Craft beer tasting on the Green

A vote cast last night at Walhalla City Hall divided the mayor and the council practically down the middle. By a margin of one vote, the council agreed to allow the chamber of commerce to stage a craft beer tasting event on the downtown green for part of Oktoberfest weekend. The vote was three in favor, two against, and one abstention. Council members Crawford, Bagwell, and Woodward voted yes, while Underwood and Mayor Edwards voted no. Josh Holliday, a member of the Sertoma Club which operates a beer sales tent on the grounds of Oktoberfest abstained, citing a conflict. Mayor Danny Edwards made reference to a rift between interests at Sertoma Field and those downtown in competing for Oktoberfest visitors and declared that before next year’s celebration of the city’s German founding there will be more planning “as to how we do things.”