Rules allowing public drinking foster cooperation among Hanover businesses
By Marc Charisse, Ph.D.
Downtown Hanover is ready to party.
Folks poured forth from their homes with flags, bouquets of flowers and, of course, pretzels and beer.
That was the scene just minutes before the shooting started at Hanover, the first Civil War battle on free soil. So it seems only fitting that Hanoverians are still free to enjoy an adult beverage in the shadow of The Picket, the bronze horseman who still stands guard over the town’s Center Square.
For reasons still hazy in local history, Hanover has no law against public consumption of alcohol (though people still need a permit to drink in public parks).
It’s a legal idiosyncrasy the borough shares with a relative handful of communities, including, more famously, New Orleans.
The Snack Town Street Fair (formerly Dutch Days) may never rival Mardi Gras, thank goodness. But the local rules might well help brew community spirit in downtown Hanover.
Main Street Hanover’s executive director Moriah Tyler says there is a strong collaborative spirit downtown, and the rules that allow patrons to move from place to place with an alcoholic beverage in hand support the notion of cooperation rather than competition.
The borough has received complaints of drinking-related concerns in some neighborhoods. But littering, public intoxication and disturbing the peace are still against the law and can be dealt with when reported, borough officials say.
And downtown business owners say “open carry” stimulates an increasingly vibrant downtown scene.
That’s been true since COVID-19, when breweries started dispensing in plastic cups, giving patrons the opportunity to socially distance outside.
When he was getting ready to reopen Timeline Arcade a block from the square after the pandemic, owner Brandon Spencer had Hanover’s alcohol rules in mind. He allows adult beverages after 7 p.m., so customers can pick up a beer at a local brewery, then spend time at the arcade.
Barely a block away, Fat Bat Brewing Company has found creative ways to build community.
Owner Sandy Bialek said she spent two years on a business plan before opening the brewery after the pandemic. The alcohol rules were always part of that plan, but the family-friendly community spirit is about more than drinking. The always popular pub crawls, for example, feature business other than bars these days. Scavenger hunts offer prizes, in addition to being a great way to get to know downtown Hanover.
Fat Bat also hosts comedy nights downstairs and trivia nights with family-style potlucks. And the brewery opens its fermenting room to local artists and craftspeople at regular vendor events.
“Another way to build community,” Bialek explains.
It’s a similar story across the square at Aldus Brewing Company’s Dolphin and Anchor Pub.
Manager Noell Adcock says the brewery partners with the York Adams Film Club to show movies once a month.
And the Church of Satire, the comedy club around the corner, is BYOB, so the pub gives discounts to ticketholders who want to bring a brew to the show.
Like Bialek, Adcock speaks enthusiastically about a wide range of events—art walks, yoga, readers clubs at Little Fox bookstore right around the corner. All are part of breathing new life into Hanover’s cultural core.
Most of the regular customers are local. And they increasingly include the residents of the condos going up in downtown Hanover.
But Bialek says it’s always been a goal of hers to bring more people into town because it’s a sure way to grow the local economy. She says Hanover is seeing more out-of-towners, and she has regulars who come from Frederick, Maryland, once a month.
Going out to clubs has slowed down nationwide since COVID, Bialek observes, so it has to be about more than that. Indeed, studies suggest people prefer to socialize in more personal, less stressful environments these days.
That sounds like Hanover, where you can kick back, relax and enjoy a cold one right on Center Square. After all, that’s the law around here.
