Liquor Licenses & Liability Insurance for Shows

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pinnacle-project
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Liquor Licenses & Liability Insurance for Shows

#1

Post by pinnacle-project »

I have started to do some research on potential needs the Michigan Chapter may have for shows we are involved in. The Winterfest show coming up next week and the Summerswap show coming up in July are each located in an American Legion hall in Frankenmuth, MI. The hall has a liquor license and insurance to cover their own needs but I doubt if either of these covers what the Chapter does when we rent the facility. On Friday, I contacted an insurance company that specializes in events to get more information. Once they are able to evaluate our situation, I hope to learn more. Once I get a handle on the two Michigan shows we are involved in, I will also look into the Cleveland show which is in a hotel.

In the meantime, what are other chapters doing? When your chapter does a show do you get insurance that covers the event specifically? How do you handle the beer? I doubt if any chapter has their own liquor license. Sometimes the liquor license may not be necessary. For example, if you chapter has a show at a brewery and the brewery has a tap room, I do not see any reason why the chapter would need a separate liquor license.

What are your thoughts? Thanks in advance for your help.


Focus: Cones and flats from Michigan, South Bend, and Fort Wayne. Foreign cans only if I bought them myself in the country of origin.

2023 Shows Attended

* Michigan Chapter Winterfest, January 14, Frankenmuth Michigan
* Cabin Fever Reliever, February 24, Mishawaka Indiana
* Buckeye, March 11, Toledo Ohio
* SummerSwap, July 21 & 22, Frankenmuth Michigan
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Re: Liquor Licenses & Liability Insurance for Shows

#2

Post by willssoda »

Not sure about beer cans but being part of a bottle club we used to get the insurance needed privately and it was expensive. Then we learned that because we were member of the bottle federation we could get insurance through their policy. Maybe check with the BCCA to see if they offer it under a group discount.
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Re: Liquor Licenses & Liability Insurance for Shows

#3

Post by Mizmo64 »

The Hoosier chapter ran into this with the Cabin Fever show. That is now why the place with the liquor license now supplies a bar tender. Some places insist that they supply the all the beer, others will work with you. Some of the micro-breweries have the correct license to do it also.
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Re: Liquor Licenses & Liability Insurance for Shows

#4

Post by pinnacle-project »

Mizmo64 wrote: Sat Jan 11, 2020 3:30 pm . . . That is now why the place with the liquor license now supplies a bar tender.
That is one of the questions the insurance company asked me. In our case, we do have bartenders but they are only chapter members, not somebody provided by the hall. I suspect the insurance company sees having a bartender as better than self-serve but not as good as having a professional who has no relationship with the people they are serving.
Focus: Cones and flats from Michigan, South Bend, and Fort Wayne. Foreign cans only if I bought them myself in the country of origin.

2023 Shows Attended

* Michigan Chapter Winterfest, January 14, Frankenmuth Michigan
* Cabin Fever Reliever, February 24, Mishawaka Indiana
* Buckeye, March 11, Toledo Ohio
* SummerSwap, July 21 & 22, Frankenmuth Michigan
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Re: Liquor Licenses & Liability Insurance for Shows

#5

Post by Mizmo64 »

pinnacle-project wrote: Sat Jan 11, 2020 4:52 pm
Mizmo64 wrote: Sat Jan 11, 2020 3:30 pm . . . That is now why the place with the liquor license now supplies a bar tender.
That is one of the questions the insurance company asked me. In our case, we do have bartenders but they are only chapter members, not somebody provided by the hall. I suspect the insurance company sees having a bartender as better than self-serve but not as good as having a professional who has no relationship with the people they are serving.
If my memory serves me, by using the place with a liquor license and them supplying the bartender That the liability is theirs and not the chapters. I am not certain that it takes 100% of the liability away from the Chapter but it does minimize it. I know in Indiana that the Chapter could have applied for a license for the event, but it still required that we use a licensed bartender.
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Re: Liquor Licenses & Liability Insurance for Shows

#6

Post by Copperhead »

We tried to tell Ray Johnson at Blue Gray for years that we were going to get in trouble for not having a liquor license an he always claimed that the show didn't need a liquor license because the hotel was letting us ride off theirs. Not only is that illegal but why would the hotel want to risk their license for someone at Blue gray getting drunk and going out and either killing themselves or someone else in a car wreck. Not to mention after Muggseys closed they didn't have a liquor license anymore. The Richbrau chapter has for many years now gotten a liquor license for our Monticello show and it's a whole lot cheaper to pay the minimal fee for that than if the ABC shows up and finds out you charged a registration fee for the show and have alcohol. In their eyes thats selling alcohol. Chances of you getting caught are probably very slim but all it takes is one time and your goose is cooked! Just my 2 cents.


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Re: Liquor Licenses & Liability Insurance for Shows

#7

Post by waste-man »

Many moons ago when I lived in Minnesota I joined the board of the local show to see what I could do to help out. This topic came up and the general feeling was not only was the chapter liable if some visitor had a few too many and drove into a car killing or injuring some poor bystander, but the members of that chapters board could also each be personally sued by the injured party. This was 25 years ago or so but the chapter did get a insurance policy to cover such a incident. I know Dave Wendle is not the president of the North Star Chapter but you could contact someone on the board to see who they went through. Maybe Bob Jackson would know.........
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Re: Liquor Licenses & Liability Insurance for Shows

#8

Post by Dixie Dave »

As a paralegal, it seems to me that if the show is in a venue like a VFW or American Legion Hall or a brewery, they would have the proper licensing and a licensed bartender,and this would minimize the chapter's exposure, so long as they control the distribution and sale of beer at the event.
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Re: Liquor Licenses & Liability Insurance for Shows

#9

Post by pinnacle-project »

Copperhead wrote: Thu Jan 16, 2020 11:58 am . . . The Richbrau chapter has for many years now gotten a liquor license for our Monticello show . . .
Do you know what it costs them to do this? If not, do you know who in the Richbrau chapter I would contact to find out? Thanks!
Focus: Cones and flats from Michigan, South Bend, and Fort Wayne. Foreign cans only if I bought them myself in the country of origin.

2023 Shows Attended

* Michigan Chapter Winterfest, January 14, Frankenmuth Michigan
* Cabin Fever Reliever, February 24, Mishawaka Indiana
* Buckeye, March 11, Toledo Ohio
* SummerSwap, July 21 & 22, Frankenmuth Michigan
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Re: Liquor Licenses & Liability Insurance for Shows

#10

Post by BrianS »

Regarding the Michigan shows, the Michigan Dram Shop Act (Michigan Compiled Laws section 436.1801) applies only to alcohol vendors, that is the license holder. That would be the American Legion Hall for the two Michigan shows you mentioned, NOT the Rusty Bunch.
In addition, the only liability the chapter could possible have would be under Michigan's Social Host Law.(MCL section 436.1701)
That law imposes possible criminal(NOT civil) liability for serving alcohol to a minor.
Therefore, keep the hooch away from the kiddies and all will be well!
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Re: Liquor Licenses & Liability Insurance for Shows

#11

Post by Copperhead »

Get in touch with Chris Eib, moquarts18@aol.com. He takes care of all that for the Richbrau Chapter and can tell you the procedure to go through and how much it costs.
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