TUPPER LAKE — The town and the school district here appear likely to collaborate for one of the community’s largest annual events: the Tupper Lake BrewSki.

Town Recreation Department Director Laura LaBarge and Youth Activities Coordinator Christielee Geiger presented a request at the Dec. 1 Tupper Lake Central School District board meeting for the town to borrow a bus or two — depending on how many people sign up — to provide safe rides to and from BrewSki, which is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 28.

The school board voted 4-0, with board member Josh Tremblay absent from the meeting, in favor of TLCSD making a formal agreement with the town, which will have to be voted on for final agreement at a later meeting.

Although 2026 will mark BrewSki’s 11th iteration, this would be the first year for the partnership, if it’s ultimately approved. LaBarge said she decided to propose it as a way to enhance the event’s safety and help ease the parking congestion along Country Club Road.

“The more we do this, the more I realize the potential risks associated with it,” she said. “So to keep our community safe, the town safe, we would like to implement a safe transportation plan for this event.”

LaBarge said the event’s been fortunate in the past to not have had a safety-related incident, thanks in part to the ongoing partnership with MAC’s Safe Rides and the perks, such as free admission and souvenirs, that encourage a large contingent of designated drivers each year.

Still, though, with the event growing increasingly popular, LaBarge said this was a proactive initiative. As helpful as MAC’s has been in the past, the recreation department director said their capacity is limited, and while that’s feasible for much of the year, BrewSki draws between 1,500 and 2,000 participants.

“People come in from Canada, people come in from all over the Tri-State area,” she said. “We’re checking IDs from California, from Nevada, from all over the place.”

With a carrying capacity of up to 50 adults, LaBarge said school buses would help ease a safe transportation option at scale, while also reducing vehicle traffic to the country club for the event. Given that it’s on a Saturday, the school district’s buses wouldn’t be in high demand.

The idea, she said, would be for ticket holders interested in this option to provide a pick-up and drop-off address on an online form for LaBarge to develop a bus route. This could be motels and rental homes for visitors, as well as places of residence for locals.

LaBarge said the details would have to be ironed out based on eventual interest numbers, but pick-ups would tentatively begin around 11 a.m. BrewSki is then slated to kick off around noon, with bus return trips running between 3 and 4 p.m.

LaBarge said participants would have to sign a pledge in advance, agreeing not to bring any alcohol on the bus or otherwise act inappropriately. She added that town volunteers would be checking people before they got on the bus — both for the pick-up and return routes — as well as riding on the bus to ensure the bus drivers don’t have to interact with the riders, and could focus solely on driving. The volunteers would be in place to address any issues en route, should they arise.

“The goal is really just to invite people to this community to have a good time and allow them a safe way to do it,” she said.

TLCSD Superintendent Jaycee Welsh told the school board that as part of this agreement, the school district would not look to profit from this service, given BrewSki’s community benefit, though at the same time, the town would reimburse the school district for all of its staffing and fuel costs, so the school district would not lose any money.

“So, zero profit, zero loss?” asked TLCSD Board Vice President Jason Rolley. “Correct,” Welsh responded.

TLCSD Board President Jane Whitmore said she was leaning in favor of this, adding that BrewSki is a great event for the town, but asked how equipment would be handled, given how sharp ski edges, snowshoe traction grips and pole ends could damage bus interiors.

LaBarge said it was her understanding that some of the district’s school buses are equipped with exterior-accessible cargo bays underneath the seating areas, and they would ask for these types of buses so that equipment could be safely carried to and from.

Whitmore also pressed LaBarge on the zero-alcohol on buses enforcement, noting that there would be severe penalties for the school district if alcohol were to be discovered on any of its buses, either during or after the event.

LaBarge reiterated that town volunteers would check everyone on both runs “before anyone even steps on the bus,” and that by registering for the bus service, people would agree, in advance, to abide by the rules. It’s unclear what specific penalties and procedures exist in the event someone is found to have violated this agreement; those were not discussed explicitly at the Dec. 1 school board meeting.

Welsh added that she would like to see language included in the sign-up form informing participants that they would be video recorded at all times while on the school bus, noting that TLCSD’s buses are all equipped with cameras that automatically turn on when the bus is in motion.

LaBarge said she’d be OK with that, and added that it would be conveyed to all participants that the school district is offering buses voluntarily and out of goodwill — and that if there are any issues, the service would likely be revoked in future years, not just for any would-be violators, but for everyone.

If the past is a predictor, LaBarge said she doesn’t expect any issues on this front.

“We truly have been so fortunate,” she said. “The type of people who come to BrewSki to participate are happy to be there. They’re athletic, they’re respectful, they’re positive, they’re happy. There really is not much negativity in the atmosphere of that event at all.”

LaBarge pointed to the TLCSD senior class’s walk-in tacos fundraiser that has taken place in the past. She noted that, at first, there was a bit of concern that students may have had negative interactions with BrewSkiers who might have had too much to drink, but ultimately everything went off without a hitch, with numerous participants grateful to have the food service during the event, while helping to raise funds for the students.

“Great event, great fundraiser for that class, too,” Whitmore said in agreement, adding that it was something her family had participated in.

For more information about BrewSki, visit tupperlake.com/events/brewski.