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Klamath Falls council OKs temporary alcohol consumption at two summer events
Summary
Council waived city code to permit monitored beer/wine gardens for Bicycle Rides Northwest at Veterans Park and for the KFDA Third Thursday summer events in a downtown parking lot, subject to state licensing and standard permits.
Klamath Falls City Council on June 2 approved temporary waivers of city code to permit public consumption of alcohol at two summer events: the Bicycle Rides Northwest stop at Veterans Park and beer‑and‑wine gardens at the Klamath Falls Downtown Association’s (KFDA) Third Thursday events.
Parks Maintenance Manager Terry Sellers described the Bicycle Rides Northwest request as a monitored, fenced area where alcohol would be served only within the enclosure; Sellers said the group expects about 225 riders and roughly 60 crew members. “So what they're asking for is if they could… they don't sell it. It's all monitored,” Terry Sellers said. “I did suggest that it would have to be in a fenced area so they knew where the alcohol was and then they couldn't just roam around.”
The council voted to waive city code section 5.438 to allow temporary alcohol consumption within a designated area of Veterans Park for the event. The motion passed on a voice vote.
Separately, Planning Manager Joe Wall asked the council to waive city code (referenced in the record as section 5.438 and, in one motion text, 545.43) to permit a beer‑and‑wine garden in the Spruce Parking Lot for KFDA’s Third Thursday series, with the city signing as a signatory to any temporary Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission (OLCC) license. Wall said the July event will be held on a Friday to better align with a Big Wings and Eagles airshow at Kingsley Field and that details for additional allowances are still being worked out with downtown businesses. “With any of these events, we always in this, we are exempting from city code… They do always have to get approval from OLCC as well,” Joe Wall told the council.
Councilor Mike noted a potential conflict of interest because he is involved with the organizing committee for the Third Thursday events; he did not step down. Both waivers passed after motions and seconds and were approved by the council.
Event organizers must secure the required permits and insurance; staff said those conditions would be handled through the event permitting process and by OLCC approval.
