A proposed "beer garden" at the Rochester Country Fair could extend to three days, if the public and Rochester's Board of Selectmen back the idea, organizers said on March 19.

The beer garden was originally proposed by members of the Rochester Country Fair Committee at a Board of Selectmen meeting on March 5. Committee members had planned to run the beer garden on two nights, Friday and Saturday.

However, the addition of Thursday night entertainment and music prompted them to consider adding the beer garden that night as well to draw more visitors.

This year, the fair runs Thursday, Aug. 16 through Sunday, Aug. 19.

Selectman Brad Morse said that he'd heard no negative feedback about the beer garden idea."I don't really see a problem with three days. We haven't heard objections from anyone. It would require working with the Police Department, but they've already said they're amenable to the idea if extra security is added," he said.

Fellow Selectman Woody Hartley asked committee members to draw up a few paragraphs explaining exactly how the beer garden would run, its hours and what security measures would be in place, along with any other pertinent information, for the board's April 2 meeting.

While the plans for the beer garden have not yet been finalized and approved, proposed plans put forward at the March 5 meeting included requiring fairgoers entering the beer garden to have a special wristband.

The beer garden's hours of operation would likely run somewhere between the hours of 5-9 p.m., organizers said.

Organizers also noted that the space would be enclosed by at least one fence, and possibly two, to stop patrons from handing drinks to others outside the beer garden area.

At the March 5 meeting, Rochester Police Chief Paul Magee said he didn't have any straight objections to the beer garden proposal, provided that it wrapped up well before the fair itself did.

He stated that he would prefer to provide an additional police officer at the location of beer garden for security. While the officer wouldn't be responsible for checking IDs, they would be available if anything unexpected were to occur, he explained.