Committee approves temporary Wine Walk license; organizers pledge stricter enforcement under state rules

The Alcohol Licensing Advisory Committee on March 4 unanimously approved a temporary Class B license for Downtown Janesville Inc. to hold the spring Wine Walk on May 17, 2025.

Downtown retailers told the committee the Wine Walk draws hundreds of shoppers and is a major sales day for small businesses. Paula Carlson, owner of American Bell Clothing in the 200 block of West Milwaukee Street, said the event can bring roughly 600 people into downtown stores in five hours, a volume she said would otherwise take months to achieve. "Wine walk does that for us in 5 hours," Carlson said.

The committee and event organizers also discussed enforcement changes after the fall event, when the city began enforcing state rules that prohibit carrying open containers from one licensed stop to another. Lena Shievsky, representing Downtown Janesville Inc., said organizers now require signage at exits stating "no alcohol beyond this point," clear cups, wristbands, buckets for people to discard wine, ID checks and staffed licensed bartenders at serving points. "We will definitely continue to do our part with making sure that people are following the rules," Shievsky said.

Several business owners and downtown volunteers described the event's economic impact. Joan Nino, a restaurateur and past president of Downtown Janesville Inc.'s organizing body, said she has not seen police called to serious incidents during the event and urged continued support. Photographer Nickodemus, who has documented several Wine Walks, said the event consistently sends people into stores and provides material retailers can use for marketing. "There is a vibrance, there is an excitement," he said.

Police staff reported ongoing compliance checks and additional enforcement targeted at businesses that failed checks. The Janesville Police Department said it completed compliance checks on Feb. 26 (violations from that night had not yet been printed in the committee packet) and will repeat checks at failing establishments; citations were issued to some individuals. Committee members noted the department is pursuing changes to the city ordinance to add enforcement mechanisms.

A city staff member said a state grant application for $3,500 is being submitted by a local group, Janesville Mobilizing for Change, to help defray compliance-check costs. The committee emphasized that staffing and signage logistics are difficult in very small shops and urged hosts to position serving stations toward the back of stores to reduce the chance that customers leave with open containers.

Motion and vote: Committee member Sikich made the motion to approve the temporary Class B license; the motion was seconded by Marshek (recorded in the packet as variant spellings). The committee approved the license by voice vote; the chair announced the motion passed unanimously.

The committee did not indicate the application will return for future events if organizers maintain compliance; staff confirmed no automatic requirement to return unless substantive changes occur.

Provisions noted by organizers — ID checks, wristbands, clear cups, signage at exits, buckets for disposal, licensed bartenders at serving points and serving toward the back of stores — will be part of event planning and enforcement going forward.