Hello everyone...
A situation has arisen over at Jim's Hideaway in Odenton, and I wanted to call your attention to what I have learned and find out what you all might think about the situation, and if anyone might have some suggestions and/or phone numbers to call. This is what these message boards are all about.
A quick disclaimer here...the opinions expressed here are my own and not necessarily those of the band.
Oracle has been performing at Jim's Hideaway for several years now. Jim's was one of the first clubs to give Oracle a chance when the band was first starting out.
As
you may or may not know, the club acquired new owners who started on a
renovation project that included adding air conditioning to the Sports Bar
area (where the band performs), building a real stage, and making a host of other
upgrades.
Recently I got a call from the new owners at Jim's, who informed me that there would be no more live bands there for AT LEAST six months, and more likely a year or more.
In the course of my conversation with the owners, this is what I learned about the situation.
As a result of the sale all of their licenses have to be re-issued by Anne Arundel County. This necessitated new inspections by the Fire Marshal and others.
During the course of these inspections it was decided that since there was a residence next door to the club, there could be no live entertainment more than two pieces, and no dancing permitted, (it seems you have to have a dance floor in order to be "allowed" to have dancing.
On the face of things this MIGHT be considered reasonable, except that the area that Jim's is located, and where this one particular residence is located, is ZONED COMMERCIAL!!!
Unfortunately, the way the county statute reads, music is not permitted near a residence, NOT a residential ZONE. This single word in the statute is going to necessitate hearings and a vote to add a single word to the statute.
In the meantime, the country has ordered all entertainment to cease at Jim's. They are still permitted to have Karaoke in there, but if anyone in the crowd decides to try and dance, the dance police will be nearby to shut them down permanently.
It seems that the county needs some additional revenue, so in their infinite wisdom they are essentially shutting down one of the most friendly clubs in the area and eliminating the tax revenue that Jim's generated. There is also some question on how much other work is going to have to be put into the place to meet all of the new rules and regulations. There is a real possibility Odenton might lost this club for good.
As I get more information I'll be passing it on. I'd like all of the Anne Arundel County residents, and especially those in Odenton, Gambrills, and Severn, to call your county councilman and complain about this bureaucratic quagmire.
In my opinion Big Brother has been rearing his ugly head far too much lately, and this latest information about the dance police really stinks. Don't we have better things to spend our tax dollars on than having someone spy on clubs to make sure people aren't having a good time?
We'll have phone numbers and contact information posted as soon as we hear more.