Now that the Westchester County's Winter Wonderland exhibit is open at Kensico Dam Plaza, there are advertisements touting a schedule for Friday and Saturday of scotch (the alcoholic beverage) tasting for $30 per person. The event is being held by a private company and the Friends of Westchester County Parks organization. We have mixed feelings on our position about this. On the one hand, the County Parks should be allowed to be used by any resident and corporate resident as intended. And to that end, the private entity should have no restrictions beyond normal park usage requirements. But we don’t agree that alcoholic beverages should be served in a County park.
Much hyperbole has been made about the County Center renting out it’s space for gun shows. However, since the County Center venue is multi-functional, and used as an exhibit hall for trade shows, school fairs and similar events, it should be available to anyone seeking to use it as an exhibit hall, including the reptile show, the gem and mineral show, the farmer’s market, the home show, concerts, basketball games, school graduations and yes, the gun show.
Regardless of how the facility is used, and regardless of your position on guns, legitimate dealers follow all of the regulations in place to buy and sell guns, pay the rental fees, hookup fees, local, county and state taxes and usually partake of refreshments sold both inside and out. And, while the County Center has lost many shows to economics, competition and public opinion, it seems that the County Center has continually struggled for quite some time. But, we think there is a difference between both venues.
We’ll grant that there are many people against firearms, both legally and illegally had. We’ll also grant that many people drink and drive, both legally and illegally (legally being under the legal limit). We don’t believe a County facility, in this case a County Park, should condone the serving of alcoholic beverages, even in small amounts as might typically be consumed for tasting purposes, and then allows those people to get behind the wheel of a car to drive home or to another location, that’s wrong. What is the difference between the County Center hosting a gun show, where no guns are discharged and an event serving alcohol, where a person may wind up having an ill-effect with their consumption and then getting in a car to drive home? Plenty.
The Scotch alcohol-tasting fundraiser is being offered on Friday and Saturday evenings in a VIP tent on the dam’s plaza. A $30 donation is required for admission, which includes entry to all other Winter Wonderland activities. All proceeds go to Friends of Westchester County Parks, which promotes Bicycles Sundays, Movie Fest, Ethnic and Cultural events and more. And, as an unofficial arm for the County, they might want to rethink their use of alcohol-related events as fund raisers, at least on County property. There shouldn't be a double standard where the County fights to eliminate drinking and driving, and then offer drinks - in any quantity - on their properties and then encourages people to drive away. Had bus or taxi transportation been provided as part of the event, we would be more tolerant. But this behavior sends mix messages and should not continue. Only then will we begin to have A Better Westchester.
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