In the warmer months, people who gather at City Park for concerts on Thursday nights can visit a beer garden this summer… as long as they’re 21 or older.
On Tuesday, the Heber City Council voted unanimously to lift a city restriction that allowed events to have beer gardens no more than three times a year.
Greg Poirier, co-owner of Heber Valley Brewing Company, made the request to the council earlier this month. He said like in the brewery building on Main Street, business will meet all regulations and operate with a high standard of professionalism at the City Park events.
“In my opinion, having a controlled beer garden is an asset to the event,” he said. “Our goal is to be profitable at the end of the day and to share some of our proceeds with the Wasatch Trails Foundation, not to get people drunk and disorderly in a city park at what I consider a hallmark event in Heber City.”
After the council’s vote, Councilmember Mike Johnston told KPCW he doesn’t envision the change leading to more beer gardens in town than the one Heber Valley Brewing petitioned for.
“I think we only want one for the Heber Market on Main,” Johnston said. “We decided that it was fine for this event. It's city sponsored and managed, and let's see how this works. I think it could be a good thing.”
Per city rules, beer gardens must be part of a community-wide celebration and end before 9 p.m. Vendors can sell beer, and customers can drink it, within a 1,000-square-foot area.
The Heber Market on Main begins this summer on June 16 and will continue for 12 consecutive Thursdays through August 25, according to the Heber Valley Chamber of Commerce calendar.
For more on the event, visit hebermarket.com.
