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Champlin senior living facility celebrates first Grandparents Happy Hour
A Champlin woman pushed Minnesota lawmakers to change the state's liquor laws, and on Tuesday got to raise a glass. For the first time, residents at Amira Choice Senior Living celebrated "Grandparents Happy Hour" becoming legal, and FOX 9's Corin Hoggard was there.
CHAMPLIN, Minn. (FOX 9) - A Champlin woman’s determination has helped bring legal happy hours to Minnesota’s assisted living and nursing homes for the first time.
Celebrating the first legal happy hour in Champlin
What we know:
Happy Hour kicked off around noon at Amira Choice Champlin, where residents enjoyed margaritas, beer, and wine at a first-of-its-kind gathering.
Jim Chesness, a resident, said, "I am enjoying a margarita." Chesness shared that while happy hours have happened before, they were not quite the same. "We've had our happy hours, but I have to furnish my own."
For years, facilities like Amira Choice Champlin could not host these events without a liquor license. That changed thanks to Anita Lebrun, who took action after the director asked for help.
Lebrun recalled, "She said you'll have to speak a little speech, very short. Well, it was a page. But I practiced in the mirror, and yeah, went good."
Lebrun’s testimony to lawmakers
What they're saying:
Lebrun brought her prepared page to a Senate commerce committee, telling lawmakers, "Over a shared drink, we get to reminisce about parts of our life, military service, raising a family, the loss of a friend, and celebrating the golden phase of our lives, too."
Her "little speech" quickly gained attention, and the bill she supported passed overwhelmingly. The governor even signed the new law at her home. Just three days after the law took effect, residents and staff gathered Tuesday to toast Lebrun’s success. As she sipped her drink, Lebrun said, "I did that, yes."
Neighbors and family celebrate Lebrun’s success
Tonya Larsen, Lebrun’s daughter, said, "She always instilled confidence in us growing up in whatever we were doing, so we told her at this time when she was a little bit more shy, we were like, ‘you can do hard things too’, so it was just great that she stepped out of her comfort zone for something that she believed in — that people, at least give them a choice if they want a cocktail or not."
Lebrun said she is usually quiet and stays in the background, but the new Happy Hour law has made her a social butterfly.
Facilities still need to notify the state if they plan to host a Happy Hour, and they must follow Department of Health rules for food safety and storage. The change in law simply allows these licensed facilities to serve alcohol at social gatherings.
What we don't know:
It is not yet clear how many facilities across Minnesota have started hosting these new Happy Hours or whether any additional guidelines will be introduced as more events take place.