Spark It Up!!!: Blue Law Still Rules in Wise, Virginia

What can say...It's Wise By God Virginia!

Wise: No alcohol sales on Sunday

WISE — The bar at Reno’s Roadhouse is quiet on Sundays, and glasses in the restaurant hold nothing but water, tea or soda.
That’s because the town of Wise prohibits the sale of alcohol on Sundays, both on-premises and off-premises.
And for now, that’s how things will stay — in a 3-2 vote Tuesday night, Wise Town Council opted not to change its rules.
Meanwhile, up the road in the city of Norton, ordinances that made Sunday alcohol sales illegal were lifted in 2005. And that’s precisely where customers are taking their alcohol-related business on Sundays, according to Reno’s owner Terry Fitzer and Senior General Manager Frank Meredith.
The trouble is, they’re taking their food dollars with them, Fitzer pointed out in a Jan. 15 letter to Wise council. And that means the town is losing tax revenue, Fitzer noted.
Reno’s sees a drop in revenue on Sundays, according to Fitzer. He also claimed that the restaurant, which currently employs about 40 people, would have to hire new employees if Sunday sales were allowed.

I will never understand Wise giving up those needed tax dollars. I mean UVA-Wise students surely need food and spirits on Sunday? the taxes collected of them alone would be a nice chunk of change. Not to mention a few jobs. Those voting against changing this blue law...

Council members who voted against the proposed ordinance change — Erra Sutherland, Teresa Adkins and Mayor Caynor Smith — didn’t go into great detail about why they opposed it.
Sutherland said she had concerns with the notion of selling alcohol until 2 a.m. on Sunday morning. “I’m not really against Sunday afternoons, but not 2 a.m. — I think that’s too late to be selling alcohol. And I think the more people drink, the more accidents there are.”

"You'll shoot your eye out kid" is what comes to mind....Ok, never mind. How many restaurants and grills has this law cost the town of Wise? I am pretty conservative but it's not like the law hinders peoples ability to get food and booze on Sunday because two minutes down the road in Norton they are serving it up and taxing the heck out of it.