Some Unhappy with a Beer-less Mercado

Some parade- and Mercado-goers were disappointed at the lack of suds this year, with some even vowing not to return in 2014.

In years' past, beer has flown from the beer garden set up at the Mercado, the merchant fair that follows the Swallows Day Parade. In addition, beer trucks would set up outside local bars and eateries to keep up with the demand.

This year, however, the Orange County Sheriff's Department asked the Fiesta Association, the event's organizer, to restrict the hours of beer and wine sales to the point that members decided it just wasn't worth it. And no more beer trucks outside, either.

Fiesta members reasoned the ban could create a more family-friendly environment.

The first brew-free Mercado was born ... which caught some celebrants of the famous swallows' return off guard.

“I object!” said Diane Alajoki in response to the Mercado’s new protocol. “I had no idea before coming that there was no longer going to be a beer garden. Knowing that, I probably won’t be coming back.”  

Alajoki has been attending the Swallows Day Parade for 35 years. 

“There has never been restriction like this,” said Alajoki.  

Her daughter, Parry Huling, has been coming to the parade since she was small and said that the atmosphere at the Mercado Saturday was not as festive as it used to be. 

The prohibition kept alcohol consumption confined to inside the bars and restaurants.  

Edgar Jimenez, a former U.s. Marine, said he comes out to interact with the active servicemen and have a beer, but relegating alcohol to the bars has changed that this year. 

“If you want to curb it, confine it to the Swallow's [Inn] parking lot,” Jimenez said. “We don’t want to be sitting inside drinking on a nice day. We want to be out and talking to people.”

Jimenez and friends, Christie Kinsey and Deena Danson, seconded others' concerns and said they also would not be attending next year’s parade. 

On the flip side, the wait to get inside the Swallow's Inn along the parade route experienced longer than usual wait times. 

The bar’s line wound from the back and across the Mission Promenade parking lot.

"Last year I had to wait an hour and a half to get in,” said Alajoki. “I can’t imagine this year.”

Jimenez and friends were among many who stood in line at the Swallow's Inn to get drinks they would normally buy from the Mercado vendors. 

The ban didn't catch up with every vendor. Tito’s Vodka handed out beer sleeves despite the absence of alcohol at this year’s festivities. 

Despite the boom at the Swallow's Inn, other local bars did not experience a rise in customers coming to buy alcohol.

Lauro Zarate from Vito's was working during the events.

"Of course there were a lot of people.. It's our big event of the year. But nothing different from last year," she said. 

Thai Juan On’s management reported that they experienced a decrease in customers from last year, despite their location on the Del Obispo Street parade route. 

Ella Rivera, who works at The Vintage, said, "About same amount of alcohol served as last year at the restaurant. People didn't take the alcohol out on the sidewalks but it was still being served on our patio." 

She said that people she could see were out walking around with cans of Coors. There was public drunkenness and rowdiness, but not inside. 

But Brian Quigley, a 911 dispatcher for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, said that rowdiness has been drastically reduced this year opposed from last year.

His word came from the sheriff command centers on the event site. 

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