13 Aug 2023 at 01:19
In the American village of South Holland, near Chicago, the sale of alcohol is allowed for the first time. After years of deliberation between residents, the village council, church leaders, entrepreneurs and neighborhood organizations, the owner of pancake house Blueberry Field has been granted an alcohol license.
A large part of the residents of South Holland have long wanted the rules for the sale of alcohol in the village to be relaxed. Now they have to go to surrounding places to buy beer and wine. The Chicago suburb also has none fine dining restaurants because no drinks were allowed to be served with meals.
Five years and many discussions later, the decision has recently been made and pancake house Blueberry Field will be the first to receive an alcohol license. The owner wants to put mimosas on the menu from September, which are cocktails with champagne and orange juice. The condition is that the alcohol may only be sold in combination with food. Pubs and liquor stores will also remain prohibited.
In a press release the town’s website states that South Holland “as a community of faith and family” believes that “we can change what we do without changing who we are”. The relaxed closing times on Sundays, which were introduced ten years ago, are mentioned as an example.
Fear of the future
The pastor of one of the 33 local churches, Melvin L. Moore, has reservations. “Some people are anxious about what the future holds. Some see the communities around us and how they have changed,” he tells ABC 7 Chicago. According to him, South Holland has always been a safe and religious village and that could now change.
The mayor is less concerned. “With this move, we look forward to a bright future of progress and development, but do it in a way that remains steadfast to our longstanding values of faith and family,” said Mayor Don De Graff.
In 1846, Dutch immigrants from South Holland settled where South Holland is now. In 1894 it officially became a municipality. South Holland now has more than 20,000 inhabitants.
2023-08-12 23:19:20
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