Quaint East Coast town reverses alcohol ban after 120 years

A small town on the East Coast has joined many other quaint neighborhoods in overturning their alcohol ban after more than a century of being booze-free.

Haddon Heights, New Jersey is nothing short of small town charm enriched with lots of history and a close-knit community – it’s utterly perfect.

However, residents recently voted for a big change: By a nearly two-to-one margin, voters on Election Day approved a ballot initiative to allow restaurants and bars to serve alcohol.

With no liquor stores, wine shops, bars and only select restaurants where guests could bring their own drinks, community members wanted to see change.

Mike Plonski, 47, has lived in the city for seven years. He told the New York Times that he voted for a change, saying, “It would be cool to go on a date with my wife and just sit at the bar and have a cocktail and not have to drive there.”

Though he added that he didn’t want a rowdy crowd gathering outside bars in the early morning hours, or “a watering hole on every corner,” the outlet reported.

The City Council and Mayor Zachary Houck will have to pass an ordinance to determine the outcome of the ballot question.

Many residents have expressed support for the measure, including Mayor Houck, who proposed the referendum and said he wanted to respect its results.

New Jersey, a state with many Protestant roots, has seen the number of dry counties decrease every year.

Mike Plonski, 47, has lived in the city for seven years and said he voted for the change, adding: “It would be cool to go on a date with my wife and just sit at the bar and have a cocktail drink, and don’t have to drive there’

Anthony’s Italian is one of the two oldest restaurants in the city that has residents in favor of one of the new liquor licenses

In places like Ocean City, it remains against the rules to drink in public, including in restaurants. While other cities allow you to bring your own drinks to restaurants or allow the sale of locally made alcohol.

The change is one that is being seen in many other previously dry counties and cities across America. Like in Kansas, where Prohibition lasted until after World War II and only one dry county remains.

Some residents in the area have expressed fears that the change will impact the town’s close-knit community. Matt Konopka, who moved to the area nearly 40 years ago, dismissed those concerns.

The 68-year-old, who voted in favor of the measure, added: “Progress is a good thing, and you can’t stop it. You have to adapt, and it won’t kill anything. It won’t change the nature of the city.’

The concept of adaptation is also shared by some of the city’s small business owners, such as local florist Vic Turkot.

Turkot believes that this measure offers the city an opportunity to retain its small-scale character.

“If we didn’t change, we would still be living in caves,” said the 71-year-old, who pointed out that the city used to have enough pedestrians to keep their small businesses afloat. a nap on the sidewalk.”

New Jersey bases each city’s liquor license fee on the size of its population. With a population of 7,500, Haddon Heights would get the city’s permit for two bars or restaurants.

The change is one that is being seen in many other previously dry counties and cities across America. Like in Kansas, where Prohibition lasted until after World War II and only one dry county remains

New Jersey bases each city’s liquor license fee on the size of its population. With a population of 7,500, Haddon Heights would get the city’s permit for two bars or restaurants

28-year-old Annie Pyle also shares similar concerns. Having grown up in a dry town not far from Haddon Heights, Pyle sees no reason to fix something that isn’t broken. “I just don’t feel like anything needs to change,” she said. ‘It’s tradition’

Even the possibility of just two permits seems to have some residents concerned about the impact on their quaint neighborhood.

Bill Lange, 76, told the newspaper: “I’m against it. I think it will bring a lot of changes. It’s like the domino; One falls and then another and another.”

28-year-old Annie Pyle also shares similar concerns. Having grown up in a dry town not far from Haddon Heights, Pyle sees no reason to fix something that isn’t broken.

“I just don’t feel like anything needs to change,” she said. “It’s tradition.”

It’s still a question of which businesses would get the permits, and one residents want to address when the time comes.

Many have suggested that Kunkel’s Steakhouse and Seafood Restaurant and Anthony’s White Tablecloth Italian, the two oldest restaurants in town, are the most deserving if they so choose.

“We would never want anything bad to happen to this city,” Plonski said. “But I think it would be good if we had a bar.”