Hailey has loosened up its liquor laws just in time for the holidays.
As of today, it is legal to sell liquor on Thanksgiving Day, Memorial Day, Sundays and after 1 a.m. at Hailey bars.
It is also legal for the first time to sell alcohol during a general election or primary election.
The City Council on Monday agreed to waive the second and third readings of the proposed ordinance changes, bringing Hailey into accord with state laws that were changed in June. The law changes eliminate alcohol sales restrictions dating back to the 1800s.
"Personally I don't mind if someone goes out and gets hammered during an election, rather than voting," said Hailey resident Peter Lobb Monday night.
The election-day sales were only recently approved by the Idaho Legislature. Their vote to allow sales of hard liquor on election day came after the Idaho Liquor Dispensary told lawmakers the state was missing out on valuable state revenue by keeping state-operated liquor stores closed on election day. The decision to allow individual stores to open was left up to local jurisdictions.
In their meeting Monday, members considered the implications of repealing the alcohol sales restrictions.
"I think of this as economic development," joked Carol Brown.
Hailey has just one state-run liquor store, at 207 South Main Street.
Councilman Fritz Haemmerle questioned the good judgement of allowing last-call liquor sales between 1 and 2 a.m. He suggested that changing the late-night restriction could lead to someone's grabbing a bottle at the end of the night and causing trouble in town.
But Councilman Don Keirn responded to Haemmerle by quoting New York City restaurateur Toots Shor, who defended World War II "brownout" laws that restricted late-night partying.
"If you can't get drunk by 11 p.m., you are just not trying," he quoted Shor as saying.
