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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Idaho tailgaters imbibe ‘apple juice’ under new alcohol restrictions

MOSCOW, Idaho – Thursday’s gathering at the University of Idaho had all the trappings of a pre-game tailgating party. Barbecue smoke wafted through the air. The marching band rallied Vandal fans young and old. Many drank casually from unmarked plastic cups.

But some declined to say what was in those cups. Booze, perhaps?

“No,” said one man. “Apple juice.”

Tailgaters were gearing up for the Vandals’ first home football game since state officials tightened alcohol restrictions in June. The state Board of Education reasserted a policy banning alcohol sales nearly everywhere on state college campuses, and said tailgaters can’t bring in their own.

But that didn’t seem to faze Thursday’s crowd outside the Kibbie Dome. Tailgaters spoke nonchalantly about their coolers of beer and boxes of wine. Some said they didn’t anticipate any crackdowns by police.

“It just seems like a dumb rule, especially in Idaho,” said Colton Thrasher, a 20-year-old offensive lineman for UI. “Alcohol is a big part of tailgating for older people. I think people will probably just put it in cups instead of drinking it out of cans.”

Attitudes about the ban ranged from indifferent to annoyed.

“I don’t even drink, and I think it’s ridiculous,” said Ellen Boatman, whose son Alex Boatman plays for the team. “The state Board of Education is overreaching their bounds.”

Ellen Boatman also said the new rule is frustrating because tailgaters pay a premium for tickets and RV parking. She said the right to drink alcohol should come with the package.

“Typically, we’d have our tent set up out here, with a full bar set up,” said Ken Lynn, a Post Falls dentist who has tailgated at UI for 25 years. “Now we’ll make our cocktails in the RV and put them in cups.”

Boatman, like a half-dozen other longtime tailgaters, said she has never seen serious problems related to alcohol at UI’s pre-game parties. Some said it’s common to see a few tailgaters who have had too much to drink, but most imbibe responsibly.

Likewise, UI spokeswoman Jodi Walker said booze never raised any serious concerns. To circumvent long-standing alcohol restrictions, the university had been designating parking lots outside the Kibbie Dome as private property on game days – a practice the Board of Education rejected in June.

Before the vote, Boise State University officials argued the ban would effectively shut down its restaurant-style family area known as The Huddle. At UI, alcohol sales now are restricted to the Litehouse Center/Bud and June Ford Club Room and a corporate sponsorship event tent outside the Kibbie Dome, areas accessible by invitation only.

Board members have defended their decision as a way to make tailgating parties more family-friendly.

Moscow police Chief James Fry said Thursday evening that officers “have not seen one alcoholic beverage” at the tailgating party. “So people are either complying or they’re being really sneaky.”

Fry said police don’t have the right to search vehicles, and they likely won’t cite tailgaters for alcohol unless they misbehave in a significant way.

“We can’t enforce anything we can’t see,” he said. “As long as people aren’t getting really intoxicated and causing problems, we’re going to continue doing what we’re doing … which is educating people and monitoring the situation.”

Meanwhile, eight miles away at Washington State University, officials are seeking a permit to serve alcohol in Martin Stadium.

WSU President Kirk Schulz told the Lewiston Tribune the sales would “enhance the experience” for fans and chip away at an athletic department revenue shortfall that has totaled about $13 million the past two years.

The state Liquor and Cannabis Board is expected to vote on WSU’s proposal in mid-September. Existing rules allow alcohol sales inside the stadium to fans in club seats and suites only. Alcohol can be purchased and consumed outside the stadium in the Hollingbery Fieldhouse before the game and in the “Cougville” area at Rogers Field before the game and at halftime.

WSU’s first home game against Eastern Washington University is Saturday.

Echoing other UI tailgaters, Mike Bull said the alcohol ban is “not a big deal.”

“But we’re going to buy beer when we go to the WSU game – inside the stadium.”