Throughout the summer, many Parker residents look forward to Wine Walks. It means coming together for an evening of socializing and a little wine tasting. However, the Parker Chamber of Commerce has canceled the event . 

The cancellation follows a complaint an unknown party filed with the state Liquor Enforcement Division about a recent Wine Walk.  State officials are not saying much about the case. Daniel Car, communications director with the Colorado Department of Revenue, only called it an “active investigation” and said the department cannot comment further. 

Meanwhile, the chamber responded by taking the walk scheduled for July 28 off the calendar.

Chamber of Commerce President and CEO  T.J. Sullivan said the situation is regrettable.

“It’s very disappointing for everyone involved, especially the downtown businesses that gained so much from the interaction with hundreds of new customers,” Sullivan said.

People who take part in the Wine Walks must be 21, the legal minimum drinking age. Each person receives a wine-tasting glass and wristband with 10 tabs. Each tab is redeemable for a 1 ounce pour at any of the participating locations. 

With nearly 30 member businesses participating in this year’s five Wine Walks, the event is an economic driver for the downtown area and used as a way for businesses to build relationships with customers.

The chamber said it will meet with all participating businesses to review requirements, evaluate and fix potential issues. 

“There is work to be done to better control the consumption of wine inside participating businesses and off streets, sidewalks and other public areas,” Sullivan wrote on the chamber’s website. “This pause gives us an opportunity to make some proactive changes that will make future events safer and more compliant with state and local requirements.”

In addition, the chamber is meeting with state authorities. 

“We’ve given them a thorough action plan that includes more monitoring, volunteers, better controls at the participating businesses, signage and more,” Sullivan said. “We are really doing everything we can to preserve the event.” 

Those who purchased tickets for the event will be contacted by staff for refunds or will be given credit to future events. 

“Most ticket holders just moved their tickets to a future event, and the businesses have been incredible, they want to help us fix the problem that exists,” said Sullivan. 

It was unclear if future events would be cancelled as well.