By: Ashley Harding
aharding@klkntv.com
Lincoln did it two years ago, now bars in Beatrice will soon be able to stay open an extra hour.
They voted Monday to extend hours from 1am 2 am in Beatrice. City officials tell us this was a long time in the making. Some bar owners say it could boost sales and clientele.
With the weekend just right around the corner, it's preparation time for employees at Kabo Bar in Beatrice. Even though closing hours are set for one o'clock this weekend, employees are looking forward to a change, a change which means one more hour to sell drinks. For the bar owners, this could come in handy.
"Nowadays all these bands come in from out of town. They come to town. They've had the 2 a.m. for quite a while. They bring their fans, their following. And at 1:00 when we're trying to shut everybody down, they're just really getting started," Co-Owner Jeff Shew said.
But this change was a matter of long debate. This issue came before the City Council two years ago, but at that time, the council voted it down. Councilman Dwight Parde was against it then as he is now. He says there are already enough hours to serve alcohol.
"During our conversation two years ago, we had a lot longer of a debate on this. Some of the employees didn't necessarily want them to be open till 2 o'clock either," Parde said.
But for some of the bar owners this could be a chance to boost sales. Jeff Shew says it's a nice option to be able to stay open a little late. And he's looking forward to seeing how it goes.
"I'm glad that we have the chance to try it. Hopefully it works out good for everybody," Shew said.
The change is scheduled to take effect September fourth.
