Beer will be on tap at Pioneer Park for Greeneville Reds (Rookie; Appalachian League) games this season, as officials have approved on-premises beer sales.
On Monday, the Tusculum Beer Board approved an application from Boyd Sports, which will manage the Reds. The team is planning its first campaign at Pioneer Park after taking the place of the Greeneville Astros, and the approval of beer sales provides more certainty to its food and beverage offerings for the coming season.
There will be some changes from past seasons at Pioneer Park. For example, a tiki hut that had become a fixture under the Astros will be removed, with Boyd Sports putting some distance between beer service areas and a designated family section. More from The Greeneville Sun:
“It’s become more of a gathering place” in recent years than a place to buy beer, police Chief Danny Greene said.
The beer concession was near the family seating section, the source of some complaints from fans. Selling beer at two concession stands and from a mobile cart should ensure fans make a purchase and then return to their seats to watch the game, [Mayor Alan] Corley said.
The agreed-upon beer permit contains a number of stipulations agreed upon after Corley, Greene and [Reds General Manager Brian] Cox met recently.
Beer can be sold and consumed only during Reds baseball games and other approved events, although Cox said there are no planned events currently in the works.
The Reds were officially announced in late January as taking the place of the Astros at Pioneer Park. The ballpark has hosted Appalachian League action, beginning with the Astros, since its opening in 2004.
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