Liquor Permits at Jammin' Won't Require Fences After All

As the first big party of the season approaches, businesses hoping to serve beer or other alcoholic beverages at Jammin' on Janesville had to wait for approval of their permits based on safety concerns raised by an alderman.

At the April 9 Finance Committee meeting, Dan Soltysiak had asked what controls would be in place to define the licensed areas and who would be served, saying he believed alcohol needed to be restricted to a specific area. 

Mayor Kathy Chiaverotti noted then that the Police Department had not had any issues with the event in the past, but the matter was deferred in order to assemble the parties requesting a permit. High Hitchin’ Tractor Pullers, Heritage Presbyterian Church (June and August only), Sandhill Booster Club, MHS Ski Team Parents, Muskego Lions Club, and Muskego Moose Lodge have all requested permits to serve at various sites along the approximately 1.5-mile festival route.

Tuesday night, Muskego Police Captain Richard Rens confirmed the mayor's statement, and offered that the fences or similar physical enclosures would be more likely to encourage drinking.

"It doesn't appear that people are coming here to get drunk," Rens told the committee. "It's a family event, where people are going from business to business and we've not had problems with drunkenness in the past. With the fencing, that would encourage more drinking because they'd have to quick finish their beer before they could move on."

"The road is open, the parking lots are open and I feel there is a safety concern with people drinking," Soltysiak said. However he added he would defer to the police department if they were not seeing an issue, and joined the committee in approving the permits. Jammin' on Janesville will run on the first Fridays of summer months — June 7, July 5 and August 2 — from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.