Uptown Bars Prepare for Busy Weekend

It is Mom’s weekend at Ohio University and bar owners are preparing for the two busiest university-sponsored days of the year.Chief Tom Pyle reassures that Mom’s weekend is not a huge deal for city preparation. “It is nothing extraordinary for us. We are going to have regular staffing just like every other weekend.”But for Court St. and Union St. bar owners and managers, this weekend is one of the more bustling events—compared to Dad’s weekend and Parent’s weekend.With this year’s festivities scheduled a month earlier, the week is even more hectic than usual. “For the past six years we have put flower boxes up around the patio walls for Mom’s weekend, but its just too early in the year to be putting out flower boxes,” David Halupka, facilities manager of Jackie O’s Pub and Brewery said.Local watering holes like Jackie O’s and Broney’s Alumni Grill are stacking their bars with extra liquor and beer for the weekend, also making sure that they are fully staffed and ready to handle the floor.“You cannot really prepare for Mom’s weekend. You never really know how it is going to turn out,” Ryan Maloney, bar manager of Broney’s, said.Athens Police Department may not be cracking down on the bars this weekend, however the owners are maintaining their compliance with the law.According to the Liquor Control Law of Ohio, underage students are only allowed to buy alcohol if the, “underage person is supervised by a parent, spouse who is not an underage person, or legal guardian.”The bars will have bouncers manning the doors, checking identification. “It is a serious matter, not just socially, but legally and economically for us,” Halupka said.The weekend is scheduled from start to finish with events and activities through the university. All students are encouraged to have their mothers come up and spend the weekend here at OU.“We are well rewarded for our efforts with their business and enthusiasm,” Halupka said.