However, a resolution adding Halloween day to a list of days liquor sales are banned on South Illinois Avenue during the Halloween break was dropped from the agenda.

The City Council approved the Fair Days request by the Carbondale Park District to allow the consumption, but not the sale of, alcohol during the Sunset concerts. Two citizens opposed the Park District’s request.

Rev. Jeff Scott, from the University Baptist Church, said he opposes alcohol being allowed at the concerts and fears the image it gives Carbondale children.

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What began as a family picnic is now a cooler-lugging, 12-pack-toting, public-sponsored beer bash, he said. At the summer night concerts small children see beer drinking and are exposed to more drinking in the park than in a bar, where they are not allowed to go.

Scott said the Carbondale Police cannot check every drinker’s identification card for age or check every teenager’s container for alcohol, so underage drinking is prevalent.

He said the alcohol will only lead to more trouble, including criminal activity. All it takes is one drunken driver or one tanked up pedophile to bring a tragedy to this city we will never forget, Scott said.

Several council members said they disagreed with Scott.

I attended the concerts for years and do not see the activity described in the papers, Councilwoman Maggie Flanagan said. My daughter (who attended the concerts) is healthy. She is not adversely affected.

Mayor Neil Dillard said he appreciated the concern of citizens and said he said he hopes responsible activity will prevail.

I believe if inappropriate behavior prevails, then we will hear this again, he said. I believe the Park District will take extra caution to see that last year’s activities do not occur again.

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One of the plans of the Park District is to move the more popular concerts to the steps of Shryock Auditorium to avoid parking problems at Turley Park, east of the Murdale Shopping Center, Dillard said.

Despite these steps, Councilman John Yow voted against the action.

This is the 10th time I have voted against this (alcohol consumption at public events) because I believe it will send a mixed message to our children, Yow said.

City Manager Jeff Doherty said the council removed a resolution from the agenda calling for the extension of control over business hours on the Strip during the Halloween break. The control would include a ban on all alcohol sales on the Strip Oct. 31 which was not covered in the first regulation which took effect last fall.

Some people expressed concern that they were not aware of the item on the agenda and wished to address it, Doherty said. We rescheduled it for Tuesday, Feb. 20 to take more time for us and others to prepare.