This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

Keep Chilmark BYOB, Selectmen Told

"Chilmarkers show little appetite for beer and wine sales," writes Tony Omer in the Martha's Vineyard Times. The owners of the Home Port and Beach Plum Inn restaurants had asked the town to consider taking steps to allow alcohol service.


When President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama had dinner at the widely-acclaimed Beach Plum Inn & Restaurant in Menemsha earlier this month, they weren't offered a wine list.

That's because Chilmark, of which Menemsha is a part, is a "dry" town where alcohol is neither served nor sold, though restaurant patrons may bring their own alcoholic beverages to enjoy with their meals.

And it looks as though that's not going to change: According to a report in the Martha's Vineyard Times, headlined "Chilmarkers show little appetite for beer and wine sales," a recent hearing before town selectmen revealed little support among Chilmark residents for the notion of beer and wine service at restaurants.

The Beach Plum Inn's owners had asked selectmen to consider beginning the legislative process that would allow town residents to vote on issuing liquor licenses to Chilmark restaurants.

But, writes Times reporter Tony Omer, "an overwhelming majority of the standing room only crowd" at Tuesday's hearing — including rival restaurateurs — were opposed to the idea.

Read more:

Are you pleased that Chilmark apparently will remain dry? Or do you wish there could be beer and wine service at restaurants there? Tell us in the comments.


We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

More from Martha's Vineyard