Did you know that until 2014, some towns in Connecticut prohibited the sale of alcohol?

Although federal prohibition ended in the early 1930s, the small town of Bridgewater still banned people from purchasing alcohol until way into the twenty-first century. Meium Media sat down with First Selectman Curtis Read to find out what went down and how things are now.

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Extended interview with Curtis Read:

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Citations:

#1: Moran, David. “Connecticut’s Last ‘Dry’ Town Votes To Get ‘Wet’.” Hartford Courant, 10 Nov. 2014, http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-bridgewater-dry-town-20141110-story.html. Accessed 20 Feb. 2019.

#2: Read, Curtis. In-person interview. 14 Feb. 2019.

#3: Santaniello, Gary. “Prohibition Repealed? Not Here.” The New York Times, 12 Oct. 2003, http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/12/nyregion/prohibition-repealed-not-here.html. Accessed 20 Feb. 2019.

#4: Town of Bridgewater, CT. “First Selectman’s Office.” The Official Site of Town of Bridgewater, CT, http://www.bridgewater-ct.gov/Pages/BridgewaterCT_FirstSelectman/index. Accessed 20 Feb. 2019.

#5: “Last Connecticut Town Finally Ditches Archaic Alcohol Ban.” Gothamist, 10 Nov. 2014, gothamist.com/2014/11/10/last_connecticut_town_finally_ditch.php. Accessed 20 Feb. 2019.

#6: Associated Press, The. “Cheers! 1st Drink in 81 Years Sold in Formerly Dry Town Bridgewater.” The Norwich Bulletin, http://www.norwichbulletin.com/news/20160822/cheers-1st-drink-in-81-years-sold-in-formerly-dry-town-bridgewater. Accessed 20 Feb. 2019.

#7: Colgrass, Neal. “Prohibition May Finally End in One Connecticut Town.” Newser, 22 Feb. 2014, http://www.newser.com/story/182748/connecticuts-last-dry-town-may-repeal-prohibition.html. Accessed 20 Feb. 2019.

#8: “Competitive Alcoholic Liquor Pricing Task Force.” Connecticut General Assembly, Dec. 2012, http://www.cga.ct.gov/2012/rpt/pdf/2012-R-0502.pdf. Accessed 20 Feb. 2019.

#9: Prohibition. Directed by Ken Burns, Perf. Geoffrey C. Ward. 2011. Public Broadcasting Service, 2011.

#10: Bridgewater Village Store, Bistro & Bakery, http://www.bridgewatervillagestore.com. Accessed 20 Feb. 2019. 

#11:  Outro Song: “Fill Me In” by Atwaters featuring Yeon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UW0iKqFMoxo Used with artist’s consent. The contents and views of this video may not necessarily be shared with the artist.