BERLIN – Two local charitable organizations will soon be able to serve alcohol seven days a week thanks to a change in state law.
The Worcester County Board of License Commissioners (BLC) gave the Ocean City Elks Lodge 2645 and American Legion Synepuxent Post 166 permission to upgrade their six-day beer and wine licenses to seven-day licenses. The board’s approval comes just as the new state law tweaking the requirements for charitable organizations goes into effect July 1.
“Sunday will give us the opportunity to expand,” said Christopher Graf of the Elks Lodge.
Sarge Garlitz of the American Legion said prior to this year’s law change, the American Legion had to get a special Sunday permit to accommodate them.
“We’re the place to go in Ocean City when veterans come to town,” Garlitz said.
Garlitz credited Sen. Jim Mathias with advocating for the law change that will enable the charitable organization to serve alcohol on Sundays without increasing its food business.
The BLC also gave several new businesses alcoholic beverage licenses at its June meeting. The new Mione’s Restaurant in Ocean City and Fat Fish, the business moving into the space formerly occupied by SubMarina, received Class B beer and wine licenses while The Tavern in Ocean City on 15th Street received a beer, wine and liquor license.
Atlantic Tackle, which has taken over the former Ake Marine on the harbor, was granted a Class A seven-day license. Attorney Mark Cropper told BLC members the tackle shop needed a license so fishermen heading out on their boats could buy all their supplies in one place. Cropper said the shop would be operated by Brian Tinkler, harbormaster at Sunset Marina for the past 17 years. Cropper said that though Atlantic Tackle was near other places that were allowed to sell beer and wine to boaters, few of them promoted that aspect of their business.
“There may be other licensees but there are no other licensees where the boating public is aware they can buy beer and wine to go,” Cropper said.
Cropper added that as the easternmost business on the commercial harbor, Atlantic Tackle would be ideally suited to serve boaters using Assateague Island.
The BLC held just one violation hearing at Wednesday’s meeting. The Tap House on the Bay Bar and Grille was fined $1,000 for serving alcohol to a minor. It was the restaurant’s second offense within a year but manager Craig Roberts reported the server who had failed to check the ID had been fired.