Wristbands To Avoid Underage Drinking

During the Bazaar portion of the Lorain International Festival at the Black River Landing Friday, Saturday and Sunday, legal-aged drinkers will be wrist-banded.

The move, titled “Banding Together in 2013,” is a collaborative effort of the Lorain Port Authority, the International  Festival Committee, Communities that Care of Lorain County, its STOP Task Force on Underage Drinking and YAADA (Young Adult Alcohol and Drug Awareness Coalition).

Legal-aged patrons will be carded and provided a wristband, after which they can purchase tickets for alcoholic beverages.

On Friday, from noon to 1:30 p.m. at  St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, 2000 Tower Blvd. in Lorain,  the Ohio Investigative Unit, part of the Ohio Department of Public Safety, will provide training for merchants, businesses and employees who will be selling and serving alcohol at the Bazaar.

From 3 to 4:30 p.m. at St. Nicholas, similar training will be held for those working any festival or  fundraiser where alcohol is served. The training includes proper identification, false identification and penalties.

Those completing the training will receive certification. Register in advance for the training by contacting Elaine Georgas at 282-9920.

“We aren’t trying to prevent the party, we’re simply asking people to make smarter choices when it comes to drinking,” said Georgas. “And that starts on the front lines, with wrist-banding and checking IDs.” 

Original Source: http://morningjournal.com/articles/2013/06/26/news/doc51cb009ada8ca334076899.txt