CANADIAN COUNTY, Okla. (KFOR) – There’s a new push to dump a nearly 40-year-old liquor law down the drain in one of Oklahoma’s fastest-growing counties.
“We were a different county than we were back in 1985,” said David Anderson, County Comissoner of District 2.
“Sundays have always been kind of a lose-lose,” said Roger Smith, a local restaurant owner.
Right now, restaurant owners say Sundays are tough in Canadian County.
In 1984, a law passed giving counties the ability to make the area wet or dry. A year later, voters made their decision.
“Language was included in the ballot that restricted the sale of alcohol on Sundays between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.,” said Anderson.
Roger Smith owns The Lokal restaurants in Yukon and Mustang. He said Sundays are slow, even slower than Mondays.
He said when customers hear they can’t serve alcohol until 2 p.m., they’re out the door.
“There’s people in this community that want to get up on Sunday morning and go have a Bloody Mary or a mimosa and they are leaving to go to Oklahoma City to do that,” said Smith. “Literally, what? Seven or eight miles down the road?”
In 2020, Smith and another restaurant owner started a petition to change the law.
“Then COVID happened and everything changed. And basically everyone’s priorities changed,” said Smith.
Advocates told county commissioners the Sunday ban is a financial hindrance.
County commissioners have the power to put the question on the ballot. It’s looking like that will most likely happen in March 2024.
📧 Have fresh headlines sent to your inbox! Subscribe to KFOR’s Morning Headline Newsletter →
Now, advocates have petitions out for residents to answer, that’ll give commissioners a feel for how they’d vote.
“I haven’t heard from anyone that’s against us having an election,” said Anderson.
The commissioner said if another need for an election comes up, between now and March 2024, they could add this question to that ballot.