With support from the OJJDP Enforcing the Underage Drinking Laws Initiative, community organizations, enforcement agencies, youth, and other concerned citizens are working collaboratively to change local ordinances and enforcement practices.
|
|
Each year, except for one, residents of Richland County, Wisconsin, have been successful in hosting an alcohol-free fair. The community views the county fair as a family event and learned a valuable lesson when they allowed the sale of alcohol in 1997.
Richland County, located in southwest Wisconsin, is named for its rich farmland soil. With a population of slightly more than 18,000, the spirit of a small community strongly exists today where citizen voices are clearly heard.
Sarah Hibbard, the Secretary for the Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, and coalition member of Project Forward, a Statewide network of prevention advocates, commented on how this history has become evident in everyday life, “Richland Center is unlike a lot of places I have lived. There are 27 churches in town and only 2 bars. It is a little different than most cities in Wisconsin”.
Like many rural counties around the country, Richland County hosts an annual county fair. The Fair Committee, composed of community members, is in charge of most issues regarding fair exhibitors. Decisions regarding the permission of the sale of alcohol at the fair are brought to the Richland County Board Members for approval/denial each year.
In 1997, the County Board Members approved an alcohol sponsor to operate a beer tent at the county fair in hopes that it would increase revenue at the event. With careful planning, the Richland County Fair Committee formulated official “Beer Tent Operations Guidelines” that set clear parameters for keeping alcohol out of the hands of underage youth.
As it turned out, the beer tent did not prove to be beneficial for the fair or community. In fact, the beer tent, which was located toward the back of the fairgrounds, was met with a great deal of disapproval from community members and fair attendees. According to Sheriff Berglin, Richland County Sheriff’s Office, “the beer tent created quite a bit of controversy, didn’t generate the additional income anticipated, and created a situation where stepped up enforcement needed to be added to help prevent incidences from occurring.”
In fact, Richland County Board Members and the community as a whole have taken a strong stance to support an alcohol-free fair policy. The petition is supported by council members, many of whom are key leaders in the community. The petition stresses the fact that the focus of the fair is around children, their families, and farming. This past year, Sarah Hibbard wrote in the petition, “This is a family event for families to spend time together. … beer tents do nothing much but call for added law enforcement”.
The Richland County Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, the County Board, and community members have demonstrated a strong commitment to keeping the County Fair alcohol-free. This results in an environment where children, families, and farmers are celebrated in a positive way, without the presence of alcohol and the often tragic results that occur when youth and alcohol mix.
For more information, contact Sarah Hibbard, Richland County Health & Human Services at [email protected] or 608-647-6384 or the Richland County Sheriff’s Department at 800-544-2106.