Texas’ Six Flags to sell beer?
A hearing is set for Tuesday in Fort Worth, Texas, on the issue of an application filed by Six Flags to sell beer at the Arlington amusement park. When Six Flags applied for a permit to sell beer, hundreds protested the proposed move. Here are some of the “For” and “Against” comments sent to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram:
For
Six Flags defends its position and says plenty of park regulars support it. A sampling of their comments:
Six Flags season pass holder Paula Tenney, Fort Worth: “Living in America means free choice so why not have alcohol available at Six Flags in Arlington? It’s no different than consuming alcohol at many restaurants and family fun places like Main Event or the State Fair.”
American Coaster Enthusiasts member Tim Baldwin, Grand Prairie: “It’s such an industry standard that I’m surprised it took so long. Every amusement park sells beer, we are rarity here. If Six Flags was switching from Coke to Pepsi, that’s when you have a public outcry, but beer, pshaw!”
Season pass holder and American Coaster member Jeffery Seifert, Grand Prairie: “Alcoholic beverages at a park are going to be fairly expensive so people aren’t going to go there to get trashed. They just want to have an occasional drink.”
Season pass holder Scott Arnold, Arlington: “Everyone keeps saying it’s going to be so terrible mixing rides with alcohol but the facts of the matters are that this already happens in parks everywhere . . . and you don’t see people falling off of rollercoaster.”
Against
Excerpts from letters … opposing Six Flags’ request, obtained by the Star-Telegram under the Texas open records law:
Linda Wear, Waxahachie: “It only takes a few who will drink excessively to spoil the wholesome family atmosphere of the park.”
Christy Bryant, Keller: “At a children’s park where Warner Brothers’ cartoons dot the landscape, please don’t allow their faces to be replaced with beer cups and intoxicated park-goers.”
Christi Campbell of Crowely, 11, who collected 300 signatures on a petition… : “I don’t want to walk into a park full of drunk idiots who puked everywhere!”
Larry D. Ellisk, director of Community Partners for Alcohol Safety & Awareness at Tarrant County Challenge in Fort Worth: “Attempts to purchase alcohol and prohibiting the passing of alcohol to minors cannot be adequately monitored in a theme park covering 187 acres.”
Nancy and Jesse Jones, Lewisville: “If people cannot attend an amusement park, intended for family fun, without drinking alcohol, they have a severe problem.”
The Thirsty Beagle’s take: While there is some merit to the idea that policing underage drinking could prove difficult at a giant-sized park, I don’t buy arguments that allowing beer at the park will ruin the apparent “wholesome family atmosphere” there, nor will it leave a park full of “drunk idiots who puked everywhere.” Newsflash people: Beer is allowed and consumed quite freely at the baseball stadium across the street. I don’t see anyone keeping their kids away from the ballpark to avoid drunkenness and vomit. Like one of the “For” comments above suggests, it’s a free country. If Six Flags wants to sell beer, and they go through the correct hoops, more power to them. As they say, if you don’t like it, don’t go.
If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
Comments
Blogger’s note: Misti — I don’t disagree that it is quite sad that an 11-year-old is well aware of the consequences of irresponsible drinking. That’s a strong statement any way you look at it. But I just don’t buy that allowing alcohol at Six Flags is going to automatically equate to ruining the park for children. I think the ballpark example I mentioned in the post is relevant here.
I think ” the drunk idiots who puked everywhere” comment was made by a child who invisions the place where she likes to go and have fun away from all the “distractions” that life has to offer tainted by adults who drink. It’s sad that a child knows that the outcome of alcohol can be puking and drunkeness, but it more sad to see that adults want to take that part of their life into a “child friendly atmosphere”