Geneva Legion's beer garden to make best of license suspension

Geneva's American Legion members are making lemonade out of a lemon of a situation.

Fox River Post 75 is having a "family root beer garden day" June 24 as part of Geneva's Swedish Days celebration.

And nothing harder than root beer will be served in the garden that day, because that's the day the post is serving a liquor license suspension.

"We don't want it (the garden) to sit idle," said John Poi, junior vice commander of the post.

During last year's Swedish Days, a volunteer bartender at the Legion sold alcohol to two underage agents of the Geneva police. The bartender had relied on a volunteer ID-checker at the door, who was to stamp the hands of people old enough to drink. It turned out, Poi said, that one of the checkers had trouble reading the licenses, but didn't tell supervisors. Ultimately, however, it is the responsibility of the person selling the alcohol to make sure the buyer is of age.

In the same check, the mayor's then-estranged wife also was ticketed for serving one of the agents in the beer garden at River Lane Pub. She paid her fine, as did the now-defunct pub.

Mayor Kevin Burns, in his capacity as the city's liquor commissioner, fined the Legion $1,000 and suspended its license for one day, to be served during the 2010 festival.

The beer garden is the Legion's major fundraiser. "Without that we would have closed down a long time ago," Poi said. The post has had a beer garden at Swedish Days since the 1950s.

Poi calculated that being closed for one day would mean losing $3,000 to $6,000.

He figures the root beer day is also a way for the post to "give back to the community."

On root beer day, children 10 and younger can enjoy free hot dogs and corn dogs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Balloons and miniature American flags will be given away. Adults can purchase food including bratwursts, hot dogs and corn dogs.

Visitors can also sign greeting cards to be sent to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

That evening, the legion will sell a chicken dinner inside its hall, 22 S. James St., for $7.50.

Otherwise, it's beer garden business as usual the other days of the festival: noon to 10 p.m. June 22-23, noon to 11 p.m. June 25-26 and noon to 4 p.m. June 27.

For details, call (630) 232-2171.