Ephraim Village To End Ban On Alcohol Sales After 163 Years

At last, after 163 years, voters in Ephraim village in Door County, Wis., have decided to end the ban on the sales of alcohol, which had made the village the final, dry municipality.

With 300 residents, Ephraim was dry since 1853. It had been founded by Norwegian Moravians due to religious reasons. Some efforts were made to counter it in 1934 and 1992, but the village's zoning code ordinance made it illegal to sell, manufacture or distribute alcohol or fermented malt beverages.

A couple of referendums  on Tuesday's ballot made the sale of beer a class B license. Another class C license would allow businesses to sell wide.

The villagers passed both the referendums, with many arguing that alcohol would improve tourist trade. However, many opponents said it would spoil Ephraim's quaintness as well as its history.

A group of business owners had banded together in January to pass these referendums. They submitted a couple of petitions, asking to place referendum questions that dealt with the sale of alcohol on the ballot.

The bill has to be signed by Gov. Scott Walker but is being held till after the elections.

The business owners behind the petitions, Hugh Mulliken and Fred Bridenhagen, have claimed to be happy with both referendums. At last, people will be able to drink with dinner, which had not happened so far.

However, many have reservations about the statute. The leaders will hold a village-wide seminar that will invite the Wisconsin Department of Revenue's Alcohol and Tobacco division to explain more about it.

"It is an end of an era," Ephraim Village President Michael McCutcheon said. "I will say the margins of the victory for both of the referendums, I think, were quite large."