KERKHOVEN -- Voters in Kerkhoven on Tuesday approved Sunday liquor. The vote was 68 to 42. City Clerk Mona Doering said 110 ballots were cast, representing about 22 percent of the eligible voters.
Doug's Bar owner Doug Lindgren had asked the City Council in September to place before voters the question of whether the city of Kerkhoven should issue Sunday liquor licenses to eligible establishments.
Doering said Doug's Bar is the only establishment in town that is affected. Doering said the City Council must first amend the liquor ordinance before a license can be issued to Lindgren to serve liquor on Sunday.
The process of holding a hearing and publishing notice of the ordinance could take a month, Doering said. The council would decide when the ordinance would become effective.
Lindgren said Wednesday morning he feels good about the vote.
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"It's what I wanted. I requested the vote,'' Lindgren said. "It's not a guarantee. It still has to pass the City Council.''
Lindgren took over the establishment as a beer bar 6½ years ago. Two-and-a-half years ago, Lindgren was allowed to operate the business as a full-service bar, serving mixed drinks to customers. Lindgren expanded last spring with a formal dining area. Being allowed to serve liquor on Sunday was the next step.
"I serve more food than I do liquor anyway. But being a bar, people come to expect if you're open on Sunday that they can have a drink available to them,'' he said.
