EASTON, MARYLAND — Talbot County's liquor board is requiring special Waterfowl Festival alcohol licenses to go through a full board appearance, and it has asked Easton license holders to keep patrons from carrying open drinks onto public streets.
On the Board of License Commissioners' applications page, any business, club or organization seeking a Special Festival Endorsement or a temporary Class H or J license for the Waterfowl Festival must appear before the board and give detailed plans to control patron entry and exit and keep drinks from leaving licensed premises. Administrative approvals are not available for those license types during the festival period. Applications had to be in at least 30 days before the festival, or by Oct. 9, 2026, to be considered before the event, the page says.
A July 24, 2026, letter from the board to Easton alcohol license holders says last year's festival drew more than 30,000 people and generated nearly $6 million in economic benefits for Easton, but the county's compliance officer, the alcoholic beverage inspector, members of the police department and other officials directly observed people drinking from open containers while walking on public streets and other public areas. The letter strongly encourages license holders to clearly mark and separate areas where alcohol is served, assign "gatekeepers" to monitor entrances and exits, and post signs saying open containers may not leave the premises. It says those steps are not entirely new and that some license holders already use them during busy periods.
"License holders and their staff play a critical role in preventing patrons from leaving licensed premises with alcoholic beverages in open containers," the letter says. It adds that compliance staff, the alcoholic beverage inspector and local law enforcement will actively monitor licensed locations.
The board's public page listed no hearing scheduled as of Friday morning; meetings are on the second and fourth Mondays when an agenda is posted.
Source: Talbot County Government
Also: Talbot County Government (2), Talbot County Government (3)
Drawn from public records; drafted with AI and edited by Peter Gorman before publication.
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