Seventh Avenue Heritage Festival will not be moving to Propst Park, if festival organizers still want beer and wine at the event.
District 41 State Representative and festival organizer Kabir Karriem approached the board asking for the ordinance to change during the board’s Thursday work session, so the festival could move to the back side of Propst Park with its drinks in tow.
“The festival’s been going on for over 40 years,” said Karriem, who is a former city council member. “I’ve been over it, this will be my 21st year. My reasoning for trying to change venue is it’s become a very, very, very mammoth event. And having it on the street, we’re just trying to get in front of logistics and still keep it on Seventh Avenue and just move it down the street to the park if possible.”
At Tuesday night’s city council meeting, City Attorney Jeff Turnage said the current law only allows beer and wine to be in city parks that are above five acres and below 11 acres. This ordinance, which he helped to draft around 2016, allowed the Juneteenth Festival to move to Sim Scott Park without throwing the doors open for alcohol consumption in any park at any time.
In response to Karriem’s request on Thursday, Turnage drafted a new version of the ordinance for the council to consider Tuesday that would allow the consumption of beer and wine in parks that exceed 11 acres, but only in areas smaller than 11 acres.
The draft also only allowed beer and wine consumption if the hosting entity receives funds from the restaurant/beverage 2% tax, Turnage said, which would include the Juneteenth Festival at Sim Scott Park, the Southside Townsend Blues Festival at Townsend Park, Market Street Festival downtown and the heritage festival.
All four festivals each receive $15,000 from the city, he said, but only Seventh Avenue would be likely to relocate into Propst Park.
But council members expressed skepticism about the newly drafted ordinance.
Vice Mayor Joseph Mickens said the park’s image could be impacted by alcohol consumption getting out of hand.
Even with the $3.4 million renovation project at Propst Park, which has been invested to bring more citizens and baseball teams to the area, Mickens said if “anything happened out there, it ain’t going to be the festival. It’s going to be Propst Park.”
Ward 4 Councilman Pierre Beard agreed that Propst Park’s image needs to be protected, as the investment in the park is intended to make it into a “family park.”
“It’s nothing against the festival, it’s nothing against the beer sales, it’s nothing against that,” Beard said. “It’s just, it’s time to reimage and rebrand Propst Park.”
Ward 5 Councilman Stephen Jones tried to clarify if the issue was about the festival’s presence or the presence of beer and alcohol in the park.
Even without the ordinance changing, Mickens said the festival’s relocation would bring alcohol into Propst Park, as the park has no designated entrances or tight security. Mickens said alcohol should not be allowed in any city park at all.
“None of our parks should be selling beer where our five year olds and four year olds are playing,” Mickens said. “What kind of example are we setting for them?”
Ward 3 Councilman Rusty Green asked Mickens about the difference between allowing Propst Park to be used for the Seventh Avenue Heritage Festival versus Sim Scott for the Juneteenth Festival.
“Let me put it to you like this Mr. Green,” Mickens replied. “Just because you went down the wrong road the first time, don’t mean you’ve got to go down it the second time. You can stop it. It’s time to stop it.”
The draft ordinance died without a vote.
Karriem did not respond to phone calls from The Dispatch before press time Tuesday.
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