WATERFORD – Should a person attending a wedding at a local inn be allowed to drink hard liquor and wine but be denied a beer?

Lorraine Blais, who co-owns Bear Mountain Inn, doesn’t think so. She spearheaded a petition to place the question on the ballot, said the town passed an ordinance many years ago to prohibit the consumption of beer in licensed establishments for fear it would bring in the “bar room” or “wrong element” of people.

“Motorcycle people were bad. That’s the theory that we got,” Blais said. “It just didn’t make any sense to us.”

If the question is approved, the state will be allowed to issue licenses for the sale of liquor (including beer) to be consumed on the premises of licensed establishments on every day but Sunday. The town now allows the state to issue licenses for the sale and consumption of wine and hard liquor on every day but Sunday. Beer can be sold from Monday through Saturday but not consumed on those locally licensed premises.

The question would affect the Bear Mountain Inn, the Waterford Inn and the Lake House, according to Town Clerk Brenda Bigonski.

Because the Bear Mountain Inn has a large wedding clientele base, Blais said the beer prohibition has affected the inn’s business substantially.

“It all went back to not having a bar room in Waterford. It makes no sense,” said Blais, who co-owns the inn on Route 35 in South Waterford with Deborah “Ricki” Hall. Previous attempts, including one by the owner of the Lake House to overturn the law, have been unsuccessful, she said.

Bigonski said the law was instituted by townspeople in the 1980s specifically to prevent barrooms. “They didn’t want beer joints to pop up,” she said.

Approval of the question only needs a majority vote, she said.

In addition to the referendum, voters have the opportunity to cast ballots for selectman candidate John D. Bell; one-year term SAD 17 director candidate William K. Colbath and three-year term SAD 17 director candidate William S. Hanger.

Additionally, voters will elect a moderator to preside at Saturday’s annual town meeting. Voters will act on a 94-article warrant.

Polls will be open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the Municipal Building.