Despite police and city officials' efforts to limit alcohol at this year's Mifflin Street Block Party, Miller and Anheuser Busch beer distributors are showering customers with free Mardi Gras beads, T-shirts, hats and even gas grills to promote excessive beer purchases for Saturday's festivities.
Adam Bents, manager of Riley's Wines of the World, 402 W. Gorham, said promoters have outdone themselves this year.
\They used to offer T-shirts and hats and that kind of thing, but now it seems like they're pushing a lot more stuff,"" Bents said.
H&M Distributing, which distributes Miller beer, is offering a free Weber grill to customers who purchase 20 or more kegs despite the four-keg limit per bash that police will enforce during the party.
To the police department's dismay, at least one campus liquor store is aggressively promoting beer purchases that flout the four-keg limit.
Last week, the Party Port, 2901 Univrsity Ave., ran a full-page ad in The Onion newspaper offering a free Fire and Ice Grill to the first three customers to buy 25 half-barrels of Natty Light, Busch Light or Bud Light.
In addition, Party Port distributed flyers door-to-door to Mifflin Street residents that ""pissed off the cops royally,"" said Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4.
Last week the police department notified Mifflin Street residents that households with more than four kegs could be charged under an ordinance that prohibits dispensing alcohol without a license.
Don Hudson, who helped to coordinate this year's Mifflin Street Block Party, said although he thinks four kegs is an unfairly low number, the Party Port and distributors have gone too far in targeting the Mifflin Street Block Party for their sales.
To encourage their promotions, H&M Distributing sent a letter to campus area liquor stores.
""[The Mifflin Street] Block Party has been a huge success in Madison for local distributors and for local businesses over the years and this year will be no exception,"" the letter said, according to Verveer.
Although the advertisements and promotions are legal, Verveer said he disapproves.
""I find it somewhat offensive,"" Verveer said. ""It just leaves a bad taste in my mouth, that really wealthy distributors are trying to make a buck off of this neighborhood block party.""
However, acting Police Chief Noble Wray said he is optimistic about years to come.
""We think that, with time, we will get voluntary compliance with the reduction of the amount of alcohol there,"" Wray said.
