Get ready — there’s a bar coming to #12Fest
For the first time ever, #Fest will feature an on-site bar and beer garden for those 21-and-up at the event, according to the fest’s organizer.
The bar will include both beer and liquor from sponsors such as Labatt Blue, Magic Hat #9, Monster Energy Drink and Jose Cuervo. More options are yet to be announced.
The bar area will also feature beer trucks, bomb bars, a margarita bar and an elevated stage viewing area.
Festgoers will not be able to walk away from the bar with a purchased drink. The bar area will be separate from the fest, and all drinks purchased in the area will have to be consumed within. Those in attendance will also not be able to bring any of their own drinks into the area.
No one under the age of 21 will be permitted in the bar area.
“The goal as we progress over the next couple of years is to turn this into a multi-day camping event to really have a full blown liquor and beer scenario involved on top of the BYOB,” said Dominic Petrozzi, the event organizer. “The event doesn’t change from the BYOB aspect, (the bar) is just a secondary option for everybody.”
He added the bar will be heavily patrolled by security, and there will be ID checks when one enters the bar as well as when the patron orders a drink.
In addition, the bar will be completely enclosed by three sides of eight-foot fence, while the entrance will have four-foot fence panels. The area, which will be to the immediate right of the stage, will be double-barricaded.
“There will be no alcohol going in and no alcohol coming out,” Petrozzi said. “You enter empty handed and you leave empty handed.”
A portion of the alcohol proceeds will go directly back to the Athens City Schools as a part of the Bulldog Blitz fund, Petrozzi said.
Patrons will pay for drinks by buying tickets to be used at the bar, he said. One ticket will be the equivalent to one dollar, and 16-ounce beers will likely be worth four tickets while any liquor drink will be worth five.
APD: More than 20 arrested by Athens cops during High Fest
Athens Police arrested 21 people on 24 charges during Saturday’s High Fest, according to officials.
Twelve of the 21 arrested had to be transported to the Southeast Ohio Regional Jail.
Earlier this week, the Ohio University Police Department reported 12 arrests and citations during the fest, and the Ohio Investigative Unit arrested and cited 21 people on 30 charges.
This brings the overall arrest total for the fest to 54 arrests on at least 66 charges.
Blackburn: burglary case highlights ‘changing times in our community’
Shane Benson, of Nelsonville, was found guilty of burglary, grand theft, drug theft and trespassing Thursday.
Benson, 33, was sentenced to 14 years in prison when he appeared in Athens County Common Pleas Court.
Benson was charged with 18 counts of burglary, one count of theft of drugs and one trespass in a habitation, among other charges. It was found that he would enter unlocked homes during the day if no one answered when he knocked on the door.
Athens County Prosecutor Keller Blackburn said in a press release that the case “is a sign of changing times in our community; doors can no longer be left unlocked and windows must be shut.”
Benson was originally charged in 2012.
Homecoming theme
The theme for Homecoming 2014, despite being months away, is set: “Bobcat Family Reunion.”
Ohio University commissioned students to design the logo. In the end, Rachel Keaveny, a senior studying information design, was triumphant.
“Designing it took awhile; I had several different versions and eventually came to a final design. I knew I wanted to incorporate a tree after doing some basic searching of “family reunion,” Keaveny said. “It wouldn’t be too literal but would give off the idea of a family tree and togetherness.”
Keaveny was awarded a $50 Visa gift card.
Water Fountain removed for repairs
The water fountain outside of Alden Library on Park Place has been removed for repairs. Facilities representatives removed the fountain last week to assess the damage and determine whether it can be repaired, said Adam Riehl, interim executive director of Facilities Management, in an emailed statement.
“This was not associated with any planned maintenance or construction activities on campus. Due to the age of the piece, we are evaluating whether it can be repaired and/or the cost of replacement,” Riehl said.
The cause of the damage is unknown.
Open Forum on construction
OU officials will convene to tell students what the campus will look like after the university’s planned construction projects are complete.
The forum will be Thursday, hosted by President Roderick McDavis, Joseph Lalley, senior associate vice president of technologies and administrative services, and Harry Wyatt, associate vice president for architecture, design and construction.
The event will be held in the Schoonover lobby from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and is open to all students, faculty and staff.
— Reports compiled by Maria DeVito, Sara Jerde, Kelly Doran and Allan Smith.
