SALT LAKE CITY -- Beer will be served at Snowbird's popular Oktoberfest after a vote by Utah's liquor control commission.
In a unanimous vote, the Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission approved a single-event permit for Snowbird ski resort's Oktoberfest.
"With great enthusiasm for Snowbird and our community," said DABC Commissioner Olivia Agraz.
"Maybe we'll yodel!" quipped DABC Commissioner Jeff Wright.
As FOX 13 first reported in May, Oktoberfest was put in jeopardy after the DABC Commission began re-examining its rules for single-event permits, focusing more on "community gatherings" over moneymakers for a business. Snowbird raised concerns that the renewed scrutiny could have doomed Oktoberfest.
"We're always concerned when somebody says they're going to question whether you can have Oktoberfest," said Tom Jones, the vice-president of Snowbird. "That's a huge event for us."
The Utah State Legislature got involved, criticizing the DABC for its scrutiny.
The DABC pledged to review its rules, but Wright noted that they enforce statutes passed by the legislature -- and noted the questions will return with each festival and event.
"I think the commission, the staff, the legislature, the community are having a debate on what's a special event permit and what's community good," he said. "I think that's a fair debate to have."
