By Derek Cornet

‘You can’t condemn the beer garden’: No backpacks allowed at La Ronge Elks Fair

Jul 20, 2018 | 5:00 PM

Organizers of the Elks Fair in La Ronge are asking the public to keep their backpacks at home.

The request is in response to what Elks Exulted Ruler Shea Duncan described as an attempt to minimize the number of people inebriated at the three-day event. He noted there was a lot of discussion beforehand on whether or not to ban alcohol at the fair entirely and not allow the La Ronge Ice Wolves to operate a beer garden.

“The only issue we had with drinking was either people who came to the fair intoxicated before they got there, or they had brought in their own liquor,” Duncan said. “The reason behind the no backpacks is we’re hoping we can maybe stop individuals from bringing alcohol into the fair.”

Ice Wolves President Grant Merriman also believes the beer garden the organization hosts isn’t the problem. He said all they serve is beer, while some people are smuggling hard liquor into the grounds. He added other guests come to the fair already intoxicated and their mental state isn’t immediately noticed.

Merriman also said the volunteers at the beer garden have Serve It Right certificates and will cut off anyone who has had too much to drink. He noted others will be asked to leave if children are waiting for their parents outside the tent.

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“A lot of alcohol comes through the gate and it’s no fault of the beer garden,” Merriman said. “You can’t condemn the beer garden for something like that.”

The Elks Fair is a major fundraiser for the Elks Club and Ice Wolves. Duncan added the Elks raises tens of thousands of dollars while the Ice Wolves are expecting up to $12,000. Duncan also said up to 6,000 people will attend the fair between Friday, Saturday and Sunday, noting Canuck Amusements has brought 18-20 rides.

derek.cornet@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @saskjourno