OBSERVER Photo by M.J. Stafford A bicyclist rides up to the beer tent at Dunkirk’s Music on the Pier Thursday.

Beer is readily available at the Dunkirk Music on the Pier series — the city allows a tent to set up, to sell some summer suds.

According to Councilwoman Nancy Nichols, some people are displeased with that.

“I don’t want to get beat up by the mayor (Wilfred Rosas) from this question, but I’ve been asked by a great many people, they could not quite understand why the city is in the beer selling business at Music on the Pier. They don’t understand it at all,” she said.

Nichols also passed on questions about why the tent had a tip jar, and what happened to the money collected by the jar.

“People are not made to provide a tip but they can if they want to,” Rosas said. He deferred further comment to Vince DeJoy, who oversees the concert events as the city’s planning and development chief.

“Having this beer tent helps support the events and the efforts we’re trying to bring,” DeJoy said. “That music, and everything that goes along with it, is not free. But it’s free to the people here to come and enjoy — and selling beer is one way the city utilizes the Dunkirk Local Development Corporation to fund these events and to create more events, and fun events.”

He added, “There was a number of people from out of town that enjoyed it. I’ve been in contact with people who live in Buffalo and have been complimenting and trying to promote Dunkirk. So, it’s a very positive thing.”

As for the tipping, DeJoy noted it is standard at any establishment where food and beverages are served.

See BEER, Page A3

“We have one staffer that’s been helping us (with the concert events) that gets paid, and he basically gets his share of the tips. The other staffers that have been there have been myself, Ryan (Hall) and Scott (Mekus), and we haven’t accepted anything. We’ve just been putting it back into the (festivals) fund.”

DeJoy added that the worker who takes tip money is a part-time, minimum wage employee.

“Well, I know there are sponsors from different businesses that do contribute quite a bit of money that helps offset the costs for the bands and everything else,” Nichols said. “I just wanted to make that perfectly clear.”

DeJoy called the tent something to “enhance” the concerts. He praised Hall and Mekus for their work on the series.

“From what I’ve seen, working at the past couple of these, (people) really enjoy it and appreciate it,” DeJoy concluded. He’s in his first summer festivals season as Dunkirk’s top planner.

Nichols agreed that it is popular — and noted the Music on the Pier series has gone on for about two decades.

A few of this year’s events were moved to Memorial Park, but Mekus said last week most remaining concerts will be at the Pier. The only one set for the park is on the final weekend of the series, as a fishing tournament will be at the Pier then.