Beer and Wine Garden Planned for Winnetka Sidewalk Sale

During a board meeting earlier this month, the supported a new policy direction for the Winnetka Sidewalk Sale this summer. For the first time, shoppers over the age of 21 will be able to drink beer and wine in a temporary streetscape garden on Saturday, July 21.

"It's something that we were thinking of doing to energize the sidewalk sale because sales are waning," said Terry Dason, director of the , in an interview with Patch. The sale, which goes from Friday, July 20 through Saturday, July 21 this year, has been a Winnetka tradition for more than three decades and is organized by the Chamber.

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"Department stores are always having sales, and [as a result] mom and pop stores are struggling to bring people into stores. By doing this event, we hope to energize the entire weekend and make it more than just a sidewalk sale," Dason continued.

In addition to the alcohol offerings on Saturday from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m., there will be soft drinks available in the streetscape garden during the rest of the two-day sale.

The chamber's special use permit request reads: "This is a service that is readily available at most every public streetscape event in the area except Winnetka. We believe that this is a service that participants anticipate when visiting a similar program. We do not expect this service will be abused. Quite simply, many people want to have a beer while enjoying a sunny day in the business district while listening to music, looking at streetscape sales and looking at interesting vehicles."

At the board's meeting on May 1, one resident raised a question about drinking alcohol on sidewalks outside the garden and about the use of porta-potties. Dason replied that people will not be allowed to leave the garden with drinks in their hands and that porta-potties will be available.

"We are working very hard to keep our residents and those in surrounding communities local," she said. "We're trying to draw them into our towns to eat, shop and play."

The next step is for the policy request to go through the police department's inspection, and then the village president will give the official yes or no to the new plan.

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