WEST HARTFORD, Conn. — Connecticut bars and restaurants, as well as parents, are keeping safety in mind on the biggest drinking day of the year: Thanksgiving Eve.
“The night before Thanksgiving is one of the deadliest and most dangerous nights of the year,” Commissioner Garett Eucalitto of the Connecticut Department of Transportation said. “Driving impaired is a decision that can change lives forever and it’s not worth the risk.”
Local bars and restaurants in West Hartford said they are prepared.
“Tonight, we have two DJs, live music, we are expecting over 300 or little bit more than that,” El Santo manager Cesar Franco said.
Savoy Pizzeria & Craft Bar in West Hartford Center expected big crowds too.
“At 8 p.m. we start with a bouncer at the door,” said Chelsea Lozier, Savoy managing partner. “We have probably two times as much staff just so everyone’s vigilant, and we get a lot of the younger kids out here, so IDs are a huge one to be checking tonight and just making sure everyone is drinking responsibly.”
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Parents also made sure their kids were safe Wednesday night.
Amy Greaves, a Bristol mother of a 17-year-old, said she’s making sure she has her phone on her while she is out tonight.
“…and that she is home at her curfew, we don’t want her driving out too late because we know that this can be a difficult night for all drivers, but especially the young drivers,” Greaves said.
Others were back home attending their alma mater’s annual football game; many of which were pushed back to Wednesday, instead of Thanksgiving morning, because of rain in the forecast.
“We have plans for Friendsgiving,” Jaydon Churchill of Bristol said. “I’m having fun spending time with each other especially when people are in college. We start to miss each other. It’s a good time to see each other and have a good time.”
Those going out Wednesday night should expect a large police presence.
“At the door everybody has to make sure everybody comes with a physical ID, we don’t allow anybody to come with a picture ID,” Franco said.
Bartenders said they would be paying attention to patrons.
“The bartenders are ready for the crowd,” Franco said. “Every single bartender is going to be checking how much alcohol each customer has consumed, that way we don’t allow anyone to go home in bad conditions.”
Kaye Paddyfote is a multimedia journalist for FOX61 News. She can be reached at kpaddyfote@fox61.com. Follow her on X, Facebook and Instagram.
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