The blue bird of happiness ...

... flew over the Cuckoo's Nest in Cary and dumped a $750 fine on them for what is very likely not even a violation of Cary's liquor laws. But did the argument of the owner's attorney make it past the coiffed hair of Cary's mayor, Steve Lamal? (Hey, I'm just envious of that full head of white hair.)

Cary's liquor laws apparently prohibit the serving of an alcoholic beverage after 1:00AM. About 1:30AM on October 30th, one of Cary's finest popped into the bar and spotted a person having a drink at the bar.

Did he see the liquor served after 1:00AM? Apparently not. Now, doesn't anyone know that no one can nurse a drink late at night for 30 minutes? Huh? You do know that, don't you? So, therefore, the drink had to have been served after 1:00AM.

Not!

Cary Village President and Liquor Commissioner Lamal is quoted in the Northwest Herald as saying, "I don't care what the ordinance says." He didn't really say that, did he?

A master of the English language, Cary's President is also quoted as saying, "I can't let this go. It's time to clean up some of that crap."

A $750 fine plus the Village's legal fees was imposed on the owner of the Cuckoo's Nest during the 45-minute hearing.

Since the Cuckoo's Nest hadn't had a liquor violation for nine years, I'm wondering just what "crap" the good Village President is referring to.

It's certainly a good thing that the Woodstock Liquor Commission doesn't browbeat or berate liquor licensees in our fair city. It disposed of five violations in 95 minutes on July 30, 2008, and racked up $5,750 in fines, plus the City's legal expense, and continued two other violation charges. Not bad for 95 minutes' work; right?

Those two remaining charges were to be heard and resolved at a Special Meeting of the Woodstock Liquor Commission on September 10, 2008. Hopefully, the City will be posting the Minutes of that Special Meeting this next week, since I nudged them to do so.

And there may be Minutes of yet another Special Meeting of the Liquor Commission lost in the Bermuda Triangle, because D.C. Cobbs has been ordered by the Woodstock City Council to spend money to make an unnecessary change in its Benton Street exit and to change it to an emergency-exit only.

On September 10 the Liquor Commission was to consider a violation of liquor laws charged by the Woodstock Police Department, but the Minutes of this Special Meeting have never been posted on the City's website.

When did the topic of the rear entrance come up? On September 10 or at a subsequent Special Meeting? Did the Liquor Commission hold a Special Meeting in October? If at a different Special Meeting, then the Agenda and the Minutes for that meeting are missing, too.

Woodstock's Mayor and Liquor Commissioner Brian Sager is normally a stickler for detail. Why weren't these Minutes posted promptly?