Homecoming Weekend festivities got off to a lousy start for many students who were partying at popular campus venue MarBar.
On Thursday night, the bar -- located at 40th and Walnut streets -- was raided by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board. Forty-two students were issued citations for underage drinking.
According to the Liquor Control Board, a license-holder can face $1,000 to $5,000 in fines and sometimes even a revocation of the license for serving alcohol to underage patrons.
Of those issued citations, two were under 18 years old and six were holding fake identification cards. State police also confiscated four contraband IDs.
The police arrived at about 10:45 p.m. The music was lowered, and one section remained open to those who were over 21.
For about one and a half hours, police questioned suspected underage drinkers.
While the police did not demand Breathalyzer tests, some students elected to take them to prove that they had not been drinking, bar owner Cory Borish said.
Sgt. Steven Davis of the Philadelphia office of the Liquor Control Board said that there is no legal obligation to take Breathalyzer tests.
However, had those suspected of being underage not properly identified themselves, they would have been brought to the police station until proper identification was given, he added.
Like those cited, Borish is also awaiting legal consequences.
However, he does not know exactly what penalties he will be facing.
"To be honest ... I have four other liquor licenses, but this is the first time this has happened. ... And I have been doing this for over 10 years," he said.
Borish added that he was surprised that when the police left, they did not leave him any information. "They just said that I'll be receiving something in the mail ... and I know it won't be good," he said.
While Borish will be given the chance to defend himself in court when a hearing date is set, he said that right now he is "not concerned about the defense, but more concerned on how [the bar will be] moving forward."
When asked whether the bar will be enacting a more stringent carding practice, Borish replied that since day one, MarBar has been carding every customer.
"It's just a matter of investigation. We might look at what other bars do, and if they have been successful, we will try to replicate what they have been doing," he said.
However, Borish added that despite last week's incident, his target audience will not change.
"We are going to continue to do everything to accommodate students, just as long as it is within legal parameters and guidelines," he said.
Borish said that there was no significant decline in the number of customers for the rest of the weekend, although he attributed this in part to the Homecoming Weekend crowd.
