No-alcohol laws ebb, but prohibition spirit lives

That Rockport stayed dry for so long - a 1996 challenge failed at a town meeting - makes the Northeastern tourist town, like Ocean City, something of a holdout in its class. Though there are about a dozen dry towns in Massachusetts, Rockport's 7,500 residents rely heavily on out-of-state visitors. Rockport's streets are by no means empty on summer weekends, but tourism revenue slipped beginning around 2001 and has remained flat, even as other area towns have flourished. All variables were eyed - and the dry-town issue stood in high relief.

Much of the debate in this seaport, packed with shops and galleries, fell along predictable lines. Letters to local papers in advance of the vote asked whether selling alcohol would affect the town's safety and "quiet beauty." Opponents reminded voters that tax revenue would flow to state and federal coffers, not Rockport's.

But advocates of liquor sales maintain they never claimed a tax-revenue windfall should be considered part of the allure. The benefits will likely be more peripheral, says Michael Costello, executive director of the Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce.

"If there are more people staying in inns as a result of restaurants being able to offer a better experience, and more people coming to Rockport, then there will be money coming to town because [inns] share in the room-tax revenues," he says.

Further, Mr. Costello cites a leveling of the property-tax burden if more commercial taxpayers arrive in town. He also expects an impact in terms of jobs. "Waitressing might become a full-time profession again," he says, "as it has not been in years." Costello sees the addition of alcohol as just part of a larger effort that, he says, must include more parking and rest rooms.

Costello scoffs at the idea some in Rockport put forth - that the town might have leveraged its no-alcohol status as a marketing tool. "That's trying to put a shine on a sneaker," he says, and not understanding the reality of the times.

Near Bearskin Neck, Rich and Ivy Boran pause to watch boats from a sailing school glide into the harbor. The couple, from Framingham, Mass., heard about the Rockport referendum on the 11 o'clock news.

The old law never stopped anyone from drinking here anyway, says Ms. Boran, people just carried in alcohol. The ban was "one of those archaic laws they had to ditch," says her husband.

Ken Porter, who owns both the Roy Moore Lobster Co. and the Fish Shack restaurant here, is optimistic that selling wine with meals will help him compete with restaurants in nearby Newburyport, Ipswich, and Essex.

Perhaps, he and others say, visitors will come to Rockport and stay put.

The Travel Industry Association of America could not confirm whether tourists factor the availability of alcohol into their searches. A new TIA study does make safety the No. 1 consideration for travelers selecting a leisure destination.

Hanson says he understands Rockport's motivation. "A dry area faces an interesting problem," he says. "If they stay dry they're at a disadvantage. It's like a person who doesn't have a high school education. 'Getting the degree' doesn't guarantee any great economic success, because in fact most places are wet, but at least you've got a level playing field."

He also hopes expectations are kept in perspective. "Sometimes places are disappointed," he says, "because they don't suddenly become booming."

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