Harpo’s request to close street for Mizzou game days causes controversy

One downtown Columbia bar wants the city to suspend its open container law for four home University of Missouri football games this fall.

Harpo’s Bar & Grill wants to close Cherry Street between Ninth and 10th streets for what it’s calling the “SEC Hospitality Center.”

The bar wants to close the street on Oct. 18-19 and 25-26, Nov. 1-2 and Nov. 30 from noon on Friday through 2 a.m. Sunday. It also wants the city to waive the open container law for those weekends.

However, other downtown bars are balking at the plans and asking the City Council to reject the idea.

Several businesses – including Bengal’s, Shiloh and Campus Bar & Grill — have also asked for street closures on game days and say council members should not show favoritism. They say they are applying for the closures out of protest.

The City Council is expected to discuss the issue at its meeting on Tuesday.