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Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Booze / Film / Olympia Another Bill Passing Through Olympia's Innards Right Now

Posted by Brendan Kiley on Tue, Jan 31, 2012 at 2:20 PM

Like many of my fellow Americans, one of my memorable wha? moments when I was a young naif, first traveling in other countries, was the realization that grown-ups in pretty much every other place in the world were allowed to drink in movie theaters.

Rep. Jim Moeller looks like my kind of politician.

Rep. Jim Moeller looks like my kind of politician.

You went to the concession stand to get your popcorn (or whatever weird snacks were popular in whatever country you happened to be in), your soda, your coffee... and your booze: beer, wine, small jars of Slovak liquor that tasted like gasoline to sip-'n'-grimace through a showing of As Good As It Gets during which almost nobody in the cavernous Soviet-era theater watched but just talked through. Whatever you wanted.

Now Washingtonians have the chance to live the dream. A new bill, sponsored by Rep. Jim Moeller and Sen. Craig Pridemore (both D, from the Vancouver area), will allow a "theater" (defined in the Senate bill report as "an establishment in which feature motion pictures are regularly exhibited") to get beer and wine licenses so you can drink while watching a movie.

Why would two guys from Vancouver sponsor this kind of bill? The Colombian newspaper has the big scoop.

Kiggins Theatre owner Bill Leigh has poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into fixing up and reopening the downtown Vancouver landmark. He hopes a new bill proposed by a Southwest Washington lawmaker will help him attract more patrons by allowing him to serve alcohol in the theater’s auditorium.

That's democracy, people, working for you. I imagine Seattle voters would like this bill to pass as well—what's good for the movie-watchers of Vancouver is good for the movie-watchers of Seattle!

Comments (11) RSS

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In the auditorium is one thing; being able to waltz into the theater with it is another.

Posted by schmacky on January 31, 2012 at 2:31 PM

I'm always happy when our legislature treats us like adults. It happens so rarely.

Posted by Vince on January 31, 2012 at 2:37 PM

So how is this different than Cinnebarre? At Cinnebarre, it's a movie theater but somehow considered a bar since you have to show ID when you buy your ticket. 21 and over only.
Are they going to make it possible to serve alcohol without turning the entire establishment into a 21 and over joint?

Posted by SPG on January 31, 2012 at 2:43 PM

WILL THIS ALLOW THE EAGLE TO BACKDOOR THEIR WAY IN TO PLAYING PORN AGAIN?

Posted by Graham on January 31, 2012 at 2:49 PM

If there are two things my movie theater experience has been missing, it's the opportunity to purchase $9 plastic bottles of Budweiser at the concessions stand, and the chance to watch a movie in the company of strangers experiencing dramatically lowered social inhibitions.

Posted by Proteus on January 31, 2012 at 2:54 PM

I'd much rather see a theater that isn't in the serving-you-a-full-meal business model that offers *good* concessions. Anything other than (or at least in addition to) warmed-over popcorn, gallon cups of sugar water, and huge boxes of maybe ten varieties of candy. I'll happily patronize movie theaters that offer cookies, good chocolate, high-quality sodas like Fentiman's or Henry Weinhard's. I'll even settle for a bag of chips and a Hansen's.

Northwest Film Forum and SIFF kind of try to provide that, but their selection is still lacking.

Posted by keshmeshi on January 31, 2012 at 3:14 PM

Brendan, is your kind of politician a Kosher Deli counterperson?

Posted by neo-realist on January 31, 2012 at 3:16 PM

Utah has this and it is popular. Brewviews.com

Posted by gwhayduke on January 31, 2012 at 3:18 PM

Why just beer and wine? A jack & coke is just as boozey as a beer.

Posted by SchmuckyTheCat on January 31, 2012 at 4:02 PM

My god! I used to work a the KIggins Theater taking people's booze away from them! My how times have changed...

Posted by k.wren on January 31, 2012 at 6:46 PM

Read: "Across the river, McMenimen's has a thriving business doing the exact same thing, and Vancouver wants to compete".

Let's hope -pray!- that next they tackle Washington's stupid strip club laws.

Posted by Lose-Lose on February 7, 2012 at 4:29 PM