No more music festivals at Ballard’s on Block Island

After months of discussions behind closed doors, the Town of New Shoreham and Ballard’s have reached a settlement agreement in the matter of the liquor and outdoor entertainment license suspensions imposed by the town on August 22, 2022. The suspensions came as a result of problems that occurred throughout the summer at the popular beach resort venue that culminated on August 8, Victory Day in Rhode Island, when Ballard’s hosted a Reggae Festival.
Among other measures, the agreement stipulates that Ballard’s “shall not host any music festivals or large-scale live music events.” Ballard’s also agrees to “dismiss the appeals pending before the Rhode Island Supreme Court and the Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation.”
The settlement agreement, signed by all of the parties on Wednesday, Nov. 30, upholds the license suspensions that Steve Filippi, president of Shoreham Inc. appealed to the court and DBR, but reduces the 14-day suspension period to “time previously served.”
The agreement laid the way for the renewal of Shoreham Inc.’s (doing business as Ballard’s Inn) licenses for the coming year that starts tomorrow, December 1, 2022.
For more on this story, see this week’s edition of The Block Island Times.

Read the rest of the article on the Block Island Times