Adjusting alcohol laws

 ANNAPOLIS -- The Frederick County Delegation of state lawmakers are introducing a slew of bills that would change alcohol laws in the county.

Those changes include allowing wine festivals with multiple winery participants, allowing more nonprofit groups to host fundraising events where alcohol is served, and allowing liquor, wine and beer stores to open earlier on Sundays.

Frederick County  Liquor Board requests

The earlier Sunday opening will match the laws of neighboring Carroll County.

In Frederick County, liquor stores may open at noon. In Carroll County, they may open at 11 a.m.

Charles Dorsey, manager of Castle Liquors in Mount Airy, asked for the change so that the store would have comparable hours to those on the Carroll County side of the line. Castle Liquors is on Main Street in Frederick County.

"We have a lot of loyal customers, and with us opening at 11, it would give them the opportunity (to shop here) when they are out shopping, or before a football game," Dorsey said.

The Frederick County Liquor Board requested the change after hearing from stores in the county, according to liquor board administrator Kathy Vahle.

In addition to that change, the liquor board requested a handful of other changes.

Those include adding more part-time liquor inspectors and making sure the criminal history information on people with liquor licenses is up to date.

Another bill the board supports would allow liquor inspectors to write civil citations and carry a gun at the same time. Currently, inspectors carry guns but must call the police if they want to issue a citation to someone under 21 who is consuming or attempting to buy alcohol.

The board also asked for the delegation to allow nonprofits to serve alcohol at fundraisers in the 10th Election District, which is located in and around the Catoctin Mountains. That district is dry.

Vahle said that it was a coincidence there are so many proposed changes to liquor law this year.

"I think basically, this year these issues happened to come up and needed to be dealt with," Vahle said.

Delegate Paul Stull, chairman of Frederick's delegation, said that the delegation generally defers to the liquor board when considering changes to the liquor law.

"We try working with the liquor board on any legislation that they see that would enhance their liquor laws in Frederick County," Stull said.

Bills would also benefit wineries

In addition to bills proposed by the liquor board, the delegation is also introducing several bills to help local wineries.

Frederick County has the largest concentration of wineries in the state, with six wineries.

The Maryland Wineries Association asked the delegation for a bill that will allow wine festivals in the county.

Currently, wineries can hold festivals on their properties, but the new law would allow them to hold festivals on land not owned by a winery.

The festivals would include participants from wineries across the state.

"Our wine festivals are probably the single best promotion tool for our wineries," said Kevin Atticks, executive director of the wineries association. "We've learned over the years that the best way to raise awareness of your product is to have people try it."

Under the proposed bill, the county liquor board would choose two weekends per year for a festival. It will cost $20 for a wine festival license.

The delegation has also introduced a bill that will allow a wine-tasting event where people walk from one place to the next, sampling different wines.

The Downtown Frederick Partnership asked for that bill.