Naperville Changes Up Blue Law

By Marcus Gilmer in Food on Sep 23, 2010 3:40PM

The fine people of Naperville will soon be able to buy booze a bit earlier on a Sunday after the city council voted to move back the time that booze sales are allowed to 8 a.m. Before the vote, the on-sale time had been noon. But the council voted last night to push back to 8 a.m., clearing the way for brunch time fun for Napervillians.

Mayor and Liquor Commissioner A. George Pradel defended the vote, saying, “When we went and researched through Jewel, we found that many of our residents were going outside the city to make purchases. There are a lot of tax dollars going to other communities.” There was more support for the move from Councilman James Boyajian who said, “What’s so magical about 10? If Naperville were at 8, pretty soon Lisle would be at 8. Why wouldn’t we go to 8? I just don’t know why we wouldn’t try to give ourselves a competitive edge.” The lone "No" vote in the 8-1 decision was Councilman Richard Furstenau who made the not-exactly-progressive claim, “We’ve had it at noon for a hundred years, and that’s where it ought to stay."

But despite Furstenau's wishes, Napervillians will now be able to shake off a hangover with a little "hair of the dog" or just get a brand new party rolling even earlier now without having to step out of town to freshen up supplies. Those noon Bears kickoffs are about to get way more fun when the new law goes into effect on Sunday October 24.