Lynn bar owners organize casino cruise

LYNN – Bar owners from around the city are gearing up for a casino cruise July 21 to benefit the recently resurrected Lynn Restaurant Association and to encourage new businesses to join the group.An alliance formed following the rollback of bar hours in January from 2 a.m. to 1 a.m., Rocky DiFillipo, owner of the Brick Yard Bar & Grill at 163 Blossom St., said the group offers bar owners a chance to band together and protect their interests.”We’re trying to expand the group right now to have every package store, restaurant, sub shop and bar in the city join to have more active members, along with monthly or quarterly meetings, and a board of directors,” he said.DiFillipo said the cruise, much like the association, was devised to bring the community together and say thanks to its customers who have kept them afloat.”I’ve met so many bar owners that I didn’t know before the rollback happened, so this cruise is designed to thank the customers who continue to come to our bars, and to also get the managers and the owners together at the same time to meet each other,” he said.A raffle will be held during the cruise, which will offer a $700 plane ticket courtesy of Union Travel.A portion of the proceeds will benefit the association and an undisclosed charity.”If this cruise sells out, then we’re planning on having another cruise later this summer, as well as a separate cruise just for the Hispanic community,” he said. “We’re hoping to have a large mix of all of the local ethnic bars together at once on the cruise because it would be great to work together.”After the Lynn Licensing Board unanimously voted to roll back bar hours, bar owners across the city were up in arms over the decision and immediately took action with attorneys Frederick Riley and Joseph Dever.Riley alleged open meeting law violations during the first pubic hearing on Oct. 2.Two other hearings were also held, one ordered by the court to correct the allegations in November and a third in December that ultimately sealed the bars’ fate.The first of several depositions involving city officials were held shortly after.”In the beginning, we had about 25 bars fighting the rollback, but now there are only 12 or so because a few have gone out of business,” DiFillipo said. “The rollback has been really hard on the businesses, including mine. First we got hit with the no smoking, and then the bar hours?it’s just been really tough on all of us.”Tickets for the cruise are $25, and only a limited number still are available.For more information contact DiFillipo at 781-595-9468.