, wine and liquor; a beer garden that will sell draft and packaged beer and three "deployable bar units," also for draft and packaged beer.
Alcohol could also be sold at private events held in the stadium's events space.
Buczkowski noted that because of the size of the park and potential for crowds — the stadium will have 2,800 fixed seats — the board would require one worker per 250 visitors be certified for alcohol awareness, and that 1 per 250 be trained for crowd control.
Boxcars General Manager David Blenckstone also appeared before the board, and assured the commissioners that a private security company has been hired for the park. All security personnel, he said, would be certified for crowd control.
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And for those of you wondering what's happening with the former Herald-Mail building, Ebersole noted that part of it is being converted into a Hagerstown Police Department substation.
"They will have that presence right there," she said, and everyone "is working really hard to make sure everybody feels that comfort level that they need."
The stadium is "more than just a ballpark," she added. "We know that this is a revitalization for downtown Hagerstown … It's our goal to make this a very positive experience for our guests."
The Boxcars, a new team with the independent Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, are owned by the partnership Downtown Baseball LLC, which includes Bowen and Ebersole. The partnership will lease the stadium, which will be owned by a nonprofit formed by the Hagerstown-Washington County Industrial Foundation. It's being built by the Maryland Stadium Authority.
The team begins its 2024 schedule April 25 on the road at York, Pa.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Alcohol sales at the stadium get preliminary approval
