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A Community Guide to Best Practices for Festivals and Public Events in Appanoose County Appanoose County Collaboration Council Strategic Prevention Framework State Incentive Grant SPF SIG of Appanoose County is a collaboration of community members and business people whose goal is to see a reduction in underage alcohol consumption and adult binge drinking. The SPF SIG Project is funded by the Iowa Department of Public Health. The Purpose of this Booklet: Public festivals and events are an important part of the culture of Appanoose County. When ran effectively, they can be a place for kids to play and family and friends to gather and celebrate the heritage found within our community. However, when alcohol is a major part of the celebration, community events can be marred by alcohol-related violence, vandalism, traffic fatalities, injuries and problems associated with underage and binge drinking. The first question to be addressed is why is the public event/festival being held? Is it a party whose intent is to celebrate a community event or cultural event? Is the event serving as family entertainment? Is it a holiday celebration? Is it a sporting event that highlights physical achievements and teamwork of young people? Public events often unintentionally support and encourage alcohol use. With beer tents, signage and sponsorships, alcohol can easily overshadow the purpose of these events and become the main attraction. Youth are particularly at risk for involvement in alcohol related problems at public events. While most of our festivals in Appanoose County are designed as celebrations, there are serious issues underlying the production of festivals and events. Some of these issues are risk management, insurance, health, safety and licensing requirements. Although organizers may worry that placing any limits on alcohol will result in smaller crowds, a national survey of adults showed that over 80 percent of those who responded to the survey were in favor of alcohol restrictions at events. The intent of this publication is to help organizers ensure the safety of all those attending the event by instituting small policy changes and integrating some simple environmental strategies, helping to make “community” the main attraction for festivals and events again. The 20 Best Practices for Safety at Community Events The Alcohol Epidemiology Program at the University of Minnesota’s mission is to conduct advanced research in order to discover effective community interventions to reduce alcohol-related social and health problems. Through this research, they have identified the 20 best practices for safety at community events. They are as follows: Planning and set-up: Establish non-drinking areas for families and youth. Establish designated drinking areas where underage youth are not allowed; prohibit people from leaving these particular areas with alcoholic beverages. Limit alcohol sponsorship. Have alcohol-free days/nights. Establish enforcement procedures for all policies. Alcohol providers and sellers: Require alcohol license holder to have liability insurance (check your state laws for specific legal requirements on liability). Require responsible beverage service training for alcohol sellers and event coordinators. Require alcohol sellers to be at least 21 years old. Require a manager to be on duty at the alcohol booth at all times. Establish age identification checking procedures. Prohibit drinking by servers. Require signs indicating the illegality of providing alcohol to minors and obviously intoxicated persons. Security: Establish procedures for handling intoxicated drinkers. Require that security staff be adequately trained. Ban alcohol consumption in parking lots and monitor the lots. Food/Beverage: Limit cup size to 12 ounces. Use cups for alcohol beverages that are easily distinguishable from non-alcohol beverage cups. Limit number of servings per person per purchase to one or two at a time. Stop serving alcohol at least one hour before closing. Sell food and non-alcohol drinks and provide free water. The Rathbun Lake Area Chamber of Commerce is a group in Appanoose County that is able to host events, which are not only fun for the community as a whole, but also safe because they have implemented their own guidelines. Below are the Best Practices that they have identified: Policies: Everyone gets a wristband. Different colors for under 21 and over 21. Define the festival area. No alcohol beyond the fencing. Servers, ID checkers and ticket sellers should be over 21. No drinking while on duty for event workers. Sale of alcohol ends 30 minutes before the end of the event. Anyone intoxicated will not be served. Dedicated law enforcement for the event. No more than 2 tickets for alcohol beverages are sold at time. No glass bottles to the public. Pre-Event: Hire at least two law enforcement professionals who will be present during the entire event. More for events that exceed 1000 attendees. Make posters that designate where alcohol is prohibited. Determine the method for alcohol sales (i.e. drink tickets) Set hours for when alcohol will be served and when events will stop selling drink tickets and serving alcohol. Secure ticket sellers, id checkers and bartenders who are committed to following the law. Set up for event: Make sure fencing is secure. Post signs for drinking age and alcohol boundaries. Set out trash receptacles. Train workers regarding how to check ids. Make sure they have a flashlight if there is not adequate lighting. Make sure all workers understand the guidelines. During the event: Have an event manager who oversees all stations. Patrol for no wristband or someone with the wrong color wristband consuming alcohol. Watch the fencing for people trying to sneak in or for alcohol being passed over the fence. Be on alert for attendees that are intoxicated. Alert bartenders and ticket sellers if there is a problem. Communicate issues with law enforcement. Stick to the pre-determined hours for the event.