In San Antonio, praise for relaxed blue laws

SAN ANTONIO — The legend goes that decades ago, the only place in the county where you could buy the hard stuff on a Sunday morning was San Ann Liquors and Lounge.

You just had to wait until the last bell rang at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church.

"They opened after second Mass on Sunday, and people used to call it third Mass," said former city clerk Diane Jones, 79.

Jones' husband's family ran the city's only liquor store for several decades in the 1900s. Back then, the establishment opened about 9:30 a.m. on Sundays.

"Of course, there would be a crowd there waiting to get started," said Jack Jones, 81.

San Antonio is still the earliest place in the county where you can buy beer or liquor on Sundays.

City law allows booze to be sold at 8 a.m., three hours earlier than the county and most Pasco cities, and five hours earlier than nearby Zephyrhills.

It's unclear exactly why the city established such early blue laws, or when the ordinance originated.

Some trace it back to World War II; others say the law originated in the 1970s. Some guess the city's settlers were heavy drinkers.

Ralph Jones, 76, ran San Ann Liquors and Lounge from 1960 to 1998 and served as the city's mayor in the 1960s and 1980s. He said he waited to open his bar until after Mass "out of respect" to the city's churches.

"(Customers) were happy when I opened up; they were a lot happier when they got the booze," Jones said.

Though the beer and whiskey flowed freely at San Ann Liquors and Lounge, Jones said he kept a tight rein on the playing cards and billiard balls Sunday mornings. Games and music were forbidden until 1 p.m.

During some of Jones' tenure, the bar was located near St. Anthony's. Jones said he didn't want the music to disturb those at the church.

Customers understood.

"I told them it was a city ordinance," Jones said. "But it wasn't — it was my ordinance."

Before Hillsborough County pushed up its Sunday alcohol sales from 1 p.m. to 11 a.m. in 2003, and Pasco followed suit in 2004, Sunday mornings were one of the best "beer times" for the San Antonio Jiffy.

Owner Mark Jones, 47, said he would go through almost 30 cases before noon, double what he does now.

People came from as far away as Tampa, Lakeland and Plant City to take advantage of San Antonio's relaxed blue laws.

Hunters and fishermen loaded up on beer, ice and whiskey before hitting the fields and lakes.

During the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' better years, tailgaters would fill up their coolers on the way to the old Tampa Stadium.

For last-minute barbecue planners, San Antonio was the only place you could buy beer in time for a Sunday afternoon get-together.

San Ann Liquors and Lounge has since moved to a new location off State Road 52, far away from any churches that may be disturbed by pool or loud music.

The restaurant, bar and package store open at 8:30 a.m. Sundays.

Occasionally someone who has been drinking through the night will come in, get a little rowdy and be shown the door.

"We don't put up with a lot of roughneck stuff in there," said current owner Jimmy Smith, 66.

For the most part, the Sunday morning crowd is more interested in breakfast than booze, he said.

But for the customers who do imbibe on Sunday mornings, Bloody Marys, with their claim to cure hangovers, are a popular drink.

Helen Anne Travis can be reached at htravis@sptimes.com or (813) 435-7312.