Alcohol at Dinner Question in Ocean City will be Taken To Voters

OCEAN CITY — Come May, voters in this dry town will go to the polls to cast their ballots to decide if the city’s long-tradition of a dry town has run its course.
City Council voted 7-0 at its March 8 meeting to disallow a measure that would terminate the ban on bringing alcoholic beverages to dinner in the city’s restaurants.
At risk is the city’s reputation as a family-oriented, dry town. Founded by Methodist ministers as a religious retreat and camp meeting, the city has had a ban on public consumption of alcohol since 1879.
According to the website oceancityvacation.com, “Historically, Ocean City is a dry town—there is no public drinking anywhere on the island. Some residents and tourists alike seem to appreciate this law that sets the island apart from any of its surrounding towns.”
While voters will choose whether or not to allow restaurant patrons to bring their own bottles, alcohol may be served in establishments if it is in the context of a private affair.
A representative of the Flanders Hotel told the Herald that as long as an event is not open to the public, such as a wedding, alcohol can be served.
A petition asking to have the question put on the May ballot was certified by City Clerk Linda MacIntyre. As part of the process, however, the question was presented to City Council before being scheduled as a ballot question. City Council unanimously voted against the measure.