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Fredonia's upcoming edition of the Red White and Blues Festival was approved by the village Board of Trustees this week.
Trustees tabled approval of the festival at their last meeting, over legal questions about suspending the open container law. That got cleared up by the village attorneys and trustees approved it this week
The resolution passed by trustees has a request from Festivals Fredonia to "suspend the open container law within West Barker Common, and throughout the village in front of establishments participating in the festival, to allow wineries to operate near the park from noon until midnight and festival participants to be outside on the sidewalks in front of participating establishments."
The provision for the wineries is unchanged from the past. However, the language on drinking near bars got cleaned up a little in response to concerns from Trustee Jon Espersen and other village officials that the previous open container law suspensions could have run afoul of the state Alcoholic Beverage Control authorities.
Trustee James Lynden said the village is essentially doing what it always has done with the open container law.
"It's worked for 18, 20 years. It's pretty much the same resolution," Espersen said.
Festivals Fredonia head Larry Fiorella attended the meeting and answered a question about insurance but did not speak otherwise. He sent a letter to the OBSERVER last week criticizing village government over its relationship with festivals organizers.
Besides approval of the festival, Fiorella and the committee are battling the board over a proposal to raise vendor fees to $75 per event. Trustee David Bird is the village trustee driving that issue that may ultimately lead to the end of all volunteer events -- and Festivals Fredonia.
"As you have been made aware, the costs of doing business keep rising and we are trying to keep vendor fees down," Fiorella wrote in the letter to the board, threatening dissolution of Festivals Fredonia. "If either or both of these issues are resolved in a way that adversely influences the operations of the festivals, there will likely be no more festivals in the village. I hope this does not come to pass."
No one from village government commented at the meeting.