As shown in the Park City Museum’s latest exhibit (up through March next year), Parkites are no stranger to protesting. We gather to fight for what we believe in, whether the issue is hyper-local, statewide or national. Sometimes the protests are only in Park City. Other times, Parkites trave l down to Salt Lake City to protest at the State Capitol. Or on the shores of the Great Salt Lake. Back in April 2003, Greg Schirf, the man behind the Wasatch Brewpub, staged a re-creation of the Boston Tea Party, only this time it was for beer. Schirf had ruffled feathers around the state over the years for poking fun at the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints and Utahns with things like naming a beer Polygamy Porter: “Why Have Just One?” Or by calling beer “Utah’s other religion.” Apparently, some legislators had had enough and had openly talked about finding a way to punish Wasatch and other alcohol makers. State Sen. Michael Waddoups, a Republican from West Jordan, sponsored a bill that ultimately increased the wholesale tax on 31-gallon kegs of beer from $11 to $12.80, which meant an increase in taxes of $35,000 to $40,0000 per year for Utah’s brewers, most of which are small businesses. Waddoups denied to media that the tax was in response to Schirf’s playful jabs toward Utah culture despite persistent rumors from the Capitol Building that it was at least a large factor in creating the bill. He noted the primary goal was to fund drunk-driving law enforcement. On April 3, 2003, Schirf debuted his First Amendment Lager, four barrels of which he and his supporters promptly poured into the Great Salt Lake to protest the tax, saying “Taxation without representation is tyranny … I mean Utah.” Schirf, dressed as Ben Franklin, told The Park Record, “The spirit of the protest was mostly fun, but there was an element of seriousness that the tax was levied in an unfair manner.” Some people lauded the playful and peaceful protest, while others found it in poor taste. One editorial noted there were better uses for beer than pouring it into a lake. A cartoonist in The Park Record pictured SpongeBob and his Bikini Bottom pals having a pint of the new lager, courtesy of Schirf. Ultimately, it was a very Park City protest, despite happening 40 miles away from town. “Park City Loves A Parade: Our Parades, Processions and Protests from Past to Present” runs in the museum’s Tozer Gallery until April 4, 2027. Learn all about the creative and interesting ways Parkites have celebrated our town, mourned our loved ones, and stood up for our beliefs. Dalton Gackle is the Park City Museum’s research coordinator. The post Way We Were: Give me liberty or give me … a cold one appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less