Greeley Tribune file photo
In this 2015 Tribune file photo, carnival-goers walk by the ferris wheel outside the Stampede Arena in Greeley. The Greeley Stampede has recently come under fire for flouting liquor laws, and faces a more formal event review process for this year’s event.
Greeley Independence Stampede Inc. has for years violated state liquor laws, according to authorities, potentially putting at risk the organization’s ability to serve alcohol at this year’s event.
The nonprofit organization puts on a more than week-long rodeo and entertainment event by the same name that has been running for nearly 100 years. Since at least 2006, the Stampede has apparently violated six state laws, regulations or municipal codes, according to the January 2018 summary a Greeley Police Department investigation that began in late 2017.
Greeley Stampede General Manager Justin Watada said the problems have been corrected and he does not think the organization will lose its ability to serve alcohol.
The Stampede applied for a special events permit Wednesday, and because of the violations, will face a more formal hearing process in mid-June with the city’s Liquor Licensing Authority.
The investigation began with a late-November tip from two nonprofits that had worked with the Stampede — The Greeley Stampede Riders and The Wranglers Inc. — alleging the Stampede bought alcohol at wholesale cost and sold the alcohol at an inflated price to nonprofit organizations that agreed to work concession booths featuring alcohol, according to the summary.
Read the full story at greeleytribune.com.
Source : Denver Post
