It is now legal to sell and purchase liquor and cereal malt beverages seven days a week within the City of Great Bend following action by the City Council Monday night.

At the Aug. 1 Great Bend City Council meeting, an ordinance was adopted that would allow Sunday sales of cereal malt beverages and alcoholic liquor subject to a 61-day protest period, City Attorney Bob Suelter told the City Council. The proposed ordinances have been published in the Great Bend Tribune twice and the protest period has passed with no petition for a vote submitted.

Therefore it was time to adopt the two necessary ordinances to make this happen. One was for cereal-malt beverages and the other for alcoholic liquor.

These allow sales on any Sunday, except Easter, between noon and 8 p.m. The Sunday ordinance also allows the sale of 3.2 or lower cereal malt beverages by discount, grocery and convenience stores between noon and 8 p.m.

Other days when the beverages cannot be sold are Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Christmas and Thanksgiving.

Also approved Aug. 1 was an ordinance that allowed, for the first time since the 1980s, liquor stores in Great Bend to stay open until 11 p.m. The allowing liquor store to be open from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Saturday went into effect immediately and did not require a protest period.

The ordinances were supported by local liquor store owners who saw them as leveling the playing field. 

Both changes met with some resistance in August from those involved in operating the Outer Limits, a liquor store north of Great Bend on U.S. 281. It is outside the city limits and as been open later and on Sundays since county regulations are different than the city’s.

Ellinwood and Hoisington also offer late sales.

Reverting back to the later time has come up in the past, but the council has balked.