The grand opening celebration for a new amphitheater in Ogden will be a dry production.
The Utah Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission turned down the city's request Friday for a single-event permit that would have allowed it to sell alcohol.
A city committee wanted a "nice social event where people can come down to have beer and wine" along with food, said Carolyn Bachman, Ogden special events coordinator.
"We'll just have to take no for an answer," she said after the decision. "I'll go back to the committee and say, 'You know what? No alcohol.' "
The outdoor theater was built on the north side of Municipal Square, site of the Ogden Municipal Building and the Weber County Jail in the center of town. Drinking would have been confined to an area inside the amphitheater but the area would be open to adults and children. Bachman expects at least 2,500 people to turn out for the Sept. 22 celebration.
Commission Chairman Nicholas Hales questioned the city's ability to control alcohol sales and consumption by minors.
"What we have found is that in open-air events it is almost impossible to do so," he said, adding Salt Lake police have advised against selling beer and liquor on the city's Washington Square during the Olympics.
Hales said he "can't in good conscience" vote for the permit knowing children will be on the grounds.
Ogden has a long history of selling beer during its annual street festival, which it does with a city-issued beer license.
"I think that we have done a very good job at controlling it at the street festival," Bachman said. "I think we would have had the same control here."
Alcohol commissioners also debated whether the amphitheater is in a city park or city square. State law prohibits drinking alcohol in public parks.
Bachman said the park designation inadvertently showed up on the application. The area is known as a municipal square, she said.
Commissioner Vickie McCall, an Ogden resident, called that "semantics," saying everyone in the city knows it as a park. She also said she saw no reason for alcohol to be served at the event.
Ogden is currently drafting an ordinance governing the public square and amphitheater, including the use of alcohol.
Commissioner Ted Lewis said he would be willing to reconsider the application if the ordinance were in place.
Bachman said she doubts the city can get the law through all the necessary public channels in time for the grand opening.
E-mail: romboy@desnews.com