Ohio Stadium is always lit for Saturday afternoons in the fall but will have an even different vibe to it starting with the 2016 season.
Ohio State announced Wednesday changes to a few of its stadium policies, including a venue-wide sale of beer. The move is the next step in a pilot program that began during the 2015 season, with alcohol sales available to patrons with tickets in the suite and club levels.
A variety of domestic and craft beers are set to be available for purchase by guests. Sixteen ounce Miller Lite and Coors Light cans will cost $8, while a variety of Ohio craft beers including brews from Land-Grant Brewing, Four String Brewery, and North High Brewing cost $9.
The "anchor beer" at the stadium will be from Land-Grant, which is set to be more readily available around the stadium than the other craft selections, Senior Director of Communication Strategy Jenn Sutherland told Eleven Warriors Wednesday. There is slated to be four stands dedicated to the sell of Ohio craft beers in the stadium, Sutherland said.
According to the press release, the revenue from the stadium-wide beer sales is will be used to fund a pair of new full-time positions in the Ohio State Police Department. The annual cost for those positions is about $300,000, and the new employees will be utilized year-round by campus police. They are not specifically just for game day security, Ohio State said.
The school is also set to dedicate $50,000 over the next two years to research being conducted by John Clapp, who oversees the Ohio State University Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Drug Misuse Prevention and Recovery. Clapp intends to study "how alcohol is consumed and its effects on event culture with the goal of enhancing prevention efforts."
Additionally, Ohio State is set to implement a new bag policy at Ohio Stadium.
Bags larger than 5x8x1-inches are no longer permitted, beginning with the Buckeye Country Superfest June 18-19. The policy also will be in effect for the International Champions Cup soccer game July 27 and the 2016 football season.
“We have worked alongside our safety, security and management teams and studied similar no bag policies,” Craig Stone, chief of the Ohio State University Police Division, said in the release. “We are confident this new policy will create a safer environment for our fans. We also believe the policy will expedite the process of getting our fans into the stadium and to their seats.”
There is an addendum to the bag policy, however, for guests with medical or childcare needs. Patrons that fit that demographic are allowed to carry one bag, no larger than 14x14x14-inches, into the stadium. They must enter at one of these locations: the Band Center entrance between Gates 10 and 12 or the Press Entrance between the Huntington Club and Gate 23.
