America's Dry Cities "Just Say No" to Alcohol

It's still prohibition in parts of America. Hundreds of towns maintain so-called blue laws on their books that ban the sale and purchase of alcohol. While that doesn't hold drinkers back, it does give towns like Haddonfield in rural New Jersey a distinct local flavor.

Published

2 months ago

Categories

US, Lifestyle

Topics

United States, Travel & Tourism

People

Letitia Colombi

Places

United States of America, New Jersey

Transcript

SCRIPT : On main street in Haddonfield you'll find plenty of shops, but if you're looking for a drink, you're out of luck. Last call in this town was in 1897 at a tavern that's now a museum. SOUNDBITE 1 Garry Wheeler Stone (man) New Jersey State Parks guide (English, 12 sec) : "When the whole town went dry, this place became a boarding house and they tried to keep income coming in by building an ice-cream factory and selling ice cream from this room." Liquor sales have been legal in the US since the end of prohibition in 1933 -- except in a few hundred municipalities that are still just saying no. Long-time resident Bill Reynolds remembers the last time the city decided to renew the alcohol ban in the 1970s. SOUNDBITE 2 Bill Reynolds (man) Haddonfield resident(English, 12 sec) : "We had a referendum and the people decided that they did not want to have liquor in town. Now that was almost forty years and it's probably time for a new referendum." The idea of scrapping the ban has come up before, but Mayor Letitia Colombi doesn't think it'll happen anytime soon. SOUNDBITE 3 Letitia Colombi (woman) Mayor of Haddonfield (English, 15 sec) : "I think people that live here prefer our town the way it is. I think they don't want a restaurant that's like a bar. // So I think we feel the absence of that maybe helps us a little bit in protecting our children." But not everyone shares her enthusiasm. Most restaurants here let patrons bring their own wine, but for Mike, byob doesn't cut it. SOUNDBITE 4 Mike DeRago (man) Owner, Nero's Cigar Shop (English, 9 sec) : "I want to go to a restaurant where there is a bar. If I want a Martini, if I want a beer, a scotch, you know what I mean?" Unlike Haddonfield's early residents, all Mike has to do is hop in his car. A few miles out of town there are plenty of places to belly-up. SHOTLIST: HADDONFIELD, NEW JERSEY, FEBRUARY 27, 2013 SOURCE: AFPTV - WS main street Haddonfield - WS shops on main street - tilt over exterior former tavern - following shot of guide walking in museum - SOUNDBITE 1 Garry Wheeler Stone (man) New Jersey State Parks guide - tilt down shelves with old glassware and mugs - MS barrels in museum - WS exterior museum sign - tilt set-up shot of Bill Reynolds - MS Bill Reynols takign with another man - CU coffee cup COVER SHOT FOR BEGINNING OF SOUNDBITE 2 - SOUNDBITE 2 Bill Reynolds (man) Haddonfield resident - set-up shot of Letitia Colombi - WS mayor sitting at desk - CU Letitia Colombi's hands COVER SHOT FOR SOUNDBITE 3 - SOUNDBITE 3 Letitia Colombi (woman) Mayor of Haddonfield - MS man sitting in leather chair smoking - CU Mike DeRago smoking - WS men smoking cigars - CU hand holding cigar - SOUNDBITE 4 Mike DeRago (man) Owner, Nero's Cigar Shop - MS Mike DeRago - MS from car driving down road - WS exterior liquor store //