4th of July: Celebrate with red, white, but no booze on McCall beaches

MCCALL, Idaho (KBOI) — For many people celebrating America's independence means three things; beaches, barbecues, and booze.

But this year at public beaches and parks in McCall you'll only be able to do the first two.

Idaho Parks and Recreation was responsible for the ban on alcohol at North Beach.

McCall City Council adopted the Resolution on April 28 prohibiting the possession or consumption of alcoholic beverages in McCall City Parks from 12:01 a.m. on Friday, July 1 through 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, July 5, 2016.

This was a collaborative effort of many agencies including IDPR, City of McCall and Valley County Sheriff's Office.

"Keeping people out of trouble and make sure everyone has a good time and no one ruins it for other people. It's just all about having good family time," said Derek Phillips, an Eagle resident who has been to North Beach on The Fourth before.

The North Beach can get pretty packed during the summer months, and even more so on a holiday weekend.

Tyler Bowlin, who grew up in McCall but has since moved away, told KBOI 2News about how out of hand the beach has gotten at times.

"I can see how they're shutting it down; because the numbers, the capacity, the amount of people...it's just really hard to contain," Bowlin said.

There are those however who believe the alcohol ban is a form of corporal punishment, where everyone pays the price for the actions of a few bad seeds.

"Just monitor it. You don't need to shut it all off - that's going to upset people. Just monitor it," said Dana Ensminger, a Council resident.

Whether individuals like it or not, the alcohol ban will sweep across the beaches come July.

The ban actually spans the holiday and the days surrounding the 4th. Since this year Independence Day is on a Monday, the ban will go into effect July 1 and end July 5.

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