I must admit that I might not be the best person to judge whether creating an entertainment district in Olde Towne Okotoks will be a draw and, therefore, an economic generator for the area. I’m not a drinker, so offering me an opportunity to imbibe isn’t overly enticing, but I can see how others might find the lure of an adult beverage or two as reason enough to frequent a particular location.
The Town is in the process of deciding whether to create an entertainment district along downtown’s main drag, which, if approved, would only be for a trial period from Parade Day (June 17) to Light Up Okotoks (Nov. 17).
When I initially heard the term entertainment district, I wasn’t exactly sure what that entailed, but I’ve since learned that it’s basically a defined area where people are able to buy alcohol from licensed premises but consume it outside of those establishments. Despite its alliterative qualities, I suspect ‘drinking district’ didn’t sound quite as family-friendly, so when the province approved the Red Tape Reduction Implementation Act 18 months ago, it termed these zones as entertainment districts.
As much as alcohol consumption is the driving force in creating these zones, I think entertainment is really the key piece of the puzzle to making them work, at least in our case. When there’s something happening — in other words, there’s actually entertainment taking place in the entertainment district — then adding an alcohol component seems reasonable.
I suspect many people wouldn’t mind hoisting a cold one on a hot summer day while enjoying the show and shine, Taste of Okotoks or other large-scale events in the downtown core.
However, when that entertainment disappears, I’m having a hard time seeing the attraction of an entertainment district and the subsequent economic spin-off it’s supposed to create. Maybe I’m missing something being a non-drinker, but I don’t see the allure of wandering around downtown with a beer in hand at 8 o’clock on a random Tuesday when most places are shut tight.
The Town’s proposed pilot project would see the district in effect between 11 a.m. and 11 p.m., seven days a week, which seems like overkill given the circumstances. I think those hours could make sense if there were outdoor spaces within the district where people could crack one open, but that stretch of downtown is primarily pavement, save for the grassy area at the clock plaza, so it’s not like there are all kinds of picnic opportunities.
I’ve seen many cities cautiously wade into the waters of alcohol consumption in public spaces, but it’s mostly been a case of allowing a bottle of wine or a six-pack to complement a meal in the park, which isn’t the situation here given the absence of those green areas in our proposed entertainment district.
In our case, we’ve either got events taking place where an adult beverage would be welcomed by many in attendance, or we’ve got a quaint commercial core where it’s incongruent to have drinking on the street. It would seem to me that entertainment district hours should reflect those differences, presuming they could be structured in such a way.
