Brewfest moves to Whitefish after Kalispell council denies permit

The Kalispell City Council on Monday denied a request by local groups to host a benefit brewfest at Woodland Park that had been scheduled for Friday. 

The council unanimously denied the request from the Flathead Valley Hockey Association for a special event alcohol permit to host the organization’s Craft Brewers Festival and Hockey Tournament on Friday and Saturday at Woodland Park. The event, previously held in late January, was rescheduled to accommodate a different hockey event around the same time, but a city ordinance restricts alcohol consumption between Dec. 21 and March 21 at the Woodland ice rink.

Event organizer Nici Zuffelato said since Kalispell denied the application, the hockey association has successfully transferred the tournament and brewfest to the Stumptown Ice Den in Whitefish.

Armed with a precedent and a recommendation from the city planning board to deny the application, City Council member Phil Guiffrida on Monday said the time restrictions in place had to be enforced.

“I don’t know how to say this politely, but ignorance of the law is not an exception,” Guiffrida said.

The fundraiser had been aimed at benefiting the Woodland Ice Center’s new concrete project. Before the council vote, five people from different organizations spoke in support of the application, touching on the benefits for the city facilities and hockey community at stake. Several of those who spoke said the organization was not made aware of the date restrictions in previous meetings with city officials.

“None of us were aware of the Dec. 21 rule,” said Kim Morisaki, a former organizer of the event. “When I put on my hat as an economic developer, (the event) is a significant impact during the shoulder season in this community and it’s improving the facility.”

Sean Hinchey, a Kalispell attorney and president of the Flathead Valley Hockey Association, said he spent some time examining the ordinance trying to understand it’s importance, but said he believed ultimately that the measure was outdated.

“It’s at a point where it’s quite frankly arbitrary,” he said.

Several others supplied support for the variation from the ordinance, including a few that suggested the event could be moved to Whitefish without hurdling a city permitting process.

“Perhaps moving this event to Whitefish… getting a permit is not a City Council process, it’s just an administrative process and it’s possible we could do that,” Morisaki said.

“I do not mean that as a threat,” she said.

During council discussion, Mayor Mark Johnson echoed Guiffrida’s sentiments about a similar case a few years ago, when the city denied a last-minute alcohol permit application for the Pond Hockey association at Woodland Park.

“It pains me to say this but we can’t pick favorites,” Johnson said. “I would love to see this happen and the pond hockey, but we have to abide by the laws we have in place.”

The council voted 7-0 to deny the application, with council members Tim Kluesner and Kari Gabriel absent from Monday’s meeting.

On Wednesday, Zuffelato said moving the event to Whitefish has been a nearly seamless transition; with liquor liability insurance and approval from city administrators, the only remaining component is the event permit from the state, which she expects to secure in the coming days.

Zuffelato said paying for ice time at the Whitefish facility will cut into the fundraiser proceeds, but it will be necessary to keep incoming teams involved with the event.

“We’re just trying to save the event because we had people coming in from out of town,” she said. “We’re keeping it the same and Whitefish has been more than accommodating.”

The tournament will still feature four games at Woodland Park on Saturday from 6:45 a.m. to 11:40 a.m. The remainder of the event will take place on the planned schedule, just relocated to Whitefish.