Cell-phone video shows a ‘Polka Fest’ event at Benny Brewing Company in Wilkes-Barre from Sunday. The company has come under fire on social media for seemingly ignoring COVID-19 protocols.
Via Facebook
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WILKES-BARRE — A video making the rounds on Facebook showing a crowded scene at Benny Brewing Company’s “Polka Fest” on Sunday has prompted the bar to speak out.
The Facebook page for Benny Brewing Company posted a statement on Monday afternoon in response to a video taken from the bar’s event, showing people dancing in close proximity with one another while other patrons sit at the bar without masks on, in violation of protocols mandated by the Pennsylvania Department of Health to try and mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
“As many of you may be aware, we hosted an event yesterday that resulted in a lot of conversation across social media, and unfortunately, not in a positive light,” the statement reads. “We completely understand the concern and frustration that has been expressed by many.
“We hosted a ‘Polka Fest’ with the intention to properly manage social distancing according to the CDC recommendations.”
The video and additional photos were originally posted on Benny’s Facebook page, but were removed after negative feedback began to pour in.
“Last night a video and photos made their way to Facebook, at which point we immediately received negative feedback. We did remove the initial event and related posts with the intention of mitigating the risk of turning our page into a platform for public debate,” the statement reads.
The bar cited Sunday’s bad weather as one of the reasons for the scene, as rain and driving winds required the bar’s patio doors to be closed.
“Given the conditions that we were faced with, we had to promptly determine how to proceed with the interests of everyone that had purchased a ticket and for the staff that had committed to working on what would have normally been their day off,” the statement said.
The post stated that customers should stay tuned for a video from Benny Brewing further explaining the incident, and that they will do better in the future.
“This weekend, we made a split decision that was not consistent with our commitment to do so, and we are sorry … our only hope is that the bulk of you will lean on the trust that we believe we have earned with you over the past 4 years, and that you will trust us when we say we will not allow this to happen again.”