Rockland sports fans will have the opportunity to toast the U.S. Olympic hockey team with more than just coffee this Sunday. In a special Saturday morning session, the Rockland Select Board voted unanimously to allow local establishments to begin serving alcohol at 8:00 AM on February 22 to coincide with the Olympic gold medal game.

The virtual meeting was called after the owner of Players, a local establishment, reached out to the town requesting an earlier start time to accommodate patrons planning to watch the 8:00 AM puck drop. Chair Michael O'Loughlin explained the request to the board, noting that Jackie asks if her license could be moved to 8:00 AM as opposed to the normal time, which I think is 10:00 AM. There is no extension on the back end of the hours, but just the 8:00 AM start so that they can host the hockey game.

During the brief discussion, the board decided to expand the gesture beyond the initial request. O'Loughlin suggested that the waiver should apply to any business in town wishing to open early for the game. I think we should actually say it: any other establishments in town that want to do this can open at 8:00 AM on this Sunday, O'Loughlin said. Member Steven O'Donnell expressed his agreement with the expanded scope before the board moved to a formal vote. Motion Made by S. O'Donnell to approve changing the alcohol service license start time to 8:00 AM for Sunday, February 22, 2026, for all establishments in town. Motion Passed (4-0).

The meeting, conducted via Zoom, also included a brief administrative check by the Town Administrator. Before the board concluded its business, Town Administrator Douglas asked to formally read the attendance into the record for the benefit of those watching the recording. I just want to list the participants since we're doing this via Zoom for the public, he noted, identifying O'Loughlin, Vice Chair Lori Childs, and members O'Donnell and John Ellard, Jr. as present for the session. While Member Tiffanie Needham was absent from the meeting, the remaining four members were sufficient to pass the one-day emergency change in hours.