Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, April 10, 1993 TAG: 9304100151
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
BEER AT CIVIC CENTER CHALLENGED
Carole Fox says she was stunned to learn that the Roanoke Civic Center will begin selling beer at professional sports events.Fox believes the beer sales could increase the number of drunken drivers and contribute to teen-age drinking.
A Roanoke County mother of a junior high school student and a senior high student, Fox has written Roanoke City Council members to protest the beer sales.
The city is setting a bad moral example for young people by selling beer, she says.
Fox, who is active in community affairs, said that many people with whom she has talked share her feelings.
Despite Fox's objections, several council members said they have received few complaints.
Fox said there is limited opposition so far because few people know about the policy, which was approved last month.
The public had no advance knowledge that beer sales would be considered, she said. There was no chance for anyone to be heard before the decision, she said.
"Most people don't know about it," said Fox, a former employee of Total Action Against Poverty who is trying to organize opposition to the beer sales.
The Civic Center Commission made the decision to sell beer. The commission - not City Council - sets the policy for the center.
Vern Danielsen, chairman of the commission, said he has received fewer than 10 complaints about the decision.
Danielsen said some people fear that it could lead to altercations among spectators, and that beer might be sold to juveniles.
But he said security personnel will prevent fights from happening, and the center's caterer will check identification cards before selling beer.
No beer will be sold after the intermission or halftime at professional sports games, to help reduce the chances for spectators leaving the center intoxicated, Danielsen said.
Beer will not be sold at high school and college basketball games, rock concerts or other music events. Neither will it be sold at circuses, ice-skating shows or other family events.
Civic Center officials said they need to sell beer to remain competitive with other centers in the region. "Most of our competitors already have it," Danielsen said.
The Salem Civic Center has allowed beer sales at professional sports events for more than a decade. Most centers in nearby states also sell beer at professional sports events.
City Councilman Delvis "Mac" McCadden said he understands the complaints and the reasons why some people oppose beer sales. But he said the sales are needed for the center to attract exhibition games by teams from the National Hockey League and National Basketball Association, as well as minor league hockey.
"I don't condone it, but it's necessary for us to remain competitive," said McCadden, council's liaison to the Civic Center Commission. "We aren't talking about high school or college sports."
Councilman Howard Musser said the commission is in a better position than council to decide such issues. "They know what will or won't work," he said.
Civic Center officials said beer could have been sold at four events in the past year if the new policy had been in effect.
Bob Chapman, center manager, said he could have booked two additional shows in the past year if beer sales had been permitted.
A professional hockey team would provide the most events at which where beer could be sold, more than 30 games.
Civic Center officials are talking with a local group that includes former Roanoke Valley professional hockey players who are seeking a franchise in the East Coast Hockey League.
Chapman said beer probably will be sold at shows such as tractor pulls and the Harlem Globetrotters, because they would classify as professional sports.