Booze-Free Illinois Town Votes On Ending A 90 Year Liquor Ban

Depending on your age, the concept of a "dry" county, town, city, or state might be a completely strange concept. There used to be a lot more places scattered throughout the United States (including Illinois) that banned either the sales, the purchase, or the consumption of alcoholic beverages of any type, but many have changed direction and voted for a change over the years.

Other spots, like Arkansas, still have various dry spots, but they also make their citizens jump through hoops around holiday time.

I was just reading a piece from 5NewsOnline.com about what went on in Arkansas last Christmas in 2023 when many Arkansas liquor stores were facing closure on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day:

"As Arkansans know, by law alcohol may not be sold by liquor stores or retailers with an alcohol permit (grocery stores, etc.) on Sundays. In addition, Arkansas is among approximately 24 states that prohibit any alcohol sales on Christmas Day. When it comes to alcohol sales on Christmas Day in Arkansas, there are not any exceptions," Scott Hardin, a spokesperson for the Alcoholic Beverage Control in Arkansas, said.

Hardin said even restaurants and bars are prohibited from serving alcohol on Christmas Day, and a bill filed in 2021 that attempted to reverse the ban didn't make it out of committee.

Can any of that happen in Illinois? Not likely.

In Arkansas, 34 Of The 75 Counties In The State Are Dry Counties, Georgia Has 5 Dry Counties, Florida Has 3, Kentucky Has 15, Kansas Has 3, Mississippi Has 12, South Dakota Has 1, Tennessee Has 5 Dry Counties, And Texas Has 5...But How Many Does Illinois Have?

The answer to that would be zip, zero, nada. We don't have any dry counties in the state of Illinois, and you won't find any in Iowa, Indiana, Wisconsin, or Missouri because state law in our state and in Iowa, Indiana, and Missouri forbids dry counties. Wisconsin state law doesn't even discuss the topic.

Illinois' last dry town, South Holland, stopped being dry when a liquor license was issued to a local restaurant back in 2015.

However, there is an Illinois village that has been keeping itself dry for nearly 100 years, and voters have a chance to change that on Election Day 2024.

Muncie, Illinois In Vermilion County, Is A Village Of About 200 People That Has Banned The Sale Of Alcohol Since Prohibition--But That May Change When Today's Votes Are Counted

According to a report from WCIA.com, the village of Muncie, Illinois hasn't had alcohol sales since swing music was just beginning and people were driving around in Model T cars.

Have the citizens of Muncie missed being able to grab a six-pack at the store or enjoy a cocktail or some wine with dinner?

WCIA.com:

Julie Wahls has lived in Muncie for more than 20 years and helps organize the village’s annual fall festival. “It was kind of a surprise to me because you just don’t think about that,” she said. “Muncie is a small town, so we don’t really have [the] opportunity to have events.”

The town of 200 never had a need for alcohol since there’s no bars or restaurants in Muncie. “We would like to invite a winery, a local winery, a local brewery, just so people can enjoy themselves,” Wahls said. She went around gathering signatures to put the proposition on the ballot.

“Everybody was pretty positive and a lot of people, like you said, were surprised to even know because we hadn’t known that in the past,” Wahls said.