|
Long awaited liquor license allows opening of Spotlight Lounge
by Jen Reeder
 |
| Employees and patrons of the
Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College are hoping the
new liquor license will help
draw new acts and fill the concert hall's seats./Photo by
Todd Newcomer. |
T he prayers of many music fans in the Durango community have
been answered: The Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College
has finally received a liquor license.
"It's hanging on the wall," said concert hall director Gary
Penington. "I framed it and hung it on my desk for about a week
just so I could look at it. It took so long."
But, after years of jumping through hoops, Penington can celebrate.
He started by putting $20,000 into remodeling the downstairs
concession area into the "Starlight Lounge." The lounge will
officially open for business when the season kicks off with Dickey
Betts, who will play the hall Sept. 12.
Concert Hall patrons will be able to buy beer and wine before
the concerts and during intermissions. Drink tickets for the
intermission will be presold to people who anticipate their mid-concert
thirst in order to minimize lines, he said. The alcohol has to
stay in the lobbies, however.
 |
Gary Penington relaxes in the
Spotlight Lounge on Monday afternoon
./Photo by Todd Newcomer. |
"Bottled water will still be the only beverage allowed inside," Penington
said. "There'll be plenty of time to libate in the lobbies prior
to the shows."
Because the Concert Hall will maximize profits from alcohol
sales by providing two opportunities to buy drinks, the liquor
license will be a boon for local musicians, Penington said. For
example, if a headlining act consists of one 90-minute set, then
local musicians will open with a 20 to 30 minute set in order
to create an intermission.
"We will be using locals more," Penington said. "It's a chance
for them to get more exposure."
Local jazz musician Chris Ross, a trumpet player and FLC alumni
who has performed twice at the Concert Hall, said this is good
news for the local music scene.
"That is fantastic because there's so much great music going
on," Ross said. "And it's going to increase the numbers of musicians
coming in to Durango."
He said playing at the Concert Hall has been positive because
audience members actually listen to the music, rather than talking
loudly, like at a club. But he isn't worried that the availability
of alcohol in the lobby will negatively impact the vibe.
"A lot of great music aficionados like to drink while they're
hearing good music," he said. "I don't know if it sounds better
with booze, but it enhances the atmosphere."
Penington said that of the approximately 110 events in the coming
Concert Hall season, around 30 will be alcohol free, particularly
student and family events.
"We won't be selling alcohol at 'Laura Ingalls Wilder: Growing
Up on the Prairie,'" Penington laughed.
The road to being able to sell alcohol at shows has been a long
one. When Penington began researching the state's liquor laws
several years ago, he hit several stumbling blocks. The primary
challenge was that Colorado law states that a bar can't exist
within 500 feet of an educational institution.
"Well, we're zero feet from an educational institution," Penington
said.
However, Penington said that state Rep Mark Larson, R-Cortez,
was willing to introduce legislation to change the law, but it
didn't come to that because of a little-known clause that allows
local governments to exempt themselves if appropriate. Penington
learned about this clause by visiting with administrators at
the CSU campus in Fort Collins, where there is a faculty lounge
that serves alcohol in the student union.
"The law had been written to allow exemptions, but we didn't
know about them yet. State government lets the local government
decide how to handle it, so it can be individualized to the community," Penington
said.
 |
| Concert Hall attendees take in last April’s
Yonder Mountain String Band show./Photo by Todd Newcomer. |
Penington appeared before City Council in 2002 to ask it to
waive the 500 feet from an educational institution rule, and
they agreed unanimously. But the law also stated that only one "tavern
license" - the liquor license Penington needed - could be issued
per owner, and CSU and FLC were both governed by the State Board
of Agriculture. Because CSU already had the license, Penington
embarked on a year of working with the state attorney general
to find a way to make it happen.
"I actually got to be good friends with an attorney in the AG's
office along the way," he said.
But once FLC gained independence in August of 2002 and the FLC
Board of Trustees could hold the license, Penington began the
licensing process. He had to get petitions signed by "neighbors," which
proved an interesting challenge on a student campus because so
few could legally sign as 21-year-olds.
"Of the 1,500 students that live on campus, only about 300 of
them were over 21," he said.
He also had to get signatures from all department heads at the
college.
"I went to all my colleagues here," Penington said. "I ran into
no rejection at all."
Penington presented the petitions and his liquor license application
at a hearing before the local liquor licensing authority this
spring. He even had to have a personal background check. The
authority unanimously approved the Concert Hall as a candidate
for the liquor license, and sent it to the state. When the license
arrived in Durango at the city clerk's office in April, "I was
there in 30 minutes," Penington said.
"You know what's funny about this? I don't even drink!" Penington
laughed.
He's still waiting for a federal permit, but everything is on
track, and Penington is grateful to everyone who helped and supported
him along the way. He's also excited about the acts for the upcoming
season, which include Robert Earl Keen, Del McCoury, and John
Prine.
"We've got some very strong names that are very diverse," he
said.
The other major change this year involves ticketing. Penington
said that the website (www.durangoconcerts .com) has been completely "reworked," and
includes online ticket sales for the first time (at a surcharge
much less than what Ticketmaster charges, he added).
Mary Floroplus, assistant to the director, said that being able
to buy tickets online offers many advantages.
"The biggest benefit to the customer is real time sales and
the ability to pick their own seats now," Floroplus said.
For example, if a person hears about an upcoming show after
box office hours, they can log on, buy a ticket and choose exactly
where they'd like to sit. Ticket sales will also be possible
over the phone, or free of a surcharge at the box office, she
added.
Between 30,000 and 40,000 people attend events at the Community
Concert Hall each year; more than 260,000 since it opened in
1997. Penington said that this year signals the beginning of
a new era.
"There's a new enthusiasm at the Concert Hall, and we're looking
forward to taking the community's concert hall to a new level," Penington
said. "It's going to be an exciting year."
|
