To beer or not to beer

BRONSON –The Levy County Humane Society wants to bring country star Chris Cagle to Bronson early next year as part of a fund-raiser for a planned multi-purpose facility.

While most folks at Monday night's Town Council meeting welcomed the idea with a big "yee haw," disagreement on details of the concert prevented the event to be set in stone.

Michelle Hagan of the Humane Society unveiled plans of the concert to council members. She asked permission to hold a country fest headlined by Cagle at the Bronson Community Park on Saturday, Feb. 25.

Hagan said the Humane Society wanted to hold the concert in Bronson, since that's where it wants to build its new home.

The event would be co-sponsored by popular radio station 93.7 K Country covering the north Florida airwaves.

There would be several supporting acts leading up to Cagle, a 38-year-old Louisiana native who has had four top 10 hits on the country sharts since 2000.

A packed Town Hall welcomed the idea.

"It's good for Bronson to have something like this,"said one woman.

But then came part two of Hagan's request that had Council balk.

Hagan asked for a special exemption for one day sales of beer. She said beer sales would make the fund-raiser much more successful.

A K Country spokesman said that with beer sales, attendance would be approximately 3,000. Without, that figure would be cut in half to 1,500.

Profits from beer sales alone can be staggering. Others were worried about people staggering.

A Bronson Youth League spokesman said the Community Park was for kids' sporting activities and no place to sell alcohol.

He was supported by a few others in the crowd.

On the other side, there were those who realized that beer sales were indeed needed to make it all go.

While Town Council saw no problem with the concert itself, members reserved judgement on whether or not beer sales will be allowed until the next meeting Dec. 3.

Liability was also an issue that Council members would look into.

Cagle has a new album "It's Good to Be Back" boasting the single "What Kinda Gone."