Posted on 11/20/2011 11:41:13 PM PST by JosephMama
Jonathan Orr has been waiting for this day for seven years.
“When do you actually get to drink history?” asked Orr, waiting with his three young children just feet from the front counter of The Beer Growler in Avondale Estates.
Sunday marked the first day that some cities in Georgia could legally sell alcohol on that day. After 12:30 p.m. grocery stores, convenience stores and liquor stores could start selling alcohol in least 18 cities in Cherokee, Clayton, DeKalb, Fulton and Gwinnett counties.
The Beer Growler opened at noon and soon after was buzzing with people waiting, chatting and deciding what draft beers to fill their growlers with.
“I didn’t expect it to be this busy,” said Paul Saunders, co-owner. Saunders said sales actually dropped off about 5 percent Saturday night. He chalked it up to the cold weather – but also thinks customers knew they could relax and wait until Sunday afternoon to come by.
Orr moved to Georgia from Louisiana seven years ago. The family’s first Sunday – a football Sunday, he called it – was a shock. Even though people warned the family they couldn’t buy beer that day, they went to the grocery store and filled their cart. Orr said he figured the lights in the beer aisle weren’t working and that’s why the shelves weren’t lit.
“We loaded it all onto the conveyor belt, and everyone was looking at us like we were crazy,” his wife, Daphne Orr said. “They were the crazy ones.”
Avondale Estates Mayor Ed Rieker bought the first growler – 64-ounce glass jugs that can be filled and refilled with draft beer – with Ode to Mercy from Wild Heaven Craft Beers in Decatur.
Roughly 50 metro area cities approved Sunday sales in referendums Nov. 8, made possible by legislation that lifted a statewide ban so long as local voters approved. Statewide, 128 cities held votes — 105 saying yes — on the earliest election date since the law changed, according to data compiled by the Georgia Food Industry Association.
Most of the customers who packed the Main Street Package Store in East Point around 1 p.m. said they were headed home to enjoy a couple of newly bought cold brews while watching football.
Employee Inder Ghai said business had been “booming” since the store opened.
Jarvis Davis was one of the store’s first customers.
“It’s a beautiful thing, it’s a beautiful thing,” said Davis.
The list of cities near Atlanta to begin Sunday sales this weekend was: Alpharetta, Auburn, Avondale Estates, Braselton, College Park, Duluth, East Point, Grayson, Jonesboro, Lawrenceville, Milton, Roswell, Sandy Springs, Snellville, Sugar Hill, Suwanee, Union City, Villa Rica and Woodstock.
Winder allowed Sunday sales to begin Nov. 13.
Voters in the city of Atlanta also approved Sunday sales, but under an ordinance passed by the City Council in October, the sales will not begin until Jan. 1.
What the heck?
Pshaw. The urban legend is that prohibition ended in the 1930s and those behind a 0.03 BAC DWI standard have no sort of prohibitionist agenda on their minds.
And just because you are restricted on the hours and days you may buy alcohol does not mean there are ANY restrictions on purchase...
And somehow the “drug war” opponents think they won’t have any problems from demonizing tobacco and aloohol.
Sunday sales...
Sorry should have included a parenthetical.
Just the metros eh? No machos or homos lined up for booze?
That’s all? They’re freaking out because they can buy beer on Sunday instead of going to the store Saturday night?
Pathetic.
You clearly have no idea. Since the forming of our great Union, Georgia has never allowed Sunday sales.
Quite historical for us down in Dixie.
Liquid bread and NFL circuses.
We used to have dry communities here (Mostly the Dutch areas), but the last one flipped in 07. Sunday sales are allowed here, but not before noon.
I can see that part of it, but why change it? Heck, if it’s a tradition to be dry on Sunday, you are depriving all the people from finding cool ways to sneak around it.
I remember Indiana had the same law back in the early 80s. I was in the Navy then, going to school at Fort Ben Harrison, and one of the things I remember most was about 15 sailors and their dates, all piled into two broken down jalopies with missing tailpipes to head out into the cornfields where there was an illegal “bar” that sold Pabst Blue Ribbon (warm usually) on a hot summer Sunday night.
Ah... memories!!!
Here in Wisconsin you can walk into any grocery store and buy 190proof grain alcohol.
That is what will kill the drug war.
Welcome to the 21st century
I remember visiting a SIL in Alabama back in the day(mid 70s I believe)and you had to go to a government approved liquor store to buy beer. The people couldn’t believe it when I told them in CA you could buy beer any time and in most stores with out the government looking over your shoulder(CA wasn’t as dimwitty as it is now).
Oregon is still only partially free.
You buy beer at any time in grocery stores and convenience stores, but anything else is sold only at state liquor stores.
While visiting friends in Chicago years ago I went out to buy some beer. All went well until the young cashier told me to "push the button". I had no idea what she was talking about until she explained that she was under the drinking age and couldn't legally sell it to me. So, I had to push the button on the cash register to tally the purchase.
Finally Metro Atlanta has joined the 21st century. 26 years of trying to remember to buy a bottle of wine on Sat night. The insanity has ended.
In my observation, drug war opponents don't "demonize" legal drugs, but simply point out that their effects are such as to invalidate the legal double standard.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.