No No 434 630
FIRST ON THE STREET
rd th Dec 2017 12 27thth Dec Jan - 318 Feb 2014
LAKES WEEKLY BULLETIN
1 J 2 IN O 2 SI BS D E
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Crate Day is a celebration of the first weekend of summer; it’s about enjoying great weather, great company and the great outdoors. Last weekend, a CBD drinking ban pushed the party out towards the suburbs and as far as I’ve heard, there were no complaints. It was out of sight, out of mind for most. The 2016 event was a different story – rubbish left behind by revellers had the authorities wondering if our freedom to drink in public should be stopped. Bylaws prohibit drinking in public between 10pm and 8am and 24-hour bans have been added over Crate Day weekend as well as Christmas, New Year and other key annual events. Though this is a fair measure, it also signifies the tightening of the noose for our current drinking freedom. Many popular tourist towns in the US have seen Prohibition-style bans on drinking in public because one or two incidents or events have laid bare the negative side of excessive alcohol consumption, littering and bad behaviour. When these laws are passed, there’s no measurement of how many people have enjoyed a craft beer by the river or quietly celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on the lakefront. Queenstown has always been a special case when it comes to drinking laws and as locals, it’s one way we can leverage the ‘tourist town’ label to have a bit of fun ourselves. The issues with alcohol – no matter where you consume it – come with excess. Too much bad behaviour and littering are negative outcomes of any large gathering, but when there’s alcohol involved, it puts Queenstown’s bylaws in the spotlight. Events like Crate Day aren’t commercialised, religious or political – anyone can enjoy a few spontaneous ‘beersies on the beach’. It’s a celebration of summer and there’s no better place to appreciate long, hot, summer days than on Queenstown’s beautiful lakefront. It’d be a shame if fears about rubbish and poor behaviour put an end to an age-old pastime. We shouldn’t need to be patronised with nanny-sate bylaws. With a long, hot summer predicted, I’m sure there’ll be plenty more opportunities to enjoy a local wine or craft beer al fresco. If we show we can behave ourselves, there’s no reason that spontaneous outdoor drinking can’t be a happy part of Queenstown’s future for many years to come. So, when you relax with a drink in Queenstown this summer, say “cheers” to our bylaws and remember to take your litter and bad behaviour home – don’t leave it on the lakefront.
Lone Star owner Dave Gardiner and Shay Muddle celebrating 26 years of local Queenstown institution Lone Star on Saturday.
(Photo: Jodi Walters)
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THIS SATURDAY JOHN RAVENS WEATHER Last week John was 90% correct
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