COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho — Wednesday marked the first time the Coeur d'Alene Farmers Market allowed alcohol at the venue, which is set to continue every Wednesday for the rest of the month when the market ends.
This is part of a pilot program in the City.
The Fifth Street Farmers Market in downtown Coeur d'Alene is set to go on for the rest of the month, and because of a City Council decision this week, there's a new thing that attendees can do, and that's drinking with a few rules in place.
"We're excited to be able to trial this, but we're all proceeding with caution because we want to obtain that nice environment that Coeur d'Alene is used to having," Emily Boyd, Executive Director of the Coeur d'Alene Downtown Association, said.
Coeur d'Alene City Council voted in favor of open containers at the market this month, further affirming the vote in Tuesday night's City Council meeting.
Under the pilot program, beer and wine are only to be sold from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. for attendees who get an ID wristband. Only beer and wine are allowed between Front and Lakeside Avenue in downtown Coeur d'Alene.
"I've been working pretty closely with council members and city staff on this project," Boyd said.
Boyd said the pilot program is something she's happy to see start for the market, saying there are added measures because of it, like extra gating around each end of the market, extra security at both ends of entry and staying in the perimeter to avoid getting a citation.
"Our goal as the downtown association is to maintain a friendly environment, we don't want it to escalate outside of any of that," Boyd said.
Boyd said Wednesday is proving to be successful, saying she hopes to see local businesses be able to sell beer and wine besides the association itself after more time passes since the council's decision.
"Because of such a quick turnaround, we just have the basics this week," Boyd said.
Boyd hopes vendors in the future will be able to increase their business coming to the market, hoping for more traction, more revenue and keeping the family-friendly environment Boyle supports each year.
"If it's wonderful, we'll hope to carry it on into next season, and if it's not successful, we'll say we tried and moved forward," Boyd said.