Board approves New Year’s‑Eve permit extensions for six establishments with conditions

The St. Mary's County Alcohol Beverage Board approved New Year’s‑Eve permit requests for six establishments at its Dec. 14 meeting, allowing them to remain open later into Jan. 1 under conditions. The permits extend allowed operating hours from a 2 a.m. closing to 6 a.m. on Jan. 1, provided prepar ed food is offered free of charge and no carryout alcohol is permitted.

The establishments included in the blanket approval were Bramley Inn, Butler's Place, Elk's Lodge No. 2092, Lexington Restaurant and Lounge, O'Ci Pub (listed as 'OCI Pub' in meeting materials), Pizza King and Sea Breeze. Tammy Hildebrand, board administrator, said the health department had approved prepared‑food offerings for these events.

Board members noted the permit deadline and that late applications could not be considered after the meeting. The board approved the group of applications as a blanket action; no written protests had been reported in advance and staff said they had received no protests by the application deadline.

Ending: The board instructed licensees to provide prepared food free of charge during the extended hours and emphasized the no‑carryout condition attached to the permits.