Bob Hall, LLC and Anheuser Busch, working together with the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office, Maryland State Police, the Calvert Alliance Against Substance Abuse and the Calvert and St. Mary’s Counties Community Traffic Safety Programs are sponsoring a Designated Driver program to be held during the annual opening of the Tiki Bar this weekend.  The program will run Friday, April 17, and Saturday, April 18 from noon to 10 p.m.  Three retailers on Solomons Island, the Tiki Bar, Catamarans and Calypso Bay, will be participating in the program.  These establishments will offer free snacks and nonalcoholic beverages to designated drivers who sign up at the Designated Driver booth beside the Tiki Bar.

Designated drivers will receive a wristband, keychain and t-shirt at the enrollment booth during sign-up, as well as a chance to win over 400 great prizes … coolers, radios, sling bags, digital speakers, cameras, backpacks, reusable tote bags, and more throughout Friday and Saturday.  Designated drivers will sign a pledge card, which will be entered into a drawing for the grand prize of a cruise for two to the Bahamas donated by the Tiki Bar, or second place for four tickets to Busch Gardens in Williamsburg including $100 in gas money.  Sheriff Mike Evans will draw the grand prize ticket during a ceremony at the Sheriff’s Office on Monday, April 20 at 10 a.m.  The public is invited to attend.

According to Lt. Randy Stephens, Commander of the Maryland State Police Barrack “U” in Prince Frederick, alcohol impairment was a factor in six of nine fatalities on Calvert County’s roadways last year, including a fatal crash following last year’s event on Solomons Island.

Calvert County Sheriff Mike Evans states that almost 1,000 people were arrested last year for drunk driving and cautions, if you drink, please don’t drive.

Maryland State Police and the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office, as well as law enforcement from neighboring jurisdictions, will be conducting DUI saturation patrols this Friday and Saturday night as part of Maryland’s “Checkpoint Strikeforce - Over the Limit, Under Arrest” campaign.  These enforcement efforts are funded through the State Highway Administration’s Maryland Highway Safety Office and will continue throughout the spring and summer months.  Areas where a high number of DUI arrests or crashes have occurred in the past will be targeted for enforcement efforts.