Prince Frederick, MD – An event that annually attracts a huge crowd to the south portion of Calvert County is less than a month away. The 37th annual opening weekend of the Tiki Bar in Solomons was the main topic at the March meeting of the Calvert County Liquor Board. Prior to discussing the plans for keeping the celebration under control, the board considered the application for a change in stockholder for the famous bar. John W. Martin IV of Great Mills has been the bar manager for several years.

Martin told the panel that he will “practically live” at the Tiki Bar during its days of operation and “all of our employees must be TAM [Training in Alcohol Management] certified. The bar owners hold a Class D, “on sale” beer, wine and liquor license. The board approved stockholder change pending the receipt of a promissory note.

Terry Clarke of PT Tiki Inc. said the Friday, April 21 bar opening will officially start at noon with plenty of security. Three bands are booked for opening day and the arrival of the Tiki King is scheduled for 4 p.m. There will also be a laser light show.

One major component of security will be checking identifications to make sure no one under the age of 21 enters the confines of the bar area. Martin showed the board an ID scanner that “in one second will scan an ID.” The scanner can also provide data that will enable bar security ensure an individual who has been ejected for rowdy behavior can’t be readmitted. “It gives us security within the property,” said Martin.

Inspector Sgt. Joe Hollinger said about 50 to 60 deputies would be working on the island during opening weekend along with some Maryland State Police troopers. Hollinger added that there were approximately four and five arrests during opening weekend last year. Additionally, Martin mentioned that opening weekend included a very successful designated driver program.

“It’s probably the safest place to be in Calvert County,” said the Tiki Bar’s attorney and Solomons resident Charlie Donnelly.

Calvert County Liquor Board Chairman Robert Arscott conceded the Tiki Bar openings of recent years have gone much better than those of 15 years ago.
Clarke noted that the Tiki Bar staff also does a thorough job of cleaning the island following the opening weekend festivities. He added that it’s great to know the big party has evolved into an event that is relatively incident free, however, “there’s always room for improvement.”

Contact Marty Madden at marty.madden@thebaynet.com