Wednesday, September 08, 1999
Riverfest drink ban a mistake, police say
Security workers were 'misinformed'
BY TIM BONFIELD and JANICE MORSE
The Cincinnati Enquirer
It was supposed to be OK to bring the Sunny D.
Riverfest's otherwise trouble-free fireworks party, which drew an estimated 350,000 people Sunday, left hundreds of people angry after they were stopped at security gates and told to dump or leave liquids they thought they were allowed to bring. Temperatures at the daylong event reached about 91 degrees.
Among the unhappy patrons were Nicolas Wright, 8, and Jacob Wright, 5, of Fairfield, who had to gulp their bottles of Sunny Delight before they were allowed in. Dozens of people later complained to police, newspapers and other media.
Festival organizers erroneously told event security workers to stop people from carrying in water, soda or juice — even drinks in factory-sealed containers. Those restrictions conflicted with widely publicized rules about the event.
Event security workers made a mistake, said Lt. Paul Humphries, who coordinated Riverfest planning for the Cincinnati Police Division.
Cincinnati police sent a list of rules and road closings to all local media. Alcohol was banned. So were glass and metal containers. But the advisory said: “Non-alcoholic beverages in sealed (unopened) plastic or cardboard containers are okay.”
“Their security people weren't letting anything in,” Lt. Humphries said. “They were misinformed.”
Cincinnati police want to make it clear that the official rule is that some beverages are allowed, Lt. Humphries said.
“The Cincinnati Police Division's stance has always been that this is a family event,” he said. “Someone who wants to bring down a sealed or unopened plastic, or the little juice boxes of cardboard, water or nonalcoholic beverages will be permited into the event area.”
Only Newport has a ban on all coolers and beverages at the event.
Alene Grevey, general manager of WEBN-FM, the leading co-sponsor of the event, confirmed that security crews were told to prohibit anyone from bringing liquids into the event.
“We were not attempting to upset anybody who wanted to bring formula or water or juice,” she said.
“But some people will do anything to smuggle alcohol in.”
Vendors were selling soda and water — water cost up to $3 a bottle — but Ms. Grevey denied the beverage ban was put in place to boost vendors' sales. “That had nothing to do with it,” she said.
Ms. Grevey said the radio station hadn't issued an on-air apology as of Tuesday. Asked whether an apology was needed, she said, “No commment.”
Ms. Grevey said organizers haven't decided what beverage policy will be used next year.
Enquirer reporter Tanya Bricking contributed to this story.
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