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Chagrin Falls Council members unanimously approved a one-time waiver Monday evening allowing the Chagrin Valley Jaycees to serve beer and wine to invited guests in a private “Jaycee Tent” during Blossom Time May 25-28.
The waiver was passed as emergency legislation in time to become effective before the annual festival and with the understanding all state liquor permit requirements are met and the agreed-upon $5 million insurance policy is active before the festival begins.
The tent will be located in Riverside Park in an area separated from the carnival midway and available during specified hours. No hard liquor will be served or permitted.
Included in the waiver is a requirement to have designated drivers on hand at all times whether they are Jaycee members or police officers. Rides home will be provided for guests who are unable to drive.
Jaycee gatekeepers will be on hand to see no one enters the tent who is not permitted and no one leaves the tent with a drink in their hand.
The Jaycee guest tent had been a long-standing tradition but a review of park regulations found it to be at odds with local law prohibiting alcohol in village parks and private events.
The COVID-19 pandemic canceled the past two Blossom Time festivals. This will be the first year the guest tent will be operated with specific rules.
The tent will be open to permitted guests between 5 and 11 p.m. on May 25 and 26; from 2 to 11 p.m. on May 27 and 28 and from 2 to 10 p.m. on May 29.
Guests will be limited to past and present Jaycee members, distinguished award recipients, sponsors of the Blossom Time Festival, charitable partner representatives of the Jaycees, public officials (other than elected village officials), and Chagrin Valley Chamber of Commerce officers and board members. Spouses and children of Jaycee members as well as parents and siblings of Jaycee members will also be welcome, as long as they’re over the age of 21.
The waiver agreement gives the mayor and/or police chief the ability to close the tent area if rules are not complied with.
Two weeks ago during their last meeting on the subject, some council members expressed concern the Jaycee waiver would open the flood gate to more requests from those seeking to use beer and wine in village parks.
Village Law Director Dale Markowitz said that would not be the case because the village will require some prerequisites such as knowledge and previous association with the organization applying for a waiver.
Applicants must also meet the ambitious standards the Jaycees set including the costly insurance policy which covers the village as well as the organization.
During Monday’s meeting, former Jaycee and two-time Blossom chair Dr. Steve King read a statement in support of the waiver and as witness to the character of the Jaycee organization and its members.
“The picture often painted is frat party with overindulgence,” he said, when in truth it is a “family event overcrowded by strollers and noisy children.”
The tent offers a place for Jaycees to take a break during their long days working the event, said Dr. King, who joined the Jaycees in 1976.
He characterized the Jaycee tent as not only a Blossom Time institution but pointed out that it has never created problems during its 50-plus years in existence. In fact, quite the opposite is true, he added.
“The tent is a meeting place for kids to check in with their parents, use the bathroom facilities, grab a soda, Band-Aid and food before returning to the rides.”
While some Jaycees have voiced concern about the need for an annual waiver, Dr. King said “defining” the who, what, why, where and when of the Jaycee tent is a good idea and trouble-free tent activities of the past should be the defining factors.
“The Jaycee tent is an institution that has been a successful small-town gem for half a century... Define it and leave it alone,” he concluded.
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