Photo courtesy of Tim McCready159 Manning has been forced to cancel its seventh annual summer BBQ that was to be this coming Saturday. The event had scheduled performances from local artists, as well as a photo booth set up for partygoers, and free vegetarian burgers. Noisey called 159's resident and party thrower Tim McCready for comment and he says the cancellation is due to a couple of complaints in the last little while. For the cancellation of this specific event, McCready says "[the City's] issues are with me charging cover and the possible sale of alcohol." He believes this latest complaint stems from one received for a music video shoot he held in his backyard, which was, he says, alcohol-free and only for 45 minutes. It was over by 10:30PM.
This is his first complaint in his 11-years living at 159 Manning and McCready is fine to comply with the cancellation because he doesn't want this to affect his landlords or, at worst, get himself evicted. While he's had police come by the house, they normally see adults in a backyard…essentially having a barbecue. Both McCready and the City official were surprised this is the first time he's been shutdown. "The woman from the City who came by and talked to me said she saw the pictures [of past parties] I do this once a year," he says. "She was surprised she hadn’t gotten more complaints in spite of the size." Noisey tried to contact the City for comment. McCready’s events are nuanced and organized house parties. It’s a venue that hosts choir performances and legendary New Year’s Eve parties and karaoke sessions. McCready filed noise exemption permit a few hours after the notice but that can take up to three weeks to process. It also cost McCready $100. True to form and spirit, McCready is hopeful the event can still happen.Sarah MacDonald is a staff writer at Noisey Canada. Follow her on Twitter.