Illinois River lately out near Tahlequah??? It had been 15 years since I had been on a canoe out there. 15 years ago we did a 50 miler over 5 days. This last time we did 27 miles over two days.
Lots of drunk rednecks!!! The good ole days!!! WOO HOO!! I fit right in with the rednecks! :)
You might have to drop the drunk part.:mad:
Illinois River: Floating A Plan: Beer ban talk roils the waters
By ROD WALTON World Staff Writer
7/9/2006
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TAHLEQUAH -- Bill Blackard does not believe that banning beer on the Illinois River will be the torpedo that sinks the multimillion-dollar canoe business along this scenic waterway.
In fact, Blackard pointed out, he operated an outfitter camp for 18 years and did not sell beer for most of that time. He survived just fine.
"It improved it," said Blackard, who is now chairman of the Oklahoma Scenic Rivers Commission. "People say they don't come down to the river because of all the stuff going on."
That stuff -- including scores of alcohol-related accidents, fights and arrests over the years -- has sparked talk of prohibiting booze on the Illinois and in public-access areas. The Scenic Rivers Commission voted last month to begin looking at a potential ban.
First, though, commissioners want to hear from the people -- from customers to canoe operators. Many of the latter certainly don't agree with Blackard.
Kevin Kelley, owner of Diamondhead Resort, has even circulated a petition trying to stop the Scenic Rivers Commission from ever approving the beer ban. Kelley did not return phone calls from the Tulsa World, but another operator, L. D. Stephens, said he would not favor an outright ban.
Stephens, who has
owned War Eagle Camp for three decades, would like to see a compromise.
"Like one ice chest per vessel," he offered. "You're going to hurt it (business) a great deal" by not allowing beer on the waterway.
At the same time, Stephens admitted, "I also think if you bring your family down here to float the river you should not be bothered by an intoxicated person."
The call for an Illinois beer ban spilled over, so to speak, after a particularly rowdy Memorial Day weekend on the river. Rangers issued 144 citations over the holiday and arrested dozens of people.
One man suffered severe damage to his eye during a fight, while another man was killed in an alcohol-related automobile accident near the river, according to reports.
About 100 citations were issued over the recent Independence Day weekend.
Scenic Rivers Commission Administrator Ed Fite is seeking public input about the proposed ban. A subcommittee also is waiting on a state Attorney General's Office opinion about whether the Scenic Rivers Commission even has the power to enforce such a prohibition.
In the meantime, Fite noted, he is already getting plenty of feedback. E-mails so far have been about 50-50.
"It's split right down the middle," Fite said. "I'm not going to get into the fray on this, but I'm definitely interested in hearing from the public."
Any ban, if ever approved, would not take effect until next year, he predicted. Public hearings might include audiences in Tahlequah, Tulsa and Oklahoma City.
And, while Fite declined to take sides, he pointed out what he thinks is one irrefutable fact about beer on the Illinois River.
"Alcohol and water don't mix," Fite said. "The lion's share of accidents on the river and lakes are alcohol-related."
Nearby convenience stores do thousands of dollars in business selling beer to river patrons on any given weekend, authorities said. Some canoe operators also sell it on their premises.
Cheryl Beaman, whose family has owned Falcon Floats since 1992, said her operation does not sell beer. Even so, she has another compromise in mind.
The river business is divided into three sections, with Falcon Floats on the end stretch, she noted. Allow river floaters to have beer in some zones, but prohibit it in other areas for families and church groups.
"I would like them to consider other options besides a total ban on alcohol on the river," Beaman said. "If we don't have the manpower to enforce the laws there now, why create more laws?"
Fite agreed that his commission could gain more control over rowdies if the state appropriated more money for more rangers. Yet he also has heard from other canoe operators who would support a ban but would like a little advance warning.
"If we do a ban, they'd like us to give them six to nine months' advance notice so they could change up their marketing," Fite said. "They actually would favor it."
Talk of a beer ban is nothing new on this popular stretch of water. This time, though, the talk has made it to an official stage.
OSRC commissioners voted 7-0 to consider a ban. Blackard, who made the original request, believes he might have the support to make it happen this time.
"I haven't got the Southern Baptist Convention behind it yet, so maybe I need to write a letter," he joked.
Seriously, though, he and other nearby stakeholders have grown tired of what Blackard has called the "Illinois River Mardi Gras."
"When you go down you may see people exposing themselves, using the bathroom on beaches and cursing landowners out," he said. "One e-mail said, 'We used to bring our kids down; now we don't do it anymore.' "
In his opinion, the party doesn't have to end on the Illinois River when the beer runs out. If you ban it, he noted, more people will come.
"It won't hurt a thing," Blackard said. "It won't hurt business at all."
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Rod Walton 581-8457
[email protected]