Donald Cook wheeled his soft-sided cooler up to Turning Stone Resort and Casino's showroom to see the rock band The B-52s last month. Inside the cooler, he had a collection of beer: a few Belgian ales, some Middle Ages and a couple bottles of Smuttynose, a personal favorite.
The security guard stopped Cook and asked him to unzip the cooler. Cook complied. The guard pointed out contraband.
"I had a sandwich in there," explained Cook, 28, of Solvay. "They said we couldn't bring that in."
The beer went in untouched.
Since the 800-seat showroom opened in 1999, it's acquired a reputation as one of the biggest BYO parties in Central New York.
Turning Stone doesn't serve alcohol, so concert-goers routinely carry in coolers full of beer, bottles of wine, and thermoses and flasks full of something presumably stronger than orange juice.
The Oneida Indian Nation, which runs the casino in Verona, has applied for a liquor license. Nation officials argue that state laws don't apply to the casino,
but have agreed to seek the liquor license to resolve a five-year dispute and get alcohol flowing in the showroom, restaurants, hotels and golf courses. Alcohol won't be served on the gaming floor.
While the license is pending, the nation has erected a carefully worded sign outside the showroom. The sign reads, in part:
"The state has requested that patrons not bring alcoholic beverages to the Turning Stone Resort and Casino, and in a gesture of good faith, we have agreed to inform you of this request."
When Ed Mertens, of Cicero, went to see B.B. King recently, he ignored the sign.
"I knew enough that they requested you don't (bring in alcohol) but they weren't going to do anything about it," he said.
Nation spokesman Jerry Reed said the sign shows the nation is cooperating with the state.
"We have asked our patrons to honor the wishes of the state and not bring (alcohol) in," Reed said, "but it's a matter of whether they want to comply. It's more of an honor system kind of thing."
Although a state Liquor Authority lawyer said recently he was unaware that alcohol was consumed at Turning Stone concerts, the Web and word-of-mouth has spread the message that the showroom is a cooler-friendly venue.
"I was amazed to see people in line to get in the showroom carrying coolers full of BEER," writes a Moody Blues fan, on a Web site devoted to the classic rock band.
The party soon may be over, because if the state Liquor Authority grants the casino's license, it's bye-bye to BYO.
"If there was a license there for alcoholic beverages," said nation spokesman Mark Emery, "we wouldn't allow (patrons to bring) alcoholic beverages in the showroom."
That will come as a disappointment to music fans who buy tickets to see their favorite bands and have an indoor picnic.
Cook, for one, may stop going to showroom concerts.
"If I have to buy beer," he said, "I'll go somewhere where tickets don't cost me $75."
Tickets at Turning Stone for rock singer Huey Lewis' show Thursday were $70 to $85. Depending on the featured act, tickets can range from $40 to $85, with one show this summer - Joe Bonamassa, a blues singer - offering tickets for $10 to $25.
All tickets for the upcoming Huey Lewis concerts at Caesars in Atlantic City are $45, where tickets typically range from $35 to $50, said Caesars spokesman Brian Cahill. Cahill said Caesars either sets up a bar in the back of the showroom or has cocktail servers walk through the venue to serve beverages during the show. Patrons are never allowed to bring in their own food or drinks.
Casino managers say the Turning Stone venue is so small they need to charge higher prices to pay entertainers' fees. Turning Stone's showroom is about 300 seats smaller than the 1,100-person capacity of Caesars showroom.
The nation's liquor application was filed in May, and no action has been taken on it yet. As with virtually everything that involves the state and the Oneidas, the wheels of bureaucracy turn slowly. The Oneida land claim, after all, was filed 30 years ago.
In the meantime, Liquor Authority lawyer Tom McKeon said Turning Stone isn't supposed to allow patrons to bring in alcohol. That's always been against the law, he said.
"They can't knowingly permit people to do it," McKeon said. "The Alcohol Beverage Control board has always said that you cannot bring your own alcohol to any premises that has a capacity of 20 or more and is open for pecuniary gain."
At the B-52s concert July 25, security guards inspected coolers full of beer and waved patrons on. One man carried a magnum of Cabernet in his hand. Before the show, resort Entertainment Manager Joel McKissick ushered a pair of wine-toting concert-goers from a crowded table to an empty booth.
One thing Turning Stone security won't allow inside is food - because the showroom sells snacks.
"It's much like the movie theaters at the mall," Emery said. "They don't allow you to bring in your own popcorn, either."
source: Syracuse.com
|
