Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Kennett’s status as a beer town doesn’t bother the mayor
KENNETT SQUARE >> Mayor Matt Fetick doesn’t mind at all if people refer to Kennett Square as a beer town.
In the past couple of years, council handcrafted an ordinance permitting craft brew operations, which paved the way for Victory Brewing, and Kennett Brewing Co. A new pop up European-style beer garden got approval to begin operations on Birch Street this summer. And at the New Year’s Mushroom Drop a few months ago, officials gave the approval for beer to be offered for the first time.
And then there’s the Brewfest, where tickets sell for up to $75, Winterfest, the Mushroom Festival, a Victory Brewing Co. Street Party, Cinco
de Mayo and even the Kennett Run, where brew flows freely for anyone over age 21 after the race. Brewfest and Winterfest attract thousands of people, and those events are typically always sold out. Beer stations were even set up for last year’s Music in the Park, a music series at Anson B. Nixon Park featuring local talent that has become extremely popular.
“We get a lot of criticism that there is too much beer in town,” Fetick told members of the Longwood Rotary
Club. “But here’s the thing — we make no arrests. Zero. We have not made an arrest at the Brewfest in the past seven years.”
Kennett Square’s Ethan Cramer, who lost a relative to a drunk driver, often offers commentary about the perils of drinking events before he votes. Earlier this month, he voted to approve the Kennett BrewFest Oct. 1, after gaining assurances the event would be well policed and a designated driver program would be offered.
But the BrewFest is Historic Kennett Square’s major fundraiser, and it raises tens of thousands of dollars
from the single event. Historic Kennett Square helps to promote the town, and stages other events to attract people to Kennett Square, a town that’s home to just over 6,000 people. Council members are quick to point out that Historic Kennett Square is one of the main reasons vacant storefronts are virtually non-existent.
“This is not collegetown drinking,” said Fetick, a former West Chester police officer for nearly 10 years. “There is responsible drinking (at the festivals and events). Quite honestly, I don’t care if we become known as a small town brewery and as a destination
for people to come and drink beer. As long as it is done responsibly, I am in support of it.”
The many festivals and beer events cost borough taxpayers nothing. The police and public works department are reimbursed by festival organizers.
“We haven’t had to add one police officer -- not one -- and not one dollar spent because of any (beer) event,” Fetick said. “As a former West Chester police officer, working in that town with 27 liquor licenses just in the Central Business District, I know what drinking and carrying on is, and we don’t have that problem.”