The proprietor of Ploughman Cider Taproom on the Gettysburg Square, Ben Wenk, said he will expand his outdoor musical offerings at Biglerville’s National Apple Museum after the Gettysburg Borough Council announced Monday they would not renew his outdoor amplified music permit.
The issue came to a head last year after a resident who lives on the square complained about noise from the music at the taproom.
“We want to be respectful to the households who have issues with the noise but we also want to be sure we are balancing public interest and public enjoyment and the vitality and viability of our businesses,” said Director of Planning, Zoning, and Code Carly Marshall.
Marshall said as a result of an investigation following the complaint the borough had learned that amplified music is prohibited by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board at outdoor establishments that serve alcohol. Because the borough wanted to be in compliance with these rules, Marshall said “we would not be issuing a permit for Ploughman’s to have amplified music on the square this year.”
Wenk said there would be live music at the Biglerville museum every Friday beginning May 8 and that the full schedule would be released soon.
Marshall said live amplified music on the square could be allowed in areas that are not part of an establishment’s service area and that the borough could provide monthly permits, meaning the borough could reconsider their policies every 30 days.
“We think we have a solution to keep music on the square, even if we have nothing to do with it. I hope we can announce that soon,” said Wenk.
Marshall said the proposed permits would require music to end at 10:00 p.m. weekends and 9:00 weeknights and that amplification would only be allowed on weeknights until 7:00 p.m.
Charles (Chuck) Stangor is Gettysburg Connection's Owner, Publisher, and Editor in Chief. I would like to hear from you. Please contact me at cstangor@gettysburgconnection.org.
I am the resident that complained about the noise level last year. I’m happy that the special event permit wasn’t renewed but I worry about the possibility of other ‘special event’ permits that could be issued for a month at a time.
Our borough council drafted an ordinance that effectively overrides the PLCB rule. We worked together to craft an ordinance that balances the needs of the community with the needs of business owners. Our borough council realized that live music is an important part of a thriving community and made sure we could continue without being fined by the PLCB.