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Serving Alcohol At The Movies Shouldn’t Be An Issue In Lakewood

Judging from the comments on our Facebook page and on a recent article in The Post-Journal, there are many people who are uneasy with the idea of a movie theater selling alcoholic beverages.

The concerns seem overblown.

No one — including Cinema 8’s owners — want to see the theater become a bar room. Michael Clement, Dipson Theatres president, told members of the public and the Lakewood Village Board recently that the theater company plans to enforce strict regulations to keep the theater environment respectable for movie-goers. Patrons will be served alcoholic beverages in clear, plastic containers in order for those concessions to be differentiated from normal drinks. Regardless of age, everyone must show identification before they can purchase alcohol at the cinema. Patrons will be limited to one alcoholic beverage at a time and two drinks maximum per movie. Cinema employees will be able to record how many drinks a patron has in a day since ID will be scanned with every purchase and there will be theater checks to prevent patrons from sharing alcohol with those who are under the age of 21. Theater officials seem committed to do their part to make sure the movie-going experience is a good one.

Consider the Reg Lenna Center for the Arts, which has sold alcohol at shows for years with nary a problem. Had there been a series of issues at the Reg Lenna Center for the Arts, given the money that has been spent over the years restoring the historic theatre, the board would have stopped the practice ages ago.

Chances are, cell phones and people talking indiscriminately throughout a movie will continue to be the biggest nuisance we see at the theatres, not alcohol.

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