Unfortunate circumstances for what sounded like a great fundraiser.
SHEATOWN - Four state Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement officers raided a cystic fibrosis fundraiser at Holy Child Grove on Sunday and removed kegs of beer.
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An officer, who asked not to be identified, said beer was being sold without a license. Organizers asked for donations for cystic fibrosis research in exchange for beer. Officers responded to the event after a complaint from a neighbor, he said.
"This is going to hurt cystic fibrosis," Dave Gutkowski of Ashley told one officer.
Gutkowski said he would have donated if the event didn't have beer, and he said the way officers handled the situation was "really sad."
Alden resident John Clawson, who organized the event in honor of his 13-year-old son who suffers from cystic fibrosis, declined comment on the raid. But he and his sister provided pages of information about the fundraiser and the life-threatening genetic disease for which funds were being raised.
Edwardsville resident Pat Hoskins, whose grandson Ryan Drako has cystic fibrosis, was in tears after the raid.
"I'm very angry. They took money from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation," Hoskins said. "That was money for the kids. We don't care about the beer. This was all about cystic fibrosis. That was a very unruly thing they did."
Hoskins said her grandson is in intensive care fighting for his life in Pittsburgh. He arrived at his high school graduation from Wyoming Valley West High School in June in an ambulance to receive his diploma. His classmates gave him a standing ovation.
Drako's godfather Jerry Warke, who also attended the cystic fibrosis fundraiser, said it was "terrible" the way officers raided the event.
"They could have waited until it was over to do what they had to do. They didn't have to come in like gangbusters," Warke said.
For the last several years, Clawson has held fundraisers to raise money to try to find a cure for cystic fibrosis, which affects about 30,000 children and adults in the United States.
The fundraiser started with a motorcycle ride and included entertainment from several bands, including John and Amanda, 3 Plus John, 40 Lb. Head, Doug and Sean, 3rd degree, X Country, No Mercy 4 Da Enemy, Worlds Collide, Absolution and Oz. Bands continued to play after the beer was taken away. Dozens of people stayed.
According to the Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement Web site, a permit is necessary to sell beer at special occasions.
dallabaugh@citizensvoice.com
SHEATOWN - Four state Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement officers raided a cystic fibrosis fundraiser at Holy Child Grove on Sunday and removed kegs of beer.
Advertisement
Click Here!
An officer, who asked not to be identified, said beer was being sold without a license. Organizers asked for donations for cystic fibrosis research in exchange for beer. Officers responded to the event after a complaint from a neighbor, he said.
"This is going to hurt cystic fibrosis," Dave Gutkowski of Ashley told one officer.
Gutkowski said he would have donated if the event didn't have beer, and he said the way officers handled the situation was "really sad."
Alden resident John Clawson, who organized the event in honor of his 13-year-old son who suffers from cystic fibrosis, declined comment on the raid. But he and his sister provided pages of information about the fundraiser and the life-threatening genetic disease for which funds were being raised.
Edwardsville resident Pat Hoskins, whose grandson Ryan Drako has cystic fibrosis, was in tears after the raid.
"I'm very angry. They took money from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation," Hoskins said. "That was money for the kids. We don't care about the beer. This was all about cystic fibrosis. That was a very unruly thing they did."
Hoskins said her grandson is in intensive care fighting for his life in Pittsburgh. He arrived at his high school graduation from Wyoming Valley West High School in June in an ambulance to receive his diploma. His classmates gave him a standing ovation.
Drako's godfather Jerry Warke, who also attended the cystic fibrosis fundraiser, said it was "terrible" the way officers raided the event.
"They could have waited until it was over to do what they had to do. They didn't have to come in like gangbusters," Warke said.
For the last several years, Clawson has held fundraisers to raise money to try to find a cure for cystic fibrosis, which affects about 30,000 children and adults in the United States.
The fundraiser started with a motorcycle ride and included entertainment from several bands, including John and Amanda, 3 Plus John, 40 Lb. Head, Doug and Sean, 3rd degree, X Country, No Mercy 4 Da Enemy, Worlds Collide, Absolution and Oz. Bands continued to play after the beer was taken away. Dozens of people stayed.
According to the Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement Web site, a permit is necessary to sell beer at special occasions.
dallabaugh@citizensvoice.com